May/Jun 2014
-
Healthy + Free
A Letter from the Editor. According to a new study conducted in the UK and just published by the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, an apple a day ain’t nothing when it comes to keeping the doctor away. Rather, the study found over an eight year period that participants who consumed seven servings of…
-
From Bad to Good
With Marin Sun’s purchase of Rancho, a bad situation became a game-changer. The scandal at Rancho Feeding Corp., the North Bay’s only USDA slaughterhouse, made national headlines earlier this year as some 9 million pounds of recalled beef circulated all over North America, even ending up in Jon Stewart’s Daily Show Hot Pocket. This was…
-
Soul/Soil
It takes a while to find Jonathan Bravo, the coordinator of Bayer Farm, but really—what’s the hurry? This six-acre swathe of land in the unannexed Roseland section of Santa Rosa is a lovely place to wander around slightly lost. Even before spring’s official launch, it’s clear that the earth is warming to the season here.…
-
Past Poison
Jordan Reed and his terriers send the rats packing. A lot of people are very embarrassed that they have a rat problem,” Jordan Reed says. “So, anonymity is a big thing.” But, Reed will also tell you, if you have a home chicken coop, particularly one with its floor on the ground and insulated walls,…
-
Climbing the Walls
Ag’s next wave of innovation goes floor to ceiling at growUp Farms. There’s a farm in Rohnert Park that has been growing watermelon and sunflowers all winter. Its squash are in bloom and its cucumbers are setting. Even the tomatoes look great. This oasis of August isn’t outside, but rather inside the SoCo Nexus building…
-
Wine into Wheat
WHOA Farms makes wine in order to give food away. According to Sonoma County’s strangely riveting official document, “Obesity Prevention Plan, 2010-2013,” a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet consisting of calorie-dense foods costs the local consumer $3.52. The average American eats a range of foods at that calorie level costing roughly $7 a day. But the price of…
-
Holistic Horticulture
Will biodynamic growing push beyond organic—and wine? Enough about the cow horn already! Yes, there is a cow horn and yes, it is packed with fresh cow manure and buried in the ground on the Autumnal Equinox. Recovered on the Spring Equinox, the manure inside has transformed to clean, chocolate-smelling humus that is preferably hand-mixed…
-
Declaration of Support
Pillars and actions of the Food Action Plan. Created by leaders from all sectors of the food system and community, the Sonoma County Food Action Plan outlines a shared vision to coordinate both dialogue and action. Endorsing the plan strengthens our collective ability to build a more sustainable, economically viable, and socially just food system…