A lot of us can’t ignore the devastation in the Gulf and want to do something to help out. Maybe fly out and volunteer or donate money. Here is another alternative.
After browsing the news articles I came upon the following photo created by a scientist already in the Gulf studying Dead Zones:

So, what’s worse the Dead Zone or the Oil Spill?
At first, it may be hard to tell. The Oil Spill is continuing to grow and may not be stopped for a few months. The oil will be washing ashore or …

I’ve been thinking for a while about why global warming bothers me so much. You would think that as a “greenie” I would be all over this issue. Instead of proclaiming catastrophe to every new A Clean Lifer I avoid the subject. I have just found that there are so many other pressing issues. Items that are more relevant to everyday life than some future global immolation.
Which brings me to cap-n-trade. A supposed solution to global warming. I’ll just come out and say it: I don’t think its going to …

Sometimes in life we hope, in spite of past disappointments and unmet desires, that this time it will be different. That’s how I felt before setting foot inside Eola, the latest culinary addition to West Dupont.
For several years now, the 2000 block of P Street has been a street of broken dining dreams. In 2006, it lost seafood-aficionados’ favorite Johnny’s Half Shell to Capitol Hill. Then when Kimptom Hotel and Restaurant conglomerate built Hotel Palomar, adding so-so hotel restaurant but decent wine bar Urbana to the P Street dining mix, many surrounding businesses and …

I’m proud to announce a new feature!
With Washington, DC’s burgeoning local food movement, more and more restaurants are offering seasonal fare from Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and yeah, sometimes West Virginia.
While local offerings at becoming increasingly popular, there are still hurdles. Wine is a foregone conclusion (there are local wines?), asking where food comes from is considered rude (it’s a just a carrot, ok!), and trying to leave without a piece of styrofoam…good luck with that.
It is such an incredible experience that Amy and I are hooked. We’ll be visiting all …

If you remember back to the stories we learned in school then Thanksgiving is about giving thanks. This is in two specific areas thanks for the fall harvest and gratitude to others (thanks in general).
This Thanksgiving I ask you, the reader, to honor this tradition by getting into the fall harvest. Head to your local farmers market for fall harvest potatoes, vegetables, etc. Stop by your local whole foods for a free range, cage free heritage turkey.
Potatoes at the farmers market should be abundant and cheap (comment if you can’t …

This morning I was fortunate to attend new media press event with Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. A small group of us took a short trip outside of Washing DC to Tree and Leaf Farm. Which is exactly 47 miles away from the Dupont Farmers Market in the city, according to co-owner Georgia O’Neal.
The reason for this farm adventure was to launch a very special program for the USDA, called Know Your Farmer Know Your Food. The details of which are still coming out. DepSec Merrigan did clue us …

As I dig deeper into our food system I find myself shouting down all the experts. They just simple have it all wrong. I imagine them standing in front of a dam and wondering where all the water is, missing the entire point.
We are fat because we eat too much. Our average caloric intake is upwards of 3,000 each day, when just a few decades ago it was around 1,500-2,000. We even waste too much food. We have enough food to feed the world.

Now, rather than point the figure at …

“A lot of us didn’t set out to farm for a living, to have that be what we did all day,” said Greg Strella, 24, who came to MICA to become a sculptor and graduated a farmer. “I certainly didn’t feel that way even 12 months ago.”
But there he is, under a straw hat, atop a tractor, managing Great Kids Farm, a 33-acre organic spread owned by Baltimore’s school system.
More young people are turning up at seminars on sustainable agriculture, said Jeff Schahczenski…he credits the Food Network for promoting foodie …

All of this content comes to us from a comment on a previous post. Tom Hedrick (his farm) said it perfectly and so no need for my commentary.
Certified Naturally Grown vs. Organic
Tom Hedrick said:
Another topic I think lots of us would be interested in is the significant difference between “Certified Naturally Grown” and “Organic”. Organic certification is really a barrier to entry for most small farmers. From the Wikipedia article, “To be Certified Organic (as opposed to Certified Naturally Grown) in the US, a grower must keep detailed …

Cravings don’t make you fat. Being inactive doesn’t make you fat. On the flip side working out will not stop you from being fat. Diets won’t help either.
It’s all about the food.
It’s the food you put into your body. Every bite and every morsel.
It’s very simple. Put food, real food, into your body and you will lose weight.
The complex part is determining what real food is. Nobody really knows anymore. Most of us know more about the “recommended daily nutritional intake” than we do about ripe fruit. Our minds are …