The soon-to ripen Florida peach orchards or the spring preparation of Midwest soybean fields may conjure up images of local, domestic food but let’s dig a little deeper. Much of our U.S. grown “local food“ has a global beginning. The National Nutrition Month theme,...
Amid the blasts of late season snow across the Midwest and East Coast, signs of spring are beginning to emerge. The early daffodils and crocuses are raising their heads, kites are flying and daylight hours are longer. It’s time to march into spring … and celebrate...
Food Costs Slow Rising I don’t have to tell you food costs have increased over the past year. But when you look at the rate of increase and the percentage of our personal budget, we are fortunate to have an affordable food supply. Recently released USDA Economic...
What and how we plant, grow or eat today is the benefit of curious minds over the years committed to answer the “what if” question. Think about it! The ability to buy bread rather than make it; the availability of fruit and vegetables anytime from anywhere; and the...
“Food waste is a serious issue!” was the first line of a blog I wrote in January 2019. Fast forward to 2022 and we’re still talking about eliminating food waste, but what are we DOING about it? Even with my “don’t toss food” upbringing, I admit that my refrigerator...
If you’ve been on any Zoom calls or webinars with me over the past two years, you know I like books (and no, this is not a staged backdrop). Regardless of the virtual and audio options available today, from my perspective, there is nothing like a book in your hand (or...
Drought and extreme heat in the western United States have dominated the headlines over the past couple of months. We see pictures of fallow farm land too dry to plant and Lake Mead in Nevada at its lowest point ever. Unless we are living with the stark realities of...
Think about the last time you walked into a grocery store to buy a carton of milk. How many options awaited you in the dairy aisle? Growing up on a dairy farm, I had two options for milk, whole milk with cream on top or without (Holstein style 3.5% butterfat). It was...
It was the middle of winter in Chicago with snow on the ground (sounds familiar?) and during a question-and-answer session following a presentation I had just given, an audience member asked “What is the one food or nutrition myth you would like to bust”? Without...
“Don’t let the door hit you on your way out” may be one of the more appropriate phrases as we bid adieu to 2020. What a way to start a decade! In my January 2020 blog, I wrote, “What will happen in the next 10 years to feed the world? And restore consumers’ trust in...