Farm to Table Dinner Wellesley Reads Together

A wonderful Farm to Table Harvest Dinner in conjunction with the Wellesley Reads Together Program. We created the logo as well.

Wellesley Reads Together Website

We designed this interactive site for a library reading program featuring two locavore books - one of which inspired me to create the Will Work For Food Project.

New website for Iowa farm

New name - New logo - New website for Iowa farm

Over the past year we have been working with a lovely family-run farm in Iowa that raises free-range cattle and offers antibiotic-free meats as well as produce. We worked with them on changing their name to better reflect their philosophy and offering and created a sweet new logo for them that features their pet cow "Jill". We also designed a dynamic new website that will launch in a couple of weeks.

Peapod meets CSA?

Cranky Consumer tests services that deliver organic and locally grown produce to your doorstep.

Secret World of Trader Joes

In Fortune, Beth Kowitt had an eye-popping piece called “Inside the Secret World of Trader Joe’s.” The funky, gourmet grocery chain is actually owned by the secretive Albrecht family from Germany. Many of the products are made by large corporations — the pita chips are made by a division of PepsiCo and the yogurt is actually made by Danone Stonyfield Farm.

The company has brilliantly seized on the growing sophistication of American food tastes. It offers a much more limited selection than its rivals, thus reducing the anxiety of choice. It has an efficient supply chain (the Tasty Bite Punjab Eggplant that sold for $3.39 at Whole Foods in Manhattan sold for more than a dollar less at the Trader Joe’s in Stamford, Conn.). It fosters community and makes shopping a form of belonging.

Abel Sanchez - the techie at 1000radishes.com

Walmart as the new champion of local farms? (The Atlantic

My last post of 2010 has a perhaps appropriate world turned upside down feel to it. Who knew that Walmart has a senior director of local and sustainable sourcing? Or that Walmart now sells locally grown foods? The author, Corby Kummer, is a champion of the Slow Food movement. What is the world coming to?

"The first thing I saw, McIntosh apples, came from the same local orchard whose apples I’d just seen in the same bags at Whole Foods. The bunched beets were from Muranaka Farm, whose beets I often buy at other markets—but these looked much fresher."

Tod Dimmick - Foodie of 1000radishes.com

How 'bout them (local) apples?

In years past, I used to buy apples from 2,000 miles away in December. But an increasing number of local orchards have invested in cool storage rooms which means apples are available for months after they are picked, sometimes right through the winter. One of my favorite locals is Dowse Orchards. This family owned farm in Sherborn, MA has been in business for 200 years, and in December if you walk past the Christmas Trees you'll find their own apples, several different kinds. I've been paying a weekly visit for Cortlands (baking) and Macs (crunching). If it's a cold day, they usually have hot cider, too. Buying apples at a place like this is infinitely more fun than buying jet lagged ones at the grocery store.

- Tod Dimmick - foodie at 1000radishes.com

Fresh Veggie Omelette

This is a great recipe for your CSA's fresh vegetables.
Ingredients:


* Tomatoes
* Sweet, warm, or hot peppers (we used a combination)
* Onions (choose your favorite)
* Chard (the star ingredient)
* Fresh farm eggs

Add your vegetables into your favorite skillet, add salt, and oil.

After a couple of minutes, add the eggs and cook to taste

Enjoy!

Abel - Techie at 1000radishes.com

One of our heros reminds us what is important

At Harvard last week, Team 1000Radishes took part in a seminar led by Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, and Corby Kummer, editor of the Atlantic Monthly. After hearing, in Italian with Kummer translating, about the principles of Slow Food, we were reminded that kindred spirits worldwide seek similar goal to our own.

Right now, busy consumers are forced to make food decisions based on speed, convenience and price, and most of those choices are bad in every sense, unhealthy for our bodies, environmentally destructive, and economically unsustainable. 1000Radishes technology aspires to support democratization of access to good food (define good as you like, few would argue against "local" being part of the definition). We seek to offer another choice by helping to make good food fast, convenient, and affordable by supplying real time information about Where (a choice vs McDonalds), What (visualize what to eat, and it doesn't have to be a Big Mac), and How (Recipes).

AKA What's In Season, Where to find it, What to do with it - the original Radish tagline. And that's just for starters.

This is a worthy goal, and worth talking about. Stay tuned.

By Tod Dimmick, cookbook author and "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

12 Famous Farmers' Markets

The season is winding down but here are some of the most famous farmer's markets.


Montpelier, VT, Montpelier Farmers Market

New York, NY, Union Square Green Market

Madison, WI, Dane County Farmers' Market

Des Moines, IA, Des Moines farmers market

Washington, D.C., Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market

San Francisco, CA, Ferry Plaza Farmers' Market

Portland, ME, Portland, ME Farmers' Market

Portland, OR, Portland, OR Farmers' Market

Saint Paul, MN, St. Paul Downtown Farmers' Market

Seattle, WA, University District Farmers' Market

Austin, TX, Barton Creek Farmers' Market

Santa Fe, NM, Santa Fe Farmers' Market

Raven Hill Farm

Just came back from a stay in Maine and discovered a wonderful out-of-the-way farm/coffeeshop/bakery/restaurant/orchard called Raven Hill Farm in Waterboro ME. Steve the owner makes a mean expresso and the place is absolutely charming and authentic. Stop by for a visit if you can - you will be in for a treat!

Grilled Zucchini

Versatile Zucchini can be prepared in many different ways. One of the simplest, and the most tasty, is to grill slices like this. Yum.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes
Serves: 4 (or 2 if you really like your squash)

2 small zucchini, washed, ends cut off, and sliced lengthwise into pieces into pieces 1/2 inch thick
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TB balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Lay the zucchini slices in a baking pan. Mix the garlic, oil, and vinegar, pour over the zucchini, and turn the slices to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Ideally marinate for an hour or more.

Preheat the grill. Grill the slices for 4 minutes per side or until zucchini is tender.

Zucchini is perfect to prepare alongside other grilled foods to make efficient use of that grill.

Served up by Tod Dimmick,
AKA "The Foodie" at 1000radishes

New logo for The Back Forty

I was also asked to create a new branding for The Back Forty part of Rural votes. In this case, we wanted to merge old and new so we though the cow contemplating the turbines was a nice touch.

New logo for Rural Votes

I was asked to design a new look for Rural Votes in Western MA this past week under the WWFF project and it was a wonderful experience working with Debby and Miryam. We wanted to create an eye-catching logo that incorporated patriotism as well as a rural scene and I think we did it!