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Old Favorites Get Back to Real Basics at Silver Diner
Shoppers at the Riverdale Park Farmers Market (in Riverdale, MD) might have noticed the tall, smiling, white-haired chef visiting stalls a few weeks ago. That was Executive Chef Ype Von Hengst, one of the founders of Silver Diner, which has many locations in Maryland and Virginia. He was there researching ways he might get farmstands set up at some of his diners, and spreading the news about the menu changes he is introducing to turn Silver Diner into "the next generation diner."
The changes include using local produce in season, local milk and eggs, and hormone-free beef throughout the menu. The diner is also now offering a number of new heart-healthy and gluten-free menu options.
When Renee and her family visited the restaurant recently, they found great-tasting, freshly cooked food at a reasonable price made from solid ingredients. Chef Ype came over to greet them and was beside himself with excitement about the deal he'd just made on the phone for strawberries from a Delaware farm. The berries were going to be picked up by his regular produce distributor and delivered to all his restaurants the next weekend.
This is a great example of a restaurant with an enlightened chef using its leverage with both its distribution companies and suppliers to bring high-quality, local, fresh and seasonal food within easy reach of busy families for everyday eating.
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New USDA Report Shows Rise of Local Food Farmer Markets Also on Rise
 In a new report entitled "Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues," released this month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has gathered some statistics documenting the rise of local food. Here are some of the key findings listed in the report:
· Direct-to-consumer marketing amounted to $1.2 billion in current dollar sales in 2007, compared with $551 million in 1997.
· Excluding non-edible products, direct-to-consumer sales accounted for 0.8 percent of total agricultural sales in 2007 (the latest data available).
· In 2005, there were 1,144 community-supported agriculture organizations, up from 400 in 2001 and 2 in 1986, according to a study by the National Center for Appropriate Technology. In early 2010, estimates exceeded 1,400, but the number could be much larger, the study notes.
· The number of farm-to-school programs rose to 2,095 in 2009, up from 400 in 2004 and 2 in the 1996-97 year, according to the National Farm to School Network.
It's worth noting that farmers markets are also on the rise, as noted in separate data also published by the USDA. In 2009, there were 5,274 farmers markets, up 13% from only a year earlier when there were 4,685, as recorded by the USDA. That compares with 1,755 in 1994, the earliest year for which data are available, it shows.
To see more on the farmers market data, click here or for the main farmers market page on the website of the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, click here. For the complete report on "Local Food Systems: Concepts, Impacts, and Issues," click here. |
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Food Safety Legislation Set To Hit Senate
Having voted on its major financial regulation bill May 20, the Senate can return to other pressing issues, with controversial new legislation on "food safety" back on the plate, perhaps as soon as after the Memorial Day recess. The Senate is back in session June 7 until the Fourth of July. A spokesman in the office of Senator Durbin (D-IL) said Thursday, "We're hopeful it comes up during that working period." The House of Representatives passed a bill on "food safety modernization" last summer. After both bills (S510 and HR2749) are passed, they will head to a "conference committee" where differences will be ironed out before heading to the president for a signature. A final version of the bill is widely expected to pass in the not-too-distant future.
The proposed new law is wide-ranging and relates to many topics including small-scale meat processors, produce handling, food labeling, documentation, traceback requirements, ensuring the safety of imports, fees to help pay for enhanced safety, and more. For many observers, updating the rules is a no-brainer, as the current system is antiquated and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lacks teeth to enforce requirements, while contamination scares involving salmonella, e-coli bacteria, other pathogens and industrial products have outraged people throughout the country.
However, a controversy surrounds the methods that would supposedly lead to the safest food, with many small-scale local food producers fearing their interests are not being represented, intentionally or otherwise. Many direct-marketing, small-scale producers--and their supporters--argue the rules are inappropriate for their operations' size, superfluous because they duplicate existing checks, prohibitively expensive and misguided, as they would not in fact make the food supply safer. Critics fear the kind of small-scale farms that supply farmers markets, road-side stands and community supported agriculture programs could become a casualty of the legislation.
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Jam-Making Season Starts with Strawberries
 With a bumper crop of amazingly sweet Early Glow strawberries in my suburban garden this year (the groundhog didn't get them because he's been dining on my neighbor's cone flower shoots instead!), I decided to make jam. Of course, I invited Renee over to give guidance and moral support; plus, she brought her big canning pot!
It was very easy, something I'd highly recommend. We used a basic recipe from the Ball brand "Blue Book of preserving" cookbook, but you could surely find another. One time-saving tip: don't get so distracted talking to your friend that you forget to boil your glass jars and lids before -- or at least as -- you make your jam. For supplies, try your local hardware store (such as Strosnider's), as I struck out at several grocery and big-box type stores. Also, Lehman's comes highly recommended, and you'll find a huge selection.
-- Kristi
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"Saving the Seasons" Teaches Canning & Drying
 If you're looking for the latest take on canning, freezing and drying foods, check out "Saving the Seasons," by Mary Clemens Meyer and Susanna Meyer, whom Kristi has gotten to know over the years as she has covered local, sustainable and organic food. You'll find Kristi's testimonial right before the title page:
"As a mother-daughter team with many years of farming between them, including both rural and urban agriculture, the Meyers are well-placed to present this updated guide on preserving food. They provide simple instructions and a great selection of recipes, from basic jam, pickles, and relish to international favorites like kimchi and chutney. Their tips offer terrific extra tidbits geared toward beginners while useful notes are included on foods for babies and kids." |
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Two Local Chances To See Urban Ag Guru Will Allen
 When Will Allen is in DC, it's usually to visit the White House, but Engaged Community Offshoots Inc (ECO), a Prince George's County non-profit is hosting him for several days of activities in June. Here are two opportunities open to the public to hear about how his Growing Power farm in Milwaukee has sparked a wave of interest in urban farming across the country:
- An Evening with Will Allen
Thursday, June 17, 6p.m. - 8 p.m.
Busboys and Poets, 2021 14th St., NW
$25 per person
- Sowing Seeds Here and Now! A Chesapeake Urban Farming Summit
Friday, June 18, 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
10300 Baltimore Ave, Beltsville, MD 20702
$75 per person
Details and tickets for both events are available online at www.sowingseedshereandnow.com. To read more about Will Allen, a recipient of the 2008 MacArthur Fellowship (otherwise known as a "genius grant"), click here. |
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Read local, eat local!
Sincerely,
Renee and Kristi
Local Mix
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This Memorial Day weekend is a great time to get out there and pick some strawberries! Find popular spots in Maryland by clicking here or in Virginia here.
Check out Great Country Farms' Strawberry Jubilee this weekend in Loudoun County for pick-your-own berries as well as events like a pie-eating contest and Bluemont Vineyard wine tasting.
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