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Snow, Farms and Food
We know the recent blizzards crippled our urban areas, but what about our farming districts? Besides some of the farmers who come down to the metro DC area for winter markets and food drops having to cancel, what were the effects of three, four or five feet of snow on farm animals, crops and buildings?
Janna Howley, ag marketing specialist for Prince George's County, alerted me to the partial collapse of a dairy barn in Allegany County in far western Maryland. This was the last dairy in that county, according to a later report by WTOP radio, which reported that none of the cows were injured but the impossibility of rebuilding this winter is forcing the farmer to shut down. Kathy Zimmerman, ag marketing specialist for Howard County, Maryland, also reported hearing of at least three Central Maryland dairy barns that collapsed, and that a beef farm did lose some cattle in a shed collapse. Kathy also noted, "Dairy farmers had to make sure their farm lanes were open and clear as well as the roads for the milk truck to get in or else they would be throwing out milk."
The most widespread problem seems to be greenhouses collapsing under the weight of the snow. Ann Yonkers of FRESHFARM Markets reported hearing from some of her market vendors that they had to get major tractors and equipment out to bring feed to the animals. There are also concerns about loss of electricity and keeping animals and greenhouse plants warm. The Gazette in Montgomery County reported that farmers were doing pretty well and dealing with many new animal births that, apparently, often happen during storms.
Interestingly, those crops that are outdoors may fare alright with the snow. Brett Grohsgal of Even' Star Organic Farm, the area's longest-running winter CSA, told his subscribers by email that field crops are doing well. "They can take the cold, especially with an insulating blanket like this white stuff. Mortality has been only 10%," he reported, noting that he may have to extend the season by a few weeks to be sure to get in as many deliveries as promised, but that everyone would get the full value of their share.
Kathy Zimmerman also noted, "For traditional crops like wheat the snow can actually be beneficial as long as there is no ice under all of this snow. . . any time you have moisture going slowly into the ground it is allowing the nutrients to stay with the soil instead of leaching into the watershed. So the slow melting process is actually a good thing." |
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Learning & Listening - Upcoming Events 
This two-day conference in Charlottesville will feature a Sustainable Foods Panel, among other great topics. Renee is excited to be returning to her alma mater to participate on this panel, which will be chaired by Tanya Deckla Cobb, one of the driving forces behind Virginia's Food Systems Council. ($150, free for students)
Members and potential members of this regional sustainable agriculture organization are invited to offer their opinions and feedback about the strategy and direction of Future Harvest - CASA for the next five years. The first session will be held at Bethesda Green in Montgomery County, Maryland. The second will be at the Pearlstone Center in Baltimore County. Future sessions are being planned for Northerin Virginia and Maryland's lower Eastern Shore. (free)
Les Dames d'Escoffier's biennial symposium returns to Rockville, Maryland, with a full slate of presentations, panels and hands-on cooking sessions led by members of this international philanthropic organization of food professionals. "Top Chef" finalist Carla Hall and "Throwdown! with Bobby Flay" winner Nongkran Daks will be the keynote speakers. Renee will chair the panel Farm-to-Table: Moving Toward the Mainstream, with panelists Phil Petrilli of Chipotle, Louise Mitchell of Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, and Kati Gimes of Slow Food DC. Early registrations for this panel have moved it into the auditorium, so there is a lot of interest but there is also plenty of room for more attendees! ($95)
Balance Meets Taste - March 4 Hospitals in our area are taking the health benefits of local, sustainable foods seriously. Maryland Hospitals for a Healthy Environment and its partners will kick off National Nutrition Month with a chef-inspired four-course dinner at the Pier 5 Hotel in Baltimore, celebrating those hospitals that have incorporated local, sustainable meats into their purchasing programs. ($100)
Click the links for location, schedule and registration information.
And check out Renee's blog, reneeeatslocal.wordpress.com, for reports from some of these events and other irregularly posted observations from the local food scene. |
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Boosting Local Food Businesses Creates Jobs, Experts Say
New Report Profiles Local Food Enterprises in U.S., Abroad
 Enhancing our local food systems will not only provide people with fresher, tastier food, but boost employment amid the jobs crisis, noted key agriculture and local food experts recently. Speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, DC, they were taking part in a panel discussion in conjunction with the release of a new local food study entitled Community Food Enterprise: Local Success in a Global Marketplace.
"Local food is also about local ownership, and many benefits that come to communities are because of local ownership," said Michael Shuman, co-author of the report with Alissa Barron and Wendy Wasserman. Research shows local food enterprises represent "a huge untapped potential for jobs," said Shuman, also author of The Small-Mart Revolution: How Local Businesses Are Beating the Global Competition and Going Local. "This is the solution we have been looking for, for the jobs crisis in the U.S."
April Harrington, treasurer of the Oklahoma Food Co-Op--which is profiled in the report--added, "The fastest way to create jobs in rural areas is to help farmers sell food directly to local residents," Harrington said. Illustrating the point, she noted that after joining the co-op, she went from 2 to 9 employees in her vegetable and herb business Earth Elements.
The report is important because it helps to document economic opportunities available through local food, which can contribute to rural revitalization, said Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kathleen Merrigan (pictured above). "We really want to have a conversation about the future of farming in this country," she said. We can make rural America stronger through local/regional food systems, including the interface between urban and rural areas, she said.
The report covers 24 community food enterprises (CFEs), half domestic and half internationally based, representing various sizes, locations, and types of operation from restaurants to delivery co-ops. The project was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; it was a partnership between the Wallace Center at Winrock Interantional and the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE). For more information, or to download a copy, go to www.communityfoodenterprise.org.
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Note from Kentucky: World-class Hotel Shows Off Local Food in Louisville
This past Christmas/New Year holiday, my family drove from Maryland to Kansas. In preparation for the trip, I surfed the net to find a suitable hotel about half-way. Hoping for something original and inspiring, I used search terms like "historic hotel" and "local food." I hadn't intended on splurging, but how could I help it? It turns out Louisville is home to 21C Museum Hotel, which not only serves top-notch local food in the historic downtown, but happens to have just won the No. 1 readers' choice award from Conde Nast Traveler magazine (yes, No. 1 in the U.S., and No. 6 worldwide - tied with hotels in Rajasthan, India, and on the French Riviera. For more on that, click here.) 21C is unique as it houses its own contemporary art museum within the hotel, stemming from the private collection of owners Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson.
Showcasing sustainably produced specialties from Northern Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley, the hotel's ultra-hip and very happening restaurant, Proof on Main, also boasts a roof garden and foods raised at Woodland Farm, where Brown and Wilson live. Mid-winter, the menu included local mixed greens, honey, maple syrup and other cold-weather staples, as well as local meats, including goat, rabbit, bison and pork, in forms such as bison tongue salad (delicious!, really). Growers and vendors are listed on their website.
Offering local ownership, culture, style and the finest in local fare, this place would make a fabulous weekend jaunt from the DC area (fly, though; it's a 12-hour drive). There's plenty to do without the Derby. When exploring the surrounding horse country, get yourself some bourbon-soaked honey cake. -- Kristi
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Environmental Film Festival Includes 34 Food Films
Coming March 16-28, the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital will include 34 films dealing with food and agriculture. Festival screenings will include the 1960 landmark film about migrant farm worker abuses Harvest of Shame, along with current releases looking at local food systems such as FRESH! and Food Fight. Other features include Nora!, celebrating the career of DC restaurant pioneer Nora Pouillon and a new film, Who Killed Crassostrea Virginica: The Fall and Rise of Chesapeake Bay Oysters. (Photo © Michael W. Fincham) Details about the films, schedules and locations are online at http://www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org/.
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Renee's Trick for Better But Easy Soup
I feel like, if I have to make a compromise somewhere, I prefer it not to be on the meat we eat. So adding local pastured pork sausage or ground beef to a high quality jarred pasta sauce is one of my standard busy-day shortcuts. During one of our many recent snow days, I discovered a great way to beef up canned vegetable soup, too.
I heated a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a soup pot, added a pound or so of beef stew cubes, sprinkled a couple of tablespoons of flour over them and browned the cubes all over for 5-7 minutes. Then I added enough water to almost cover the cubes, turned down the heat to medium-low, covered the pot and simmered it, stirring occasionally and adding a little more water when needed, for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. (It's not quick, but it doesn't require much attention.) Once the meat was tender enough to pull apart with a fork, and the gravy got rich and thick, I added a can of vegetable soup and a can of minestrone soup--what I had in the pantry--and, voila! The beefy gravy toned down the tomato base of the soups, the meat was healthy and delicious, and the combination of vegetables was a great payoff without the prep work.
It's a compromise, because we all know any soup is better with fresh, local vegetables, but it's a tasty one in a pinch! And we all need a little help sometimes! |
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Read local, eat local!
Sincerely,
Renee and Kristi
Local Mix
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