From the category archives:

Grassroots

Farms, local food and thoughtful commerce

Another reason to love maple season

March 4, 2013

Fake maple syrup bums me out. And not only because it rarely contains real maple. (Most brands are a mix of high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavors.) It’s because maple syrup is perfect just as it is. Naturally sweet, it also retains trace vitamins and minerals, even antioxidants. It’s still sugar, so let’s not [...]

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Real Food Road Test: The Round-up

September 11, 2012

As I wrote two weeks ago, we decided to finish summer with a road trip. And I decided to microblog along the way, using Facebook posts to show that it is possible to eat well on the road, even when you have no idea where you’re going or where you’re staying. This was road-tripping old-school style. With an iPhone [...]

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Real Food Road Test:
The Spoonfed Guide to Vacation Food

August 27, 2012

‘Tis the season for back-to-school posts. But Tess doesn’t start until Sept. 6, so we’re road-tripping for the next week, to points south but otherwise unknown. No reservations, no set plans. Just the three of us in a car with an itch to meander, and an iPhone loaded with lodging apps. And food, of course. We always bring food when we [...]

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Zen and the art of blog maintenance

July 18, 2012

A note for all of you (readers, that is): I’ve been woefully absent from the blog for a long time, and I appreciate all the e-mails asking after my well-being (and also asking when-the-hell-are-you-going-to-start-blogging-again?!). This hiatus began as we ramped up for our big move (and downsizing) from house to loft, and it’s extended to post-move for the [...]

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Real food on the road

May 31, 2012

Summertime. When the living is easy, road trips entice, and that road is paved with fast food and greasy spoons. What to do, what to do. As a longtime vegetarian, I’ve been bringing food on the road for years, if only a few bananas and granola bars to get me through the gauntlet of golden [...]

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Kids and factory farming: Yes, tell them the truth

February 27, 2012

We have a living-history museum nearby. One of those places with relocated old buildings and re-enactors who take you right back to the 19th century. During one visit, I was in the kitchen of a home churning butter with my daughter and chatting with another visitor, telling her we’d seen a pig-slaughtering pen being built at the village’s teaching farm. The museum, [...]

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“Food Inc.”: Family viewing?

August 9, 2011

PBS is showing the movie “Food Inc.” tonight. So I’m pulling out a review I wrote when the movie debuted. Have you seen the film? Planning to watch tonight? Maybe recording it to watch later with your kids? (See more about kid viewing below.) You’ll never look at food the same way again. I promise. So watch [...]

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Kiwi article: Have food, will travel

August 4, 2011

Back from traveling. (Mostly) unpacked. (Mostly) caught up on work deadlines. Ready to get back to blogging. And I’ll start by sharing an article I wrote for the June/July issue of Kiwi magazine. It’s timely, about eating well while road-tripping. And though some of the ideas will be familiar to those who’ve read my Spoonfed posts about real [...]

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Real food on the road

June 17, 2011

Summertime. When the living is easy, road trips entice, and that road is paved with fast food and greasy spoons. What to do, what to do. As a longtime vegetarian, I’ve been bringing food on the road for years, if only a few bananas and granola bars to get me through the gauntlet of golden [...]

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Sweet on maple sugaring

March 2, 2011

Fake maple syrup bums me out. And not only because it rarely contains real maple. (Most brands are a mix of high-fructose corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavors.) It’s because maple syrup is perfect just the way it is. Naturally sweet, it also retains trace vitamins and minerals, even antioxidants. It’s still a sugar, so let’s [...]

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31 comments read the full post >>