Blue Ridge Berries

Gary Nabhan Speaking at UVA Tomorrow

Ready to go hear a lecture from an inspiring, seed-saving conservation biologist? Me, too.

Gary Paul Nabhan ... has been called “the father of the local food movement” by Mother Earth News. Gary is also an orchard-keeper, wild forager and Ecumenical Franciscan brother in his hometown of Patagonia, Arizona near the Mexican border. more.



Wondering what an "Ecumenical Franciscan" is? Funny you should ask: a body of Christians who maintain a devotion to Sts. Francis and Clare and their interpretation of the gospel life. source.

Nabhan is the author of 24 books, his most recent being Chasing Chiles - Hot Spots Along the Pepper Trail::



I haven't read it yet, but this guy has:

A treasure trove of chile lore and a wake-up call to everyone who cares about real food, Chasing Chiles will amuse and alarm you. These three gastronauts carry a wealth of culinary and botanical knowledge, and their journeys in their Spice Ship uncover an incredibly diverse world of chiles that is changing with breathtaking speed. Stop worrying about the impact of climate change on future harvests; cross your fingers for this year’s instead.

-Rowan Jacobsen , author of American Terroir and Fruitless Fall: The Collapse of the Honey Bee and the Coming Agricultural Crisis

And on that foreboding (and hopefully reversible) note, here are the details: his talk at UVA will be tomorrow, March 3rd at 5pm in Lecture Hall 160, Campbell Hall, School of Architecture (near Culbreth Theater, off Rugby Rd). Parking available at nearby Newcomb Hall. Poster for event here.

Hope to see you there!
ps-it's free.

Eliot Coleman Speaking at UVA

So I remember the first time that a friend mentioned Eliot Coleman in passing - assuming I knew who he was - and the following surprise and animated explanation that followed when I told her I had no idea who she was talking about. Eliot Coleman is one of those people who does that to others; he's so inspiring that it becomes hard to imagine un-reading his books, and un-knowing about the exciting contributions he's made to agriculture.

And he's speaking at UVA Feb 13th. The event is free:::


details.

So my shorthand on Eliot Coleman is that he's a year-round organic farmer in Maine who uses unheated greenhouses, and wrote a wise, helpful book for beginning farmers The New Organic Grower that covers subjects like soil fertility, crop rotation, and factors to help you determine what an appropriate scale might be for starting your own operation. His books are incredibly readable - and so his gift to organic farming is not only that he's so knowledgeable, but that he also knows how to share this with others. More on him here.

He's also going to be speaking at the Virginia Association for Biological Farming conference. Details on that here.

Everybody be nice to him while he's visiting. Let's try to make sure he comes back often. [Hands in. aaand-break!]

TEDxManhattan: Changing the Way We Eat

So I just got a heads-up from Charlottesville's Eat Local listserv about the food-focused TEDTalk style event that is happening this weekend in New York. Representatives and leaders from FoodCorps, the USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program, Slow Food USA; the producers of King Corn and An Inconvenient truth; and other folks you can read about here will all be giving talks.



Can't make it to New York? Me neither. You can stream the talks online from this link or go to a viewing party. There's one happening in Richmond - it's free but they're looking for you to RSVP here.

Jeunes Agriculteurs turn Champs-Elysees into temporary farm

C'est fantastique, no?



More from the BBC.

Island Farmers

ohhhh, quotes like this and a paper that will print them do make me miss Martha's Vineyard and its farmers --- from the MV Gazette::

Which brings us back to the Allen family farm, where Clarissa’s husband Mitch Posin sat in the kitchen this week and talked about the state of things. He wasn’t just feeling sorry for farmers like himself, though; his major sympathy was with the consumers.

“Poor America,” he said. “Its food is all [expletive deleted].”



The Gazette just put out a series of articles on the island's food scene last week, and it's a great round-up available here.

excited to read this book

Growing for Market review: Every farmer, organic or not, should read this excellent guidebook to increasing farm profits. Wiswall is a veteran vegetable and herb grower who has a gift for explaining financial matters to be relevant to small-scale farmers. He challenges the paradigm that farming doesn't pay well, and shows how to identify profit centers, improve efficiency, get the most from employees and overall improve the bottom line. This book is practical and an inspiration; it will motive better recordkeeping and give you the tools and knowledge you need to figure out how to make your farm more profitable.

uh huh. Sounds good. Available for purchase here.

Go on Midwest - Grow Your Own

Really enjoyed reading this piece from the AP covering an Iowa State Univ. study that looked into the food growing potential of the heartland:::



"The Midwest is known more for growing corn than cauliflower, but if its farmers raised the fruit and vegetables eaten in the Heartland, they could create thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in income, according to a recent study.

The study from Iowa State University looked at what would happen if farmers in six Midwestern states — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin — raised 28 crops in quantities large enough to meet local demand. It found that if an ample supply of produce could be grown regionally, it would spur $882 million in sales, more than 9,300 jobs and about $395 million in labor income."

But wait! There's more! keep reading here.

Photo by ViaMoi.

Farm to School

Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution has been really great the past few weeks:



-- and I love that he started in schools with school lunches. If you're interested in seeing what is happening in your state to get local produce into your kids' (or your neighbor's kids) lunches check out the map here from the National Food to School Network.

Wal-Mart vs. Whole Foods

Turns out Wal-Mart has started making an effort to sell local foods. I find this confusing, and I'm not sure what it will mean for small-scale farmers - but it's definitely a conversation I'm interested in being a part of.



Read more here; including a Whole Foods/ Wal-Mart blind produce taste-testing.