Links

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I'm back with links.

There's a great article in Mother Earth News archives about the hazards of commercial meat production. There are alarming tidbits like this one:

According to a May 21, 2007, article in The Wall Street Journal, reliance on junk food has shot up in recent years because the cost of feed corn has doubled due to the increased use of corn for ethanol production. According to the article, one farmer now feeds his cattle a ration that is 17 percent stale candy and 3 percent stale "party mix." Another feeds a 100 percent byproduct diet, including French fries, tater tots and potato peels

Candy and party mix? No wonder the cows get sick! The article also has tips on how to find healthier meat. (h/t Lisa) Of course, the best way to ensure healthier meat is to know exactly where it comes from. Don't forget our local meat growers, like Jo-Erl's meat CSA and Mass Local Food's producers.

Here is a CNN video from last week that profiled Will Allen.

USA Today has an article about a company producing healthy, organic school lunches on a large scale.

Kelley from Mass Local Food has some news and a call for volunteers:

Things are getting really exciting with Mass Local Food. We had a record month last month - 45 orders and $3000 in sales for our producers. And we expect with the holidays that December will be just as busy. We are also working towards incorporating, and we have a new sorting site - a farmers market building in Westminster which fits us just right. And we are working towards opening up pickups in Holden and Shrewsbury.

As usual, we are looking for help with the sorting this Friday, Dec 4th, between 1:30 and 3:00 pm, at 64 Leominster St, Westminster. Let me know if you can help.

Please pass on any links you think would be of interest, and spread the word about the blog!