Bob Waldrop and Someday: A Tri-Cities Food Coop!?

So I attended a very interesting presentation Tuesday night titled, "Re-inventing the Family Farm". I found the flyer at the Greenstone Farm Credit office of all places, which made me a little leery to attend. However, the presentation was by Robert Waldrop, President and General Manager of the Oklahoma Food Coop. The coop is incredibly successful, more so than I would have ever expected.

Mr. Waldrop was hosted by Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU), almost an hour away from where I live. I had no idea there was so much great work in progress at SVSU. They are working on everything from vermiculture and hydroponics to alternative energy development. For more information on the projects going on there check out the Green Cardinal (the cardinal is the school mascot) and the last few posts on Bob Waldrop's blog. While you're on Bob's blog scroll down to the post about 20 Things to Do Now that the Election is Over. I found it very interesting and motivating.

So, back to the presentation. Really it was mostly practical advice and tips on how to start and operate a large food coop. I have considered in the past the idea of trying to start a small coop in my area but I decided my efforts would be better spent on producing the food and direct marketing on my own. Although I would love to help out with a big coop, I was really hoping for more information from the producer's standpoint.

The excitement came at the end for me when I spoke with Dr. Christopher Schilling, he is one of the SVSU faculty heading up this initiative and the man doing most of the research I mentioned earlier. I described our situation to him, i.e. that we have 74 acres we are cash crop farming and we are looking for a way to make the land more productive. I also shared that we are starting out with some freezer beef and eggs and that I would be very interested in being a part of any future coop. My interest was welcomed and encouraged.

It was so thrilling to be around a group with so much positive energy towards this subject. It is easy to feel discouraged as we try to get the farm going. The presentation was exactly what I needed to get me looking on the bright side again.

On a side note, I've also been slowly making my way through You Can Farm by Joel Salatin. I was a little disappointed when I read his Salad Bar Beef but You Can Farm is wonderful! I'll post a book review when I'm done. Between the book and the presentation I am feeling über motivated.

If you'd like to share your thoughts, I'd love to hear them!

Oops - almost forgot. Today I am thankful for my ability to learn, and the freedom we have in the USA to do what we want with our lives and share information.

How to Buy Locally: 9 Easy Steps

I've been working on my post for the APLS Carnival for a couple days now and it turned in to me blabbing on about reasons why buying locally is good, etc.,etc. I decided to put together something quick and basic instead. I'll leave the philosophical parts to someone else.

Assuming you support the idea of buying local products here are 9 easy steps to get you started:

1. Get yourself some reusable bags. Ironically, you may not find these locally. You could always make them yourself, or the organizers of you local farmers' market may have bags with their logo on them. My personal favorites are baggu bags, available on Amazon.com. There are several options out there so if you can't find some locally look around online. It is still better than using plastic or taking new paper ones every time. Plus, a lot of vendors don't even have bags.

2. Get organized! Find a spare little notebook in your desk or find a spot in your PDA for "local" contacts. When you find the one guy in 100 miles that grinds flour, you don't want to lose his phone number! It helps if you have a place to store business cards.

3. Find out what's in season when. Google the information for your area and print it off. If strawberries are only in for 2 weeks, you want to know about it. When they're gone - they're gone. This will help keep you from getting the call that your 2 bushels of peaches are ready the day before your wedding (like I did). If you're really going to eat local, you've got to plan around the seasons.

4. Have a plan in place to preserve some foods for the off season. This goes along with #3. Keep an eye out for recipes you like and store accordingly whether it be drying, freezing, or canning. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Someone's Grandma would love to teach you to can. See my post about apples to get you started.

5. Check out sites like Local Harvest to find farmers' markets and growers in your area. Most states have a website devoted to local companies and products. Search for "Michigan made" or "Michigan furniture", etc. There are tons of sites devoted to finding local goods. Also scan your local newspaper and check store windows for signs that advertise "Local Products Here".

6. Go Shopping! Seek out fair prices but remember that isn't necessarily the most important thing. You'll generally be saving on food anyway by buying raw goods and transforming them in to meals at home instead of buying processed meals at the grocery store. Remember to let the producers and artisans know how much you appreciate what they're doing.

7. Expand your horizons. Pick a couple things off your shopping list each week and try to find a local source for them. Ask around. Chances are it is out there, it just may not be the most efficient option for you. For example, I would love to have local dairy products but right now I can't stomach paying $7/gallon for milk. In those situations, just keep looking!

8. Consider making or growing your own of some things you use a lot. You'd be amazed at how easy it is to grow potatoes. They are very forgiving. And so on.

9. Spread the word. Give local products as gifts or share them at a special dinner. Chances are your friends didn't know there were so many great things available locally. Plus, who doesn't love pure maple syrup on Christmas morning pancakes.

I hope this helped get you started. If you're already buying locally, I'd love to hear what works for you! Check out the APLS Carnival for more on local everything!

Update: Heather over at SGF has a great post up now about how to eat locally. Check it out!

Sunday Stroll

So today I went strollin', and this is what I saw.



The leaves are so thick you can't see the grass in a lot of spots.


I've still got some peas trying to grow in the garden. I don't think they'lll make it much longer. Temps are supposed to be down to 27 tonight.


Here's a bigger picture of the garden, all done now. That's the asparagus there in the middle (I didn't want anyone thinking my weeds were THAT tall!)


Maci, enjoying the fall.


And the horses.


They were very happy to get a new round bale.

Check out who else is strolling over at Quiet Country House.

Also, thanks to Joyce, I'll be mentioning something that I am thankful in each post this month, in no particular order. What a great way to carry the Thanksgiving spirit all the way through! Today I am thankful for my dogs. We have 3: Bear, Sam, & Maci. I appreciate having them around because they are always in a good mood and happy to see me, even when I'm crabby and not particularly nice to them. They keep us from being lazy by waking us up every day - there pretty much set to go off at 5:30 even on the weekend. They help me feel safe when Brian is gone, and they are good cuddlers. Of course they do have there problems (like when Maci launched WWIII on my chickens :| ) but I love them all the same. Forgot to mention how entertaining they are, as right now I'm watching the cat bat the dog in the face.

So, what are you thankful for?

Living Like A Pioneer

So in honor of Crunchy Chicken's Pioneer Week I'm doing things a little different this week. The idea is to live as much like a Pioneer as you can by using local, non-processed goods and giving up some modern conveniences. For me this means no TV this week. I did watch the election coverage last night and I'm not avoiding my husband by leaving the room when he watches TV, but I am keeping my attention on my book (currently reading You Can Farm).

I've also been baking like crazy. Honestly, I just pulled the last breads out of the oven and now the entire length of the counter is lined with homemade goodies. Today I finally got my first order of locally grown & ground flours from Hampshire Farms. Perfect timing for this challenge! The flour is definitely more coarse than store bought. The whole wheat bread flour didn't work too well with the dough hooks in my mixer so I kneaded it by hand for the whole 10 minutes. I also got some pastry flour and cornmeal, so I made a pan of cornbread with dinner. I cooked pork chops from our local meat market where most of the meat comes from farmers in the area. On the side we had non-local whole wheat rotini noodles with some cheese melted on top and mixed in. Not organic and not local, but a big step up from the boxed stuff we have in the pantry. I also made apple bread for breakfast this week and an apple pie with my canned filling and made from scratch crust, along with homemade oreos for my favorite dessert.


Before heading in to the kitchen I rushed home to plant my garlic before it got dark outside. I learned how to plant garlic from Farm Mom but it was all sold out when I tried to order my own. Then Melinda suggested Peaceful Valley Farm Supply. I ordered 1 lb. of German White and 1 lb. of Music. I got about 30 cloves of each. I loosened up a patch in my garden and was so thrilled to see how rich and fertile the soil is already after only one season of mulching and adding compost. I came across several earthworms. Brian brought me a bobcat bucket full of compost and I raked that on top of what I had loosened, planting each clove 4-6" apart and about 2" deep. Then I raked over the holes and mulched the whole thing with about a foot of leaves. I'll see how many blow off, maybe I'll have to add some straw.

I also tended to the chickens and ventured out to the garden with a flashlight in the middle of baking to pull a carrot for my cornbread.

Here's an idea: the Laura Ingalls Wilder workout plan. Arms = knead bread. Legs = ride horses. Abs = hoe the garden. I'd be so fit. ;)

Check out Crunchy Chicken's page to see what everyone else is doing for Pioneer Week.

Thank you

Just wanted to take time out to thank all the people who worked hard on this election and helped promote our future President. If you baked cookies, held fund raisers, registered people to vote, or even put a sign in your yard - THANK YOU! In the blog world I know Eco-burban worked hard on this election and I'm sure there are many others.

On the other hand, if you promoted the opposing team - we're thinking of you too. I can't imagine what it must be like for someone who lived and breathed the campaign all these months to have a disappointing result. Please don't let it get you down, there are still plenty of ways to get your opinion out there and make changes in your community.

Even with the problems we have here, I am thrilled to live in a country were we have a right to freely express all our different opinions, and still be friends in the end of it.

BIG CATTLE (Sorry, just have to vent!)

So I got this little gem in my inbox today from a close friend:

***********************************

I'm sure those of you who aren't in the cattle business don't understand the

issues here. But to those of us who's living depends on the cattle market,

selling cattle, raising the best be ef possible... this is frustrating.

As far as my family, we don't eat at McDonald's much (Subway is our choice

of fast food), but this will keep us from ever stopping there again, even

for a drink.



The original message is from the Texas Cattle Feeders Association



American cattle producers are very passionate about this.



McDonald's claims that there is not enough beef in the USA to support their

restaurants. Well, we know that is not so. Our opinion is they are looking

to save money at our expense. The sad thing of it is that the people of the

USA are the ones who made McDonald's successful in the first place, but we

are not good enough to provide beef.



We personally are no longer eating at McDonald's, which I am sure does not

make an impact, but if we pass this around maybe there will be an impact

felt.



Please pass it on. Just to add a note:

All Americans that sell cows at a livestock auction barn had to sign a paper

stating that we do NOT EVER feed our cows any part of another cow. South

Americans are not required to do this as of yet.



McDonald's has announced that they are going to start importing much of

their beef from South America . The problem is that South Americans aren't

under the same regulations as American beef producers, and the regulations

they have are loosely controlled.



They can spray numerous pesticides on their pastures that have been banned

here at home because of residues found in the beef. They can also use

various hormones and growth regulators that we can't. The American public

needs to be aware of this problem and that they may be putting themselves at

risk from now on by eating at good old McDonald's.



American ranchers raise the highest quality beef in the world and this is

what Americans deserve to eat. Not beef from countries where quality is

loosely controlled. Therefore, I am proposin g a boycott of McDonald's until

they see the light.



I'm sorry but everything is not always about the bottom line, and when it

comes to jeopardizing my family's health, that is where I draw the line.



I am sending this note to about thirty people. If each of you send it to at

least ten more (30 x 10 =

300) ...

and those 300 send it to at l east ten more (300 x 10 = 3,000) ... and so

on, by the time the message reaches the sixth generation of people, we will

have reached over THREE MILLION consumers!



I'll bet you didn't think you and I had that much potential, did you? Acting

together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass

this message on.



David W. Forrest, Ph.D ., PAS, Dipl.



ACAP Department of Animal Science

Texas A&M University

Phone (979) 845-3560

Fax (979) 862-3399

2471 TAMU

College Station, TX 77843-2471

*********************************

This was my reply (can you tell I'm trying to be nice?):

I think that's a bunch of crap personally. :P The USA's standards on raising beef are incredibly loose compared to Europe's. We get to use all kinds of chemicals and hormones and insecticides. Plus, blood & bone byproducts from cattle are fed to chickens whose byproducts are fed back to cattle which has the potential to spread disease just like feeding cattle to cattle. Mad cow disease can potentially be spread that way, that's why Europe outlawed all of that type of feeding. Just my two cents! :)

*********************************

How stupid! The whineass big cattle ranchers are getting mad because they're losing their market, so they turn it in to an "imported cattle is bad for you" bit. Oh please. Maybe they should wake up and learn to give the consumer what they want (through small-scale quality cattle raising) and then they wouldn't have so many problems. I am all for Made in the USA, but on this one I have no sympathy.

Thoughts?

9 Things We Do With Apples

Sorry for the long gap in posts - I lost my internet connection for awhile this week.

I have apples coming out of my ears and there is no end in sight - STILL! I thought I would share some of the things that we do with them around here to preserve the harvest. Here's the list:

1. APPLE BETTY
This recipe was suggested by my mother-in-law and can be found in the Better Homes & Gardens "New" Cookbook (mine is definitely not new, more like 30+ years old). The recipe calls for 4 cups of apples so I peel and slice mine and freeze them in 4 cup portions. As you're peeling drop them in some water & lemon juice to preserve the color, then drain & freeze. I don't bother rinsing mine. Here's the recipe:

"Apple Betty Pie"
4 cups sliced pared tart apples or 1 No. 2 can (2 1/2 cups) sliced pie apples, drained
1/4 cup orange juice (I'll skip this if we don't have any)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup butter

Mound apples in buttered 9" pie plate, sprinkle with OJ. For topping: combine sugar, flour, spices, and dash salt. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly, then scatter over apples.
Bake @ 375 degrees F for 45 minutes or until apples are done and topping is crisp. Serve warm with cream (real whipped cream or cool whip, I don't use anything). Serves 6.

2. APPLE SAUCE
This is where I use the most apples and here is how I do it...
Again, slice apples directly into bowl of water & lemon juice. When done slicing, scoop out apples and put in large saucepan with just enough water to avoid sticking. I cook mine on medium heat until the apples can be crushed with a potato masher or large slotted spoon. I don't run them through a food mill or anything, I found that to be a waste of time. My husband likes his applesauce chunky but even if you don't, I gotten it pretty well mashed this way. Them add sugar and cinnamon to taste and 1/4 to 1/2 cup of lemon juice. You can follow a recipe exactly if you want but since I use all the apples of our trees, and I don't know what kind they are, I just taste test each batch and adjust appropriately. I recommend the Ball Canning Book.
Once you add the sugar bring sauce to a slight boil again and then can in quart or pint jars, processing for 20-25 minutes. I guess you could probably freeze this too, although I try to only use the freezer for things that can't be preserved elsewhere. You could also make dried applesauce, which leads me to...

3. DRIED SLICES
This is a quick way to get rid of an abundance of apples. Again, slice in to water/lemon juice and then spread handfuls out on food dehydrator trays. You can also dry them in the sun or by hanging rings in your house but I prefer the dehydrator. I sprinkle each tray with cinnamon sugar and dry for 1-2 days. They should be dry throughout but still chewy. My husband and I both like these a lot better then we expected to. Actually, they are quite addicting.

4. GRANOLA BARS
I've been using these dried apples chopped up in place of raisins or other fruit in this great granola bar recipe. I also add them to my oatmeal-in-a-thermos (7th recipe from the bottom.

5. CHOPPED APPLE COOKIES
These are something that my hubby's Grandma always used to make. We're trying to track down her original recipe but in the meantime I'm planning to try this one.

6. CHOP & FREEZE
Hmm, maybe this is cheating. This is how I prepare the apple to use in #5, 7, & 8. I think it's quite ingenious if I do say so myself. First I peel them and cut them in slices or chunks. Then I use my Pampered Chef gizmo to chop them up, I like them fine to medium. I've been told a food processor would be much easier & faster. I intend to try that someday but for now I'm happy not using anything electricity. After chopping I pressed the apples in muffin tins and popped them in the freezer. When you're done you have nice 1/4 to 1/2 cup portions so you can thaw as much as you need according to each recipe. Here's some pics:




7. WAFFLES
I tried this recipe last weekend and it was great. I used fresh chopped apples because I had them but this winter I can use either the frozen blocks or I think adding applesauce would have a similar effect.

8. APPLE BREAD
This is my favorite on the whole list. I'll use 3 or 4 frozen blocks for this one. It is great to make on a Sunday and have a slice or two for breakfast all week. It is SO good and quite filling, even without any butter. I heat mine in the microwave for a few seconds. This recipe came on the back of my electric bill and gives credit to Bernice Hass:

1/3 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
2 c chopped apples
1 c sugar
2 Tbsp sour milk (or buttermilk, I use a little milk and vinegar)
2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Topping: 2 Tbsp butter, 4 Tbsp sugar, 1-2 tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening & sugar. Add eggs & beat. Stir in sour milk, vanilla, flour, baking soda, & salt. Add chopped apples and nuts. Put in greased loaf bread pan. Add topping and bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. MMmmm!

9. APPLE PIE FILLING
I've been canning a lot of this too. Here's the recipe straight out of the canning book, to make about 7 pints. I usually make a double patch and use quart jars. 1 quart will make a big pie:
12 cups apple slices
2 3/4 sugar
3/4 ClearJel(R) (I use cornstarch & have fine results)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 1/4 cups cold water
2 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice
1/2 cup lemon juice

Blanch apples for 1 minute, set aside and cover to keep warm. Combine all ingredients except lemon juice & bring to a boil. Stir constantly and cook until thick & bubbly. Add lemon juice & bring back to a boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and fold in apple slices. Heat again until apples are heated through. Can & process 25-30 minutes.

The book does not have directions for using the filling but I would use it as you would when you bake a normal pie, adding the filling to the uncooked crust and baking the whole thing at once.


Well, there's my list. Let me know if you try any of these things. I would love to hear what you're doing with your apples. I hope I've suggested a few things that will help them last until next harvest.