Posts filed under ‘food’
Sausage for Dinner
This time of year pickins at the farmers market tend to be slim, but there’s still plenty there to make a tasty meal. You’ll find a host of meat, cheese and bread, as well as lots of pickled stuff, root vegetables, squash and hardy winter greens.
Last night I feasted on a well-rounded meal procured almost entirely from the Union Square Greenmarket. It included garlic and parmesan sausages from my meat guys at Tamarack Hollow farm, an acorn squash, swiss chard with garlic and boiled red potatoes. Salt, olive oil and fresh parsley came from my local grocery store, but all the big items were from small local farms.
It turned out to be a highly satisfying, seasonal meal with little to no guilt involved (except for the Budweiser I washed it down with). And it was easy to make – just quarter and boil potatoes, saute the snosages, sizzle up the chard in garlic, oil and a little water, and steam the squash with salt and butter. Follow these simple steps and you’ve got a hearty, well-balanced winter dish made of some of the most affordable farmers market fare.
Outbreak! small farms popping up left and right
According to a USDA farm census taken every five years, the number of US farms grew significatly between 2002 and 2007, and most of that growth was due to the rampant outbreak of small farms. That’s right, our agriculture system has begun to revert to the old-style small farm system, with lots of smaller-size farms growing a variety of different foods and selling them to local eaters.
Compared to the big farm model that has dominated the US food system for the past fifty years or so, the small farm model is a really good thing. Big farms tend to grow one crop, like corn, soy, beef, chicken, etc, whereas small farms grow a little bit of each. This is better for the soil, which means small farms don’t require as much fertilizer, and it’s better for the eater, because it means we can access unique foods grown nearby in an environmentally-friendly manner.
And importantly, small farms are good for farmers. Big farms don’t really have “farmers” – they have managers and they have workers – and the farms are owned by big companies that don’t take very good care of the people who work for them. Small farms tend to be family operations where farmers have a stake and a say in their farm, their land, and the products that they sell.
So, yay! The growth of small farms in the US is a really good thing. We should celebrate. And if one of these new little farms has sprung up near you, go ahead and buy food from it – it’s a win-win situation.
Read This
I got this book as a christmas gift and it’s turned out to be the best present I ever received. It’s called The Urban Homestead, and it was written by an LA couple -Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen – who have a real knack for sustainable living in the urban environment. They cover all sorts of things, from making your own homegrown booze to city bike travel, but my favorite parts of the book are the sections on growing food. These guys have a full-fledged food forest in their back yard, and have also cultivated all sorts of crops on the road median out in front of their house. The book offers a slew of tips on mulching, container gardening, irrigation, and is a great place to start if you’re interested in growing some food but don’t have tons of experience. It’s been a pleasure to read this time of year, while I make decisions about what seeds to buy and daydream about digging in the dirt.
The authors also have a blog, which I recommend checking out, too – the web ads a layer of interactivity and accessibility to the authors that I can really appreciate. These guys are real pros – and they can write, which is always a plus. And they have chickens, which I’m kind of jealous about (for some reason I’m finding myself increasingly draw to animal husbandry – unfortunately I think my cats would torture and perhaps even kill a chicken if given the chance).
Big props to Kelly and Erik – you’re an inspiration! And if you ever find yourself in Brooklyn, you’re welcome to stay at my house and help me make my yard into an urban oasis.
Seed Season
This nice piece in Alternet today reminded me of something important: just because it’s cold and miserable out doesn’t mean that it’s too soon to start planning my garden. And planning is half the fun. Or, almost half -say forty percent.
I’m getting my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange, as usual, but I’m also going to try out this place called Seeds of Change, because I’ve got a gift certificate. There’s also a handful of seeds that I saved from last year (and the year before), including some flowers that were in my yard this summer in Alaska, and some squash seeds that I dug out of my dinner before cooking it. But I still need to get seeds for most of the plants that I plan to grow in my new garden, so I’ve started a list and in a few days I’m going to hit the seed sites and order a bunch before they run out of the good stuff (and they do run out – a few years ago I just couldn’t get arugula and it was really upsetting).
Here’s my seed list so far:
-Herbs-
Dill
Oregano
Basil
Rosemary
Thyme
Cilantro
Lemon verbena
Lavender
Parsley
-Veggies-
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Pickling cucumbers
Carrots
Turnips/parsnips?
Hot peppers
Bell peppers
Lettuce
Arugula
Squash/pumpkin
String beans
Broccoli
Onion?
Green onion/chives
Potatoes
-Fruit-
Strawberries
-Flowers-
Sunflowers
Bulbs? Daffodils?
Food Democracy Now – Sign the Petition!
There’s a nice petition online, put forth by Food Democracy Now, a “grassroots movement initiated by farmers, writers, chefs, eaters and policy advocates,” and it’s all about encouraging the Obama transition team to nominate a good, green secretary of agriculture. Sign it!
Turkey Time with Sarah Palin
Yesterday I was out with friends and happened to overhear some new Sarah Palin gossip. Having assumed that all Sarah Palin gossip was rendered moot on November 4th, I became intrigued by my peers’ enthusiasm over the Palin buzz. It seems that the Alaska Governor was interviewed by an Anchorage NBC Affiliate the other day, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving the informal press event was held at a local turkey farm. During a slaughter.
While Palin cooly waxes political and shares her restrospctive thoughts on the presidential race, we are distracted by a busy farmer, who picks up turkeys one by one, turns them upside-down into a large cone, severs their necks, and waits patiently while they bleed out a bit. Palin’s hair and makeup are terrific as always, the farmer is wearing a moustache and a baseball cap, and the turkeys are nice and plump. What’s the big deal?
Well, it seems that this Palin interview/turkey massacre has provided many Americans with their very first opportunity to witness a livestock slaughter, and several people – if not millions – are finding the whole scene shocking and distasteful. These are the same millions, no doubt, who are licking their chops at the thought of ritualistically sinking their teeth into some juicy turkey meat this coming Thursday. Just another wonderful example of our penchant for hypocrisy, and a vivid illustration of the enormous gap between our collective alimentary delusion and the true nature of our food system. (more…)
Secretary Pollan?
The radio and internet have been abuzz this week with talk about food and ag writer Michael Pollan and his popularly-supported candidacy for the position of Agriculture Secretary under the next administration. Although I can’t really see him moving to Washington and wearing a suit, Pollan is certainly a big step up from current secretary Ed Schafer, or either of G.W. Bush’s previous two Ag Secretaries, all three of whom have sat idly by as America’s food system crumbles in the hands of large corporations. Pollan is a journalist, not a politician (which is probably a good thing), and he is one of America’s most vocal and most read food and agriculture activists. His books and articles have shone a new, bright light on our food system, educating Americans about the economic, health and environmental problems we face and the healthy, local and delicious alternatives available to us.
I, personally, don’t expect Pollan will actually be offered the Secretary of Ag position – Pollan himself finds the prospect unlikely and there are others with better resumes and similar politics waiting in line ahead of him (Iowa Senator Tom Harkin is just one who comes to mind) – but that’s really not the point. The point is that Michael Pollan’s contribution to America’s food future is already huge. He has educated the American public about their food, and brought food system discourse into the mainstream. The sheer fact that Americans even care who their Agriculture Secretary will be is an enormous step forward. Because of Pollan and other writers like him, food and agriculture policy is in the public eye, and Americans are working democratically to take back their food system and to make it work sustainably and fairly and for the people.
So thank you, Michael Pollan. You are the Ag Secretary of our hearts, even if you can’t be the Secretary of the USDA.
Pie Pockets
Like most Americans, I love eating food in single, hand-held servings, especially when it can be frozen and conveniently heated up in my toaster oven at any time of the day. Unlike many, however, I’m a little bit squeamish when it comes to food additives and preservatives and food items with more than 7 or 8 ingredients. In an effort to negotiate my love for food pockets and my disgust for most frozen foods, I did a little experimenting with pie dough and my oven. It was a rather successful experiment.
These pie pockets have apples, dried cranberries and walnuts in them (with sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger), but I figure you can pretty much put any kind of pie filling in there (or any savory pot pie or samosa filling). The key is to get a good dough going first. (more…)
Turkey Burgers with Bok Choy and Beet Salad
Boyfriend and I had some friends over this weekend and cooked up a nice meal in their honor. The main ingredients all came from the Union Square Farmers Market, which isn’t as lush and fruitful this time of year as it is in the summer, but even in February you can find a meal there. I picked up a couple of pounds of ground turkey, some beets, a tub of goat cheese and some baby bok choy, all grown locally in New York and New Jersey.
Turkey burgers are as easy to make as hamburgers – just mix in some spices, an egg, some breadcrumbs, garlic or onion (if that’s how you like it). We also like to mix in some barbecue sauce to give the meat a little kick. Serve it with all your normal burger condiments and on nice big fluffy rolls from a local bakery. Turkey is a great substitute for beef, as it’s lower in fat, and also less energy and water-intensive to produce (since cows are bigger, they take more feed and time to produce the same amount of meat as pork and poultry).
Bok Choy is also easy to make, and is also the cutest of all the green vegetables. (more…)
Super Repentance
Yesterday was perhaps the most American of days (excluding Xmas, 4th of July, and this coming Thursday, which I’m sure I don’t have to remind you is the first day of Chinese New Year). My friends and I gathered around the TV and put on the game, and treated ourselves to a feast fit for about 300 sumo wrestlers. There were ten of us.
Now, it’s not like I eat this way every day. The Superbowl is a special day, where we’re all given a free pass to binge on salty, fatty, orange-colored foods. It’s part of what makes America great. Right?
No, not right. Aside from the crippling stomach situation that resulted from my 8-course meal (consisting mainly of chips, cream, cheese, cream cheese, salt and beer), the feast left me with a soul-ache. This had a lot to do with the fact that most of the food I procured for the event wasn’t seasonal or organic (except for the salsa and some of the chips). And it had a whole lot to do with the sheer amount of food that my cohorts and I stuffed so willingly into our faces. (more…)
