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Blog posts : "Agriculture"

Arsenic and Rice, Not so Nice

According to science writer Deborah Blum in WIRED, the FDA's reassuring assessment that the arsenic levels in rice are nothing to worry about in the short term, gives rise to the question: What about the long term, then?

“The issue is long term exposure and the surprisingly serious and widespread h…

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Fabled Farm Labor Leader Dies

Via AP: "Jessie Lopez De La Cruz, a longtime leader in the national farmworker movement, has died. She was 93.

The United Farmworkers of America says De La Cruz died in Kingsburg, Calif., on Labor Day. She was one of the union's first female members and organizers in the Fresno area."

Read more he…

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Indian/Mexican Spices Source of Salmonella?

According to the NYTimes, imported spices may import more than flavor to US cooks.

"The United States Food and Drug Administration will soon release a comprehensive analysis that pinpoints imported spices, found in just about every kitchen in the Western world, as a surprisingly potent source of …

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How Bees Make Honey

Brits Show Some Heat at Harrogate Flower Show

Yes, they are spelling them "chillies" but we will forgive them that, we in New Mexico where "chiles" is the only acceptable spelling of the Americas' warmest veg. Hey, the Brits are getting with the program with Harrogate's ChilliFest, first ever, at the Autumn Show.

Check it all out here.

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National Farmers Market Week, Ta Da!

Yes, this coming weekend, please kiss the organizers of your local farmers/growers market, because their gift to you is immense, no?

And, if you need to find a farmers market for yourself, or a pal/family member, search this list compiled by the USDA.

Photo Portland Farmers Market, Maine

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Want Fries With Your Test-Tube Burger?

"The world’s first test tube burger will be served at an exclusive London venue this week - with a price tag of £250,000."

( Can't actually buy this to eat, people, for another several years...that's the cost of the prototype.)

"The 5oz burger is made of synthetic meat grown from the stem cel…

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In Russia This Summer? Food Festivals Underway

You missed Novosyolki's Raspberry Festival, the International Cucumber Festival in Suzdal just finished, but make a note of two more: the Syzran Tomato Fair is August 24, and a week later Lukh celebrates the flat-topped onion bulb, apparently a fave of Ivan the Terrible.

And for more go here.

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Chick Peas Over Tobacco in VA?

New Orleans' SoFAB Museum Library Opens October

Yes, it's happening. The first phase of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum's new home, its Culinary Library, will open this October.

But before that, check out President Liz Williams' latest entry in her saga, The Meat of the Matter: Making a Food Museum, exclusive to The FOOD Museum, right h…

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Apprentice Yourself To A Farm

Mother Earth News explores how apprenticeships are helping small farms thrive. Photo via Young Farmers.

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Brits to Import Wheat for First Time in 11 Years

From The Guardian: "The wettest autumn since records began, followed by the coldest spring in 50 years, has devastated British wheat, forcing food manufacturers to import nearly 2.5m tonnes of the crop.

"Normally we export around 2.5m tonnes of wheat but this year we expect to have to impor…

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Monsanto, Again? PacNoWest Wheat Farmers Unite

Via National:

"A class action lawsuit was filed this week on behalf of Pacific Northwest wheat farmers and the Center for Food Safety (CFS) after Oregon wheat farmers suffered depressed wheat prices for their crops following the discovery of allegedly illegal genetically engineered, glyphosate-resi…

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Ready for More Monsanto?

A Kansas wheat farmer is suing Monsanto in advance of his harvest because when an Oregon farmer found "Roundup Ready" wheat growing in his field, wheat buyers from Japan and South Korea immediately suspended all purchases of US wheat.

Predictably, Monsanto, which stopped development of this wheat…

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Review---Digital Mag Takes on Life, Deliberately

The third issue is out now, via iTunes, at $4, and it's visually appealing, but... DeliberateLIFE sparkles only when it moves beyond entertaining, cooking, growing your own food, light bulb choices, rainwater cachement, et al, topics with way too much Martha Stewart-ish/Simple Living-ish type feel…

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Feeding the Hungry: Moore, OK

"It’s amazing how something as simple as a hot meal can make people cry,” said Jeff Stith, 48, of Pleasant Hill, Mo., one of the co-founders of a charity called Operation BBQ Relief. “They’ll come up and say, ‘God bless you,’ and they’ll give you a hug — and they’ve lost everything. It always make…

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Swiss Bookshop of Food Offers Newest Catalog

The Librairie Gasterea in Lausanne specializes in high quality works, both old and new, on gastronomy, and wine culture, Check out its latest catalog, #15, on their site in coming days.

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The Apple Man Revives Good, Old Varieties

The Baldwin apple, via USDA

As a child of the Empire State, once home to a wide range of apple varieties, many of them NOT SWEET, America, I salute the efforts of John Bunker of Maine. Bunker is set on saving apple trees, and spreading the seed of as many "mystery" apples as possible, in order to 

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"Cloudy With... 2" is Coming This September

Yep, that Sony meatball animated flick, part 2, is a post-summer treat for all who love scenes featuring animated pats of butter!

Check the website here.

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OK, The Wheatshockers Lost

Back in the day, when everyone in the US was more focused on farming, Wichita State students often made money "shocking" wheat, as in harvesting. The school, founded in 1895, put forth the name Wheatshockers in 1904, and unofficially,  "Shockers"  the school's athletes have been since then.

Las…

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20 blog posts