While you were sleeping

If you’ve met any big-talkin’ Texans who boast about their brisket, you’ve shared in the reality of passionate smokers of Texas beef. As the process demands, work begins long before you savor a slice of the barbecue. My Austin neighbor has dedicated years of practice to perfect his brisket, and last weekend, he and his brisket-smoking teammate tested their brisket in preparation for their […]

Leafy Green Itinerant Tales

In a recent article in The New York Times, Patricia Leigh Brown takes us into a classroom and onto the farm fields in Salinas, California. The scenes in the article appear familiar as a decade ago, I worked in Seaside, over the hills and around the corner from Salinas. From picking leafy greens to plump strawberries, itinerant farmworkers labor long hours. […]

Wanted: neighbor with backyard chickens

With appetizing joy, I recently received a dozen perfectly imperfect eggs from someone who keeps backyard chickens. We’re not in egg-tossing range, but within an easy two-mile stretch of each other. I appreciated the fresh eggs,  and their minimal travel distance. Track back your breakfast. Find out how far food travels before it reaches your […]