Meet Your Farmers (CSA Open House)

CSAs are alive and well in the Madison area!  The FairShare CSA Coalition will host its annual open house at the Monona Terrace, Sunday March 23, from 1:00-4:00 PM. A "CSA" (Community-Supported Agriculture) is a community venture in which participants pledge their support for a farm’s food production efforts and, in turn, receive a share of the product in various installments.  The CSA model has been extended to include (and support) other small grower/producer products including craft beer, coffee, and seafood.

At the open house, you will be able to chat with farmers and evaluate the different share options--often weekly or every-other-week deliveries of seasonal produce, eggs, cheese, honey or meat depending upon share plan and CSA farm. (And, many of these same folks participate in the area farmers’ markets).

In order to plan ahead, take a look at the Farm List to consider farms and share options that will best satisfy your appetite for produce and level of participation. Many of the farms have application forms that you can submit now.

In addition to supporting a local economy and savoring the fresh produce, there are some other incentives for students and staff. Many health plans furnish rebates for CSA participation. Shares can also be donated to assist families in our community in need. And, less we forget, there are opportunities to volunteer and to learn more with a job or internship at an area farm or FairShare event.

Dirty Dozen Redux

When is it a good idea to consider purchasing organic produce?

According to the staff with the Environmental Working Group, you may wish to splurge (that is, buy organic) on those produce items that bear a heavy pesticide burden when grown using contemporary "conventional" methods.

In tough economic times, it may not always be possible to shop organic 100% of the time, therefore one strategy is to pick and choose your food products wisely using such tools as the Dirty Dozen (Plus) and Clean 15 Shopper’s Guide.

The Dirty Dozen (Plus) for 2012 (buy these organic)

1.  Apples

2.  Celery

3.  Sweet bell peppers

4.  Peaches

5.  Strawberries

6.  Nectarines-imported

7.  Grapes

8.  Spinach

9.  Lettuce

10.  Cucumbers

11.  Blueberries-domestic

12.  Potatoes

Plus

Green beans

Kale/Greens 

The Clean 15 for 2012 (lowest in pesticides when grown conventionally)

1.  Onions

2.  Sweet Corn

3.  Pineapples

4.  Avocado

5.  Cabbage

6.  Sweet peas

7.  Asparagus

8.  Mangoes

9.  Eggplant

10.  Kiwi

11.  Cantaloupe-domestic

12.  Sweet potatoes

13.  Grapefruit

14.  Watermelon

15.  Mushrooms

The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen, 2011

When is it a good idea to consider purchasing organic produce? According to the folks with the Environmental Working Group, you may wish to splurge (that is, buy organic) on those produce items that bear a heavy pesticide burden when grown using contemporary "conventional" methods.

In tough economic times, it may not always be possible to buy organic 100% of the time, therefore one strategy is to pick and choose your food products wisely using such tools as the EWG’s Shoppers’ Guide to Pesticides.

The Dirty Dozen for 2011
(buy these organic; note: lower numbers=more pesticides):

1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines--imported
7. Grapes--imported
8. Sweet bell peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries--domestic
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/collard greens

The Clean 15 for 2011 (lowest in pesticide residues when grown conventionally):

1. Onions
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Avocado
5. Asparagus
6. Sweet peas
7. Mangoes
8. Eggplant
9. Cantaloupe--domestic
10. Kiwi
11. Cabbage
12. Watermelon
13. Sweet potatoes
14. Grapefruit
15. Mushrooms

All Campus Food Drive

Beginning Monday, November 8 and running through Friday, December 3, students and staff are invited to donate non-perishable food items on behalf of the "Share Your Holidays" end-hunger campaign. This effort, as coordinated by NBC 15, the campus Office of Visitor & Information Programs and other campus organizations, supplies necessary food items for the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.

Campus donation sites include the following:

• Red Gym (Campus Information Center), 716 Langdon Street
• Welcome Center, 21 N. Park Street
• DoIT TechStore, 1210 W. Dayton Street
• Weeks Hall (main lobby), 1215 W. Dayton Street
• Wisconsin Alumni Association, 650 N. Lake Street

Additional donation sites will soon be added by participating groups and in specific building locations, including Memorial Library, Student Services/333 East Campus Mall and the School of Business.

Those who wish to make a monetary donation can do so through the Second Harvest site, "Share Your Holidays" campaign page.

See the campus press release.

Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen

When is it a good idea to consider purchasing organic produce? According to the folks with the Environmental Working Group, you may wish to splurge (that is, buy organic) on those produce items that otherwise bear a heavy pesticide burden when grown using contemporary “conventional” methods.

In tough economic times, it may not always be an option to shop organic 100% of the time, therefore one strategy is to pick and choose your food products wisely using such tools as the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 shopper’s guide.

The Dirty Dozen for 2010 (buy these organic)
1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Bell Peppers
8. Spinach
9. Kale
10. Cherries
11. Potatoes
12. Grapes

The Clean 15 for 2010 (lowest in pesticides when grown conventionally)
1. Onions
2. Avocado
3. Sweet Corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mangoes
6. Sweet Peas
7. Asparagus
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Cantaloupe
12. Watermelon
13. Grapefruit
14. Sweet Potato
15. Honeydew Melon

Gotta Get Your Greens!

It is that time of the year...time when the Dane County Farmers' Market returns to the Capitol Square. I will be there bright and early to look for fresh, early-crop greens, asparagus, cheese, and a few scones to accompany my requisite coffee.
(The market opens at 6:00 AM at the Square, by the way, and runs until 2:00 PM—when you can often find some nice close-out deals)!

For those of you living closer to the west side of Madison, do also visit the Westside Community Market which will also celebrates its first day of the market season this Saturday, April 17.

Enjoy your weekend!

Fresh!

Save the date for a screening of Fresh: New Thinking about What We’re Eating and faculty-led discussion, March 11 (5:00-7:00 PM), Memorial Library Commons (Room 460). The film, produced and directed by Ana Sofia Joanes, examines the current food system and celebrates the individuals who are looking to forge healthier and sustainable alternatives. The film features Will Allen (Growing Power), Joel Salatin (Polyface Farms) and David Ball (Hen House Markets), among others (see bios)

Professors Jack Kloppenburg and Jill Harrison, from the department of Community & Environmental Sociology, will lead discussion about the ideas sparked by the film--an event that is free and open to the public.

This event, held in conjunction with UW-Madison's Go Big Read common-reading program is intended to provide a forum for students, staff, and community members to share ideas and perspectives related to the film and their reading of In Defense of Food.

UW Local Food Event & Panel Discussion (Dec 3)

What are the benefits of buying local? Where can one find local foods? What businesses support local growers?

Inspired by the ‘Go Big Read’ initiative, student volunteers have organized a panel presentation to examine these questions and to learn how to become more conscientious consumers in a discussion of local food.

Come to this event to ask questions of local growers, restaurant owners, farmer’s market vendors and other groups committed to supporting local agriculture such as Buy Fresh, Buy Local, Willy Street Co-op, and F.H. King Students of Sustainable Agriculture.

The panel event and discussion will be held in the Open Book Café, College Library, Thursday, December 3rd at 5:00pm.

Food Systems at War (Nov 19)

In conjunction with Go Big Read, Kellen Backer, History of Science dissertator, will present a public lecture, “Food Systems at War: Canned and Frozen Food Production during World War II” in the HSLC Auditorium 1335, Thursday, November 19 (noon – 1:00 PM). A question and answer session will follow the lecture. Those who attend are invited to donate a canned good item to benefit area food pantries.

Of related interest:

UW Digital Collections has released “Recipe for Victory: Food and Cooking in Wartime” a digitized collection of books and government documents that highlight the national campaign to promote gardening and food preservation on the home-front--instrumental to the plan for victory during World War I. Many of the documents and texts that have been digitized for this collection can be found at Steenbock Library.

National Community Gardening Week (Aug 23-29)

The US Department of Agriculture has declared August 23-29 to be "National Community Gardening Week"!

According to Agriculture Secretary, Tom Vilsack, “Community gardens provide numerous benefits including opportunities for local food production, resource conservation, and neighborhood beautification… But they also promote family and community interaction and enhance opportunities to eat healthy, nutritious foods. Each of these benefits is something we can and should strive for."

Get to know your community gardens! The Community Action Coalition for South Central Wisconsin, works with more than thirty-one community gardens in the Madison area.

If you are interested in learning more about community gardening initiatives, consider browsing Steenbock Library collections. Run a MadCat catalog search to find these resources (HINT: try using “community gardens” or “community gardening” as a search term).

Among these resources are the following:

City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America

Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty

Community Garden Book: New Directions for Creating and Managing Neighborhood Food Gardens in Your Town

You can also learn more, or find a community garden in your area, by visiting the American Community Gardening Association’s web site.

Do also explore links from the USDA's People's Garden Project.

With thanks to Amanda W for selected titles. For additional library resources, see her original blog post.

Keep Reading!

One of the compelling, if not enjoyable features of the Amazon.com web catalog, is its ability to show what other books and media its customers are purchasing in addition to the title with which you began your search—thereby supplying a handy way to discover items of related interest.

An Amazon query on the campus common book selection, In Defense of Food, reveals the following selection of titles, among many others.

Ettlinger, S. (2008). Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats. Plume.
Kingsolver, B., Kingsolver, C., & Hopp, S. L. (2008). Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life. Harper Perennial.
Menzel, P. (2007). Hungry Planet: What the World Eats (illustrated edition.). Material World.
Nestle, M. (2007b). Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition, and Health, Revised and Expanded Edition (2nd ed.). University of California Press.
Patel, R. (2008). Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System (398th ed.). Melville House.
Petrini, C. (2007). Slow Food Nation: Why Our Food Should Be Good, Clean, And Fair. Rizzoli Ex Libris.
Planck, N. (2007). Real Food: What to Eat and Why. Bloomsbury USA.
Roberts, P. (2009). The End of Food (Reprint.). Mariner Books.
Schlosser, E. (2005). Fast Food Nation. Harper Perennial.
Shiva, V. (2000). Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply (Soft Cover.). South End Press.
Simon, M. (2006). Appetite for Profit: How the food industry undermines our health and how to fight back (1st ed.). Nation Books.
Wansink, B. (2007). Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think. Bantam.
Wilson, C., & Schlosser, E. (2007). Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food. Sandpiper.
Woolf, A. (2008). King Corn. DVD, DOCURAMA.

Speak with your campus librarians for assistance locating these and any other related titles.

With thanks to Bob S for this blog post.

Second Harvest Donation Event

The campus Visitor & Information Programs (VIP) office will host an opportunity to donate to the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. On December 5, students and staff can bring non-perishable food items to the Red Gym (716 Langdon), between 8:00 AM – 5:30 PM, for this effort. While there, enjoy some hot chocolate, courtesy of University Housing.

Your contribution matters, here, locally!

For some additional information and statistics regarding food insecurity/hunger in the United States, consult the following fact-sheets and studies supplied by Feeding America (parent organization for the Second Harvest foodbanks).

Wisconsin Eat Local Challenge (Sept 5-14)

Reduce your food miles by purchasing and consuming locally-grown and seasonal food products. The Challenge site enables you to register and to document your food purchases. The site also lists delicious options for sourcing this food bounty, (including farmers’ markets, farms and grocers), recipes and tips for making it work for you.

Why do it? Benefits of local eating

Farm Fresh Atlases

Food Safety Fact Sheets

What with recent summer media attention paid to pathogens in the food supply—namely mass-quantity/processed fresh produce (tomatoes, peppers, etc.)--you may be experiencing some growing interest in food safety.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service offers a handy menu of fact sheets suitable for home use or outreach efforts and instruction. Fact sheets address safe food handling, generally, and handling as recommended for particular food products, foodborne illness, emergency preparedness and food labeling, among other topics. Many guides are available in both English and Spanish languages.