Category: Feature
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Editorial: Mangrove Restoration Efforts in South Florida
by Monica Starr The south Florida organization MANG recently partnered with the Brevard Zoo in order to begin coastal restoration work. MANG began in Fort Myers by brothers that work to restore ecosystems by planting mangrove trees across the state of Florida. They are currently working with the Brevard Zoo team and their efforts to…
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There Is No Once and For All Only More Once Agains
by Dell deChant It is amusing in a grim Greek-tragic sort of way hearing Florida’s Governor and other public officials boast about ending the environmental threat of the Piney Point gypsum stack – once and for all. Those were the exact words of Noah Valenstein, Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection, on April 13,…
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Florida Loquat Festival Returns! Mini-Festival 2021
2021 Florida Loquat Festival “Back to the Future” A Mini-Festival Maintaining A New Port Richey Tradition Good news for loquat fans in the Tampa Bay Region. The Florida Loquat Festival will return in March, 2021. This year, the celebration of our distinctive local fruit will occur over a two week period at a variety of…
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Guest Article: Oshi Shola and My Food Journey
My Food Journey Jesse Haskins Whether my parents intended or not (probably not), I built my cultural identity around food. I grew up loving my maternal grandmother’s rice dishes. She recognized this as fundamental to her Jewish-Afghanistan heritage. I remember being particularly fond of her “oshi shola” recipe, a recipe of which I still have…
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Guest Column: Why Farmers Markets are Safer and More Convenient than Grocery Stores
BY JESSE HASKINS • AGRICULTURE LAW Buying groceries at a grocery store right now can be downright scary. Vulnerable groups, like the elderly, have good reason to be scared. Grocery stores have drawn especially large crowds, which may consist of people infected with the coronavirus. And grocery stores have plenty of potentially contaminated surface: grocery carts, tongs, self-serve…
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Ecology Florida Announces New Vice President
Ecology Florida has elected Jesse Haskins to serve as vice president. Jesse Haskins is an attorney who dedicated his law practice to strengthening our local food systems. He offers legal services to small scale agricultural enterprises. Jesse Haskins is excited about serving as vice president of Ecology Florida because of the organization’s emphasis on local food systems. Ecology…
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Guest Column: Local Food, National Security
BY JESSE HASKINS • AGRICULTURE LAW Photo: American Phytopathological Society, Rye infected with ergot In 6th century B.C.E., the Assyrians, in modern day Iraq, poisoned enemy wells with rye ergot, a fungus disease. Imagine seeing a person suffering ergotism. The first victim of bioterrorism in recorded history may have felt a violent burning. “Holy fire” became the nickname…
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Loquat News No. 40 – July 2020
Florida Loquat News The Newsletter of The Florida Loquat Festival Celebrating Florida’s Urban Fruit No. 40 July 6, 2020 Published by Ecology Florida and Friendship Farms & Fare https://www.ecologyflorida.org/ Here is Your Summer issue of the Florida Loquat News 2020 Annual Loquat Festival Postponed See inside for update on plans for the rest of the year,…
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COVID-19 Pandemic Reveals Frailty of America’s Food System
COVID-19 Pandemic Reveals Frailty of America’s Food System Dell deChant By now most Americans have seen images of long lines at food banks around the nation – thousands of cars bumper to bumper in Cleveland, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Pittsburg, and many other cities. The images are devastating. How could this happen? The question echoes across…
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POSTPONED – Florida Loquat Festival to be held later in 2020
Florida Loquat Festival News – No. 39 March 20, 2020 Celebrating Florida’s Urban Fruit An Ecology Florida/Friendship Farms & Fare Annual Event Published by Ecology Florida and Friendship Farms & Fare https://www.ecologyflorida.org/ Find the Florida Loquat Festival on Facebook The Newsletter of The Florida Loquat Festival SPECIAL EDITION Festival Postponed Florida Loquat News The Newsletter…