• Eat Local, Starting Yesterday

    On Earth Day yesterday the dining halls were rainbows of fresh flavor and color. In honor of Earth Day, Dining Services offered many local, organic, Earth Day-friendly foods for lunch. The salad bar included many organic vegetables, the baked potato bar featured local potatoes from, the vegetarian mushroom stew featured local mushrooms and potatoes and the spaghetti and marinara sauce was entirely organic. Additionally, the fresh baked breads were made with local, organic flour.

    As spring has finally arrived, the time to consider being a localvore is NOW! Localvores are people who are committed to eating food grown only within their foodshed—a region often defined by each localvore individually. Such eating practices came to my attention several years ago when I discovered the blog of Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, a Canadian couple who, after being stranded and fending for themselves at their cabin in the Canadian wilderness, decided to attempt to eat hyper-locally for an extended period of time, thus: the 100 Mile Diet.

    Smith and MacKinnon restricted themselves to eating food produced within 100 miles, but others may define “local” differently. In southern California, you may be able to find all the locally-produced food you need in a much smaller region. In Minnesota, perhaps you would restrict yourself to the 5-state area during most of the year, but focus even more locally during the summer growing season. But why eat locally in the first place?

  • The Garden Begins

    Planter Box 1 Planter Box 2 Planter Box 3

    Contrary to what the white frosting on the campus around us may indicate, spring has sprung, and that means it’s time to plant. After pouring over pages and pages of catalogs full of well-illustrated, enchantingly-described vegetables during the dark of winter, the little seed packets have actually arrived, the sun is beginning to shine, the earth is getting muddy, and it’s time to get excited.

    The history of farming at Carleton is a long one, from the days of yore as photographed in those cow-filled frames in the Burton Dining Hall to the more recent Celestial Donut Garden, and finally the current garden incarnation in the backyard of Farm House. Interest in the farm has waxed and waned, as with all things, but is currently on quite the upswing. After an enthusiastic evaluation of possible farm plans by David Hougen-Eitzman’s Agroecology class this fall and the general increased interest in agriculture and food production throughout society today, two students have jumped on board to guide the Carleton farm to greatness through farm-focused internships this summer, in coordination with Farm Club activity this spring. They plan to revitalize the current garden with general maintenance and upkeep of the current land and infrastructure, while focusing heavily on creative planting techniques to maximize harvests in the fall, when Farm House and campus are full of hungry students. Additionally, students are hopeful about making connections with the new Dining Services provider, Bon Appetit.