Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 62

• A new local food and beverage consciousness has come to Ghana. "'We are trying to create a new atmosphere here, and to rejuvenate our sense of identity," said Kofi Owusu-Ansah, 39, who founded Republic with his brother Raja last year. 'If you look at our spirits, you will find not one single import – the base for all our cocktails is local-made sugar cane spirit akpeteshie.'" Curious about all the African food you don't know about? Check out the new project My African Food Map.

• Russians are now trying to get back to their former, healthier cuisine. "'We want to inspirate [sic] the old Russian traditions with new feelings and ideas," Akimov says. "In Europe, it [local food] is about health and sustainability. In Russia, it's more than that. It's an opportunity to revive whole regions.' LavkaLavka and its partners aren't just resurrecting their country's indigenous foods – they are reinvesting in the people who grow them."

• In Florida, you don't have to go out of your way to find exotics — just go out your back door. The giant African land snail is the latest eco-invader. (yes, everything really weird happens in Florida) If you want to make good use of the invaders by turning them into dinner, food writer Tim Hayward of the Guardian UK visits an African restaurant in south London for a cooking lesson (video).

• What we will probably all be eating soon and probably should be already: edible insects. London-based company Ento wants to convince you to give this sustainable protein a try.

• Insects are also helping us figure out what we should be eating. A young (high school aged young) scientist in Texas is working with fruit flies to more closely examine the effects of organic food on their systems. "By nearly every measure, including fertility, stress resistance and longevity, flies that fed on organic bananas and potatoes fared better than those who dined on conventionally raised produce."

• And not to freak you out that the world is actually coming to an end, but climate change is going to mess up winemaking in a big way. Global warming will make it difficult to raise grapes in traditional wine country, but will shift production to other regions.

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 17

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• Tiny foodies will be taking over a cafe near you: Let's begin by saying "Babyccinos" are happening, and there's nothing you can do about it.

• Catching invasive species is making town and country strides at being hip. Fishing for snakehead is featured in the current issue of Food & Wine and Trout Unlimited is singing the praises of fly fishing for carp.

• The family fishing boat — even more endangered than the family farm. New England cod fisherman face bleak prospects.

• Giving some relief for certification madness, European Union and United States Agree to Historic New Partnership on Organic Trade and will recognize each other's certifications.

• France has set goals to reduce pesticide use by half. "Being an American citizen in the early 21st century, I find it stunning that a government would intervene explicitly against the interests of the agrochemical industry," Tom Philpott writes.

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 16

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

• It's not just the sugar that will kill you... Cereal killers (left, and more) has some fun with the pop culture form.

• Is seafood charcuterie taking menus by storm in 2012? Reports from Boston and LA think so.

• The USDA is giving more grants to farmers for developing value-added products. “The local food movement really took off with most folks selling direct through farmers markets and CSAs, and that’s great, and yet 97 percent of the food consumed in America goes through the wholesale markets. So if we’re really going to create new markets for family farmers and cut food miles, we have to figure out how to get into these markets.”

• The trend of high-end vinegars we've been hoping for seems to be on the move, with honey wine, verjus and Mexican banana.

• Invasive species burgers could be the solution to a wild iguana population. Puerto Rico will begin hunting and exporting the meat. "This is a very big problem. We have to attack it...It has impacted structures, the economy, crops and the ecosystem." Unfortunately, the Burmese pythons destroying South Florida mammal populations aren't so easy to catch.

• Maine looks for new ways to keeping fishing and fishing culture alive. "I've got all kinds of fisheries policy people, I've got all kinds of fisheries scientists. But we don't have anybody that creates that link back to shore-side business side of commercial fishing, and you can't have one without the other. We need the healthy fisheries, but we have to make sure we have a link back to the shore-side business that supports the sale and development of fish or lobsters or clams or anything else it might be."

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 6

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

 

• Be the baker you've always felt you were with a Wonder Woman-themed mixer from KitchenAid Brasil. (above, via Laughing Squid) Now all I need is an invisible jet...

• Drinkify helps you pair music and cocktails. What to drink with Belle and Sebastian — Sipsmith Gin, on the rocks. Aretha Franklin gets her own cocktail of Vodka, Fassionola and Sprite. Serge Gainsbourg calls for nothing less than a full bottle of red wine.

• Food Truck love continues. Check out the Social-Savvy Food Truck Series and a profile of one of our favorites, SlapFish.

• Young farmers find huge obstacles to getting started. Access to land and financing is tough, and so is being a first-adopter of a "new" lifestyle. "We would gladly trade a little competition for more community and collaboration.”

• The National Young Farmers' Coalition offers community online and with events. "Make out with another person who’s got dirty fingernails!...The NYFC aims to help farmers find each other, whether they’re looking for love or just to commiserate about their 1955 International tractor."

• There's finally some good news in the battle against GMO crops. A Minnesota court rules organic farmers can sue conventional, GMO farmers whose pesticides 'trespass' and contaminate their fields.

• Brand early, not often is great advice. "While a business may not need strong branding to get off the ground, its chances of becoming a smash hit are greatly magnified by investing in their brand--in the form of sharp creative strategy and great design--from the beginning." If you don't believe us, check out this video about the power of the iPhone brand (warning, language NSFW).

• Chefs are turning problems into art, like the invasive species menu at Miya Sushi in New Haven, Connecticut. “Invasive species and climate change, they’re basically brothers,” Chef Bun Lai says.

• For turning what grows around you into dinner, from weeds to forrest treasures, listen to a full hour of Foraging Fever on NPR's On Point.

Friday Faves — notes from the new gastroconomy, No. 4

a weekly round-up of our favorite finds from the front lines of food

 

• Now you can feed the multitudes, with Grilled Cheesus (above).

• The Wall Street Journal wrote on chefs and twitter in @Foodies: Peak Into My Kitchen. "It's a power tool. Before you had to [spend] a quarter-million dollars in ads to do this."

• Trying to find opportunity in the crisis of invasive species, one Illinois company Schafer Fisheries is catching asian carp and making fillets, fish sticks, nuggets and fertilizer.

• Young entrepreneurs are finding inspiration in the past, from Sheep Lawn Mowers to raising chickens. “It’s a gateway to that whole rural dream...And with the type of recession we’re having, there’s stability in it.”

• Why stop at 140 characters when you can bring consumers to a world of information. QR codes provide the anti-tweet for wine and other foods. "I’m looking forward to the day when I will be able to scan a QR Code on a barrel of cheese and be transported to a farm instead of a news review."

• Give 'Em Shell: oysters make new homes at the Oyster Recovery Project on the Chesapeake Bay. Be part of their Shell Recycling Alliance.