The Man Who …

… in a way …  holds the future of French cuisine in the palm of his hand, French Agricultural Secretary Bruno Le Maire: Given this short biography, it’s not clear where farming enters into his background: Bruno Le Maire became Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries in June 2009. Prior to this appointment he was … More The Man Who …

Disappearing Act: Will Centuries-Old French Fruits and Veggies Go the Way of the Dodo?

According to an article (in French) recently posted on the ASFS (Association for the Study of Food and Society) discussion list (a great list for people interested in food and culture in all their permutations), 25 — yes, 25 — familiar fruits and vegetables  — many that you might consider quintessentially French —  will soon … More Disappearing Act: Will Centuries-Old French Fruits and Veggies Go the Way of the Dodo?

Elizabeth Romer’s Chronicle of Tuscan Agriculture

Contemplating the impact of Food Network’s publishing juggernaut on the current food scene in America, I find myself turning backwards, to some of the “earlier” writers on food in Italy. Many of these people, like Elizabeth Romer in The Tuscan Year: Life and Food in an Italian Valley (1985), wrote of day-to-day practices, of times … More Elizabeth Romer’s Chronicle of Tuscan Agriculture

The Random Herbalist: The Church as Farmer

The Catholic Church influenced many things, even (especially?) agriculture, as this passage from History of the English Landed Interest: Its Customs, Laws, and Agriculture, by Russell Montague Garnier (1908) 2nd. ed, vol. 1, implies. The monastery libraries also held much treasure, opening up the monks to the wonders of old knowledge and enabling them to … More The Random Herbalist: The Church as Farmer

National Agricultural Library (NAL) and Agriculture Network Information Center (AGNIC)

For all those concerned with agriculture and farming these days, check out treasure troves just waiting to be mined. And you’ll find both right at your fingertips: the National Agricultural Library of the United States (NAL) and Agriculture Network Information Center (AGNIC). The National Agricultural Library is one of four national libraries of the United … More National Agricultural Library (NAL) and Agriculture Network Information Center (AGNIC)

Reveling in Books: DIY (Old) Food, Knowledge Lost and Now Found

Want to make your own cheese? How about pickles or chow-chow? Sausage and headcheese? Raise a couple of cows or keep a flock of geese? At a time when people want, no, need, to know the how-tos of old foodways, it seems that there’s a book for making just about everything. Fortunately, because this knowledge … More Reveling in Books: DIY (Old) Food, Knowledge Lost and Now Found