Author Michael Pollan lives by a simple motto: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. He advocates that humans give up their self-important assumptions that consciousness means superiority. In this video, he uses the example of the Lima bean, which when attacked by spider mites emits a chemical that attracts a spider mite competitor. "We have consciousness; they have biochemistry," he says. Perhaps his most telling observation involves the evolution at Polyface, a family farm in Virginia's Shenendoah Valley (LINK to post on that video TK). "If you begin to take account of other species, take account of the soil...We can take the food we need from the earth and actually heal the earth in the process," Pollan concludes.
Organic farms have become all the rage and are on the rise in this country. This map of organic nut farms, many of them out West, gives just a taste of that trend.
Though the posts seem to come from his publisher or publicist, Michael Pollan does keep a steady stream of updates coming on his Twitter feed, including excerpts from recent speeches, the release of new books and occasionally something interesting from another source. For a drill-down on a different way of living, Northern Californian Hank Shaw, in his blog Hunter, Gardener, Angler, Cook, never ceases to surprise with recipes, sources, and an undercurrent of sustainable food politics told through his own quirky experiences. His significant other, Holly Heyser, takes the lovely photographs and, if you're lucky, they might invite you to dinner sometime. For more links, check out my curated blog post.
Those interested in Pollan's politics may find themselves fascinated by the Slow-Food movement in the U.S. and abroad, which keeps its ear to the ground, so to speak. The U.S. chapter even has a blog that offers a smattering of news and foodie events, though it is heavy on the events. In addition, a current campaign to get people to eat at home, picked up by the Huffington Post, is receiving a lot of attention on this blog.
Berkeley is the center of the food politics world, so it's no surprise that Pollan has a teaching post in the journalism school there. Just go outside and ask people what they had for lunch and you will get the most amazing lecture about food. We did this ourselves one recent afternoon, so check out the results.
If you are a vegan, or dating one, California is filled with options for you — though of course some areas offer more than others. Search for the city where you want to eat.
Keeping track of sustainability issues is a constantly moving target. But there are places to look, starting, surprisingly, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which divides its information up nicely and this section of its Economic Research Service focuses exclusively on farm practices management, a good place to see what official actions are being taken.
Though the posts seem to come from his publisher or publicist, Michael Pollan does keep a steady stream of updates coming on his Twitter feed, including excerpts from recent speeches, the release of new books and occasionally something interesting from another source.
Northern Californian Hank Shaw, in his blog Hunter, Gardener, Angler, Cook, never ceases to surprise with recipes, sources, and an undercurrent of sustainable food politics told through his own quirky experiences. His significant other, Holly Heyser, takes the lovely photographs and, if you’re lucky, they might invite you to dinner sometime.
The Slow-Food movement in the U.S. and abroad keeps its ear to the ground, so to speak. The U.S. chapter even has a blog that offers a smattering of news and foodie events, though it is heavy on the events.
For anyone covering agriculture, the Des Moines Register continues to be an excellent source. This link takes you to a search of their site for “agriculture,” which can be anything from a new Farm Bill to a debate over genetic modification to a nice feature on a local farmer.
And, for something a little different, check out the self-proclaimed eco-goddess herself on Twitter
Although there is much debate about organic certification, the United States is booming with organic farms. This chart, though it is a bit dated, offers plenty of evidence.
One interesting corner, where fungicides and pesticides used to rule, are nut farms. In the United States, especially out West where many nuts are grown, organic nut farms are proliferating:
The Polyface farm in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia offers a lesson in sustainability. Producing 40,000 pounds of beef, 30,000 pounds of pork, 25,000 dozen eggs, 1,000 turkeys and 1,000 rabbits on just 100 acres is beside the point, according to owner Joel Salatin. The “eggmobile” that allows the chickens to follow the cattle, feasting on the maggots in their dung, also is beside the point. The point, he said, is living in tune with nature.
“We have this notion…that in order to have a healthy ecosystem, we have to sacrifice the economy and in order to have a healthy economy, we have to sacrifice the ecosystem,” Salatin told USA Today. “Part of my lunacy is that I really believe we can have both.”
The cows are moved daily, Salatin said, to “a new salad bar,” mimicking the grazing habits of their wilder cousins, such as the bison and buffalo.
“This can’t be done industrially,” he added, “it’s hands-on.”
Author Michael Pollan lives by a simple motto: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. He advocates that humans give up their self-important assumptions that consciousness means superiority. In some respects, his epiphany came as he watched a bee work the blossoms on his backyard apple tree as he prepared to plant potato seeds. His exercise had been a intellectual one: research seeds, buy seeds, improve soil, while the bee knew innately what to do. Which, therefore, was more effective: nature or nurture.
Pollan also cites an example of the Lima bean, which when attacked by spider mites emits a chemical that attracts a spider mite competitor. “We have consciousness; they have biochemistry,” he says.
Perhaps his most telling observation involves the evolution at Polyface, a family farm in Virginia’s Shenendoah Valley. The farm has taken rotation to a new level, with a chicken mobile that follows the grazing cows, to munch on maggots in their dung and, in the process, both sterilize that dung and fertilize the grassland with their own nitrogen-rich manure. Joel Salatin, whose parents started Polyface in 1961, describes his farm as “a farm of many faces.”
“If you begin to take account of other species, take account of the soil…We can take the food we need from the earth and actually heal the earth in the process,” Pollan concludes.
stly plants. He advocates that humans give up their self-important assumptions that consciousness means superiority. In this video, he uses the example of the Lima bean, which when attacked by spider mites emits a chemical that attracts a spider mite competitor. "We have consciousness; they have biochemistry," he says. Perhaps his most telling observation involves the evolution at Polyface, a family farm in Virginia's Shenendoah Valley (LINK to post on that video TK). "If you begin to take account of other species, take account of the soil...We can take the food we need from the earth and actually heal the earth in the process," Pollan concludes.
