November 26, 2009 at 12:20 pm (Baking, Thanksgiving)
Pies made with local ingredients and domestic wine for Thanksgiving
We made pies tonight for our Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow, left to right: rhubarb, pumpkin (2) and apple. The wines are from California, Missouri and Washington. Wishing everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
November 22, 2009 at 11:13 am (Local foods, Thanksgiving)
We’ve decided to incorporate more local foods into our Thanksgiving celebration this year. What better way to give thanks for all the bounty that surrounds us than to seek out and prepare local foods to serve our familes?
Granted, it’s a bit more work than usual, but it will be worth it. We’re mostly a make-it-from-scratch kind of family anyway; this is just a little scratchier than usual. I must start by coming clean with the fact that the turkey will not local. I looked, I really did, but couldn’t find anyone West River who sold home-raised turkeys. The Goosemobile folks from Canistota sell free-range, organic birds, but don’t deliver out here until December (I have ordered a turkey as well as a smoked pheasant). We tried to go the wild route since the Black Hills turkey population is very healthy, but we waited a little long into the season, and they’ve wised up. They moved from yard to yard, staying well within the 600-foot radius of houses, barns, sheds and horses. Turkeys have an excellent sense of self-preservation! Since we’d rather not scare the neighbors by blasting the 16-gauge off the front porch, our bird will come from the store this time. Next year I will be better prepared.
Now for the successful finds; let’s start with pie: pumpkin, apple and rhubarb, all local. Other local/homegrown/homemade foods will be the buns, green beans, potatoes, applesauce and wheat salad. I’ll make whole cranberry sauce even though cranberries are not local; they are raised domestically, and I’ll use beet sugar. The sweet potatoes are from Louisiana. We decided to forgo the green salad since it would more than likely require imported food. Likewise, the wine will be domestic that day. The coffee is imported, but fair-trade certified from Equal Exchange.
It may be a small effort, but it is an effort. Searching out local foods may take more planning and thought, but not necessarily more work. And the food will taste all the better by knowing it benefited local producers and wasn’t shipped 1,500 miles to grace our table.
November 17, 2009 at 12:10 pm (Legislation, Livestock, Local foods, Milk)
Remember to get those comments into the Department of Ag within the next 10 days. You can email your comments to Darwin Kurtenbach at darwin.kurtenbach@state.sd.us or Tony Shumaker at tony.shumaker@state.sd.us.
I’ve included my comments on the rules in this post. Please know that you don’t have to cover every single element of the rules in your letter; pick the ones most important to you.
November 13, 2009 at 7:04 am (Goat milk, Milk)
Just a quick reminder that if you haven’t yet sent in your comments on the proposed raw milk regulations, there is still time to do so. The hearing is Nov. 17, and the state will take comments several days past that.
Also, you can email your comments to Darwin Kurtenbach with the Department of Ag; here is his email address: Darwin.Kurtenbach@state.sd.us Please put Raw Milk Comments in your subject line.
November 6, 2009 at 12:26 pm (Goat milk, Legislation, Local foods, Milk)
I received this email today from Lila Streff, owner of the dairy where I have bought both milk and cheese. Her operation is small, clean and quality. These proposed regulations will adversely impact her farm and her customers ability to buy raw goats milk. I have visited her farm, looked at her goats and her processing kitchen; I know it’s clean. She has a set of guidelines she already follows, and they’re adequate. More regulation won’t make her milk safer, but it may very well make it unavailable.
If you feel that being able to choose local foods from your neighbors is important, please take a few minutes to send a letter to the Dept. of Ag by November 17. Lila has included pertinent information as well as the address.
The State of SD is preparing for a Hearing on Nov. 17th to introduce a new Proposed Law pertaining to the sales of Raw Milk. You can view this proposal at: http://www.state.sd.us/doa/das/Raw%20Milk%20Rules%20Oct%202009.pdf
The new proposals make it legal to sell Raw Milk in SD if you follow all of the new proposed laws. These new laws create an economic barrier and encroach on personal freedoms. I think you will see that this will eliminate any small farmer from selling Raw Milk- which also eliminates the freedom to purchase and consume the milk of choice. If you care about maintaining the freedom of choice on this matter in SD, now is the time for your voice to be heard.
I recently talked to The SD Director of Ag, Kevin Fridley. He said that it is not important to be at the hearing in person. I don’t agree, but not everyone can get to Pierre for the hearing on Nov. 17th. Kevin said that what really counts is the letters that are written. These letters are documents that will be on file and taken into consideration. So it is important to get as many people to write as possible. He said to stick to the particular issues that are being proposed and address the Proposed Law by its Number.
After the hearing on Nov. 17th, the proposals –along with all of the written letters and documented verbal comments of the public, go before a Review Committee where it will all be discussed and (hopefully) considered before it can be voted on and become law. It is a process and we can be a part of it.
Our voices can make a difference!
The issue of freedoms to choose would probably pertain to the very first one 12:05:07:11 of having to hold a permit to sell. To get this permit, of course, you have to follow all of the other new proposed laws. However, If we don’t have to have a permit, then the other laws do not pertain. The consumer should be able to choose for themselves the most sanitary place to purchase upon visiting different farms that offer Raw Milk. This should not be a government controlled issue.
***(This is the toughest one to tackle and you have to really be prepared for this one —They definitely are!—Thanks to The FDA). This would be great, but you are going after the whole Raw Milk issue with this one, and I don’t really think they are going to consider that issue right now.
I would suggest and recommend tackling the Proposed Laws that I have listed below if you view these as pertinent. These are the issues that I see as huge barriers to allowing the sales of Raw Milk.
***Please feel free to use this as a guide as you compose a letter to The State Ag Committee***
Key issues to Oppose/mention in letter:
1). (12:05:07:15) — Bottling Machine –Hand-Capping is Prohibited. The Proposed Law of an expensive bottling machine poses an economical barrier to the small farmer. There is no scientific proof that this is more sanitary than hand bottling. Washington State has proven this and omitted it in their statute. (It is good to quote this).
I have documented information on the prices of the Bottling Machine: $8,950 ; Bottles : (min purchase) 1 Pallet (1,344) of Quart (square) bottles @ $1,102 per pallet; and 1 Pallet (792) of Half Gallon bottles @ $1,188 per pallet; Caps : (4000 x $51.77 per thous.) = $207.08. Plus shipping and taxes on these.
2). (12:05:07:15) —Barn Construction Requirements. An economical barrier is posed to the small farmer to construct a facility to meet all of their criteria just to sell a small quantity of milk. It is prejudicial to treat all farmers like a big dairy.
3). 12:05:07:17—The Proposed testing for coliform levels of 10 per mil. is too low. It practically comes out of the animal at that level. Other states require between 50 and 750 per mil. (Idaho and Connecticut – 50 per mil. are good examples to quote). SD is making it so low that it can’t be passed -therefore we really won’t be able to sell the Raw Milk.
4). 12:05:07:20— Proposed Customer List—It is intrusive to the customer’s privacy to have to submit your personal information to a government list. They could call you and harass you! It is none of their business what you consume (what type of milk you drink and where you purchase it). This is a breach of privacy.
5). 12:05:07:22 —TB and Brucellosis Tests — Proposed Law is to do this twice/year. Once/year is adequate. To do the test the animal is injected with a serum. If you test more than once/year, the animal’s body will think it has the diseases and throw a FALSE POSITIVE . These tests are expensive, and again an economic barrier to the farmer. They are also unhealthy for the animal.
This is the address for sending your written comments:
South Dakota Department of Agriculture
Division of Agriculture Services
Dairy & Egg Office
523 E. Capitol Ave.
Pierre, SD 57501
If you have any other questions about this Proposed Law, please feel free to contact me:
Lila Streff
Streff Ridge Farm and Goat Dairy
12376 Beaver Den Dr
Custer, SD 57730
605-673-3554
October 31, 2009 at 6:09 am (Economy, Food system, Hunger, Legislation, Local foods)
One in every six people on the planet suffers from hunger. Think about that figure, 17 percent of the world. Two weeks ago the United Nations World Food Programme reported that more than one billion people go hungry every day, more than any other time in history.
Where are these hungry folks? About 642 million live in Asia and the Pacific Rim; 265 million live in sub-Saharan Africa; 95 million come from Latin America, the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, and the remaining 15 million live in developed countries. In other words, they’re everywhere; some of them may be your neighbors.
The U.N. reports that hunger spiked when the world economy plunged, and governments started pumping money into the financial sector. Essentially, saving banks left people to starve because those efforts took funds away from food aid and distribution.
Beyond the worldwide response to the crashing financial market, there is a deeper reason hunger has become so prevalent: the disappearance of local food systems in favor of exports. Before World War II, the bulk of a country’s food was grown domestically. Yes, there were some imports and exports, but not at nearly the level we experience now. A country imported what they couldn’t grow; now countries import food that they can grow. They must import food because they have agreed to export so much of their own food items. Wouldn’t it be less complicated if we just ate what we grew in the first place? Yes, but then all those poor trade representatives and USDA negotiators would be out of a job, boo hoo. Of course, it might help feed these billion hungry people.
A case in point is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was passed in 1994. This agreement among the U.S., Canada and Mexico was to usher in a brave new world of prosperity, which it did, for multinational food processors like Archers Daniel Midland (ADM), Cargill and ConAgra. Actual farmers didn’t fare so well; in fact, they started disappearing. Over one million Mexican subsistence farmers were forced from their land during NAFTA’s first 10 years. These were folks who were raising their own food, and then forced from sufficiency to factory jobs in border towns. Vanishing farmers equal vanishing food.
Why did they lose their farms? Mexico is the birthplace of corn, and many of those farmers raised corn for their families and sold their surplus. NAFTA forced Mexico to import corn and corn products (like high fructose corn syrup) and the price of corn plummeted. They grew corn, yet had to import it due to the agreement. End result: broke, displaced, hungry farmers.
The small African coutnry of Djibouti is another example of fairly stable, developing country that had been pretty well able to feed its people, until its government bought into the global export model. Farmers were told to stop growing their own food and start growing tulips for export, so they did. Not enough food could be imported to replace what had grown there, and many areas of the country were too remote for efficient food distribution.
If we are ever to end world hunger, it must start at home. Growing some of our own food and buying more from our neighbors or within our region will eventually return our food system to a saner model. How we spend our money at the grocery store also matters. Feeling virtuous about spending $20 at the farmers market and then heading to Wal-Mart for the rest of our groceries is rather hypocritcal. For food items not grown in your area, like coffee or tea, vote with your food dollars by purchasing fair-trade certified foods. This process ensures that more money goes to the actual farmers, not middlemen, and enables them to sustain their families.
We don’t need more efficiency, pesticides, genetically modified foods, or analysts to decrease the number of hungry people. We need to take the raising of food out of the boardrooms of Wall Street and back into the hands of farmers worldwide.
October 26, 2009 at 6:29 am (Soup, Squash)
The arrival of cold weather signals the beginning of soup season; there’s just something about a bowl of hot soup that warms the soul as well as the body. Luckily, you can make soup from about anything, including leftovers, but one of my new favorites is butternut squash soup.
Yesterday I hit the Black Hills Farmers Market and loaded up on squash; today I made a pot of soup using an adaptation of Molly Wizenberg’s recipe from her book A Homemade Life. She adds two chopped pears to her soup, but I skipped them since I didn’t have any on hand.
Butternut Squash Soup
3 Tbsp olive oil
One 2-pound butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks)
1 medium yellow onion (peeled and coarsely chopped)
1 cup apple cider or juice
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
½ tsp salt
½ cup half-and-half or cream
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the squash and onion, stir to coat with oil. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the cider and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the broth, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the mixture, partially covered, for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender.
Using a blender or food processor, and working in small batches, puree the soup until very smooth. An immersion blender also works very well and doesn’t require removing the soup from the pot. Return the soup to the pot and add the salt. Continue to cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat, until the soup has reduced to about one-half of its original volume. Stir occasionally. The final consistency is up to you, when it reaches a thickness that seems right, it’s ready. Add the half-and-half to the soup; allow the soup to warm up again if the half-and-half was cold. Serves 4 to 5.
October 19, 2009 at 9:00 am (Fall, Gardening, Garlic)
Today I planted garlic for the first time; with luck, I’ll have green shoots popping up next spring. The bulbs are lightly mulched with leavs and pine needles, but will require a heavier cover as fall progresses into winter. If you plan to plant garlic this fall, best be getting to it as mid-October is prime time; you don’t want to wait until the ground is frozen or covered in snow. It also takes a hefty covering of mulch to prevent winter-kill; don’t waste your money by planting and then neglecting to mulch.
I planted two hard-neck, heirloom varieties, Persian Star and Transylvanian. Their flavor is similiar, and both store well. Persian Star has larger cloves, which means fewer per bulb. Transylvanian bears more cloves, but smaller ones. Both varieties bear more than the standard-sized ones sold at the store.
If you’re thinking of planting garlic, make sure you buy a variety suitable for your area; don’t try to plant the stuff from California, Mexico or China if you live on the Northen Plains. (And if you’re buying garlic from China, you need to rethink your priorities.) I bought my garlic from Prairie Couteau Farm in Astoria, grown by my friend Kristianna Gehent, the garlic goddess.
Kristianna has been growing garlic for several years, so her varieties are well-suited to our cold winters. If you’ve never been to Astoria in January, take my word for it, it’s COLD. So I figure that her garlic has a good chance of making it here at 5600 feet, but I will have to mulch thoroughly, especially since I use raised beds.
Now we do what gardeners do in the winter: wait.
October 18, 2009 at 1:52 am (Food system, Legislation, Local foods)
As all we food subversives know, our food system has been hijacked by designer-suit-wearing CEO’s who make a lot of money by paying farmers a pittance, processing the heck out of raw ingredients, and then shipping their “food products” vast distances to retailers like Wal-Mart, who are quickly replacing our community grocery stores. Nor does it come as a surprise that companies such as Wal-Mart, Con Agra, Cargill, Archers Daniel Midland (ADM) and Phillip Morris (owners of Kraft Cheese and Camel cigarrettes) don’t care much for people like us, people who raise their own food or buy it from their neighbors. Folks who support local food systems are a threat to them, so they try to paint us with either a radical brush, making us out to be food terrorists who would snatch the McNuggets right out of children’s hands, or the hippie brush, likening us to 60s flower-children living in communes and raising pot with our tomatoes. In reality, we’re just people who give a damn about what we eat.
So if you care about what you eat and want to see the local foods movement grow, please read the following action alert from my friends at the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC). While the bill S. 510 is purported to make our food safer, what it really will do is make local food systems harder to sustain.
Please call or email your U.S. Senators to urge them to fix flawed Federal Food Safety Legislation (S.510) so it does not stall the newly emerging small businesses built around fresh, wholesome local foods, direct market farmers and small local processors processing local foods for local markets.
WORC and its member organizations just delivered letters from a coalition of 21 grassroots farm, ranch, organic consumers and producers and holistic health organizations to 100 members of the U.S. Senate.
The House passed H.R. 2749 in July and in the Senate, S. 510 is pending. Both bills impose an onerous federal regulatory regime on small direct market farmers and small local processors processing local foods for local markets.
The problem that needs to be addressed by federal regulations is not fresh local foods marketed transparently, but the huge industrialized agribusinesses and the long supply chains that they utilize to move food thousands of miles from multiple sources to markets. The long food supply chain of industrial agriculture is where foodborne pathogens have created hazards that have moved Congress to act.
Fresh, wholesome local foods are an alternative to the huge industrial agribusinesses where foodborne pathogens have resulted in sickness, injuries and deaths.
Federal legislation to address traceability and increase record keeping to ensure food safety should not be directed at emerging new sources of fresh, easily traceable, local foods that are already governed by an existing framework of state and local health and sanitation and inspection laws.
The message to Senators:
One size does not fit all when it comes to food safety. Please amend S. 510 so it does not undermine small businesses involved in direct market farming and processing local foods for local markets.
You can contact your Senators on WORC’s Take Action page.
October 12, 2009 at 12:40 am (Canning, Grapes, Jelly)
No, I didn’t harvest any grapes from my solitary vine; it will be another two years before I can do that, but I did make some grape jelly. In fact, I made two batches, one from store-bought purple grapes and one from bottled juice. Even though neither were truly local grape sources, I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to hone my jelly-making skills while I wait a couple of years for grapes of my own (provided the vine lives). Both the grapes and the grape juice were grown/processed in the U.S.
At first I thought using bottled juice was a bit like cheating, but it did help me learn the skill, and it’s much more economical than buying store-bought jelly. A bottle of grape juice doesn’t cost much more than one jar of jelly, and can make about 12 half-pints of jelly!
In order to make jelly from the grapes, first I had to make grape juice by cooking them down and then letting the cooked/mashed grapes drain in a cheesecloth-lined colander for a couple of hours. These were the recipes I used, changing the amounts slightly since I didn’t have quite five cups of juice for the first one. Both recipes are from Ball’s Complete Book of Home Preserving.
Grape Jelly
5 cups grape juice for jelly
1 package regular powdered fruit pectin (I used Sure Gel)
6 cups granulated sugar (I always cut back on the sugar)
Prepare canner, jars and lids. In a large, deep saucepan, place juice. Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to a full, rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for one minute. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam.
Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar, screw band down until fingertip-tight.
Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes (check for correct processing times for your altitude). Remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars and cool. Makes about seven 8-ounce jars.
*Because of my altitude, I have to process everything for an additional 10 minutes.
Easy Grape Jelly
3 cups unsweetened bottled grape juice
1 package regular powdered fruit pectin (Sure Gel)
4 ½ cups granulated sugar (I used only 3 ¾ cups)
Use the same process as above. Makes about five 8-ounce jars.
