Have you heard of Katie Stagliano? When she was in the third grade, she put some cabbage seeds into the ground, and the cabbage that grew ended up being about forty pounds. Not wanting it to go to waste, she donated it to local soup kitchens, where it fed hundreds of people. Since then, she has been growing fresh vegetables to donate to local food drives, homeless shelters, and soup kitchens. How’s that for locavore activism?

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants on earth, and it is notoriously challenging to contain. But if you master some simple harvesting techniques, it could be covering your plate instead of your yard.

Easton, MD – On the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, close to several major cities yet a world apart, Talbot County, Maryland is many things: historic, friendly, charming, sophisticated, oh-so-beautiful, and … delicious?

Yes – delicious! Talbot County has long been known for its splendid recreational opportunities, rich history, and lovely small towns, but recently it has upped the ante: for those in the know, the county is now a destination for serious “foodies.” In fact, no fewer than twelve Talbot County dining spots are listed in the 2011 edition of the famed Zagat guide to Washington, DC and Baltimore restaurants, dominating the Eastern Shore category, and the marketing options for those who enjoy their own cooking are abundant as well.

During my senior year in college, I took a Social Philosophy class in which we read Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future. In this book, McKibben discusses sustainability at length, and embarks on an experiment in which he eats nothing but locally-grown food for a year.

In the ensuing years, I have learned a lot about sustainable cuisine. Now I am a mother, and I feel it is my duty to teach my son about this, as well. It’s not always easy to engage a three-year-old in adult lifestyle choices, but I am making headway.

every time I read about the state of the American food system, my heart breaks all over again. Choosing to opt out seems like a constant uphill battle, which is stupid because all I want is to eat vegetables grown in healthy soil and animals that didn’t spend their whole lives suffering. That doesn’t seem like such a crazy wish!

Artisanal food making is quickly becoming the best thing since white bread; and why not, with food crafters flocking to farmers markets to sell their homemade fare. The USDA reports registered farmers markets have increased 16% in 2010 to 6,132; and this growth is expected to continue throughout 2011. This locavore trend motivated in part by the unremitting recession and fueled by hundreds, if not thousands of unemployed or under-employed entrepreneurial spirits has laid the ground work for the initiation of cottage food legislation.

I’m a huge proponent of organic farming, grocers and food. As someone who got their bachelors in Urban & Environmental Policy, I have pretty strong knowledge of the impacts that agribusiness has had on our environment, food system and health. And yet I rarely leave a grocery store with nothing but organic food. Why not? The answer is simple: I can’t afford it, and I often have trouble finding an organic alternative to conventionally produced at mainstream grocers.