A couple of weeks ago I talked to Slow Food President Josh Virtel about their campaign to improve the National School Lunch Program.  On Labor Day, 20,000 people gathered in pot-lucks across the country (called eat-ins).  Check out photos on the Slow Food Flickr page.

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What do food writers and chefs do during summer vacation? Jonathan Gold had fresh mozzarella in Italy and Mary Sue Milliken went hunting in Mongolia.  They share their adventures.  Nancy Zaslavsky has some ideas for Mexican produce found in area markets.  The LA Times’ Russ Parsons has some tips on how to store your summer farmers market bounty. The story of Jon Reiner, the man who couldn't eat.  Kazi Pitelka gives a tour of her urban farm featuring chickens, turkeys, fruit trees and bees.  School is back in session but what is being done about the school lunch program?  Deborah Lehmann shares what’s on the menu at schools around the country and Slow Food USA’s Josh Virtel offers a solution.  Plus, Laura Avery finds out what's fresh at the Santa Monica Farmers Market.

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Dr. David Kessler, former head of the FDA knows what it takes to make us all obese -- sugar, salt and fat.  Jonathan Gold gives us his latest favorite restaurant to try. And if you know the password you can get into some LA area speakeasies says Lesley Balla.  Connie Alvarez takes us along with a group of friends who infiltrate straight bars and turn them gay for a night.  Vodka has taken hold of the US and the Smirnovs have something to do with it according to author Linda Himelstein.  When there's a drought in Las Vegas Patricia Mulroy, manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, has to figure out how to conserve. And Leah DiBernardo is putting gardening into the ciriculum in Temecula Valley schools. Plus Laura Avery celebrates the arrival of stone fruit -- peaches, apricots and nectarines.

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The Big Pick was an event held last weekend in Chatsworth. More than 60 volunteers picked and packed approximately 4 tons of oranges that will be distributed to needy families through the SOVA, a program of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles.

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Woolly Mammoth

10,000 years ago, when the woolly mammoth was becoming extinct, humans started looking for alternative food sources.  So, they turned to plants.  Some of these prehistoric plants, like lily bulbs and wild onions required extensive cooking times.  Cooking over hot coals didn't cut it so they turned to piles of hot rocks, where they could cook something for days.

Here's a fantastic article from the LA Times about prehistoric slow food.

According to a study done by a team at the University of Wales, there is some similarity in Prehistoric food to what we eat today - except for a hedgehog or two.  Nettle Pudding was one of the most popular prehistoric dishes:

Nettle pudding

Ingredients
1 bunch of sorrel
1 bunch of watercress
1 bunch of dandelion leaves
2 bunches of young nettle leaves
Some chives
1 cup of barley flour
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Chop the herbs finely and mix in the barley flour and salt. Add enough water to bind it together and place in the centre of a linen or muslin cloth. Tie the cloth securely and add to a pot of simmering venison or wild boar (a pork joint will do just as well). Leave in the pot until the meat is cooked and serve with chunks of bread.

Taken from Prehistoric Cooking by Jacqui Wood (Tempus, 2002)

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Slow Food LA webmistress Lisa Lucas sent around a compilation of reactions from the sustainable food community:

"Civil Eats," the successor to the Slow Food Nation blog, notes the news and offers an "immodest proposal" for Obama's food policy.

Tom Philpott at Grist weighs in with his initial impressions.  And further suggests that we shouldn't be surprised by the choice...adding today that having this much attention paid to the Ag Sec choice is, in itself, a good development.

Bonnie P. at The Ethicurean agrees that Vilsack isn't the best (and isn't the worst).

And Steph Larson points to an online letter to Vilsack now collecting signatures, urging Vilsack to followup on Barack Obama's campaign promise to make a real change in agriculture policy.

Marion Nestle is disappointed but is "willing to give [Vilsack] the benefit of the doubt, at least for awhile."

Also this morning, NPR talked with Michael Pollan about his reaction to the Vilsack announcement:

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