Thu., Feb. 3, 2011
Tri Robinson is pastor of Vineyard Boise Church in Boise, Idaho and his 2006 book, Saving God's Green Earth, tells the story of how his conservative evangelical church came to embrace care for the environment as a ministry priority. There are some similarities to Sabin's…
Wed., Feb. 2, 2011
Time's Ecocentric blog has an interesting story about the link between rising food prices and the unfolding revolution in Egypt. In the last few days, soaring food prices have been cited as one of the proverbial straws that led Egyptians to take to the streets…
Tue., Feb. 1, 2011
First up on my list of 28 notable books that offer a Christian perspective on the Environment, Food, and Simple Living is Tending to Eden: Environmental Stewardship for God's People by Scott Sabin. Scott is the Executive Director of Plant With Purpose, a San Diego…
Mon., Jan. 31, 2011
Starting tomorrow, February 1, I will be reviewing 28 books in 28 days leading up to the release of my book, Year of Plenty, on March 1. Year of Plenty tells the story of our family's experience in 2008 consuming only what was local, used,…
Mon., Jan. 31, 2011
The USDA has issued new dietary guidelines. According to the executive summary there are four goals that shape the report that are based on their scientific review. Reduce the incidence and prevalence of overweight and obesity of the US population by reducing overall calorie intake…
Wed., Jan. 26, 2011
For the last couple of years I've been regularly reporting on the problem with bees dying in unprecedented numbers and whole colonies collapsing. Go here, here, and here for previous installments in this ongoing story. The latest news is that it is suspected that a…
Tue., Jan. 25, 2011
Mary Kate Wheeler is a recent transplant to Spokane from Vermont and she is initiating a study group for folks interested in permaculture and ecological design in the Spokane region. The first meeting will be held at Sun People Dry Goods - 32 W Second…
Fri., Jan. 21, 2011
A group called the Cornwall Alliance has put together a 12-week video course with a curriculum dedicated to rebutting and resisting the acceptance of environmentalist sensibilities among evangelical Christians. The foreboding web site states: Without a doubt one of the greatest threats to society and…
Thu., Jan. 20, 2011
It looks like Spokane Valley is out of the blocks first on revising ordinances for keeping chickens in residential neighborhoods. If you'll recall, it is legal to keep up to 3 chickens within the city of Spokane Valley but you have to have something like…
Wed., Jan. 19, 2011
A friend passed along this link to the 2011 report on the estimated costs of crops production in Iowa. I was most intrigued by the break-even worksheet at the bottom of the page. Among other things, this resource describes all the anticipated costs associated with…
Fri., Jan. 14, 2011
I'm looking forward to reading more this year and I'm on book #2 in 2011, Enough: Why the World's Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty, a detailed account of modern issues of agriculture, hunger, and poverty. In the preface they flesh out the question…
Wed., Jan. 12, 2011
The California Restaurant Association is lobbying San Diego County supervisors to allow participants in the CalFresh Food Benefits program to use their federally funded debit cards to receive hot, prepared meals at restaurants. North County Times reports: The San Diego County Board of Supervisors on…
Tue., Jan. 11, 2011
I am honored and excited that Eugene Peterson has written the foreword to Year of Plenty. Peterson has been a mentor from afar through his numerous books on pastoral practice and the spiritual life. He is most well known for his paraphrase translation of the…
Wed., Jan. 5, 2011
This morning President Obama signed into law the new Food Safety Bill that has been all the talk of the online food community. Go here for more background on how the much anticipated bill actually got to this point. But just as this milestone is…
Tue., Jan. 4, 2011
The Globe and Mail had a story last week that caught my attention titled, "The Fat Cats of Agribusiness." The article references growing concerns about large corporations muscling their way into the food chain, but observes that not much is being said among effected nations…
Fri., Dec. 31, 2010
May parent's place on Lake Sawyer south of Seattle has the best sunrises.
Tue., Dec. 28, 2010
Photo: old coal mining railroad bridge from the 1800's in Black Diamond, WA. There are a series of recent intriguing stories on genetically modified agriculture and bio-technology. I was surprised to learn via the most recent Wikileaks cable release that the U.S. government has, for…
Mon., Dec. 27, 2010
According to Google Analytics these were the most popular blog posts on Year of Plenty in 2010. 1. Newsflash: Dairy Industry Wants You to Eat More Dairy - What's So Controversial About That? This post created quite a stir. It got picked up by the…
Mon., Dec. 20, 2010
You might be wondering if that headline isn't an accidental repost from weeks ago when the FSMA passed the Senate the first time. It isn't a mistake. Unless you're a real food legislation geek you probably don't know that when the legislation originally passed the…
Sat., Dec. 18, 2010
The geniuses at Google have put together a search tool that allows you to search through a good portion of the books they've scanned into Google Books. Here is how it works: The service draws on the absolutely massive Google Books corpus. Google estimates they've…
Fri., Dec. 17, 2010
Sante is the French word for health. Jeremy Hansen, owner and chef of Sante Restaurant and Charcuterie exemplifies a holistic health in the way he runs his pioneering establishment next to Auntie's Bookstore in Downtown Spokane. Jeremy grew up in Spokane and has been in…
Wed., Dec. 15, 2010
THe publisher ended up using pictures that I've taken at, or nearby my home in Spokane.
Mon., Dec. 13, 2010
There is an interestng article by Marion Nestle at Atlantic Food explaining how issues of obesity and junk-food have fallen into the well-worn ruts of American politics. Politicized? Of course they are politicized. Junk food and obesity are key indicators of political divisions in our…
Sat., Dec. 11, 2010
The folks at Liberty Lake Farmers' Market and Slow Food Spokane River have put together a list of gift ideas for the foodies in your life that are into local food. Here's the list and thanks for including the Year of Plenty Book. Thank You…
Thu., Dec. 9, 2010
When I read Michael Pollan's book Omnivore's Dilemma a few years ago, the chapter on foraging for mushrooms in the forest didn't capture my imagination like the other chapters on farming. At the time, there was a default mechanism in my mind that believed harvesting…
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
