Farewell Sweet Cavendish

Did anyone else hear the recent interview with Dan Koeppel on NPR? He's the author of "Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World." The story caught my attention when I first tuned in because the author was describing how the type of banana that we all currently know and love, the Cavendish, is being attacked by a blight that is responsible for wiping out its predecessor, the Gros Michel banana. Surprisingly, we may see the ubiquitous Chiquita banana disappear from our grocery stores within the next five years. But that's really just a small part of a fascinating story about the history the fruit and how it became such an everyday part of the American life.

Here is a link to NPR if you want to have a listen to the interview.

Also, I enjoyed Leslie Berliant's blog entry, "Yes, We Have No Bananas" on Celsias.com website. While you're there have a look at some of the ongoing projects on Celsias.

Meanwhile, I'm looking for a dwarf banana tree that will grow in the mid-south...

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life is a Good Introduction to Community Supported Agriculture

Read a review of this fun and inspiring book.

We have some great options in Nashville for locally grown fresh produce from co-ops and farmers markets. I'll be adding more of those links and resources as I find them.

Meanwhile, check out this list of Local Organic Farms.