PJC brought this story to my attention about two accused bank robbers that also happen to be eco-bloggers who dubbed themselves the "Urban Survivalists". They blogged about green living, backyard chickens, and canning applesauce. They describe themselves as your average idealistic young couple; We have…
The Wall Street Journal has a write-up on a new trend of yard-sharing. Am I just being sensitive or does the opening paragraph make locavores sound like some aristocratic class of nerdy food snobs? There could hardly be a loftier culinary class than that of…
I woke up this morning at 4:15 am so I could get over to the Second Harvest Inland Northwest warehouse and do some live interviews with KXLY. I was helping get the word out about the Mobile Food Bank distribution today between noon and 2…
First there was extra-cheesy pizza, now this story from the Onion; Days after the accidental passage of a bill allocating $30 trillion in federal subsidies to soybean producers, a massive tide of the protein-rich legumes has flooded the nation, crippling transportation networks, commerce, and public…
On Monday I wrote up a post on the much heralded New York Times article, While Warning About Fat, U.S. Pushes Cheese Sales. This kind of story is the bread and butter of the fast evolving food blogosphere, of which Year of Plenty is very…
One of the enduring critiques of locavorism is that such efforts to eat local via farmers' markets, food co-ops, and CSAs are a luxury of the well-off foodie elites. The naysayers have been quick to point out that low-income families with limited resources cannot afford…
The headlines have been blaring all over the internet since the New York Times reported, While Warning About Fat, U.S. Pushes Cheese Sales. The story highlights the work of an organization called Dairy Management to promote extra cheese on Domino's Pizzas. Here's how the NY…
First there were the carrot vending machines pretending to distribute junk food in HIgh School cafeterias. Then there was the vending machine that grows and distributes hydroponic lettuce. Now along comes the live crab vending machine. I wonder what's next?
On Wednesday, November 17 there will be an initial community meeting to discuss current zoning laws and draft new zoning language for backyard chickens in Spokane County. The meeting will convene at 5:30 pm at the Fresh Abundance Store, 2015 N. Division St., Spokane WA…
This video tells the story of how Christian missionaries from northern Thailand are working with Palaung refugees from Burma to develop sustainable farming practices among the people. When our family visited Thailand at the end of 2008 we went to one of the villages in…
A new law has been approved in San Francisco that forbids telling toys and fatty meals as a package deal. The measure will make San Francisco the first major city in the country to forbid restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that contain…
The public debate about food has run into a surprising crossroads, with some heralding the potato as the hero of the local food movement and others villifying it as a scourge on poor families. I took the above picture at Spokane's recently opened Five Guys…
The Worldometers site takes mind-numbing statistics and gives them a real sense of urgency by updating them in real-time. For example, you can watch the world population grow right before your eyes and you can witness the remaining supply of oil in the world disappear…
This picture of mechanically separated chicken has been floating around the internet for over a year. I think it originated here. According to Fooducate: Someone figured out in the 1960’s that meat processors can eek eke out a few more percent of profit from chickens,…
The Arizona Republic reports that Lake Mead, the resevoir created by the Hoover Dam that provides water to Arizona, Nevada, California, and Mexico has reached a low point; Lake Mead sank to its lowest level in nearly 75 years on Sunday, a stark reminder of…
picture: View of the Palouse from Steptoe Butte I was born in Pullman, WA to WSU Cougar parents and moved away when I was little. I went on to attend the University of Washington and didn't think much of my birthplace until I returned 36…
I follow various conversations in the agricultural world and I was intrigued to come across this post about the need to use Christian faith perspectives on feeding the hungry to support "modern" agricultural methods. Sarah Bedgar Wilson explains; There are two main reasons why I…
I'm in Los Angeles this week and was intrigued to see this story about controversey at one of the Santa Monica Farmers' Market. They re-designed the application process and rules and several market favorites, like the Bread Man, were left off the new slate of…
I've reported on the precarious health of bee populations in Washington State, and bee colony-collapse disorder has received worldwide attention because of the irreplaceable role that honey bees play in the pollination of agricultural crops. Just last week scientists announced they were beginning to understand…
Following up on my previous post on food cultures around the world, I was struck by these charts put together by Aaron Caroll at the Incidental Economist that show the life expectancy for 65 year olds in some of the wealthiest nations in the world;…
picture: the Walrus blog The story of how the rising price of Napa cabbage is creating a crisis of constraints on the Korean supply of kimchi is a fascinating story in its own right. (I wasn't aiming for alliteration in that sentence but, hey, sometimes…
Wal-Mart continues to make larger bets on going local and more sustainable as reported this morning; In the United States, Wal-Mart will double the percentage of locally sourced produce it uses, to 9 percent, the company said. Wal-Mart defines local produce as that grown and…
As I mentioned in June, I am a novice wild mushroom forager, and mostly use it as an excuse to get out and enjoy the wilderness. This is my first year exploring what the cool damp Fall season has to offer and in my few…
The Millwood Farmers' Market will move indoors to the Crossing Youth Center today with a scaled back slate of vendors and will be open from 2-6 pm. The Youth Center is next to the parking lot where the market is normally held.
The food fight continues (go here, here and here for previous installments of food fight) with Adam Ozimek's assertion that the push for local and organic foods in schools is more about using schools to advance progressive values vs. advancing educational objectives. He says that…
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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