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Food & Drink 89 results
Permaculture, says writer Daniel Bingham, originated as an attempt to reshape industrial agriculture into sustainable ecological design that works in harmony with the natural world. First applied to farmsteads, it’s also used to create self-reliant homesteads. | Photo by Natasha Komoda

Can Permaculture Make Society Sustainable? Part 1
Daniel Bingham, Natasha Komoda
Permaculture, says writer Daniel Bingham, originated as an attempt to reshape industrial agriculture into sustainable ecological design that works in harmony with the natural world. First applied to farmsteads, it’s also used to create self-reliant homesteads. Part philosophy, part methodology, and part science, permaculture integrates humans with the natural environment. Click here to read the full story.
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Twenty years ago, Ruthie Cohen's granola recipe included everything but "the proverbial kitchen sink." Since then, she's simplified the recipe — and oats are the star. | Photo by Ruthie Cohen

Stirring the Pot: Granola, Where More Is Often Less — How Lifelike
Ruthie Cohen
Ruthie Cohen has learned that you don’t mess with certain things in life. Her chicken soup, for instance. Or her mother’s meatball recipe. But, usually, as with Ruthie's granola, the recipe changes: Ingredients are added and deleted until, ultimately, the dish is stripped to its delicious essence. How lifelike. Click here to read the full story.
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Oldenburg, Indiana, calls itself the "Village of Spires." Adventure travel writer Michael Waterford says this small town holds a special place in his heart. | Photo by Michael Waterford

Destination Small Town: Old World Germany in Oldenburg
Michael Waterford
In our newest series, Destination Small Town, adventure-travel writer Michael Waterford explores intriguing places in Indiana. His first trip is to "ludicrously pleasant” Oldenburg. With Germanic heritage, a historic convent, and two restaurants on the Southeastern Indiana Chicken Tour (yes, it's a real thing), Oldenburg is a fantastic weekend getaway. Click here to read the full story.
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After years of gardening difficulties in Montana, Jonna Mary Yost and her husband, Benjamin Schwarz (pictured here), did not realize what was in store from their Bloomington garden. | Photo by Jonna Mary Yost

Montana Transplant’s First Hoosier Garden Turns Into ‘Tropical Rectangle of Chaos’
Jonna Mary Yost
With so-so results and “a heavy blanket of defeat” from gardening in her native Montana, Jonna Mary Yost dug her thumbs in the dirt at her new Indiana home. The prime growing conditions of the Hoosier climate turned her backyard into a lush harvest. Click here to read the full story.
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Stephanie Solomon, the director of education and outreach at Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard, says the problem of food insecurity is broader and more systemic than many people realize. Monroe County is tied for the fourth-highest hunger rate in the state. | Photo by Natasha Komoda

Food Insecurity, Part 1: Misconceptions Persist About Who Needs Help Getting Food
Sarah Gordon, Natasha Komoda
In this three-part series, Sarah Gordon investigates the popular misconceptions about “food insecurity” — the inability to afford nutritious, or even enough, food. Most people considered food insecure are seniors and families with children. Many are our neighbors. Local experts say the problem is more systemic than most people are aware. Click here to read the full story.
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Ruthie Cohen's Chicken Marrakesh is cooked with dried cherries, other dried fruit, olives, and pecans. | Photo by Ruthie Cohen

Stirring the Pot: A Bowl of (Dried) Cherries
Ruthie Cohen
Being a friend is a privilege, says Ruthie Cohen. With some friends, talking about cooking and cherries can lead to talk of restaurants, yoga poses, children, grandchildren, and former husbands. For her, friendship is a hallowed institution — a lifeline in stormy seas and a place where we can be our best selves. Click here to read the full story.
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Adam (left) and Alicia Sweet, owners of King Dough pizza, stand next to their Italian brick oven in their brick-and-mortar location on the downtown Square. | Photo by Lynae Sowinski

B-town Becoming a ‘Bootstraps Community’ of Unconventional Collaborations
Jonna Mary Yost
Writer Jonna Mary Yost explores how a new brand of entrepreneurs in B-town are working outside the usual business model — and making it work. It isn’t about just baking the best pizza or brewing the best coffee. It’s about working with people you like and making your town a better place. Click here to read the full story.
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Ruthie Cohen's son named this dish "Swamp" almost 20 years ago, and the name has allowed her to claim the recipe in a way that is singular to her family. | Photo by Ruthie Cohen

Stirring the Pot: Swamped!
Ruthie Cohen
A dish doesn’t have to look pretty, or even sound pretty, to be delicious. And Ruthie Cohen’s souplike, stewlike “Swamp” is more than either of those. It’s her own version of Proust’s madeleine, a tasty delight that brings back fond memories of the time a smart-aleck teenager gave the dish its name. Click here to read the full story.
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Mark Havens, head brewer of Quaff ON! Brewing Company, stands in the doorway of the Quaff ON! production site in Brown County, which is located in an old bowling alley. | Photo by Jonna Mary Yost

Quaff ON! Brewery ‘Abides’ in Nashville, Expanding Its Production and Adding a Distillery
Jonna Mary Yost
When it seems another craft brewery or distillery is opening every month, it’s natural to ask, how many can a community support? Quaff ON! Brewery, which is both building a new beer-making facility and starting a distillery in Nashville, shows writer Jonna Mary Yost how such companies can be integral parts of community development. Click here to read the full story.
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Clockwise from left: Ruthie Cohen's White Chocolate Cherry Macadamia Cookies, Chocolate Chip Medley Cookies, and Toffee Bars make great treats. | Photo by Ruthie Cohen

Stirring the Pot: A Trio of Treats
Ruthie Cohen
Ruthie Cohen says volunteering at Habitat for Humanity is both humbling and empowering. But her biggest contribution isn’t hanging doors or framing sheds — although she has learned such skills (more or less). Rather, the skill she brings to the worksite has helped her find a home among her fellow volunteers. Click here to read the full story.
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Many local bars have staff members responsible for intervening in situations that appear to be dangerous. For example, The Atlas Ballroom says it hires more door staff per square foot than any other bar in town. | Photo by Natasha Komoda

Managers of Local Bars Say Preventing Sexual Assault Is More Art Than Science
Sarah Gordon, Natasha Komoda
While alcohol is called the single most common date-rape drug, at least one study shows that the culprits of unwanted sexual contact in bars are usually sober. In this report by Sarah Gordon, the people who run three bars in Bloomington and the prevention programs coordinator at Middle Way House talk about preventing sexual assault. Click here to read the full story.
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Susan M. Brackney says mixed greens (shown above), sprouts, microshoots, and vegetables grown indoors pack a nutritional punch you’re unlikely to get from the grocery store. | Photo by Susan M. Brackney

Getting Fresher Greens This Winter — Indoor Gardening Is Easier and Cheaper Than Ever
Susan M. Brackney
Nothing beats just-picked veggies, and the cold, short days of winter need not stop you from having them. Susan M. Brackney shows how greens, sprouts, microshoots, and vegetables can be grown cheaply and easily indoors. One reason, she explains, is that lighting has become more efficient. T-what?! Click here to read the full story.
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