More reading on the Obama garden & WH food policy...

• A great blog post from the Kitchen Table on the Michelle's vegetable garden as an American--and African American--tradition.
• Obama Foodorama covers the garden as well as the White House's foodies-in-residence. Apparently Rahm is a CSA-subscriber!
• And I can't help but to rave about Obama Foodorama's post on how food gets to the White House and whether or not our Prez is eating local.

Grassroots Feeding A Food Revolution?

The New York Times ran an interesting article yesterday about both the decision by the Obamas to install a food garden on the White House lawn and the rippling changes being felt throughout Washington toward the way our elected officials and policy-makers think about food policy. It's an interesting read, you can find it here.

I find it interesting that The Omnivore's Dilemma seems to have become the manifesto of sustainable agriculture. I enjoyed reading it, but I didn't really think of it as a rallying cry that would spark a national movement like Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Anyone else out there feel the same way, or did I just not read it as deeply as others?

Buffalo Small Press Fair - this Saturday!

In continuing with my buy-local coverage, I thought I'd highlight the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair happening this Saturday at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum on Porter Ave. I've never gone and am sorry to say that I'd never heard of it until today.

From the website: The Buffalo Small Press Book Fair is a regional one day event that brings booksellers, authors, bookmakers, zinesters, small presses, artists, poets, and other cultural workers (and enthusiasts) together in a venue where they can share ideas, showcase their art, and peddle their wares.

The inclusion of zinesters piqued my interest. If you don't know what a zine is, I suggest you read this and then go to the Small Press Fair with $20 in cash. I don't know Buffalo's zine scene too well but I'd be willing to bet that for $20 or less you'll pick up some fun, photocopied pieces of local art. If you want to see some of the best of the best, check out Microcosm Publishing. It's not Buffalo-based but it is an independent and community-focused publisher.

Michael Pollan Seeks Food Rules

In today's online edition of The New York Times Michael Pollan is reaching out to readers to ask for their food "rules" as part of a new project he is working on. You can contribute here.

Also, on a somewhat realted topic, I spent a chunk of my weekend reading The World Is Fat by Barry Popkin. While I appreciated that it had information from different countries and cultures than other similar books about food systems and the global obesity pandemic, I found it rather preachy and not particularly insightful. Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food was a much better read.

Flapjack Fun

Yesterday morning, the Growing Green program of the Massachusetts Avenue Project hosted a Flapjacks for the Farm fundraiser at Trinity Church on Delaware. I went around 11am for the second seating of breakfast, and it was a great time. The sausage was provided by Spar's, my favorite local source for sausages (located on Amherst Street, between the Wegman's and Grant Street) and the pancakes were cooked and served by the young adults who are participating in the Growing Green program. They had blueberry, strawberry, chocolate chip, and original variety pancakes, as well as fruit and a variety of beverages. It was well-attended and the table I was sitting at (including Assemblyman Sam Hoyt--who also happens to be my boss--Michael Gainer of Buffalo ReUse, Kevin Connors and Aaron Bartley of PUSH Buffalo, and Kelly Ganczarz from the UB School of Urban Planning) had a lot of fun laughing and telling stories, but also talking about Buffalo's potential to really expand and promote urban agriculture. We also discovered that Earl Grey tea looks remarkably like maple syrup. Whoops.

They do great work in their community, and I encourage you to support them however you can. Here is a list of what Growing Green will be growing this year:

Basil, Beets, Roma Tomatoes, Onions, Green Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Jalapeno peppers, Pickling Cucumbers, Broccoli, Sweet Peppers, Chives, Thyme, Sage, Carrots, Zucchini, Radish, Dill, Spinach, Potatoes, Collards, Blueberries, Strawberries, AND MORE!

Quick Link

A review of the Field & Fork conference from Buffalo Spree, complete with a photo of the Oles Family (my CSA farmers)!

Local restaurant week, get on it!

Sushi at Sea Bar in Downtown Buffalo
"Sush'" originally uploaded by Nick Sherman

I'm re-blogging this announcement from Edible Buffalo's site but I thought this event deserved as much attention as possible: Local Restaurant Week in Western New York.

Some of the best city and suburb-based restaurants are offering a "dining package" for only $20.09 per person the week of March 23-29, 2009. It's a great way to get out and try a new place (and for a great price).

Visit the event's website for a list of participating restaurants.

White Cow Dairy and Rene Russo at Wegmans

So, fellow Locavore blogger Ann and I went to an event this morning at the McKinley Wegmans today featuring Patrick, the farmer from White Cow Dairy, and Hollywood actress Rene Russo (Major League, The Thomas Crown Affair, etc). As we arrived we ran into Lisa Tucker of Edible Buffalo with whom I'd shared e-mails and a phone conversation, though we'd never met in person. We had a great conversation about some exciting local food things coming up (what I'm most excited about? maple weekend in March--check it out in the winter issue at http://www.ediblebuffalo.com).

Then Ann and I went over to the sampling area where Ms. Russo was greeting people and helping pass out samples of yogurt from White Cow. Apparently, she is a friend of Patrick, the farmer/owner of White Cow, and came out to Buffalo to help him promote the expanded sales of his yogurt at Wegmans. If you are a regular at the Bidwell-Elmwood Farmer's Market you have probably met Patrick before--a rangy, friendly guy who is very enthusiastic about his work at the dairy. Patrick's farm also produces maple syrup, though he is not the maple expert--he has an arrangement with his neighbors where they take on the maple syrup processing.

White Cow Dairy yogurt is delicious. Tangy, almost like Greek yogurt, and made in small batches in a variety of flavors. There is even a new flavor named in honor of President Obama. The yogurt is sold in glass containers, which helps keep the flavor fresher. The yogurt is sweetened with maple syrup from the farm.

Ann and I had the chance to talk with Rene Russo for a few minutes and she seemed truly delighted to be in Buffalo, despite the cold. She said it was a nice break from LA. A really pleasant and lovely woman, and nice to see her putting some star power behind a Buffalo-area product that she believes in.


Here are some pictures from this morning's event:

Patrick, farmer and yogurt genius

Rene Russo

Lisa Tucker and one of the interns from Edible Buffalo

Brooklyn is the New Berkeley

The New York Times has a fascinating article today about Brooklyn as an incubator for loacally produced foods that goes beyond urban agriculture to artisanship. A great read, and hopefully we will see something similar develop in Buffalo someday. We already have Spar's Sausages, Choco-Logo, and many other promising shops. You can read about Brooklyn as the new artisanal foods incubator here.

Flapjacks for the Farm Event

From Erin Sharkey at the Growing Green program at the Massachusetts Avenue Project:

"All you can eat pancake extravaganza!

Come out and support Buffalo's urban youth farm and the young people that make it happen. Come out of your hibernation and fill up on a steaming hot short stack to benefit one of the coolest youth programs around.

$7! is all it costs to positively impact their lives as they strengthen the local food system, reclaim vacant lots, work on a nationally award winning urban farm, become agents for healthier food and environmental stewardship in their schools, learn about how to run a social enterprise, start Buffalo’s first aquaponics system, teach others how to grow their own organic produce, support local farmers, and advocate with groups across the nation that healthy food is a right not a luxury!

BE THERE OR BE A WAFFLE!"

Flapjacks for the Farm
A benefit breakfast for the Growing Green Youth Farm
Start Time: Saturday, March 7 at 9:00am
End Time: Saturday, March 7 at 12:30pm
Where: Trinity Episcopal Church

CSA Commitment

Yes, two posts in one day. Trying to make up for my severe lack of posting lately.

Dan and I finally took the plunge. We bought a share in the Promised Land CSA, and I am excited about it. I am looking forward to a summer of trying new vegetables and experiencing firsthand how a CSA works. I think Whitney was a shareholder of Promised Land last year, and I do remember her saying it was a lot of produce for two people, so we may have to start learning our canning and preserving skills right away!! Dan is more nervous than I am about it--he thinks it is going to be a lot of work, especially for two people who have been relative veggie-phobes for so long (not that we don't like our veggies, just that we usually don't stray from a few reliable favorites). I look at it as an exciting food adventure--and it will help me meet my New Year's Resolution of trying one new fruit or vegetable each month (last month it was Forelle pears--okay but not great. This month I tried beets but I think I actually had them once before and they were not fresh so I don't think that counts.)

Grass Fed Beef

While shopping at Wegman's on Friday night I noticed that they now have a more prominent section devoted to organic, free range, and grass fed meats. I was planning to make an asparagus and beef stir fry on Friday night so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to finally try grass fed beef. Up until then, I had not been able to find it in too many places locally without going seriously out of my way (which I usually don't have time to do).

The stir fry recipe I used came from a great new cookbook--Bon Appetit magazine's Fast, Easy, Fresh Cookbook. Loads of simple recipes and the first large, mass-market cookbook I have seen that highlights local food, CSAs, and the importance of eating fresh/seasonally. The section on vegetables is even divided up by season. Basically, the recipe called for toasted sesame seeds, red onion, asparagus (frozen, as it isn't really available fresh this time of year--though it will be soon!!), and thin slices of sirloin in a hoisin sauce. Simple and delicious--probably took me about an hour to make from slicing everything to toasting the sesame seeds to making the brown rice on the side. Both my husband and I agree it was a hit. I only wish I'd taken a picture to post.

I had expected grass fed beef to taste significantly different from corn-fed. It seemed to me that the differences were more subtle, but also delightful. Perhaps it was also because I used sirloin, but the meat was much more tender and had more flavor than the corn fed, but in a subtle way. In an odd way, it actually seemed more like eating actual MEAT, if that makes sense. Dan and I eat a good amount of bison meat (bison tacos are amazing, as are burgers--though the meat is so lean and tender it takes a bit more work to turn them into patties) and I think the grass fed beef was closer to bison meat than to the more typical beef we are used to. It was expensive, but definitely worth it.

Does anyone know of a good local producer of grass fed beef and free range chicken that is easily available? I know there are a few suppliers in Chautauqua County, but are there any closer? Or any retail outlets that offer the locally grown?

Back issues of Organic Gardening available online!

Gayla Trail, Toronto resident and gardener extraordinaire, linked to this awesome new development: back issues of Organic Gardening are available online at GoogleBooks. This is a great resource for anyone planning a garden this spring and summer (I also recommend Gayla's own book You Grow Girl).

Check out these hightlights:

• Browse the April 2007 issue for the perfect tomato growing plan (p. 57) and advice on which plants grow best together (p. 28).
• Efforts to make kids more garden-savvy are highlighted in the February 2008 issue (p. 30) as well as the Best Varieties of 2007 (p.44).
• A cover story in the June 2006 issue about growing more in small spaces.

If you find an interesting article you want to share, please leave the issue and page number in the comments section of this post. Enjoy!

Welcome to the “New Carnivore Movement”

This an article about meat – where it comes from, how it’s processed and how people’s eating and shopping habits tend to come full circle. Do you want to know how your meat, when it was alive, was raised? Or which breed of meat you’re buying at the grocery store? Or if the person who took it apart made as little waste as possible? It’s an interesting read for those interested in seeking out and buying meat from our local producers. The article describes the hipster urbanites who are cramming into this shop to learn how to butcher their meat and buy from upstate NY farms. Thank goodness we here at Buffalo Locovore are little closer to the source!

http://www.newsweek.com/id/182035/page/1

Alfred University Gets Greener

As an alum, I'm very happy to hear that one of WNY's local universities is (literally) buying into the local food movement. Here's the press release about AU taking steps to purchase locally grown products: http://www.alfred.edu/pressreleases/viewrelease.cfm?&ID=5166

This idea makes so much sense, especially since Alfred is nestled in rural farm country and quite frankly, the views out of my dorm's apartment sophomore year always reminded me that there are probably more cows than people living in Alfred.

What really strikes me, though, is how the environmental movement has made its way into our national conversation and culture. When I started at Alfred ten years ago, I intended to be an environmental studies major. When I arrived on campus, I was advised to double major because I was told “environmental studies” wasn’t a robust enough field of study to justify an entire major. Can you believe that now? It seems like you can study just about anything you want related to environmental stuff and get a degree out of it. Which isn’t a bad thing but I’m so amazed and still trying to figure out what where some of the major players (Al Gore?) and events (Hurricane Katrina? Global warming in general?) that really brought the environmental movement to the forefront these last few years.

I’m envious of the kids who get to choose from so many “green” majors today although I suppose one’s actions/career speaks louder than a degree. Now that I work in the business development/advocacy field, I think it would be amazing to be a director or VP of corporate/social responsibility. A green czarina!