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Earth's Bounty: Plow to Platter


Franktuary Is Taking It To The Streets


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It was like getting hot dogs from the heavens one recent evening. I had family coming over for a cookout the next day. That next day was not just any family get-together, but July Fourth, the birthday of our meat-eating nation. My uncle requested hot dogs. I obliged before I thought it through. ... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 08/06/2010


Sipping Coffee, Considering Its Origin, Warms Up An Afternoon


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These are the perfect days for coffee. Frigid, the snow's blowing, the holiday rush is past so we can slow down for a warm drink with friends. I did just that this afternoon at Pittsburgh's 21st Street Coffee and Tea. Java is an art there. The barista warmed up a glass pot, and then hand dripped... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 01/28/2010


Haitian Food Offers At Least A Little Comfort at my Home and a Restaurant


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When I heard the news about Haiti, I began to think about how I could possibly offer comfort to those affected. Naturally my thoughts turned to what gives me comfort – food. I have a cousin who has a houseguest from the area. Through Pittsburgh’s Haiti Solidarity Committee, my cousin hosts studen... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 01/23/2010


Haitian Swine Reintroduction May Be Delayed By Quake


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When I interviewed Michael Drohan the other day, of the Haiti Solidarity Committee, about environmental issues in Haiti before and after the quake, he mentioned what he termed the famous swine slaying incident. Drohan described it as a great act of "imperial hubris." Food history always piques my ... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 01/19/2010


Earth's Bounty 2.0: Now Taking Your Calls


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I hope you've had the chance to check out our new Earth's Bounty 2.0 series with Big Burrito Chef Bill Fuller. We're taking your calls on food and the environment. Because it's a taped show airing at different times throughout western Pennsylvania, for the moment we're prescheduling listener calls... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 11/17/2009


Come on People, Michael Pollan's Not the Only Eco-Food Hero


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OK, so Julia Child may not have all the qualifications many seek in an eco-food hero. There she was, played by Meryl, in the film "Julie and Julia" smoking and jetting all over the place with abandon (and frankly making those habits look quite delightful). But the woman clearly had qualities we here... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 09/03/2009


Unearthing Rubies in the Front Yard


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I had the freshest of potatoes today – pulled from the soil in my front yard. How delightful to paw away at the earth to reveal the red gems. These were truly perfect, unblemished vegetables. Last fall I’d ordered a bunch of potatoes from Kretschmann organic Farms, through which I have a Communit... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 08/18/2009


USDA, Not EPA, Would Oversee Carbon Credits on Farms Under Federal Compromise


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On our program this week, I talked about how no-till agriculture ties into state and federal incentives. Today, U.S. House Democrats are expecting victory on the federal Waxman-Markey climate and energy bill. A sticking point in the House Ag committee was that Democratic chairman Collin Peterson d... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 06/26/2009


Food Issues On Podcast And In Film


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I got the opportunity to chat about the Earth's Bounty series on a podcast this week. You can google Talkshoe and Cookspeak to hear the 45-minute interview hosted by Pittsburgh cook Tom Totin. We talked about The Allegheny Front, my favorite cookbooks, and Tom engaged me in a word association game... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 05/07/2009


I've Finally Cleaned Up All the Sustainacake Crumbs in the Kitchen


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About a month has passed since the Pittsburgh Midwife Center's Let Them Eat Cake Contest, and I realize I never gave a blog report on the event. There were a number of great "green" designs, as this year's contest had an environmental theme. Cakes were covered with icing waterfalls and windmills, ... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 05/05/2009


In Search of the Elusive Paw Paw


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In recent years, I've been hearing about Paw Paws, a native fruit that tastes like one from the tropics -- along the lines of a banana. I've never held one in my hand, but in pictures, it looks like a mango. According to The Nursery at TyTy website, the trees were: "found in the United States by ea... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 04/24/2009


Spring Busy Month for Foodies


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Lots happening this month. Farm to Table conference in Pittsburgh tomorrow and Saturday at the convention center. Allegheny Front volunteers and staff will be there. Saturday evening is the Midwife Center's "Let Them Eat Cake" contest at Pittsburgh's Children's Museum. Had a bad dream last night... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 04/02/2009


Eat the View? Yes they Will


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One more "Yes, they did..." for the Obamas. This time the sentence ends with "plant a garden." The First Family kicked off spring by digging into the White House front lawn today. The New York Times reports that the garden will include arugula, berries, and black kale (which sounds gorgeous) in ad... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 03/20/2009


Administration Insider Says There Will Be a White House Garden


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An update to two pieces we carried about a grassroots effort to turn some of the White House lawn into a food garden... CBS reports that a top adviser to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says such a plan will happen. That seems an improvement over the USDA's very modest efforts to do some plantin... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 02/26/2009


A Foodie's Fantasy Trip to Turkey


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If you've got $3,000, eleven days of vacation time, and want to learn about gastronomical plants in Turkey alongside a National Public Radio personality, read on. Ketzel Levine, a longtime NPR contributor is the victim of big cuts at the network prompted by the bum economy (photo at left). But she... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 01/23/2009


Farm Show Butter Sculpture To Become Biodiesel


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Butter was never so ... big! The butter sculpture at last week's Pennsylvania Farm Show featured a massive cow with a farm family being saluted by a National Guardsman -- all made out of creamy yellow butter. It takes some 10 days and 900 pounds of butter to make. And you can't even eat the stuff ... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 01/22/2009


Western Pennsylvania Chefs, Sheep Handlers, Score Well


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I don't know whether I picked the right events to cover, but folks from our listening range are doing really well at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. That goes for the sheep to shawl contest, in which teams shear a sheep and weave the wool into a garment. The Westmoreland County team, the Loyalhannon S... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 01/15/2009


Holiday Gifts for Foodies or Agricultural Game Lovers


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Some foodie gifts were under my tree this year that you might enjoy getting for yourself or others. One was the Anne Mendelson book “Milk,” which has nothing to do with the slain California councilman. It’s a historical cookbook with recipes such as pashka, and definitions of REAL kefir (not the s... read more

Posted by on 12/29/2008


PASA Classifieds Tempt Those with Farm Dreams


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If you’re really interested in food and farming, check out Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s classifieds and opportunities link. It’s on the left side of their site at www.pasafarming.org. But beware, you may find yourself traveling to farms in Venezuela, buying an adorable so... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 11/13/2008


Nature Imposes Food Safety Lessons


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I've long prided myself on being a good cook. But my current experience with food poisoning has humbled me. I've caught campylobacter, a bacteria carried by chickens that doesn't make the birds sick. I can't say for sure, but I think it was from a fresh chicken purchased from a farmers market. I... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 10/14/2008


Slowly Produced Notes From Slow Food Nation


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It's almost a month after Slow Food Nation, and I'm realizing I'm just not going to produce some stories from the recordings I made. But I wanted to post about a few of the folks I met, ideas I heard.<br>David Mas Masumoto, a California peach farmer, and his daughter Nikiko described through ... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 09/26/2008


After the Meal: Trimming Waste In Slow Food Nation


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Slow Food Nation's trying to be a zero waste event. It's a particular challenge at its food booths. It's your basic mixed ethnic festival style food setup, with Indian here, Mexican there, except that it's all super high quality. Food is served on paper plates, and compostable potato starch cutl... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 08/31/2008


Slow Food Nation or Selective Food Nation?


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Will Slow Food be able to shed its reputation as an elitist organization? Or, as the New York Times' Kim Severson put it, will the group prove that it "is not just one big wine tasting with really hard to find cheeses that you weren’t invited to." That's what a lot of folks are chewing on as the fir... read more

Posted by on 08/29/2008


Slow Moments on the Way to Slow Food Nation


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I'm en route to the Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco. It's a celebration of food that's sustainable, locally raised, and savored. Even though I'm taking a quick plane, two mosaics at Pittsburgh's airport stopped me in my tracks. In the train terminal, that hurried place just after security... read more

Posted by on 08/28/2008


Mark Your Calendars: Local and Slow Food Events Abound


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As the summer growing season continues, many celebrations are scheduled to bring in the bounty. In Pittsburgh, the East End Food Co-op's Local Food Challenge continues with a work party at the Braddock gardens tonight, a discounted tasting at Legume Bistro tomorrow, and an End of Challenge Celebrat... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 08/05/2008


Pressure Cooking: A Cool Kitchen's Best Friend


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As the next step in my lifelong cooking evolution, I turned to an invention that debuted at the 1939 World's Fair. I purchased two pressure cookers at a kind of vast permanent Saturday flea market in a Mt. Washington church (they may in fact be from the '39 fair). I never got around to using them,... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 07/10/2008


Food and Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread


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I just finished participating in a group that discussed essays in the book 'Food and Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread.' We all shared a lot of fun food memories - my second cousin who is in her 50s told of a childhood memory of a milkman traveling by horse. And each week brought a different sea... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 06/26/2008


Pork Necks and German Chamomile


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Twice recently people have given me some unusual foods. Last weekend I helped plant a garden at a group home for adults with special needs. Some of the residents joined in planting tomatoes, German chamomile, celeriac, cucumbers, zucchini, squash, and more. Mildred's Daughters farm in Lawrencevill... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 06/05/2008


The Lazy Gardeners Journal: Volunteers and Perennial Goodies


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LOVE the IDEA of gardening. Don't like the part where you take care of the garden -- watering, weeding, and so on. So my favorite plants are the ones that do well without any help from me. Probably four years ago, I was given two French sorrel plants at the end of the season at a garden center. ... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 05/20/2008


It's All In The Tea AND King Corn


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Several of us at The Allegheny Front won awards last night from the Western Pennsylvania Press Club (including me for the Earth’s Bounty series). So I used that as an excuse to rest on my laurels a bit by checking out the movies on Comcast On Demand. I found a great Sundance film called All In Thi... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 05/13/2008


What's Sprouting in the South Side


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I finally got myself over to Mung Dynasty's steamy headquarters in the South Side and what a treat! When I buy their salads at the East End Food Co-op or Kuhn's, sometimes they've been in the cooler too long, and, well, it doesn't take much with the delicate mesclun and sprouts to get a little slim... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 05/06/2008


'Tis the Season for Wild Edibles


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With food prices going up, you might want to look to your yard for dinner – even if you don’t have a garden! I’ve been picking dandelions and violets. The other day I made a crustless quiche with these and some pork breakfast sausage. And on a beautiful spring hike, I gathered up the wildly invas... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 04/29/2008


Yes, We Have Bananas, But at What Cost?


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I may have bought my last bunch of bananas. Conventionally grown ones, anyway. For the last several years, when buying produce I've been faithfully following the Environmental Working Group's Shoppers Guide (http://www.foodnews.org) to avoid the most pesticide laden fruits. But the other day, The... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 04/10/2008


Oh Happy Day! An Organic Farmer Is Born!


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I just got the most thrilling news. It's personal but hey, it's my blog. A cousin has announced his intention to be an organic farmer. This is a person I feel a special connection with because we were born on the same day, 16 years apart. We have no real family background in farming, that I know ... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 04/03/2008


The First Greens of Spring


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The warmer temperatures of recent days are all well and good. The longer daylight is lovely. But I think what's best about spring are those first bits of green. And I'm not really interested in daffodil leaves. It's the locally grown pea shoots, the leaf lettuce, and the rosemary I bought the ot... read more

Posted by Jennifer Szweda Jordan on 03/31/2008



Produced by:
Jennifer Szweda Jordan

I'm working on a public radio series of stories I hope will appeal to listeners on a gut level. Called Earth's Bounty, it's about food and the environment. This follows about a dozen years of work as a journalist that were preceded, and often supported, by stints in restaurants and catering businesses.

Stories in the Series:

Air Date Story Title
08/06/2010 Franktuary Is Taking It To The Streets
04/07/2010 County Park Serves As Farm, Possibly Garden, Too
02/03/2010 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Grower Wonders What Local Diners Want
01/28/2010 Sipping Coffee, Considering Its Origin, Warms Up An Afternoon
01/06/2010 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Is Local Beef Safer?
12/23/2009 Visiting Chatham's Garden at Eden
12/09/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Taste, Quality, and Sustainability of Seafood
12/02/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Holiday Party Preview and a Wine Question
11/11/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Milk Maid Comes to Town
11/04/2009 Mothus Interrupus and Other Ways to Grow Fruit Organically
10/28/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Testicles, Tongues, and Texas Sheet Cake
09/30/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Oktoberfest And A Call from Frank Lloyd Wright Resort
09/16/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Local Foods Get Religion and Too Many Tomatillos
09/09/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Peaches and What's Up With Colors in Foods?
09/02/2009 Earth's Bounty 2.0: Call In About Food and the Environment
08/26/2009 Introducing Earth's Bounty 2.0
08/18/2009 Unearthing Rubies in the Front Yard
07/15/2009 Earth's Bounty: A Rare and Sacred Rest on the Farm
06/26/2009 USDA, Not EPA, Would Oversee Carbon Credits on Farms Under Federal Compromise
06/24/2009 News Analysis: No-Till Farming Oversight A Sticking Point in Climate Bill
06/17/2009 'If we can grow crops with less energy and less fertilizer, the world wins'
05/20/2009 What Tastes Like a Banana But Grows Here? The Paw Paw
05/06/2009 Pittsburgh Cook/Podcaster Turns Microphone on Our Reporter
04/02/2009 Spring Busy Month for Foodies
04/01/2009 Sewage Sludge on Farms: Dangerous or Just Recycling?
03/20/2009 Eat the View? Yes they Will
03/18/2009 Earth's Bounty: Contest Pits Our Baker Against Vegan
02/26/2009 Administration Insider Says There Will Be a White House Garden
02/25/2009 Earth's Bounty: A Kitchen Garden in Every Plot!
02/11/2009 Earth's Bounty: Farm Census Released
02/04/2009 Earth's Bounty: PA Foods Shine in Iron Chef Competition
01/28/2009 Earth's Bounty: Teams Shear Sheep, Weave Shawl in Farm Show Contest
01/23/2009 A Foodie's Fantasy Trip to Turkey
01/15/2009 Western Pennsylvania Chefs, Sheep Handlers, Score Well
12/29/2008 Holiday Gifts for Foodies or Agricultural Game Lovers
11/26/2008 Some Won't Be Cooking Turkey, or Cooking at All, this Holiday Season
11/19/2008 What to Expect from President-Elect Obama's Agricultural Policy
11/13/2008 PASA Classifieds Tempt Those with Farm Dreams
11/12/2008 Earth's Bounty: Vacationing on the Farm
09/26/2008 Slowly Produced Notes From Slow Food Nation
09/24/2008 Earth's Bounty: Religious Sister Plays Role of Farmer, Beekeeper, Vineyard Worker
09/17/2008 Earth's Bounty: Touring A Classic Market House
09/03/2008 Victory Gardens: Wartime Vestige Blooms Again
08/31/2008 After the Meal: Trimming Waste In Slow Food Nation
08/27/2008 Earth's Bounty: Latest Table Magazine Offers Ways to Preserve Harvest
08/13/2008 Earth's Bounty: Yes, We Can
08/05/2008 Mark Your Calendars: Local and Slow Food Events Abound
07/23/2008 Earth's Bounty: Meet Greg Boulos, New Sustainable Ag Leader
07/10/2008 Pressure Cooking: A Cool Kitchen's Best Friend
06/26/2008 Food and Faith: Justice, Joy and Daily Bread
05/28/2008 Earth's Bounty: Young Couple Gets a Hand from Experienced Farmers
05/21/2008 Earth's Bounty: At Long Last 2008 Farm Bill Passes Congress
05/13/2008 It's All In The Tea AND King Corn
04/29/2008 'Tis the Season for Wild Edibles
04/23/2008 Earth's Bounty: Rhubarb, Ramps, and Ferns On Spring Table
04/09/2008 Earth's Bounty: Going on a Low-Carbon Diet
03/19/2008 Earth's Bounty: Fermenting Food for Fun and Flavor
03/05/2008 Earth's Bounty: Federal Agriculture Research Lab Slated to Be Cut
02/27/2008 Earth's Bounty: Food Glorious Food? What to Eat Causes Confusion
02/13/2008 Earth's Bounty: No Whey! And Other Standards for Naturally Raised Meats
12/19/2007 Earth's Bounty: Holiday Table Celebrates Traditions
11/14/2007 Earth's Bounty: What's For Dinner? And the New Book, Food
11/07/2007 Earth's Bounty: Senate Debates The 2007 Farm Bill
10/31/2007 Earth's Bounty: Edible Schoolyards
10/10/2007 Earth's Bounty: The Splendid Table's Lynne Rossetto Kasper
08/22/2007 Earth's Bounty: Who Knew Milk Was So Controversial?
08/08/2007 Earth's Bounty: America's Water Crisis and Agriculture
08/01/2007 Earth's Bounty: What Does the Farm Bill Do for the Environment?
07/25/2007 Earth's Bounty: Rare Breeds on Farms
07/11/2007 Earth's Bounty: Summer Table Includes Flowers, Heirlooms, and More
06/13/2007 Earth's Bounty: Conservation Groups Want Piece of Farm Bill Pie
05/02/2007 Earth's Bounty: PB and J Campaign
04/11/2007 Earth's Bounty: Our Daily Bread
03/28/2007 Earth's Bounty: Eating Locally for Good Health
03/21/2007 Earth's Bounty: Western PA Food, Culture On Glossy New Table
01/10/2007 Earth's Bounty: Local, Organic, Fair Foods Pioneer Frances Moore Lappe'
01/03/2007 Earth's Bounty: Restaurants Serve Up Local Foods
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