I have the morning off from my usual worship leading responsibilities. I'm grateful for the breather. I presided yesterday over a beautiful but draining memorial service for a 45 year old member of the church I pastor. It's put me in a bit of a…
I continue to enjoy the www.good.is website. This post about an upcoming edition of the magazine on neighborhoods is full of interesting links including one about cowpooling, which according to the magazine is "hot right now." That's the funniest quote I've heard in awhile. I…
I missed Michael Pollan's appearance on Oprah today. The clip above with John Stewart probably gives you the gist of what he had to say. Even more interesting to me than what Pollan had to say is my growing awareness of how the farming community,…
In "Another Turn of the Crank" Wendell Berry argues that the place to begin the work of restoring communities strung out on the global economy is the development of local food systems....In many places, the obvious way to begin the work I am talking about…
I had a chance to stop by Roast House Coffee last week and get a tour of their newly opened facility. Dave Rier, formerly the master roaster for Thomas Hammer coffee, is manning the controls of their Deidrich small batch roaster, so you know the…
It's hard to say why a NY farmer killed his 51 milking cows and then turned the gun on himself. Apparently he only killed the cows that needed to be milked twice a day. The only clue at this point seems to be the statement…
OMG, I just got tweeted by Al Gore. I've never actually typed "OMG" on a text or a blog or a tweet, but I figured this was the occasion to seize the day and give it a shot. Turns out Al Gore, with over 2…
An anonymous Teacher, Mrs. Q, is so fed up with school lunches she is courageously "Eating school lunch just like the kids every day in 2010", taking pictures and describing the experience on a blog.Pictured to the left is the famed Rib-a-cue that I encountered…
I was chagrined to find out yesterday that David Blaine is closing his blog, "From the Back Kitchen" where he has kept us all abreast of local restaurant news, especially the running tab of restaurant closures. I would put David among the deans the Spokane…
We've learned on our journey that issues of food and consumption are caught up in webs of meaning and relationships. We've recognized in ourselves and others a desire for more connection in community and more intentional shared commitments, but we've also recognized the powerful forces…
A friend recommended I attend this weekend's Festival of Foodies. I think I'll try to check it out. Here's the scoop from Spokane 7.A culinary show of food and beverage samples to support the Spokane Restaurant Association. Event will also feature live music and food…
Picture: Dry land wheat field and farm road in Eastern Washington.UPDATE: I can see that this post has stirred up quite a reaction from folks at American Farm Bureau and several farmers who were present at the address have chimed in with some very helpful…
The Millwood Farmers' Market and the church I pastor are included in a New York Times article today, Pastors in the Northwest Find Focus in 'Green.' My favorite part of the article is that it starts, "MILLWOOD, Wash. - " It's great to see the…
I was glad to join some farmers and folks from the Washington State Farmers' Market Association in Olympia today to speak in favor of a house bill that will allow non-profits, including churches, to host Farmers' Markets without losing their tax-exempt status on the property…
It worked out for me to attend the Michael Pollan event at Washington State University last night. It was well attended with a couple thousand people in the stands of WSU's basketball arena. He acknowledged the controversy of the visit at the beginning of his…
The Wall Street Journal is out with an important article on the repercussions of new laws in California that prohibit "cruel confinement" of farm animals. Here's the key excerpt:The movement comes after California voters in November 2008 passed a ballot initiative called Proposition 2 designed…
It looks like I'll be heading to Olympia on Thursday to testify at the hearing for the Washington State House Bill HB-2402. The bill will exempt non-profit organizations from property taxes if they host farmers' markets. Go here for background and contact info for your…
We're doing a food distribution today in Millwood with 2nd Harvest. Stewart, the owner of C&S Hydro Huts, brought over 200 gorgeous heads of lettuce from his hydroponic lettuce growing operation in Spokane Valley to be distributed to people in need. Every week he has…
Great Britain unveiled their 20 year food security plan which includes heavy handed warnings against the rise in popularity of sourcing foods locally. How does making your country more reliant on food imports make you more secure? I'm a bit baffled by the whole thing,…
Picture: Robin amidst the branches of a 100 year old Ponderosa.I don't understand Catholic polity and the structures of church government but I sure do resonate with a lot of Catholic theology. For example, the Pope used his New Year's address to emphasize the importance…
Picture: Wild sunflower next the railroad tracks in Spokane Valley. After church Sunday a fellow gardening fanatic said, "Hey, we can start thinking about gardening soon." She's exactly right. The late summer harvest and canning hangover is done. Fatigue from the epic battle with creeping…
Picture: Quail feather caught on some brush on a hillside in Spokane Valley.I came across this article in the Ottawa Citizen about the way the "creative class" is leading the charge in the economic growth of more rural areas, as opposed to traditional manufacturing and…
What's worse is that it isn't even that effective at killing bacteria.I have not eaten a hamburger since posting about another similar NY Times story from early October.
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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