My New Favorite Neighbor

For the new issue of Edible Boston, I wrote an article about Community Servings, a remarkable organization just down the street from me in Jamaica Plain. In addition to providing healthy, nutritionally-balanced meals to the critically ill, they play host to a farmers market, a CSA, and a number of other programs centered in healthy, whole, sustainable food. They are a force for positive change in many underserved neighborhoods of Boston, and I am happy to count myself among their many regular volunteers.

To learn more about their work and how you can get in on the fun in their kitchen, click here.

A Little Light Reading (and healthy eating!)

Ecofoodie is back! Sated with all things Greek--think sun, wine, and tzadziki--if a little jet lagged and playing catch up with real life after so many weeks of festivities. A full report on local goodies in Greece is soon to come. In the meantime, you might peruse an article I wrote about the sustainable dining program at Harvard Medical School for the fall issue of Edible Boston.

If you are in the Longwood Medical Area, I highly recommend that you give one of the HMS cafes a try--the food is as good for the planet as it is for your body, and eating there helps to support our local farms! Plus, who wouldn't prefer a made-from-scratch Bacon Onion Tart to Chicken Fingers at the hospital caf?

Click here to read the article, and here to watch a very cool video on the "Farm to Cafe" cycle. Enjoy!

Serving Ourselves Farm in Edible Boston Magazine

This past spring I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days volunteering at Serving Ourselves Farm, located on Long Island in Boston Harbor. The organic farm provides much needed high quality produce to underserved populations in the Boston area. It also serves as a job training program for homeless individuals residing on the island, giving them the opportunity to learn about many different aspects of food production and the farm to table cycle. Click here to read the piece I wrote about my experience for the summer issue of Edible Boston.

Yes, that is me in the picture, looking much too serious!

Coming Soon (tomorrow!) to a Theater Near You...

Earlier this week, thanks to the lovely folks at Edible Boston magazine, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of Food, Inc. at the Kendall Square Theater. The film, a documentary directed by Robert Kenner, presents a remarkably comprehensive picture of the troubles plaguing our current food system. Although the cast of characters and issues are familiar to many of us (Monsanto, factory farms, and corrupt government officials on one side; Michael Pollan, Joel Salatin, and public seed on the other), Kenner has put the pieces together in a clear, concise manner that makes it easy to understand these very complex issues. He has also done a remarkable job of illuminating the human suffering that results from our current food system, a subject that often takes a back seat to the animal suffering involved. There are long-time farmers being forced to pay for patented seed or face a lawsuit, undocumented workers being treated as a disposable work force, and families all across the country who want to make better food choices for their children but can't afford to when broccoli costs five times as much as a two liter of soda.

The film is informative without being preachy or sensational, and will surely strike a chord with many, many viewers, including those who aren't as familiar with these issues. It also reminds us that we do have tremendous power as consumers, and that every dollar we spend sends a message to the farmers and companies involved, as well as our government. Choosing locally raised chicken during one trip to the grocery store may feel insignificant, but the cumulative effect of these small personal choices sends big messages to the decision-makers in this system; even Walmart, the biggest player of them all, made all of their milk hormone free based on consumer choices.

Whether you're new to the sustainable food movement or you think you've heard it all before, this is a movie that we all need to see. It is both convincing and inspiring, and will hopefully serve as a much needed vehicle for growing the grass roots movement required to effect real change.

So get out there this weekend and head to the theater! Then visit their website to find out what you can do to create a food system that's healthy for our bodies, our minds, and our planet.

(For theaters and showtimes near you, click here!)