January 2012

For many dog owners, man’s best friend is fast becoming a true member of the family. Now there are businesses that — quite literally — cater to them.  From raw grass-fed beef produced by Minnesota-based Thousand Hills Cattle Company to dog food made locally with Ferndale Market free-range turkey to gluten-free treats, all the way to doggie ice cream, a fun piece from The Twin Cities Daily Planet describes how the locavore movement has crossed over to our canine companions. Read on for more, and search FarmPlate for local and sustainable pet food in your area. For other doggie things on FarmPlate, click here.    “There’s no denying that the locavore movement is...

Sponsored by Whole Foods Market and Gilt Taste, The 2nd Annual Good Food Awards were presented on January 18 in San Francisco. The Awards are designed to reward both the incredible tastiness of our country’s local and artisanal food products, and also those businesses that support sustainability and social good.   Winners are selected in eight categories: beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, preserves and spirits. Of the 99 winners designed to reward businesses in each of five geographic regions, the Northeast did a great job representing local food at this national event, particularly in the cheese, pickles and preserves categories. Click on the profiles below to...

By now, everyone has heard that celebrity chef Paula Deen has Type 2 Diabetes. Anyone can get Type 2 diabetes, according to the website WebMD.com, but there are certain risk factors that make it much more likely. Diet is one of them. It’s hard to see how Deen could continue promoting her fattening recipes to her viewers for the past three years, during which time she knew she had contracted a disease that has become a national crisis, particularly among children. Which begs the following question: why come out with the news now? Many are saying that it might have something to do with Deen getting paid by the diabetes treatment company Novo Nordisk to promote one of their drugs. Let’s be...

Jeff Weinstein, co-founder of Two Guys in Vermont, a soup company based in Montpelier, thinks of himself as a soup lover trying to make a difference. Not only are Weinstein and his partner, Doug Barg, working to source ingredients locally, but they’re also devoted to helping soup eaters live healthier.   When Weinstein read an article about metal canned soups being the second most contaminated food category in supermarkets (they contain BPA which leaches into food contents due the intense heat canning process and, in some cases, the acid in soups corrodes the metal can), he became devoted to the idea of cooking and putting soups in glass jars. “The idea [to start a soup business using...