I just finished reading Michael Pollan’s (http://www.michaelpollan.com) new bestseller, In Defense of Food. It’s a simple, informative guide to eating well which also tells part of the story of how we came to eat so badly in the first place. Pollan wrote the 2005 bestseller The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which raised awareness about the importance of local foodways.

The culprit in this book is the ideology of “nutritionism”, or the idea that foods are simply collections of nutrients, rather than complex biological systems whose combined effect is greater than the sum of their parts. If you subscribe to the philosophy of nutritionism, then you believe that the richness of whole foods can be replaced with chemical additives which put back the vitamins, macronutrients and micronutrients which have been lost to food processing and overworked soil. More...

The rosemary plant is neither related to the rose nor associated with anyone named Mary – its Latin name, Rosmarinus officinalis, actually means “dew of the sea.” Despite not being dubbed after a beautiful maiden, the plant has found its way into a number of songs and tales. The most popular reference to rosemary is probably in the traditional song “Scarborough Fair,” where it’s listed as one of four symbolic herbs. According to traditional lore, parsley removes bitterness, sage symbolizes strength, thyme is associated with courage, and rosemary is for remembrance. This sentiment is echoed by Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who quotes “That’s rosemary, for remembrance,” in a “mad little song” at her last appearance alive in the play. More...

If you’re anything like myself, you’re still wondering how you managed to eat so much food last week, and you’re dreading an influx of holiday baked goods (my favorite holiday treats are pumpkin rolls, if anyone would like to mail me some, feel free to contact me via my ecometro account, we’ll find a way to work it out). Luckily for you, gentle reader, I’ve come up with a solution that will also provide you with a nutritious, low-calorie food – mushroom hunting! For chanterelles! More...