seems to be the result of the groundbreaking for the White House vegetable garden.
The article in today's NY Times seems to be a typical mishmash and rehash.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/business/22food.html
Besides, aren't you tired of Alice Waters? or of Whole Foods being held up as a paragon of a reformed food system?
This shorter piece by Mark Bittman makes more sense
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/weekinreview/22bittman.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
I love the quote from Marion Nestle:
"Organic junk food is still junk food."
It's right up there with a note I made from a recent Pollan interview in Mother Jones:
"If you are willing to make it yourself, have all you want." He was referring specifically to french fries, but think about all the other things it might apply to. If it involves lots of work - and lots of fat - this maxim will save you.
The current Mother Jones issue, by the way has a provocative article, getting beneath the consumer hype of "organic". "Organic and Local is so 2008."
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2009/02/spoiled-organic-and-local-so-2008
Actually, the most interesting thing I have read lately is a book I finished studying just this week, written before 2008. I think it must have been the author's dissertation - it certainly was written in academese. But it raised all the issues about organic in California - how the movement started, where it went astray, what it is not addressing.
Julie Guthman, Agrarian Dreams: the Paradox of Organic Farming in California
University of California Press, 2004.
"Organic" as a certifiable label really is all about inputs, that is, it is a label geared to the consumer system - growers as consumers as well as shoppers. It does not address processes, nor does it address justice issues. (I think I'll save a little rant about farm workers - and how they are mostly neglected in all this - for Cesar Chavez day.)
What organic means is that farmers are using different inputs than non-organic/conventional growers. No more, no less. Well, except perhaps for European certification schemes.
The organic movement in California was not an attempt to recover a more wholesome agrarian tradition. Most agriculture in California has always been done on a large scale. The organic movement as it arose in the 60s and 70s came from urban idealists, back-to-the-land romanticism.
Conversion to organic in California has been driven by cost (some things are just relatively easy and maybe even cheaper to grow organically, like grapes and tomatoes) and by wholesalers as much as by a vision of sustainability or ecological agriculture.
And most of the organic food available in the supermarket is grown on a large scale. Small scale growers make it through a combination of restaurant contracts and direct marketing, with CSAs probably having the most positive impact on small-medium integrated farming with just labor practices.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
So now a generation has an excuse
not to like beets! Because Barack Obama doesn't like beets, and there won't be any in the White House garden. The beets are in at my garden - but only one other gardener has any planted. Why this anti-beet feeling in a culture that likes sweet things?
Was it Bush I who didn't like broccoli? There's some here. But I don't see the promised arugula on the plan. Must one plant it in the fall in the D.C. area?
So the White House vegetable garden seemed inevitable, and now everyone is taking credit for it, especially Alice Waters.
I've just looked over the plan and it makes pretty good sense. I'm happy to see they are confining the mint - but I wonder why not interplant the other herbs, especially the annual and tender perennial ones? and the chives? They all help with pest control or attract beneficials.
Hallelujah for the rhubarb - but I am wondering why so few carrots? - and why next to the dill with which they compete?
I assume the tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos and eggplants will go in after the peas and early lettuces.
And that in time they will realize the berry patch is way too small, and they need an asparagus bed!
If John Jeavons were there they would plant some grains, too. Perhaps grains and favas over next winter? They've got way more than enough land to plant staples, like grains and potatoes. Oh dear - have they shunned potatoes, too, but just not told us? Now is when they should go in...
Follow the link to see the garden plan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Was it Bush I who didn't like broccoli? There's some here. But I don't see the promised arugula on the plan. Must one plant it in the fall in the D.C. area?
So the White House vegetable garden seemed inevitable, and now everyone is taking credit for it, especially Alice Waters.
I've just looked over the plan and it makes pretty good sense. I'm happy to see they are confining the mint - but I wonder why not interplant the other herbs, especially the annual and tender perennial ones? and the chives? They all help with pest control or attract beneficials.
Hallelujah for the rhubarb - but I am wondering why so few carrots? - and why next to the dill with which they compete?
I assume the tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos and eggplants will go in after the peas and early lettuces.
And that in time they will realize the berry patch is way too small, and they need an asparagus bed!
If John Jeavons were there they would plant some grains, too. Perhaps grains and favas over next winter? They've got way more than enough land to plant staples, like grains and potatoes. Oh dear - have they shunned potatoes, too, but just not told us? Now is when they should go in...
Follow the link to see the garden plan:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Spirituality of Gardening
This looks well worth checking into...
... there may be similar events in other places...
Lots of interest in community gardens up my way - now all we need is sweat and a goat (to eat the blackberry leaves)....
April 25: The Spirituality of Gardening
Come to our third The Revolution Starts At Home event
The Spirituality of Gardening facilitated by Christine Sine
When? April 25, 2009 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where? Mustard Seed House , Seattle
Do you struggle to connect to the story of God through morning devotions and Sunday worship? I believe one reason people are moving away from Christianity at time warp speed is because we have divorced our faith from the glory of God revealed through the natural world. Nothing makes me more aware of this than working in the garden. I read about the death and resurrection of Christ in the Bible, but I experience it every time I plant a seed and watch it burst into life. I read about the faithfulness of God to Israel but I experience it every time I watch the rain fall and nourish the seeds I have planted. I read about the miracle of the fish and the loaves but I experience a miracle every time I am overwhelmed by the generosity of God’s harvest.
In this workshop we will discuss the wonderful ways that God is revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing and harvesting in the garden. Come prepared to get your hands dirty as we will spend some time in the garden or in the greenhouse if the weather is inclement.
Each participant will receive a copy of The Garden Year, a resource that Christine Sine created to help her plan, cultivate and harvest throughout the year.
When? April 25, 2009 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where? Mustard Seed House , Seattle
http://www.msainfo.org
+
... there may be similar events in other places...
Lots of interest in community gardens up my way - now all we need is sweat and a goat (to eat the blackberry leaves)....
April 25: The Spirituality of Gardening
Come to our third The Revolution Starts At Home event
The Spirituality of Gardening facilitated by Christine Sine
When? April 25, 2009 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where? Mustard Seed House , Seattle
Do you struggle to connect to the story of God through morning devotions and Sunday worship? I believe one reason people are moving away from Christianity at time warp speed is because we have divorced our faith from the glory of God revealed through the natural world. Nothing makes me more aware of this than working in the garden. I read about the death and resurrection of Christ in the Bible, but I experience it every time I plant a seed and watch it burst into life. I read about the faithfulness of God to Israel but I experience it every time I watch the rain fall and nourish the seeds I have planted. I read about the miracle of the fish and the loaves but I experience a miracle every time I am overwhelmed by the generosity of God’s harvest.
In this workshop we will discuss the wonderful ways that God is revealed through the rhythms of planting, growing and harvesting in the garden. Come prepared to get your hands dirty as we will spend some time in the garden or in the greenhouse if the weather is inclement.
Each participant will receive a copy of The Garden Year, a resource that Christine Sine created to help her plan, cultivate and harvest throughout the year.
When? April 25, 2009 | 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Where? Mustard Seed House , Seattle
http://www.msainfo.org
+
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Changes in D.C.
Michelle Obama has served lunch at a soup kitchen which serves fresh and local
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/11lady.html
and is promoting community gardening. Will they really tear up the south lawn as Michael Pollan suggested?
Well, even if they don't, Secretary Vilsack had an asphalt breaking party for Lincoln's birthday and is eyeing the jackhammered driveway as a potential garden now that spring is just around the corner, reported NPR yesterday morning.
Will Vilsack's proposed changes be "radical" though, as NPR suggested? My guess is it will be a little at a time.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/11/dining/11lady.html
and is promoting community gardening. Will they really tear up the south lawn as Michael Pollan suggested?
Well, even if they don't, Secretary Vilsack had an asphalt breaking party for Lincoln's birthday and is eyeing the jackhammered driveway as a potential garden now that spring is just around the corner, reported NPR yesterday morning.
Will Vilsack's proposed changes be "radical" though, as NPR suggested? My guess is it will be a little at a time.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Jane Brody, long time nutritionista at the NY Times, authored an article published yesterday asserting that if you spent just a little more time cooking you could have better nutrition for less money.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/health/03brod.html?ref=health
The article had a companion piece with a number of recipes.
Now I don't see much to argue with in this article - though of course I would have liked a little more emphasis on the seasonal and local. No, what amazed me was that people would need to be told these things. Do they really need to be told that potatoes, beans and apples are good nutrition for the money? That buying in quantity and then dividing and freezing is a good way to save? That a hearty soup is filling and cheap? how to make tuna salad and baked apples?
I mean - these things all seem so obvious to me! And I was not alive during the last depression.
I was happy to see the revival of salmon croquettes - though I think Nigella Lawson's recipe for salmon cakes is better - a secret vice of mine. But I guess not any longer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/health/03brod.html?ref=health
The article had a companion piece with a number of recipes.
Now I don't see much to argue with in this article - though of course I would have liked a little more emphasis on the seasonal and local. No, what amazed me was that people would need to be told these things. Do they really need to be told that potatoes, beans and apples are good nutrition for the money? That buying in quantity and then dividing and freezing is a good way to save? That a hearty soup is filling and cheap? how to make tuna salad and baked apples?
I mean - these things all seem so obvious to me! And I was not alive during the last depression.
I was happy to see the revival of salmon croquettes - though I think Nigella Lawson's recipe for salmon cakes is better - a secret vice of mine. But I guess not any longer.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tiny farmers unite!
The largest farmers, we have learned, will have their commodity subsidies cut in the Obama proposed budget.
When I heard "the largest farmers" I had visions of inflated figures - like Macy's parade balloons - in blue overalls, straw hat and red bandanna - all puffed up and looming over a landscape of rice, corn or cotton.
Whyever do we speak of big farmers and small farmers - when what we mean is farmers working a lot of acreage, versus farmers working on a small scale. Would a small farmer be like a Lego figure down on the farm? I'm surprised that farmers don't protest these adjectives of scale.
I recall when some of us realized in the 80s that we weren't working with small congregations, but tiny ones - since ours were smaller that what most people think of when they think small. But is there really any such thing as a small congregation? There are some with an attendance of 20 or 30 on Sundays who make a real difference in their communities, and would be sorely missed. And there are some who see 100 or 200 on Sunday who think small.
Surely a farmer's size is irrelevant to the quality of the farming s/he does.
But I am glad about the proposed subsidy change. I hope the Pres succeeds with this.
When I heard "the largest farmers" I had visions of inflated figures - like Macy's parade balloons - in blue overalls, straw hat and red bandanna - all puffed up and looming over a landscape of rice, corn or cotton.
Whyever do we speak of big farmers and small farmers - when what we mean is farmers working a lot of acreage, versus farmers working on a small scale. Would a small farmer be like a Lego figure down on the farm? I'm surprised that farmers don't protest these adjectives of scale.
I recall when some of us realized in the 80s that we weren't working with small congregations, but tiny ones - since ours were smaller that what most people think of when they think small. But is there really any such thing as a small congregation? There are some with an attendance of 20 or 30 on Sundays who make a real difference in their communities, and would be sorely missed. And there are some who see 100 or 200 on Sunday who think small.
Surely a farmer's size is irrelevant to the quality of the farming s/he does.
But I am glad about the proposed subsidy change. I hope the Pres succeeds with this.
There can be enough
The Oakland Institute continues to be a great source of information on global food system issues. Recently they published this paper on ecological agriculture:
http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/?q=node/view/499
It's a kind of meta-study, summarizing information that supports the conclusion that yields from ecological agriculture are adequate to feed the world's population. In fact, there is lots of evidence that organic agriculture improves yields considerably in the developing world, as much as 80%.
The increased yields are greatest for rain fed crops.
The next time some suggests to you that bio-tech interventions are necessary to feed the world, send them this paper to read.
Meanwhile, I am puzzling over why the aggregate data for organic agriculture in the developed world show a slight decline in yields over "conventional". Is this in the transitional stage from industrial ag with fossil fuel inputs to organic? Is it because of the scale of agriculture in the developed world? (Though surely not every rich country has the large scale agriculture of the Central Valley or Iowa!) Is it because of irrigation? Is it because we are unwilling to put the labor into ecological agriculture on a large scale?
One wonders if the anyone will care enough to write a paper exploring this sharp contrast between developing and developed countries' agriculture. It's be an interesting report to read.
http://www.oaklandinstitute.org/?q=node/view/499
It's a kind of meta-study, summarizing information that supports the conclusion that yields from ecological agriculture are adequate to feed the world's population. In fact, there is lots of evidence that organic agriculture improves yields considerably in the developing world, as much as 80%.
The increased yields are greatest for rain fed crops.
The next time some suggests to you that bio-tech interventions are necessary to feed the world, send them this paper to read.
Meanwhile, I am puzzling over why the aggregate data for organic agriculture in the developed world show a slight decline in yields over "conventional". Is this in the transitional stage from industrial ag with fossil fuel inputs to organic? Is it because of the scale of agriculture in the developed world? (Though surely not every rich country has the large scale agriculture of the Central Valley or Iowa!) Is it because of irrigation? Is it because we are unwilling to put the labor into ecological agriculture on a large scale?
One wonders if the anyone will care enough to write a paper exploring this sharp contrast between developing and developed countries' agriculture. It's be an interesting report to read.
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