Good Food is Everybody's Business
Then one day, in June of 2007, Kevin was checking Craig’s List for bargains and came across this ad: “Fairhaven Organic Flour Mill for sale…” Kevin didn’t know a thing about flour or milling, but he was willing to learn and to work hard.
Located in the “hinge” of sub-Saharan West Africa, Cameroon is home to about 19 million people. Because the country’s natural resources are suited to agriculture, an estimated 70% of the population farms. External forces of globalization are now putting pressure on African countries such as Cameroon to shift agricultural production from subsistence-scale local production to large-scale commercial production.
Getting our food from the farm to the consumer – the “supply chain” – is certainly not as simple as it was the past. Once upon a time, the consumer, his/her family, and the local community WERE the growers and a supply chain didn’t exist. Transportation from the field and barn to the kitchen was a matter of feet or yards, not miles. What once was a simple connection with one or two stops along the way, has become a spaghetti-like tangle of connections, links, and cross-links to get fresh fruits and vegetables to your plate.
One damp day in November, I opened the door to pick up the mail and… lo and behold, there sat a fairly limp, slightly damp brown paper bag slumped against the door. What kind of goodies appeared out of nowhere?
Written with urban charm and a knife-sharp sense of humor, Uncle Dave’s Cow is a friendly and accessible guide to sourcing and eating local meat for parents, foodies, and everyone who wants to learn how to be a well-prepared consumer and cook through to the bone.
All turkeys – wild turkeys and the broad-breasted white or the dozen or so “heritage” breeds grown domestically today – are the same species (Meleagris gallopavo). Consumers who want pasture-raised heritage breed turkeys are looking for birds that are well cared for, grow slowly, and have flavorful meat. We can support our small, local farmers who are doing their best to raise a good bird and sell it at a reasonable price.
Last Sunday, as we sat down to dinner, we realized that three family businesses were responsible for most of the food on our plates. Here is our “tip of the hat” to these fine folks!
The Environmental Working Group reviewed 84 popular brands of breakfast cereal and found that Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, nearly 56% sugar by weight, is the worst breakfast cereal for children to eat. A one-cup serving of the brand packs more sugar than a Hostess Twinkie!
