by Kathryn Gardow | Mar 31, 2019 | Land Use Planning, Local Food
“There is a shellfish farmer, sheep farmer and a vegetable farmer in a room of real estate development professionals.” It’s the start of the classic “groan” joke. And, Yes!, it really happened! The sunny last day of February was a great...
by Kathryn Gardow | Feb 28, 2019 | Local Food, Rural Economy
Mt. Meru at almost 15,000 feet, the fifth highest mountain in Africa, capped in wispy clouds, towers over the Tanzanian village at the end of the paved road at the entrance to Arusha National Park. Meru’s taller and more well-known “mountain cousin”, Mt....
by Kathryn Gardow | Jan 23, 2019 | Healthy Food, Local Food
Have you ever thought how a farmer decides what to grow? My guess is probably not. So many of us never think where our food comes from, so why would we spend any time asking this question. Wondering where our food comes from is a long standing blind spot in our United...
by Kathryn Gardow | Nov 30, 2018 | Local Food, Sustainable Communities
Farming seems so idyllic. Old McDonald, the proverbial song, is my first recollection of the quintessential farming dream. A happy song with joyful animals. Seared in my memory are daytrips to my Grandmother’s house to find the choicest Halloween pumpkin; the...
by Kathryn Gardow | Oct 31, 2018 | Local Food, Urban Farming
During the early days of autumn, for about three weeks, chestnut trees bear their fruit. Every October walking through Laurelhurst Park, I see about a half-dozen Asian-American elders standing below the majestic chestnut trees–waiting. It never appears to be the...
by Kathryn Gardow | Apr 14, 2017 | Healthy Food, Local Food
With anticipation I await rhubarb’s full bouquet–deep green dinner-plate sized leaves atop fibrous stalks ranging in color from bright chartreuse green to brilliant pink–spreading close to a yard across. Its arrival is evidence that spring is...
