Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho

Series produced by Guy Hand

Series image

A monthly series about food and agriculture in the inland Northwest.

Award winning public radio producer Guy Hand takes a monthly, sound-rich look at the inland Northwest's surprising diversity of local foods and food producers. Launched three and a half years ago as Edible Idaho, Northwest Food News has tagged along with truffle growers, alligator farmers and raspberry-picking nuns. We've pulled muddy tubers with native peoples (literally getting back to their roots); discovered that tater tots are actually a creative repackaging of what was once cattle feed; and found that arugula, when it comes to partisan politics, makes a very good weapon.

Northwest Food News searches for the universal in the local. After all, when it comes to the subject of food, big themes are often served on small plates.


67 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
Giving Chefs an Appetite for Mushrooms
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Morel mushrooms, Credit: Guy Hand
A mushroom forager takes chefs into the woods to give them a taste for wild mushrooms.

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, KUOW, Spokane Public Radio, and KISU


  • Added: Jul 17, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 4
Luring Americans Back to Fishing
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Fried fish at Fish and Game fish fry, Credit: Guy Hand
The nation lost around 5 million anglers from 1996 to 2006. Idaho fishing dropped by 28% during that same decade. That's why Idaho Fish and Game i...

Bought by Spokane Public Radio and KISU


  • Added: Jul 11, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
Fun with Foraging: Finding food in the mountains of Idaho
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Foraged foods from the mountains of Idaho, Credit: Guy Hand
Foraging fell out of favor a few thousand years ago—thanks to that invention called agriculture—but not everybody abandoned the impulse to forage. ...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, Spokane Public Radio, and KISU


  • Added: Jun 25, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 3
For Asparagus, A Cold Spring Isn’t All Bad
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Piece image
The Northwest endured a surprisingly cold, cloudy spring. It slowed the growth of many vegetable crops by weeks. Who knows when we’ll have ripe tom...

Bought by Spokane Public Radio and KISU


  • Added: Jun 18, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
Going to Okraville: A small farm from a family tradition
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Jason Brashears and his young okra plants, Credit: Guy Hand
The number of new farmers entering small-scale farming is on the rise, in part due to a host of avenues opening to first-time farmers allowing them...

Bought by Spokane Public Radio, KUOW, KISU, and KZYX


  • Added: Jun 11, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 4
Seeing the Connection Between Water & Food
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Water and food presentation at the College of Idaho, Credit: Guy Hand
We use vast amounts of water to grow food, but the consequences are often hard to see. One Idaho college class decided to take a look and they were...

Bought by Spokane Public Radio and KISU


  • Added: Jun 05, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
A Year of Idaho Food Mid Season Update
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Tyler Korn enjoying a garden school carrot at Northside Elementary School in Sandpoint, Idaho., Credit: Michele Murphree
The Year of Idaho Food is nearing it’s halfway mark. A year long collaboration of volunteers, the Year of Idaho Food is designed to collect and cat...

Bought by Spokane Public Radio and KISU


  • Added: May 29, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
Highland Cattle in the High Desert
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Highland Cattle, Credit: Guy Hand
Scottish Highland Cattle are growing in popularity in Idaho and the Northwest.

Bought by Spokane Public Radio and KISU


  • Added: May 21, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
Fraser Vineyard, Idaho Wines on the Rise
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Piece image
An award winning Idaho winery shows the potential of the state's wine industry in general.

Bought by Spokane Public Radio and KISU


  • Added: May 15, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
The Gospel of Spring Greens
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Tim Sommer of Purple Sage Farms, Credit: Guy Hand
A look at the varied world of spring greens.

Bought by Spokane Public Radio, KUOW, and KISU


  • Added: May 15, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 3
Going Local is Not as Simple As It Sounds
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Forager Matt Fuxan searching for local food., Credit: Guy Hand
Why it's not easy to get local food into local restaurants.

Bought by Spokane Public Radio and KISU


  • Added: May 15, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
Idaho Farmers Markets Multiply and Innovate
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Customer at the Capital City Public Market in Boise, Credit: Guy Hand
A record number of farmers markets are scheduled to open across Idaho this season and many are offering new services for customers.

Bought by KISU


  • Added: Apr 24, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 1
The Right to Farm vs. the Public’s Right to Know
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Piece image
Numerous state legislatures have proposed or passed bills to limit the public’s influence over agriculture. Nationwide, bills restrict access to ag...

Bought by KISU


  • Added: Apr 16, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 1
Idaho Potato Vodka: A high -end use for the humble potato
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Greg Koenig and his vodka distillery, Credit: Guy Hand
Idaho, not surprisingly, is the nation's number one producer of potato vodka. A profile of one producer and why his vodka wins awards.

Bought by Red River Radio Network (E. Texas/Louisiana/Arkansas/Mississippi), Boise State Public Radio, and KISU


  • Added: Apr 09, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 3
The Once Loved Dandelion
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Dried dandelion root, Credit: Guy Hand
The surprising history of the once much loved dandelion.

Bought by PRX Remix and KISU


  • Added: Apr 02, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
Small-scale ranchers try to make beef better
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Glenn Elzinga and daughters, Credit: Guy Hand
Last week I talked to author Mark Schatzker about his book Steak. In it, he tries to find the world’s best tasting beef. Schatzker discovers that t...

Bought by KISU


  • Added: Mar 26, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 1
Making Beef Better: A search for the World's best steak.
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Piece image
An interview with Mark Schatzker, author of Steak, on why great steak is hard to find and how a few small-scale ranchers are helping to make beef b...

Bought by KISU


  • Added: Mar 19, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 1
Sowing the Seeds of a New Generation of Farmers
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Farmer Casey O'Leary, Credit: Guy Hand
The average age of the American farmer is 57 years old. But there's a new breed of farmer out there, one who is young, focused on the small scale a...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, KISU, and New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Mar 12, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 3
Idaho Caviar and High Desert Aquaculture
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: A tin of Idaho caviar, Credit: Guy Hand
When driving through southern Idaho’s sagebrush desert, glistening black beads of caviar aren’t likely the first things that come to mind. Yet stu...

Bought by KUOW and KISU


  • Added: Mar 05, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
Fans of Fermentation
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Tara Kelly with an assortment of her fermented foods., Credit: Guy Hand
A profile of an Idaho woman immersed in the ancient craft of fermentation.

Bought by KUOW and KISU


  • Added: Feb 26, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2

Playlists That Feature This Series: