Good Food is Everybody's Business
Mashing together observations from three of his books – Food Rules, In Defense of Food, and The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan covered subjects ranging from America’s eating disorder and “nutritionism” to healthy living and the wisdom of food.
Your farmer is getting old. The average age of American farmers is now over 57 and farmers aged 65 and older are the fastest growing group of farm operators, according to the USDA. The number of farms owned or operated by farmers under the age of 25 continues to shrink. Where are new farmers going to come from?
ore than a thousand kinds of banana can be found worldwide, but a variety called Cavendish, which a nineteenth-century British explorer happened upon in a household garden in southern China, represents ninety-nine per cent of the banana export market. What if the Cavendish variety disappeared?
Steve Murawski, recently retired chief scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service, has happily announced that, for the first time in the documented history of commercial fishing, we have seen the end of overfishing in US waters.
We are just beginning to understand that we may soon reach the end of the line – pun intended – for some of our “keystone” fish species: salmon, sea bass, cod and tuna. Top chefs in the US and Europe are pushing for sustainable seafood; “sustainable sushi” bars are popping up in cities across the country; and food service giants are offering sustainable seafood. But how is a discerning consumer going to find good quality, sustainable fish to purchase for his or her own table?
Natural and health food stores come in all sizes; from mega chains like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s and mini-chain cooperatives like PCC Natural Markets to small, independent groceries with annual sales from $2 to $20 million. The independence – and, yes, the political and philosophical leanings – of these small retail stores make each one different and contributes to the diversity of the business landscape.
Jerry Pipitone grows organic “stone fruit” (apricots, peaches, nectarines, and plums, as well as tomatoes and garlic on a small farm near the Columbia River in Rock Island WA. They also make pepper, garlic, apricot, peach and plum spreads and dry apricots. “Up close and in person,” he describes some of the Italian and Russian tomatoes that he grows.
Today I’d like to share a poem written by a poet from Eugene Oregon. Enjoy!
From Come the Harvest by Paul Hunter (Silverfish Review Press, 2008)
