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I love The Ethicurean because of its widespread reach in, over and through the topic of eating and what it means for us today. I decided to put my 5 Question-feelers to the team that writes for this edifying blog and this is what they had to say:

Andrew Zimmern: I know that this blog is written by a handful of people across the country. How did you all find each other and decide to devote your time to this?

Ethicurean Team: Ethicurean Editor Bonnie Powell started the blog as a group project with five friends, colleagues, and relatives. As it grew, she enlisted people that she met through the food-blogging world; now, the contributors number 15 and hail from six U.S. states plus Montreal and Sydney. We are in the process of bringing others on board from the East Coast and the South.

AZ: Of all the topics in the food world today, which do you think take the top three spots for relevance and importance and why?

ET: Well, we have trouble agreeing on our top three, but we all think the safety of our food supply is a major, major issue. Food-borne E. coli outbreaks and contaminated ingredients from China are what generate the most headlines, but we’re also concerned about the lack of long-term studies into the effect on public health of genetically modified plants and food from cloned animals. Then there’s the massive environmental pollution by factory farms, which is a long-term safety problem.

And as much as we love the motto “vote with your forks,”there’s only so much consumers can do — especially in the area of food safety. As Ethicurean contributor Elanor Starmer notes, “We need a national food policy that supports things like local infrastructure for regional food systems, including small-scale meat processors; rewarding farmers for environmental stewardship; helping low-income households access food that's as safe and healthy as what wealthier folks can get at the farmers market — these are all public goods, and by definition the government has a role in safeguarding them. It’s great that discussion of the Farm Bill actually made it into the mainstream, but we have a long way to go.”

Cooking would be third on our list. Seduced by processed-food manufacturers and all the “10-Minute Meals” magazine and Food Network specials, most Americans have forgotten — or never learned – how easy it is to create nourishing meals from fresh, whole foods. As one of the Ethicurean’s Berkeley contributors, Marc Rumminger, puts it, “The usefulness of a farmers market or local producer is far greater if you know what to do with the ingredients.”

AZ: Lake Superiour State University put "organic" on its list of banned words. Do you think that people may be getting burnt out on the spotlight that's on organic and sustainable foods? And if so, how can we keep up the energy on such an exhaustive topic?

ET: We’re split on this issue. Our Canadian contributor Peter Horowitz agrees with the ban, saying “I no longer use that word, but rely on a combination of questions when asking a farmer, wholesaler, or retailer about a certain food. When describing foods that I deem acceptable, I often say, ‘certified by me.'” But Ethicurean Janet Majure in Kansas argues that although "organic" may not always be what its originators had in mind, “it does mean something worthwhile, and can be at least somewhat useful to consumers who are either just beginning to learn more about their food sources or who want to do better but don’t have the interest to figure things out for themselves.”

AZ: What do you recommend concerned eaters do when they feel adrift in a sea of conflicting information? i.e., should you buy the organic banana from far away or the not-necessarily-organic apple from the farmer down the road?

ET: Janet had the best answer to this one: “Buy what's in season on your continent from the closest nontoxic source. Unless it's some kind of trade good (spices, tea), stick with your own region or continent. If it's a processed food and you don't know what the ingredient list means, skip it.”Marc would add the important caveat that “with some choices, there often isn’t a ‘right answer.’ Nonetheless, it is important for people to think about what they buy, to evaluate the tradeoffs of the purchase, and gradually become more educated about their choices.”

AZ: What are some easy things that everyday eater can do to become more conscious of their food choices?

ET: Here’s the short version: Read. Connect. Cook.

If you’re entirely new to thinking about what you eat, Ethicurean cofounder JC Costello in Seattle recommends a crash course starting with Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Bonnie would add Intervention, Denise Caruso’s book about how we came to be eating genetically modified foods. The Ethicurean website has a list of books for further reading, which we’re in the middle of overhauling. And start reading labels. The longer the list of ingredients and the more you don’t recognize, the more likely it’s not really food. Ditto for things with high-fructose corn syrup. Lastly, read the Ethicurean!

Connecting, says the Ethicurean’s Ohio contributor, Jennifer McMullen, “means talking to the people who produce your food,” either at farmers’ markets or by seeking out small farms in your area and asking if you can visit them. “You might find that just because something isn't labeled organic doesn't mean their practices might not be pretty darn close,” she points out. Connecting can also mean finding small independent grocers and restaurants who try to support local growers — and if there aren’t any, start asking your favorites why they don’t.

With cooking, it’s easy to get intimidated or overwhelmed. But with a good basic cookbook like Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and an occasional trip to a farmers market for fresh, seasonal ingredients, and you’ll find that whipping a real meal, instead of micro-waving some pseudo-food, is almost as fast and a hell of a lot better tasting.

AZ: And we usually ask our interviewees what's in their fridge. We'd love to know what is in one or two or maybe even three of your writers' fridges.

ET: Well, the answers were far-ranging and diverse, but here’s a little geographic sampler: In Seattle, Jenni Pertuset has goat milk yogurt from California; water buffalo yogurt from Vermont; both goat and cow-milk butter; a leg of lamb; bone broth; lard and bacon grease; tons of homemade and locally made jams; and apples, kale, beets, parsnips, carrots, cilantro, brussel sprouts, and hedgehog and black trumpet mushrooms from the farmers market. In Ohio, Jennifer McMullen has carrots, kale, and decrepit organic/local cauliflower from the farmers' market; ginger; several bags of local flours (wheat, corn, spelt, buckwheat) and other grains; local apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and wine; homemade vegetable stock, pasta sauce, chutneys, pickles, and jams; and leftover alu ki sabzi. And Peter in frozen-solid Montreal has defrosted squash soup made from vegetables from my CSA box; a defrosted chicken bought in October from a friend's brother who raised them in the summer; Quebec-certified organic milk; homemade apple sauce; Vermont cheese; red cabbage salad; and orange juice from Florida.

The Ethicurean is a group blog for people who want to "chew the right thing," those interested in seeking out tasty ingredients that are also sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical — what its writers call SOLE food, for short. The 16 contributors, who hail from six U.S. states plus Montreal and Sydney, cover the Farm Bill and other food-policy legislation, E. coli outbreaks, food from cloned animals, and genetically modified crops, but also lighter topics like cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients; movie reviews; and field trips to farms. The Ethicurean publishes a twice-weekly Digest of must-read news and blog posts from around the Internet, along with satirical pieces and a hefty helping of bad puns.