There have been years of informal rumblings about problems with ordinances for people who want to keep chickens in residential areas in the Spokane area. The increasing popularity of backyard chickens and chicken coop tours has intensified the problem and it appears that the time…
Picture: Our first year with the labyrinth garden in 2008. After months of being holed up late at night writing and editing, the manuscript for a book based on this blog is done and if all goes as planned the editor will send it to…
Rachel Laudan has written an article at Utne Reader titled, "In Praise of Fast Food" that takes on what the author calls Culinary Luddism. Luddism, in case your wondering, is an opposition to industrialization and technology. The backlash against the local food movement is gaining…
A recent Chicago Tribune article had one of the more thorough treatments of the debates between industrial agriculture pragmatists vs. local food idealists.I was intrigued to hear about an upcoming book; ...economist Hiroko Shimizu and University of Toronto geographer Pierre Desrochers are finishing a 2011…
Earlier in the week influential blogger Ezra Klein of the Washington Post wrote a short post dismissing the influence of the local food movement and heralding that "Industrial farms are the future." He wrote; Despite the dreams of many foodies, I can't think of a…
I've been hearing rumblings about the the potential onerous impact of the Federal Food Safety Modernization Act on small farms for awhile now. The upshot is that it would impose regulatory requirements that would be untenable for small direct to consumer farmers to handle. It…
Picture: Mashed potatoes from last year's potato harvest featuring the natural colors of the potato flesh. Northwest Food News has a great report on how local food advocates and the Idaho Potato Commission recently butted heads in the Idaho legislature. A resolution was brought before…
It's been a hard couple of years for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), the cheap sweetener made from corn that has replaced sugar in things like soda, ketchup, chocolate syrup and just about any processed food you can imagine. There was the classic interview/PR disaster…
Aquabounty Technologies has artificially combined genetic material from Atlantic Salmon and eelpout to create a fast growing Salmon variety.The approval process with the FDA is moving forward after an almost decade long delay in the process. There are a variety of concerns; Research published in…
Picture: Fall harvest from Pumpkin Patch Community Garden in the foreground ready to be picked up at the Second Harvest mobile food bank distribution in Millwood last Friday. Spokane Regional Health Disctrict and Spokane County Extension are sponsoring a Community Garden Tour of Spokane area…
There is much debate in Green circles about the merits of this ad about the Nissan Leaf. I like it. It's ridiculous enough to be somewhat effective (and affective).
I was chatting with Mo Bereiter, our wildcrafter at the Millwood Farmers' Market, and I told him about my previous blog post on the sorry state of huckleberry picking in 2010. (Thanks to the International Wild Huckleberry Association for the link.) I asked him about…
I'm reading through Wendell Berry's latest book, What Matters Most: Economics for a Renewed Commonwealth, and I find his commentary on our current economic woes as insightful as any I've read. He laments that the economy has become disconnected from the land and is so…
Scientists from Washington State University have completed one of the most comprehensive comparisons of conventional and organic farming methods and, at least in the case of strawberries. The study involving 13 conventional and 13 organic farms in California reveals that organic farming results in better…
Patrick Fitzgerald, the US Attorney in Chicago, filed and indictment this week against an illegal honey import scam; Eleven Chinese and German executives and six of their food supply and honey export companies were charged Wednesday with 44 counts of conspiring to illegally import Chinese-origin…
Go here to learn about how a family turned their energy and resource hogging pool into a backyard farm in a Mesa, AZ suburb.
I attended yesterday's kickoff luncheon for Spokane's Sustainable September. I enjoyed a delicious lunch and was impressed with the turnout of several hundred people. I was impressed with the thoughtfulness and obvious commmitment to sustainability expressed by the presenters.Dan Baumgarten, the Executive Director of Community…
All reports I've been hearing from friends and wild crafters at the Farmers' Market is that it's been a down year for picking huckleberries. Friends that go to the same spot every year who usually get 6 or 7 gallons came home with three gallons…
This weekend in Seattle Foodista is hosting the sold out International Food Blogger Conference. Here's a list of interesting looking participants in the conference: Beecher's Handmade Cheese Cooking With Amy Kristine Kid Blog Urban Spoon Theo Chocolate Full Circle Farm Gluten-Free Girl The Blogroll of…
picture: Richard Perry, New York Times Artist, Elizabeth Demaray, has put together some unlikely eco-art titled “Corpor Esurit, or we all deserve a break today," currently on display at Exit Art Studio in New York. Pictured above,forcing the ants to live off happy meals for…
This will be the second year for Spokane's Sustainable September series of events and activities. I think this concept was originated on the west of the state, but some leaders in Spokane, specifically the folks at Community Minded Enterprises, are takin it to the next…
I find this video of the Brooklyn Grange rooftop garden inspiring. I love the way it juxtaposes early 20th century industrial with timeless shoots of chard and tomatoes.
The Philadelphia City Paper is reporting that Philly is requiring bloggers to get a $300 business license in order to operate their blogs. For the past three years, Marilyn Bess has operated MS Philly Organic, a small, low-traffic blog that features occasional posts about green…
I came across this fascinating data set at the USDA that gives the share of food expenditures by source including funds from families/individuals, government, businesses, and food produced at home. The way I read the chart, the food produced at home is a dollar equivalent…
I am part of team that is making preparations for Sustainable September in Spokane. I'll be doing a little bit of a countdown in the coming week of differents events and opportunities for involvement in the emerging sustainability community in Spokane. First up is a…
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
