Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho

Series produced by Guy Hand

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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
If Weather Were All That Mattered
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Idaho greenhouses in winter, Credit: Guy Hand
How greenhouse could revolutionize the availability of local food in winter.

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio


  • Added: Jan 08, 2011
  • Length: 03:59
  • Purchases: 1
Hard Cider Makes a Comeback
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Hard apple cider, Credit: Guy Hand
Hard apple cider, once nearly forgotten, is enjoying a national comeback. In the Northwest, Washington and Oregon are becoming big producers. Ida...

Bought by WRST-FM Oshkosh, KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, and KISU


  • Added: Jan 16, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 3
Making Milk Real: The trend toward small dairies
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Cloverleaf Creamery bottling plant, Credit: Guy Hand
Fresh milk — thanks to it’s perishable nature — was once the most local of local foods. Today, though, milk is often a highly processed commodity ...

Bought by KISU, KUOW, and New Hampshire Public Radio


  • Added: Jan 23, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 3
Beer Gets Respectable
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
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Beer is finally getting respect in serious food circles. Today, learning to pair your meal with an ale or porter is nearly as respectable as a pai...

Bought by KISU


  • Added: Jan 29, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 1
Making Local Food Truly Local
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Local tomatoes at a farmers' market, Credit: Guy Hand
Some "local" food is actually harvested from Costco or as far away as Mexico. Some think it's time for a certification process to make sure local ...

Bought by KISU


  • Added: Feb 04, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 1
Sweet Wine from Bitter Weather
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Piece image
The Northwest's cold winters are the perfect climate for making great ice wine.

Bought by KUOW and KISU


  • Added: Feb 12, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 2
All About the Sugar Beet
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
Caption: Sugar Beets, Credit: Don Morishita
We've all heard about the controversy over genetically modified sugar beets. But what is a sugar beet? The answer might surprise you.

Bought by KISU


  • Added: Feb 19, 2011
  • Length: 04:00
  • Purchases: 1
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
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
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
Making Beef Better: A search for the World's best steak.
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
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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
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
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
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 Right to Farm vs. the Public’s Right to Know
From: Guy Hand
Series: Northwest Food News & Edible Idaho
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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 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
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
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
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
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

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