Category Archives: Farm

Friday Buffet

Here’s a look inside the food-waste-to-energy plant in Oakland. Hey Bay Area folks, keep your oyster shells, rags and rocks out of the compost! — — Using watermelon cast-offs to make fuel? Seriously? I thought watermelon was about 99% water? And which have more energy–original or seedless? Of course, it’d be great if we weren’t […]

August 28, 2009 | Also posted in Food Recovery, Food Safety, Friday Buffet, Household, Supermarket, Technology | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Less waste through technology: When farmer’s market orders are made in advance online, growers only pick what they know will go to use.  — — The EPA food waste calculator–out sometime in September, I think–will let businesses calculate how diverting food from their waste stream will save them dough. (Hat tip to Lean Path.) — — […]

August 13, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Farmers' Market, Friday Buffet, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here’s an intriguing idea for reducing waste: make it harder to throw stuff away. Designer Nadeem Haidary has created a trash can that tilts into a less-inviting angle the more it gets full. A less cool, but cheaper solution–don’t have a trash can in every room. — —  Bread for the City’s blog has a very interesting look […]

July 3, 2009 | Also posted in Events, Friday Buffet, School, Waste Stream | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Here’s a story on the lifecycle environmental impact of one manufacturer’s heat-and-eat chili. Very interesting stuff, especially the trade off between packaging waste and food loss. — — The San Jose Hazmat team was called in to handle the stench from an office fridge. Seven were sent to the hospital. Just a sad day for […]

May 15, 2009 | Also posted in Events, Friday Buffet, International, Trayless | Comments closed

A Lesson from Pear Country

I was going through some pictures from this fall and came across this progression. I promise I haven’t doctored the photos in any way. Below, we see a grower from Oregon’s Hillcrest Orchards illustrating what kind of pears don’t get picked. I asked him how deep certain bruises went and he showed me on one […]

March 22, 2009 | Posted in Farm | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Santa Barbara has had a commercial composting pilot program for the last two years. Now they’ve hired a consultant to ascertain whether or not people think it’s ‘yucky.’ My guess: yes. My hope: no. — — The idea of going fridgeless is interesting. While I fear it could mean more food waste, which could undo […]

February 6, 2009 | Also posted in Composting, Energy, Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, Household, School | Comments closed

Friday Buffet

Scout’s honor: Whether eagle or cub, hopefully gleaning outings can become part of the scouting culture. — — I had a nice time chatting yesterday on WNYC’s Leonard Lopate Show. — — In case you missed this gem, read Wendell Berry and Wes Jackson’s op-ed on creating a useful farm bill. — — And don’t […]

January 9, 2009 | Also posted in Food Recovery, Friday Buffet, Household | Comments closed

Farm Aid

What’s better than farm fresh? Farm fresh for free. Last weekend, Platteville, Colorado’s Miller Farms opened its fields to all comers to harvest their remaining potatoes, carrots and leeks. The Free Pick Weekend attracted a staggering 40,000 people who harvested 600,000 pounds of food. Miller Farms, a large, family operation that grows a variety of […]

November 25, 2008 | Also posted in Food Recovery, Hunger | Comments closed

Quick Trigger

Monday, I referenced snagging some produce from a vendor’s compost box at my local farmers’ market. (I love how the tomato on the market’s site isn’t perfect–very honest) I also bought some stuff from that vendor and couldn’t help notice the many decent-looking peppers and squash in their compost bin as I paid. Out of […]

November 6, 2008 | Also posted in Personal | Comments closed

The ABCs of CSA Excess

In addition to having the coolest environmentalist handle going, Slate’s Green Lantern doesn’t duck the tough questions. Such as: ‘My CSA gives me more food than I can eat…is that bad?‘ In a thorough answer, The Lantern (a.k.a. Jacob Leibenluft) weighs the pros and cons of food waste stemming from bountiful community-supported agriculture (CSA) boxes. […]

October 15, 2008 | Also posted in Household | Comments closed