Green Eats

This is a very intriguing concept – any thoughts?

I’m writing this post from Tampa International Airport, where I just wolfed down a hotdog. However delicious my hotdog was, I can’t help wondering why airports don’t do more to showcase local food. You have a captive market and the ability to be representative of your state/region. I’m tired of having to rely on Starbucks and crappy “grille” burgers – fellow travelers of the world unite! Demand fresh, local food in airports!

A few Mobbers get to weeding at Ever Laughter Farm

I spent the afternoon yesterday working with the Crop Mob at Ever Laughter Farm in Hillsborough. In case you missed all the attention Crop Mob has been getting lately, they are a group of farmers (both landed and landless, urban and rural, professional and amateur) who get together each month to “mob” a local farm, accomplishing in a few hours projects that otherwise would take days or even weeks. The labor isn’t free – host farms are expected to feed the Mobbers, and only those who have helped out on previous Mobs can have their own farm Mobbed. At the end of the day its about helping out small farms in the community, getting your hands dirty, and having some fun.

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Roland McReynolds, executive director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, recently wrote a guest post over on Sustainable Grub concerning Senate Bill 510, otherwise known as the Food Safety Modernization Act:

Congress is debating legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wide-ranging new authority over farming practices and food production. In its current form, the bill’s requirements would be impossible for many small-scale farmers and food processors to fulfill.

In other words, small farms committed to producing healthy food are the ones that could be driven out of business by initiatives designed to ensure food “safety.”

Please head over to Sustainable Grub to read the rest of the post, and check out CFSA’s Action Alert on S.510 to find out what you can do to ensure the continued viability of our nations small-scale, sustainable farms.

I just got back from the South Estes Farmers’ Market and boy did I make a killing in produce! Its been so nice to see green showing up at the market once again, and I just couldn’t help myself – I went on a locavore spree! From Ever Laughter Farm I got cilantro, spinach, a bag of their salad mix, a bag of braising mix (kales and mustards), and a package of bratwurst. From Fickle Creek Farm I bought a bag of kale. Finally, I snapped up some orange marmalade rolls and a loaf of oatmeal bread from The Farm Fairy and a lemon-poppyseed mini bundt cake from Big Bundts & More. Read the rest of this entry »

For more information visit the Farm to Fork website.

This upcoming Sunday, March 27th from 2pm-5pm Durham Central Market will team up with Elodie Farms and Benjamin Vineyards for a Family Farm Day at Elodie Farms in Rougemont. Bring the kids, a picnic lunch, and try out some of Elodie’s goat cheese and sip on wine while you tour the farm and play with the goats. Locopops and Dolly Mama Chocolates will be on hand to sell some tasty treats, and there will be games for the kids. The cost is $10 for those 21+, $5 for under 21, and children 3 and under are free.

For more information and directions to Elodie Farms check out the Facebook page for the event.

Please take a moment and fill out the survey for the Piedmont Local Food Community Visioning Process – at stake is upwards of $30,000 to invest in our local food community and the greater sustainable agriculture movement in the area! You have until March 10th to take the survey, and I’ll be sure to post the results when they are published.

One April 24 and 25 the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association will host its 15th annual Piedmont Farm Tour. A great way to meet your local farmers and see how they work, CFSA’s Farm Tour has grown over the years to become the largest farm tour in the nation. They even created a Google map of farms on this year’s tour! Check out the CFSA website for more information and to buy tickets. See you on the farm!

From the lovely folks at the Rodale Institute comes this gem of an article describing five ways in which you can scratch your farm itch without investing in some serious acreage. Tips include starting or joining a Crop Mob (like our nationally recognized one right here in the Triangle), becoming a WWOOFer (travel + organic farming? Sign me up!), and getting some backyard chickens.

Read the whole article here, and check out the other amazing resources at the Rodale Institute website.