April 2012

NAME: paula Manalo FARM: Mendocino Organics AGE: 30 Paula Manalo is one of the co-editors of Greenhorns: 50 Dispatches from the New Farmers' Movement.  Can you provide some brief background information about your farm? In your opinion, what makes it special or unique? Mendocino Organics is a community-supported farm - we grow organic produce, grains and hay, and raise pastured poultry, pork, lamb, and beef. We strive to be a self-sustaining farm where we import very little fertility and are working toward growing all our animal feed. As first-generation farmers, my partner and I did not have a farm to start with, and good land is expensive, so we lease several different...

Good news – springtime is finally rearing its lovely head! With spring comes delicious seasonal fruit that hasn’t been in season for months, so I thought that I would take some of my favorite fruits and create a simple breakfast dish that is both delicious and packed with nutrients. The base of this dish is quinoa, an incredibly versatile grain-like crop that is characterized by its mild, nutty flavor and known for its complete protein and fiber content (6 and 3 grams per serving, respectively). Kind of a riff on oatmeal, I combined the cooked quinoa with cinnamon and toasted almonds, and topped it off with strawberries and mango which made for a satisfying and scrumptious breakfast this...

We recently linked to a great blog post from Derek Singleton, a distribution management sofware analyst, where he argued that the U.S. stands to benefit from a more European-style local food distribution system. Now, Singleton’s back with a thoughtful analysis of how technology can help alleviate some of the challenges of food deserts. According to the USDA, a food desert is defined as “a low-income census tract where a substantial number or share of residents has low access to a supermarket or large grocery store.” Low access in rural areas is defined as 10 miles, versus one mile in urban areas. In the piece, Singleton consults several experts and discusses some local food distribution...

An interesting piece by Reuters reporter Leslie Gevirtz points to how the growing demand for organic and sustainable food is affecting wine production and certification.  In many ways, it seems, wine producers have been several steps ahead of food producers in their commitment to sustainability. Gevirtz quotes Gladys Horiuchi, a spokeswoman for the California Wine Institute, who says that more than two-thirds of California’s acreage and production is certified as sustainable. But like food producers, who face economic hurdles when seeking organic certification, wine producers may not be able to afford the process of getting a seal of organic approval, even though consumers are...