Economy slides, organic soars…. from the heartland…

What’s the inverse relationship between the economy not doing too well, and people buying more local and cheaper organic? Maybe it IS cheaper to eat better?

Check out this article from Minnesota.

Get a grant to start an organic farm in the US….

If you are thinking of starting an organic farm or organic livestock operation, there are government funds available ($20,000 per year and up) to promote conservation of soil, water, and natural environments through responsible farming. The program is called the Natural Resources Conservation Service and is run by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), and is administered differently in each state (some states provide additional incentives under their own state-funded programs).

The goal is to provide financial assistance for up to 75% of the costs of implementation of conservation practices, and if you are a beginning farmer or fall under certain other widely defined categories you can get up to 90%. The program focuses specifically on water reduction and soil conservation.

You can learn more at the Natural Resources Conservation Service and at the State by State application guide.

If you know anyone in Dallas…

A Dallas farmer is looking for 8 more people to make up his CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). CSA members basically buy a share of a farm in advance of a growing season and then the farmer delivers the produce each week during the harvest. It can be a great economical way to support local farmer’s AND get the freshest produce you can imagine. If you or anyone you know is in Dallas you can read about Farmer Eugene here and the prices for the farm share, and contact him at ovforganics@gmail.com.

For information on CSA’s in your own city, do a search at LocalHarvest.org.

Big Three Dollar Fun Coming in 2010 plus 3 Day Holiday Sale

Coming this year, we’ve got some big fun things happening:

- I’m planning a “Thirty Days of Mindful Eating” in cooperation with other site and real-world organizations – 30 days of ideas on how to become more in touch with why food matters. Keep an eye out for this spring. This promises to be a fun, delicious, transformational experience.

- The Three Dollar Dinner Recipe Contest. Coming later this winter, we’ll be having a recipe-off. You will be invited to post your own “real food” recipes that can be made for three dollars a serving or less,  and other readers will be invited to prepare and vote.  The winner will be receiving a cash prize plus the top recipes will be included in a new version of Three Dollar Dinner.

- More recipes will be given out as well as more news about eating healthy on a budget.

And for the next 3 days, Three Dollar Dinner is on sale for $3.00 off the regular price of $9.00.  It’s a great gift for anyone who wants to eat right on a budget, or anyone who is making a New Year resolution to cook at home more or eat healthier. You can download instantly or print out (digital preferred to save a tree, but print if you must). 

To get the special price go to checkout here and enter promo code HOLIDAY – offer expires December 18.

Demand Declining for Organic Milk

This is not good news.  Reports from Vermont are that demand is declining for organic milk, considerably down from three years ago. Considering that milk contains high concentrations of whatever the cow eats (whether healthy stuff, or unhealthy pesticides) many people recommend that if nothing else you switch to organic milk.  Organic is also a better indicator that the cows were treated well. Cows not raised under organic standards frequently are given antibiotics to keep their udders healthy because they aren’t kept in the cleanest or most human conditions; organically raised cows (and their milk) are antibiotic free.  Reverse the trend and buy organic milk – it’s what we just called “milk” 60 years ago.

Eating Animals

Over at Salon.com there’s a great article called Eating Animals by author Jonathan Safran Foer, a new book that takes a journalistic approach to telling the story of factory farmed meat. Three Dollar Dinner doesn’t advocate a vegetarian or vegan diet.  I just advocate a diet that makes sense for you and your family and your wallet, and there is no way around the fact that buying non-process non-chemically pumped meat is the easiest way to blow your budget.

Simple Dollar Archives: Eating What You Have on Hand

Here’s one from the archives over at TheSimpleDollar.com – Trent has some great ideas (some inspired by a man I am a fan of, the NY Times Mark Bittman) on stretching your food dollars, saving time, AND eating healthier (most of these sound like Three Dollar Dinner ideas to me). Check them out at The Simple Dollar.

NanoWriMo and the art of story – and food

I was just sharing some thoughts on National Novel Writing Month (which kicks off today) over at Larry Brooks’ site Storyfix.com and realized they are worth sharing here too. This may seem off-topic for cooking, but I don’t agree. Read the rest of this entry »

Lazy Lasagna

LAZY LASAGNA

With the weather getting chillier in many parts of the country, this week I offer you delicious warm comfort food – Lazy Lasagna. Of course you can make this with as many organic or non-organic ingredients you want. I price it based on organic ingredients bought in Manhattan.

Like all the recipes at Three Dollar Dinner, this is a cheap organic recipe that is less than $3 per serving – home cooked, quick food that is so much more delicious and healthy AND cheaper than fast food. Read the rest of this entry »

Obama: Agribusiness vs. Agriculture

In 2007, then Senator Barack Obama took a very strong stance against the plight of the small farmer in America, going so far as to say :

“We’ll tell ConAgra that it’s not the Department of Agribusiness,” the Illinois Democrat said. “It’s the Department of Agriculture. We’re going to put the people’s interests ahead of the special interests.”

Even with a ConAgra headquarters right there in his hometown of Chicago, he was willing to come out and say what too few of the folks in DC say – that the giant corporate mega-farms are not only taking over the land that used to be plowed by small farmers, they’re also reaching into the small farmers pockets.

When farm policy gets made by people who’ve never spent a minute on a farm, it directly effects the food you put in your mouth. Farm policy driven by corporate profits means that every inch of the food chain is squeezed for maximum revenue, rather than maximum nutrition. If this means (as it does on the corporate farm) that seeds designed in laboratories will be sprayed with custom blended toxic pesticides to make production cheaper, then that is what will be done.

And if doing so requires that the agri-scientists who create those seeds and chemicals must also be trusted to attest to the health and safety of their creations, then the same Washington DC that makes farm policy will take their word at face value.

Yes, President Obama has bigger fish to fry than farm policy right now. But let’s hope that Michelle Obama’s garden is indicative that this is a President who believes in small farms – as he said back in 2007 – and who will eventually turn his considerable powers of persuasion towards getting healthier, less processed food into the mouths of all Americans regardless of income level. That may be the best health care plan of them all.