Piglets, chickens, and kittens OH MY

Attendees admiring the feeder pigs at Copper Hill Farm

This past Sunday CT NOFA held its second On-Farm Workshop of the summer, Pasture-Raised Pigs on a Diversified Organic Farm, lead by Greg Hazelton, CT NOFA board member and the owner of Copper Hill Farm in West Suffield, CT. It was the perfect day to tour Greg's farm and listen to him eloquently speak about his experience raising pigs, chickens and growing produce as a one man operation at Copper Hill for the past four and half years. 

Get Ready for Spring Crops!

Although you can grow or buy a bounty of foods year-round in Connecticut, now is the time that the season for a wide array of spring and summer crops really starts to pick up.  This week as you're contemplating your grocery list, check out the above Connecticut Grown calendar (also available online here) to see what's growing in the area right now. 

Then, check out our brand new Farm and Food Guide that just came out for a listing of organic and sustainable farms near you!  The Guide provides not only a list of farms and farmers markets with maps that show where each farm is located, but also contains information about which Connecticut Grown farm products are available from each farm.  Starting right now, you can use the Guide and the CT Grown map together to get more of your produce from local sources.

And don't forget, CT farmers offer all of the produce listed in the map, plus more!  Check out the Guide to learn about additional types of produce as well as baked goods, dairy items, meat and seafood, and so much more! Buying local is an easy and delicious way to keep your food dollars where they count - in the local economy supporting Connecticut's own farmers!

Have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Winter Recipes for Cold Snowy Days

If you're anywhere in the northeast right now, you're probably in the middle of dealing with Winter Storm Nemo, our latest blizzard. You also might be trying to come up with a good weekend pass time that doesn't just involve shoveling the driveway.  Assuming you haven't lost power (and if you're reading this you must be somewhere with electricity) now might be a good time to try out a new recipe or two.  Below are some great cold season recipes courtesy of Kristiane's Organic With the Seasons newsletter.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Ham and Garlic

• 1 (1 ounce) slice white bread
• 3 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 1/4 cup finely chopped country ham (about 1 ounce) (don't eat meat?  This recipe is just as good without it!)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Place bread in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs on a baking sheet; bake at 425° for 5 minutes or until golden. Reduce oven temperature to 375°. Set aside 3 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs, reserving remaining breadcrumbs for another use.
3. Combine sprouts and next 5 ingredients (sprouts through garlic) in a 3-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, tossing to coat. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes or until sprouts are tender and lightly browned on edges, stirring twice.
4. Combine 3 tablespoons breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese; sprinkle over sprouts. Serve immediately.

Lentils with Wine-Glazed Vegetables

• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups dried lentils
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cup chopped pealed celeriac (celery root)
• 1 cup diced parsnip
• 1 cup diced parsnip
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh or 1 tablespoon dried tarragon, divided
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2/3 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1. Combine water, lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes. Remove lentils from heat, and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celeriac, parsnip, carrot, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and sauté 10 minutes or until browned.
3. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomato paste, and garlic; cook mixture 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
4. Stir in mustard. Add lentil mixture, and cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf, and stir in butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon, and pepper.

Click here to find these recipes and more online!

Below is a recipe that I'm trying out today, using winter root vegetables from my winter CSA share from High Hill Orchard in Meriden.  Maybe I'll bring some leftovers on a snow hike on Sunday, another great winter pass time.

Lamb Shanks With Wheat Berries And Parsnips

Sweet, nutty parsnips and earthy, chewy wheat berries turn this just-beyond-basic version of classic shanks into a one-pot meal. There is some advance preparation. The recipe is adapted from Cooking with Shelburne Farms by Melissa Pasanen and Rick Gencarelli (Viking Studio 2007).



T. Susan Chang for NPR
Makes 4 servings

• 1 1/2 cups hard, red wheat berries, soaked overnight in water*
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 meaty lamb shanks, about 1 pound each
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 large carrots (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 medium parsnips (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 large celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed with the flat side of a knife and peeled
• 1 1/2 cups dry red wine
• 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
• 2 cups chicken stock, preferably low sodium

* Wheat berries are available at most natural foods and specialty stores and in the natural foods section of some supermarkets

1. The night before cooking the lamb, put the wheat berries in a large bowl and cover them with cold water.
2. Tie the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf up in a cheesecloth bag and set aside. Pat the lamb shanks dry and season them with the salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a large Dutch oven set over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, brown the shanks, in batches if necessary so as not to crowd the pan. (Or, brown the shanks on a foil-lined baking sheet under the broiler. See "A Note On Browning," above, in story inset). Cook, turning periodically, until a nice crust has formed, 8 to 10 minutes total. Remove the browned shanks to a plate.
4. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the carrots, parsnips, onion, celery and garlic cloves. Cook, stirring, for 7 to 9 minutes until the vegetables are turning golden. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up any brown bits. Simmer 5 minutes and then add the herb bundle, tomatoes with their juice, and chicken stock to the pan, along with the drained wheat berries. Bring the pot to a simmer and cover. Simmer on the stove for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Return lamb shanks and any accumulated juices to the pot. Put the covered pot in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the lamb and wheat berries are tender (the wheat berries should still have a little bite to them).
6. To serve, present the shanks whole, or shred the meat off the bone in the kitchen and serve plates of wheat berries and vegetables topped with the shredded meat and cooking liquid.

View the whole article from NPR with more lamb recipes here.


However you spend your snowy weekend, make sure that it's safe and cozy!
-Melissa

GMOs, Industry Involvement, and Preemption - A Word of Caution

Photo via: planetmattersandmore.com

I read an interesting take on possible federal GMO labeling legislation today that cautioned against a potentially dangerous and irreversible situation known as preemption. This comes after a flurry of other articles like this one came out that discuss the possibility of big food supporting GMO labeling.  It might be hard to believe that conventional food retailers would support a federal labeling initiative, but when you look at it from the perspective of money, ease, and stability, it makes more sense.  After all, it's a lot easier for a multinational corporation like Walmart to have one labeling law to deal with in the United States rather than a host of different state laws, and putting an end to grassroots organizing helps their bottom line, reduces the possibility of PR trouble, and generally creates a more stable situation for their business to operate in.  Big food isn't supporting labeling to protect the consumer, however, and big ag isn't about to let the GMO labeling bill of our dreams get written up. That's where compromise and preemption come into play.  An excerpt from the article I first mentioned reads:

[There is an] ominous potential downside of federal GMO labeling: a sneaky legal concept known as preemption. Most advocates don’t find out about it before it’s too late.

Preemption simply means that a higher law trumps a lower law: so federal trumps state, and state trumps local. But in practice, it’s industry’s way of ensuring uniformity and stopping grassroots efforts. How I do know this? From years of experience of seeing it happen in various public health issues. It’s such a huge problem that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded an entire project called “Preemption and Movement Building in Public Health” to educate advocates about how to handle it.

Here is the pattern: a grassroots effort builds over time to enact local or state laws (such as gun control, indoor-smoking laws, or restricting alcohol sales), and industry fights these efforts for years, until they can no longer win. At that point, industry lobbyists turn around and either get their own weak bill passed, or work with advocates to pass a compromise version. In exchange, this law will preempt or prevent any state or city from passing a different or stronger law. Forever.

So if industry and grassroots efforts come to a compromise sometime in the future and produce a federal GMO labeling bill, preemption could prevent stronger legislation from being passed on the state level.  This effectively transforms the federal initiative from being a foundation for stronger more effective legislation into being a watered down action plan that stifles and oppresses future progressive initiatives.  That's not to say that a federal GMO labeling bill is a bad idea - it's a great idea if accomplished through care and caution.  Let's make sure that when a labeling bill is passed, whether at the state or federal level, it does what we want it to do.

Have a great evening!
-Melissa

A Full House at the Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference

Last Saturday, January 26, 2013, CT NOFA held it's annual Getting Started in Organic Farming Coneference at Goodwin College in East Hartford.  Despite a winter storm that inundated much of the mid-Atlantic states, we had sunny, albeit cold, weather up in Connecticut on the day of the event.  This was the first time the conference has been held at Goodwin, and we couldn't have been happier with how the day turned out.

The conference began just after 8am, and every seat in the room was filled.  Our Executive Director, Bill Duesing, kicked off the day with a compelling 30 minute overview of our current agricultural situation and how that ties into important global issues like climate change, biodiversity loss, and nutrient loading in fresh and salt water.  Bill gave an inspiring call to action for new farmers, explaining that organic farming directly addresses our planet's (and humanity's) most pressing ecological concerns.

After Bill's excellent introduction, Joe Bonelli from the UConn Cooperative Extension Service spoke briefly about Connecticut Farm Risk Management and crop insurance, explaining the tools that UConn and RMA have to offer new farmers to help them get started.

Our first full-length speaker of the day was Kip Kolesinskas, a conservation scientist with 35 years of experience. Kip has been a major contributor in efforts to increase farmer access to land, develop farm friendly municipalities, and promote locally grown food.  Kip's 45 minute presentation, Gaining Access to Quality Farmland, gave an overview of the common methods and sources for gaining access to affordable farmland, such as matching services, opportunities on Municipal and Land Trust properties, and the basic elements of a good lease, technical resources, and its role in risk management.

Next Erin Pirro, a Farm Business Consultant for Farm Credit East with a background in agricultural economics, spoke for an hour about Budgeting from the Bottom Up.  Erin has been helping farmers large and small make their businesses run better since 2001, and showed her knowledge and expertise by describing how to build a plan in numbers, designed to show you if you can take your business where you need it to go. Erin delved into the many aspects of building a strong and comprehensive budget, and showed how doing do will save you a lot of time and effort in the long run.

Kerry and Max Taylor, owners and operators of Provider Farm in Salem, CT, followed Erin with  a half hour presentation about Starting a CSA for Long Term Success. Provider Farm is a 200 share CSA, wholesale, and market biodynamic farm.  Kerry and Max described what it takes to start a CSA and why it can be a really valuable tool for new farmers. They addressed the benefits and draw backs of starting a CSA in the first year as well as lessons learned, tools for success and how a CSA fits into a whole farm plan.

Kerry and Max's presentation served as a great opening to the 45 minute CSA Panel where five Connecticut farmers, including Kerry and Max, addressed CSA-related questions from the audience ranging from the more general to the technical and specific. Other than Kerry and Max, the panel was also represented by three other farmers: Karen Pettinelli from Holcomb Farm, Mark Gauger from Maple View Farm, and Rodger Phillips from Grow Hartford.  Together, the panelists operate CSA programs in a wide range of sizes and specialties, and cater to different clientele.  The panel was a great way for attendees to learn a great deal about the different approaches to running a successful CSA program.

After the panel, the conference broke for lunch, some of which was generously donated by Whole Foods West Hartford and Chabaso Bakery. Thanks to CT NOFA staff and board members for providing some of the lunch as a supplement to the donations! There was plenty of food to go around, and the  break afforded attendees a great chance to network and get to know one another.  It also gave the staff and presenters time to get ready behind the scenes for a packed afternoon program!

The afternoon program started off with NRCS Opportunities for the Organic Producer, a 45 minute presentation from Adam Maikshilo, a Soil Conservationist for CT NRCS. Adam talked about technical and financial assistance that's available through the NRCS to organic producers, how to apply for those services, and common conservation practices that organic producers follow.

After Adam's presentation, Kim Stoner, the vegetable entomologist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station in New Haven, presented about Pest Management for Organic Farms.  Kim explained which pests can be tolerated, which can be managed at low levels, and which can appear suddenly and devastate a crop.  She also described ways to reduce pest damage, like diversifying, using resistant varieties, and using other non-chemical strategies for control.

Our last presenter of the day was Duncan Cox, a  Certification Administrator at Baystate Organic Certifiers.  Baystate is the only organization that certifies organic farms in Connecticut, and it was important to end the day describing the step by step process of becoming certified.  Duncan explained not only the certification process, but also addressed common concerns among farmers about becoming certified and maintaining certification.

This year's event was a blast!  Many thanks again to Whole Foods and Chabaso, as well as to the USDA RMA and the Specialty Crop Block Grant for providing some of the funding for this event, and to Goodwin College for the venue.  Also, a very special thank you to all the presenters for making the event informative and engaging.  Lastly, thanks to all the attendees for coming and learning about how to get started in organic farming!  We really appreciate the evaluations you filled out, and will use them to make even better programming for you in the future.  Thanks for your support!

Couldn't make it to this year's event?  No worries - we will be offering 8 beginning farmer workshops this year focusing on a variety of technical topics, and three CSA fairs.  Check our website often for the most up to date information.

Have a great weekend!
-Melissa

Caroling to Support Locally Grown Food

Spread holiday cheer while also spreading the word about locally grown foods! During this holiday season,  let's take a moment to think about where our food comes from and reflect on why it's important to buy locally grown, sustainably produced goods - through song!

TIS THE SEASON FOR THE FEASTIN'
Lyrics by Bob Waldrop (edited for Connecticut)
Tune: Deck the halls with boughs of holly

(1) Tis the season for the feastin',
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Taste nutrition can't be beaten,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Nurturing the land and people,
Farm and city joining hands.
Tis the season for the feastin',
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

(2) Care for people and creation,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Hope throughout the bio-region,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
From our farms onto our tables,
we will bless the way we eat!
Care for people and creation,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

(3) Healing nature with earth's beauty,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Wisdom, joy fulfilling duty,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Eating with the changing seasons,
Chasing the CAFOs from our land!
Healing nature with earth's beauty,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

(4) Social justice, sustainability,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
Economic viability,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!
These our values, govern always,
They will take us forward far!
Three in number the core values,
Connecticut Grown Foods are good to eat!

Happy Holidays!
-Melissa

Scrambling to Find the Perfect Holiday Gift?

There's been a lot of talk lately at the CT NOFA office about holiday gift giving and the staff's various levels of gift-buying/making completion. The holidays are a busy time of year, and that can mean there's not a lot of time available to buy or make meaningful gifts for loved ones. After all, no matter how well-intentioned or thoughtful our holiday gift-giving plans are, there are still only 24 hours in a day. Last year, a time crunch meant my husband had to make the vast majority of gift decisions in our household, but this year I was spared the stress of a last minute gift-buying bonanza because I knew where to look for locally-made products. If you are in the midst of wracking your brain for unique gift ideas, consider buying locally-produced items from Connecticut farms and winter farmers markets.

The USDA National Farmers Market Directory has seen a 52 percent increase in winter farmers markets this year. This, of course, means more opportunities to buy locally produced in-season foods for your holiday cooking. Winter markets, however, are also great places to go for unique locally-made gifts for family and friends. Items available at the markets can include fresh and preserved fruits and vegetables, dairy, meats, baked goods, eggs, nuts, honey, soaps, wool and fiber, Christmas trees, and holiday decorations. If you're throwing a holiday party, a larger market can literally cover all of your bases, providing food, decor, and gifts for the event. Check out a list of markets that feature at least one CT NOFA member farmer here, or click here for the CT Department of Agriculture's full holiday list.

Even if you can't make it to a farmers market in time to buy holiday gifts, many farms also offer goods for sale in the winter from farm stores and online. The second option is especially helpful if you're really busy - just don't forget to order far enough in advance to account for shipping time. Each farm sells their goods a little differently, so check out our Farm and Food Guide here to find farms in your area that you can visit.  You can also use the Guide as a database of farm websites that you can peruse when shopping online.

However you choose to complete your holiday shopping, don't forget to have fun and feel the spirit of the season! Have a great afternoon!
-Melissa

Have a Healthy Halloween!

Today is Halloween, and even though the first word that comes to mind for many of us when we think about Halloween is "candy", the holiday doesn't have to revolve around sweet treats in order to be fun.  You can have a more healthy lower sugar Halloween experience by using some of the following tips:

From Snack Girl, comes ten tips for a healthy Halloween. I especially like numbers 6 and 7:

6. If your children are young, tell them about the CANDY FAIRY. My six year old bought the idea that she could put her candy out and a fairy would replace it with a toy. She is truly excited about giving away her candy - magic, no?

7. If your children are old enough to understand, try making a care package of candy for a soldier in Afghanistan. There are a bunch of different organizations that can help you find a way to cheer up a soldier. One example is Any Soldier. They seem to always be looking for snack food.

Now, some of Snack Girl's candy tips might not be up your alley, but if you are okay with the idea of handing out an inedible item to Trick or Treaters, the American Dental Association has teamed up with Pop Cap Games to offer free downloads of its wildly popular game Plants -vs- Zombies.  You can download coupons to hand out here.  The ADA's colleagues at the Center for Science in the Public Interest have also come up with this comprehensive handout detailing healthy Halloween ideas that you can use at parties and for trick or treaters. There are many recipes and craft ideas that will entertain groups of all ages without consuming large amounts of sugar.

Whatever your plans for this holiday, I hope it's safe, delicious and fun!
-Melissa

Today is Food Day!

A Pig's Tail

Today represents a nationwide celebration and movement toward a more sustainable, healthy, and affordable food system. Celebrate Food Day today by attending one of the many Food Day Events located across the country and online. You can also participate by having a healthy dinner at home using one of the Food Day recipes or watching a film recommended in Food Day's Film Screening Guide.  At least two food-related films, including the Humane Society’s A Pig’s Tail and Anna Lappe’s Food Myth Busters, are having their premieres today online.

This evening, Representative Chellie Pingree (D-ME), one of the keynotes at the NOFA Summer Conference, is hosting a conference in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center in Washington D.C. on the Future of Food: 2050, during which panelists from Walmart, the Worldwatch Institute, the Institute for Alternative Futures and other organizations will speculate on what diets and agriculture might look like by the middle of the century.

In New Haven, the University of New Haven will celebrate Food Day today with a panel discussion and movie. Bill Duesing, our Executive Director, will be on the panel, and the movie, “Fresh,” will be shown at 1:30 p.m. “Fresh” is a documentary featuring Michael Pollan, the author of “The Omnivore's Dilemma.” The movie celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people responsible for the country’s food supply. Additional information about the documentary can be found at here.

No matter what your tastes are, or how you'd like to get involved, there is a Food Day event out there for you.  Let's raise awareness for more sustainable food in our future!

Have a great day!
-Melissa

Peak Fall Foliage is Coming Up!

Within the next few weeks, peak foliage in Connecticut will roll through the state from north to south, (check out CT DEEP's interactive foliage map here) and that means cold weather is on its way.  In fact, that cold weather is closer than you might think.  According to the National Weather Service, the first freeze of the season is happening overnight tonight.  I know I'm going to go out and pick the last of my peppers before the sun sets, but what I haven't decided yet is what I'm going to do with them.  Sounds like I'm in need of either some food preservation techniques, or a good recipe, right?

For the last year or so we have been sharing guidelines for winter food storage, recipes for cooking fall and winter foods, and farming and gardening tips for the off-season in the Winter Food Project section of our Gleanings eNewsletter.  With winter literally on our doorstep, now's a perfect time to start reviewing our enewsletter archive and our Winter Food Project webpage to refresh your memory about all the information that's available.

Below are some of the recipes we've featured in Gleanings.  Try making one this weekend with some of your harvest, or from food you purchased at a local fall event.

Have a bountiful weekend!
-Melissa

Winter Food Project Gleanings Recipes

• From the 2012 Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference:
  • Holcomb Farm CSA Coleslaw
    If you are longing for some warm weather foods as winter drags on, this is a great way to use winter foods to make a traditional summer favorite. Holcomb Farm's winter CSA provides all the vegetables for the slaw.
    
    -cabbage
    -carrots
    -onion
    -organic oil
    -white wine vinegar
    -salt and pepper to taste
    -lemon
    
    Grate or chop all ingredients and combine in a large bowl.  Serve immediately or refrigerate.

• Hearty Veggie Soup - VEGAN

For a traditional winter dish, you can't go wrong with this one. The version we had at the conference had homegrown organic veggies.

-kale

-tomatoes

-carrots

-peas

-celery

-onions

-edamame

-parsnips

-garlic

-parsley

-kidney beans

Chop up ingredients as finely or coarsely as you want and combine in a large soup pot. Cook on medium heat until all the veggies are tender and have released juice - you can always add some vegetable stock if you want a thinner soup.

• Dutch Kale Dish - From Johan van Achterberg, a longtime farmer and board member from Easton. He wrote that this was the way his mother made kale.

-Peel and boil 4 good size potatoes for mashing with some butter and milk; add salt before cooking.

-Remove the leaf part from the kale stem (about 12 stems) and shred the greens. Cook the greens for about 15 to 20 minutes so it is tender.

-After draining the water add the kale to the mashed potatoes; mix well and season to taste.

-For real flavor fry bacon, cut into small pieces and add the bacon and some fat to the mix.

-Ring Belogna (PA Dutch) or sliced Kilbasa are a great supplement.

-For the best flavor kale should not be used until it has had some frost.

• Kale and Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes - From Wild Carrot Farm LLC, a CT NOFA member organic farm

For this recipe, be sure to wash the kale well - dirt and grit hides in the leaves. Chop the kale finely to avoid floppiness in the potatoes, and avoid over mixing the kale into the potatoes as that will add a green tinge to the dish. You can use either peeled or unpeeled potatoes for this recipe.

-3 lbs potatoes, cut into large chunks

-sea salt

-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

-4 cloves garlic, minced

-1 bunch kale, large stems stripped and discarded, leaves chopped

-1/2+ cup warm milk or cream

-freshly ground black pepper

-5 scallions, white and tender green parts, chopped

-1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish (opt)

-fried shallots, for garnish (opt)

Put the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, chopped kale, a big pinch of salt, and saute just until tender - about a minute. Set aside.

Mash the potatoes with a potato masher or fork. Slowly stir in the milk a few big splashes at a time. You are after a thick creamy texture, so if your potatoes are on the dry side keep adding milk until the texture is right. Season with salt and pepper.

Dump the kale on top of the potatoes and give a quick stir. Transfer to a serving bowl, make a well in the center of the potatoes, and pour the remaining olive oil. Sprinkle with the scallions, Parmesan cheese, and shallots.

Serves 6.

• Jerusalem Artichoke & Roasted Garlic Vichyssoise - From CT NOFA board VP John Turenne's Sustainable Food Systems

4 pounds            Jerusalem Artichokes, washes & scrubbed, diced 2 inches

1 pound              Leeks, white and light green part only

8 cloves              Garlic, Roasted

1/4 cup               Olive oil

1 quart               Vegetable stock

2 Tbl.                 Thyme, fresh

2 cups                2% low-fat milk

As needed          Salt, kosher and fresh cracked peppercorns

1. Split the leeks lengthwise and wash well to remove all sand and grit. Slice them thinly.

2. Sweat the leeks in the olive oil without browning them.

3. Add the Jerusalem Artichokes, roasted garlic, thyme and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.

4. Simmer until the Jerusalem Artichokes are tender, approximately 45 minutes.

5. Purée the soup in a food processor, blender or with an immersion blender; season with salt and pepper.  Add milk and return to low simmer to heat through for 5 minutes.

6. Serve hot or chilled.

Yield: 4 quarts

• Deb's Dried Apples - From the CT NOFA Office Manager Deb Legge
  
  
  Slice your favorite unpeeled apples into 16 slices. (One of those corer/slicer gadgets makes the job go a lot more quickly.) Sprinkle with a small amount of lemon juice, if available. For seasoning, use a mix of mostly cinnamon, with a bit of nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves to your preference. Arrange in a single layer in each dehydrator rack and dry for 20-24 hours. Store in glass jars.

The CT NOFA Farmers Pledge

Farmer's Pledge from Sullivan Farm.

Farmer's Pledge from Hunt's Brook Farm.

Many farms that are not USDA Certified Organic adhere to or even exceed the requirements of the National Organic Program.  Recognizing this, and to further enable consumers to identify the farms they want to support with their food dollars, CT NOFA uses the Farmer’s Pledge, separate and distinct from USDA Certified Organic. Farmers and market gardeners who adhere to the Farmer's Pledge have signed a copy which they display for customers and neighbors to view. This pledge is based on the integrity of the farmer/gardener, and can be signed regardless of whether or not the farm is USDA Certified Organic. Those who sign this pledge agree that consumers may inspect, by appointment, their farm or garden to judge the truthfulness of this statement. CT NOFA does not investigate or make any guarantee that the individual farmer is complying with the Farmer’s Pledge.  If you're a farmer who's signed the pledge, you can print out the text below and display it proudly at your farm stand, CSA pickup, farmers market booth, or anywhere you interact with customers to let them know about your association with CT NOFA and your dedication to sustainability.  If you are a member farmer and you'd like us to send you a new Farmer's Pledge Certificate, shoot us an email.  If you're a consumer, look for the Farmer's Pledge Certificate hanging up at farm stands and markets, and if your local farm doesn't have one, ask them about their farm practices and if they have considered signing up.

Knowing your farmer is the best assurance that the food you buy is responsibly grown, with methods that recognize the inherent implications of the web of life in all our individual actions. CT NOFA believes that farmers should work in harmony with natural forces and leave the little piece of the world over which they have stewardship in better condition than when they found it.  The Farmer's Pledge and the National Organic Program are both important ways of quantifying this encompassing and holistic idea.

WE PLEDGE THAT IN OUR FARMING, PROCESSING AND MARKETING WE WILL

• Reject the use of synthetic insecticides, herbicides, fungicides & fertilizers
• Reject the use of GMO’s, chemically treated seeds, synthetic toxic materials, irradiation & sewage sludge
• Treat livestock humanely by providing pasture for ruminants, access to outdoors & fresh air for all livestock, banning cruel alterations, & using no hormones or antibiotics in feed
• Support agricultural markets & infrastructures that enable small farms to thrive
• Maintain & build healthy soils by farming practices that include rotating crops annually, using compost, cover crops, green manures & reducing tillage
• Conserve natural resources by reducing erosion & pollution of air, soil & water through responsible farming practices
• Maximize the nutritional value of food & feed by practicing careful post harvest handling
• Ensure food safety by using potable water for washing crops
• Handle raw manure & soil amendments with care
• Practice minimal processing for all food products to preserve the natural nutritional value of food: NO use of irradiation, ultrapasteurization, excessive heat, synthetic preservatives, or GMO processing agents or additives
• Reduce the ecological footprint of farms & homes by limiting energy use & converting to renewable sources of energy
• Reduce food miles by selling produce locally & regionally
• Create beneficial habitat for wildlife & encourage biodiversity
• Help preserve farmland & farming knowhow
• Use ethical business practices
• Pay a living wage to all farm workers & acknowledge their freedom of association & their right to collective bargaining
• Treat family members & farm workers with respect & ensure their safety on the farm
• Work in cooperation with other farmers & with neighboring community to create a more sustainable way of life
• Sustain the land in healthy condition for future generations

Have a great evening,
-Melissa

A Farm for the Future - a Documentary

The BBC series Natural World focuses on wildlife around the globe.  One 45 minute episode, titled A Farm For the Future, delves into the idea of low energy farming as compared to our current high energy model, and the reasons why an immediate change in agricultural methods is necessary.  In my opinion, it's a well-developed film that provides not only a clear wake up call for farmers and consumers, but also tangible solutions for the future.  Here is the BBC's synopsis:

Wildlife film maker Rebecca Hosking investigates how to transform her family’s farm in Devon into a low energy farm for the future, and discovers that nature holds the key.

With her father close to retirement, Rebecca returns to her family’s wildlife-friendly farm in Devon, to become the next generation to farm the land. But last year’s high fuel prices were a wake-up call for Rebecca. Realising that all food production in the UK is completely dependent on abundant cheap fossil fuel, particularly oil, she sets out to discover just how secure this oil supply is. Alarmed by the answers, she explores ways of farming without using fossil fuel. With the help of pioneering farmers and growers, Rebecca learns that it is actually nature that holds the key to farming in a low-energy future.

Check out there first ten minutes of the film below.  View the full film here.

The documentary goes on to explain that a food system based on permaculture can not only eliminate the detrimental effects of conventional farming, but also, if done correctly and with care, be more productive with less effort in the long run than conventional agriculture.  That notion may seem a bit far fetched until you start to think about the power of nature.  Conventional farming today is so labor intensive in large part because it works against nature instead of with it.  It takes a lot of time and energy to force a forest into pasture, for example, but it requires a much smaller input to work with that same forested space to produce an equal quantity of food in a manner more consistent with how the forest would have grown in the first place.  Nature does an excellent job growing plants and raising animals, so why not use that to our own agricultural advantage instead of fighting with it?

To ensure an agricultural model that can feed all of us in the near future, it is essential that we all become informed farmers, gardeners, and consumers.  If you watch the film and agree with the argument it makes, share it with your friends.  Let's start looking at agriculture from a new perspective, and be open to the more sustainable possibilities that are available to us.

Have a great weekend!
-Melissa

Join us for our Third Block Party on the Farm!

Urban Oaks Organic Farm is a wonderful place to come relax as the summer winds down.  It's also an impressive site to learn about - this healthy and productive farm represents a success story of brownfield remediation and site renovation.  This article from a couple years ago provides an overview of Urban Oaks' history, starting back before Urban Oaks existed.  Here's an except that talks a little about the farm:

Urban Oaks Organic Farm opened on a portion of the Sandelli site in 1999. The farm provides education for residents and school groups in organic gardening methods, sustainable agriculture, nontoxic farming techniques, composting, and other environmentally friendly farming techniques. The establishment of the organic farm has helped enhance the urban environment by demonstrating farming responsibility, non- polluting techniques and soil amendments, pest control utilizing natural predators, and by providing greenspace in a dense and urban area.

You can learn more about the history of Urban Oaks and founding farmer Mike Kandefer by checking out this more recent Edible Nutmeg article.  Stop by this Saturday and listen to some live music, enjoy a potluck meal, and learn more about a farm that is a model of community engagement and investment.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE BLOCK PARTY AND RSVP HERE.

Responses to the Stanford Study

Indiana Public Media/Flickr

I debated whether or not to write again about this topic since there has been so much press about it already, but as I continued to receive well written responses and the Executive Director started to get quoted on the subject, I decided that it was worth a followup, if for no other reason than because it will allow you to access important articles all in one place.  The first article in the following list - in which Bill Duesing is quoted extensively - sums up the organic community's reaction pretty well in its title.  It's annoying, and frustrating, when a narrow filter is applied to a holistic model of agriculture and then it's sensationalized in the press.  It's also annoying when the majority of the argument refutes a claim that most organic proponents never made in the first place.  But because those claims of organics' nutritional advantage were never the keystone of the organic model, the study and related negative press really isn't that intimidating.  Fortunately, media exposure is often a two way street, so there are a lot of well-rounded interpretations of the study out there.

Organic Reaction: Farmers Annoyed, Not Threatened By Stanford Study - Hartford Courant
The reaction among consumers seems muted or nonexistent, several organic farmers and advocates told me this week. They are perturbed but not alarmed. Perturbed because the Stanford report looked at health effects far too narrowly, and, anyway, missed the whole point of the organic movement — it’s not about better nutrition, it’s about a healthier planet and a sustainable food system.  More>

A Few Things to Remind People Quoting That Organic Food Study - GOOD.is
Whoa, slow down, internet and television news! Man, one document says organic food might not be worth the dollar and you'd think an organic vegetable had held up a bank.  More>

Organic Food vs. Conventional: What the Stanford Study Missed - Huffington Post
While the scientists analyzed vitamins and minerals, food isn't simply a delivery device for these things alone. We are quickly learning in this industrialized food era that our food can be full of a lot of other things. It has become a delivery device for artificial colors, additives, preservatives, added growth hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, insecticides and so much more.  More>

5 Ways the Stanford Study Sells Organics Short - Mother Jones
the study in some places makes a strong case for organic—though you'd barely know it from the language the authors use. And in places where it finds organic wanting, key information gets left out. More>

The Case for Organic Food - LA Times
So a new study from Stanford University shows that organic produce probably isn't any more nutritious than the conventional variety. We doubt the folks at Whole Foods are trembling in their Birkenstocks. We're not aware of too many people who thought otherwise — it doesn't make a lot of sense to assume the application of pesticides would have much impact on a fruit's vitamin content. But that doesn't mean it isn't safer to eat.  More>

The main point here is that there's a lot more to the organic model than whether or not it's more nutritious than the conventional model, and to really determine the specific health effects of eating organic versus conventional, we need more scientific study.  Study takes time, however, and in light of the other detrimental effects of large scale conventional farming, like pesticide and fertilizer overloads and mistreatment of workers, animals, and the environment, I personally choose to buy organic in the meantime.

Have a great weekend!
-Melissa