Letter to the President on Food Policy...

I am becoming increasingly interested in the web of food-agriculture-health-climate change policy, and found Michael Pollan's interview on NPR's Fresh Air to be quite enlightening. The original source of this interview is an open letter to the next president authored by Pollan, which appeared in the NYT magazine earlier this month.

Our agenda puts the interests of America’s farmers, families and communities ahead of the fast-food industry’s. For that industry and its apologists to imply that it is somehow more “populist” or egalitarian to hand our food dollars to Burger King or General Mills than to support a struggling local farmer is absurd. Yes, sun food costs more, but the reasons why it does only undercut the charge of elitism: cheap food is only cheap because of government handouts and regulatory indulgence (both of which we will end), not to mention the exploitation of workers, animals and the environment on which its putative “economies” depend. Cheap food is food dishonestly priced — it is in fact unconscionably expensive.

It is time to stop accepting the premise that food grown sustainably using the sun's power is more expensive. It is imperative that the negative externalities and implicit subsidies be considered when evaluating the true cost of this "food."

Lots more interesting stuff from Pollan can be found on his site. I would strongly recommend both The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. I love the title for In Defense of Food, as it echoes one of the best books ever written, Crick's In Defence of Politics...

Lazy Locavores....

For all of my (somewhat many) lazy friends, there is a new option in eating local, which involves little, if any, sweat equity. I have to admit this seems a bit strange to me, but I do love the actual process of doing the sourcing / shopping for my food. I do however recognize that a little glamour in the local food movement might actually help in moving more people to a local diet. Of course and equally plausible result of this lazy food snobbery may be that the average Jane and Joe Sixpack family view the eating local movement as another strange action of the effete snobs on the hill.

Additional market note --- The Hill Farms Farmer's Market on Saturday morning features some of the best milk you can find from Blue Marble Farms. Currently they are running a special on skim milk (as it is a by product of cream production) for only $2 per half gallon. I believe that is a rate that is quite price point competitive with the non-local non-organic skim you would find in the grocery store.

The Rise of the CSA...

A front page article in today's NYT discusses the rise of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA's).

Some shareholders said they found the arrangement a bargain compared to grocery shopping, while others considered it a worthwhile indulgence. Most agreed that the urge to buy and spend locally — to avoid the costs and environmental degradation that come with shipping and storage — was behind the decision to join. Shareholders can pick up their goods at the farm or at a store across the street...

The downside for people who are used to grocery shopping comes when they want fresh blueberries in January or, as was the case at Erehwon last week, the tomato plants needed more time in the ground because of a cold spring.

I have to say from personal experience the CSA we belong to (Green Spirit Farm) has been an exceptional bargain if you compare the produce received every other week to the prices for similar produce at the supermarket. The article does hit the nail on the head as to the biggest detriment of CSA/Farmer's Market sourcing of food being the inablity to secure anything anytime. I am, however, quickly adjusting to the joys of seasonality and the continual guidance nature offers in altering my diet.

If you are fortunate enough to live in the Madison area you have plenty of options for joining a CSA, with share prices as low as $200 for a summer share. Also, at this time you can probably still find a farm with winter shares, which start around $100. Check out the Local Harvest website for more info.

Summer Veggies are the best...

even if we have to deal with summer's pests. We received our second CSA box from Greenspirit Farm last Saturday and it featured some of my favorite early summer treats: Garlic Scapes to be added to nearly everything I cook, succulent small head Brocolli, and late season earthy asparagus, which is especially good for omelettes. The Farmer's Market is in full swing at this point, featuring lots of options for the locatarian. One new local source that we have switched to is Sugar River Dairy, which offers wonderfully flavorful yogurt at a very competitive price. Add in some of those abundant strawberries from the market and you have a lovely addition to a summer lunch at Monona Terrace, overlooking Lake Monona.

Hope to see you at the market this Saturday, as green beans, brocolli and strawberries will all be in high supply.

Killer Tomatoes...

Are you scared of the tomatoes in your refrigerator? Apparently, lots of fast food restaurants and industrial supermarkets are, after the recent salmonella outbreak. The truly scary part of this outbreak, is that the CDC hasn't been able to decipher its origin.

Although the origin of the outbreak has not been determined, the Food and Drug Administration has released a warning against raw red plum, red round and red Roma tomatoes from geographic areas it does not oversee.

After tracing the patterns of salmonella and looking at production and distribution pattern information, the FDA has compiled a list of areas not associated with the current outbreak.

The real kicker here, is that the FDA has compiled a "safe list," whereby a consumer can feel confident that the tomatoes are fine, which would be wonderful if it weren't for the industrial food change completely displacing the consumer's ability to make this judgment. My recommendation for those in the Madison area is to head to the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning and stop by Real Food, a Mennonite (or maybe another Anabaptist sect) ran operation out of central Wisconsin. They have some marvelous tomatoes that are "grown in real dirt," as the sign says. These outbreaks should be a wake up call that the industrial food chain is unnecessarily adding processing, packing and shipping steps to our food supply. Generally, the more steps involved, the more processing and treatment needed to keep the "food" fresh. Why do we have to make it so complicated? I am not sure, but it is probably something to do with our delusion that we can have cheap, healthy, fast, and safe food. There are obviously a number of balancing factors in weighing these variables against one another, but as the economists love to say -- "There is no such thing as a free lunch."

Tyson and the Avian Flu...

Just in case you need a reason to not buy poultry from Tyson,here is a good one. Of course, no recalls have been ordered and Tyson is "is also stepping up its surveillance of avian flu in the area as a precaution." Seriously, there is something a little wrong with our food supply system, when the reaction to finding a serious virus in our food supply (even if it isn't 'harmful' to humans) is taken so lightly.

For my local friends here in Madison, I would offer a wonderful outlet for all your poultry needs in Pecatonia Valley Farm, which you can find at the Dane County Farmer's Market on the square every Saturday (near M&I and Starbucks) and Wednesday (on MLK in front of City Hall). Their eggs are so sexy, and I would strongly recommend the Smoked Chicken -- recipe following.

Ingredients:
-- 1/2 Smoked Chicken from Pecatonia Valley Farms
-- White Wine
-- Asparagus
-- Baby Crimini Mushrooms
-- Spinach
-- Salt and Pepper
-- Butter
-- Spices -- Italian, basil, oregano, thyme, etc.
-- Shallots or small red onions
-- Garlic clove (2)
-- Rice, Potatoes, etc. (optional)

Directions:
-- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and when this temperature is reached, roast chicken for 15-30 minutes depending on size. (The bird is already cooked via the smoking process, so we are merely warming it up here). I like to add a little white wine and light italian seasoning every 7-10 minutes myself, but this isn't completely necessary.
-- If you want a starch with the meal, I would cook it in this time range. A risotto with the Mushrooms would be nice... Or maybe just roasted red skins?
-- Saute the Quartered shrooms in butter and S+P. Add the spinach when the mushrooms are just about cooked through. Finish quickly, just enough to wilt the spinach. S+P to taste and reserve.
-- Steam the asparagus (boiling is an option)
-- After you remove the spin/mushroom mix from the pan, add two cloves worth of diced garlic and a finely diced shallot to the pan over high heat. When these start to brown, add some white wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the wine and add a little butter. Little bits of butter at a time will keep the sauce from breaking. Keep the heat relatively high and keep the pan moving as you thicken the sauce.

To Plate:
Make a nice sized bed of the spinach and mushroom blend, add a quarter to an eighth of a bird to this "nest" and then 5-7 asparagus spears resting against the chix. Then drizzle the sauce over the entire plate -- focusing on the chix.

Enjoy!
-- All local except: butter (I need a source), wine (local not preferred), and Salt and Pepper.

Pass the Mustard....

Taylor Clark offers us omnivores a little insight into the vegetarian's mind, with an essay at Slate. I found the essay to be insightful in some respects, but a little sad in that it seems to promote the odd moral imperative that we should not kill animals and consume them (and craving a hot dog with mustard)...

Believe me, if obtaining bacon didn't require slaughtering a pig, I'd have a BLT in each hand right now with a bacon layer cake waiting in the fridge for dessert. But, that said, I can also tell you that with some time away from the butcher's section, many meat products start to seem gross. Ground beef in particular now strikes me as absolutely revolting; I have a vague memory that hamburgers taste good, but the idea of taking a cow's leg, mulching it into a fatty pulp, and forming it into a pancake makes me gag. And hot dogs … I mean, hot dogs? You do know what that is, right?

I understand that we don't have to kill and eat animals, but I do have some curiosity as to what we should do with all those cows if we don't. I really feel that sometimes this don't kill idea is dragging us away from a key part of our humanity -- as big time predator of an important food chain. It doesn't seem sustainable to me that we could cease eating meat en masse. I do recognize that Mr. Clark doesn't necessarily advocate for such a large transition, but the whole moral/ethical argument is, in my opinion, weak soup. Of course, we should strive to raise and kill these animals in the least offensive and harmful way, but -- call me a biological conservative -- I think that our traditional role as a predator in our food system is important.

Clark concludes:

Finally, grant me one more cordial request: Please don't try to convince us that being vegetarian is somehow wrong. If you're concerned for my health, that's very nice, though you can rest assured that I'm in shipshape. If you want to have an amiable tête-à-tête about vegetarianism, that's great. But if you insist on being the aggressive blowhard who takes meatlessness as a personal insult and rails about what fools we all are, you're only going to persuade me that you're a dickhead. When someone says he's Catholic, you probably don't start the stump speech about how God is a lie created to enslave the ignorant masses, and it's equally offensive to berate an herbivore. I know you think we're crazy.

Who says we shouldn't say those things to Catholics??? OK, I guess not, and I'll try to be good... My cordial request back to the vegetarians is that they not inform me what is in a hot dog while I'm preparing my homage to the "guts and stuff encased meat products on a bun gods" at the game. I know what's in those dogs (I've made them), and no I don't find it gross. Oh, and please pass the relish too.

Mushroom and Asparagus Linguine...

With the arrival of asparagus at the >Dane County Farmer's Market this past weekend, I can confidently pronounce that spring has sprung. I was able to pick up nearly all of the fresh ingredients to make the following mushroom and asparagus pasta dish last evening...

Ingredients:
9 oz. Fresh Mushroom Linguine from RP's Pasta
1 smallish Red Onion Garlic
3 cloves of garlic
2/3 lb. blend of shitakes and oyster mushrooms
1 bunch (15 stalks) of asparagus
White Wine (Praire Fume from Wollersheim in this case, though slightly drier is probably better)
1/4 stick Butter
handful of fresh arugula
Fresh green onions (3 stems)
Romano / Parmesan (optional)

Directions:
Remove stems from mushrooms (leave some of the oyster core), slice into 1/4 inch strips. Dice onion and garlic. Wash asparagus and cut away any overly firm portions at the base of the stalk. Cut each stalk into 3-5 pieces using a bias cut method. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil in large pot (lots of room for the pasta to move), also bring 1 quart of water to boil in a double steamer (boiling is ok, but make sure to use plenty of salt in the water to keep those nutrients and color in the asparagus) for the asparagus. Heat a large skillet on high and when hot add a bit of olive (pomace) oil to the pan with the garlic and onions (red not green). Saute over medium high heat until the onions start to turn translucent then add the mushroom blend. Add the asparagus to the steamer and the pasta to the boiling water, each should cook for between 3-4.5 minutes.

After the mushrooms become tender to the touch, raise the heat to high and add wine to deglaze the pan. As the wine boils, lower the heat slightly and begin adding small amounts of butter to make the sauce. Work the butter into the wine, and allow to thicken over the heat. Drain the asparagus and the pasta, adding both to the saucepan. Toss in the green onions, some salt and pepper. Plate in pasta bowls and grate some cheese (optional) and chiffonade of arugala. Enjoy.

This recipe is neccesarily vague, as I've never been a tactician in the kitchen. I do, however, think that this style of fresh pasta and veggies with a white wine and butter (I hesitate to refer to this as a beurre blanc) sauce is something to be expreienced. Especially right now, as the asparagus is so much better (less bitter, crisper, and meatier) than what is available most of the year.

Media coverage of local food movements...

I think it's great that the Isthmus is giving significant coverage to the concept of locally provided food. I found the article to be quite informative and it seemed to offer a number of fair and valid observations regarding a number of organizations.

Perhaps, the most salient point made, is one that is often made, but should not be forgotten:

Still, amid its successes, the local-food movement is suffering growing pains. There is, for example, the problem of access. Local food can seem a bourgeois taste, one enjoyed by customers of pricey fine-dining establishments and precious natural-foods supermarkets.

The locatarian / locovore / local food / slow food movements must work hard to avoid becoming too much of a snootish and pretentious endeavor. I will admit that it was my love of great tasting food that got me started in the conceptual movement of sourcing more of my diet from closer to home, but I now believe it is more than that. And to make a real difference in the broader scheme of things, pretentiousness must be mitigated.

Organic food prices soar...

The organic food movement has taken off in the past five years in America, with sales up over 125% during that time. This same five year period saw ever growing numbers of farmers and acres of crop land going organic. According to an article in today's NYT Business section, this trend has slowed dramatically with the new heightened prices of all commodities.

The organic movement is based around the premise that consumers have a higher willingness to pay for food that is grown without the aid of chemicals, fertilizers and hormones. This premise seemed to hold true over the recent past, as the market share of organics grew significantly. The problem with this assumption now, however, is that many believe there is a likely inflection point in the food markets -- whereby, consumers will forego purchasing the organic goods due to the high absolute price. The interesting thing about this is that it doesn't appear that organics are decoupling from their normal 20-100% premium over conventional foodstuffs. Instead, the fear is that there is a pyschological barrier involved and that $7 a gallon milk is something the consumer cannot tolerate. For exmaple, two years ago a gallon of "regular" milk was around $2 and organic milk was about $4, which was a 100% price premium. Now with regular milk at $3.39 and organic at approximately $6.65 (once again roughly 100% premium), the market may begin contracting. It seems to me that in the stumbling economy, this slight (but very real to some) absolute increase, along with the aforementioned pyschological impact of the pricing, could very likely put a huge downward pressure on demand for organic goods. Another possibility proposed by a friend is related to this mindset, as he postulated that the growth in the organic food sector was due almost exclusively to the faddiness of it and the additional disposable income from a subset of the population. He may be right...

I know that at home we try to use some organic products, but have focused more on the local sourcing aspect of our food and this increase in costs has played a role in keeping us from moving more into the organic marketplace. Even with an increase in disposable income, we are often made aware of the price disparity of our food choices compared to the "cheaper" alternatives. I hope we won't have the need to leave the local food market, but I will be interested to note if there is any marked change at the big Dane County Farmer's market this year.