Wed., Nov. 3, 2010
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…
Wed., Nov. 3, 2010
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…
Mon., Nov. 1, 2010
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…
Thu., Oct. 28, 2010
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,…
Wed., Oct. 27, 2010
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…
Tue., Oct. 26, 2010
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…
Mon., Oct. 25, 2010
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…
Thu., Oct. 21, 2010
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…
Tue., Oct. 19, 2010
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…
Sat., Oct. 16, 2010
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;…
Fri., Oct. 15, 2010
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…
Thu., Oct. 14, 2010
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…
Fri., Oct. 8, 2010
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…
Wed., Oct. 6, 2010
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.
Wed., Oct. 6, 2010
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…
Fri., Oct. 1, 2010
Earlier this week I came across the catchy phrase "Peak Soil" in the headline of a Grist article. It plays off the concept of peak oil, which asserts that we are at or quickly approaching the point of maximum extraction of oil on earth, after…
Thu., Sept. 30, 2010
Kwame Anthony Appiah, a philosophy professor at Princeton University, wrote a provocative Washington Post op-ed over the weekend titled, What Will Future Generations Condemn Us For? that has reverbererated around the internet. In the article he speculates that there are always things current generations are…
Wed., Sept. 29, 2010
Geneticist Dr. Gary Thorgaard, Director of the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University, finds himself in the middle of a momentous decision to potentially approve the first genetically modified animal for human consumption in the U.S.. He is a member of the Veterinary…
Wed., Sept. 29, 2010
Today is the last day of the outdoor Millwood Farmers' Market. This will be the conclusion of four years of hosting and running the market at Millwood Presbyterian Church. Being a Farmers' Market manager and a pastor has stretched the normal bounds of pastoral and…
Tue., Sept. 28, 2010
Living in a northern climate means short growing seasons and extra challenges finding local sources of food during the winter. This year Rocky Ridge Ranch, a farm small sustainable farm in Reardan, WA, is going where no other Spokane area farm has gone in helping…
Tue., Sept. 28, 2010
I posted earlier about the battle over the "farmers' market" brand. A recent investigative report by NBC in Los Angeles shows that the rapid growth in popularity of farmers' markets has led to other problems that are more substantial than marketing semantics. NBCLA's investigation began…
Mon., Sept. 27, 2010
A new study out UC Berkeley examined the benefits of the Edible Schoolyard program in the Berkeley Unified School District and the results are in. The program formally known as the School Lunch Initiative (SLI) led to substantial health and lifestyle benefits to children, but…
Sat., Sept. 25, 2010
photo: Nick Wingfield/The Wall Street Journal I first got wind of a brewing controversy from Jack, a commenter on the blog, who heard a radio ad to the effect of - No need to go to the Farmers' Market when you can come to the…
Fri., Sept. 24, 2010
The Valleyfest "Hearts of Gold" parade is tonight. In a fluke of mistaken identity I've been asked to be one of the Grand Marshals of the parade. (I think it has to do with my work with Second Harvest and the farmers' market, providing food…
Thu., Sept. 23, 2010
Yesterday I did an interview with KREM News regarding Spokane area chicken ordinances. Here's the headline for the story on their web site; "Man fights to make Spokane Valley more chicken-friendly." I hadn't really thought of it that way but I'll go along. Let the…
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
