Posts filed under 'Eat locally'
August 31st, 2009
So how much U.S. cropland is farmed organically? Less than 1 percent, according to the USDA.
I learned this in Time’s recent story about the environmental price of cheap food. If you don’t read the whole thing, here is its message in a nutshell.
We don’t have the luxury of philosophizing about food. With the exhaustion of the soil, the impact of global warming and the inevitably rising price of oil — which will affect everything from fertilizer to supermarket electricity bills — our industrial style of food production will end sooner or later. As the developing world grows richer, hundreds of millions of people will want to shift to the same calorie-heavy, protein-rich diet that has made Americans so unhealthy — demand for meat and poultry worldwide is set to rise 25% by 2015 — but the earth can no longer deliver. Unless Americans radically rethink the way they grow and consume food, they face a future of eroded farmland, hollowed-out countryside, scarier germs, higher health costs — and bland taste. Sustainable food has an élitist reputation, but each of us depends on the soil, animals and plants — and as every farmer knows, if you don’t take care of your land, it can’t take care of you.
Each week on this blog, you can learn more from local experts and farmers about eating locally.
August 27th, 2009
The Illinois Food Farms & Jobs Bill was passed on August 18, 2009.
This law creates the Illinois Local Food, Farms and Jobs Council, which will work with state agencies, Illinois businesses, organizations, and citizens to build a fully functioning local farm and food system in Illinois. It will open new avenues of entrepreneurship, and we are grateful for the opportunities. This legislation will begin a long overdue transformation of our communities. There are plenty of business opportunities to go around.
Believe it or not, an estimated $46 billion of our money flows out of our state for food each year. Even if the number is off a bit, that’s no small potatoes. Currently, Illinois produces approximately 4% of the food we consume. The goal is to increase that to 10% by 2020 and 20% by 2030. The greatest natural resource in Illinois is our soil. It’s among the best in the world, and is absolutely irreplaceable.
People are needed to grow specialty crops, and workers will be needed to harvest and process the products. Engineers are needed to design and build equipment for those specialty crops. There will be an endless need for modern, reasonably priced, small scale equipment, and people to weld, paint, repair, and sell it.
Distribution hubs are also desperately needed. These will have to be built, furnished, and staffed. Other needs include farm co-ops that meet the needs of diversified growers; specialty crop advisors; and Illinois-specific seed and plant production, plus plant breeding work.
Value-added product development for the local food industry will offer quite a bit of work, including labeling, packaging, publicizing, and marketing these products. Suppliers of soil amendments will find an up tick in work. This could even be the start of diverting some of the organic material that ends up in our landfills, back to farms.
Financial advisors specializing in the local foods industry will be needed. And don’t forget all those farmers who will need to add infrastructure like buildings, storage, and equipment to their farms in order to diversify their cropping systems.
Different industries are specifically mentioned in the legislation, including agri-tourisim, which is already popular in some parts of America and abroad. People want to visit farms to connect with the source of their food. One area farmer, David Cleverdon of Kinnickinnick Farm, is already trying to do this.
The cosmetic/healthcare industry is on the list, along with dairy products and eggs. The fiber industry could see innovations in sustainable fabrics, dye, design, and production. Fish and forestry products include Christmas trees, wood, syrup, mushrooms, and nuts. Fifteen different grains are listed, plus herbs, honey, meat, ornamental plants, recreation, and renewable energy. How about some beer made with local grain?
To read the legislation, visit www.foodfarmsjobs.org. I think this may be the road back to the land of milk and honey, bread and roses.
August 13th, 2009
Last night, I snuck out to see a late showing of Julie & Julia, looking for inspiration from the French chef and her unlikely protégé. The irony of the blog-related storyline didn’t immediately occur to me but it struck me soon enough after the film began. I enjoyed watching the two women’s discoveries of the joys and pains of good food play out on the big screen (and I especially enjoyed the insight into the life of Julia Child).
Film critique aside, I did observe some local food happenings in the movie, especially in the scenes where Julia Child was shopping for food in the markets of Paris. You not only see her selecting the fresh ingredients but interacting with the shopkeepers and market vendors. She got to know the people and their families as well as the foods they sold. And she probably got to know the food better because of her relationship with those from whom she bought it.
I know you’ve read before in this column about the benefits of shopping locally (getting to know those who grow your food, keeping your money in your community, enjoying fresher and healthier foods) but what about encouraging your favorite eateries (for the same reasons) to buy locally as well? Asking your server (or better yet, the chef or manager) if the restaurant has sourced any ingredients locally is a great start to reminding restaurateurs that there are many of us who do care about such things. You see, procuring and preparing local foods may take a bit more effort on the part of restaurants but they could easily feature a dish or two with local ingredients as a noted menu item or special of the day. Let your favorite restaurant know that you value local foods, even when eating out. Chefs and others who purchase food for commercial operations can utilize the information resources of the local University of Illinois Extension Office, which can connect them with farmers and producers in the area.
Another way to eat locally when eating out is to treat yourself to a meal in the series of local foods dinners organized by the Winnebago County Local Foods Workgroup. The fourth in the series of eight was last Thursday night at Brio and it was fantastic. We were treated to a five-course meal that was well-conceived, well-prepared, well-presented, and well… just delightful. Don’t miss your opportunity to experience a local dinner yet this season. The next dinner is August 20th at Severson Dells, catered by Toni’s of Winnebago. Find more information on the U of I - Winnebago County Extension website.
With a little planning (and encouragement), we can spend our food dollars on great food that contributes something to our community. With any luck, we’ll enjoy it half as much as Julia Child, even if we haven’t mastered her art of French cooking.
August 13th, 2009
This week, GO offered “green” recipes from Jackie Newgent’s new “Big Green Cookbook” (click on the link to follow her on Twitter or sign up for her newsletter). Like this one (which takes less energy because of the toaster oven):
Mesclun Salad Pizzette with Peaches and Pecans
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 (1/2 pizza each)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons canola or flaxseed oil
2 medium yellow or white peaches, pitted and thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Two 8-inch whole-wheat lavash flatbreads or pocketless pita breads
1/3 cup finely crumbled blue cheese
3 cups mesclun mix or chopped mixed leafy greens
1/4 cup raw pecans, chopped
In a blender, combine the vinegar, oil, a quarter of the peach slices, 1/4 cup of the onion, the salt and pepper. Blend until just combined, about 15 seconds. Set aside.
One flatbread at a time, broil in a toaster oven on a tray or baking sheet. Broil until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with cheese.
In a medium bowl, toss together the mesclun, remaining peach slices, the remaining onion and 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette. Taste and adjust seasonings. Arrange the salad on the toasted flatbreads. Sprinkle with the pecans.
Cut each pizza in half and serve immediately with the remaining vinaigrette on the side.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 310 calories; 17 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 37 g carbohydrate; 9 g protein; 6 g fiber; 700 mg sodium.
In Go, Kiki and Jeanie from our local “Food for Thought” feature also made suggestions to avoid a beige plate, like this recipe:
Farmers Market Pasta
1 box multigrain penne pasta (or pasta of your choosing)
1 bunch Italian kale (or other green), chopped
¾ cup olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed
1 pint tomatoes, chopped
2 yellow summer squash, sliced
1 tsp. fresh thyme
½ cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese (optional)
Boil water and cook pasta according to package (usually about 10-12 minutes for penne). In the meantime, sauté the kale in ¼ cup olive oil with 1 garlic clove until just wilted. Set aside.
Heat remaining ½ cup of olive oil in a sauté pan until hot but not smoking. Add anchovy fillets and cook until they almost dissolve into the oil. Add remaining garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and sliced squash and sauté for 2 minutes until squash is just cooked. Turn off the heat.
Drain pasta but save ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Toss together the liquid, pasta, kale, squash-tomato mixture and thyme. Top with the cheese if desired. Serve immediately.
Serves about four for a main dish, six to eight as a side dish.
It’s good to keep healthy ideas in mind after reading Time magazine’s story that basically says, “Exercise be damned. You are what you eat.”
The basic problem is that while it’s true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued. Exercise, in other words, isn’t necessarily helping us lose weight. It may even be making it harder.
August 6th, 2009
I’ve spent several Tuesday evenings this summer attending the Master Food Preserver training being offered by the Stephenson County Extension. I enjoy growing my own veggies and am interested in eating more local foods year-round, so this course seemed like just the thing for me. As I have no experience whatsoever with any kind of food preserving (other than memories of my mother freezing homemade applesauce when I was a kid), I’ve been soaking up loads of interesting information during the classroom and practicum parts of the class.
It seems that food preserving is a skill that waned in popularity, but is now making a comeback, just like knitting, sewing, baking, and veggie gardening. For those of you who are curious about getting started, I’d like to share some things I’ve learned. This might be of interest even for more experienced folks, as new discoveries are constantly being made at the University of Georgia, the national hub for research on food preserving. Guidelines for safe food preserving change as new discoveries are made. Indeed, researchers have found that means of food preserving that were once considered safe, are in fact not so. When it comes to the well being of one’s family, I feel it’s better safe than sorry.
There are only two safe ways of canning, depending on the type of food being preserved: the boiling water canner method and the pressure canner method. The former is used for high-acid foods like fruits and tomatoes, as well as jams, jellies, and pickles, while the latter is the only safe way to can other vegetables, meats, and poultry. The bacteria that causes botulism can be killed only at temperatures above 240°, a temperature that can be reached only in a pressure canner.
The open-kettle method, which was common in the past, is now considered unsafe. Foods were heated in a pan, then poured into jars. A lid was placed on the jar, but there was no further processing in a canner. Spoilage was common because bacteria, yeast, and mold were not killed by processing. There is a real risk of botulism with this type of canning.
Steam canners are also no longer considered safe, because the steam does not heat the jars in the same way that submersion in boiling water would. Canning in a microwave oven, standard oven, slow cooker, crock pot, and in the sun are all viewed as extremely dangerous.
Even though you may have a canning recipe that has been passed down in your family, you should be careful because some old recipes call for processing that is now considered unsafe. Cookbooks that are safe to rely on include the Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving and So Easy to Preserve (published by University of Georgia Extension, and available through your local county Extension office). They’re chock full of great recipes and are the safest source of guidelines on the most up-to-date canning, freezing, and dehydrating methods.
July 23rd, 2009
The garden has been long planted. Green beans, summer squashes, and cucumbers are finally sizable. The long awaited tomatoes are lightening up and showing signs of ripening.
Yukon gold potatoes are fork ready. The “experimental” artichokes have chokes. Some have been good. Now I can say I’ve seen artichokes growing. I don’t think they’re worth the effort as a production crop in this climate, but I’ll probably plant them again as a novelty.
The weeds are booming in all the rain. Many crops, lettuces, broccoli, and spinach are finishing or harvested. Weeding those becomes easy with the tiller. (Be productive or be gone.) This leaves beds for replanting. There’s no sense in leaving open beds when there are still 60 or more growing days left.
So what to plant? Consider any crops that will mature in 60 days, spinach, green beans, lettuce, Swiss chard, and radishes. Many plantings will survive frost! Consider broccoli, kohlrabi, carrots, beets, greens, cauliflower, and peas. Planting from seed this time of the year can become a challenge. The weeds germinate as fast as the crop seeds. We manage this by multi-planting seeds into soil cubes. 4 beet seeds, 12 green onion seeds, 4 spinach seeds, 4 carrot seeds, etc. When transplanted into the garden they have a 4 week advantage on the weeds. They’re a snap to weed and there is no thinning. When the sweet corn is finished and the tomatoes have become “routine”, it’s always a treat to welcome “new-again” crops.
The Japanese beetles seem to be fewer in number this year. Maybe it’s because they are really active when the air is warmer. Or maybe it’s because our 15 Guinea fowl are actively feeding in the garden several times a day. We started feeding them beetles that Bill bopped into soapy water. They acquire a taste for what they are fed. It seems to have worked. We herd them with two bamboo poles to the garden where we want them to start feeding. Since they can’t quite reach all the beetles on the tall raspberries, we shake the canes, the beetles fall, and the birds gobble up breakfast. They then head to the lower growing strawberries, eat until they’re sated, then nap or head back to their house. Then back to the garden for lunch.
Each season has it’s challenges. Each challenge is welcomed and dealt with. Of course there are the unknown challenges along the way. With little real summer this year, will the “hot season” crops produce? But then, we never had to water…so far.
July 18th, 2009
Agriculture, the practice of farming, is an age-old method that has been used for centuries. Over time, farming has evolved. Centuries ago, farming was an everyday practice that all were involved in. Communities lived together, farmed together, all to feed the community, and prosper. Back then, there was not a need to categorize farming into an organic or industrial category. Farming was practiced out of respect for the earth, and in balance with nature. All was organic, and sustainable. Over time, as farming evolved, discoveries were made that increased the efficiency of a farm. As our population grew, so did our farming methods. Our population required a larger quantity of food, and as farming grew more efficient, and larger in size, agriculture began to feed the many. As with many things over time, bigger is not always better, and a lot has been lost in the translation. We, as a population, have lost touch with our food and our farmers.
In recent years, there has been much talk about the importance of knowing where your food comes from, and who produces it. Farmers markets and community supported agriculture is on the rise, but in order to maintain the upward movement, we need to invest our trust, time, and effort into making sure this food that is produced is appreciated, and is used within our community. The term “buy local” has become a buzzword that is helping fuel the movement towards a more localized economy. However, in order for this movement to not become a past notion, there needs to be more talk about how we can continue to grow our local economy, and get to know where our food comes.
Historically, small family farms have been the cornerstone of the rural community. Rural communities were built around the farms in the surrounding area, and both sustained each other. As agriculture has developed and become a larger enterprise, many small family farms that once dotted the landscape have disappeared. Along with the decline in family farms, our rural communities have declined, as well. Until we as a population invest in our fellow community members, we will not see a great increase in the valued small farming industry.
Overall, as a society we are at a remarkable time in agriculture. It is a time of re- enrichment of the importance and value of growing food, and how we, as a population, affect how our food is produced. In the future, I think we will see a new form of agriculture emerge — one that is a combination of old and new. As new, small farms arise once again, our rural communities will hopefully be revitalized, and our local communities will flourish. I think it is important for all of us to reflect upon what our food means to us, and how we want our food to be produced. After all, all food has a story to be told, and it is up to us to discover that tale.
July 11th, 2009
“Staycation” and “frenemy” might have gotten more press, but a few greenie terms made the 2009 Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
Locavore:
one who eats foods grown locally whenever possible
Carbon footprint:
the negative impact that something (as a person or business) has on the environment; specifically: the amount of carbon emitted by something during a given period
July 1st, 2009
The local foods movement…There are varied reasons why people are getting involved in locavorism. There are probably many people out there who have no idea what I’m talking about and an equal number who do. Buying and eating local foods — including vegetables, fruits, meats, and dairy — and the reasons for doing so are oftentimes personal. If you search “local foods,” information, markets, reasons why to be a locavore are all over the Internet, airwaves, and in print.
This effort extends well beyond a local topic. I’ve taken a cue from the calls and questions that bombard the U of I Extension office where I work — there is a lot of local interest in this topic and at its most basic level I’m seeing a resurgence in the interest in vegetable gardening. People out there want to know how to get started, when to get started, and where to get started. U of I Extension Master Gardeners are happy to help you get started. You can reach them Mondays through Fridays at (815) 986.4357.
I myself, a lifelong tomato grower, am expanding my gardening repertoire to include a broad variety of savories. As a person of science, I’m approaching this year’s garden season as an experiment. I’m using containers and a traditional garden plot with a twist: this year I’m incorporating permaculture techniques. In educating myself about local foods, I’ve become inspired to approach gardening in a more sustainable manner — a manner that is in line with and in the spirit of the local foods movement. I’m minimizing my footprint, so to speak.
If you’re curious, find trustworthy sources and read about, research and ask questions about local foods. Embrace local foods concepts and embrace the varied reasons for being a locavore, celebrate the return of the small farm, and embrace sustainability. In doing so you will support efforts to build a more responsible community. You can learn more about permaculture at an upcoming class to be held at theWinnebago County Uof I Extension on July 23 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. For more information or to register, go to www.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago.
June 26th, 2009
If you missed the Openfields Dinner at the Celtic Thistle on Sunday night, you missed a lovely evening. It was filled with the most mouthwatering steaks I’ve seen in years, thanks to Tom Eickman of Eickman’s Processing in Seward. And the dessert was to die for, with strawberries picked lovingly from Harrison Market Garden by Jill and Bill Beyer. Succulent jewels ladled over a puff of meringue.
If you weren’t in attendance, don’t fret, as there will be more opportunities. The next Openfields dinner featuring local foods will be on July 18 at Pine Row Farm in Roscoe, with catering by Kiki B’s and A Movable Feast. Other local foods dinners will be held on July 23 at Octane and August 6 at Brio, plus more opportunities to finish out the summer and head into fall. All of these dinners are being planned to take advantage of the bounty of what is in season.
An Openfields dinner is as much about enjoying the company of kindred spirits as it is about the mouthwatering local food. It is an opportunity to meet new people, and exchange ideas and philosophies, as well as recipes. It is an ancient ritual repeated in a modern world. Bread and wine shared amongst a diverse and growing clan.
Now that we’ve considered the wine, on to the weather! Rain, rain, rain, and more rain. There are springs seeping upward through the earth in my fields. More springs than anyone can remember, and it is a good thing that hope springs eternal, as well. We keep planting, while some things grow and thrive and others rot in the rich dark soil that had been so productive in previous years. Ah, the life of a farmer!
The beauty of local food is that it is the tie that binds. It binds the farmer to the community, and it binds the community back to the earth. Those ties have been severed for decades and we have the ability to respond…responsibility… to recreate those frayed threads. To create anew a system that will sustain and nourish not just our bodies, but, our minds and our souls.
Raise your glass to a new paradigm, and join us as we celebrate a new understanding. To make reservations to join us at future Openfields dinners, visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago or phone the University of Illinois Extension Winnebago County office at (815) 986-4357. Andrea Hazzard is the Farmer at Hazzard Free Farm, partner in First Hand Harvest CSA and the Local Food Systems Coordinator for Winnebago County
Next Posts
Previous Posts
