April Davila, a writer from the Los Angeles area, happened upon an article that detailed organ damage in rats fed Monsanto’s genetically modified corn, which spurred her to conduct more research about the potentially harmful effects of Monsanto products. In her blog, A Month Without Monsanto, April begins her own experiment: an attempt to live without Monsanto products for a month. As she details her journey, April reveals just how dependent society has become on a few GMOs.

Each day, April learns more about her restrictive diet as supermarkets make it near impossible to source the seeds. However, the most hopeful entry in her blog is her experience with the Dervaes Family Farm, an urban homestead that supplies fresh organic produce grown literally in the family’s backyard for the family as well as restaurants in the area.

April’s connection to the Dervaes Farm, a family who empower themselves by their “step backwards” approach to diversity in produce and the overall connection to the land, is a perfect example of a direct connection to sustainable agriculture. However, too often these connections are difficult to find. Chefs Collaborative believes in sustainable agriculture that connects to our history with the land. This is the source of our RAFT Grow Out Project, in which heirloom seeds are donated to farmers based on what is regionally significant. As we begin to start the project once more this year, we should recognize the importance in connecting with our food and our food history as consumers, cooks, and or farmers.

April continues to connect with her food choices as her experiment continues all this March. It is both exciting and eventful to follow her experiences in real time. To do so for yourself, click here.

Now, aside from a great supply of fish, fruits of the relationship, among much else include accessible and relevant information for farmers looking to connect with chefs. Chef Joshua Smith notes a few must-do’s, as well as several things to avoid when a farmer is approaching a chef. Importantly, he invites all to contribute to the conversation as every farm is different, as is every restaurant’s personality. If you are interested, check out the blog here, or for more information about approaching chefs or approaching farmers, Chefs Collaborative also has a few tips here. However, nurturing farmer-chef relationships isn’t all the Farmer and the Chef explore in their lively blog. Other posts have and will include commentary on pertinent food issues, as well as trips to farms, CSA’s, farmer’s markets, and other food related businesses. With their first trip detailing Benton’s Smoked Country Ham’s, we’re eager to see what the Farmer and the Chef have in store for the future. To stay updated on their progress visit their blog, and twitter page.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen just the opposite philosophy take hold as chefs and diners alike are eating various species of fish to  get rid of them.  Chefs in the Midwest are cooking with the Asian carp, the invasive fish species that is reportedly threatening the commercial fishing industry and ecology of the Great Lakes.  Asian carp will soon hit retail stores as well, but will be marketed as Silverfin.  The fish is praised for it’s mild flavor.

And, just this week, the Atlantic Monthly published an article titled “Save a Reef – Eat a Lionfish.” According to marine biologists, Lionfish are threatening coral reefs in the Caribbean by eating juvenile fish and crustaceans that are essential to the health of the ecosystem.   This spiny, venomous fish isn’t the easiest to clean and prepare, but chefs like Bruce Sherman at North Pond in Chicago and Barton Seaver in Washington, DC seem up for the challenge.

Asian carp photo courtesy of  kategardiner.com.

Matt’s pork farmers, the Vinagros of Hill Farm in Foster, RI

Pig parts, nearing the end of the demo

Photos by Kate Jennings and Jon Gold

Earlier this year, we learned that Mrs. Obama would be cultivating a White House vegetable garden for the purpose of educating children about the healthy, locally grown food.  We’ve seen photos of assistant White House chef Sam Kass picking herbs and vegetables from the garden for the First Family’s meals, and learned recently in the NY Times that he’s also involved in food policy discussions at the White House.

Critics may say these acts by President and Mrs. Obama and their staff may seem small in the scheme of things.   There are still many problems with our food policy.  Yet, positive change is taking place with programs like Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food that offers grants, loans, and marketing support to small farmers, and a variety of organizations and agencies that promote local agriculture.

As the country comes together for the Thanksgiving holiday, we realize that while we still have much work to do, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Have a local, sustainable, and delicious Thanksgiving!

This past Saturday morning (Halloween day oddly enough), I woke up at 6 AM to join farmers Pete Lowy and Jen Hashley of Pete & Jen’s Backyard Birds in Concord, Mass., for the last “Processing Day” of the season.  Pete & Jen’s birds are famous in and around Boston  and there is a long waiting list of customers (including chefs) hoping to get one of their pasture-raised birds.

Team Evisceration

You’d be surprised how many people are willing to wake up early on a Saturday morning to help slaughter and eviscerate chickens.  I was joined by 15 other volunteers, some who purchase birds from Pete & Jen on a regular basis, others who have a general interest in animal husbandry, and people like myself who are curious to learn more about the whole process.  It was great to see a few familiar faces like member chef Jason Bond, who regularly volunteers his time and butchering expertise on processing day.

Pete and Jen process few enough birds a year that they’re able to do so on their farm using a rented Mobile Poultry Processing Unit (MPPU) which is fully equipped with killing cones, scalder, plucker, sink, and evisceration area.   Pete and Jen would like to see more MPPU’s available to small farmers in Massachusetts in the hopes that it will strengthen the regions’ local food system and are working to raise $35,000 to build a second unit in Eastern Massachusetts.

I spent most of the morning eviscerating Capons and retired egg-layers with the other rookie processors.  After the intial “eww” factor, I began to find the process really interesting and well… kind of fun.  Later in the morning Pete came over and asked if anyone was interested in killing a chicken.  I was second in line and was, to my surprise, not that nervous cutting the throat of the 2 lb layer chicken.  The birds were remarkably calm and I could tell they’d had quite the life on this beautiful farm.

We spent the next hour or so packing and labeling the chickens.  Nothing is wasted.  Heads, necks, gizzards, livers, hearts, and feet are packed, labeled, and sold.  Even the fat is saved and sold to a local artisan who makes soap.  Blood, feathers, and inedible organs are added to the compost pile.

Mobile Poultry Processing Unit: Killing Cones

There were a lot of things that struck me about this experience, but most of all I was impressed by the strong community Pete and Jen have built around their farm.  After we finished packing all the chickens, we changed out of our work clothes, and Pete and Jen served us a delicious lunch of sandwiches, pickles and cookies from the Verrill Farm farmstand to thank us for a hard day’s work.  They really couldn’t do it without us, and I think we all felt good about being a small part of their success.

We applaud the leadership taken by Chefs Collaborative members and other culinary professionals dedicated to supporting sustainable seafood. We urge chefs to learn as much as possible about how to make sustainable choices when purchasing seafood.  This includes using the rating lists generated by our partners at the Blue Ocean Institute and Monterey Bay, as well as developing relationships with trusted purveyors and asking lots of questions to determine how and where fish was caught and farmed.

Our Green Chefs, Blue Ocean sustainable seafood training tool can also help chefs learn more about the issues behind seafood sustainability, as well as the practical aspects of developing a sustainable seafood program in the restaurant.

Taking steps like the ones outlined in the chefs’ pledge are important as we strive to improve the long-term health of our oceans. Chefs are in a unique position to lead the way!

Heirloom Harvest Barn Dinner

October 11^th 2009

The barn at Berry Hill and Meadow’s Mirth Farms, Stratham, NH

Mark Segal, Executive Chef, The 100 Club, Portsmouth

Potato and Goat Cheese Terrine with Blood-rooted turnip beet caviar

Wood-grilled Scallop with True Red Cranberry bean falafel and Jimmy Nardello pepper relish

Mini Lobster and Corn Taco with local tomatillo salsa

Sweet Baby Vineyard Kensington Red & Farnum Hill Semi-dry Sparkling Cider

∞∞∞

Matt Greco, Executive Chef, Blue Moon Market, Exeter

Vegetarian Blood and Marrow Soup: Potage of Gilfeather turnip and Boston Marrow squash finished with purslane and Great Hill blue gremolata

Farnum Hill Kingston Black Still Cider

∞∞∞

Josh Lanahan, Chef/Owner, Fresh Local, Newington and Chef Ted McCormack

True Red Cranberry Bean Salad on mixed greens garnished with apples, pickled Boothby Blond cucumbers and Smuttynose-cured pork with chili crust

Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale

∞∞∞

Evan Mallett, Chef/Owner, Black Trumpet, Portsmouth

Smoked NEFF Beef Brisket on a parsnip puree with braised Gilfeather turnip greens

and Jimmy Nardello mojo

2007 Four Vines “Biker” Zinfandel, Paso Robles, CA

∞∞∞

Mariah and Tom Roberts, Bakers/Owners, Beach Pea Bakery, Kittery, ME

Apple Strudel with Berry Hill berry coulis and vanilla-whipped goat cheese

Sweet Baby Vineyard Apple wine

∞∞∞

Plating by Chef Evan Hennessey

Breads by Beach Pea Bakery

A special thanks to our generous product donors and sponsors:

Caroline Robinson of Berry Hill Farm for the use of her beautiful barn
Applecrest Farm, Hampton Falls, NH
Dole and Bailey, Woburn, MA
Farnum Hill Ciders, Lebanon, NH
General Linen, Somersworth, NH
Java Tree Coffee, Manchester, NH
Marshall Rental, Portsmouth, NH
M.S. Walker Distributors, Bow, NH
Smuttynose Brewing Co., Portsmouth, NH
Sweet Baby Vineyard, Kensington, NH
Taylor Lobster Company, Kittery, ME
Vermont Butter and Cheese, Websterville, VT

and an extra-special thanks to Evan and Denise Mallett, for working harder to make this beautiful event happen than could have been expected of mere humans