Tough Time for Local Dairies

Click here to read today's New York Times article on how the current recession is impacting small, organic dairy farms.  Just another reminder that it's more important than ever to support our local farms.

Farmers Market Fun

This morning, seeing as I am on vacation, I indulged myself in a springtime treat:  a sunny morning walk through the Copley Square Farmers Market.  Although it's early in the season, there was plenty of local goodness on offer.  

The ultimate in fast food. In case you can't read the sign, this is the "Boston Goat Cheese Picnic" from Crystal Brook Farm in Sterling, MA.  Each bag contains a delectable lunchtime menu:  goat cheese with olive oil and herbes de provence, french bread, and trail mix, plus utensils and a $1 off coupon for your next purchase. A fabulous reason to forget your lunch!

The Atlas Farm stand was overflowing with the season's first produce, local and organic...

as was my kitchen table when I got home.  

The basil will be planted, with hopes of better success than last year.

The kale will be sauteed with onions and garlic.

The strawberries will be gone by supper.

The rest, including the cilantro and jalapeno goat cheese--yum!--will provide delicious lunchtime salads for days to come.

Don't you just love spring?

Asparagus in Abundance

Last Sunday evening, a friend and I attended an Italian style Asparagus Festival hosted by Slow Food Boston and chef Chris Douglass at Tavolo, his newest restaurant in Dorchester.  Douglass, who has always been committed to buying fresh, local produce for his restaurants whenever possible, took some of his cooks out to Sunderland, Massachusetts the Friday before, where they hand-harvested the first asparagus shoots of the spring for Sunday's supper.

While the kitchen worked furiously to whip up a plethora of asparagus dishes, servers passed around trays of springtime cocktails--my favorite was the Campari punch--while diners got a short lesson in asparagus history.  Apparently, the Connecticut River Valley was known as "the asparagus capital of the world" for much of the 20th century.  In 1950, in fact, farmers in the area produced 50 tons of asparagus each season, aided by the sandy loam soil left behind by a glacial lake that once filled the valley.  Then, in the 1970s, a virus essentially wiped out the crops of some 200 area farms that were growing asparagus, and many farmers could not afford the investment of money and time required to plant a new, disease-resistant variety a few years later.  A small group of determined growers continued to plant asparagus, but the heyday was over.

When the dishes began to emerge from the kitchen at Tavolo, I felt deeply grateful for this small group of holdouts, including Enterprise and Smiarowski Farms, where our spears had been gathered.  There was a light and fluffy asparagus quiche with a firm buttery crust, tender asparagus-stuffed chicken, and a sort of cheesy asparagus mousse, a little piece of heaven on a spoon.  There was asparagus risotto, creamy asparagus pasta with a savory ham, and perfectly cooked simple spears, which let the crisp, bright flavors of the freshly picked vegetable speak for themselves.  Finally, when we thought we couldn't possibly find room for another mouthful, the servers brought out small plates of asparagus ice cream, served with strawberries and a sweet balsamic reduction.  This was a first for me, and I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet, grassy taste.  I'm not sure I would have identified the flavor as asparagus if I hadn't already known, but I would definitely identify it as a yummy, refreshing dessert.  

If you're sorry you missed this bonanza of fresh, local flavor, don't fret.  It's not too late to get your fill of this springtime treat!  On Saturday, May 30th, you can head to the Annual Strawberry and Asparagus Supper at the First Congregational Church in Hadley, MA.  Call (413) 584-4117 to reserve your spot at one of two sittings (5:00 & 6:30). 

Beefy Mustardy Comfort

These are the words that my lunch companion used to describe the Wild West sandwich at O'Naturals, where we stopped in for a bite last week. The sandwich, which features wild prairie raised bison meatloaf, is just one delicious pick from a menu designed to be as healthy and planet-friendly as possible, while still providing quick service to people on the go. This means lots of organic ingredients, and no additives, preservatives, or growth hormones.

The restaurant, created in part by the husband and wife team who bring us Stonyfield Farm yogurt, also aims to make each of its locations an active part of local community development. With this in mind, they donate a portion of their sales each evening to local non-profits, giving local-minded consumers yet another reason to stop by when they need a good, quick meal.

The missing piece? Local farmers. No one is perfect, but it seems that the next simple step toward a goal of planet-friendly fast food (and in supporting community development) would be partnering with nearby farms at each location. If this tasty, healthy menu was also local, it would provide a pretty tempting excuse to leave the lunch bag at home once in a while and treat yourself to something different!

The Perils of the Icebox

I eat local whenever I can.  In the summer, when farm stands everywhere are overflowing with gorgeous produce and other locally produced fare, this is easy.  In the depths of the Boston winter, however, when the words "fresh" and "local" can't coexist in the same sentence, when you barely get to see the sun because you work 10 hour days in an office building, when the wind chill is makes you feel like you might break into 1,000 pieces...well, on those days, sometimes you just want dinner to be easy and hot.  These are the days when that frozen lasagna at the back of the freezer comes in oh so handy.  Does it taste as good as a homemade lasagna would?  Clearly not.  But all you have to do is pop it in the oven, and an hour later you're snug under a blanket with a piping hot plate of comfort food and a glass of red wine.  

This, of course, is a guilty pleasure.  Whenever I do indulge in a quick, easy (and processed) meal, a chorus of voices speaks softly as I eat, reminding me of the petroleum trail that such foods leave in their wake, the local producers who struggle to compete against big business, and the sometimes mysterious ingredients listed on the back of the box.  And now, there is yet another reason that such foods aren't really a pleasure after all.  An article from the Business section of the New York Times explains that it's growing more and more difficult for processors to ensure the safety of their food.  Under growing pressure to keep prices down, manufacturers get their ingredients from an increasingly murky global supply chain--some can't even tell you who their suppliers are, and they certainly can't tell you what sorts of safety precautions those suppliers take...or don't.  For this reason, even the most unlikely ingredients--from peanuts to spices--can now play host to dangerous microbes.  The frozen foods aisle, because products there so often contain long ingredient lists, is now a prime concern.  And producers are placing the onus on consumers to ensure that frozen food is safe by using a food thermometer to monitor temperature, something that most Americans rarely do.  Not so quick and easy after all.

This year, between my farm share and some late season trips to the farmers markets, I hope to stock my freezer with options that are healthier for my body and for the planet.  That way, when the cold and fatigue of February roll around again, I can reach for some local butternut squash instead of a mystery box.  That will be a true pleasure.

And in the Other Corner...

Frito-Lay, your newest "local" producer.

Read this New York Times article about how big business is appropriating ideas from the local food movement in hopes of making big bucks. "Mission creep" just about says it all.

Get Fresh

On Thursday, May 28th at 7:00 pm, there will be a Cambridge screening of the new film, Fresh. The movie, which chronicles the growing movement away from industrial agriculture, "celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system."

To sweeten the pot, there will be a panel discussion following the screening, featuring local chefs and policy makers, as well as Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms. (Sound familiar? Salatin and his forward-thinking agricultural practices are featured in Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma. If you haven't read it yet, this blogger highly recommends putting it at the top of your list!)

The film will be shown in room B 103 of the Harvard Northwest Building at 52 Oxford St. Tickets are $15. Click here to get yours!