Chefs Collaborative

Ever wonder just how your local organic farmer does it?  If they don’t use pesticides, why are the crops not just devoured by bugs?  How is it possible to buy organic food that is attractive, abundant, tasty- AND pesticide free?

A new article published yesterday in top science magazine Nature gives some insight into why and how organic pest control works.  According to the study by Washington State University researchers, it’s all about the bugs.

Potato beetles can cause damage to crops (photo from Nature magazine)

On conventional farms, pesticides are used to kill insects that damage crops, but they end up killing beneficial insects (predators that eat the harmful insects) as well.  The study showed that insect communities on conventional farms had too few predators to control harmful insects.  Organic farms, on the other hand, had more balanced insect communities, and the predators were better able to keep bad bugs in check.

In the study, which focused on potato plants, the organic farming methods actually provided better pest control, with 18% fewer pests than the conventional fields, and the organic plants grew 35% bigger than their conventional counterparts.

Wait- the organic plants had fewer pests and were bigger?!  This goes counter to much of the debate around organics, in which it is often argued that “organics can’t feed the world” or that chemical “crop protection technologies” are necessary to growing a robust and productive crop.  Looks like those crazy hippies might be on to something.

So the next time you’re picking up some organic produce at the farmers market, give thanks to bugs- the predator insects that help your pesticide-free food grow!

The world’s largest repository of fruits and berries, located outside of St. Petersburg in Russia, could be bulldozed to make way for a housing development later this year.

The Pavlovsk experimental station is home to over 4,000 varieties of fruits and berries.  The collection includes over 100 varieties each of gooseberries, raspberries, and cherries, as well as 1000 types of strawberries from 40 countries.  Moreover, 90% of the collection is not found anywhere else other than the Pavlovsk station.  The director of the  Global Crop Diversity Trust, Cary Fowler, calls the development project “the largest intentional, preventable loss of crop diversity in my lifetime – taking place during the International Year of Biodiversity.”

As we face the uncertainties of global warming, protecting agricultural biodiversity such as that embodied at the Russian research station becomes ever more important.  We need the genetic diversity of these varieties as a base for breeding resilient crops. One of the world’s top strawberry breeders, Jim Hancock of Michigan State University, stresses that “it would be a major tragedy if the collection were lost” and points out that the Russian strawberry varieties are very hardy and resistant to diseases.

The threat facing the seed bank’s diversity emphasizes the need to, well, diversify.  Why are 3,600 of the 4,000 varieties only found at the research station and not anywhere else?  The situation points to the need for farmers around the world to grow a diverse range of crops in order to prevent centralization of biodiversity.  Projects like the Ark of Taste, which seeks to keep rare heirloom varieties in active production, become ever more important in light of threats like this.

The Global Crop Diversity Trust, one of the organizations fighting the bulldozing of the seed bank, urges those who want to take action to write a letter to the Russian President expressing concerns.

Sources:

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/worlds-biggest-collection-of-berries-and-fruits-faces-axe-2011015.html

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20627663.500-vital-fruit-and-berry-collection-set-for-destruction.html

http://www.croptrust.org/main/index.php?itemid=733

Chefs from around the country flocked to the barrier island of Grand Isle, Louisiana, for Chefs Ashore, a two-day summit aimed at educating the greater culinary community about the fishing industry and the state of Gulf seafood.  After surveying the damage to Grand Isle first hand, each chef had an opportunity to talk about his or her connection to Gulf seafood and how the oil spill has affected his or her restaurant. Chef Rick Tramonto, a Chicago restaurateur, voiced his concerns and goals in the same breath, saying: “[I want] to stay educated about the seafood down there so I can explain the situation properly. I want chefs to come see what’s going on so they have the knowledge they need to speak and react intelligently. So they won’t take it off of their menu.”

In the midst of much uncertainty over the safety of the seafood and its availability, it is important that chefs understand the current situation in order to make informed sourcing decisions and to address concerns expressed by their customer base. The question-and-answer segment at Chef’s Ashore was just the beginning – it was followed by a “Seafood Jam” session and the creation of two improvisational paintings by artist Michael Israel. Proceeds from the paintings benefit Friends of the Fisherman, a fund established by the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board to benefit fisherman who have been taken out of commission as a result of the oil spill.

For more information on the oil spill and Gulf seafood,

Sources:
http://www.weeklycitizen.com/topstories/x696774727/John-Folse-national-celebrity-chefs-headed-to-Grand-Isle
http://www.louisianaseafoodnews.com/2010/06/25/chefs-descend-on-grand-isle-in-show-of-force/
http://geekgirlonthestreet.com/2010/06/24/chefs-ashore-celeb-chefs-speak-out-in-support-of-louisiana-fishermen/
http://www.friendsofthefishermen.org/
http://www.louisianaseafood.com/

In the suit, reported by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Spicer cites the ecological and economic impact of the oil slick as causing detriment to her business.

Spicer, a long-time Chefs Collaborative member and recent host of a crawfish boil for our staff and board’s April visit to New Orleans, is known for her commitment to sustainable seafood and is a featured chef on our Green Chefs, Blue Ocean training program.

She was recently profiled in the Wall Street Journal, speaking of her consultation on the HBO series Treme,  New Orleans’ recovery post-Katrina and her thoughts on the oil spill’s impact to the city’s culture and economy.

Mayor Menino prepares salsa at the Boston Public Market

Next week will be my last as a member of the Chefs Collaborative staff and as my last day approaches, I can’t help but reflect on how much the world of sustainable food has changed since my first day on the team in August of 2006.  Just take a look at our neighborhood – where the changes have been dramatic.

Our national office is located in Downtown Boston in between the bustling Financial District, Chinatown, and South Boston.  In 2006 this neighborhood didn’t seem to have much going on in terms of the local food scene.  For many in this neighborhood, lunch breaks consisted of trips to mediocre delis and Dunkin Donuts.  When the Boston Public Market first opened in 2006, the neighborhood didn’t know how to respond.  Even though it was located right next to South Station, a major transportation hub, people seemed more concerned with getting home at the end of the day, and less curious about this new farmstand in the middle of the city.

Four years later, this neighborhood is a bustling scene with a successful farmers market, local food vendors,  and even our very own food truck!!!  In fact, just this past week we saw our very own Mayor Menino, whipping up some corn and vegetable salsa at the farmers market.  Mayor Menino was there to announce a new program which will allow low-income residents to receive a $10 credit for shopping at local farmers markets and using their EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card.  It is the hope of the administration that this new program will make local, healthy food more accessible and affordable for low income residents.

And then, there’s the Clover Food Truck.  Imagine long lines of business men waiting patiently in their button down shirts to get their hands on a delicious, vegetarian sandwich (check this out – even the Mayor ate one).  Four years ago, this would have seemed impossible — but today professional Bostonians are lining up for fresh chickpea sandwiches and BBQ Seitans, topped with local vegetables, packed into whole wheat pitas.  Top it off with a refreshing lavender infused lemonade and you’ve got a fantastic lunch.

Are we in San Francisco?  Seattle perhaps?  Nope, welcome to Boston – where a whole lot’s changing.

Summer is rolling in and so are the spring and early summer veggies!  All of a sudden, ‘tis the season for for lettuce, peas, zucchini, beets, strawberries, and carrots.

Although the farmers markets are bustling and bountiful, we’re still waiting for many of the varieties in the RAFT Heirloom Grow-Out to come into season.  Most of the vegetables, including Trophy Tomatoes, Boston Marrow Squash, Long Pie Pumpkin, True Red Cranberry beans, and Oka Muskmelons, are later-season varieties.  For now the plants are in the ground, growing bigger and stronger, and setting flowers and fruits.

Boston Marrow Squash: little plants now, soon to be fat tasty squash!

As the vegetables grow, we are cooking up some delicious plans for the fall when they finally reach maturity.   During Heirloom Harvest Week, from September 20-26, participant chefs will feature heirloom vegetables on their menus.  Some of last year’s dishes included a slow-cooked heritage pork pot pie with True Red Cranberry Beans and Boston Marrow Squash (by  Jonathan Cambra at Castle Hill in Newport, RI) and a Portuguese seafood stew made with blue cod and native littlenecks and heirloom Trophy Tomato jam (by James Campagna at the Boathouse Restaurant in Tiverton, RI).

Heirloom squash transformed into a ragout served with skillet-roasted bass at Nicks on Broadway (Providence RI) during 2009 RAFT Grow-Out

We’re also making big plans for the Heirloom Harvest Barn Dinner in Portsmouth, NH, which will be held on September 19^th this year.  Last year’s menu featured delicacies like Wood-grilled Scallop with True Red Cranberry Bean falafel and Jimmy Nardello pepper relish prepared by Mark Segal at the One Hundred Club.

In the meantime, while my mouth waters just thinking of the scrumptious harvest, the vegetables are soaking up the sun and rain and growing just a little bigger every day.  For hundreds of years farmers have patiently planted and tended these heirloom varieties… I guess I can wait a few more months!

Stef Culberson, the founder of The Goose Chaser Farm and Diesel, her mulefoot boar

About The Goose Chaser Farm
Blanchardville, WI 53516
stef@thegoosechaserfarm.com

This month’s Member Spotlight features Stef Culberson, the founder of The Goose Chaser Farm in Blanchardville, Wisconsin.  Stef’s practical belief in sustainability comes through in her words about her animals, the products she offers, and her commitment to the welfare of both animals and humans alike.

Chefs Collaborative: How did you become involved in farming?
Stef Culberson: We basically started out as a hobby farm, like a lot of people do when they move from the city to the country.  The main reason we started was because of the quality expectations we had for the food we wanted to eat.  I couldn’t find the quality that I wanted.  Where I was raised, in Germany, there are less hormones and chemicals in the food. When I searched for this in the U.S., I had a hard time finding it.  I felt like the consumers in the U.S. are given too few choices by corporations. When you do your homework, you find that most meat in grocery stores comes from 4-5 mega-production facilities. There isn’t a lot of choice.  We wanted to make sure we knew where our stuff comes from. We had acreage to produce more than we needed, so we started giving it to other people. At some point, we started experimenting with heritage breeds and cross-breeding. Along the way, we established a clientele who understands the process and cost involved, who were willing to pay the price for it.

Chefs Collaborative: How do you and your husband’s diverse backgrounds influence your feelings towards food/sustainable food production?
Stef Culberson: My husband was born in Chicago and raised in Milwaukee as an inner city child. He had no country experience, nor exposure to different foods.  The first animal we brought to the farm was a blind, 2000 pound Percheron horse, so for him to readily accept the animals I brought on the farm shows the support I have from him and his love for me.  I’m grateful for it.  Killing our own chickens, doing things in a sustainable way, was all a new experience for him.  The first animals we butchered together were geese.  It was a traumatic experience.  It was serious culture shock for him!
I was born and raised with eating goose for Christmas, but I didn’t have much experience with farm animals either.  We had a neighbor with a big farm, where we visited every summer to see the animals.  I’ve always had a thing for animals.  But sustainability has its practical reasons.  I know I’ve accomplished something if I’ve raised animals in a humane way and if I’ve taught my children respect for nature and food.

The original goose chaser, Seth

Chefs Collaborative: What makes your product unique? How do people normally react when trying it?
Stef Culberson: Unlike many brat producers who use lesser quality pieces of meat in their mixes, we use loin meat for flavor and to keep the fat content low.  Also, we don’t use any fillers or preservatives.  We always use very flavorful, very fresh ingredients.  Many other producers use the same spice blend for all of their sausages. We custom build our spice blends from Penzey’s.  I cannot glorify Penzey’s enough. The spices are so fresh.  I order them one day, Penzey’s mixes them the next, and I receive them the day after that.  We have two signature brats – Black Boar (horseradish and Tellycherry black pepper), which are very pungent, and Red Pig (with Herbes de Province), both completely salt-free.  Our brats are unique because when people try them, they cannot believe that they’re low sodium, and some are entirely salt free.  We just received state approval on 11 of our low-sodium, salt-free brat recipes.  We are very excited!

Chefs Collaborative: Conventional pork’s slogan is “the other white meat”. Pork from The Goose Chaser Farm is totally different.  Why?
Stef Culberson: We established our own breeding line of heritage pastured hogs, which are a cross between our Mulefoot boar “Diesel”, and female European wild boar.  The meat is very lean and dark due to the breed.  We definitely don’t produce white meat.  Our animals are what Kobe is to beef. They’re hand-raised. Piglets run around the house.  We train them with marshmallows.  They’re petted and rubbed like Kobe beef is massaged.  Because of this, the flavor is very distinctive and the texture is too. Our pigs are raised for up to 12 months, while conventional pork is only raised for six months.  They develop flavor that a conventional hog can’t at the 10-12 month mark. Conventional hogs are raised on soy and corn, and are given no exercise.  As a result, some of their muscle mass never develops.  Our pigs are given a lot of exercise and are allowed to follow their rooting instincts. They even swim!  All of this exercise produces longer, leaner muscles. Pork, by tradition, is not white meat; it’s dark.  For chefs, I think it’s important to know that, because of the difference in texture, fat content and muscle fiber, when you choose pastured pork, you need to cook it differently.  Well-done pork is a no-no; it should be left a little pink.

Chefs Collaborative: Are you currently working with any chefs in your community? How are they using your product?
Stef Culberson: Right now, not really. I don’t think that local chefs have realized that I’m here or maybe they find the prices too expensive.  I don’t know.  I’m hoping to get into the Madison and Chicago areas where sustainable food in restaurants is understood a bit better.  My dream client would be a restaurant that would purchase whole hogs.  If they could fabricate the hogs themselves, they would receive a better price point, plus they could get creative, experimenting with the different cuts.  Reaching chefs is important, and I would love to be more in touch with chefs in my area.

Chefs Collaborative: What do you see as the challenges in producing and marketing your product?
Stef Culberson: The quantity that I can raise and the price point are a challenge because it’s expensive to raise the pigs the way I raise them (compare six months for conventional pork to 12 months for my pork). It’s expensive to have all of my 24 acres fenced in. The pigs need to be given space to run and feed.  Woodier portions of land need to be maintained, so the pigs can follow their own rooting instinct.  In the summer, they graze.  It’s a lot of work to keep the grass at a certain height.  This is something that’s very expensive to upkeep.  Besides the physical labor, I can only raise a certain amount of pigs to make sure they all get enough food.  Only a certain amount of pork can be produced every year.  I know my limitations and my market, so I would never jeopardize the quality of life or the quality of meat.  A bigger commercial production wouldn’t be able to do that.  I think people understand when they’ve tried the meat.

Chefs Collaborative: When is your product available for purchase? Is it a seasonal product?
Stef Culberson: Individual orders for brats and the brat of the month club are things we have year-round.  People get a different brat flavor every month.  Each package contains 4-5 brats, 4 demi-baguettes (frozen and half-baked, so that they can be finished in the oven) and a small jar of gourmet mustard.  I encourage people to precook our brats in water and then grill them.  Resist the urge to drench the brats in ketchup and other condiments to really try the true flavor.
We offer turkeys and geese seasonally, only for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  These should be pre-ordered by July.  We butcher as close to the holiday as possible, so we ship to Wisconsin and the bordering states only second day.

The Goose Chaser Farm's handmade brats

Chefs Collaborative: What are some of your goals for the future, and exciting things you have in store?
Stef Culberson: I’m hoping to find more land to rent at some point, so I can do more business and maybe open a retail store.  I want this to succeed so that society becomes aware that good quality meat should be available not just for people who can afford it.  The average consumer should have access to good meat too.  I need to be able to compete with the higher-end stores.  I believe that we all can eat healthfully.  There’s no reason why healthy food should be so expensive and junk food so cheap.  We can change the way we look at food – we have to, for our children and the coming generations.  This is what I can do to help further that cause.

As far as exciting things are concerned, there is a series of events from starting now, in June, going through October.  We do a lot of public work with organizations like the Outreach Ministry Program and cooking demos with the UW extension.  I’ll be cooking with my 5 year-old, creating recipes that kids can do with Mom or Dad’s assistance.  We quiz kids about vegetables and fruits to teach them that there’s more than peas and carrots out there to eat.  To conclude the series, we’ve been chosen to do a sit-down harvest dinner in October. We’ll have pork roast, roasted squash fries, mashed cauliflower and potatoes – all grown by local farmers. Go online and look for “Stirring the Pot events” or Google my name “Stef Culberson”, for more information.  We’ve been quite involved in promoting healthy eating to the public, which fits in well with our mission statement:  welfare over profit, not just for animals, but for humans alike.

Louisiana oysters, a local delicacy hit hardest by the BP oil spill

Po’ boys.  Rockefeller.  Blackened redfish.  Étouffée.  All Louisianan in origin, inspired by the bounty of Gulf waters.  Local seafood, an integral part of the rich culinary history of the state and the star of the aforementioned dishes, is in a precarious position.  The latest figures from Tuesday’s government panel estimate 60,000 gallons of oil gushing into the Gulf every day, a reality that has potential to bring Louisiana’s $2.3 billion fishing industry to a grinding halt for years to come.  The local oyster has been hit the hardest, with oyster beds being either shut down entirely or flooded with fresh water in an effort to mitigate the damage done by the oil spill.  The shortage that has occurred as a result has chefs wondering if regional culinary traditions can survive.  Chef Paul Prudhomme, the father of modern Cajun cuisine, sums up the thoughts of Louisiana’s chefs, lamenting “not to have [the local oyster], or to see it destroyed, just would be a tragedy.  I’ve been in Louisiana all my life, and my family’s been here since 1760.  And we’ve always lived off the land — farmers and fishermen. It’s just sad to see what could happen here.”

While there is still seafood on the menu at the moment, certain items are becoming scarcer and thus more expensive, prompting Louisiana chefs to make difficult decisions with regard to their supplies. In the wake of the oil spill, they are facing a dilemma: how to honor a long-standing, cultural tradition of sourcing as locally as possible, while providing their customers with the same signature dishes they’ve come to love.  According to a University of Arizona study, “more than 240 kinds of ‘historically eaten, place-based foods’ are at risk for being lost from what has been a cornucopia for generations of Gulf Coast residents.”

Sources:

http://uanews.org/node/32371

http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2010/06/new_orleans_chefs_forced_to_ge.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/16/us/politics/16latest.html?fta=y

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1996569,00.html

http://www.restaurantdiningcritiques.com/america-restaurant-guide/louisiana-oyster-beds-threatened-by-blown-out-oil-well-gulf-coast/

“The Jimmy Nardello plants are BEAUTIFUL,” reports farmer Kate Donald of Stout Oak Farm in Epping, NH.  Kate is one of almost fifty New England farmers growing Jimmy Nardello’s Sweet Italian Frying Peppers, along with eleven other varieties of heirloom vegetables, as part of the RAFT Heirloom Vegetable Grow-Out.   If the weather cooperates, Kate’s peppers will soon be blooming and then setting tiny green fruits that will mature into long, fire-engine red, candy-sweet peppers.

Peppers turn from green to red as they mature

RAFT (Renewing America’s Food Traditions) is an alliance that brings farmers, chefs, and consumers together in order to raise awareness of agricultural biodiversity, increase markets for heirloom varieties, and build community between chefs and local farmers.

The RAFT Grow-Out operates on an “eat it to save it” model: if heirloom varieties are to survive, farmers need to be willing to raise them, which means that people must want to eat them.  If no one wants these unusual varieties of vegetables and breeds of animals, they may well go extinct.  Eating endangered species in order to save them seems like an unusual concept, but the idea is taking off as programs like the RAFT Grow-Out prove successful.

The brilliant color and sweet flavor of Jimmy Nardellos is adored by chefs

Jimmy Nardello’s Sweet Italian Frying Peppers are a perfect example of such a success story.  The sweet, fruity red pepper, brought to the U.S. by an Italian immigrant in 1887, is on the Slow Food Ark of Taste’s short list of endangered species of foods.  But, in last year’s RAFT Grow-Out, Jimmy Nardello’s Peppers proved a huge success with both chefs and farmers.  “I worship them,” proclaimed chef Evan Mallett of the Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, NH. “You can do so many cool, awesome, wonderful things with Jimmy Nardellos.  They’re brilliant in color and flavor.”

Jimmy Nardello pepper jam tops a house-cured soppresata prepared by chef de cuisine Beau Vestal of Providence's New Rivers in last year's RAFT Grow-Out

As chefs like Evan clamor for the peppers, farmers like Kate will continue to grow them, and with any luck, Jimmy Nardello’s Peppers will no longer be endangered.  The peppers may be taken off the roster of vegetables in next year’s Grow-Out in order to make room for other lesser-known varieties.

Stay tuned for more updates throughout the season on RAFT vegetable varieties, farmer and chef participants, and special events!

The areas closed to fishing in the Gulf of Mexico have expanded further to the east and south, now encompassing 37% of U.S. federal waters (map attached).  The closure also expanded slightly northward to the Mississippi and Alabama state water lines (3 miles from shore).  South and southwest winds over the next few days are expected to push the slick closer to the shorelines of Mississippi and Alabama, and there have already been some reports of oil along those coastlines.  Most of the eastern half of Louisiana state waters remains closed to fishing and seafood harvest because of the presence of oil and Mississippi has closed a portion of state waters as well.  In better news, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals re-opened some of the western Louisiana oyster harvesting areas because oil was never detected in those areas (the closures were precautionary).  See Fishery Closure Map.

You may have heard that the U.S. Department of Commerce declared a “fishery disaster” in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.  This declaration is not in reference to the status or health of the fish populations, it is in reference to the potential economic impacts on fishermen and seafood related businesses.  The declaration of a fisheries disaster allows the federal government to mobilize a range of assistance measures for fishermen and fishing communities and was requested by the state governors because of the loss of access to many fisheries and the current and potential environmental damage caused by the oil.
-Megan Westmeyer, Chefs Collaborative Board Member & Program Coordinator for Sustainable Seafood at the South Carolina Aquarium

Sources:
NOAA Fisheries Service – http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration – http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/index.php
Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries – http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources – http://www.dmr.state.ms.us/
Deepwater Horizon Unified Command – www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com <http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com>