Cookin' in the 'Cuse

I've Signed the Letter--Will You Join Me?

There is amazing momentum gathering for the local foods movement here in Central New York.  This letter, penned by Marty Butts, will help spur us on.  Give it a read and if you want to sign it with me, click on Marty's email address at the bottom of the letter. 

February 28, 2011

An Open Letter To Central New York-

Food is being shipped into Central New York everyday from Mexico and China, while jobs are being shipped out. Despite living in a country obsessed with health and nutrition, for the first time in our nation’s history, children being born today have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. Products masquerading as food clog up pantries and plates.



We believe that a healthy and vibrant food system is the key to improving our economy, our environment, our health, and our culture. We believe that everyone deserves access to fresh whole food, including our children when they are in school, and everyone in all of our neighborhoods. We believe that the answers we seek as citizens don’t come from outside of Central New York, but grow right here at home.

We are chefs, advocates, artisans, and entrepreneurs. We are food system professionals and enthusiasts, farmers and gardeners. We come from all corners of the political spectrum and live in every neighborhood in every town and city in our region. We are your friends and neighbors. We grow food, eat food, and share food.

We pledge to collaborate with each other to improve our food system and our community. We pledge to share our experiences, promote each others work, hire each other when we can, and lend a hand when need be. We ask you, Central New York, to pledge to do the same; to improve our community and to become a model for communities everywhere. We control our own destiny, but only if we work together. We will support you. Please support us.



In Collaboration-


Martin H Butts
Local Foods Advocate
Small Potatoes

Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows, Cookin' in the 'Cuse


To find out how you can sign in support please email Marty Butts at [email protected].

Michael Pollan: Eat Food, Not Edible Food-like Substances

Michael Pollan with Edible Finger Lakes publisher Michael Welch, creative director Zoe Becker, and me.

By his own admission he is not a nutritionist--just an Englsh major trying to eat real food.  Tonght, to a nearly packed house at the Syracuse Civic Center, Pollan wove together the themes of his three most recent books:  Food Rules, In Defense of Food, and The Omnivore's Dilemma into an accessible primer on the ills of our food system and what we might do about it.

Even if you have read his books you'd find the reminder of some of his points startling:  20% of food is consumed in the car; the typical Western diet (filled with refined carbs, salt and sugar) is largely responsible for high rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and 1/3 of the cancers diagnosed; we've largely forsaken eating for pleasure and community building for eating for health--except we're getting less healthy; Americans spend only 9% of their income on food--less than any other industrialized nation (and if I'm not mistaken, this number has gone down in the past decade). 

He began his lecture by filling a table with some edilble food-like substances he purchased at Tops earlier in the day.  There were things I didn't know existed--I mean, frozen pancakes with sprinkles already on them?!?  I don't get it--apparently, I need to investigate what else is in the conventional grocery store--just to see it.  I tend to shop the perimeter of the supermarket and farmers at the CNY Regional Market get the lions share of our food dollars.

For those who have been reading this blog for any length of time or following the sustainable food revolution, tonight was classic Pollan--engaging, thought-provoking, and inspirational.  I left reinvigorated and excited about this harvest seaon and grateful for the folks in our community who are trying to get real, whole foods onto our plates--you know, the folks listed in the left side bar. 

Pollan says he isn't an evangelist but I'm hoping that he made a few more Michael Disciples tonight.  Each and every person makes choices each and every day that affect our foodshed and what is stocked on grocery shelves.  The power to change our food system, live with a higher degree of wellness and health, and actually enjoy the food that nourishes us is in our hands--or can be if we reach out for real food. 

Anyone else craving kale right now, or is it just me...?

Stand With Us--Tomorrow at 3:30 at Henninger High School

Tomorrow at 3:30 we hope to have 1200 members of the Syracuse Metro community gather for the ACTS Public Meeting at Henninger High School.  ACTS is the Alliance of Communities Transforming Syracuse and it is our local inter-faith community organizing group.  Why am I posting about it on this blog?  Because tomorrow we are going to ask our state officials and Syracuse mayoral candidates to stand with us and make some changes around food access.

Maybe I've just been living in my own little world but until recently I didn't know that it is NOT illegal for corner stores to sell unexpired food.  Apparently there are no ordinances on the books that require these corner stores to sell any percentage of actual groceries--lottery tickets, cigarettes and beer make up the majority of sales.  For the South Side of Syracuse these issues are all the more shameful because there is no actual grocery store in that neighborhood. 

I thought the issue was bad enough when I understood that there was a huge food desert in the midst of our city.  It got worse when I understood how few people (children and elderly particularly) have little in the way of transportation to get them to, say, the Wegman's in Dewitt or the Regional Market--not without the trip taking the better part of a day, anyway.  But when I came to understand that the food available to them is more often than not, over a year past date--well I was through.

So if you have some time tomorrow afternoon come and stand with us to show our community and elected officials that we care.  Stand with us to show them that selling cereal that expired in June 2008 is unacceptable.  Stand with us and show them that a supermarket is needed in ALL parts of our city.  Come and support Mable Wilson (of the Newell Street Garden and Syracuse Grows) and show her that she and her community do not stand alone.

ACTS Public Meeting, Sunday, November 1

Henninger High School --600 Robinson St, Syracuse, NY 13206

Raw Milk Action Alert

This is what I love about the blogosphere.  I find out about the endangerment of raw milk access by reading a blog based in California.  Tana at I Heart Farms alerted me to the work that Meadowsweet Farm (based in Lodi) is trying to mount to keep raw milk accessible to the public.  You know Meadowsweet--you can get their pastuerized milk from the Co-op and the CNY Regional Market.  Currently, there is limited access to raw milk in New York State and even that is threatened to decrease if the government doesn't hear different voices.  So, if you have time tomorrow, attend the hearing in Waterloo and let them know you how you feel.

Below you'll find an excerpt from Tana's blog and you can hear the moo straight from the farm by checking out the Meadowsweet site here.

NEW YORK
Michael Ruhlman alerted me to Meadowsweet Farm in Lodi, New York, about an hour and a half southeast of Rochester. Meadowsweet Farm, owned by Steve and Barbara Smith, no longer sells raw milk products to the public, but to members of its LLC, a form of community supported agriculture that allows them to bypass the bureaucracy and mindless, uninformed restrictions that the state of New York would impose on them if they were doing business with the public.

The Smiths write: "Since March 2007, the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets has been trying to pressure us and Meadowsweet Dairy LLC out of business. For example, they have conducted numerous inspections, seized products, ordered the destruction of 260 pounds of raw dairy products, attempted to search our house, issued letters threatening fines and penalties, and have now issued an order requiring us and Meadowsweet Dairy LLC to show cause why the Department of Agriculture and Markets should not shut down the operation and levy fines. That show-cause order is now set for a hearing and a show down looms over whether the State’s police power extends to a group of private citizens who produce and consume their own food of their own choice."

January 22, 1:30 PM
Seneca County Court
48 West Williams Street
Waterloo, NY

State Senator Valesky Gets It

I don't tend to get into state politics on this blog--I prefer to leave that sort of thing to those who know what they are doing.  But thanks to a tip from reader and blogger David Pratt I pulled Senator David Valesky's constituency newsletter out of the recycling pile to find these fascinating morsels:

How Many Food Miles Did Your Apple Travel?

...One problem is we don't always know where food is from.  I have proposed a bill to include "Food Miles" on the labels of fresh fruits and vegetables.  You can also ask your grocer, and let them know you care about such things.  By reducing how far our food has traveled we can cut our energy impact while we help the local economy.

And this:

Linking What We Grow with What We Eat

When I talk to farmers in Central New York about the prospects of selling more of their products to consumers downstate, many tell me how hard it is to break into these markets....New York's customers want fresh, locally produced foods.  Upstate New York has the ability to supply these products.  Together we can improve our economy, our health and our environment and create a better link between what we grow and what we eat.

Valesky's district is the 49th covering Madison Country, and bits of Onondaga County (including the city of Syracuse and some of its eastern suburbs) and some of eastern Cayuga County.  It's an odd map but when I look carefully I note that many of the farms that supply the food I eat are in this district.  So finally, I feel that I can write a letter of encouragement to one of our legislators. 

It would be an amazing thing for New York to take some leadership on putting food miles on our food--it may even nudge the national Country of Origin Labeling legislation a bit further.  I'll also want to support his efforts to expand our markets to consumers downstate but with one huge caveat.  I'm all food my family in Brooklyn and Staten Island partaking of Central  New York's bounty, but not if I can't get to it too.  I find it more than a little frustrating that some of the best stuff leaves our area for NYC markets only.  I shouldn't have to go to the lower east side to get Evans Farmhouse Creamery butter.  Clearly, there are distribution issues I don't fully understand and I guess I'm lucky that if I really want that butter I can go directly to the farm--but let's not send all the good stuff away--we upstaters enjoy it too. 

That aside, it is great to see Valesky tracking on these issues--let's hope his colleagues get on board too.

Archive Alert:  On this date in 2005 I was sharing a little link love with a shout out to the York Staters blog.

Elation!

You can probably tell I've been on a crazy-busy work schedule because I haven't posted lately but check this out--I'm so elated I can hardly stand it!

A few moments ago, the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York (the gathering of Episcopalians from across the center section of upstate NY) voted to adopt a resolution I put forward about local food.  It is radical and it is incredible and I think it will make a difference in furthering the awareness and growth of local and sustainable foods in our region.  You can get the context by reading below--I''m posting the resolution in its entirety--or scroll down to the words of the resolution proper.

Subject:  Supporting Local Farmers and Producers at the 140th Diocesan Convention in 2008
Submitted by:  The Food Justice Ministry of Grace Episcopal Church, Syracuse and the Greenblade Project of the Episcopal Church at Cornell.

Whereas the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York has granted the Episcopal Church at Cornell a Vision Grant to support their program of a Diocesan Diet whereby members of the Diocese are encouraged to learn about and eat foods grown within the boundaries of the Diocese and;

Whereas the typical meal has food that has traveled an average of 1,500 miles to get from farm to the plate and;

Whereas promoting sustainable and local food systems has a direct impact on the people and the land of our Diocese by supporting local growers and reducing the distance and carbon emissions used in transporting food from out of state and;

Whereas the largest annual gathering of the Diocese of Central New York has the power to not only make a statement but to advocate for change in supporting area growers, be it therefore

Resolved, that the planning team for the 140th Convention of the Diocese of Central New York commit to work with the Liverpool Holiday Inn (or in the case of change of venue, the hotel or institution so designated) to source as many raw and final product ingredients for meals and snacks from farmers, growers, and producers located within the geographic boundaries of the Episcopal Diocese of Central New York as possible.

Explanation:  The Episcopal Diocese of Central New York is blessed with dairies, produce growers, and meat producers who grow fresh food free from pesticides, antibiotics, and hormones.  Some of these producers sell their products across our region and New York City and have earned national reputations.  Many of these producers have growing practices that help sustain the environment and provide living wages for its workers.  Typically, the food served at our Diocesan Conventions bypass these excellent sources and instead relies on food trucked in from long distances.  This resolution, in support of the Diocesan Diet grant awarded to the Episcopal Church at Cornell, seeks to support local growers (some of whom worship in our parishes), demonstrate the bounty of riches that are located within our borders, and to practice environmental stewardship by reducing the mileage our food travels to get to our plates. 

Please also note that for several years the Liverpool Holiday Inn has hosted a conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York and has produced all of the meal using locally grown ingredients donated by area farmers.  Their staff is now familiar with what it would take to prepare meals of local ingredients for a gathering such as our Diocesan Convention.

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.

CNY Sustainable Food Network--Meeting Tonight!

This Just In!

I've been given the okay to post news of a meeting tonight following the Waters/Wicks lecture to "spur growth of an Upstate local, sustainable food system".  It will take place in the Noble Room of Hendricks Chapel (downstairs from the lecture location) immediately following the program.  It is sponsored by the Global Warming Action Network in cooperation with SU Lectures and Hendricks Chapel.

This meeting is for local food activists, restaurant and food service professionals, community gardeners and farmers who are ready to get to work to identify people and methods to move us toward a local, sustainable food system. 

Let's turn our momentum into action!

Farm Bill Alert--Call Today

It is easy to let the easy, breezy, carefree days of summer pass by while the Farm Bill (what we like to call the Food Bill) gets acted upon in Congress.  I've just received this note through our friends at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY) about an opportunity we have to make a difference in the Farm Bill so that it will support smaller farms.  If you have a few minutes today please call your Representative in the House and urge them to support the Fairness Amendment.  For many of us in Syracuse and east of Rochester that person is Jim Walsh.  For more info and his number, read the NOFA-NY message below.

Dear NOFA-NY friends -

There's MUCH more missing from the Farm Bill passed by House Ag

Committee  that's important to family farms than the Community Food

Projects. It's a lousy bill for 99% of the farmers everywhere, leaving

in place billions for subsidies, no money for Conservation Security

Program, and on the food side, very little money for helping low income

people on Food Stamps   get access to healthy foods.

This morning (Thursday) a comprehensive amendment called "Fairness in

Farm and Food Policy will be introduced - it includes all of the above

plus the Community Food Project mandatory funding.

PLEASE call Jim Walsh's aide Ron Anderson 202-225-3701 urging that he

support the "Fairness amendment"

thank you.

The Gospel According to Joel

Virginia chicken farmer and clean food advocate Joel Salatin kicked off this year's NOFA-NY (Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York) conference with a keynote speech that was part altar call and part rallying cry for everyone--especially farmers--to claim their Sacred Calling.  He spoke of Respect, Resilence, and Recompense as being part of the sacred call of organic farming.

Salatin is known to many as the man behind Polyface Farms in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  He is known well to fans of Michael Pollan who has written about him in magazines and who devoted nearly an entire chapter to the man and his method of poultry farming in the book, The Omnivore's Dilemma.  Here are some excepts from Salatin's nearly hour-long speech.

• Part of our sacred calling is to preserve respect for the food we grow.  GMO (genetially modified organisms) asks the question:  just because we can, should we?  Our worldview (of organic, clean food) creates a border for our cleverness.  How we respect the least of these affects how we treat the greatest of these.  We don't have to understand everything.
• We not only respect the plants and animals, we respect the eater and the consumer. We want ultimate health and not short term stock dividends.  The industrial system disrespects the microflora of our intestines. 
• We've eliminated the courtship with the dinner plate.  But as a culture we applaud ourselves that there are no humans involved in the food system.  It's like prostitution food--where is the courtship?  The dating?  The romance that leads to the intimate act of dining?
• We preserve respect for the farmer and the producer in raising food without the chemicals that lead to disease.
• We preserve forgiveness and resilence.  We preserve a farm family friendly work environment so we are not just alienating everyone. 
• We preserve resilence in the landscape.  The way we farm preserves a landscape that can take care of itself.
• We don't subscribe to the "Grow it faster, bigger, cheaper" paradigm.  Is it any wonder that we are looking like our food system and we have an obesity epidemic?
• Questions for the industrialists:  Is there any nutritional integrity?  Does that food actually give/transfer life?
• We preserve recompense for the farmer  Our country has a cheap policy--it is a race to the bottom floor.  Our call is to return the money to the rural landscape in order to fund the next generation of stewards.
• Our sacred calling is the preservation of a heritage food system.

The crowd of 400 that Salatin spoke to on Friday night swelled to over 600 the next day making this NOFA-NY's most successful winter conference ever.  This conference brings farmers, foodies, advocates, educators, and gardeners from across New York State and beyond, to the Liverpool Holiday Inn the last weekend in January each year.  Put it on your calendar for 2008!