The Slowcook at Spydog Farm The Slowcook at Spydog Farm

About Ed

A Washington Post reporter and urban kitchen gardener in previous lives, Ed and his family pulled up stakes in the District of Columbia in favor of greener pastures in Upstate New York, where they have started a new adventure: building an old-fashioned family farm centered on pastured livestock. They now live on a 25-acre property outside Cambridge in beautiful Washington County, barely a stone’s throw from Vermont on one side and the Hudson River on the other.

Master gardener, personal chef, teacher, lecturer, writer: Ed has covered the food landscape in a number of different arenas. He was a co-founder of the group D.C. Urban Gardeners and lectures on composting, kitchen gardening, food preservation, and other related topics. He sat on the advisory board of the D.C. Farm to School Network and has contributed to food policy blogs such as Grist and La Vida Locavore, as well as the gardening blog Garden Rant. Ed believes in self-reliance and food grown in harmony with nature.

Ed’s food writing has appeared in The Washington Post Food section, Martha Stewart Living magazine and Edible Chesapeake. His work in sustainable gardening has been featured in People magazine, as well as in popular food blogs such as Chow and Seriously Good. He has appeared on FOX News, WAMU radio news, Washington City Paper and was a frequent guest on the Kojo Nnamdi Show (WAMU FM 88.5).

Email Ed: ed.spydogfarm@yahoo.com

Manifesto

Enough of food fads! Enough of food porn! Enough of celebrity chefs (except Mario Batali)! It’s time to take back control of the food we eat and the pace of our own lives. Things should grow and cook in their own time. Reject fast food! Reject waiting lists at over-hyped, outrageously expensive restaurants! Reject food out of season! Sit, eat, drink. Enjoy good food made by caring hands. Enjoy food eaten slowly, in good company.

Things We Embrace

Dutch ovens & iron skillets. Real butchers. Our molcajetes. Pastured livestock. Vegetable gardening. Walking to the grocery store. Sunday suppers. Community Supported Agriculture. Composting. Naturally grown food. Self-reliance. Teaching children to appreciate food. Farmer’s markets. Urban agriculture. Inexpensive ethnic restaurants. Neighborhood restaurants. Our charcoal rotisserie. Fermentation. Brassicas. Root vegetables. The public library. Used books. Our copy of Patience Gray’s Honey from a Weed. John Thorne’s newsletter, Simple Cooking.

Things We Try to Avoid

Saturday at Whole Foods. Spending time in the suburbs. Driving in traffic. Commuting. SUVs. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Black plastic. Ornamental plants (except roses). Lawns. Waiting for a table at a restaurant. Expensive restaurants. Buying wine at a restaurant. Chain restaurants. Fussy, overly designed food. Fast food. Processed food. Packaged food (except Crystal Light–what I’m not entitled to one little vice?). Asparagus in January. Styrofoam. Strip malls. Network television (except CBS Sunday Morning). Buying new books. Eating standing up. Eating while walking. Eating in the car.