Welcome to Farm 2 Fork - Paths to Sustainable Food Systems
A webinar series about the people, technologies and collaborations that are enabling positive change
For more information about the Farm 2 Fork series please contact Sheri Cole
December 15, 2023
December 15, 2023
Pignoli 101: Classic Italian Cookie
Are you in need of a new holiday cookie recipe? Follow along with Sue Queisser, an expert in European cookies, as she breaks down the simple steps to making this delectable, almond and pine nut cookie from Italy. Sue is the former owner of Melarova Baking, a bakery which specialized in European cookies and is now Lead Academic Advisor for the Department of Food Science and Technology at Oregon State University.
("Pignoli Cookies Jared Gordon" by thebittenword.com is licensed under CC BY 2.0.)
January 19, 2024
January 19, 2024
Kombucha: A (mostly) happily-ever-after story of microbial cooperation
Once upon a time, kombucha was a weird home-brewed beverage only consumed by health-obsessed hippies. Today it is a mainstream alternative to soda. At the heart of this story is the perception of kombucha as healthy, and the relative simplicity of carrying out a kombucha fermentation – make some sweet tea, throw in the “SCOBY” and when it starts to smell vinegary, taste it to see if it’s done. What can go wrong?
As it turns out, the simplicity of the fermentation system relies upon a complex mixture of microbes each needing to do their part. Sometimes these processes are not fully synced-up and kombucha may end up tasting a bit too funky, may not meet the standards for a non-alcoholic beverage, or may not contain probiotics. In this webinar you’ll learn more about the microbiology of kombucha fermentation and why it creates challenges for kombucha brewers.
March 15, 2024
March 15, 2024
How Tourism Protects “Food From The Sea” on The People’s Coast.
Did you know that Oregon is internationally known as a culinary and “foodie” destination attracting millions of visitors each year? Oregon’s tourism community cares deeply about it’s relationship with people, place and the profit it generates.
Visitors to the Oregon Coast alone spend about $840,000,000 each year on food and food services, who arguably expect to experience locally-landed seafood. However, a recent authoritative study has concluded that 90% of the seafood sold and consumed along the Oregon Coast – for both visitors and residents – is not from Oregon at all. This means the ‘economic leakage’ to our local economy equates to hundreds of millions of dollars each year because seafood inventory is restocked from international and distant domestic sources.
Information will be shared on OCVA’s current investments in our regional food system capacity spanning future workforce, technical assistance, distribution, physical infrastructure, marketing and public education. We welcome you to attend this discussion to explore ideas and field questions about how Oregon’s tourism industry can contribute to solutions, in partnership with other agencies and allies.
The People’s Coast is one of Oregon’s 7 tourism regions and managed by The Oregon Coast Visitors Association, as appointed by the Oregon Tourism Commission, DBA Travel Oregon.
This webinar series brings you stories that illuminate not only how our food systems work today but also the inspiring and creative ways that they are changing to sustainably feed the world of tomorrow.
Who we are: the mission of Oregon State University’s Food Science & Technology Department is to train the next generation of scientists who will ensure that the food we eat is safe, high quality, nutritious, inspired and sustainable whether as research scientists, product developers, food safety and quality assurance professionals or entrepreneurs.
We fulfill our mission of Teaching, Research and Outreach to all parts of the food and beverage industry and develop the science and technologies that support them. We are one department in 3 Oregon locations – Corvallis, Portland and Astoria.
- We believe an informed and connected food community is an empowered one.
- Our food systems are complex. How our food is grown, made and distributed has largely been invisible to many of us.
- People around the world abruptly awakened to this complexity as a result of the consequences of the pandemic.
- Changes to how our food system works, what we grow and what we eat, have been happening for decades but both pressure and opportunities to accelerate this change are gaining momentum.
