Turkey shot What was Sarah Palin doing shooting that interview in front of a turkey slaughter? Kerry Trueman asks what it all means about her and our own connection to the food we eat.

Watering down organic standards Sigh. The integrity of the organic label takes a big hit in the fish department as farmed fish, even when raised on decidedly un-organic feed and by methods that pollute our oceans, are one step closer to being labeled organic anyway.

Little Wins Big November 10, Chef Andrew Little of Sheppard Mansion in Hanover, PA, won the National Pork Board’s Mid-Atlantic Taste of Elegance, which gathered 10 regional chefs for a pork cook-off. Little forwent the pork Cargill provided for the event and brought locally-sourced heritage pork (and the farmer who raised it) to the competition. I covered it for Edible Chesapeake’s Winter issue out next month — look for a link then and in the meantime, check out Chef Little’s blog.

A Digestive aid We are happy to report that the Ethicurean’s digests are back, in full force! There is a lot going on in food news today, and thankfully, not much gets by these guys. Welcome back — we missed you!

The feature-length film is screening in LA this Friday, November 14, so if you’re in the area, go check it out at the Aranti Japan America Theater at 9pm. There will be a question and answer session with the filmmaker and guests following the film.
Tickets are $12 and are available at the Box office and online. FREE admission for all students (under 25 years of age) with valid I.D. And, to make the festival affordable for all: after this first 200 paying customers, others will be allowed in on a “pay what you can” suggested donation. For more info, visit www.rednationfilmfestival.com

Below, Allen explains his work and vision for a sustainable local food system that directly involves the community. Allen was the recent recipient of a prestigious MacArthur fellowship grant which will provide his organization with funds to further promote the importance of urban agriculture and good food for all.

Mark Andrew Gravel recently joined the Eat Well team as a consultant to help reach out to the greater community and cultivate partnerships with the many like minded organizations out there doing great work for good food. Mark is the founder of Bouwerie, a freelance creative group that collaborates with clients active in the good food movement, and develops self-propelled projects like the upcoming Table Tea, and the recently launched Good Farm Movement, which features some of the best of the agricultural avant-garde. We’ll be checking in with Good Farm Movement every two weeks or so to feature the art of the agrarian. To kick things off, we did a little interview.

Leslie: Mark, how did you get into promoting good food and sustainable agriculture?

Mark: I grew up eating very fresh food. My mother and grandmother are excellent cooks, and my best memories are waking up to all the local produce they would shop for during the summer months. To that end, I come in at the culinary point of the agricultural process. Good ingredients inspire my cooking, and by good I definitely mean local, sustainably grown–they make you feel like a spring chicken.

Leslie: And how did the art come in?

Mark: Growing up I was very interested in sticker culture and still am. I slap stickers on everything. While in NYC, I always saw a lot of great street art and tons of stickers–everywhere. It was really inspiring walking around my neighborhood everyday seeing something new and thought provoking. The art component really hit home for me when the cosmic convergence that was Wooster on Spring unfolded. Seeing SO many people show up for a public art exhibition really solidified in my mind the potential of art as a catalyst for inspiration and education and community. Subsequently, Good Farm Movement grew from these experiences.

Leslie: What’s your favorite part about being a mover and a shaker in this movement?

Mark: Hula Hooping. Just kidding–sort of. Definitely, the beautiful minds of the agrarian avant-garde–the forward thinking farmers, cooks, eaters, educators, activists, and artists reclaiming our land, our communities, and our health.

Leslie: You’ve been involved in a number of farm/web projects in the past. What’s next?

Mark: Indeed, I feel very fortunate to have collaborated with great projects like Eat Well, The Greenhorns, and Slow Food Nation not to mention the little local businesses that my friends and I endeavor to incubate and hatch. So what is next? I’ll still be running around the World Wide Web, but I’m planning to get a little craftier with Table Tea. Lately, I’ve been brewing and bottling it for some provocative underground dining down here in the Carolina’s, and hopefully I’ll have some in a few locales around here in the fall.

Leslie: Where can I get some of your cool graphics?

Mark: Drop me a line at gravel@bouwerie.com and feel free to help yourself to the I Farm design if you want to make your own stickers, etc.