Eating Our Landscape: the Ethnobotany of the Pacific Crabapple Tree

The Pacific Crabapple tree has been growing in Northwestern North America longer than any other species of ornamental fruit. The Pacific Crabapple tree grows in lifezones ranging from grasslands to foothills. The tree usually grows in moist environments; either in open wetlands or near bodies of water. Native groups from British Columbia all the way down through Cascadia used the Crabapple tree for various purposes.

Voices From the Farm: Battling Cats and Dogs, and Quints AGAIN!

Life became more complicated and at the same time more interesting with each passing year. I was now not only doing the sheep full time, but also a good bit of farm planning and we were making good progress with the farm. One big benefit to me, was that we now had the barn full of our own hay as a result of haying the excess Birdsfoot Trefoil pasture the previous year, and this year would have hay from a 9-acre field we had seeded to Wrangler Alfalfa. It was a welcome change from having to buy large truck loads of hay and unloading it.

Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss

From a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at The New York Times comes the explosive story of the rise of the processed food industry and its link to the emerging obesity epidemic. Michael Moss reveals how companies use salt, sugar, and fat to addict us and, more important, how we can fight back.

Why you can’t eat just one – Big Food keeps us eating!

Craving. It doesn’t just happen to food addicts. Most people have experienced the impulse to seek out and consume a favorite packaged snack food. Big Food knows you can’t stop at just one, because they’ve done the research necessary to make it happen.

Organicology: Shades of Portlandia!

Organicology – a “portmanteau word” meaning the study of organics – is the biggest conference/trade show focused entirely on organic seeds and produce in the country. This year more than 700 people attended the three-day conference that included a trilogy of key note speakers, five daylong intensive sessions, 15 workshops, an educational (and practical) “seed swap,” winter vegetable tasting, and a trade event featuring nearly 60 vendors.

Voices From the Farm: Getting Acquainted With the New Doctor and Big Mumbo Has (Only) Triplets

Lambing went much more peacefully this year, although not without its usual challenges. One thing was different this time – “Big Mumbo” slowed down a bit, and only delivered triplets! “Big Jumbo” also had triplets, as did several other ewes, but the majority had twins, very few singles, and the flock’s lambing average increased to 204%. Lambing average is the number of lambs saved per ewe per year, not the number born.