I’m on vacation but by the time a friend texted me this morning to see if I’d seen the news, I was already all over the latest devolution of the Charlie Trotter Story. You know the one I mean. The one in which he reportedly ordered some high school photography students to clean the toilets, … Continued
I just got back from a week on Washington Island, the remote Wisconsin island about which — once upon a time, in 2008 — I entertained fantasies of writing a book. I spent a long, solitary summer on the island that year only to return home after Labor Day with no book, no money, and … Continued
Are you wondering where I’ve gone? I’m here. And over here. Come visit!
I did this little interview with Nance Klehm as a companion piece to an exhibit she participated in earlier this year called AgriART: Companion Planting for Social and Biological Systems. Although the premise seems at first quite straightforward — “An array of art works that critically engage with cultures of food production and consumption” — I … Continued
Back in the 90s, before the internet, and before I got all into food and growing things, I put out a zine. You remember zines — little magazines printed on paper? You bought them at indie record stores? Or Quimby’s if you were lucky enough to have someplace like that in your town? Anyway. Ours … Continued
IMO the most revealing — and hopeful — bit from an excellent interview with the equally excellent Will Allen. [grist.org] EH: If you could change one thing about how cities are run, what would it be? WA: All city planners should be required to incorporate green space and food growing into their urban plans. The American Planning Association’s magazine new … Continued
“Today the average American spends a mere 27 minutes a day on food preparation (another four minutes cleaning up); that’s less than half the time that we spent cooking and cleaning up when Julia [Child] arrived on our television screens. It’s also less than half the time it takes to watch a single episode of … Continued
At some point during the RAFT summit back in March, one Wisconsin orchard-keeper publicly despaired of ever making a profit off of his cider. The number of apples needed to squeeze out a gallon of juice, the labor, and other associated costs, forced the price structure of cider closer to that of wine than beer, … Continued
Fruit Slinger returns! At some point over the winter he appears to have picked up a much better camera. Jealous.
On Tuesday I graduated, finally, from the U. of I. Extension’s master gardener program. This is noteworthy not because I consider myself suddenly qualified to dispense any sort of horticultural advice — despite the certificate and spiffy new name tag I am still shocked and amazed whenever anything grows, anywhere. But I am a bit … Continued