I love the way Sarah Wu basically stumbled in to this project. While working as a school speech therapist, she forgot her lunch one day and decided to just eat whatever they were serving in the cafeteria. Shocked by the poor quality of food she was served she decided to eat school lunch for one…
{Scaling Up the Northeast Grains System} Maine Grains
Editor’s Note: Our first ‘Community Voices’ contributor Amy Halloran is back with her 2nd installment of ‘Scaling Up the Northeast Grains System’, her investigation into local grain production past and present. This month she brings us her exciting trip to Skowhegan, Maine. You can read Amy’s first post here. -Christina +++++ I went to Maine…
{ROAD TO THE 2012 FARM BILL} DC Part 1
Editor’s Note: So I’m back from my quick trip to DC for 2012 Farm Policy lobbying. There is so much to report on that there will be multiple posts on the trip, including MANY interviews with farmers & food advocates that were apart of NSAC’s Farmer Fly-In. I will also have an entire post dedicated…
{pantry 101} Guide to Using Vinegar
Vinegar is a cooking and baking staple that can be found in most pantries, but there are so many types of vinegars it is hard to know which one to use when. Everything from big jugs of distilled white vinegar to intricate glass bottles of artisanal aged balsamics are widely available, and with so many…
{photo diary} A Temporary Fireplace for Making Maple Syrup
My last post about syruping included a few photos of the cinder block fireplace we built in 2011 for boiling down the sap that we collect from maple trees in our neighborhood. When we built our current fireplace a week later, I took more extensive photos. We changed our fireplace a little this year; we…
{recipe} Asian Greens Salad
Today I’m going to share my Asian Greens Salad recipe with you. In the winter I make this salad five nights a week, and we eat it for several months straight. We never tire of it. In fact, when autumn rolls around and the air gets crisp and cool, we start to hunger for it….
{FSC SWAPPERS} home sweet home
For the first time since the inception of the FSC Swappers, we have permanent homes for both food swaps. Not only that, but they are new in both locations. Home Sweet Home. Our business location in Saratoga Springs is the same, Common Thread Saratoga, but owner Ashely moved the store from the artsy Beekman Street…
{weekend reading} regulation station
{FOOD NEWS} The 2012 Farm Bill is the newest topic for The New York Times’ Room for Debate Series. (link from last week- so good that I’m keeping it up another week!) Thank you Celia from On Cardamom & Cast Iron, forwarded me an update to Seattle’s planned Edible Forest. Its an NPR story that…
{KNOW YOUR FARMER} why are you a CSA member?
Editor’s Note: I’m having some internet connection problem, so I apologize for the late posting time. If you are local PLEASE come out to talk to your local farmers today at NOFA-NY’s 2nd Annual CSA Fair. Its a great place to have a casual chat with your local farmer since there isn’t any retail produce…
{recipe & tips} Incorporating Chia Seeds Into Your Diet
Incorporating Chia Seeds Into Your Diet This year the Salvia hispanica, or chia seed, is popping up everywhere. This superfood is worth all of the hype, even if it somehow possesses some people to randomly break out into song about pets. The chia seed has many nutritional benefits. According to Dr. Andrew Weil, Chia is very…
{backyard-to-kitchen poultry} Rooster Nuggets
*Reader alert: The following story involves some general information on poultry processing (no gory details or photos, though). If you’d rather not hear more about how the meat my family eats came from real live animals, some of whom grew up in our backyard, stop here. If you do eat meat, however, I would encourage…
{FSC PODCAST} episode 01: new beginnings
UPDATE/Editor’s Note: As of 4pm today (LEAP DAY), we’ve been accepted into the iTUNES universe. Subscribe here or search for us in your iTUNES program by “From Scratch Club”. You can listen to the episode right on this very post too! Just look for the ‘listen’ link below. Thanks for listening! -Christina Happy Leap Day!…
{cooking with kids} Tips to Keep You Sane
Some say that the kitchen is the heart of the house; the warm gathering spot where good food and laughter is shared. Unfortunately, this warm, lovely place can sometimes turn into a battle ground when attempting to cook with your kids. Flour goes flying, tears start pouring and mom/dad feel like shouting. I know that…
{food policy} 2012 Farm Bill & My Trip to DC
I have some exciting news to share. I will be one of two NYS constituents heading to DC for the National Sustainable Agricultural Coalition‘s “Farmer Fly In” lobby days on March 5-7th to discuss the 2012 Farm Bill. More specifically, The Local Farms, Food & Jobs Act and The Beginning Farmer & Rancher Opportunity Act….
{weekend reading} Back in the Saddle Again
For those of you who’ve been reading for a year or so, may remember my weekly food politics/recipe link love post, {Weekend Reading} National Edition on Sundays and {weekend reading} Local Edition on Saturdays. Well, those Nationa; posts have been absent from the blog for almost a year, the Local Editions since October, and clearly,…
