Healthier WIC Foods Available in Minnesota

I received an interesting email message this afternoon. Apparently all retail food vendors in Minnesota that are authorized to accept WIC vouchers will be required to make several varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables available at all times.

More here........

Minneapolis, MN – Important changes to the foods provided by the Women, Infants and Children Nutrition program (WIC) will increase access to healthy fruits and vegetables in underserved populations in Minnesota and throughout the nation, according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

The WIC changes, which took effect in Minnesota on August 1, are the first major overhaul of the foods available in the program’s 35-year existence.

The WIC program is a federally funded nutrition program for lower-income and nutritionally-at-risk pregnant and breast feeding women, their infants and young children.

The WIC food package has always included vouchers for milk, eggs, cheese, cereal, infant formula and other items. Now, all retail food vendors that are authorized to accept WIC vouchers will be required to make several varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables available at all times. The Minnesota WIC program currently serves more than 141,000 participants each month.

“Many low-income communities around the state don’t have easy access to supermarkets and often have to rely on smaller corner stores for their groceries. Fresh produce is often scarce in those environments. These changes will make fresh fruits and vegetables more available to WIC participants and enhance the health and well-being of WIC mothers and children across the state of Minnesota,” said IATP’s JoAnne Berkenkamp.

IATP, a leader in supporting greater access to healthy foods in underserved communities, is partnering with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to promote the WIC fruit and vegetable changes and help small stores access a steady supply of high-quality produce. New posters and point-of-sale materials featuring fresh fruits and vegetables will help make healthy options visible at corner stores across the state.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems.

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Local Dirt: Find, Sell, and Buy Local Food

Local Dirt is an online site for finding, selling, and buying local food. Funded by the National Science Foundation, Local Dirt does not charge a markup for selling online.

After testing the site in Madison, Wisconsin last year, they've opened the site up nationally on June 15, 2009.

Who Can Use Local Dirt?

To market or sell: farms, local food producers, farmers' markets, farm
cooperatives, and local food distributors.

To buy: individuals, farm stands, restaurants, grocers, schools,
hospitals, and other businesses.

How It Works

1. Profile page - sellers can have a free page to showcase the farm.

2. List and sell products - sellers post products on the site for sale on the
farm, through a farmers' market, or for wholesale delivery. Buyers
search by distance and order online directly from the farm. Invoices
are automatically generated. Local Dirt does not take any markup or
receive any of these payments.

3. List deals - Selling a whole cow? Have excess product? Bids take place online.

You can register for an interactive demonstration whether you're a seller, buyer, or just curious.




[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

Local Wine Tasting at MN Garlic Festival!

As if a celebration of garlic wasn't a good enough reason for a festival, they've added a local wine tasting event to Minnesota's 4th Annual Garlic Festival's schedule.

Sponsored by the Crow Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, the annual Minnesota Garlic Festival takes place this year on August 15 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the McLeod County Fairgrounds in Hutchinson. The wine tasting will take place from 2 p.m.-6 p.m.

Featured vinters include:

Woodland Hill Winery
Delano
http://www.woodlandhillwinery.com/


Millner Heritage Vineyard & Winery
Kimball
http://www.millnerheritage.com/


Glacial Ridge Winery
Spicer
http://www.glacialridgewinery.com/


Hinterland Vineyards
Clara City
https://localfoods.umn.edu/hinterlandvineyards

Other vineyards to be announced.

Festival Admission: Adults $5.00, Kids $3.00
Wine Tasting $5.00 additional ticket, at the door

Homegrown Minneapolis Resolution Approved by Minneapolis City Council

June 26, 2009
Contact: Ben Lilliston, 612-870-3416, ben@iatp.org

IATP Congratulates Mayor, City Council on Local Food Initiative

The Minneapolis City Council approved a resolution today put forth by the Homegrown Minneapolis initiative to support the production, sale and consumption of local, sustainably produced foods in the city and surrounding region.

“We applaud the mayor’s leadership in launching this initiative and the council’s strong support today,” said the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy’s JoAnne Berkenkamp, who co-chaired one of the initiative’s subcommittees. “This is a major step forward in expanding the local food system in the region. We have only scratched the surface in exploring the city’s potential to produce its own food.”

The Homegrown Minneapolis initiative began in December 2008 and met with more than 100 stakeholders within the city to develop recommendations in four main areas: farmers markets, commercially oriented urban agriculture, community/school/home gardens and commercial use of locally grown foods. In May, the initiative collected public comments on draft recommendations. You can read the full recommendations at: http://www.ci.mpls.mn.us/dhfs/homegrown-home.asp.

With today’s approval of the Homegrown resolution, a new Implementation Task Force will begin working on the formation of a city advisory committee on food policy; draft policy on community garden programs; suggestions for the City’s state legislative agenda; the creation of a citywide topical plan on community gardens and urban agriculture; improved coordination among farmers markets; and a host of related initiatives.

Berkenkamp said that from the standpoint of health and the development of local, sustainable food production, the mayor’s and council’s action is critically important.

“Minneapolis is becoming a national leader in advancing local food systems,” said Berkenkamp. “We look forward to working with the city to expand existing programs, develop new, innovative ideas, and include more community voices in this groundbreaking effort.

Find out more about IATP’s work on local food systems at: www.iatp.org

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

A Traveler's Guide To Healthy Eating

Here's a book for people on the go:

Nikki & David Goldbeck, the authors of, Healthy Highways: The Travelers Guide to Healthy Eating, have produced two editions of this guide to healthy eateries which lists vegetarian, vegan, and organic joints.

The new 2009 500-page edition has 1,000 more listings than the first edition. In addition, there are free and exclusive updates on HealthyHighways.com for book’s owners.

Healthy Highways is arranged alphabetically by state and city for all 50 states. A unique feature are the state maps which the authors created to help travelers locate listings geographically. Every entry in the guide starts with the basics: address, phone number and hours of operation. Graphic symbols next to each entry indicate whether travelers will find a sit down meal or find groceries to restock a cooler or picnic basket.

In addition basic attributes is a bulleted list of what the establishment offers, such as: organic produce, vegetarian or vegan friendly, fresh juice, alcohol, seating and service style (wait staff or full service), take-out, and more.

Among the listings are eateries ranging from drive-through to gourmet. There are several innovative health-conscious restaurant chains, beachside and open air venues, vegetarian street carts, all-vegetarian hospital and university cafeterias, ethnic restaurants that specialize in vegetarian or organic fare, clubs and pubs featuring vegetarian/natural food, and haute cuisine “tasting menus.” There are also locations where travelers can find prepackaged foods, natural beverages and healthy snacks.

Book owners will be able to download an exclusive supplement of new locations as they are discovered.

Healthy Highways
Price: $19.95
Pages: 480

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]

WA Frost: Local Ingredients, Repurposed Decor

As someone who's interested in sustainable agriculture, I'm always on the lookout for restaurants that serve sustainably raised food.

My never-ending search led us to WA Frost last weekend, where we received 1000 Open Table points for making a reservation after 9pm on a Friday. Bonus!

Here's a bit about the food philosophy at WA Frost, which I lifted from their website:

The cuisine at W.A. Frost & Company is derived from an eclectic mix of ingredients meticulously sourced the world over through small farmers and growers, artisanal cheese and sausage makers and culinary crafts persons. In fact, approximately 70% of all of our ingredients are organically grown or naturally raised, and many of these are locally produced within a short distance of our restaurant. This commitment to family farmers and quality-oriented producers not only ensures a high standard for our food, but also is beneficial to the environment, public health and the local economy.

The menus at W.A. Frost change seasonally in order to maintain the freshest available product. Inspiration for the recipes is derived primarily from the Mediterranean country cuisines of Italy, France, Spain, and from as far away as Asia and the Middle East. These influences are then combined with the local flavors of the Upper Midwest to create a truly unique dining experience offering everything from meat, poultry, fish, and vegetarian items for the lover of haute cuisine to creative sandwiches and salads for the more casual diner.

WA Frost has won countless awards, and has received an abundance of reviews since 1975. 34 years later at 9:30pm on a Friday, the dining room was about 1/4 full and the patio almost full.

The building, in the Richardson Romanesque style, has arched doorways and windows. The tin ceilings are original. The back bar was rescued from a burned-out building in Superior, WI. The marble tables are the walls from old Northwestern National Bank building - also in Superior, WI. If Romanesque architecture, candlelight, draperies, and giant oil paintings are your scene, this is the spot. We were seated at a corner table next to a defunct fireplace that was lit up with candles.

I ordered a glass of Bisol Jeio “Prosecco Brut” before our meal.
We selected two entrees to share with one another.

I love English peas. For dinner, I couldn't resist the Sweet English Pea Risotto served with macadamia nut-yogurt froth, pea tendrils, and black olive oil. The risotto was both rich and creamy but still al dente. The sweet peas were sweet in flavor, and cooked until slightly tender, but not overcooked. The salty black olive oil enhanced the sweetness of the peas, bringing about a well-balanced dish. FYI, did you know that Thomas Jefferson grew more than 30 cultivars of peas on his estate?

Gerg ordered the Pan Roasted New York Steak over a blackberry and bacon reduction served with sautéed spinach, fingerling potato confit, cauliflower puree, and a small herb salad. The steak was prepared medium rare, and paired well with the bacony reduction, which didn't overwhelm the steak. The fingerling potato confit was a simple presentation that allowed the potatoes to speak for themselves.

I left my sunglasses on the table. On my way home, I received a call on my cell phone from the maître d', letting me know that I had left them behind (yet another reason I'm glad I booked a reservation with Open Table).

W.A. Frost & Company
Historic Cathedral Hill - Dacotah Building
374 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55102
tel: 651-224-5715

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, 55406 Minnesota]

MPLS Gardener Blogging for NY Times

Follow Michael Tortorello in the NY Times as he blogs about starting his first vegetable garden at his home in Minneapolis.

http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/the-starter-garden/

[where: Sustainable Food, St. Paul, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, Minnesota]