Hoop houses, a.k.a. high tunnels, enable a longer growing season in New England. They create a ‘greenhouse effect’ allowing for the sun's natural light and heat to pass and disperse through the poly covering. The heat is then absorbed by the plants, soil, and thermal banks (drums of water, stone, etc.) which slowly release the heat overnight. 

 

This fairly simple low cost technology provides fresh leafy greens throughout most of the winter. Spinach, kale, swiss chard, bok choy are available all through February and March.

 

Learn more about hoop houses HERE.

“To Find the Future of Food, We Need to Look to the Past” by Taras Grescoe, is a refreshing opinion piece about ‘techno-optimism.' He says, “I’ve noticed something about ‘scientifically improved’ foods. To put it bluntly: nobody wants to eat that shit. The first approved transgenic vegetable, the slow-ripening rot-resistant Flavr Savr tomato, engineered with genes from a bacterial parasite, was a commercial flop, losing millions for the company that developed it. Golden rice, engineered to contain higher levels of beta-carotene, and the Arctic Apple, designed not to brown when cut, have also failed to attract farmers and consumers.’”

 

The article articulates what many of us intuitively know about quality food – and reminds us that the path towards a better food system doesn't need to be ‘scientifically proven.’

 

Learn more HERE. 

“What Do We Gain by Eating With Our Hands?” is a terrific article highlighting Kamayan, the traditional Filipino method of eating with the bare hands. Kamayan, is also used to describe the Filipino communal feast where food is served on banana leaves and eaten without utensils.

 

Such rituals are common throughout the world. Many cultures have maintained their traditional foodways and have not succumbed to Western pressure to use utensils. The article speaks to the ways food unifies -- and connects us to place, culture, each other and our ancestors.

 

Learn more HERE.

“Defining and Refining a Food Justice Lens” is a comprehensive analysis on food justice within the ‘lifestyle media.’ In the article Kennedy breaks down “key statistics about the global food system; terms and ideas in food justice; and concludes with how a food justice lens in lifestyle media might be adapted to get conversations and perceptions over the ‘imaginative hump’ of individual activists, discrete activist groups, and personal consumption choice toward a better understanding of how the food system reflects political and economic inequalities.”

 

Kennedy weaves the tension between personal choice and individual power beautifully. You'll want to file this article for future reference. It is excellent.

 

Learn more HERE.

Civil Eats breaks down the 2022 Census of Agriculture in “What the Latest Farm Census Says About the Changing Ag Landscape.” 

 

American farms have been decreasing for decades and the trend continues. The census shows a 7% decline, while farmland consolidation is on the rise. The tyranny of the “get big or get out” sentiment dominates public discourse.

 

The most disheartening finding from the census is that between 2017 - 2022 the number of Black producers fell by 8%  - slightly higher than the overall rate of farm loss.

 

This is an important read!

 

Learn more HERE.