Good Food is Everybody's Business
Take a drive north on Highway 97 and you will pass along the Columbia and Okanogan Rivers between tiers and tiers of orchards growing all kinds of fruit, from stone fruit – apricots, nectarines, and peaches – to apples, pears, and cherries, and the occasional quince. Just a few miles north of Tonasket WA you’ll find River Valley Organics. What’s is it that makes River Valley Organics so special? A unique combination of karma and heart.
Walk into any supermarket and what do you find? Bins of shiny red, yellow, and green apples. What seems like an abundance of apples is an illusion. Just 11 varieties of apples make up 90% of those grown, sold, and eaten in the US. What’s more, 40-plus percent of apples sold are only one variety: Red Delicious. The apple industry has succumbed to the same consolidation and specialization affecting the rest of the food industry. As a result, the number of apple varieties has plummeted.
In recognition – and celebration – the NW Cooperative Development Center, the Alaska Cooperative Development Program, and Mission Mountain Food Enterprise and Cooperative Development Center, are partnering to present “Celebrating Our Food Community,” a conference to consider how cooperative business models will contribute to the future of our local and regional food systems. We spoke with Jan Tusick, Center Director for Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center, about her organization’s part in establishing and supporting co-ops in western Montana.
What to do with 15 pounds of “pick it yourself” tomatoes? Kate goes on a canning spree, and you can too!
Fatal Harvest takes an unprecedented look at our current ecologically destructive agricultural system and offers a compelling vision for an organic and environmentally safer way of producing the food we eat. ts scope and photo-driven approach provide a unique and invaluable antidote to the efforts by agribusiness to obscure and disconnect us from the truth about industrialized foods.
Sandra Matheson, farmer, educator, and retired veterinarian, talks about working with nature to leave the land in better condition. Her philosophy is to make “holistic” decisions that are socially, ecologically, and economically sound and balanced—and to help others do the same!
Ina Denburg went to New York City with sign in hand to stand with others in solidarity against the use of unsafe GMO technology and the horrific practices of its most powerful progenitor, Monsanto. She was anticipating a robust turn out for the Occupy Monsanto demonstration; so how many showed up?
Pass the peas (and lentils), please! These humble legumes deliver a world of flavor in dishes that are exotic, unexpected, and traditional. The good news: dry peas and lentils can be stored indefinitely when kept cool and dry. Bon appétit!
