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New chefs at Canyon Ranch, Turnberry

Florida grouper, sustainably caught Chilean sea bass and grass-fed beef short ribs are among the featured items in August on the three-course, $36, ``Fresh, Local, Sustainable'' menu at Canyon Ranch Grill , 6801 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, where Elizabeth Barlow is the new executive chef; 305-514-7474.

Daniel Buss is the new resort chef and Devin Broo the Cascata Grille chef de cuisine at Aventura's Fairmont Turnberry Isle.

Thin rooftop panels help house produce its own power

With South Florida already setting summer heat records, power bills may set even higher records this summer. But Ken Fields, who lives in a three-bedroom, three-bath house on Miami Beach, has just installed a roof-top photovoltaic system and is dramatically reducing his energy consumption in a first step to going off the grid.

''If you have the ability to do it, you should do it,'' he said. ''As far as the building department knows, I'm the only person'' to get a permit for solar power in Miami Beach.

Fields' system is not the usual set of glass-covered rooftop panels. The photovoltaics have been compressed into a thin membrane that is flexible enough to roll up -- or unroll in long sheets across his roof.

Turkey lovers say Sonora ranch produces the tastiest

Tim Diestel was happy to show off the free-range turkeys his family raises east of town. One of the toms wasn't so welcoming. He kept nipping at the ankle of a reporter who walked amid the birds at Diestel Turkey Ranch on Tuesday morning.

The other turkeys looked content as they ambled about and munched on their feed. They live for six months before going to market, about 50 percent longer than today's industry standard.

The result, fans of the product say, is a tender and tasty centerpiece for a Thanksgiving feast.

Unexpected restaurant gems in a changing neighborhood

The Biscayne-Wynwood-Design District area was teetering between gentrification chic and downright trendiness when the recession hit. But independent and personality-filled eating establishments soldier on in unexpected places.

METRO BISTRO

The sleekest and most gourmet restaurant you're likely to find at a carwash, Metro, on the revitalized stretch of Biscayne Boulevard's MiMo district, features graceful modernist decor and classy takes on what could be ordinary dishes, often with organic ingredients. Hedges and landscaping provide a surprising degree of refuge from street traffic, and service is attentive and friendly.

Farmers growing electricity along with their crops

WIMER, Ore. - Vern and Gianaclis Caldwell do a lot of the typical things that make a small farm self-sufficient.

Besides the 40-some dwarf Nigerian goats they milk to make artisanal cheeses, they also raise chickens for meat and eggs, a steer for beef, horses to ride and vegetables for the table.

Unlike most small farms, their heat and electricity is entirely home grown. They produce electricity from solar panels when the sun shines, and a micro-hydro turbine when winter rains put water in the creek. Oak and fir cut from the farm fire a boiler that heats the cement floors of the dairy and cheese making room, as well as the hot water to wash the goats and themselves.