September 2011

Eat Your Heart Out at Oakland’s Eat Real Festival
Jen Robinson Sep 27, 2011 Bay Area 0 comments
The first of three days at the Eat Real Festival in Oakland was the stereotypical California day: a balmy, sunny 85 degrees. Unfortunately, I chose to attend the festival the second day when the temperature plummeted over 20 degrees and the coastal fog of the morning lifted into heavy cloud cover. Luckily it didn’t rain! On Saturday, September 24th in Jack London Square, the scent of meat roasting over open coals against crisp fall air tinged with sea salt was divine. Within a few hours of my arrival, every Bay Area foodie was packed shoulder-to-shoulder in the square, waiting patiently for homemade tamales, organic bánh mì and hand-dipped corn dogs. Eat Real coordinates festivals annually...
Struggling to Survive, Food Pantries are Shutting Their Doors
Natalie DiBlasio Sep 23, 2011 food pantry 0 comments
Every year millions of U.S. households turn to emergency food banks to support their families, but in the midst of the recession, there are more people who need and fewer able to give. As a result, food support systems across the nation are suffering, in some cases even closing down. In Tom’s River, New Jersey, the Ocean County Hunger Relief warehouse has seen a large increase in demand, manager Joe Latif said, according to the Asbury Park Press. “Never seen it this bad before,’’ Latif said. “Not only are our in-kind contributions but the monetary donations are way down. We have to pay the bills for the overhead and utilities, too.’’ Wayside Food Rescue Program coordinator Don Morrison in...
Sustainable Goodness in Wisconsin
Jennifer Phillips Sep 22, 2011 Events 0 comments
This year’s annual Food for Thought Festival, held last weekend in Madison, explored and celebrated the diversity of ways to eat more pleasurably, healthfully and sustainably in Wisconsin.  Hosted by REAP (Research, Education, Action and Policy)—a Madison based non-profit organization with the mission to build a regional food system that is healthful, just, environmentally sustainable and economically viable—the Food for Thought Festival is reminiscent of the age-old harvest festival.  However, this festival is more of a festival of the minds than one celebrating piles of wheat and corn stacked high. The goal this year was simply to connect and reconnect people with their food...
Cheap Eats: Slow Foods for $5 or Less
Natalie DiBlasio Sep 16, 2011 $5 Challenge 0 comments
For a busy, cash-strapped family of four, it’s easy to understand why the dollar menu is appealing. Cheap, calorie-packed options handed right through a car window are the only way some families feel they can feed themselves. This Saturday, Slow Food USA is asking the nation to “Take back the ‘value meal’” and show each other that slow food shouldn’t have to cost more than fast food. The challenge? Make a meal using whole and preferably local ingredients rather than processed foods for $5 per person or less. “The goal of the $5 challenge is to restore the value in the ‘value’ meal, demonstrating that real food can be procured and prepared in ways that are economically feasible, as well as...
The Ultimate Farm to School Education
Siena Kaplan Sep 09, 2011 Cafeterias 0 comments
  The bustle of summer has quieted, the fall rains have arrived and the school buses are busily retracing their routes along the woodsy dirt roads in rural New Hampshire and Maine this morning.  Not all are headed to your typical school, however. In South Tamworth, New Hampshire, a few dozen students arrive each morning at The Community School (TCS), a sprawling 19th century farmhouse on a hill, surrounded by 310 acres of woods, marshes and fields. During the weekly school meeting, the 7th-13th graders  often hear from the resident farmer about what’s ripe on the farm and what needs weeding.  During mid-day breaks, groups of students can be found  in the gardens...
After the Storm: Rebuilding our Farm and Food Communities
Larissa Curlik Sep 08, 2011 Community 0 comments
It’s been over a week now since Hurricane Irene pommelled the East Coast, devastating neighborhood farms, markets and restaurants across New York, New Jersey and Vermont. Thanks to the support of their communities, many have weathered the storm and re-opened for business already. American Flatbread in Waitsfield, Vermont, which suffered extensive damage to Lareau Farm, re-opened last Friday. Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea Co. was hit hard with water welling up in their roasting lab. But with much gratitude for the “heartfelt love, help and support” of their community, their roasters are fired up again and wholesale orders are rolling in once more. While the waters have receded, the...
Long Live Summer and the Taco
Sean Buchanan Sep 06, 2011 Lamb 0 comments
I love food that can be eaten quickly, without utensils and free from formality. The taco is the perfect vessel to be filled with endless combinations of tastes and flavors and a great way to enjoy the last of summer’s harvest. Simplicity and quality ingredients are what define a good taco; a crumbling, tasteless shell will bring you nothing but tears. The taco is a dietary staple for an entire ethnicity and reigns supreme across all economic barriers and social hierarchies. Viva los tacos! First and foremost, there is a difference between a good tortilla and a bad tortilla. It’s the first thing to touch your lips. Quality and freshness are often underrated and sadly missing in shells sold...
Lamb Chorizo Tacos
Sean Buchanan Sep 06, 2011 Lamb 0 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Assemble this taco using your tortilla of choice—heated, of course. Spread a tablespoon of chipotle sour cream on the inside and top with sliced lamb chorizo. Serve with shredded aged cheddar, apple cabbage slaw and a drizzle of salsa. For the Chipotle Sour Cream: 1      tablespoon chipotle purée1      cup Cabot sour cream (whole fat)1      tablespoon white vinegar1      pinch kosher salt To make chipotle purée, take canned chipotle (smoked jalapenos in adobo) and purée them in a food processor. They will keep in your fridge for weeks afterward. Mix all the...