http://ucanr.org/blogs/food/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed UC information on the creation and consumption of food. en-us UC ANR http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/rss/ Mon, 14 May 2012 20:25:45 PST Mon, 14 May 2012 20:25:45 PST UC ANR You know how it works: You stand in the grocery aisle, surreptitiously sniffing the cantaloupes, hoping your nose will lead you to a nice, ripe selection. But when you slice it open in your kitchen, it’s just not as ripe as you had hoped. Lucky for you (and me), UC Davis Department of Plant Sciences Assistant Professor Florence Negre-Zakharov and her team may have found a way to make imperfectly ripe fruit a thing of the past. "We are involved in a project geared towards developing rapid...
]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 11:51:17 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7490&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed denelson@ucdavis.edu(Diane Nelson) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7490 UC Agriculture and Natural Resources researchers and educators continue to fight increases in childhood obesity rates. Childhood obesity is linked to many lifelong health problems. If left unchecked these problems have the potential to reverse life expectancy gains. Our youth deserve a future filled with promise and possibilities. A strong body and good health is the foundation on which a successful future can be built. UC ANR’s new after-school curriculum is designed to help 9- to...
]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 08:34:25 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7440&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed cmwebb@ucdavis.edu(Chris M. Webb) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7440 Nutrition, food security and sufficient family incomes are challenges in many parts of the world. Half the world’s people live in rural areas in developing countries. Because hunger and malnutrition are often linked to poverty, providing economic opportunities through horticultural production not only helps family incomes, but also addresses food security and nutrition. Training women to produce and market horticultural crops in the developing world also helps provide a much-needed income...
]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 09:02:33 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7393&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed afilmer@ucdavis.edu(Ann King Filmer) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7393 Sólo en California se puede convertir a la tierra árida en el tazón de ensalada de la nación. A finales de 1800 los investigadores de la Universidad de California descubrieron cómo remover la salinidad de las tierras del Valle Central,  convirtiéndola en una de las regiones agrícolas más productivas. Los investigadores de la UC continúan jugando un papel importante en la agricultura de hoy, manteniendo a California como el principal estado agrícola de la nación, desde la lecherías en Tulare a...
]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 13:58:18 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7405&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed myriam.grajales@ucr.edu(Myriam Grajales-Hall) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7405 Only in California could arid land be converted into the nation’s salad bowl. In the late 1800s, University of California researchers discovered how to remove salts from the soils of the Central Valley, turning it into one of the most productive agricultural regions. UC researchers continue to play a key role in agriculture today, keeping California the nation’s leading agricultural state, from dairies in Tulare to nut farms in Newberry Springs. A new brochure highlights the breadth of UC...
]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 08:14:51 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7382&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed alec.rosenberg@ucop.edu(Alec Rosenberg) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7382 To the tune of Mary Hopkin's iconic 60s hit, Those Were the Days, a team of UC animal scientists ask whether those bygone times people remember nostalgically would be up to the challenge of feeding the world today. "People have a romantic image of farming in the past," said Alison Van Eenennaam, UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the UC Davis Department of Animal Science. "It may be remembered as bucolic, but there wasn't enough food being produced to cope with world population...
]]> Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:49:39 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7367&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7367 Even though U.S. consumers routinely buy and eat genetically engineered corn and soy in processed foods — most are unaware of the fact because the GE ingredients are not labeled. When consumers are asked in surveys whether they would buy genetically engineered (GE) produce such as fruit, most say they would not buy GE produce unless there were a direct benefit to them, such as greater nutritional value. Consumer reluctance to buy GE fruits and nuts is a major obstacle to commercialization of...
]]> Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:01:48 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7343&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jlwhite@ucdavis.edu(Janet L. White) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7343 The United States farm bill is up for renewal this year, and what goes into the $400 billion, 5,000-plus page piece of legislation will affect what tens of millions of Americans eat — and don’t eat — in the coming years. On April 5, UC Berkeley’s College of Natural Resources fired off an enlightening salvo in the public discourse, with a panel of heavy hitters calling on the public to let their voices be heard in the quest to, as panelist Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of...
]]> Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:13:05 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7293&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed annguy@berkeley.edu(Ann Brody Guy) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7293 Agriculture has always been a precarious enterprise, vulnerable to weather, pests, disease and fickle markets. But for the farmers and ranchers in developing nations, such inherent uncertainty becomes a matter not just of success or failure but also of life or death. Aiming to diminish that risk and alleviate global poverty and hunger, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has established a $25 million grant program, directed by a UC Davis agricultural economist. The program...
]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:06:54 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7287&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pjbailey@ucdavis.edu(Pat Bailey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7287 Last Friday I had the opportunity to speak to a group of residents at the LA Family Housing, Valley Shelter in North Hollywood. We met outdoors amidst sprouting tomato plants, low-hanging loquats and variety of fruits and vegetables being grown in a beautiful garden setting. It was not my first time visiting this tranquil North Hollywood shelter garden. I have come several times before to talk to the residents about nutrition, health and the importance of making smart food choices on a limited...
]]> Wed, 11 Apr 2012 16:15:01 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7242&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed bkroche@ucdavis.edu(Brenda Roche Wolford) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7242 The world population is more than seven billion, and by 2050 that number is set to rise to nine billion — an increase of 50 percent since 2000.  Can we possibly feed so many people? Yes, according to Prabhu Pingali, who was invited to UC Riverside last week by the One Health Center to give a talk.  Pingali, the deputy director of the Agriculture Development Division of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has more than three decades of experience in the field of agriculture.  His hour-long...
]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2012 10:48:13 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7225&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed iqbal@ucr.edu(Iqbal Pittalwala) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7225 Breakfast has to be the greatest meal of the day by far!  I might be biased because it includes coffee – in my opinion the greatest beverage in the world - but that’s a subject for another day. There are so many benefits to breakfast. The options of what to eat are endless - plus breakfast wakes you up and gets you energized for your day! It makes me sad that most people won’t take the time to fall in love with breakfast. The usual excuses are always present: “I’m on a diet, so I’m...
]]> Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:04:53 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7176&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed smacnab@ucdavis.edu(Shelby MacNab) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7176 On Saturday, March 31, Angelenos celebrated the Mayor's "Good Food Day of Service."  Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, the Los Angeles Food Policy Council, and numerous community partners organized this city-wide event to highlight the importance of healthy food and celebrate the legacy of César Chávez. There were 100 participating sites around the city, all featuring community service focused on healthy food access.  I participated at the Glassell Park Community Garden in Northeast Los Angeles...
]]> Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:10:59 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7171&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed ramabie@ucanr.edu(Rachel A. Surls) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7171 I was recently given a copy of the Prince of Wales’ speech “On the Future of Food,” offered at a conference of the same name, held at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. in May 2011. Rodale has reproduced the speech in a small pamphlet with a foreword written by Wendell Berry, and an afterword provided by Will Allen and Eric Schlosser (all super writers and superstars in the sustainable food system movement).  GRACE Communications, which helped sponsor last year’s conference, has created...
]]> Thu, 29 Mar 2012 07:50:19 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7101&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed rmhaydensmith@ucdavis.edu(Rose Hayden-Smith) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7101 Children can eat a healthier diet by making some easy substitutions in their food choices, avoiding "sometimes food," like candy, soda and chips, and instead eating "anytime food," like fruits, vegetables and low-fat milk. UC Cooperative Extension nutrition educators in Fresno County staged a skit at the Fresno County Food & Nutrition Day March 23 to reinforce these healthy eating messages. The event drew nearly 2,000 third-graders to the fairgrounds. "Scarlet Strong," played by UCCE...
]]> Tue, 27 Mar 2012 10:28:53 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7099&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed jewarnert@ucdavis.edu(Jeannette E. Warnert) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7099 Tomatoes grow fine in my Sacramento backyard. I can usually count on plenty of basil, more zucchini than the neighbors will take, some snow peas, chard and kale, a few small peppers and eggplants and whatever salad greens survive the slugs (in other words, lots of arugula). We have oranges and grapefruit, but I wouldn't even try to grow peaches or apricots. It takes a farmer to grow peaches. It takes a good farmer to grow good peaches. It takes a good farmer and good weather to grow Blenheim...
]]> Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:11:10 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7083&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed paleff@ucdavis.edu(Penny Leff) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7083 I attended the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco in January and I was delighted with the offerings from local companies near UC Davis. Since I attended this vast international exhibit, I have purchased several local products that I discovered at the show. The exhibit was so large, I was only able to see half of it in a day. I met Matthieu Kohlmeyer, the French CEO and General Manager of La Tourangelle, whose walnut oils are processed 15 minutes away in Woodland. I was also impressed with...
]]> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:10:55 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7033&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed sjklahorst@ucdavis.edu(Suanne Klahorst) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7033 Tomatoes are the No. 1 garden crop in America. Everyone who has a summer garden grow tomatoes. There are more blogs, forums, tweets, and garden club and café talks about tomatoes than any other garden vegetable. Tomatoes are used in so many recipes, and can be preserved so easily into so many products it just makes sense to grow them in your garden. The garden lore about growing tomatoes successfully abounds. And the really good new . . . the failure rate for tomatoes is pretty darn low. You...
]]> Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:23:56 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7018&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed pmelam@ucdavis.edu(Pamela M. Geisel) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=7018 Early spring can be an invigorating time of year, with lengthening days, blooming daffodils and fruit trees (and ski season still in full force). One of the best perks of the season is the availability of luscious strawberries, and tasty artichokes and asparagus picked from nearby farms, with flavor quality and price that reflects both in-season and local transportation benefits.  Depending on your location, farmers markets and pick-your-own farms will begin offering their wares within the...
]]> Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:54:23 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6988&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed postharvest@ucdavis.edu(Mary E. Reed) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6988 There’s an old saying that “4-H isn’t just about cows and chickens.” Well, sometimes (tongue in cheek), it’s also about chili! As in chili cookoffs. Every year since 2005, the Solano County 4-H Youth Development Program has sponsored a Chili Cookoff Contest as part of its Project Skills Day, where the youths share what they’ve learned in their projects. The scores of projects generally fall under the wide umbrellas of animal sciences, biological sciences, civic engagement, communication and...
]]> Tue, 06 Mar 2012 09:40:02 PST http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6960&utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS%2BFeed kegarvey@ucdavis.edu(Kathy Keatley Garvey) http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=6960