Good morning! On the menu today, in no particular order:
The Great FLOTUS Food Fight. Michelle Obama’s focus on healthy food and nutrition “has transformed the American food landscape…” One of the hallmarks of Michelle Obama’s work is her passion about health and nutrition…and her honesty about her own family’s challenges in eating healthfully. The First Lady’s personal experiences inspired and informed her national work in important ways. Journalists Helena Bottemiller Evich and Darren Samuelsohn interviewed more than sixty people for this absolutely stellar in-depth story that covers the sweep of nutrition policy work that’s been done during the Obama administration. The First Lady has been met with resistance from Congress, as well as criticism from some progressives who dislike that she’s worked with the food industry. Through it all, she’s persevered. The White House Garden, Let’s Move!, the school lunch battle and dietary guidelines are all discussed. A #mustread.
ICYMI, our Q&A with Roger Doiron, advocate for the White House Garden. Roger Doiron (@rogerdoiron) is founder and director of Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI), a Maine-based nonprofit network of over 30,000 individuals from 120 countries who are taking a hands-on approach to (re)localizing the food supply through gardening. In 2007, he was chosen as a W.K. Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Policy Fellow.
Doiron entered the national scene with his successful proposal and petition campaign to replant a kitchen garden at the White House. The “Eat the View” effort in 2008 gathered over 100,000 signatures, earned national and international media coverage, and was voted the grand prize winner of the “On Day One” contest sponsored by the United Nations Foundation. #inspiring
When oranges ruled the Inland Empire. In 1895, Riverside was the “wealthiest city per capita in the nation.” Agritourism thrived in Southern California…”Excursion trains whisked tourists through the scented orchards of Southern California’s inland valleys.” A fascinating, brief cultural history of citrus in Southern California. Nathan Masters for KCET’s #LostLA series. Want to dive deeper? Visit your library or local bookstore and snag a copy of Doug Sackman’s Orange Empire: California and the Fruits of Eden. This innovative historical study explores the relationship between culture and nature by focusing on California’s signature export, oranges. The book relates how the Orange Empire “transformed” the physical and social landscapes of the Golden State. Appearing in its pages? Scientists, farmers, boosters, Upton Sinclair, Dorothea Lange, John Steinbeck and more. Sackman received his PhD from UC Irvine and is a noted environmental historian. #GlobalFood. A #greatread. Related: the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is an insect that threatens California citrus. Read more here, and check out this video to learn how you can check your trees for ACP.
Have a great day!