slow food

Sustainable winemaking is catching on, and the proof is in the presses. At a food show yesterday in Turin, Italy, Slow Food International launched Slow Wine 2011, its first-ever wine guide.

In contrast to wine bibles like The World Atlas of Wine, this tome evaluates wineries based on ethical practices in vineyard cultivation and vinification styles. And unlike ratings books such as Parker's Wine Buying Guide, Slow Wine 2011 eschews points-based ratings for a more qualitative appraisal.

The 2011 edition covers only Italian wines, but I think it has the potential to broaden its reach to include so many other wines, too. Would you be inclined to turn to a sustainable wine guide for advice?

Even before his Emmy Award-winning show, Food Revolution, took America by storm, I was a fan of Jamie Oliver and his approachable recipes. So when I discovered he'd released a new line of pantry essentials, Jme, at Williams-Sonoma, I knew I had to find a way to get my hands on them.

With the new collection, the British chef aims to highlight the authentic food traditions of small-scale artisan producers. But are the pricey products actually any good? To find out, we tested the jams, jellies, preserves, and biscuits; see what we thought when you keep reading.

Earlier this year, Slow Food queen Alice Waters released her 12th cookbook, In the Green Kitchen. I recently got my hands on the small hardback tome and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it! Since the subtitle is "Techniques to Learn by Heart," the book focuses on teaching culinary basics like washing lettuce, poaching eggs, and roasting meat. The idea is that these simple methods are the building blocks to create countless dishes. The techniques are not shown by Waters, but her friends — Rick Bayless, David Chang, and Charlie Trotter to name a few — from the gastronomic world. To learn more about the book, keep reading.

If you're not sure what to do for Earth Day, raise a fork to Mother Earth today with a brand-new book title, Edible: A Celebration of Local Foods ($20), written by Tracey Ryder and Carole Topalian, the two founders of Edible Communities. Edible is an organization that publishes magazines throughout various regions of North America that focus on the local food industry; its just-published eponymous book gives readers a glimpse of communities across the United States. Is it worth buying? Decide when you read more.

While the vegetarian trend has continued to rise, a meat movement is also gaining popularity. The latest subject in sustainable agriculture? Pasture-raised veal. Compared to conventionally raised veal, rose veal, as it's been dubbed, is leaner, with a blush color.

Eating veal has long been an animal-welfare issue, with opponents pointing to calves confined in stalls so tiny that livestock are unable to move. But producers of pasture-raised veal argue that the meat comes from hormone- and antibiotic-free calves who drink their mother's milk, consume pasture grass, and freely roam pastures.

Animal-rights activists are against the slaughter of young animals who have strong maternal bonds — yet according to veal proponents, calves are the same age as lamb and older than pigs when they're slaughtered. Where do you stand? Would you be more likely to eat pasture raised veal?

Some legislation, like healthcare reform, might take a little more work for the White House to push through, but other initiatives, like the White House farmers market, are happening virtually overnight. Less than a month ago President Obama revealed that he and the first lady were looking into holding a farmers market outside the White House — and the plan's already come to fruition. At the opening of the FreshFarm market yesterday, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Washington DC mayor Adrian Fenty spoke to a crowd of about 300 shoppers about the importance of eating healthy, local food.

The visitor that drew the most attention was Michelle Obama, who encouraged Americans to get to know the farmers that grow the market's food, and stressed the importance of fresh markets, particularly in urban deserts.

Located at 810 Vermont Avenue, just blocks from the White House, the market runs Thursday afternoons through the end of October, and accepts food stamps. It sells pasture-raised meats, artisan cheeses, milk, yogurt, fresh fruits and vegetables, breads, flowers, and preserves. DCers, have you had a chance to visit?

In March, Alice Waters and other supporters of the local food movement thought they'd finally gotten what they wanted when the Obamas announced the planting of an organic garden in the White House. But yesterday reformers were pleasantly shocked when President Obama announced his hopes to set up a farmers market at the White House. At the Organizing for America National Health Care Forum on Thursday, Barack Obama revealed that he and the first lady are looking into the idea of a farmers market outside the White House that would sell food from the White House garden or other local farmers:

"One of the things that we’re trying to do now is to figure out, can we get a little farmers’ market — outside of the White House . . . that is a win-win situation. It gives suddenly D.C. more access to good, fresh food, but it also is this enormous potential revenue-maker for local farmers in the area."

He also discussed the importance of connecting local farmers to school districts, in an effort to improve the federal school lunch program. I wholeheartedly applaud the idea — if established, it would be the first-ever White House farmers market, setting a landmark precedent for Americans to start shopping more frequently at farmers markets across the nation. Do you think President Obama will follow through on this idea?