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GoodFood World

Good food is everybody's business!

Welcome to GoodFood WorldDecember 10, 2013
Before we head into 2014 at top speed, join us as we look back over the last year at GoodFood World. Perhaps Charles Dickens had it right when he said, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

No GMO Logo The big story of the year? Washington was the second state to run an initiative to require labeling of foods containing genetically modified ingredients - and the second one failing to pass it. That's the bad news; the good news? In 2012, California defeated Proposition 37, 51.4% to 49.6%, and in 2013, Washington Initiative 522 failed by a slightly closer margin: 51.1% to 49.9%. It looks like Oregon will have the issue on the 2014 ballot. Maybe three's charm! You can read all our coverage of the issue here: GMOs.
Quinoa Varieties
Who knew? We discovered this year exactly how important quinoa is on the world stage when we attended the International Quinoa Research Symposium in the small college town of Pullman WA. Researchers, seed breeders, growers, and other "interested parties" from 22 countries met to debate access to seeds and seed genetics and exchange information about research projects around the world. Read more about quinoa - the perfect food - in Quinoa: The Passion and The Politics.

Nash's Organic Produce
Several years ago, a young Vancouver BC couple published a book called The 100-Mile Diet. At the time Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon were doing their research (2005) it was darned hard for them to find a varied enough diet within their geographic limits. One of their biggest challenges was finding locally grown grain. Not a problem in Seattle!

Jubilee Biodynamic Farm
Nash's Organic Produce, a 750-acre farm located on the northern edge of the Olympic Peninsula and Jubilee Biodynamic Farm, a 50-acre farm located in the Snoqualmie River Valley just minutes from Seattle's eastern suburbs, offer Puget Sound residents locally grown fruits and vegetables AND grains. Read how these two farms are setting the standards for the future of farming in Puget Sound, in Washington, and across the country, in A Tale of Two Farms: What's Next?

Read more about local and regional food systems in By Land or By Sea: Port Townsend Food Co-op and Buy Local? Why Local? Time For the REAL Story!

We should have named 2013 "The Year of Grain and Flour!" We started the year with a piece decrying the loss of heirloom and land-race wheat in Local Grains: Taking Back Our Wheat. Next we explored the descent of hearty, healthy bread to the low level of white, "marshmallow" bread in When Did Our Daily Bread Take a Wrong Turn? Finally to learn more about both, we visited Dr, Steve Jones, The Mad Baker in the Bread Lab, who gave us the full history - and his future vision - of grains "out of place." What are grains out of place? Just grain grown where it is unexpected, in wet and mild western Washington, for example.

Here are just some of our GoodFood Heroes for 2013:
 
Erick Haakenson
Nash Huber
Daryl in the Field
Daryl Lasilla
Kevin in the Field
Kevin Murphy
Ina Denburg
Steve Jones
Good Reading - Top Books of 2013

Our top reads for 2013 - if these books aren't in your library, it's time to get them!  Why are these books so important? They address three fundamental challenges we all face: food access, slow moving societal and cultural changes, and fast moving climate change.    

       

The Good Food Revolution: Growing Healthy Food, People, and Communities by Will Allen and Charles Wilson    

 

The story goes that Will Allen, son of South Carolina sharecroppers, never intended to become a farmer. In reality, Allen began growing and selling food at the age of 10. Today, he is leading a revolution to bring people back to the soil - urban, suburban, or rural soil - to grow their own food and discover the taste and connections that have been lost over the last 75 years of industrial agriculture.   

   

The End of the Line: How Overfishing Is Changing the World and What We Eat by Charles Clover 

 

Just glance at the magazine shelves or the menu of your favorite restaurant and you will see that Americans are eating more fish than ever before, from sushi to ceveche to the classic tuna sandwich. Fish are healthy, fashionable, increasingly expensive, and consumed with a clearer conscience than meat. But can this continue? 

 

Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss

 

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter at The New York Times comes the explosive story of the rise of the processed food industry and its link to the emerging obesity epidemic. Michael Moss reveals how companies use salt, sugar, and fat to addict us and, more important, how we can fight back. 

 

Holy Shit: Managing Manure To Save Mankind by Gene Logsdon   

 

In his insightful new book, Holy Shit, Managing Manure To Save Mankind, contrary farmer Gene Logsdon provides the inside story of manure - our greatest, yet most misunderstood, natural resource. Gene Logsdon does not mince words.   

 

The Organic Seed Grower: A Farmer's Guide to Vegetable Seed Production by John Navazio

 

Written by well-known plant breeder and organic seed expert John Navazio, The Organic Seed Grower is the most up-to-date and useful guide to best practices in this exciting and important field. (Ed. Note: And - best of all - John is an all 'round really nice guy!) 

 

There are more books on GoodFood World and more coming every week. Read, learn, and enjoy!

Good Viewing - Top Videos of 2013

At GoodFood World we select videos from great teachers to inform and inspire us. Some of these teachers are world-renowned, some are just small voices in the wilderness. Here are a few that have moved us and we hope they will move you. 

 

Wendell Berry on His Hopes for Humanity 

   

Wendell Berry, a quiet and humble man, has become an outspoken advocate for revolution. He urges immediate action as he mourns how America has turned its back on the land and rejected Jeffersonian principles of respect for the environment and sustainable agriculture.  

   

Dr. Jill Clapperton, Rhizoterra, on Soil Health   

 

Dr. Jill Clapperton, soil scientist, says that farmers need to focus on building diversity of organisms within soils.  

 

Poor soil biology produces poor crops in terms of both crop yields and nutrient content.  

 

 

The Dialog Begins: Howard Vlieger, Iowa Farmer and GMO Crop Expert   

 

This is an important presentation I think most for its honesty.  

 

And because it is being delivered by an authentic Iowa farmer, not some fabrication on contract hauled out to speak the corporate line because of the special interest of the parties involved.  

 

Why You Can't Eat Just One - Big Food Keeps Us Eating!  

 

Craving. It doesn't just happen to food addicts. Most people have experienced the impulse to seek out and consume a favorite packaged snack food.  

 

Big Food knows you can't stop at just one, because they've done the research necessary to make it happen.

 

What's So Special About Organic Seed?

 

John Navazio, Senior Scientist for Organic Seed Alliance and a Plant Breeding and Seed Specialist for Washington State University Extension, talks about breeding healthy and robust organic spinach varieties at Nash's Organic Farm, Sequim WA.  

 

In this video, John explains why organic seed is important and why you can't just sow any seed for a healthy crop!  

 

There are more videos on GoodFood World and more coming every week.
It's Your Move!

Holly

We are stating the obvious when we say that so many of us have lost the connection with our food and our farmers, fishermen, millers, and bakers - all the people who grow and prepare it. When city children think yogurt comes from plants, bread comes from a farm, and chickens lay potatoes, we are all in trouble. Those lost connections have allowed Big Food and Big Ag to replace good healthy food with "not food" and "edible food-like substances," as Michael Pollan calls them. 

GoodFood World is an important platform to help re-establish that connection. We introduce producers who are growing, harvesting, and preparing local or regional, whole or minimally-processed meat, fish, produce, grain, dairy, and more.  We promote food products that we believe are not only good food, but are food produced in a way that is environmentally sensitive and socially responsible.    

 

Publishing an online magazine is a labor of love; Ken and I have dedicated our hearts, minds, and any funds we can pull together to this project. Thankfully our friends have generously contributed time, money, and yes, food, to keep it going.   

 

In October 2013, we celebrated the third anniversary of GoodFood World! And today we can proudly say that we have published over 1000 articles, book summaries, and videos - of which more than 60 percent are original and exclusive content.   

 

We've also issued nearly 100 newsletters to thousands of subscribers. And we now have more than a dozen contributing writers, six of whom are regular columnists from across the US and as far away as Liberia. All of our writers have generously contributed their creative work gratis.    

 

It's your move!

 

We are counting on you to be a partner in our endeavor to keep good food on our tables and grocery shelves so we can all eat better and be healthier!

 

Whether you consider it an investment, a donation, or a contribution,  

please make it here.  

 

As part of our team, your contribution of $10, $25, $50, or more, will keep GoodFood World

online and on the road, working one-on-one with creative, dedicated, and tireless good food producers so they can succeed and thrive.   

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Good Food - Our Favorite Recipes of 2013

The holidays are fast approaching and here are a few of our favorite recipes to help you celebrate - meatless or with your favorite roast. 

      

Holiday Roast - Grassfed Beef 

 

While a rib roast may seem like a real luxury, it is simple to prepare. Start - always! - with meat from a pastured animal fed only on grass. We serve only Crown S Ranch's beef.  

 

Many will tell you it's not possible to get a nicely marbled piece of meat from a cow that eats only grass, we show you that's not the case!  

 

Ina's Unmeatloaf   

 

Unmeatloaf is a "mileage" food for sure (when something takes a little longer to prepare but you can freeze some for later use). It's not hard to make, but there are a few steps involved.  

 

You could add whatever vegetables you wanted into the saute, just as if it were your own "meatloaf" recipe. Feel free to experiment.  

   

Kate's Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies      

 

The best chocolate chip cookies are soft and chewy even after they're completely cooled and even the day after that (if you keep them in a bag or closed container).   

 

These are delicious hot from the oven, but they also withstand the test of time.

   

Red Lentil, Roasted Tomatoes, and Dill Soup   

 

This is easy, delicious, comforting and beautiful. It tastes crazy good with fresh garden tomatoes! This soup is great in any consistency.  

 

It also makes a satisfying meal served over rice and roasted cauliflower along with steamed greens of any kind.

 

 

Sourdough Crackers - Easy and Versatile  

 

Crispy crackers with plenty of flavor are yummy and so easy to make with real ingredients! Great with red lentil, roasted tomato, and dill soup!!

There are more recipes on GoodFood World and more coming every week! Enjoy!

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Contribute Content, Advice, Input

We welcome photos, tips, observations, and links to stories about the world of good food. Send us stories about what you've seen or heard. Tell us what we're doing right. We like "atta boys!" Got a beef? Send it on... we need to know! Here's the place to do it.   

 

Take care, eat well, and be well!

 

Gail Nickel-Kailing and Ken Kailing

Co-Publishers/Editors

 

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