Artisan Bread, Cheese and Wine
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Artisan Bread, Cheese and Wine
Is it really "the time" for sustainable, organic foods - again? How to break through - finally
Sunday, March 22
I'm at the Portland airport, waiting from my early flight back home to Wisconsin. The sky couldn't be more gray, but the front page of today's New York Times biz section couldn't be sunnier. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/business/22food.html?_r=1&ref=business The headline reads: Is a Food Revolution Now in Season? Prompted by the goings on at the Natural Foods Expo in Anaheim, CA, the long story is about how the nation's farmers, eaters and policymakers all seem poised to promote the wide-scale growth of sustainably produced, organic foods. Alice Water's smiling face beams from the page-wide photo. (Waters is a chef-pioneer advocate of locally-grown organic ingredients.)
Like so many other news stories, this one refers to the increasing demand for sustainably produced foods (org demand has decreased a bit this year). This article also talks about the many advocates pushing for increased production.
So why can't we seem to get the food people want to that growing market? What's standing between eaters and growers?
Fortunately, this article dives a bit deeper than the 1/4-inch usually kept to in many news reports. This story does hit at major issues, including the policy and regulatory barriers that continue to make small- and medium-scale production and processing very, very, very difficult. There are scads of rules and regs that make lots of sense when trying to assure food safety in massive operations that speed thousands of units (tomatoes, chickens, beef) through a line every hour. The volume and speed demands processing rules that can help keep food from becoming contaminated. And yet, news stories attest to the weaknesses of this approach.
These same regs make less and less sense when applied to small- and medium-scale operations which may process 100 units an hour, or maybe just 150 units a day.
So how do we take advantage of this heightened awareness? What do we do to knock down the many barriers that stand in the way of getting great food to people, and sustainable methods to growers?
If you've got an ideas - let's hear it here. Hit the comments button and share what you know. If you've got a question or are just confused by this, let us know. Let's link up to knock down the walls, and help make sustainably produced, healthful foods more available for our children and for ourselves.
Sylvia
I'm at the Portland airport, waiting from my early flight back home to Wisconsin. The sky couldn't be more gray, but the front page of today's New York Times biz section couldn't be sunnier. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/business/22food.html?_r=1&ref=business The headline reads: Is a Food Revolution Now in Season? Prompted by the goings on at the Natural Foods Expo in Anaheim, CA, the long story is about how the nation's farmers, eaters and policymakers all seem poised to promote the wide-scale growth of sustainably produced, organic foods. Alice Water's smiling face beams from the page-wide photo. (Waters is a chef-pioneer advocate of locally-grown organic ingredients.)
Like so many other news stories, this one refers to the increasing demand for sustainably produced foods (org demand has decreased a bit this year). This article also talks about the many advocates pushing for increased production.
So why can't we seem to get the food people want to that growing market? What's standing between eaters and growers?
Fortunately, this article dives a bit deeper than the 1/4-inch usually kept to in many news reports. This story does hit at major issues, including the policy and regulatory barriers that continue to make small- and medium-scale production and processing very, very, very difficult. There are scads of rules and regs that make lots of sense when trying to assure food safety in massive operations that speed thousands of units (tomatoes, chickens, beef) through a line every hour. The volume and speed demands processing rules that can help keep food from becoming contaminated. And yet, news stories attest to the weaknesses of this approach.
These same regs make less and less sense when applied to small- and medium-scale operations which may process 100 units an hour, or maybe just 150 units a day.
So how do we take advantage of this heightened awareness? What do we do to knock down the many barriers that stand in the way of getting great food to people, and sustainable methods to growers?
If you've got an ideas - let's hear it here. Hit the comments button and share what you know. If you've got a question or are just confused by this, let us know. Let's link up to knock down the walls, and help make sustainably produced, healthful foods more available for our children and for ourselves.
Sylvia
Love all-natural, tasty pork? Farmer advises pastured hogs. Yup, pigs on grass.
March 20, 2008 - video interview with Tom Cogger, pastured-hog farmer
In late February, more than 2,600 sustainable farmers, policy makers, and advocates gathered for the 20th annual conference of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, or MOSES. Considered one of the best events for working farmers and ranchers, the three-day event featured 90 breakout sessions conducted by experienced growers and researchers from all across the country and around the world. It also boasted a couple of the most compelling keynote speakers I've experienced in more than 30 years of attending these types of meetings.
As a long-time sustainable ag writer, and even longer food lover, I was in hog heaven.
Not surprisingly, I was able to share meal-time conversation with farmers and researchers from various states. And it was while walking from the info-rich exhibit hall that I bumped into Tom Cogger, who operates Maple Hill Farm, a family farm in Washburn, Wisconsin (not far from Ashland). I'd met Tom just a few weeks earlier when he spoke to my Farm Beginnings class. (Farm Beginnings is a well-established curriculum of classroom presentations, homework, and farm visits for people who want to learn how to plan and operate a sustainable family farm. Sustainability here is a very holistic concept that embraces the economics - foremost - as well as the agricultural, environmental, familial and spiritual.)
Why grow and harvest pigs raised out of doors, in hoop shelters on grass? Why do this without hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and herbicides? For the peace of mind, and for the outstanding flavor. Here's a quick comment I got from Dave at the conference.
More about Farm Beginnings in a future post. Let me say, however, that Tom's presentation was enlightening - why and how to raise and market pastured hogs directly to consumers. He uses state certified slaughter facilities and packages the cuts to meet the expections of his customers. He's been doing it for a while now, and continues to find that demands outstrips supply.
Why grow and harvest pigs raised out of doors, in hoop shelters on grass? Why do this without hormones, antibiotics, pesticides and herbicides? For the peace of mind, and for the outstanding flavor. Here's a quick comment I got from Dave at the conference.
Enjoy.
Is there pastured pork where you live? How does it's taste compare with the conventional cuts? Do you think it's worth the extra cost? I look forward to your ideas.
Sylvia
Use the Farm/Food Bill now to keep great food growing and flowing says nat'l leader
March 6, 2009
Wondering where to find healthful foods? Foods grown without the pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and hormones used in most conventional production? If you're a farmer or rancher, do you know how the recently passed Farm Bill - really American's food bill - can help your sustainable operation? Want to launch a rurally-based small business? Well, the that same Farm Bill has new provisions in that area as well.
Last weekend, over 2,600 people -- mostly farmers -- gathered in La Crosse, Wisconsin to exchange ideas, models for sustainable operations, info about new policies, concerns about our environment, and hope for our food system. We all attended the 20th Annual MOSES conference (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service). This has become a preferred gathering for growers focused on organic and sustainable practices and policy. Why? Becasue of the high quality of breakout sessions - 90 at this conference - the excellent keynote speakers, and opportunities to network and converse throughout.
Last weekend, over 2,600 people -- mostly farmers -- gathered in La Crosse, Wisconsin to exchange ideas, models for sustainable operations, info about new policies, concerns about our environment, and hope for our food system. We all attended the 20th Annual MOSES conference (Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service). This has become a preferred gathering for growers focused on organic and sustainable practices and policy. Why? Becasue of the high quality of breakout sessions - 90 at this conference - the excellent keynote speakers, and opportunities to network and converse throughout.
Over the next couple of weeks, I'll post notes and brief video casts from the conference. They'll include interviews with farmers, physicians, and advocates, as well as quick tips about how to prepare for an interview with your local reporter.
Today's blog touches on one hot issue: what we - as eaters and growers - need to do now that the 2008 Farm Bill has been passed. The Farm Bill - really the Food Bill - passed by Congress seven months ago did make some gains to support the existence of sustainable practices, but now that legislation needs to be put into play. It also needs to be protected from "after the fact" dealing.
So what do we do? Aimee Witteman, the new executive director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, was a key advocate for the organic and sustainable wins in this past Farm Bill effort. The NSAC is a coalition of large and small nonprofit organizations from all over the country - all with a strong shared interest in the growth of sustainable agriculture and production of healthful foods. Many of these groups represent the interests of consumers, while other are about the nitty gritty of sustainable agriculture at the soil and processing levels.
Aimee delivered several presentations at the conference itself. But she stopped for a moment at the conference to suggest ways all of us can continue to push for healthful food and beneficial ag practices.
What are your ideas? Wondering how to let state and federal leaders know what you think about healthful, safe foods? Or about family farms? What's been your experience, or your frustration? We'd all like to know.
Till next time, eat well, eat thoughtfully, and, if at all possible, eat locally.
Bye
Sylvia
Played: 2388 | Download | Duration: 00:02:44
What does sustainable, organic food really get you? 2,500 farmers say: healthful food, clean environment, boost to local economies"
Feb. 27 - at the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services Conference
OK, so you live in the middle of the inner city, and you work what feels like 18 hours a day. Getting to the grocery store is a task you plan carefully because it'll take time and money. Buy you gotta eat, and so you make a mental list, park the car and start pushing the cart down the aisle.
If you're in a large city the choices can be either overwhelming or dismal, depending on the store. You may 20 different soup brands to chose from or you may be in an inner city neighborhood and have just the opposite challenge - scarcity of variety and lack of freshness.
Believe it or not, the challenges are just the same in stores that dot the countryside.
The check-out clerk scans your selections: milk, eggs, bread, chicken quarters, ground beef, canned soups, frozen veggies. You pay your $54 bill, and carry the bags to your car.
$54. Is that an accurate reflection of the cost of that food? If every item was conventionally produced - with pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics and hormones - probably not. That $54 does not take into account the tax dollars you and I pay every day, every year, for major agricultural subsidies. A topic of conversation in the Obama administration right now.
The $54 also doesn't take into account any environmental impacts and cleanups needed to address the pesticides and herbicides that have been flowing into the water supply for the last two generations.
And then there is the question of the cost on our health. There is raising concern about how these chemicals affect our children, our reproductive health, over time. The $54 dollars doesn't take this into account at all.
And what about food security? You know, the ability to make sure that we'll have a dependable food supply available regardless of our nation's relationship with foreign countries.
What sustainable growers are eager for all of us to know is that their goals are what consumers want: delicious, healthful vegetables, fruits, grains and seeds, and dairy products, and flavorful meats. And they do this in ways that encourage healthful animal behaviors, that work with the strengths and limits of their land and climate, that works to improve the land and area that they work, that supports the farm family and local community.
So how do sustainable growers and consumers learn more about one another - about what we want and what we provide? There are many, many ways in use right now. And perhaps new opportunities in the future.
This morning, 2,500 producers are attending a variety of workshops about their work. I'm sitting in one right now - about how farmers can work with the local media to tell the story via newspapers, television, radio and the Internet.
The four panelists are experienced and expert. Lisa Kivirisrt, co-author of ECO-preneuring and Rural Renaissance, and owner of a Wisconsin B&B, Roger Blobaum is an independent consultant and policy advisor, Melinda Hemmelgarn is a registered dietitian and national award-winning journalists, and Greg Leaf, a highly experienced public relations consultant and former journalist.
Here are some of their outstanding tips:
- If you're going to be interviewed by the media, prepare your three key messages - repeat them often
- Invite the reporter to the farm and feed him/her some of your delicious food
- Be aware that the interview begins as soon as the reporter comes on your property. The reporter is recording everything - mentally - even if the camera is off, the tape recorder is off, or the notebook is out of site
- If you're trying to pitch a reporter a story via e-mail, the subject line is key
- Establishing a relationship - over time - with a reporter is important. But do it cautiously
- The reporter's job is to deliver the news - what's new, different, that affects people. How does your story tie to the news of the day, such as obesity, food contamination, lifestyle, the growing demand for food that's grown without chemicals?
There are lots of questions from the room. Lots of great perspective coming from the panel.
Wish you were here.
What to know more? Let me know and I'll try to get some responses and resources for you.
Now on to the rest of the day!
Sylvia
How many acres of grass do 90 dairy cows need in a day?
Feb. 26 - at a day-long seminar on intensive grazing
Art Thicke, who with his wife Jean, has been grazing his dairy cows on chemical-free pasture for nearly three decades, gets great performance with his 90-100 cows by grazing them on under a couple of acres during a 24-hour period. He, in fact, moves them every 12 hours - a process he says takes very little time a day.
Over the course of the season, his dairy cows and calves are moved over a couple of hundred acres: that way his grass gets to recover - regrow - before the hungry cows see that paddock again.
Jim tells the class of about 30 established and new producers that he does this for lots of reasons: the cattle are moving outside in the fresh air and on soil, they socialize as a herd (an important animal behavior cows need), they feed on what cows digest best - grass and legumes (clovers), its saves him the cost of buying feed from outside sources. The results? A healthy cow that produces healthful organic milk; a financially, environmentally, and operationally sustainable farm of a small- to -medium scale. That farm is an asset to its community.
What do you get when you put over 1,000 sustainable growers in one convention hall?
Feb. 25, 2006 -
Hi everyone,
Staring tomorrow, Feb. 26, I'll be in LaCrosse, WI for three days of soaking up info and insights from the people who produce some of the most healthful, beautiful and desired food available in the US - sustainable farmers and processors. I'll be at the 20th sustainable agriculture conference put on by MOSES -the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. Practitioners, researchers, policy wonks, advocates and journalists will be there from all across the US. I'm so excited I know I'm going to find it hard to sleep tonight.
Tomorrow I'll attend a full-day seminar on "grazing the organic way." Yeah, me, the girl from the South Bronx. What can I tell you? I've got this dream of raising meat goats for the ethnic communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN.
Lots of breakout sessions all day Friday, and that evening, I'll be helping out with a reception especially for women in sustainable ag. They'd love to know what you - the consumers - think and feel about their work and about their products.
This conf attracts thousands because it addresses the issues that growers and consumers care about: growing foods that aren't bathed in pesticides and herbicides, raising livestock without hormones and antibiotics, farming methods that protect our groundwater and revitalize the soil, and providing food locally. This conference will also examine the policies and regulations needed so that it'll be easier for all of us to find healthful foods no matter where we live, country, suburb and inner city.
What do you want to know from these growers and processors? What role would you like them to play in our food supply? What would you like them to know about what you need? Would you like to hear from any of them on this blog?
Let me know. I'll be blogging from the conference. So check back. Leave me comments/questions and I'll try to tap the "experts" for you. If you'd like to know more about the conference, check out the MOSES website.
Look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
Sylvia
(Gotta finish packing!)
Nominate US wines and cheeses for the Obama inauguration. I'll forward list to the White House.
Nov. 12, 2008.
Here we are, a week into a new era in American history -- nearly post-President Bush, and almost President Obama. It's just about two months from the swearing-in ceremony. The news is filled with stories about the smooth transition, and pundits are tripping over one another in their frenzy to forecast short lists for key staff and cabinet positions. Now, I'm no gambler, but I'll bet there is also a committee or two busily planning the inaugural festivities.
OK, what American wines and cheeses should our new President feature at his celebrations? I'm thinking the best of California will find honored spots at the tables. But what else? What estate wines, which artisan cheeses should be prominent on that special day?
Should the White House party planners try to represent each state? Should they just try to feature select regions? Should they have a pre-party sampling to arrive at their short list? Should they offer only US wines and cheeses? (In order to keep the wine carbon footprint small.) Or should European, South American and Australian vintages be offered as well?
Send me suggestions, and I'll forward them to the White House! Let me know what part of the country you live in, and the name of that favorite wine and/or cheese. If you know the name of the producer, please be sure to include that too.
Send me your ideas by Dec. 8. Just leave your comment on this site.
Till next time, eat well, eat thoughtfully, and, if at all possible, eat locally.
Bye.
Sylvia
Holiday wine picks from award-winning Falconer Vineyards, why buy local
Show notes and Blog - Nov. 2, 2008
Here we are, just a couple of days away from one of the most historic presidential elections in our nation's history. Please be sure to go out and vote! Every vote counts. And once the ballots are all in and the nation has made it's decision, you can celebrate with your favorite wine - local wine, of course. Hey, if we want a president that'll work to protect our environment, let's do our part by drinking fine local wines with small carbon footprints!
Thanks for joining me again for this blog and podcast. It has been a while. My apologies for the hiatus, but I'm hoping you'll be as excited as I am about the upcoming shows. They'll feature interviews with local wine producers, Olympic bakers and more. Got an idea about someone to interview? Drop me a line. I'd love to hear about it.
Today's show features John Falconer, owner of Falconer Vineyards, just a stone's throw from Red Wing, Minnesota, a historic Mississippi River town. I visited the winery on this absolutely terrific fall afternoon - the air was warm, the trees were ablaze, and lots of people had the same idea I had. Couples and groups filled the tasting rooms, and with good reason, Midwest wines are national and international winners, and getting better every year.
In fact, in 2007, Minnesota produced over 79,000 gallons of wine, a 34% increase over the previous year. And the stats out of Wisconsin are even more dramatic. That state produced over 500,000 gallons of wine in 2007, a 24% jump over 2006.
Can Minnesota's wines be compared to those of Europe? Falconer says the quality is as high, but the fruits used to create the wines are different, and so its hard to compare them grape for grape. But, he adds, his wines, and those produced by others across the Midwest are winning international competition, and so do meet high standards for taste.
In addition to describing his operation, John also suggest wines for the upcoming holiday season. You can enjoy these wines by visiting Falconer's, an easy ride from Minneapolis and St. Paul, or you can visit his website and order online.
John Falconer also advises growers to consider growing grapes to diversify production with this high-profit crop. For more information about growing wine grapes and about finding Midwest vineyards, visit the Minnesota Grape Growers Association website.
I hope you enjoy the chat with John. Till next time, eat well, eat thoughtfully, and if at all possible, eat and drink locally.
Bye.
Sylvia
Played: 207 | Download | Duration: 00:00:00
Of sheep cheese, wolves and massive guardian dogs. Radio farm tour #3.
Show notes - #010 August 28, 2008
This entry and Internet radio show once again feature the challenges and opportunities of sheep dairy and farmstead cheese production through a visit to LoveTree Farm, and conversations with owners/operators Mary and David Falk.
LoveTree sits on 200 acres of rolling hills in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, in the Northwestern quadrant of the state - a region liberally covered with lakes and ponds, and at the edge of wolf territory - a range that has been spreading southward for several years. Mary and Dave Falk shepherd over 400 sheep on land that is just 10 miles south of Creek Meadows – a 30,000-acre wildlife preserve - and only 4 miles East of Governor Knolls State Forest.
Mary and Dave's challenge is to graze their sheep safely - to thrive in an area also home to coyotes, bears and wolf packs. They do this by employing the services of guardian dogs, special breeds able to confront and discourage these large predators.
About wolf pressure. Wolves have been an integral part of the wildlife in northern Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota for eons. However, due to a variety of pressures, wolf populations fell dramatically in the early 1900s. The low populations led to laws protecting the gray wolf. These legal restrictions -- along with other strategies – worked.
Here are some facts – in the winter of 1980, there were only 25 wolves counted in Wisconsin. By late 2006, the population had grown to 465. The change was just as dramatic in Minnesota where wolf numbers have gone from 750 in the mid-1950s to over 2,600 today.
As you might imagine, with the growing numbers of wolf packs came increased predation on livestock and dogs. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, there are about 17 cases of wolf predation a year – about half on livestock and half on dogs. Because there are more wolves in northern Minnesota, the number of kills are greater there – anywhere from 60-100 cases a year.
[As far as predation on deer goes, its under 6,000 annual in Minnesota. This is low when compared to the 40,000 struck by motor vehicles and the 450,000 dear shot annually by hunters.]
Although the wolf population growth has moved it off the federal endangered species list – it is the wolf’s threat to livestock, like sheep, that concerns sheep operators all across the country.
About guardian dogs. Now just to be clear – guardian dogs are not herding dogs. We’re not talking about those medium-sized dogs that runaround, nipping at the heals of livestock in order to move them from place to place. Not at all – guardian dogs are quieter, steadier, and much bigger animals - some breeds weighing in at over 140 pounds. Sheep and goat herders all over the world – in Spain,Italy and France, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Poland – have depended on them forcenturies to keep the wolves,coyotes and bears at bay.
The breeds used in this capacity include: the all-white Akbash from western Turkey, the Anatolian Shepherd, Kengals, the Caucasian, the Great Pyrenees that originated in the mountainous region between France and Spain, the curly-coated Komondor, the Hungarian Kuvasz, the Italian Maremma, the Polish Tatra, and the Spanish Ranch Mastiff. This list is not exclusive, but it gives you an idea.
A good source for more information: Livestock Protection Dogs, by Orysia Dawydiak and David Sims.
About LoveTree's guardian dogs. Mary explains that her dogs are a triple cross of Maremma, Tatra and Spanish Ranch Mastiff in an effort to achieve a large dog that keeps very close range to the sheep and has a good disposition around people. She keeps two dogs to each flock of 100 sheep and explains that the dogs will jump paddock fences to form a pack of defense should coyotes, bears or wolves threaten.
I think you'll enjoy her interview.
And to those who were anticipating my interview about the new artisan bakery and pizzeria in Decorah, Iowa. My apologies. Due to technical difficulties, that interview will have to be recorded anew. I hope to do that very soon, so check back.
Till next time, eat well, eat thoughtfully, and if at all possible, eat locally.
Bye
Sylvia@artisanbreadcheeseandwine.com
Played: 738 | Download | Duration: 00:00:00
What makes for great US cheese? It's the sheep's milk. Part 2 of radio farm tour.
Show notes for August 5, 2008.
This podcast features part 2 in our audio tour of LoveTree Farmstead Cheese, out of Grantsburg, Wisconsin. Did you know that most of the USA's 44 sheep dairy operations are in the Upper Midwest and Northeast? They're in northwestern Wisconsin, east central Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Rugged country. Rugged sheep.
In fact, that hardiness is one of the characteristics LoveTree owners Mary and David Falk have sought in the selective breeding they've done for 22 generations of their Trade Lake Sheep. The other qualities they've pursued are high quality, high butter fat milk, and good quality lamb meat.
Sheep came to North America on Columbus’ second voyage, in 1493. Those animals were used for meat. The early colonists used sheep for wool and home-made textiles, and secondarily for meat. Milking sheep is a fairly recent development in the States. In fact, the first US diary sheep operations were recorded in the mid-1980s, and that was with non-dairy breeds. Diary animals came into the US, by way of Canada, in the early to mid-1990s.
Although the sheep populations across the US have declined dramatically since 1946 - from a high of over 56 million in the 40s to just over 6 million today - the dairy segment offers lots of hope. A recent report by the National Academies says that there is an increase in the high-quality cheeses being made on these farms. The 2008 report is called “Changes inthe Sheep Industry in the United States.” And it goes on to say - that for the dairy industry to continue to develop, there need to be advancements in sheep genetics to improve the dairy sheep traits.
This brings us right back to LoveTree Farm, where Mary and Dave have worked to improve their sheep for nearly 20 years. The results? Sheep that laugh in the face of brutal winters, that build both milk and meat from grazing alone, and which produce high butterfat milk influenced by the seasonal grasses and flowers. And the cheese? Well, the couple were named 2002 Artisan of the Year by the Food Network and Bon Apetit. Their farm-made raw and pasteurized cheeses have also won numbers of prizes in American Cheese Society competition.
So where to buy these great cheeses? You can find Mary at the St. Paul’s Farmers Market, St. Paul, Minnesota every Saturday morning. But if you can’t make that trip, you can buy online by going to their website.
I hope you enjoy my visit with Mary and Dave. My next show will feature a last, quick chat with Mary about the special dogs she uses to protect her flock from coyotes and wolves. These are not herding dogs. They're guardian dogs that tip the scales at up to 150 pounds! We'll also hear from caterer and cookbook author Jim McCaffrey. He'll talk about the artisinal pizza and bakery he'll be opening in Decorah, Iowa this fall.
Till next time, eat well, eat thoughtfully. And, if at all possible, eat locally.
Bye!
Sylvia@artisanbreadcheeseandwine.com
Played: 1008 | Download | Duration: 00:15:00