YumSugar

Consumers Warm Up to Humanely Raised Veal

YumSugar — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:50:04 -0700

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?

First-Ever White House Farmers Market Makes Its Debut

YumSugar — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:50:44 -0700

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?

View 5 Photos ›

President Obama Hopes For White House Farmers Market

YumSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:00:20 -0700

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?

Must-Read: Chez Panisse Desserts

YumSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:00:18 -0700

I'm crazy about Summer for many reasons, a major one being the season's amazing selection of stone fruits and berries. So I was beyond excited when a close friend surprised me with a new cookbook that takes advantage of my love for fruit: Chez Panisse Desserts ($20.70). This book, which is over 20 years old, is one in a series of seven cookbooks from the kitchen of Chez Panisse, the legendary Alice Waters restaurant that's known as the birthplace of California cuisine. It's authored by Lindsey Shere, who was the pastry chef at the restaurant for more than two decades. Did its seasonal dessert recipes make for a compelling cookbook? Find out when you read more

Chipotle Promotes Food, Inc. Documentary

YumSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:37:35 -0700

Chipotle doesn't just want to feed its customers - it wants to educate them, too. The fast-casual food chain has teamed up with Magnolia Pictures, Participant Media, and River Road Entertainment to promote Food, Inc., a documentary that exposes issues with the food industry in America. Beginning today, Chipotle Mexican Grill will host free screenings of the film. In addition, the eatery will advertise Food, Inc. with printed material in its 800-plus stores and prepare a bonus feature about sustainable agriculture to be included in the DVD when it is released later this year.
"Chipotle is a great example of a company that's on the right track to improving our food system," director Robert Kenner said. "Chipotle's philosophy shares many of the same values expressed in Food, Inc., and we are very pleased with their support of our film." The Mexican food chain claims to use more naturally raised poultry and pork than any other restaurant worldwide. It also sources ingredients locally whenever possible and buys 35 percent of its beans from organic producers. This promotion is a smart strategy: if Chipotle's devotees weren't aware of the company's sustainable practices yet, they will be now.

Did you know Chipotle was so dedicated to sustainability? Will you attend a free Food, Inc. screening?

Photo by flickr user Photo2217

Street Food Explodes Onto the Scene at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

YumSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:30:45 -0700

I'm completely serious when I tell people that the Ferry Plaza farmers market is a major reason why I live in San Francisco - it would not be an overstatement to say that the first time I went there, it changed my view of eating. So I could barely contain my excitement when the market's organizer, the Center For Urban Education and Sustainable Agriculture, or CUESA, announced it would be instituting a Thursday farmers market with an emphasis on artisanal street food. I took a trip over during my lunch break to see what the hype was all about. Learn more about the street food market - only in its second week of existence! - when you read on.

View Slideshow ›

Noteworthy Nibbles - May 26-June 2, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 14:30:35 -0700

If you didn't get your fill of celebrations and libations over Memorial Day weekend, there's plenty more going on, from craft beer tastings to Champagne parties. What will you be attending this week? Feel free to share any other events you're looking forward to below!

The Woodlands, TX: Wine & Food Week - May 26-31
Houston, TX: Tour de Champagne - May 28
Augusta, NJ: Crawfish Fest - May 29-31
Vashon Island, WA: Slow Food Seattle Spring With Seabreeze Farm - May 30
Washington DC: Savor Craft Beer - May 30
Miami, FL: Slow Food Miami Picnic & Pie Contest - May 30
Toms River, NJ: New Jersey State Chili & Salsa Cookoff - May 30
Franklin, AL: Franklin Food & Spirits Festival - May 30-31

To see the rest, read more.

Richmond, VA: Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival - May 30
York, PA: Taste of Pennsylvania - May 30-31
San Francisco, CA: Top Chef Dinner at Scala's Bistro - May 31
Santa Barbara, CA: Taste of Santa Barbara - May 31
Temecula, CA: Field to the Fork - May 31
Cape Cod, MA: Cape Cod Life Food & Wine Festival - May 31-June 6
Palm Springs, CA: Palm Springs Restaurant Week - May 31-June 9
New Orleans, LA: The Global Cocktail Bar Phenomenon - June 1
New York, NY: Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top of the List - June 2

Source

Food, Inc. Film Exposes Problems With US Food Consumption

YumSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 09:00:20 -0700

In addition to being captured in photos by National Geographic, the sustainable food crisis is also the focus of a new documentary. Magnolia Pictures' Food, Inc. is a call to action to change the way America eats. It discusses food consumption today, its heavy dependence on corn, its ties to national policy, and its inevitable impact on our nation's health.

Based on the book Food, Inc. (and similar to The Omnivore's Dilemma), the premise of this film appears to be similar: the country's food system, with its focus on making food bigger, cheaper, and faster, is making America sick. The movie also addresses the contamination issues plaguing the nation and the enormous power wielded by US food corporations, with sustainable food poster boys Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser making appearances in the documentary.

If you haven't seen it yet, below is the trailer for the film, which debuts in select cities June 12. Do you think this documentary will prove to be as influential as proponents are hoping it to be? Will you go see it?

Source

Noteworthy Nibbles - May 12-19, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:00:45 -0700

How do you know that Summer's just a few weeks away? When there's a seemingly endless list of epicurean events and food festivals. We can hardly straddle them all, but have plans to hit up San Francisco Cocktail Week, shake hands with sake brewers at the Joto Sake Tasting, slurp a few slippery ones at Oysterfest, and swirl Sauvignon Blanc at the Uncorked! Wine Festival. What events are you penciling in? Tell us what you're tasting below!

Buckhannon, WV: West Virginia Strawberry Festival - May 13-17
San Francisco, CA: Joto Sake Tasting - May 14
Memphis, TN: World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest - May 14-16
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco Strawberry Week - May 14-24
St. Pete Beach, FL: Tampa Bay Wine & Food Festival - May 15-16
Monterey, CA: Monterey Bay Aquarium's Cooking for Solutions - May 15-16
Dermott, AR: Dermott Crawfish Festival - May 15-16
Magnolia, AR: Magnolia Blossom Festival & Steak Cook-Off - May 15-16
Pasadena, TX: Pasadena Strawberry Festival - May 15-17
Little Rock, AR: Greek Food Fest - May 15-17
Paso Robles, CA: Paso Robles Wine Festival - May 15-17
Lodi, CA: Lodi ZinFest - May 15-17
San Francisco, CA: San Francisco OysterFest - May 16
San Francisco, CA: Uncorked! Wine Festival - May 16

To see the rest, read more.

Newberry, FL: Newberry Watermelon Festival - May 16
Healdsburg, CA: Quivira Vineyards Inaugural Farm-to-Table Dinner - May 16
Frankfort, KY: Slow Food Kentucky Herb Festival - May 16
Montrose, PA: Montrose Chocolate & Wine Festival - May 16
Little River, SC: Blue Crab Festival - May 16-17
Seattle, WA: Seattle Cheese Festival - May 16-17
Oxnard, CA: California Strawberry Festival - May 16-17
Castroville, CA: Castroville Artichoke Festival - May 16-17
Dallas, TX: Taste of the Nation Dallas - May 17
New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Wine & Food Experience - May 19-23

Source

Oprah Stirs the Pot With Free KFC Offer

YumSugar — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:00:57 -0700

Two days ago, Oprah offered her viewers a free coupon for KFC's new grilled chicken - complete with sides and biscuit. The promotion took off, and by the next day, Oprah's KFC coupons were the fifth most popular search on Google. But rather than getting recognition for offering her viewers bargain bites, Oprah's fallen under fire for the move.

Last year, the talk show guru was named PETA's Person of the Year for exposing the cruelty of the factory farm industry. But KFC buys its meat from Tyson, a company that has come under attack for supporting CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations). This conflict of interest has sent environmental media outlets into outrage; sustainable food blog Civil Eats called the free KFC offer "Oprah's most hypocritical move yet."

Moreover, the free KFC coupons have caused upheaval in stores. The demand for free chicken has overwhelmed many KFC franchisees: one manager at a midtown Manhattan outpost told customers the promotion was over for the day, prompting patrons redeeming coupons to hold a sit-in, refusing to leave the store until they received free chicken.

After all the backlash, I can't help but wonder whether Oprah regrets promoting the offer. Did you partake in the promotion? Do you think the free grilled chicken giveaway was a mistake on her part?

Source and Source