Organic Farmers MarketOrganic Foods, Green Products, Books & Farming Information

Is That Opportunity Knocking?

Highway speed cameras are commonly used in Europe, but they are currently used in only two U.S. states. As of October 1, 2009 Maryland will allow speed cameras in highway work zones and on highways within a half-mile radius of schools. In Arizona, however, there is legislation to have speed cameras removed from the state’s highways in 2010. Although speed cameras have reduced fatalities, crashes and speeding when used on other types of roadways, the main argument against them is that states want highway speed cameras for financial profit. In a perfect world, we all would profit from our experience and not speed.

Although several states have passed legislation to require drug companies to disclose all gifts or payments to doctors, Vermont’s bill, which became law July 2009, is the strictest and most transparent yet. The bill does not stop drug companies from spending millions to influence physicians’ prescribing practices, but the state of Vermont wants its citizens to know exactly what their doctors have received and from whom. Freebies to doctors include meals, theater tickets, trips and compensation for lecturing at conventions. There is a federal bill in the works, but its transparency is likely to have several opaque areas.

A 2006 study showed that 42% of 234 U.S. hospitals across the country sold fast food like McDonald’s and Pizza Hut. Nevertheless, some hospitals have not only gotten rid of fast food, they have also gotten rid of deep-fat fryers and trans fats. Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest not-for-profit health system, has farmers’ markets in the parking lots of 30 of its hospitals. Although these farmers’ markets are mostly in the western states, the concept has spread to places like Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York and Vanderbilt Medical Center in Tennessee. Hospitals are going green – leafy green.

Across the country there are summer camps for adults – places where adults can indulge in particular interests or just relax with other grown-up kids at a resort in the Connecticut Berkshire Mountains. Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp in Michigan reconnects musicians with music. At Crow Canyon Archeological Center in Cortez, Colorado adult campers dig for artifacts. Santa Fe Photographic Workshops in New Mexico provide week-long camps that are almost picture-perfect; and Second City Training Center in Chicago, Illinois offers 1 or 2-week camps in improvisation and comedy writing. Summer camps for adults let the inner child come out and play.

About the Author

Knight Pierce Hirst has written for television, newspapers and greeting cards. Now she writes a 400-word blog three times a week. KNIGHT WATCH, a second look at what makes life interesting, takes only seconds to read at http://knightwatch.typepad.com

EatingWell in Season: The Farmers’ Market Cookbook (EatingWell) $10.40 Provides nutritional advice about increasing fruit and vegetable intake for good health and weight loss, and includes more than 100 seasonal recipes approved by EatingWell’s Test Kitchen which can be easily reproduced at home.Title: Eatingwell in SeasonAuthor: Price, Jessie (EDT)/ Burris, Ken (PHT)/ Maring, Preston (INT)Publisher: W W Norton & Co IncPublication Date: 2009/04/20Number of Pages: 253…

Coffee and Community: Maya Farmers and Fair Trade Markets $29.58 We are told that simply by sipping our morning cup of organic, fair-trade coffee we are encouraging environmentally friendly agricultural methods, community development, fair prices, and shortened commodity chains. But what is the reality for producers, intermediaries, and consumers? This ethnographic analysis of fair-trade coffee analyzes the collective action and combined efforts of fair-trade n…

Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook: Delicious Recipes & Tips Fresh from Colorado Farmers’ Markets & Chefs $15.95 …

Farmers` Markets Desserts (Hardcover) $42.04 The number of U.S. farmers` markets has grown by 20cover the past three years to nearly 5,300 nationwide. This collection of tempting desserts inspired by those markets and the farmers who share their produce there satisfies the sustainable shopper`s sweet tooth with more than 50 recipes for tarts, crisps, cupcakes, puddings, and more. Discover classics like Deep Dish Sour Cherry Pie and new interpretations like Tangerine-sicle Ice Cream. Featuring seasonality charts, `farmer journal` tips, and dazzling color photography to teach and inspire, Farmers` Market Desserts is the perfect gift for bakers, lovers of local produce, and all who share in the delights of the farmers` market.

Farmers` Markets of the Heartland (Paperback) $33.91 In this splendidly illustrated book, food writer and self-described farm groupie Janine MacLachlan embarks on a tour of seasonal markets and farmstands throughout the Midwest, sampling local flavors from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. She conducts delicious research as she meets farmers, tastes their food, and explores how their businesses thrive in the face of an industrial food supply. She tells the stories of a pair of farmers growing specialty crops on a few acres of northern Michigan for just a few months out of the year, an Ohio cattle farm that has raised heritage beef since 1820, and a Minnesota farmer who tirelessly champions the Jimmy Nardello sweet Italian frying pepper. Along the way, she savors vibrant red carrots, slurpy peaches, vast quantities of specialty cheeses, and some of the tastiest pie to cross anyone`s lips. Informed by debates about eating local, seasonal crops, organic farming, sanitation, and biodiversity, Farmers` Markets of the Heartland tantalizes with special recipes from farm-friendly chefs and dozens of luscious color photographs that will inspire you to harvest the homegrown flavors in your own neighborhood.

America’s Southwest: The Best Organic Food Stores, Farmers’ Markets & Vegetarian Restaurants $7.09 This is the resource book for vegetarian travelers." — Healing Retreats. "This is a terrific and much-needed guidebook that makes traveling easy and worry-free for vegetarians. It lists and rates vegetarian restaurants and also reports on the best places to find produce." — Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. "… a handy way to eat well on the road… celebrates the pleasures of good and healthful eating…. Frost is an engaging writer, as interested in history as in food." — Physician's Travel & Meeting Guide. "… well researched… " — ForeWord magazine. "It's a meaty guidebook for the meatless." — National Geographic Traveler. "Traveling vegetarians no longer have to make do with salads and pastas." — The Atlanta Journal & Constitution. The full guide covers all of the United States and is the WINNER OF THE LOWELL THOMAS BRONZE AWARD FOR BEST TRAVEL GUIDE, sponsored by the Society of American Travel Writers Foundation. This excerpt focuses on America's Southwestern states (Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas & Utah), along with several key elements from the larger book. The ultimate tool for mobile vegetarians, vegans and travelers looking for a good, healthy meal. Many restaurants are described, with some featured in great detail and reviewed using a unique rating system. Food stores and markets serving the vegetarian community are also listed, as well as facts and interesting tidbits that health-minded individuals will appreciate. You'll find everything from hamburger joints with a superb garden burger option to gourmet raw foods restaurants that adhere to strict vegan standards.