Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack has been busy during his first few days at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Jill Richardson posted a roundup at La Vida Locavore with some good links.

In a different post Richardson gives you the rundown on the first 48 officials Vilsack appointed at the USDA. Many of them have “acting” in their titles, but I don’t know whether that means they are doing the job pending their official appointments, or whether they are Bush administration holdovers doing the job until Vilsack brings in his own people.

While you’re at La Vida Locavore, scroll down the front page for continuing coverage of the salmonella outbreak in products containing peanut butter.

At the same blog, Chef Asinus Asinum Fricat tells you about “the amazing wonders of garlic,” and my recent post about favorite food substitutions generated good ideas.