Director Jamie Moffett’s new documentary, The Cost of Food, follows what happens to 40,000 donated seeds to the Philadelphia Prison System by a horticultural society. See how one person CAN make a difference in fighting hunger. Check out their trailer or contact them to screen it.

Source: No Kid Hungry

Jeff Bridges (yay, Jeff Bridges!) narrates. Click here if you want to “RSVP” or host a viewing event.

Founded in 2003, Daylight is dedicated to using art and photography to highlight issues of social importance via our book, magazine, and multimedia publishing programs. By exploring the documentary mode along with the more conceptual concerns of fine-art, Daylight’s uniquely collectible publications work to revitalize the relationship between art, photography, and the world-at-large.

With the recent opening of Daylight’s Project Space in historic Hillsborough, NC, we have begun to program a selection of community-oriented events. The first of which is called the Single Source Supper series and is scheduled to begin later this month. For the Single Source Suppers James Beard nominated Panciuto Chef-Owner Aaron Vandemark will prepare a menu highlighting a single farm in the Triangle area.

Source: Daylight Magazine

Our inaugural event, on Wednesday, April 18th, will celebrate the launch of the Daylight Project Space in downtown Hillsborough, NC. The night’s events will feature food grown and raised by John Soehner and Cindy Econopouly of Eco Farm, local beer and wine, live music by The Hammond Eggs, a series of short film screenings and the quintessential buttered popcorn. We’ll have chairs, but bring a blanket for the movie if you prefer the grass.

The menu is a work in progress, but John anticipates having yellow squash, cucumbers, kales, chard, collards, arugula, turnips, radishes, lettuces, strawberries and pork.
So come sit outside with your neighbors, enjoy some delicious food, great music, watch a movie and help support a local non-profit arts organization dedicated to using photography to highlight issues of social importance. We only have room to host 50 people and we expect to sell out tickets quickly so sign up today!

For everyone who reads this Tidbit, here’s your chance to feed two/three children in under a minute. We will be keeping the quiz on our sidebar to the right as well.

The folks at Food & Water, an organization that works hard to make sure that our food, water and fish “safe, accessible and sustainably produced” have come up with this incredible interactive resource to find out where a lot of your food comes from.

• Those of you in the U.S., chances that your tomato was grown outside of the country? 1 in 12.
• According to the FDA, half of foodborne illnesses in U.S. come from imported foods

Click here to “play” and learn how to take action to fix our broken food system.

Growing consumer interest in local farm products can be seen at various farmers markets across the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill). Market patrons are provided the unique opportunity to meet the farmers that grow their food and ask questions about their farming practice. However, they are seldom given the chance to go behind the scenes and truly understand what motivates these farmers to be stewards of our lands and our food supply. A Farming Way of Life raises awareness about the connection between local foods and the families that grow them while providing inspirational stories for future farmers who may want to own and run a farm of their own.

With the help of the United Arts Council and the Regional Artists Project Grant Program I (the mastermind behind this series, Mr. Brad Herring) was able to show how dedicated our local farmers are in providing for their families and our community and remind viewers that farming is more than just a historical practice; it’s alive and vibrant.

A Farming Way of Life – Whitted Bowers Biodynamic Fruit from Brad Herring on Vimeo.

Feature photograph credited to Whitted Bowers Farm: http://www.whittedbowersfarm.com/Site/Photos.html#3

We hear reports about food deserts (i.e. Chicago), but are the voices of those who live in these food deserts part of the dialogue for change? We herald the need to “return” to food traditions, but whose traditions? We sing the praises of heirloom tomatoes, but what about those whose livelihoods are severely affected to bring us the less expensive ones? How can true food justice occur without the participation of all?

The Color of Food is a great directory of farm and food initiatives by people of color. Brown Girl Farming is a blog it runs that calls attention to the all the work being done to bring about food justice for all. After all, we’re all in it together.

Source: www.ecopreneurist.com

Our friends over at BiteSize Movie (follow them, if you don’t already!) got the heads-up video about Chipotle, one of my favorite fast-food restaurants. I usually try and avoid fast food, but when I’m in an airport and my options are slim, I am always delighted when I find a Chipotle. Not only are their servings huge, but I have always loved that they have focused on good-for-us ingredients, such as sour cream without hormones and locally-procured beans.

I mean, their motto is “food with integrity” and they insist their burritos are beyond burritos, but rather, ” a foil-wrapped, hand-crafted, local farm supporting, food culture changing cylinder of deliciousness.” That’s pretty cool.

Now they are upping the coolness and their contribution to changing the way the fast food industry operates with this cool video about going back to the basics (not to mention Willie Nelson doing ColdPlay):

Now comes the slow process of rebuilding, one with which Joan Gussow is  familiar. Who is Joan Gussow (forgive the terrible photos from that post – that was one of our first articles before we learned how to do this better!)? She is the “matriarch of the local food movement,” mentor to many like Michael Pollan, and an incredible leader activist. She is one of the few professors who changed the way I look at everything, and her class was one of the best I have ever taken.

Leslie Hatfield from Civil Eats wrote a great piece on Professor Gussow. A year ago, a horrible storm destroyed the garden she and her late husband had built. This was no ordinary garden – it’s a small plot on the Hudson where she grows all her own food. In this video, she shows the before/after photos – showing the toughness and love for the Earth to slowly rebuild something that seemed so lost.

Check it out:

This July, at the Fancy Food Show in Washington, DC, I was able to visit the Native American Natural Foods center and learn more about companies that are working to revive traditional culinary practices of the original Americans.  One of these companies produces the Tanka Bar. Centuries ago the Lakota Native American people in what is now South Dakota made a dish that utilized the land and helped them survive through harsh Northern winters.  Called Wasna, it was a mixture of fruits, herbs and buffalo meat.  The fruit (often cranberries) helped to cure the buffalo and preserve it.  Hot fat was then poured over the mixture for further preservation and to add more energy to the mixture.  In fact, many Native Americans carried this mixture in an empty buffalo horn to fuel them through a day of hunting.

Today, the makers of the Tanka Bar are reviving this method and making it available to the public.  The production aims to stay true to Native American tradition (minus the hot fat…the buffalo is now blasted with hot water instead) and at the same time provide economic opportunity for the Oglala Lakota from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  Each bar or stick of buffalo jerky is low in fat (about 2 grams) and contains only natural ingredients.   Learn more about the production and mission of Tanka products and where to purchase your own buffalo bars, sticks and dogs here.

As someone who eats very few processed foods, I found the Tanka Bar delightfully delicious and am excited to add it to my stash of quick and healthy snacks on the go.  Have you tried any buffalo products or traditional foods that you love lately?