KPBS Special

The Botany of Desire

Wednesday, Oct. 28, 8 p.m.

KPBS

A documentary film by Michael Schwarz

- based on the book by Michael Pollen

The apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato are the stars of the film adaptation of journalist Michael Pollan's best-selling book, The Botany of Desire. The two-hour documentary, which takes the same name, also features Pollan himself. It begins in the author's own home garden before the film journeys to the apple orchards of Kazakhstan, the tulip markets of Amsterdam, a medical marijuana hot house and the potato fields of South America. These four famous plants share histories with corresponding human desires-for sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control over food production. The developmental relationship between human beings and the plants is what Pollan calls "the botany of desire." In this coevolution, Pollan argues, human beings are as controlled as in control. "It makes just as much sense to think of agriculture as something the grasses did to people as a way to conquer the trees," he writes.

A professor at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism, Michael Pollan is a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine and the author of many books. Producer and director of The Botany of Desire, In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto, and The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, which was named one of the 10 best books of 2006 by The New York Times and The Washington Post. It won the California Book Award, the Northern California Book Award, and the James Beard Award for Best Food Writing and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Pollan is also the author of A Place of My OwnSecond Nature. and

Michael Schwarz has produced numerous documentary films and won several Emmy awards for his work.

Visit the PBS Botany of Desire website for complete details, video downloads, and more.

Best of the Best!

People’s Co-op has been nominated by San Diego CityBeat as one of the Top Five Health Food Stores in town!

Tell San Diego that Your Co-op is Number One!

Vote by clicking here Voting will end on October 25 with results being announced in the November 11 BEST of San Diego issue of San Diego CityBeat.

Kick Gas Festival

Kick Gas Festival
Saturday, October 24, 11a.m. to 7 p.m.
Qualcomm Stadium
Tickets: $10 advance, $15 at gate

Click here to go to the Kick Gas Festival for More information

Support San Diego Roots Sustainable Foods Project with your ticket purchase!

Enter Presale Code "ROOTS" when purchasing your ticket online. 10% of each ticket sale will be donated to S.D. Roots projects, including Victory Gardens and Seeds at City Urban Farm.

The 2nd Annual Kick Gas Festival brings eco-friendly fun to San Diego with an electrifying, solar powered, “green” event. Infused with music and entertainment, the festival sets out to educate and create awareness about alternative and renewable energy. The Kick Gas Festival is an annual with a mission to educate people and create awareness about alternative fuel technology and sustainable energy.

The festival will include the 2009 Electric Vehicle Racing Championships in the K-1 Speed Auto Zone featuring different types of alternative vehicles on the Auto Cross Track from electric cars, conversions, to hybrids. The Earth-List.com Eco Zone has over 30 major environmental non-profits organizations and will include an Eco Fashion Show, hosted by Capone of 91X, showcasing some of the up and coming names in eco fashion.

Fall Means Pumpkins

Pumpkins are at their prime from September to late November, so now’s the time to transform these attractive seasonal squashes into delectable dishes — and we’re not just talking pie! A pumpkin’s mild, succulent flesh marries beautifully with many other flavors, and it can be prepared in almost any way that’s suitable for other winter squashes: baked, roasted, grilled, boiled, braised, or even hollowed out and used as a serving container. Over in the Earthbound Farms kitchens, they’re whipping up all kinds of wonderful pumpkin recipes including, Pumpkin Gratin, Savory Pumpkin Tart, Pumpkin and Coconut Soup (this one sounds extra delicious), Steamed Ginger, Date, and Pumpkin Pudding (which is actually much more like a cake than a pudding), Pumpkin Cheesecake and more!

Click here for recipes. And remember, every meal is better when you share it with a friend.

October is Co-op Month!