With harvest in full swing, the local food movement in the Ocean State is gaining momentum through the roll-out of a new “Farm Fresh Rhode Island” promotion. Consumers interested in locally grown spuds are encouraged to "look for the white potato in the purple bag” in the produce aisle of their local grocery store.

The new campaign features the RI Royal, a “creamy, white flesh potato” renowned as a favorite of local chefs and consumers. RI Royals are freshly dug from local farms and are well-suited for a variety of uses “whether you prefer your potatoes mashed, fried, scalloped or in chowder.”

According to Noah Fulmer, executive director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, “We think revitalized farm-to-grocer connections will be a foundation for more secure farms and more secure food that will benefit Rhode Island’s farmers and eaters for generations to come.”

Learn more at www.farmfreshri.org.

As we turn the calendar page to November, what local foods are available in your neck of the woods?

Today's edition of USA Today features a farm-to-table article showcasing a movement sweeping across the country that aims to get consumers closer to farmers. The group, called Outstanding in the Field, supports locally-grown food and allows consumers to share a meal with local producers. Most recently, diners in Virginia paid $200 per person to share dinner and conversation with area farmers. Chefs nationwide are taking part in the program by hosting and preparing the meals. Says the movement's founder, Jim Denevan, in the beginning "It was pretty difficult to convince people to come out to the farms. But seeing the farmer give a tour and having the table right at the (food) source, well, that was profound."

Read more in USA Today.

Link: http://mypyramid.gov/

USDA this coming weekend will unveil its new food pyramid for pre-schoolers (aged 2-5 years old). The idea is to get parents thinking about what type of foods their youngsters need based on age, gender, and activity level. The site, MyPyramid.gov, even offers "real-life" strategies on how to introduce new foods to kids. The program also weighs heavily on eating together as a family, to make the experience more fun and less stressful for kids.

Will this new program help parents make wiser, healthier food choices for their pre-schoolers? What do you think?

Hamburgers topped the list in a survey of the “most iconic American foods” conducted during the James Beard Foundation “Taste of America” national food festival. A whopping 44 percent of respondents named hamburgers and cheeseburgers the most iconic food in America, followed by barbecue, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, and apple pie.

– excerpt from an article appearing in FoodiE-News, a free electronic monthly publication of the American Farm Bureau Federation. Subscribe to FoodiE-News by sending your name, email address and affiliation (if any) to: foodienews@fb.org.

The economy, with rising food, gas and other prices has made many consumers very price-conscious. Yet, at the same time, these same consumers are seeking U-Pick and agri-entertainment locations in numbers never seen before. Pick-your-own farms and orchards, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, hayrides and cut-your-own Christmas tree farms are drawing families looking for fun, fresh, healthier produce and better prices. The customer ranges from the cost-conscious looking for an inexpensive bushel of apples, to families seeking a pumpkin and a hayride to those with disposable income seeking the best produce they can find (and pick themselves).

– excerpt from guest column by Blake Slemmer in the Oct. 2008 issue of Foodie-News. Slemmer is Web Master of www.PickYourOwn.org.

Are you interested in subscribing to FoodiE-News, an electronic monthly publication of the American Farm Bureau Federation? Send your name, email address and affiliation (if any) to: foodienews@fb.org.