How do we eat today? An insightful look--written on a chalkboard--at what drives our eating today, by NY Times writer Maira Kalman. Permalink to her fine opinion piece printed in the New York Times today, the day after Thanksgiving 2009. Link: Maira Kalman.
Barn Raising--chicken barn, that is. Farms of all sizes tend to live on razor thin profit margins, so when a fire hit this boutique California chicken farm, they scrambled to raise the money to get back into business. Once again, the NYTs highlights the progressive sustainable food movement. Barn Raising.
Michael Pollan's new book: Food Rules, an Eater's Manual. Read his NYT interview here.
January 2010--Editor's Choices: Beyond the benefits of eating healthier foods, our communities are in constant need for more dialogue, enhanced local commerce, and a commitment to some level of shared values. Food, and the values pertaining to how we source our food, is one area where we can forge common alliances, values, and connections. January 2010 good reads and an awesome video!
December 2009--Editor's Choices: As winter sets into New England, the amount of time allocated to reading increases as New Englanders curl up next to a wood stove or fireplace to dive into interesting subjects. December 2009 good reads.
November 2009--Editor's Choices: Take a look at what the gg.org editor is reading this month. Keeping up with the latest agricultural research, farm to table trends, and pig parenting takes time. In addition, brush up on your houseplant techniques. As you close your windows and stoke up the heat, your houseplants have different needs. November 2009 good reads.
Fabulous Web site! Kitchen Gardeners International at www.kitchengardens.org is a site that I stumbled upon and found to be extremely well written, well executed, and nicely designed for navigation purposes. Webmaster Roger Doiron does a good job with the content. I highly recommend that you cut/paste the URL above and visit the site when you are finished here. From his site (and also posted on many others) is a 2009 list. I call it By the Numbers. Here is our own version, including references. By the Numbers.
Heirloom ideas...local chef wants us to get back to our roots. Sunday, July 26, 2009. Concord Monitor. By Maura Sullivan, staff writer. Inside lifestyle look at the founder and editor of www.greatgrandmother.org. Interview with editor.
Fall 2009 Cookbook Recommendations...inspiring you to get into fall. Fall 2009 Recommendations
Summer 2009 Reading Recommendations from the gg.org editor. Summer 2009 Recommendations.
Michael Pollan Fixes Dinner...an extended interview by Mother Jones. Reading this interview, with its straight-forward questions and intelligent responses, is like sitting across the table from Pollan. That's what good journalistic interviews do--they take you there! Clara Jeffery's interview touches upon food, fuel, industrial farming, nutrition, and yes, Michael Pollan's visit to McDonalds last year. Candid, eye-opening, and as always, told in an accessible fashion. Dinner with Pollan.
Great writing on topics such as food, cooking, sustainability, eating and sourcing local foods, food security, whole foods, Slow Food, biodynamics, and organic gardening is readily available on library and local bookstore shelves. If you are new to the world of food writing or wish to explore beyond what you have read before, the editors of greatgrandmother.org have compiled a book list just for you! These books represent about a third of the greatgrandmother.org library. Take a look at the book list here!
The Soul of Soil. This rather lengthy, but complete essay about the practical biology of garden soil is important for any home gardener. Written by the Countryside staff, it has become a go-to resource for understanding the complexities of your backyard dirt. In an era where more and more people rely on the small parcels of kitchen garden land to produce more and more of their fresh fruits and vegetables, this information becomes indepensible for many reasons. Knowing your soil will help you save money, time, and reduce the number of headaches that often accompany the home gardener. Read the soil essay here!
Sustainable Agriculture. This short description is followed by a concise history of sustainable agriculture in the United States. It's part of an academic-type series of essays from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. Much of the writing is beyond what we may need to know as gardeners and small acre farmers, but it's helpful to understand the up front description of sustainability. Sustainable Agriculture description.