Thursday, March 26, 2009

All hail Mark Bittman!

Do you know Mark Bittman? If not, you should. In addition to being the author of the indispensable cookbook, How to Cook Everything, he's a columnist for the New York Times, and writes a great blog called "Bitten."

His approach to cooking is straightforward and enthusiastic, which makes it really accessible. In his words,
I have no interest in helping people becoming chefs. I have an interest in 50 percent of the people in America knowing how to cook. And whether they cook like chefs or not, I don’t care. It’s probably better if they don’t.
So his cookbook is really less a collection of recipes as it is an explanation of techniques. It's full of options, suggestions, and encouragement, which has made it the go-to cookbook in our kitchen. To top things off, he's become a sharp commentator on not only how to cook but also how we eat. His latest book, Food Matters, is a sort of Omnivore's Dilemma, but with recipes.

All of which brings me to his latest article, explaining how the organic label is not the ultimate standard of mindful eating. In his words:
Today, most farmers who practice truly sustainable farming, or what you might call “organic in spirit,” operate on small scale, some so small they can’t afford the requirements to be certified organic by the government. Others say that certification isn’t meaningful enough to bother. These farmers argue that, “When you buy organic you don’t just buy a product, you buy a way of life that is committed to not exploiting the planet,” says Ed Maltby, executive director of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance.
We're often asked the question, especially at the farmers' market, "Are you organic?" It takes some finesse to answer it, since, due to the regulations, we can't legally use the word organic, apart from our one certified greenhouse. Even the term organic in spirit seems a little dicey to me. The truth is, while the whole farm could be certified, there's really no need, and for just the reasons Mr. Bittman presents. What's more, our relationship with the farm's shareholders is its own certification. You can come out to the farm, see our practices, and decide for yourself.

Is Alice Waters full of it?

Jennifer Reese, over at Slate, thinks so

News, good and bad, in the NYT.

The New York Times has been chock full of good reporting on food and farming issues lately. There's Shannon Hayes describing how the proposed National Animal Identification System would hamstring small pasture-based livestock farms. Then, there's this two-part op-ed by Nicholas Kristof on how modern hog farms are becoming incubators for antibiotic-resistant pathogens.

On a happier note, the Sunday edition features a fine overview of the rising fortunes of the movement for organic and locally grown food. You won't want to miss it.

“Come on! Grow a pot of lettuce, man.”

Well, this Felder Rushing, self-described "slow gardener," sounds like a hoot.
The entire space [of his garden] is encased by a fence of corrugated tin designed to thwart rubberneckers. “I’m not a snob, but I’m outside in my bathrobe a lot, and in the mornings I look like Jesus’ drunk brother,” he said.
But his approach is sound. On starting modestly: “Build up to your level of comfort as your expertise grows. Don’t start out with a big area and a tiller like a farmer.” On composting: “I’ve got two rules: stop throwing all that stuff away and pile it up.” On scale: “Grow something in a pot that you can cook. It’s not that hard.”

That last bit is, I think, the best. There's no reason to think that vegetable gardening needs to be a stressful, expensive, and extensive undertaking. Even a couple of containers of tomato plants on a sunny porch or patio is a good thing and a great start.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Arrivals and departures.

The Chicken Palace welcomed it's first residents today. In the morning, Aaron fired up the heat lamps in the brooder and then went to pick up the box of new chicks. After he released them, they took to the place pretty well, peeping and running around and generally behaving like the little chickens they are.

They're Ameraucanas, a breed with an interesting history. These layers of beautiful blue-green eggs are related to an old South American breed, called Araucanas, which was discovered in the early twentieth century. Since the colored eggs were so popular, Araucanas were crossed with a number of other breeds, which resulted in a whole host of different chickens, generally called Easter Eggers. A few North American breeders, though, were dedicated to creating a "standard Araucana," eventually establishing breed standards through the American Poultry Association in 1984.

In addition to the chicks, Michael also ordered a few guineafowl keets. Ground birds similar to partidges, guineas help control insects and, when kept with a flock of chickens, act as a sort of natural alarm for birds of prey.

What's more, lambing has begun. The first lambs were born Thursday afternoon. We were working at some spring cleaning, when we noticed the sheep in the pen standing and staring at the barn. Then, we heard one of the ewes inside the barn bleating. When we went to check on her, there was a little black lamb laying in the hay and the mother licking it clean. Later that day, she gave birth to its twin. Over the weekend, another ewe gave birth to triplets. One didn't survive, which might be just as well. Sheep don't seem to be able to care for more than two lambs at a time, so it would have struggled anyway. 

And the farm's goat died today. Strangely enough, we had just been talking about her over lunch. Before we left for the day, we went to check on the lambs and found her laying on her side in the pen. She must have died sometime this afternoon.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Michael Pollan on the importance of getting it partly right.

The latest issue of Mother Jones is a real humdinger, all about food and farming. I've been working my way through it and just finished this interview with Michael Pollan.

One thing I like best about Mr. Pollan is how he refuses to be absolutist with his approach to food. For example:
MJ: Should we be trying to go as quickly as possible toward organic and local, or can the perfect be the enemy of the good?

MP: That's why I don't know if organic is the last word. It's sort of an all-or-nothing idea. People getting it partly right is very important. Getting your chickens out of those cages is important, even if you're not getting them organic feed. Those will not be organic eggs, but they will be so far superior. There are many varieties of sustainable agriculture we should support; it doesn't have to be a zero-sum game. Let a thousand flowers bloom, and let's see what works. The whole problem of industrial agriculture is putting all of your eggs in one basket. We need to diversify our food chains as well as our fields so that when some of them fail, we can still eat.
You won't regret reading the whole thing. (Extreme Pollan fans shouldn't miss the extended version.)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Welcome to the Chicken Palace.

Early spring is the season for farm improvements. Late spring is full of sowing and transplanting. During the summer, there's time to do little else but harvest and weed. And the fall is mostly about harvesting and then, with what energy remains, cleaning up the farm and preparing it for winter. But in the early spring, there's both the time and the energy to build things.

 The past week's big project was a new, semi-permanent chicken brooder.

Farm members who've been around for a couple of seasons may recall seeing the crazy doghouse/deer blind/icefishing shanty that Michael bolts to his pickup and calls a truck cap, and that he built for overflow from the farm's produce trailer. Last year, the number of farm shares at the Fulton Street pickup tested even that limit, and he had to rent a large panel van a few times. So over the winter, he bought a big snub-nosed delivery truck with an insulated box and a reefer unit, and the doghouse became obsolete. Hence the idea to repurpose it into a deluxe chicken brooder.

And deluxe it is. Concrete block foundation. Twin screened side vents. Secondhand computer-regulated climate control. It even has a dutch door. The chicks ought to be quite happy. Aaron (seen at right giving the joint two thumbs up) will be overseeing much of the animal operations this year, which will include two or three rounds of new chickens -- one for eggs, the rest for meat. 

I think we're all pleased with how the brooder turned out. It still needs a final coat of paint (as well as an official name, though "The Chicken Palace" is the working title), but it's fundamentally finished. And none too soon, since the first batch of chicks is due to arrive next Tuesday.

Next on the construction docket is putting the finishing touches on the farm's new, larger produce cooler.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

"As the economy goes down, food gardening goes up."

It seems the present recession has more people thinking about where their food might come from in hard times.
Veggie seed sales are up double-digits at the nation's biggest seed sellers this year. What's more, the number of homes growing vegetables will jump more than 40% this year compared with just two years ago, projects the National Gardening Association, a non-profit organization for gardening education.
I asked Michael today if he had any trouble this year getting Trillium's seeds. He said he didn't, since he places his orders in late December and early January. He also said that other greenhouse operations in the area are reducing their inventory of flowers and growing more vegetables. Trillium ought to do brisk business with our certified organic plants when we go to market later this spring.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

"Nature's first green is gold."

Eggplant seedlings, this year's first sprouts.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Today it seemed we crossed a threshold.

For one, all the snow has melted and the ground is thawing. For another, I noticed the air was full of the song and flight of birds. This afternoon's rain punctuated the change -- not a winter storm but a very springlike downpour. Everywhere was the rush and tumble of water. The new season is right around the corner.

In the greenhouses, though, it's high summer, at least when the sun shines. We started sowing seeds for the CSA last week. Leeks were the first to go in. They're also one of the last things we harvest, so they always feel like the bookends of the season. This week we seeded onions, chives, celery, and celeriac. We've also been busy in the certified organic greenhouse, seeding eggplants, tomatoes, and herbs for the Harvest in Harmony seedling sales.

These are some of my favorite times on the farm. The four of us -- Michael, myself, Aaron, and John -- sitting around the work table, talking about anything, making plans for the coming season, and, often, mocking each other mercilessly. The whole of our work is bounded by the walls of the greenhouse and seems so manageable, able to be organized on a clipboard with yellow legal note pads. But soon enough, the work will spill out the doors and into the fields, and I am always a little stunned by the sudden scale and complexity of it all. Each year it makes a little more sense, though, which is encouraging, and I am always impressed how Michael can keep track of it all. For now, though, it's good to sit and talk and seed.

This is perhaps Trillium's most important crop.

A month ago, the New York Times published this editorial by Verlyn Klinkenborg. Citing the 2007 Census of Agriculture, he notes that while midsize farms have been consolidated into larger operations, many small farms are being created.
These are interesting numbers — 4,000 Iowa farms under 9 acres and about 1,500 with 2,000 acres or more. Still more interesting is the age differential. The average age of the “principal operator” on a farm has crept upward to 56 years old. But those small farms are being run by young farmers.

In a very real sense, they are going back to an earlier model of farming in Iowa. The farms are more diverse, and so are the crops they grow. To me, this is where the new passion for local foods finds its real meaning, and the best news is that Iowa is not alone. Nationwide, there are some 300,000 new farms since 2002. And the farmers? More diverse than ever, including a higher number of women. This is a genuine source of hope for American agriculture.
We're again seeing this trend at Trillium. This year's first two interns, John and Aaron, are both returning for their second season with an eye toward starting their own farms. Time and again I read that the obstacle to turning our food system away from the industrial model and back toward more local, traditional, and healthful ways is not a lack of land or know-how but a want of farmers. Well, after this year, we'll have at least two more.

Monday, March 9, 2009

A month ago, the farm was at full rest.

Dead quiet, the ground frozen, the greenhouses empty. The only animals about were the hawks wheeling above the empty fields and the sparrows flitting in and out of the chinks in the barn. Everything from last year -- our victories and our defeats -- was covered in snow. The farm was a blank sheet of paper, waiting for us to write this year's story on it.