Mike Licht (NotionsCapital.com) via Creative Commons

Nothing is safe, nothing is sacred.

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flickr/kthread

Recent studies about produce price may surprise you...

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Potatoes, puhtahtoes, tomatoes, tomahtoes. What's the difference, right? For most of us, what we buy is heavily influenced by price. Most people assume that farmers' markets in the U.S., while lovely to look at, are not as affordable to regularly shop at as local chains. But is our assumption totally wrong?

Barry Eastbrook, whose blog, politicsoftheplate, recently won the top individual food blog prize by the James Beard Foundation, took a look at studies about the cost of produce at farmers' markets. He found that hardly anyone has actually studied the issue, and the few reports out have some surprising finds.

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Photo © Fort Lauderdale Vegetables

​It's finally happening. For the longest time, it seemed there were virtually no options for local food in Broward County -- but those days are finally ending.  More >>

A visit to Paradise Farms is not your standard brunch. (Don't worry, there are still mimosas!)

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Paradise Farms, which supplies produce for some of the area's best restaurants, is open for brunch. But, while there, you won't merely be getting a meal...More >>

Photo © Jon VanZile

​You know that horrible tipping point that happens when something good becomes a marketing strategy and then it's not so good anymore? I'm thinking of "real" balsamic vinegar and "authentic" parmigiano reggiano cheese and "organic" produce (although that's getting better).  More >>

Photo © Jenny Frech

​Before I tell you this story, I should say this much: I love canning, and now is the time of year you'll find me in the kitchen, enveloped in clouds of steam. 

I know this makes me the nerdiest guy in the history of the world. And I know it's probably the least manly pseudo-hobby I can think of. But what can I say? I'm a proud member of the back-to-the-earth, locavore movement. And it's not even because I think the corporate food industry is evil or trying to poison me (although it very well might be). It's more like my own food tastes better.

Except when it doesn't.


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Robert Farriss

​When was the last time an omelet or frittata or a simple hard-boiled egg was something special? 

Easier question: When was the first time? 

If your omelet, frittata, HBE, whatever are nothing special, it's probably because your eggs are nothing special. Lucky for you, the cure is as close as the West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens Greenmarkets, where every weekend, Robert and Paula Farriss sell eggs as fresh as a morning sunrise from their own flock of about five dozen chickens that scratch around for food on their Palm Beach Gardens farm. 

These eggs really are something special, with rich-tasting, deep-golden yolks that make any dish more flavorful. Consider the difference in taste between an organic, free-range, air-chilled chicken and a mass-produced, hormone-addled, half-frozen bird; it's the same thing with eggs from caged, abused, factory farm birds. 

At $5 a dozen, Farriss Farm eggs are about twice the price of those at your local giantmegasupermarket, which is pretty damned cheap for good, wholesome, locally produced food that happens to taste terrific. Robert and Paula are at the West Palm Greenmarket on Saturdays and the PBG Greenmaket on Sundays. Or go to their website and make an appointment to pick up your eggs at the farm. 

Your taste buds will thank you.

Photo © lucianvenutian/Flickr

​I'm kind of addicted to jalapeno peppers. And Tabasco. And Sriracha. Okay, I'm into really hot food in general, and there's no point in trying to tell me that too much spice only ruins a meal. That's just a ridiculous thing to say.

Anyway, last night we had a jalapeno emergency. The time came to load up dinner with those delicious little bastards and I realized someone had eaten the last jalapeno peppers and didn't tell me. I panicked at first. It wasn't exactly dignified, but when something is really important, dignity is a matter of perspective.

But then I remembered why I love this time of year.More >>

Photo © The Urban Farmer

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Turns out President Obama wants YOU... to be a farmer.

In the past year or two, it seems like small, urban farms and CSAs (like the Urban Farmer in Pompano Beach) are popping up throughout South Florida. And that's a great thing for anybody who values fresh produce that didn't travel 2,000 miles to reach your local Publix.

Now, the Center for Rural Affairs, with support from Washington, D.C., is hoping more people will get in the game. The center just unveiled a help line to answer questions on how to start a farm, arrange financing, and make the most of United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The center can help with issues like obtaining loans, converting to organic certification, and obtaining conservation grants. Ultimately, the goal is to launch 100,000 new farms -- including urban and small-scale farms.

To reach the center, call the Farm Bill Help line at 402-687-2100, or visit them on the internet.Follow Clean Plate Charlie on Twitter: @CleanPlateBPB.