Local Flavor
Practical tips for living sustainably: an interview with Joel Salatin (part 5 of 5)
In part 1 of this 5-part video interview series, we heard a short history of Polyface farms and its’ owner Joel Salatin. In part 2, Joel talked about the issue of “real food” education and whether we should really try to convert everyone. In part 3, we asked the big question – isn’t this whole sustainable food thing really just an elitist movement? In part 4, we heard Joel talk about land ecology ethics, our role as caretakers of the land, and why a long term view is so important. In this video: What’s the single policy change that Joel thinks would blow the food system right open? Listen to Joel talk about how getting in your kitchen...
Read MoreCaring for the land: an interview with Joel Salatin (part 4 of 5)
In part 1 of this 5-part video interview series, we heard a short history of Polyface farms and its’ owner Joel Salatin. In part 2, Joel talked about the issue of “real food” education and whether we should really try to convert everyone. In part 3, we asked the big question – isn’t this whole sustainable food thing really just an elitist movement? In this video: Does a farm’s size or scale have anything to do with how sustainable or ethical it is? How does Polyface farms measure success? Listen to Joel talk about land ecology ethics, our role as caretakers of the land, and why a long term view is so important. What do you think? What...
Read MoreFood independence or elitism? An interview with Joel Salatin (part 3 of 5)
In part 1 of this 5-part video interview series, we heard a short history of Polyface farms and its’ owner Joel Salatin. In part 2, Joel talked about the issue of “real food” education and whether we should really try to convert everyone. In this video: The big question – isn’t this whole sustainable food thing really just an elitist movement? Who can really afford it? Listen to Joel’s decidedly non-politically-correct answer. What do you think? Is the whole sustainable, organic, free-range agriculture thing just a bunch of elitist horse hockey? Or are people just making excuses? Tell me in the...
Read MoreA short history of Polyface Farms: an interview with Joel Salatin (part 1 of 5)
Back in January as I was pondering the Liberty Garden concept, thinking about education, outreach, and scale – I asked myself, if I could interview anyone about the food system, sustainability, and the future of American food independence, who would it be? Immediately, I thought of Joel Salatin. Joel is the owner and founder of Polyface Farms, which in their own words is “a family owned, multi-generational, pasture-based, beyond organic, local-market farm and informational outreach in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.” Polyface has been featured everywhere from Michael Pollan’s bestselling book The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four...
Read MoreStrawberry picking & can you can?
Last week on an impulse, Jimmy and I headed out to Pungo, the rural section of Virginia Beach, to go strawberry picking! Eating local I just love getting out in the fields and picking my own fruits or vegetables. Eating local, seasonal produce is the best way to get the freshest, best tasting food available. I’m yanking the food out of the ground or off the vine and popping it right in my mouth. A warm strawberry from the field, red all the way to the center, is a totally sensual experience. I almost always close my eyes and just savor it. Fruit eaten close to its source is truly a treasure. If you can ever eat tropical fruit (mango, papaya, pineapple, bananas)...
Read MoreA week of work & girly time in Asheville
This past week has been full of fun girly-time, balloons, baking, tons of website work, and more wonderful food than my butt wants to think about. I had so much fun hanging with Amanda, Kippy, and the rest of the Bake It Pretty crew while we worked on the new website, getting it ready for a big relaunch. It definitely wasn’t all work, we took a lot of breaks to watch bad TV, go see really bad movies, visit the Biltmore estate, and oh, did I mention eat? The homemade pickles and Scotch eggs were a particular highlight. And we made whoopie pies. Check out these amazing three-foot wide balloons that Bake It Pretty is carrying in the shop! We needed to show em off,...
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