It should be noted that these videos contain some very
frank and honest imagery that some people may find disturbing. 

Others it may make hungry. Diversity man, it makes life interesting.

"Meet Chris Harmon, a local farmer and the Executive Director of CADE, The Center for Agricultural Development & Entrepreneurship. CADE is a non-profit organization working to help build the necessary infrastructure so that farmers can survive and thrive in upstate New York.

More and more people are interested in knowing where their food comes from. And with local grass-fed meat in high demand along the East Coast, many farmers are looking towards repurposing their unused dairy land to raise animals. But to feed this demand, farmers need more local USDA-approved slaughterhouses. Slaughterhouses, with skilled butchers, that can help farmers make extra income off of their new crop of pasture-raised animals. And right now, there aren’t nearly enough of them. Therefore, building more meat processing plants is a necessary step to help revitalize a dying farming industry upstate, a step that CADE is using all its resources to grow."  (video link)

CADE (Part 2): The Good Slaughter: A Proud Meat Cutter Shares His Processing Floor

“My hope is that my children will have the same passion for this as I do…”

"Meet Larry Althiser, the owner and head meat cutter for Larry’s Custom Meats in Hartwick, NY, a small farming community in the Northern Catskills. Larry takes pride in his slaughterhouse. He’s been butchering and processing animals for over 30 years, learning through hard work his philosophy on the right way to slaughter animals so we can eat.

I spent two days upstate with Larry at his brand new processing plant to learn firsthand how animals become food – a rare opportunity to tell the story of transparency in the meat industry. Truth be told, I was very, very anxious going into this shoot. The night before, I tossed and turned in my bed, restless for hours. I just wasn’t sure if I was ready to see the whole process, to film what I’d been shy to film for years. But, I had to do it. It’s a story I wanted to tell, a good story about a proud butcher open to teaching his trade, and a story I felt compelled to share with many others, like me, who didn’t want to be disconnected to their food any longer."  (video link)

Videos by foodcurated.com

Hearing Anthony Bourdain, Eric Ripert, José Andrés, and April Bloomfield talk about their favorite kitchen tools won't make you a better chef. But that doesn't mean you can't learn from them.

Move

Eat

Learn

Filmed and Directed by Rick Mereki

A short vignette of Yoshi Masuda--a coffee enthusiast who is sharing his passion for coffee with victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

Directed/Edited/Shot by Mackenzie Sheppard
www.mackenziesheppard.net

In a fit of apparent OCD over the weekend (and some inspiration from my wife) I finally got around to sorting through and organizing my herb and spice collection. I took the doors off the cabinets and added a couple of removeable shelf/organizers to each shelf to create a new layout. I think it may be the first time I actually like the way that my collection is organized and displayed. Best of all, for the most part, all the common spices are immediately available. 

In the past (up until Sunday) my spice collection has been hidden behind closed cabinets, and as every spice stayed in it's own package, the lot was criminally disorganized. In fact the collection is actually taking up less space in my kichen that it did before - and it adds a great apothecary quality to the kitchen that I think I love. 

I still have to actaully create some kind of order for the spiced and do some trim and finishing to make everything completed. but I think I am really happy with it.