I Heart Farms

I See Your True Colors

My 50 mm lens arrived unexpectedly yesterday, and I am officially OVERJOYED with both the camera and the lens.

The weather cooperated this morning by being overcast. The colors at the farmers market were brilliant beyond belief, and the abundance and variety, at the height of summer in August, just mind-boggling. Or eye-boggling. My eyes were definitely boggled.

Please check out the first four rows of the Farmers Markets album. (Or start with the purple artichokes here and click "Previous" 23 times.)

That's all for now.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: “Nature always wears the colors of the spirit.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thanks for visiting, and thanks for your support.

Food for Thought: I Eat Meat

Pictured here, the view from TLC Ranch. Not pictured on the other side of the camera, a very happy woman.

A thought-provoking post by the usually mild-mannered Michael Ruhlman is stirring up a lot of commentary over at Megnut, where he's guest-starring on her blog. The gist of the arguments center around the right to eat meat—including foie gras, lobster, bacon, duck, you name it. Vegans and omnivores alike are contributing to what hasn't quite become a donnybrook, but which clearly has some people riled up. I'm not riled up, not about Ruhlman, whose words, as usual, are worth lingering over.

"[I]n our self-consciousness [we] have become hubristic, and therefore harmful. Make no mistake: we are animals. I am no different from a salmon. Why else would I return to Cleveland!? Cleveland! I had to return. I returned by smell. I returned to spawn. I’m not kidding. There is no other logical justification for the apparently ludicrous decision to live in Cleveland when I don’t have to. I think if we acknowledged our place in the animal kingdom—happily at the top of the food chain—and stopped thinking we were so damned superior to animals, it would be a better earth all around. We are animals who eat other animals. There is nothing wrong with this."

Deep Roots Ranch: "We're Grass Farmers, Not Ranchers"

The serendipity and synchronicity are undeniable: I'm being led on a quest. When Cynthia Sandberg at Love Apple Farm was looking for a baby goat, she called me to see if I could help. "Because you know everyone, girlfriend!" (I could probably get some testimonials to this effect, but they would be limited in their usefulness.)

Of course I called Jim Dunlop, networker extraordinaire, at TLC Ranch, because he's a rancher. "Call Jean Harrah out at Deep Roots Ranch. Here's her number." I called Jean, and got some information for Cynthia, and then asked a little more about her own operation, explaining that I write about farms. "We're raising heritage breeds of animals for meat and eggs, animals which take longer to mature." What kind of animals? Cows, chickens, turkeys, sheep, and most recently, some Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs.

While she talked, I Googled, and found a link to the breed. "The oldest spotted pedigree breed in the world" ... "Placid and easily managed - the most laidback pig"..."Producers of some of the best tasting pork and bacon." I don't know about you,  but when I see words like "best tasting pork and bacon," I perk right up.

And so it came to pass that I arranged a visit to the ranch—and honestly,  isn't "Deep Roots Ranch" such a beautiful name?—the following week. When she gave directions, Jean said, in her very melodious voice, "You'll know you're here because of all the chickens."  

Certified Humane: An Idea Whose Time Has Come

Yesterday was rather surreal but delightful. I found myself seated in the waiting area of Slanted Door at the Ferry Plaza building in San Francisco with two of the funniest guys I've been around in a long time, sipping beer and wine, and feeling hilariously unchic. (And not caring a whit.)

They both happen to be chefs, and they were my plus-ones at a press event held by CertifiedHumane.org, an organization committed to more than organics, more than sustainable, and specializing in ranching. As agribusiness dilutes the integrity of the word "organic," and so-called "organic dairies" engage in factory-farming and inhumane conditions for livestock, ranchers who actually care for their animals and the land put their heads together to come up with the newest, and best, standards for the meat industry.

Yesterday's event was held in two rooms on the second floor of the Ferry Plaza building, with one room overlooking the bay. Representatives from Prather Ranch, Knee Deep Cattle Company, Redwood Hill Farm,  and others brought beef, goat cheese, and lamb for several participating chefs to demonstrate their magic.

Pee-Wee's Pig Adventure: Herding Pigs with Logan

"So, maybe you don't want to come for the actual pig-herding itself. That could be a fiasco." Those were the words of my friend, Jim Dunlop, who'd invited me out to TLC Ranch to photograph something most people will never witness in their lives: herding a large number of pigs from one pasture to another. With only the services of only two men and himself to accomplish the task.

"Jim, everyone wants to photograph a fiasco. Would you deny me that opportunity?"

He laughed and allowed that I had a point.

The next thing to consider was whether or not I should bring Logan. Bob said yes, emphatically: Logan is smart, well-behaved, and could be trusted to a Very Good Little Boy in these circumstances.

And so it was on Friday afternoon, shortly after Logan's nap, that we arrived at the ranch, already finding Jim standing at the bottom of the big hill, uselessly shaking buckets of feed and calling, "Pigs, pigs, pigs, pigs" to a drove of pigs that had no more interest in him than if he'd been made of cardboard. Those are the pigs, at right, ignoring Jim, who is farther down the hill and out of the frame.

Roxana Robinson on pigs, Michael Ruhlman on pigs and chefs

One of my favorite denizens of Readerville.com is Roxana Robinson, who writes so beautifully in the Gardening Lit thread. (I linked there to a post about her vegetable garden.) I begged her permission to reprint this little piece about pigs, which she graciously granted me.

She writes: More news from the rural countryside.

"Got Milk?" + Tasty Tidbits

(Pictured here, Claravale Dairy: happy cows outside.)

The Cornucopia Institute has published something important for all of us who are truly interested in, and committed to, knowing where our food comes from, and supporting sustainable food sources. Their report card on the so-called organic dairy industry holds few surprises, though they left off one of the best dairies (that would be Claravale).

Also no surprise is that the horrid Heritage paid a $300,000 fine for abusing its farm workers. (Ah, you say, but isn't their milk carton attractive?) Talk about Orwellian language...since when it is "heritage" to abuse the land, animals, and your workers? Well, come to think of it, I guess it is the American way.

The Best Sunday Dinner Chicken You'll Ever Get Your Hands On

When faced with the opportunity to give an award in the 2006 Independent Food Festival for excellence to a single food item, I was looking at a crowded playing field. The instructions we received said: "You should feel very strongly and passionately that the recipient deserves the recognition and that the food you are describing is truly special."

I went through all my photographs and blog entries from the past year, to refresh my memory. (I recommend this. Go back through your blog and see all the wonderful food you've eaten. If you don't have a blog, use mine. Heh.) How could I pick just one thing from a list that included a Marin Sun Farms steak dinner on a foggy hilltop in Marin County, prepared by Chef Michael Tusk and the Quince staff; multiple meals and dozens of courses at Manresa, several trips to the Ferry Plaza marketplace, a chef's tasting lunch at Dévi in NYC, dinner at Blue Hill Stone Barns prepared by Chefs Michael Anthony and Dan Barber—or the figs, crosnes, cardoons and more that farmer Peter Jacobsen had handed to us during the visit to Jacobsen's Orchard in Yountville, where everything he grows goes into the kitchen at French Laundry? And what about that corn-lobster bisque I had at Theo's restaurant in my little village of Soquel, which was so good it brought tears to the eyes of Jasmine Roohani and Kirsten Roehler, the farmers who had grown the corn? And then there is that sandwich I get at River Street Cafe and Cheese Shop: Niman Ranch steak with a cognac-gorgonzola sauce, that I've recommended nonstop since I had my first one in December. Yow.

Not to mention the things my farmer friends grew: Cynthia Sandberg's Love Apple Farm heirloom tomatoes (145 kinds—though I didn't taste them all),  Rancho Gordo beans, Thomas Farm "Red Gold" potatoes, Dirty Girl Produce shelling beans or haricot verts, the yellow raspberries at Live Earth Farm, Happy Boy Farms' pattypan squash, the delicate pea sprouts from New Natives, Marina Di Chioggia pumpkins from Crystal Bay Farm, Swanton Berry Farm's strawberries, the amazing peppers from Everett Family Farm, the beautiful baby carrots that Ronald grows on Windmill Farms, or Betty Van Dyke's Blenheim apricots, so fragrant and flavorful?

This is not an easy choice to make.

IMBB #23: Viva la France!

Blustery weather yesterday provided the perfect inspiration for participating in the current "Is My Blog Burning" themed event: create a French meal and pair it with a French wine.

Having recently acquired a Borner V-Slicer Plus (for only $25!), I was eager to try it out on French onion soup. But while perusing three or four cookbooks, I also made a list of other dishes I might attempt if time or lack of ingredients forced me. I might like to try Coq au Vin, or Boeuf aux Carrottes, or any of a dozen dishes from the Williams Sonoma Savoring France book. But I also pored over the Bouchon cookbook, since Thomas Keller's onion soup recipe looked pretty good. (I was also checking out the same recipe in James Peterson's Glorious French Food book, but do you know what? That man uses five pounds of onions and 25 cups of cheese! I passed on the Peterson.)

Other tempting recipes included a recipe from Bretagne—Soupe aux Huîtres Trois Herbes (oyster soup with three herbs), a cassoulet from the Languedoc, and another recipe from Provence, this one for Canard au Miel de Lavande (duck with lavendar honey).

My Newest Category: Chefs and Restaurants

Pictured at left, cheeses from River Cafe & Cheese Shop. Which brings me to my newest category: "Chefs and Restaurants."

Back in August of 2005, Sam Breach of Becks & Posh asked fellow food bloggers participating in the Eat Local Challenge if anyone had a list of restaurants that were serving local food products. Well, that got me to thinking, and I started asking my farmer friends which restaurants they sold to. I started making a list at my food forum, MouthfulsFood.com.

But I wanted to see these places on a map. I admired the map technology that Adam uses at SliceNY, but didn't want to learn a new programming language: the blog stuff has been challenging enough. Happily, Adam pointed me to Platial.com, where a user can customize a map to her heart's content. (I am a map geek/lover/fiend. I love maps.)