yumpittsburgh

Great conference, giant blizzard, closing thoughts

Well, the blizzard may not be so great for all the folks who had plans to travel home today, but the PASA conference was interesting, educational, fun and at times touching.  In addition to tons of hard core ag topics there were a lot of topics for the do it your-selfers. This is just a brief mind dump, I have lots of fun stuff to write about in the coming week or two. But for now, the thing that struck me most was how much learning happened for folks from non-farming families on really practical food production and preservation. And the sense of self reliance and community that comes out of it.

There are a lot of folks who work with farmers, our food system, policy, cooking, nutrition; food really touches to many disciplines to list here. A lot of people have in interest in what they eat and where it comes from but are not from farming families. An interesting feature of the schedule this year was that there were a lot of skill-based sessions geared towards folks with interests in urban farming, suburban lawn transformation, permaculture, food preservation, composting and nutrition.

The food preservation topic was a great example of the cross pollination between disciplines and generations.  There was a time where canning how-to was handed down informally every season during the harvest. This transfer from grandma to mom to granddaughter installed confidence in food security and the final product. Yum admits having canned and then not eating it for fear of having done it wrong and dying of botulism!  So lame.

But to see a roomful of folks of all ages re-learning and sharing this old knowledge (which included the latest USDA tested recipes!) was remarkable. Seeing focused attention from so many people relearning how to use the sun to dry food for later use felt really, really right.

Here are some other things that were especially inspiring:

- Learning about a farmer coop in North Dakota who grow and distribute an open-pollinated wheat variety bred specifically for that climate. The seed is distributed on the honor system to fellow farmers, with no contracts to revive traditional crop production.

- Seeing how people have changed their suburban yards into beautiful producers of habitat and edible calories, and being inspired to keep removing the sod.

- All of the young families striving to learn and be part of making a better world for the young kids they were jugging.

- Lisa Hamilton’s photos and stories of farmers, farm protests and landscapes.

Enough for now, more later. Everyone have a safe trip home!!

Yum is makin’ the bacon

Why bring home the bacon when you can make it yourself? Cooking is a pretty do it yourself endeavor. Everyone has a busy schedule and kitchen shortcuts have always been popular. Grocery stores have huge sections devoted to microwavable meals and processed foods. Most folks involved with good food, be it local or slow,  like to take time to prepare and savor food. This approach to eating has all kinds of benefits including nutritive health and positive social aspects.

For these reasons, along with sheer curiosity, yum learned how to make bacon and other salt cured meats today at the PASA conference. This makes a lot of sense if you raise beef or pork for family or market. Like baking bread, or making pasta, growing tomatoes to make sauce, tracing a food back to its root is interesting and informative.

In days gone by and in many parts of the world, storing meat in a freezer or fridge wasn’t or isn’t an option. How did our ancestors keep it fresh and healthy? One was was to keep it on the hoof, slaughtering at mealtime in community mealtimes was one way, drying is another way as is salt curing.

Yum thinks a lot, maybe too much about food safety, and is a recovered vegetarian, so despite the historical proof that salt-cured meat is a viable techniques, fears of bactertia and parasites lurk.And also about that kid from “Into the Wild”. Yikes!

So, how does it work? Simple enough, rub some salt on meat and let it sit, or hang for a while.

Pretty straightforward, and simple, and effective. Thinking about food traditions around the world, many cultures boast delicious examples of dry cured meats. In America we have bacon and hams. Italy has prociutti, Spain has jamon. Ask any Italian or Spaniard to talk about these morsels and be prepared be wooed as the speakers waxed poetic. The salty taste you might expect isn’t there. What is there is an almost sensual mouthfeel as the fat melts at body temperature, much like chocolate.

Since yum is an urban gardener, chances of making these meats are small. However, it is good to know that these old charcuterie techniques are back in vogue, in PA and as chefs and eaters we should celebrate these fine products. As Homer Simpson says, ‘pigs are delicious!’.

Yum goes to PASA – lactofermentation

Yum is really excited to be at the PASA conference this year, generously supported by a SARE grant.

Stay posted from the field reports and snippets of the many interesting things that always happen at this great conference.

Yum is learning about lactofermentation, which is when lactobaccilius bacteria innoculates food and ferments it. Yogurt, Sauerkraut, kim chee are all examples. This is a picture of gingered carrots which makes you feel as if the sushi ginger gods smacked your tastebuds with a cattle prod. Whoa!

Yum goes to PASA – lactofermentation

Yum is really excited to be at the PASA conference this year, generously supported by a SARE grant.

Stay posted from the field reports and snippets of the many interesting things that always happen at this great conference.

Yum is learning about lactofermentation, which is when lactobaccilius bacteria innoculates food and ferments it. Yogurt, Sauerkraut, kim chee are all examples. This is a picture of gingered carrots which makes you feel as if the sushi ginger gods smacked your tastebuds with a cattle prod. Whoa!

Bbbbzzzz – Feb 19 & 20 Western PA Bee Seminar and Feb 13 Beginner Beekeping Workshop

There are two upcoming beekeeping events in our area: the Western PA Bee Seminar on February 19 & 20 as well as the Beginning Bee Workshop in Greensburg on February 13.

Brochures for both are available by following this link.

Baby yum roasts an eggplant

I guess it is true that kids mimic their parents. Baby yum gets into the action by helping stuff an eggplant with garlic slivers from last year’s garden. Other picks are of some nice home made linguine made with whole wheat flour from Frankfered Farms. It really worked up. Into a nice leathery dough that was able to be cut by the rollers, and cooked up tender.

These are the products of a sub zero weekend!

Farm Profile: Cherry Valley Organics CSA share open

Cherry Valley Organics offers over 100 varieties of vegetables and specialty greens, over 150 varieties of herbs, and over 300 varieties of specialty cut flowers, as well as potted plants, herbal teas, and herbal bath & body products, all of which are grown or produced at their certified organic farm in Cherry Valley, Washington County, only 20 miles from downtown Pittsburgh. Enrollment for the 2010 CSA season is now open.

Unlike traditional “farm share” programs, Cherry Valley Organics’ CSA subscription service is entirely “a la carte” over an approximately 30-week-long season (roughly April through November), with subscribers ordering off of a weekly menu that is issued via email – with no minimum order or any obligation to order every week. This set up allows customers to purchase only favorite foods, like a custom grocer!

Orders are delivered packed in coolers each week to pick-up sites in the following communities: Bethel Park, Cherry Valley (near the Burgettstown/Hickory area), Crafton, McMurray, Mt. Lebanon, Robinson, Sewickley, and Squirrel Hill.  Pick-up sites in additional communities will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Cherry Valley Organics can be contacted more information including pricing and sign up. Subscribers will be accepted on an ongoing basis until we sell out.

Cherry Valley Organics

518 Joffre-Cherry Valley Road

Burgettstown, PA 15021

phone: 724-777-0790

info@cherryvalleyorganics.com

March 11, ‘LOCAL FOOD SHOWCASE, A GROWER / BUYER EVENT’

Penn State Extension, Allegheny County and co-sponsor Chatham University are proud to announce the first annual “Local Food Showcase: a Grower / Buyer Event”. This event brings together Western Pennsylvania farmers, value added producers, food industry purchasers, and consumers. The event will be held on March 11, 2010 from 1-4pm at Chatham University. If you grow food, cook food or eat food, this event is for you!

This is a great opportunity to find local sources of fresh and processed foods for retail, restaurant, CSA (community supported agriculture), wholesale, farm markets, and home use. This event features a tradeshow format to foster networking. These local food producers will be displaying their products and seasonal availability to potential customers. In addition, there will be demonstrations, tastings and educational information on local farms, biofuels, composting and gardening. Many area organizations will be on hand contributing to this event.

Pennsylvania agriculture yields an amazing variety of food. The full spectrum of locally produced foods will be represented including fruits, vegetables, meats, eggs, cheese, baked goods, sauces and salsas.

The goal of the “Local Food Showcase: a Grower / Buyer Event” is to foster economic development through business relationships between farmers and chefs, retailers, wholesalers, institutions, for the upcoming 2010 growing season and beyond. It is part of a larger effort to strengthen the local food infrastructure in Western Pennsylvania.

The event will be held at co-sponsor Chatham University, in the Mellon Board Room, Pittsburgh PA 15232, on March 11, 2010 from 1-4pm.

Farmers and vendors can register for this event through Penn State Extension, Allegheny County by contacting Heather Mikulas at 412-473-2540 or hem12@psu.edu. Registration deadline is February 26, 2010.

The public is invited to attend; the entrance fee to the event is $5.

Center for Beef Excellence creates new marketplace for cattlemen to buy,sell and trade.

This may be of interest to those of you involved with livestock.

The Center for Beef Excellence just added a marketplace where users can buy and sell cattle, equipment, feedstuffs, show supplies, etc.  Each post will remain in place for 90 days unless CBE is otherwise notified.

Follow this link to access the site.

Pittsburgh Food Policy Council

The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council has been meeting  for about a year, working to craft a Statement of Purpose and Charter. In structure, the council  serves  as an advisory group. It consists of volunteers from many area organizations whose focus is on food related issues and includes Penn State Extension, Grow Pittsburgh, The East End Food Coop, PASA, The Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank and many others. The charter content represents areas in our local food infrastructure that need attention and is bench-marked against cities with successful food policies such as Portland and San Francisco.

An exciting recent development of the Council’s work is the formation of a positive relationship with City of Pittsburgh officials. The immediate work of the council will be to prioritize charter items and begin the necessary work . Penn Extension State is proud to be a part of the current  collective work happening to strengthen our region’s food system . The Council’s Statement of Purpose follows:

PITTSBURGH FOOD POLICY COUNCIL STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council envisions a food system that benefits our community, our economy and our environment in ways that are equitable and sustainable.  The group is a coalition of organizations and individuals that welcome participation from the public. The Council serves as a collaborative advisory organization, bringing together people from diverse food-related sectors to examine, develop and improve Pittsburgh’s food system. The council is committed to working with City officials and residents of Pittsburgh to develop food and urban agriculture policy. The council will provide the City with technical assistance, education, momentum and support on issues related to food production, food access, food distribution, health/nutrition and urban planning.  Our vision is that a sustainable food and urban  agriculture system will:
•    Enable Pittsburgh to develop and improve the regional food
system.
•    Make positive contributions to our region’s economy, health and
sustainability goals
•    Encourage personal, commercial and government food practices
that foster local food production, access and distribution
•    Promote food security through the elimination of hunger
•    Protect our natural and human resources
•    Create infrastructure support for the growth of community
gardens and urban farming
•    Create economic and job growth opportunities for neighborhood
residents
•    Promote food equity for all neighborhoods through conscientious
city planning and development
•    Create opportunities for collaboration throughout the community.
•    Celebrate our region’s multicultural food traditions and recognize
the importance of diverse cultures.