Food Bites

Quick takes and interesting links to food and agriculture in the Northwest

New Pest Found in Northwest Fruit Crops

July 20, 2010
By The Northwest News Network

SEATTLE – Destructive fruit flies were detected for the first time in eastern Washington. The Asian red-eyed fruit flies were spotted in five major fruit production regions. They damage ripening soft fruit by laying eggs in it. According to a researcher at Washington State University, some peach growers in Oregon reported losing 50% of their...
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Lavender Blossoms into a Growth Industry

July 17, 2010
By The Northwest News Network
Photo by Tom Banse

This weekend, around 30,000 people are expected to descend on Sequim, Washington for that small town’s 14th annual lavender festival. Organizers boast it is North America’s biggest celebration of the purple herb. Lavender festivals are blossoming all over the Northwest. There’s another one in Twin Falls, Idaho this Saturday and on San Juan Island,...
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Cherry Thumpers? Changing The Way You Eat Northwest Cherries

July 13, 2010
By The Northwest News Network
Ripe cherries wait to be picked in a orchard outside of Prosser, Wash. A new contraption nicknamed the cherry thumper may drastically change how those Northwest fruit get to market.

PROSSER, Wash. — The legend of John Henry pits a “steal driving man” against a steam drill. John Henry wins the contest but in the long run, machines have prevailed in the American economy. Now, researchers at Washington State University are developing a modern day contraption that could put cherry pickers out of work....
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“Eating Local” on Outdoor Idaho

July 12, 2010
By Guy Hand
Photo by Guy Hand

This Thursday, Outdoor Idaho will air a show on Idaho’s vibrant local food scene.  It’s a story that Idaho Public Television producer Thanh Tan has been working on since last summer — a subject dear to her heart. Here’s what Tan says about the show: “I always tell people one of the pleasures of working at IdahoPTV...
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A Crime as Old as the West: Cattle Rustling

June 29, 2010
By The Northwest News Network
Sheriff Bob Wroten patrols thousands of acres of backcountry ranch land in Eastern Oregon looking for suspicious signs that may be clues in the disappearance of cattle. Wroten and others suspect they are being stolen as each can fetch up to 1500 dollars.

JORDAN VALLEY, Ore. – The term “cattle rustling” might conjure scenes from an old spaghetti western. But in the vast desert range of Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, cattle rustling is a modern-day problem. In the past three years nearly 27-hundred cattle have gone missing in Oregon. Wanted posters are being tacked up in small-town...
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Idaho Wineries take home 47 awards

June 24, 2010
By Guy Hand
Idaho Wineries take home 47 awards

According to Idaho Grape Growers and Wine Producers Commission, “Idaho wineries swept the annual Northwest Wine Summit Competition.”  Here’s the Commissions summary of the event: Once again Idaho shows itself to be a growing industry and came out standing strong against tough competition. The competition extended across the Northwest including wines from Oregon, Washington, Idaho...
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Wine Business Blogging Gets Big

June 22, 2010
By The Northwest News Network

RICHLAND, Wash. – This week, about 300 bloggers and winemakers are set to descend on Walla Walla in Eastern Washington, for a sold-out conference. Organizers say it’s the first wine conference for bloggers held outside of California. Correspondent Anna King reports. Meet J.J. Williams. His family owns a winery on a dusty Eastern Washington hill...
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Odd Ducks: Oregon Farmers Raise Rare Breeds

June 15, 2010
By The Northwest News Network

You’ve likely heard of heirloom tomatoes, but have you heard about heirloom birds? It’s a similar concept – older and often less commercially popular breeds that are vanishing because they’ve been largely left behind by industrial agriculture. KLCC reporter Jes Burns went to Creswell, Oregon and met a pair of young farmers who are making...
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Northwest Oyster Industry Profitting from Gulf Oil Spill? Nope.

June 15, 2010
By The Northwest News Network

The gulf oil spill has shut down the oldest oyster shucking operation in the country. You might think that would translate into more business for Northwest oyster growers. But it’s not that simple. Correspondent Austin Jenkins explains. The P&J Oyster Company has been in operation in New Orleans for 134 years. Not any longer. The...
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The Future of School Lunch

June 12, 2010
By The Northwest News Network
Second-graders dig potatoes during a farm field trip.

EUGENE, OR – For children from low income homes, school lunch can be the only consistent source of nourishment in their lives. The Federal Nutrition Guidelines for the school lunch program is up for renewal in Congress this year. Correspondent Rachael McDonald takes a look at school lunch, its nutrition, its value and its...
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