Sent: February 22, 2010
Exciting News for Chefs
At the Canadian Organic Growers (COG) Conference, I finally had a chance to congratulate Michael Schmidt on his legal victory for Ontarians to purchase raw milk. He said this victory was not about raw milk! The victory is all about being able to choose. I asked if this meant Ontario chefs could now legally obtain flavourful pastured chickens and eggs, rich Guernsey and Jersey milk, and real crème fraiche and properly soft ripened cheeses. Michael replied, “Yes, this is what it is all about.” For more details about Michael Schmidt, read The Bovine.
However, getting these new products into your kitchen will involve much more than just picking up a phone and requesting a delivery. Your restaurant or hotel will have to purchase Farm Shares in order for you actually taste your dreams. You will then have to wait until the crop is produced; and as an “owner” you will also become aware of the real cost of producing food. The process for this investing was broached at another conference workshop. Panellists at Slow Money explained the tremendous need for capital in agriculture; but a Canadian small farm advertising a need for investors is illegal. Given this, I suspect that the first step in making your culinary dreams a reality is that our culinary community create a network that can legally communicate needs and demands. The upside of all this will provide tremendous possibilities for promoting our Culinary Tourism.
(L to R) Percy Schmeiser, Bärbel Höhn, and Michael Schmidt
Photo by Anna Prior
COG Conference discussed GMO failures
The keynote speaker, Bärbel Höhn, was Germany’s first Green agriculture minister. Her real influence is best described by her title: Minister for Consumer Affairs and Agriculture. She was the first parliamentarian to blow the whistle on Mad Cow Disease (BSE); she was a leader in holding GMO users financially responsible for their damages; she added environmental benefits to calculating agricultural subsidies; and despite corporate protests she provided the GMO labelling sought by 80+% of consumers (in both Germany and Canada). Would that we had agriculture ministers with her bravery.
Percy Shmeiser, the international hero for independent farmers, gave an update on his ongoing legal case about GMO canola with Monsanto. I find it amazing that the massive government and university support for GMO’s continues, despite it only really affecting corn (73% of production), soybeans (91%), canola (75%), sugar beets (82%), and cotton (87%). (Introductions of GMO potatoes, tomatoes, squash, papaya and eggplant have all failed.) The only winners have been the promoters of this faulty science. The losers have been the rest of us with visions of agriculture providing flavourful, nutrient dense, environmentally friendly, and carbon negative food and fibre. For more information, see the NON GMO Project website. Since Cookstown Greens probably uses no GMO ingredients, you too could actually be a winner by adding a note in your advertising to the 80+% of consumers who want to avoid GMO’s.
Forth Annual Terroir Hospitality Symposium
Better sign up right away for this always amazing event. Plan to spend March 2 in the stunning U of T Hart House. To learn more and purchase tickets, please visit the Terroir 2010 website. See you there.
Sent: February 15, 2010
Normal Deliveries on Tuesday this week!
Due to Family Day not being a holiday for everyone, we are treating this as a regular workday. So please follow your regular schedule to get your Tuesday delivery orders to us by noon on Monday. Thank you.
George Brown College culinary students visit the farm
On Wednesday, Cookstown Greens hosted a record number of guests (about 60 students). Being unable to speak outside, it was a tight squeeze inside. We hope everyone could see, hear, taste, smell, and feel everything they came to experience. Dave started by giving a brief history of the farm and how he set out to develop a steady supply of exceptionally flavourful specialty produce. With steady support from Toronto’s acclaimed chefs, Cookstown Green’s inspired staff, curious media, and Torontonians eager for new experiences; it has all begun to succeed.
Dave and Deb led separate groups through the greenhouses to see and taste tiny seedlings, edible flowers and baby salad greens. They also went outside (albeit quickly in order to avoid the bitter wind) to view the snow-covered fields. They then crowded into the root cellar to see what remains of the fall root harvest.
In response to teacher inspired questions: Dave explained how it is very difficult for local producers to compete with significantly subsidized imports dumped into Canada; while our governments steadily reduce supports for Canadian farmers. He also answered why mono-cropping is cheaper, but leads to an increased need for pesticides, and diminished flavour for chefs and nutrients for consumers. The other topic of interest was how and why organic matter (Carbon) was incorporated and sequestered into the soil. Dave explained that this is the food for all the tons of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, amoebas, and nematodes which thrive in the soil below their feet. These creatures see to it that the plants receive just the nutrients they require.
Dave Cohlmeyer welcoming George Brown Culinary Students.
Dave visits culinary students at George Brown College
On Monday, seemingly as a warm-up for Wednesday’s tour, Dave spoke with another group of Paul DeCampo’s students, this time at the school. Along with Collette Murphy of Urban Harvest, they spoke about Slow Food principles of protecting our heritage. Collette discussed producing and selling heirloom seeds; while Dave spoke about growing these seeds for optimal flavour. He let the students experience how flavour is monitored by °Brix using a refractometer. This was followed by a tasting of some heirloom root vegetables that had been properly cooked by some students.
Sent: February 8, 2010
Spring is Starting
Once again Groundhog Day came to North America on February 2nd. Curiously, this is also the identical day as the European Candlemas celebration which is normally viewed as the commencement of the new agricultural year. In our part of the world, we of course do not yet see much spring happening. But you can hear the birds starting to sing and the crows are noisily starting to build their nests. However, in our greenhouses we do see tremendous change as plants eagerly start growing again. The flowers are beginning to bloom [though not quite enough to keep up with the record orders for our Edible Flower Mix]. Kelly, our seedling expert, is already advancing her planting days for Seedling Salad and Mixed Seedlings in order that they are always ready to cut the day prior to your delivery day. Groundhog Day also reminded us to wash up extra Valentine Radishes for Cookstown Greens‘s upcoming romantic menus. Increased daylight brings added colour and crispness to our Baby Salad Greens. Perhaps, we may have a record early spring since our greenhouse insects are emerging from their winter holes unusually early this year.
Love in the Lavender!
Sustain Ontario for our own Culinary Foods
Last week I received the honour of being asked to join the Steering Committee of Sustain Ontario. This alliance of organizations supports “healthy food and farming”. I will do my best to help the illustrious supporters of sustainable food in Ontario; and they will help me reach some of my vision for Ontario becoming a culinary destination. From March 4-6 in Kitchener, they are helping to connect Ontario Farm and Food Systems at the Bring Food Home Conference. Each day will be devoted to a different aspect of food security and local sustainable food systems.
Court approves Raw Milk
Master farmer Michael Schmidt has provided Cookstown Greens with helpful technical support from even before we opened our doors – and on into the future. I have remained one of many to provide him with moral support throughout his extended legal tribulations. For a summary of his recent legal victory, read this Toronto Star story. As a current member of the Slow Food Toronto Steering Committee, I know that plans are being made to celebrate this event with a Raw Butter Tasting. In a month or so check Slow Food Toronto to learn the final details. I hope this is just the first step in rationalizing the Ontario food system to include such culinary necessities as pastured chickens, Guernsey milk, natural Crème fraiche, and fresh eggs with a provenance.
FoodShare Recipe for Change
After the busy Christmas rush, we had been planning to support the good work at FoodShare by attending their wonderful Saturday Farmers’ Market. But we have remained just too busy supplying our chefs to have sufficient produce and salad greens for a weekly market. In the meantime we salute many of our chefs who are volunteering their valuable time in support of FoodShare Recipe for Change. On February 25 join them for some inspirational creations.
Sent February 1, 2010
29th Annual Guelph Organic Conference
I made my annual pilgrimage to Guelph to see many friends and catch up on the latest. As always there were many young people aspiring to enter sustainable agriculture; but economics keep getting in the way. I list the most serious problems along with some workable solutions.
· Land cost is well above what cheap food policies can be expected to return.
o Establish the framework for lifetime leases (as is already done in our cities).
· Training and internships still do not adequately inform qualified workers or prepared entrepreneurs.
o Establish college level education training and internships as is done throughout Europe.
· Government supports that encourage risky farming practices (such as mono-cropping) more than ever.
o Cease subsidizing crop insurance; then provide this support for Good Agricultural Practices.
But I did see more interest than ever in quality produce. One particularly interesting workshop was on “Calcium – the answer to higher sugar levels in plants”. Glen Rabenberg, from South Dakota, explained how higher calcium levels also bring higher micro-nutrients levels. He explained how the benefits of these nutrients are even more than increased flavour, added nutrition, and longer shelf-life. New research also demonstrates fewer weeds, reduced need for irrigation, less human and animal disease, and when sugar is high enough, virtual elimination of pests. I learned how using a simple electrical conductivity meter can help in my continuing quest for obtaining ever higher sugar (Brix) levels. I also had a good conversation with Michael Bernardin who distributes the French Plocher Biodynamic system from Quebec. He is helping eager conventional growers in Florida raise their Brix levels and thereby receive premium prices. But he has just learned that our federal CFIA has banned sales of this system in Canada (outside of Quebec) because they will not accept foreign efficacy research. [The Canadian market is just not large enough to cover the large expense for re-doing research.] I look forward to the day when people in power will give value to quality.
Professor Ann Clark received good news during the Guelph Organic Conference.
Some good news from the University
Due to the recent decline in the stock market, many smaller university programs were slated to close. The Graduate Organic program was one of these. But last week this decision was reversed. [Might the recent donation to this program by Feast of Fields have played a part in this reversal?] If this decision is supported by higher levels of the administration, the University can once again provide important technical assistance for our province’s Ecological farmers.
Your Food, Your Choice
Once again the Toronto Chapter of Canadian Organic Growers (COG) is putting on a terrific one-day conference. Downtown Toronto is not too far away for our chefs to be inspired by better food choices. I am pleased that Wilhelm Pfenning will be honoured. He provided many helpful tips for Cookstown Greens as we were building our dream. For more information and to register, please see COG Toronto.
Sent: February 23, 2009
Last week all of us at Cookstown Greens enjoyed being a part of the biggest event in Ottawa. We were asked to provide the vegetables for the Barack Obama luncheon. We send a big THANK YOU to the Prime Minister’s Chef, Oliver Bartsch, for asking us to be part of his seasonal all-Canadian menu.
Lunch served in the Senate Speaker’s small dining room with Cabinet Ministers from both sides of the border.
The photo is from a most fascinating food blog: Obama Foodarama
I do not know exactly which vegetables were finally used, but based on what we sent and what Chef Bartsch has told me, this is what he prepared: For the Pacific Coast Tuna appetizer our Red Flesh Valentine and Green Flesh Radishes added some colour, crunch and kick. With the Miso Cured Arctic Char our Red, White and Black Carrots along with Amber, and Red Turnips were presented as a Lightly Pickled Warm Root Vegetable Salad. Our Red Cylinder, Candy-Cane, and Golden Beets were used for a colourful Beet Relish. Alongside the main course applewood smoked bison, were our Fingerling Potatoes, Crosnes and Titan Leeks cooked with local mushrooms. Might this be a starting point for your seasonal all-Canadian menus at your restaurant?
There is a terrific one day symposium for the Toronto hospitality industry coming soon. The third annual Terroir will be held on Tuesday March 3, 2009 at the University of Toronto. Please take a look at the program Terroir Hospitality. Then reserve your tickets right away!
Sent: February 16, 2009
Deb Mackay is our Greens Manager. She has served in the “front-end” of restaurants for many years; since 2002 she has been serving Cookstown Greens “through the back door”. She loves providing our chefs with knowledgeable and creative ideas for using our very special produce. Now a few words from Deb:
Deb helping a chef.
We are so excited to be able to communicate with you in this much more effective and personal way – via email. All four of our greenhouses are producing amazing quality this winter. This is thanks to a combination of carefully building our soil, fine-tuning the choice of seeds, perfecting seeding dates, and maintaining careful attention to water, air, light, weed and pest control. You can see it in the Salads, Greens, Seedlings, Garnishing Leaves, and Edible Flowers. Our most recent challenge is to always meet your requests for individual products. This now includes Mustards, Arugulas, Asian Greens, Lovage, Fava Bean Leaves, Shiso, Mints, Shungiku, and of course our Winter Root Vegetables.
We have always been extremely conscious of consistency in quality, size and availability, so we are always reluctant to promise anything we cannot deliver. We know your menus are carefully planned, and you would be greatly disappointed if we could not provide what you are counting on. (Of course you need to let us know when you are counting on us, by advising us that you have put Cookstown Greens on your menus.) We are more confident than ever that when we say we can provide you with a product there will be no surprises. You will be informed well in advance if something will finish being available.
Please contact me about any products you are interested in; or suggestions for what you would like to see us start growing. I look forward to working more closely with your restaurant. Deb Mackay.
Good supplies of all our root vegetables, freshly cleaned from our root cellar, will remain available for several months. Note that this week we found 2 missing sacks of Japanese Turnips (for those who covet a few bags of these beauties). This February’s “January thaw” loosened up some of our Crosnes (but they remained too frozen to really dig up enough to last long).
Wanting to attend a local organic farm conference this winter, but can’t find the time or the means to get out of the city? Canadian Organic Growers (COG) puts on a terrific conference right in downtown Toronto on Saturday February 21, 2009. Click Toronto COG Conference for more information.
Sent: February 9, 2009
Is anyone relieved to have Winterlicious over with? Now we can all get back to what we know and love best.
Good supplies of all our root vegetables, freshly cleaned from our root cellar, will remain available for several months. Incorporate them into your menus right away. Though it has been colder and snowier than usual this winter, it has also been sunnier. This means that salad greens, seedlings, edible flowers, and garnishing leaves remain in good supply and great quality.
With Valentine Dinners coming up,
Edible Flowers are a memorable final detail.
Edible Flowers look and taste great just sprinkled over desserts, salads, soups and entrees. Be sure to work some of these lovelies into your romantic menus.
Slow Food Toronto is catching up to the rest of the world and becoming quite active in helping us become aware of locally produced Good, Clean, and Fair Food. http://toronto.slowfood.ca/ is now a great website for you to Bookmark. Then to help do even more, why not confirm you principles by joining Slow Food Toronto?
Sent: February 2, 2009
We finally found the time to put together what so many of you have been requesting – a weekly email to remind and inform you what Cookstown Greens now has available. Since there are bound to be glitches with a new system, please reply with an email to advise us of any corrections. Also let us know if any of your associates should also receive this weekly email. We look forward to serving you.
Please take a look, or better yet, print the attached February 2009 Availability. Good supplies of all our root vegetables, freshly cleaned from our root cellar, will remain available for several months. Incorporate them into your menus right away. Though it has been colder and snowier than usual this winter, it has also been sunnier. This means that salad greens, seedlings, edible flowers, and garnishing leaves remain in good supply and great quality.
With Valentines coming up,
Valentine Radishes, of course!
These look and taste great: raw, quick-pickled, grilled, or sauteed. Be sure to work some of these delectable radishes into your romantic menus at Cookstown Greens.
Slow Food Toronto is catching up to the rest of the world and becoming quite active in helping us become aware of Good, Clean and Fair Food. http://toronto.slowfood.ca/ is now a good website for you to bookmark.
