Slow Food Truckee is growing fast and picking up momentum. Their next event is on March 5th and is free to all. Take the beautiful drive to Truckee and join the community to watch King Corn.
Feb 29, 2008
Slow Food Truckee event - King Corn movie presentation
Slow Food Truckee is growing fast and picking up momentum. Their next event is on March 5th and is free to all. Take the beautiful drive to Truckee and join the community to watch King Corn.
Feb 20, 2008
In Defence of Food: an Eater's Manifesto
A couple of weeks ago I finished reading Michael Pollan's latest book, In Defense of Food: an Eater's Manifesto. The author discusses another facet of the western diet, that is, the role science plays in the American diet, how it came to be such a huge influence on the average America’s relationship with food, and helps explain how our current food system developed. The final portion of the book describes what we can do to improve our health , food supply and community. A highly recommended read (as usual available in book, audio book, or downloadable format from the public library). If you want to be surprised don’t read any further, but here are a couple of my favorite guidelines to live by.Shake the hand of the person who feeds you. Eat only what your grandma would recognize as food (or great-grandma, depending on how old you are). You are what you eat eats (whatever your steak ate, you’re eating it too). Regulation is no substitute for accountability. Never eat alone. Always have a glass of wine with dinner.
Feb 13, 2008
Wolf Pack Meats
UNR sells meat! Who knew!? Diversity is the key to a sustainable local food system so anyone who produces locally raised food should get some attention, right? But universities engage in research and that makes me nervous when it comes to my dinner, so last week I called Mike Holcomb of Wolf Pack Meats to ask him about my concerns and some of my hopes.
Wolf Pack Meats website will answer many questions so I’ll blog only about those of particular interest to me and my friends and family.
Who makes the processed meats, for example, sausage? UNR livestock is used to produce things like sausage, ham and smoked bacon on-site. Mike is very involved in this area of production. Wolf Pack Meats also sells smoked turkeys. The turkeys are not local, but the smoking is.
Does Wolf Pack Meats sell any milk produced at the facility? No, and Mike does not personally know of anyone in Nevada who sells dairy. That’s scary! No Nevada cheese for us.
Does the livestock receive hormones or antibiotics? Wolf Pack Meats does not administer additional hormones or antibiotics.
Is the beef grass-fed or grass-finished? It is grass-finished.
What kind of research are these animals involved in? The animals sold for human consumption are used for agricultural research and education only. UNR agricultural staff and students engage in research activities that affect animal growth. They experiment with the everyday living conditions of the animals, for example, beef is fed a certain type of grass for a certain amount of time, and then they observe the results. According to Mike, no products sold through Wolf Pack have been involved in anything like GMO or science-lab-type research. Whew!
In my view, this type of agricultural program is very valuable to those of us who live in the Truckee Meadows and Northern Nevada. Why? Because if Nevada is going to continue to develop and sustain a strong local food system we need more future farmers and ranchers, and UNR educates future farmers. Mike tells me that during the summer there are about 20-25 young people at the facility, learning about food production. These students could play a significant part in Nevada’s food future.
Wolf Pack Meats website will answer many questions so I’ll blog only about those of particular interest to me and my friends and family.
Who makes the processed meats, for example, sausage? UNR livestock is used to produce things like sausage, ham and smoked bacon on-site. Mike is very involved in this area of production. Wolf Pack Meats also sells smoked turkeys. The turkeys are not local, but the smoking is.
Does Wolf Pack Meats sell any milk produced at the facility? No, and Mike does not personally know of anyone in Nevada who sells dairy. That’s scary! No Nevada cheese for us.
Does the livestock receive hormones or antibiotics? Wolf Pack Meats does not administer additional hormones or antibiotics.
Is the beef grass-fed or grass-finished? It is grass-finished.
What kind of research are these animals involved in? The animals sold for human consumption are used for agricultural research and education only. UNR agricultural staff and students engage in research activities that affect animal growth. They experiment with the everyday living conditions of the animals, for example, beef is fed a certain type of grass for a certain amount of time, and then they observe the results. According to Mike, no products sold through Wolf Pack have been involved in anything like GMO or science-lab-type research. Whew!
In my view, this type of agricultural program is very valuable to those of us who live in the Truckee Meadows and Northern Nevada. Why? Because if Nevada is going to continue to develop and sustain a strong local food system we need more future farmers and ranchers, and UNR educates future farmers. Mike tells me that during the summer there are about 20-25 young people at the facility, learning about food production. These students could play a significant part in Nevada’s food future.
It's Sod Buster Farm 2008 chicken ordering season
Sod Buster Farm chicken ordering season is now open and just in time, too. Late last summer we ordered six and right now we’re down to just one. We’ve been hoarding that very last chicken; delaying that final meal because we so enjoy looking forward to our next delish chicken dinner we didn’t want to spoil the fun. No need to delay any longer!
This is Sod Buster’s second season. From a consumer and foodie perspective, our friends and family who purchased last year thought their first season (2007) was a spectacular success, and we look forward to the expanded 2008 program. If your family wants to eat really delicious chicken, expand its local food horizons, and meet and support food producers in northern Nevada and the Truckee Meadows, this is a great way to do it.
Of course, raising chickens is seasonal and so is ordering. Call Sod Buster now at 775-475-0214 to take full advantage of the entire season. The first order deadline is February 29, 2008.
This is Sod Buster’s second season. From a consumer and foodie perspective, our friends and family who purchased last year thought their first season (2007) was a spectacular success, and we look forward to the expanded 2008 program. If your family wants to eat really delicious chicken, expand its local food horizons, and meet and support food producers in northern Nevada and the Truckee Meadows, this is a great way to do it.
Of course, raising chickens is seasonal and so is ordering. Call Sod Buster now at 775-475-0214 to take full advantage of the entire season. The first order deadline is February 29, 2008.
Feb 1, 2008
Northern Nevada will soon have a permanent urban market!
If you follow local food you probably already know about this but a local-food blog would not be complete without noting it. Yes! The urban market project has been approved!
Northern Nevada has made another move in a good direction. If the market develops as discussed it will give locals a place to go for a leisurely and social snack or lunch, and a place to connect with our local businesses and producers. Food and community in one place!
The City of Reno has this project on the fast track and hopes to have it up an running this year. Woo hoo!
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