Cool News: The Natural Princess

Hello Los Angeles!

Through an agreement just reached with Transit TV, riders on the Metro Bus System in LA will soon get to enjoy watching The Natural Princess!

A fellow media producer on LinkedIn presented us with this wonderful opportunity. As a fan of the show and new member of the Transit TV team, she thought it would be a great match. We certainly hope this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! And it just goes to show you the power of social networking!

Transit TV is a cutting edge wireless media delivery system. It is a market leader in transit vehicles and one of the largest digital out-of-home systems in North America. Along with in-house production, Transit TV sources content from companies producing some of the best program material in the country.

So if you're in LA, be sure to get on the bus and let me know if you catch one of my shows!

From The Garden Plot

I am excited! Why?

Well, I had a veggie garden last year - sort of. It really was my mother's garden and I was her helper; she did all the work. It was a moderate success and now it's my turn. This year I am on my own. I shall embark on my first vegetable garden.

Adding to my excitement is that Local In Season has asked me to chronicle my adventure, or possibly misadventure, on their site. The column is called From The Garden Plot and my first entry is up today.

I hope you will follow along. I'll need all the support and guidance I can get!

Beyond Organic

If you read this blog you probably are familiar with the virtues of organic food and farming. Well, yesterday I was reminded of my trip to Switzerland after watching a new video on Organic Nation TV about biodynamic farming. Founded by Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic farming is considered one of the initial forms of and significant contributors to the development of modern organic farming. In a nutshell, biodynamic farming goes a step beyond organic to create a closed-loop system of soil maintenance using cover crops, manure and herbal composts. Focused on balance and healing it looks at the farm as a living, breathing organism.

What Is Biodynamic Farming? from OrganicNation on Vimeo.

Closer to home, off the top of my head, I read that Warrups Farm in Redding is a certified organic farm that also employs many biodynamic practices. Also, Woodbridge Farm in Salem, CT is a certified biodynamic farm. If you know of any other local farms using biodynamics please add them in the comments section.

Food 101: Michael Pollan on Oprah

I don't watch Oprah, but yesterday was an exception. It was a big day for food! Michael Pollan was a guest on her show. They chatted about his new book Food Rules and about the movie Food, Inc. I was jazzed to see how many clips from the movie they played during the show.

The show started out with a Food 101 quiz. Really interesting. See how much you know.

It would be impossible to sum up everything they talked about - I'm not that good a note-taker anymore - but there are a couple of quotes I think worthy to mention:

Oprah: "It makes you think. We all have to start paying more attention to what we put in our bodies. Do you know where your food comes from, what's been added, what's been taken out, what happens before a label goes on it?"

Oprah: "The consumer really is the biggest voice behind whether there will be real food or not."

Pollan: "This issue is very empowering, we get 3 votes a day. You don't have to get everyone of them right, but if you get one right a day, buying sustainable food or food that's humanely grown, whatever is important to you, as long as you vote with consciousness, things will change."

The entire episode isn't available online, but you can watch an excerpt here.

Sure, there is a long way to go in getting people to be conscious of what they are eating and where it comes, but this was a giant boost into the mainstream audience.

New England State of Mind

For me, the joy of living in New England is all about the change of seasons. And, in my desire to eat more locally, this means that what I’m eating also reflects this natural cycle.

Spring. Fresh, new growth. There is lots of green with things like fresh herbs, lettuce, swiss chard, kale and asparagus. And, don’t forget the rhubarb.

Summer. Ingredient explosion. My plate is filled with things like: berries, cherries, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, summer squash, corn and so much more!

Fall. Winding down and going warm. Autumn harvest foods include apples, pears, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, onions and garlic!

Winter. Slow and warm. These are foods that take longer to cook. Many of the Fall finds are still around but you also have winter squashes, parsnips, and turnips. Maple syrup may be available year-round, but it is in winter when nature allows us this harvest.

All in all it’s amazing how my body craves whatever is in season at each phase of the calendar. I admit in summer and fall it’s a breeze to be a New England locavore. Winter is my biggest local food hurdle.

Eating fresh, seasonal produce is a good way to connect with the rhythms of the natural world. Not only is it delicious, but purchasing locally grown and seasonal produce is usually wallet-friendly too.

Want to know what’s in season in your state? Check out What’s Fresh Near You from the NRDC. If you’re on the go and have an iPhone download the Locavore App. It auto-detects where you are, shows you fruits and veggies currently in season, gives you farmer’s markets nearby and links to recipes

This is cross-posted as part of the New England Bloggers birthday carnival. See all of the participants in this blog carnival at Thoughts From An Evil Overlord.

Movie Time: The Real Dirt on Farmer John

It's official, I have seen all the films mentioned in the post 5 Food Films Everyone Who Eats Should See on Change.org.

This weekend I watched The Real Dirt on Farmer John. It is the true story John Peterson, a third-generation Illinois farmer who struggles to stay afloat as family farms decline. In the late 1960s he transformed the farm into a hippie commune of sorts attracting hundreds of artists, hippies and other political radicals. When the agriculture crisis of the late 1980s led to the farm's eventual collapse he nearly called it quits.But after soul-searching and wandering, he finds the strength to pull himself together and became a leader in CSA agriculture as head of Angelic Organics. He is endearingly unconventional and his story is moving.



John Peterson is not your typical mid-western farmer and in the end that's a good thing. He was able to reinvent his farm. It gives me hope for the future of sustainability and agriculture.

A Study In Price Comparison

Thanks to Mangochild, writer of the blog Living In A Local Zone, I learned about a study conducted by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Iowa investigating the question: "Is local food more expensive than its non-local counterpart?"

In a nutshell: No.

For example, let's say you have a vegetable basket consisting of zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, string beans, sweet onions, tomatoes, and sweet corn. The mean price per pound if those veggies are local was $1.25. The mean price per pound if those veggies were non-local was $1.39.

Note that the study was conducted during peak growing season. It's common sense that if something is out-of-season, there is less of it and therefore costs more. To me this says when a fruit or veggie is in-season buy it locally for optimum value (and taste)!

Anyway, you can read the entire study as a PDF here.