Fashionista Farmer: Santa Fe Print Edition

You think I care that New Mexican farmers think I'm a stalker? That's the price you pay for being a Santa Fe Farmers' Market "enthusiast." It’s been three years since I was there last, and the thrill never gets old. Is it because these homegrown purists practice organic, sustainable agriculture the way their foremothers did? Check. And because everything is hyper-local and unique to the area? Yup. And that they spit in the face of Monsanto and Big Chemical? Yessiree. But New Mexican farmers also have an eye for color and composition that puts other markets to shame. So I’m showcasing some of the print backdrops upon which they so artfully display their wares. And the designers, I mean farmers, are pretty colorful too. But you'll discover that in Part 2. In the meantime, meet prints charming.

Hot couture (chile powders) and dried jujubes (bottom)

Flower power (chévre with edible flowers)

Lavender fields forever

Chocolate, red chile, toffee bacon donuts


Gluten-free beet and apple scones; GF blue corn, green chile and chévre scones


Goat milk soaps; sage and wormword sticks

If you liked meeting the prints, just wait till you meet some of the farmers in Part 2.

Related Links:

Fashionista Farmer: Santa Fe Print Edition, Part 2

Fashionista Farmer
Santa Fe Farmers’ Market
Chillin’ with the Chiles in Santa Fe, Part 1

Ode To Maters

Today I am an heirloom

My skin so cragged and crinkled

The one who stole my cherry?

Now even he is wrinkled

6 Smart Food Trends to Watch in 2015

Labels that tell you whether the water's been fracked? No, not really, but I have some real predictions for six food trends to watch in 2015.

This article originally appeared on Zester Daily and MSN Food & Drink.


This year not only beckoned all things local, organic and sustainable, it begged for transparency in our food supply. From growing concerns about GMOs and factory farming to the films “Fed Up” and “Food Chains,” people may finally be waking up to the fact that our food system is as much political machinery as tractors and plows.

Here are six developments that prove consumers want more healthy, sustainable and humane options. 

1. Organically growing

Once thought of as a niche movement for flower children and pretentious yupsters, organics is now as marketable as Taylor Swift. With 81% of U.S. families choosing organic food at least sometimes—and restaurants, food companies and grocery stores acquiescing to customer demand—it comprises about 4% of food sales in the U.S. (about $38 billion). Sales of organic products at Costco have doubled in the last two years (to about $3 billion a year), and Walmart is promising to sell organics at the same price as conventional food through an arrangement with Wild Oats. Where will all this new organic food come from? Will the industrial-scale Walmartization of organics weaken organic standards and squeeze out the family farmers who helped commercialize the movement? There are already storm clouds on that horizon. 

2. Non-GMO labeling

As consumers are getting hip to Big Food’s genetically engineered ways, the majority of Americans want GMO labeling. But as the big chemical and food companies continue to dump millions into defeating state labeling initiatives, smaller food companies and restaurants are taking matters into their own hands by touting non-GMO ingredients. In fact, Non-GMO Project verification may be the future for GMO labeling. In November, not only was Colorado’s Prop 105 defeated, Oregon’s Measure 92 was so close, there was a Bush-Gore-style recount before being shut down over a technicality. Vermont is the only state that has successfully passed a labeling law, but it could be held up for years by appeals. Not to mention anti-labelist, corporate-backed politicians have introduced H.R. 4432, a bill that would prevent states’ rights to have mandatory food labeling and would also prevent the FDA from creating a national GMO labeling standard.
But you can’t put the pesticide genie back in the Roundup bottle. The more these companies try to hide what’s in our food, the more we want to know.

3. Locally sourced 

People not only want to know what’s in their food, they want to know the chicken’s middle name and the arugula’s forwarding address. This new farm-curious mentality stems from the rise of farmers’ markets all over the country that’s fostering familial, Main-Street communities. USDA data shows the continued growth of farmers’ markets for every region in the country. Five of the states with the most growth were in the South—Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina. Since this region has some of the highest obesity and poverty rates in the U.S., success here is great news. Community-supported agriculture (CSA) farms are also on the rise, including community seafood that sells sustainable seafood directly from local fishermen to consumers. Expect more artisanal companies to crop up, as well as restaurants touting their chickens’ favorite bedtime lullabies. 

4. Vegan and Gluten-free Menu Items

Restaurants jumped on the “V” and “GF” bandwagons, kowtowing to the cow-less and wheat-less among us—not simply to indulge the trendier-than-thou set. People with real food sensitivities want dishes that are safer than thou. Restaurants are getting serious about allergen training and many have separate menus for top allergens in order to mitigate potential emergency room visits and even fatalities. By law, Massachusetts and Rhode Island require restaurants to provide allergen training to their employees, and similar laws will probably appear in other states or even at the federal level. That way, diners will be less litigious than thou.

5. Dairy-free milks

Many conscious Americans are swapping cow’s milk for plant-based alternatives, and almond milk beats out soy, rice and coconut by a wide margin. However, 80% of the world’s almonds are produced in drought-afflicted California, and 10 percent of California’s water goes to almond farming (it takes 1.1 gallons of water to grow a single almond), so where does that leave almonds on the sustainability meter? Hazelnuts from Oregon could be poised to respond to the nut milk demand. Oregon grows 99% of the country’s hazelnuts, which use less water, are drought-resistant and can thrive with minimal maintenance. Some high-end café owners actually prefer the taste and are already asking is hazelnut milk the new almond milk? 

6. Pasture-raised meats and grass-fed beef

As consumers are getting savvier about factory-farmed animals that eat GMO grains, we’re seeing more pasture- and grass-fed meats at farmers’ markets from small producers. Grass-fed and grass-finished beef are seeing a greater share of the consumer beef market, and larger producers are selling through chain grocery stores and restaurants. Steve Ells, CEO of Chipotle, says “Over time, we hope that our demand for grass-fed beef will help pave the way for more American ranchers to adopt a grass-fed program, and in doing so turn grass-fed beef from a niche to a mainstream product… Most of the U.S. grass-fed beef that meets our standards is simply not produced in sufficient quantities to meet our demand. That's why we want to encourage more American ranchers to make the transition to raising cattle entirely on grass.”

Happy Farm-to-table Holidays!

Have a latke-licious Chanukah, and don't skimp on the onions! 

May the season bring warmth to all your chilly days.

Here's wishing you a bounty of beautiful farm-fresh food. 

With gratitude to farmers and farmworkers everywhere, happy holidays from the bottom of my farmers' market bag.

—LB

Related Links:

Season's Eatings from Home and Abroad

Candied Yamulkes

Thanksgivvukkah Miracle-of-Light Green Beans

The DIY Fruitcake Kit

Girl’s Fruitcake Memory, Interrupted

Naughty Holiday Biscotti (with Cleavage)

10 Farm-to-table Centerpieces

You can tell a lot about a person from their table's centerpiece. Mine says I have an eco-chic sensibility. Think hippie chick with a fine art degree and a razor. I did say chic. To me, a bunch of fresh veggies is every bit as sexy as a bouquet of flowers. They might not look all dolled up sitting in a produce bag, but with a little bit of fluffing, you'll have some oooh-baby, come-hither carrots.

It's superficial to look at produce from strictly a nutritional aspect. What's on the outside counts, too. Inspired by the juicy couture of fashionista farmers, I created these farm-to-table centerpieces that you can throw together for any occasion and eat the next day. You can't put yesterday's tulips between your two lips. But you can chow down on these beauties while leaving a light carbon footprint. But make sure to eat your handiwork. Wasting food is neither eco or chic.  

Now presenting my sustainable, eco-chic, farm-to-table centerpieces. Nutritionally filling. Creatively fulfilling. No landfilling.

1. Come-hither Carrot Medley

2. Radiant Radishes

3. Posh Squash and Herbs

4. Glass of Chard

5. Moroccan Herbal Tea Glasses

6. Ravishing Radish Greens

7. Green and Pearl Onion Ensemble

8. Pot de Carrot 

9. Colander Couture

10. Radish-ista Fashionista

Want 10 tips for creating your own centerpiece? Then read my piece, Farm-to-Table Centerpieces for Eco-Chic Entertaining. 

Related Links:

Travel Bite: Fashionista Farmer

Ode to Carrot Top

Ode to a Radish

Farm-to-Table Centerpieces for Eco-Chic Entertaining

This article originally appeared on Zester Daily and MSN Food & Drink.

If you ask me, perfection is overrated. I give it an 8.2. You can obsess and compulse until you’re just the right shade of blue in the face, but to create an artful eyeful that requires little primping, preening or pruning? That’s a 10. 

Store-bought flowers in a vase are fine—I love the blooming things as much as the next hibiscus hugger. But when you make the meal with your own two hands, shouldn’t your centerpiece complement your handiwork? You don’t have to Martha-size it and grow your own tulips, turnips and twine. But why not throw together something quick and fresh that says, “I am an eco-chic entertainer.” 

Farm-to-table centerpieces that you can eat the next day are creatively fulfilling and less landfilling. Seasonal root vegetables, fruits, herbs, pumpkins and squashes will do all the heavy lifting for you. Well, most of it, anyway. You need at least one good eye. But don’t let it stray into OCD territory. Think fashionista farmer, not perfectionista mogul. Remember, Martha’s not invited. 

Believe it or not, Martha’s not the originator of ornamental fuss. Holiday centerpieces go way back before the decline of carbon civilization.

Centerpieces Through the Ages           

The Romans used decorative leaves, branches and foliage in elaborately designed containers often made of ceramics and rock crystal. 

Aristocratic tables in the Middle Ages were said to be so crammed with food, there wasn’t room for centerpieces, although at Christmas, centerpieces may have included pastry and marzipan shaped like people, animals, scenes or decorative objects.

17^th-century tables featured silver or gold platters that showed off the host’s wealth and status with whole animal heads or a cooked peacock with its colorful feathers adorning the platter. 

While the 18^thcentury introduced silk and porcelain flowers, the 19^thcentury donned fresh flowers, foliage, fruit, candelabras and molded puddings and jellies. Throughout both centuries, centerpieces were often vertically constructed using pyramids of food on tiered dishes called epergnes. 

By World War l, decorative objects began to replace flowers and foliage, but during the 1960s and 70s, flowers and grasses made a comeback.

Today, in the era of climate change and environmental consciousness, I proclaim it the age of the sustainable table with the eco-chic, farm-to-table centerpiece. 

10 tips for creating a farm-to-table centerpiece:

1.   Don’t buy food for a centerpiece that you won’t eat afterwards. Wasting food is not eco chic! (Note: make sure to add water to a vase if you’re using leafy greens.) 
2.   Celebrate the season with local, seasonal produce. Don’t even think about buying fruit from Chile!
3.   Don’t make the arrangements so tall that you can’t see your guests (except for the uninvited ones, so keep some long fennel or chard in the fridge, just in case).
4.   You can line up multiple small (and short) arrangements along the center of the table. Who says a large, dominant one is always the best choice? I think Maria Shriver would agree.
5.   Use glasses, jars, vases and vessels you have around. They don’t have to match. 
6.   Don’t spend money on crap you don’t need (or won’t eat)! Remember those landfills!  
7.   If you’re going to add store-bought flowers, buy them at the farmers’ market and make sure they were grown without pesticides. Cut flowers full of pesticides at the table may spur someone’s allergy. Just sayin’.
8.   Don’t do doilies. You might as well wear an Elizabethan collar. Trust me. Neither are the eco-chic look you’re going for.
9.   No stacked cookies with twine around them. Can you lay off the Pinterest for one lousy day?
10.If someone admires an arrangement, be generous and gift it. Less pressure to use up all those rutabagas (see tip #1).

When you create your own farm-to-table centerpiece, you’ll be an eco-chic badass. And that’s a good thing.

See all 10 centerpieces here.

More Food Network Pitches (the Out-takes)

In my recent Zester Daily piece, Kale Wars? Dumpster Divers? Must See Food TV!, I came up with three Food Network pitches for more nourishing television. So if you haven’t yet savored every scintillating word, please hop over there, savor, scintillate and come back for the out-takes that were a little too out-there for a respectable food site. 

If you liked my "Food Activist Star," "Dumpster Divers" and "Kale Wars" concepts for more filling, yet thrilling television, I hope you'll enjoy this wacky, tacky twosome, too. Here goes:

Skid Row Kitchen

Format

Nice guy Tyler Florence mentors six homeless people from LA’s Skid Row as they vie for a culinary school scholarship. We see them briefly before they are cleaned up and given housing.

Episodes

Each week, the “culinarians” are taught a basic cooking skill, ending in the preparation of a communal dish that will be served at a homeless shelter. The kitchen scenes will be intercut with scenes of them in their communal housing environment. They are judged on both their kitchen performance and interaction with fellow culinarians. There are two judges—a chef and a mental health expert who will provide as-needed counseling, plus onscreen commentary. Each week, the culinarian who is eliminated will be assigned a social worker who will help find that person housing and a job.

Finale

The final two must cook a meal for the judges. The winner gets free housing for a year and a scholarship to attend culinary school.

Thrilling

Knife-wielding, unpredictable street people playing with fire? That's hot!

Filling

The audience will have a deeper understanding of the homeless as they attempt to re-enter society and turn their lives around.

Chef Africa

Format

This adaptation of the "Iron Chef" franchise pairs two celebrity chefs each week in a different ebola-free African country who are assigned a local ingredient for a timed cook-off.

Episodes

Each week, we see the chefs being chaperoned through the local market, interacting with the people. Cut to the chefs in the kitchen studio, each with two local assistants. They have one hour to cook and improvise a multi-course meal around one ingredient that must be in all the dishes. Alton Brown gives the blow-by-blow account, and we also hear commentary on the ingredients’ history, culinary traditions and nutritional information by agronomists, farmers and a nutritionist. The two judges are Ethiopian-born, New York celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson and one local chef. 

Sample episodes and promo dialogue:

Week 1 

Paula Deen and Sandra Lee in Ethiopia; Ingredient: bambara beans

Paula: "You’re gonna love these bambara beans, y’all!"

Sandra: "Dried bambara beans are inexpensive and make festive tree ornaments."

Week 2

Martha Stewart and Ina Garten in Angola; Ingredient: egusi

Martha: "Egusi seeds. They’re a good thing."

Ina: "Egusi soup. How easy is that?"

Week 3

Rachael Ray and Giada De Laurentiis in Botswana; Ingredient: marama

Rachael: "30-minute marama in a little EVOO? Yummo!"

Giada: "This easy marama dish will be perfect for Jade's lunchbox. And Todd's gonna love it, too!"

Week 4

Bobby Flay and Guy Fieri in Guyana; Ingredient: lablab

Bobby: "Lablab. I can't wait to get grillin'."

Guy: "Hey, it’s Guy in Guyana. I'm gonna make a fierce lablab chili."

Finale

The winners from the previous shows return and are assigned to two final teams. The winning team donates the prize money to an African food nonprofit of choice.

Thrilling

Fish-out-of-water celebrity chefs. Foreign ingredients. Paula Deen in Africa. It’s a Neilsen bonanza! 

Filling

It will enlighten viewers about different farming practices and cuisines of the world, promote multiculturalism and help eradicate xenophobia.

These out-takes may be a little out there, but trust me. They're completely doable. 

Food Network execs: Have your people call my people. My personal assistant will pencil you in.