Worth a listen. At about the 2 minute mark; "I wish you a brave new year; All anguish, pain, and sadness leave your heart. Let your road be clear."
It's a little hard to discern which posts people are most interested in because the majority of visits to the site are to the general page, but I've looked into the Google Analytics Crazy 8 Ball and here are the posts that seems to have…
On January 13 Michael Pollan, the John the Baptist of food and author of Omnivore's Dilemma, will speak at 7pm in Beasley Auditorium at Washington State University as part of their annual common reading program. Back in May I posted about some controversy around this…
I came across this Businessweek article and thought it was worth sharing. As someone who until recently had not really paid much attention to agricultural practices, I find things like this fascinating. Excerpt:The federal government is encouraging farmers to spread a chalky waste from coal-fired…
Roundup Ready Alfalfa is next up on the genetically modified crops debate. The USDA has released it's draft Environmental Impact Statement and is open for comment. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service released the draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roundup Ready Alfalfa last…
Just in case you're wondering today if you need to buy one more present for the one's you love in your household, here's a good word from Wendell Berry from the book, "Conversations With Wendell Berry;People who love each other need to have something they…
I was up at the Arbor Crest Riblet Mansion this morning as part of my role as Spokane Valley Fire Chaplain. This is a real tragedy for the family that owns and runs Arbor Crest and for the Valley where historic landmarks are few and…
Check out this brief video that packs a punch. (updated so now there is actually a video) Mindblowing statistic: In 1959 4% of American Children were overweight and in 2009 19% are overweight. The punchline: Nutritious meals are the key to vibrant health and longevity.
Chefs on the Farm Cookbook from the folks at Quillisascut - available at your local bookstore. (If you want to shore up your local foodie bona-fides learn how to spell Quillisascut without googling it. I'm almost there) See the side panel for other good book…
I've received a couple of grant and scholarship opportunities for developing local food systems in the Spokane area so I thought I would pass them along:First up, Washington's Department of Health is offering 10 grants for local food advocates to partner with WIC offices to…
I am intrigued by Jamie Oliver's work in England and beyond promoting healthy food. One of the itierations of his work is the Ministry of Food Center in Rotherham;The Ministry of Food Centre in Rotherham was the starting point for Jamie's campaign. It's somewhere for…
Picture: A front yard garden in Millwood from last summer. Following up on my previous post from Wendell Berry's book "A Continuous Harmony," Berry suggests that there is no better place to start getting personally involved in the "cure of the environment" than by starting…
After the first wave of snow passed last year and the sun broke out I went on a little photo venture to the Spokane River in the Valley below the Riblett Mansion and along the Centennial trail. Here are the some of the scenes that…
I mentioned awhile back that a bill was in the works to help churches and other non-profits maintain their property tax exemption even if they host a farmers' market. According to current state law farmers' markets are considered commercial activity that nullifies a non-profit's property…
(Photo: Random scene from Millwood in the West Valley of Spokane) I sat down with a reporter from the New York Times yesterday at the Rocket Bakery in Millwood for a chat. He's exploring the ways that churches are embracing the environmental movement. I think…
I continue to work my way through Wendell Berry's wonderful little collection of essays, "A Continuous Harmony." I just finished the chapter titled, "Think Little," and his comments are very helpful to the ongoing conversation here on the blog about how real change in food…
One common objection I hear from folks when it comes to Farmers' Markets is that they are too expensive or at least more expensive than the grocery store. The results of a new study of vegetable prices in Iowa challenge this assumption. Here's a key…
Given my recent posts on school lunches this story out of Liverpool, England caught my attention.Many schools have eliminated junk food from vending machines on campuses, and some have even gone so far to ban it entirely. When schools have outlawed junk food, some students…
Here are some links worth exploring:Chipotle, Just Food and Human Rights Excerpt: In Florida, the human rights crisis engulfing farm labor is perhaps most starkly visible. Tomato pickers have received virtually the same harvesting piece rate since 1980: 40-50 cents for every 32-pound bucket they…
I spoke with the current owners this week of what was formerly the Natural Start Bakery. They are leading the coffee shop in a new direction after almost two years of being part of a high profile experiment in sourcing all of their ingredients for…
Lily (pictured above at last summer's impromptu lemonade/farm stand) is doing a "culture basket" presentation at her second grade class where you take artifacts from family life and do a presentation about your family culture. One of Lily's artifacts is the ribbon she won for…
Given the recent posts on the school lunch boycott in Medford Mass. this new report from the USA Today is very timely. McDonald's, Burger King and Costco, for instance, are far more rigorous in checking for bacteria and dangerous pathogens. They test the ground beef…
Time magazine is out with their top 10 of everything list from 2009 including a top 10 Green ideas. One of these ideas touches on the connection between the origins of the emergence of the virulent swine flu virus and factory farming of pigs. It's…
On Nov. 26 I pointed out a story about High School students in Medford Massachusetts who were organizing a boycott of school lunches via Facebook. Someone linked my post on the Wall of the Facebook event page being used to organize the boycott so I…
Architect Forrest Fulton is wondering about the potential of suburban farming: My proposal...reverses the function of a big box grocery store, from retailer of food – food detached from processes from which it came to be – to producer and preparer of food. The parking…
The Year of Plenty blog was created by Craig Goodwin in the winter of 2008 to chronicle the experiences of his family as they sought to consume everything local, used, homegrown or homemade. That journey was a wonderful introduction to people and movements in the Spokane area who are seeking the welfare of the community through local foods, farmers markets, community gardens, sustainable transportation, and more fulfilling and just patterns of consumption. In 2009 and beyond the blog will continue to report on these relationships and practices, all through the eyes of a family with young children. Craig manages the Millwood Farmers' Market, is a Master Food Preserver and Pastor at Millwood Presbyterian Church. Craig can be reached at goody2230@gmail.com
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