Cookin' in the 'Cuse

Farewell Summer

Can you believe it?  With just 24 hours and 12 minutes remaining of summer I have to ask:  where did the summer go?

I'll admit, though, that I'm ready to trade stories of tomato blight for tales of harvest.  And mindful of how things tend to wrap up. close down, go on hiatus during the crisp days of autumn I want to be a bit more intentional about enjoying as much as there is to offer as I can.

Stay tuned for my Fall Foodie Bucket List--things I HAVE to do/food I HAVE to eat before the end of autumn.

Food is Landscape Exhibit--Check it Out

Exhibit at the Rochester Regional Community Design Center
Now through June 26
Gallery Hours 9-5, Monday - Friday and by appt.

This looks fascinating and I hope to get there next week.  The promotional materials describe the exhibit as follows:

Eating is consequential. It not only incorporates food into the body, but the process of growing, distributing, processing, marketing and disposing of food also shapes landscapes. However, the consequences of eating from the contemporary industrial food system are obscured by distance and complexity. This installation reveals the connection between the food we eat and the landscape we make. It identifies critical issues in the Central New York food system and offers a series of design proposals aimed at making a more sustainable and socially just food system.

The installation is the work of Landscape Architecture students at the SUNY - College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY. The projects are organized around two tables: one made of milk and salt representing the food history of Syracuse as well as the primary agricultural product of the region, and a table growing fresh greens with a display of design proposals for remaking the system. The designs present a range of strategies for producing food through urban agriculture, using food to activate public space, transforming food deserts, restoring regional infrastructure of processing and distribution and integrating supermarkets into urban neighborhoods.

Would you pay someone to grow food in your backyard?

Today's New York Times ran a cover story on folks who are willing to pay someone to install a vegetable garden, weed, tend, and harvest the produce growing in their own backyard.  You know I had to comment.  Check it out on the Eat Local Challenge blog.

Oh for the want of garlic

It is a sad day when my homegrown and farmers' market garlic is gone.  That day was Friday.  It is ironic, really.  Just as seeds are being sown, garden plots laid out, raised beds installed, my storage garlic withers by the day--shrinking, disappearing, rotting.  Thankfully, a new crop is springing forth here at Dorset Harvest Farm but the reality is that I won't be able to enjoy it for a few months.  So I dream of garlic scapes and I plot my venture to harvest wild ramps.  I tear through jars of last year's tomatoes seeking the bits of garlic and the taste of summer that seem more fitting for our weather of late.  I am oh so grateful to have these food sources to draw upon.

Meanwhile, the rising cost of food is making headlines every day.  People are rioting in various parts of the world because of the increases.  Just so you know (and if you read this blog regularly than I hardly need say it):  when i say that Americans need to pay more for their food, this isn't what I meant.  The price of all foods are rising--wheat, corn, organics across the board.  Blame it on corn and biofuels or blame it on the rising cost of petrol.  Costs are going up but not for the reasons that will make food production healthier for the consumer, more fair for the farmer or more good for the earth. 

Today is Earth Day.  There will be many ways to mark the day and you may have already decided how you will spend the time.  We know, though, that every day is Earth Day.  So here are a few suggestions for learning, growing, and making a difference:

• Plant some seeds.  Even if you don't have a backyard for gardening--a few seeds in a pot can make a difference.  Get a taste of self-sufficiency.
• Clear out the freezer.  Did you forget about the blueberries and strawberries way in the back there?  What about the tomatoes, greens, and broth in the containers at the bottom?  Begin to make room for the harvest to come.
• Keep learning:  Farmer Jamie Edelstein of Wyllie Fox Farm will be speaking at Skaneateles High School on Wednesday Night at 7:00 pm.  The topic:  What is Organic?  Get a taste of what Jamie thinks on this video clip.
• Remember the pleasures of the table.  We know this is a crazy time of year.  Slow down, set the table, and enjoy good conversation with family and friends. 
• Sign up for your CSA Share.  It isn't too late.
• Give thanks for this incredible planet we call home.  Treat it tenderly. 

Food and Memory

So just to make sure I'll be Cookin' in the 'Cuse this spring, I'll be teaching a class on cooking and how food shapes culture, memory and experience through the Lifelong Learning Institute of Syracuse University.  This is the first time I'm offering a class such as this and it should be a fun and enlightening experience for all involved.  You can read the class description below but for more information and to register check out the LLI website here.

110. Food and Memory, with The Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows

Goldstein 201A, 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
May 12, 14, 19, 21, 28, 30, June 2, 4

Through cooking demonstrations and storytelling we will explore how our food ways shape our families and community. We will also engage hidden members of the community, such as food pantry guests, to hear their food stories and memories and create a cookbook of recipes and stories to be distributed to hunger relief organizations. The Rev. Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows is a chaplain at Syracuse University and rector at Grace Episcopal Church. She writes the food blog Cookin' in the 'Cuse and is an advocate for sustainable food justice, working on issues of hunger and justice for nearly 15 years.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2007 I stood in line to meet the amazing Lidia!

Okay--You gotta see this

Check out this link.  It's a spoof but it makes me think about why we need truth in labeling on our food.

Hat tip to Bob Carlton.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2006 I was analyzing the Supermarket Shelf.

Where Does Syracuse Fit In?

Saturday's Eat Local Potluck was a phenomenal feast of food and conversation.  In addition to attempting to solve the problems of the world related to the Farm Bill, the CNY Regional Market, and increasing the awareness and market for sustainable local foods, we spent some time trying to figure out where Syracuse fits in.

The question was sparked by a note I recently received that two Edible Communities publications are being produced for "upstate New York"--an exciting development in the eat local movement for this part of the world.  One of them is called "Edible Upstate" and the other is "Edible Finger Lakes".  Syracuse is obviously located in Upstate NY but there is the sense that Edible Upstate may concentrate on the eastern end of upstate.  Edible Finger Lakes might include Syracuse but when we think of our local foodshed places like Pulaski (home to Grindstone Farm) and Cato (the west of Baldwinsville location of Wyllie Fox Farm) don't typically get linked to the Finger Lakes.  And yet, our foodshed also includes farms like Monarch and Sundance both located near Skaneateles Lake.  Of course the problem is complicated by differing opinions on which lakes are actually Finger Lakes.  This entry from Wikipedia even counts Cazenovia Lake which may be stretching things a hair but it includes the non-Finger Lake of Onondaga in the Finger Lakes Region. 

So what do you think?  How should the Syracuse foodshed be tagged?  Are we Finger Lakes East or some other designation yet to be named?

By the way, mark your calendars now for the next Eat Local Potluck--Saturday, December 22nd at Stones Throw Farm in Nedrow--which, as was pointed out on Saturday, is just a stone's throw from Otisco Lake.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2005 I was exploring the legacy of our homegrown supermarkets--P&C, Price Chopper and Wegmans.

Alice Waters and Judy Wicks Inspire and Provoke

The Alice Waters and Judy Wicks program last night at Hendricks Chapel offered more food for thought than even this foodie could digest in one sitting.  Their visit has sparked a wave of discussion, creativity, and action that I expect to reverberate in our region for some time to come.  Don Mitchell of SU's Geography Department was a great moderator of the hour and a half-long conversation.  If the purpose of this University Lecture was to inspire and provoke then the evening was a success indeed.

And how could it not be?  Alice Waters and Judy Wicks are both doing quite revolutionary work through their restaurants but in very different ways.  When asked during the conversation and during the Q&A about how we can make concrete changes in our food system Waters was insistent that the way to go was by feeding the children and changing school lunches.  She believes the schools can be the engine for sustainability.  It is never to early to teach people that we digest our values--and once children establish the connection between delicious food and all the things they learn in school they will grow up valuing sustainable food; they will bring it home to their parents.  It is a long-term strategy for change.

Judy Wicks, on the other hand, is about alternative economies and not buying into the systems that works against your values.  She doesn't want a world where we are controlled by multi-national corporations but instead believes that bringing local economic power back into our communities provides an alternative to corporate globalization.  She believes in fair trade, living wages, and knowing not only where your food comes from but knowing who makes your clothes, who built your house--it is all about relationships.

In addition to the rather heavy talk about the consequences of our food choices there was laughter, and memories shared and poignant stories told about how they began in this work.  I think their early years are instructive to us when we think about getting something started here in Central New York.  Alice Waters spoke of her life-changing visit to Provence.  The impact of the markets and the taste of food simply changed her life--she spoke of her first Mesclun salads--and the seeds to grow the lettuces and herbs that she brought back to Berkeley and she compared them to the the dull imitations packaged by Dole. 

Judy Wicks spoke of the starting the White Dog Cafe in the first floor of her house because it provided a way to work and have childcare--and have great food made for her.  She had a longing for the simple food her mother used to cook---she remembered cooking food from the family garden when she was growing up.  She spoke of riding the wave that Alice created and she soon learned that it wasn't enough to have a sustainable restaurant and compete with other places by holding the secrets to great, local farmers.  She realized that real change would come when more and more chefs were sourcing locally and supporting small farmers too and that led to the creation of the White Dog Community Enterprises. 

There was a lot more said last night plus there were conversations held over the pre-lecture dinner and at the breakfast Judy Wicks spoke at today at the YWCA.  Plus there was the post-lecture meeting to connect people to work on a sustainable food network AND the panel this afternoon (on which I spoke) to talk about a just food landscape.  So, for the time being let me leave you with a few choice statements to chew on in the hopes that this very vibrant conversation will continue.  I'll post more about the other events in the days to come.

Judy Wicks:  Poverty is about not being able to provide for yourself and we as a society are poor. 

Alice Waters: (on first steps for Syracuse) Begin right here with the food at Syracuse University.  This is where the conversation is happening.  Start with a good bakery.  Provide food that is good, clean and fair.  Wrap it in a message, connect it with the University, send the bread to different communities.

Judy Wicks:  (on eating local)  When it comes to vegetables, it is more important to eat local than organic; when it comes to meat, it is more important to eat humanely raised than to eat local.

Alice Waters:  Buying from the farmers' market is like making a donation to the greenbelt, its an offering to the environment.

Judy Wicks:  (on political action) We need to collaborate in this counter revolution and just get out into the streets.  But getting people to fall in love with food is a way to change their lives, their voting.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2006 I was astonished by a giant in my garden.

Keeping Track of Recalls

I guess I missed it in my busy-ness but I was a bit shocked to see signs of the latest mixed greens recall in the Dewitt Wegman's.  To read more and get my take on the future of the Eat Local movement, check out my latest post on the Eat Local Challenge blog.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2005 I was reflecting on the Eat Local journey.

The Farm as Church or the Religion of Eating Local

MY church is a farm. Give me a few chickens, a long row of carrots and the smell of dirt, and I’ll find the open heart and inner peace others might seek from a prayer book or a pew.

So begins an article by Kim Severson in this morning's NY Times.

As an Episcopal priest I thought this article was going n a whole different direction but it turns out, it is a quick and interesting read that explains the motivation of some to eating local.  In fact, the more that is written about our food system or the Farm Bill or organic food the more I hear people struggling to understand the issues.  And if all of the recent writings, politics, and controversies about food is new it can be pretty overwhelming.  It really isn't too different from a new convert trying to understand their new faith but without a regular congregation, pastor, or theological tome to help guide the way.

To help, the NY Times piece in today's paper does cite books by Michael Pollan and Barbara Kingsolver as the bibles of the eat local movement.  And I have to say that each week that I go to the CNY Regional Market and connect with Brian and Megan from Stones Throw Farm or Meg from Wake Robin Farm, it is kind of like going to the church coffee hour.  I get to see friends, I learn a little more about the food I'm eating and the life I'm trying to shape around my food choices, and I experience the strengthening of my community.  I would imagine that this journey would be pretty lonely and difficult if it weren't for the "congregation" that exists at the market, on the internet via blogs, and in my own community.  When I miss the market, or don't make it to the Co-op for several days, I feel as if something is really missing in my week and, for me, it is as much about the people as it is about the food.

In the church world there is a tradition of "bring a friend to church" Sunday.  I'm in the mind of wanting to suggest that as we look forward to this year's Eat Local Challenge that begins next month, that we each befriend an eat local buddy.   It may sound corny but think about it:  we each probably know someone who is struggling their way through the maze of food options all in the hopes of making some small changes that will lead to something more delicious and more healthy on their dinner plate.  We can all raise our hands on that one, can't we?  I'm not thinking of a buddy who would call you up to ask what you ate for dinner last night, but perhaps, someone to meet up with a the market to explore new foods together, or a weekly lunch date where you commit to an eat local meal or a conversation about what you love about local foods, or even a dinner gathering or two to bring together folks to celebrate the local bounty. 

Well, it may be a crazy idea but I know that everything is more fun when you have someone to share the journey.

Archive Alert:   On this date in 2005 I was hyping a couple of eat local dining experiences at bc Restaurant and the Craftsman Restaurant.  Note:  bc Restaurant is doing a 7 course special dinner with beer pairings on August 27th--their taking reservations now.
On this date in 2006 I was trying to figure out how to make the CNY Regional Market work.