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Sent June 21, 2010
Who is going to feed us?
Joe Born learned how to produce great tasting food on his family’s mixed farm in post-war Yugoslavia. Many chefs have bought produce from him and many have commented on its superior flavour and long shelf-life. Through the years Joe has been very willing to share his techniques with me (and anyone else who had the interest to ask).
Last week I went to a nursing home to visit my friend and mentor. Joe has had cancer for the past year and now it has spread to his brain. He doesn’t have much time to live, so I am very pleased to have seen him while he is still coherent. As usual, he gave me another tip – to prevent potato bug infestations, plant onion skins beside the potato seeds. But this time he asked me a question. Do you know anyone who can purchase my farm? Neither his son nor grandson wishes to farm so they will sell his absolutely wonderful soil to whoever pays the going price per acre. He lamented that young farmers who could make good use of this superior organic soil have neither the savings nor government supports nor the determination to carry on Joe’s venture. Concerned, Joe asked, “Who is going to feed us?”
Also last week I dropped in to see Allan Kell from whom I have purchased much of our most useful farm equipment. He always took the time to make sure this neophyte bought just the right pieces. But with fewer and fewer farmers, he eventually had to close up shop. Not having his wise advice and local availability has meant longer emergency trips to replace broken parts. Allan now suffers from Parkinson’s disease so it is becoming too difficult for him to maintain his hobby collection of mint Allis Chalmers tractors. On December 11 they will be auctioned off to buyers from across North America. He too laments, “Who is going to feed us?”
Last week the Metcalf Foundation released several publications about the future of agriculture. Since I am on the Advisory Council of Sustain Ontario I am pleased to see the publication of Menu 2020: Ten Good Food Ideas for Ontario. Because I have taught courses for Farm Start, I hope you will also take the time to read their publication New Farmers and Alternative Markets. Both of these publications are very relevant for chefs’ understanding of issues concerning an ongoing source of local ingredients.
Allan Kell’s vintage Allis Chalmers tractors parked on his lawn for all to see,
Newly Available This Week
Green Garlic is finishing; but Garlic Scapes are now beginning. We will have them available throughout the summer and fall. Both White and Green Asparagus are finishing their normal rite of spring as we stop harvesting and permit the plants to regenerate for next spring.
It’s the bee’s knees
As bees in agricultural areas around the world decline, bees in urban and mountain areas (without all the pesticides) are thriving. The all-important bee population at Cookstown Greens has been declining, so we now have hives on the farm to be sure our summer tomatoes, squash, husk cherries, huckleberries, and radish pods always have sufficient pollination. To understand the value of these wonderful creatures, you should attend The Pollinators Festival at Evergreen Brickworks on Sunday June 27.
Sent June 14, 2010
The public is loving Farmers’ Markets
As people begin to understand and appreciate quality ingredients, they are flocking to the many new farmers’ markets throughout Toronto. We have chosen the Saturday morning Brick Works Farmers' Market to provide our produce for the public. We benefit by getting quick and honest feedback from the very appreciative customers. We also get a chance to share our experiences with other farmers. Of course Brick Works is an absolutely charming educational and child-friendly oasis in the city.
We have found the farmers’ market to be a good place to sell items we only have in limited supply – next week there may be the season’s first Sugar Snap Peas and Strawberries. To spread the joy these are sure to provide, we are packing bags with small quantities of mixed seasonal produce. A drawback to our popularity is that we often run out of many items by 10:00am. To rectify this annoyance, we are getting ready to supply a weekly pre-paid box of seasonal produce.
Come join other chefs (and their families) looking for special vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, artisanal cheeses, fresh water fish, meats, breads, and direct-imported chocolates, coffee and teas. All are from Southern Ontario!
Bonnie Sterns’ Cooking School Students love learning about what can be found at farmers’ markets.
At Brick Works they found the Drake Hotel’s chef Anthony Rose and Cookstown Greens’ Deb Mackay.
Newly Available This Week
After an unexpected hiatus, we once again have a good supply of beautiful and delicious Rainbow of Chards. We expect these to continue all through the summer and winter (in the greenhouses). Golf-ball-size Welsh Onion Flowers are now ready for memorable steaming and sautéing.
Sent June 7, 2010
Not all mustard is yellow
Members of the cabbage family (brassica) are very easy to breed and select for desirable characteristics. This is the reason there can be such a wide selection of different broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, Brussels sprouts, kales, turnips, radishes, kohlrabi, canola [oil], and mustards. There are many differing mustard seeds for condiments; and also many mustards selected for their tasty and attractive leaves. These may be flat, frilled, cut and in varying shades of green and purple/red.
When the plants are stressed by hot or dry conditions, they will have more of a sharp bite. For some this is preferred; but most diners prefer a less sharp taste. Raw, they make an intriguing garnish with a flavour that begins gently, and only later reaches a crescendo. You can ameliorate the bite with brief cooking or wilting with a hot dressing. Alternatively the leaves may be “cooked” with an acidic marinade. Cooking with Baby Leeks or Green Garlic are classic ways to tame wild flavours; but I find that beets (preferably White Beets) also do this very well.
Through the years Cookstown Greens has been developing ways to maintain agreeable mustard leaves. We keep them covered with a thin polyester blanket to maintain a humid environment around the leaves. By building high organic matter in the soil, there is always sufficient moisture to avoid stress. You may now select our Asian Greens mustard mix, or order separately: Fordhook Mustard, Purple Mizuna, Hot Mizuna, or Tatsoi. It is with this same technique that we can now consistently provide Baby Arugula and Bulk Arugula throughout the coming summer.
Frilly green Wasabi Mustard, deeply cut Purple Streaks Mustard
and Red Choi are three delicious new varieties.
Northern Vermont
I first met Pete Johnson when I was invited to speak at a Maine Organic Growers conference. I immediately realized Pete was an exceptionally curious and energetic young farmer. We kept in touch through the years and even shared a presentation at a Mid-Scale Organic Vegetable Growers conference in New York State. You can learn about Pete in this Video.
World Food Production
In these days of rethinking Global Food Production, take a look at this World Food Map from Radical Cartography.
Sent June 29, 2009
With this year’s Canada Day being on a Wednesday (July 1st), there will be no change in ordering or deliveries.
This spring’s topsy-turvy weather cool/wet weather is playing havoc with our hot-weather crop availability schedule. Nevertheless, a few summer crops are nearly ready to appear on our Weekly Availability list. Below, you can see what the crops looked like on Sunday, June 28. We now have a very limited supply of these items you can use for recipe checking and for photos. But please wait a week or two before actually putting them onto your menus! Please note that while we spend a few years determining how to best grow the San Francisco and New York chef’s favourite strawberry in Ontario, we will not have a large supply. But we do already have a great supply of Welsh Onion Flowers – try them as a steamed veg. Radish Pods are the most delicate way to enjoy radishes during the hot summer months.
Start thinking about putting some of these gems onto your menus:
Baby Fennel Bulbs, Squash Blossoms, Ground Cherries, Radish Pods,
Chandler Strawberries, Welsh Onion Flowers, Sugar Snap Peas, Baby Leeks,
and (deemed unnecessary to include) our memorable Heirloom Tomatoes.
The Pressure Cooker TV is a fascinating Ontario chef’s TV competition that did not make it onto The Food Network. So you will have to watch it on rather unlikely channels and times: Sun TV on Sunday evenings starting July 5 at 6:00pm and Men’s TV on Monday evenings starting July 6 at 5:30pm. Included in the show are video shots of Cookstown Greens’ fields. For more details, please click Pressure Cooker TV.
Sent: June 22, 2009
All the early vegetables (lettuces, mustards, arugulas, radishes, turnips, baby fennel, baby leeks, peas, radish pods, beets, and carrots), were seeded 6-8 weeks ago. The cold/wet/frosty spring has been good for these crops. On the other hand, we have had to wait extraordinarily long to transplant our hot weather vegetables (tomatoes, husk cherries, squash blossoms, nugget summer squash, baby bell peppers, and huckleberries). But they are now all in! Just to be safe and to avoid any further delays, we have covered them with fabric tunnels until the heat really comes. (You can see the white tunnels in the photo below.)
Beets are now filling out, but not quite up to a flavourful enough size.
With a few days of waiting before the harvest begins, I took the opportunity to attend last week’s Sustainability Symposium sponsored by the Guelph Food Technology Centre (GFTC). One of the most interesting presentations was from Jhana Senxian, a Harvard University doctoral candidate presenting the amazing extent to which leading food related companies around the world are already actively engaged in “green” initiatives. There is collaboration not only within the companies, but also with customers, suppliers, and their local communities. In setting out ways to reduce energy, water, and waste, nearly all the businesses are quickly finding substantial monetary savings. You can access this report (but you may have to pay for the complete report) by clicking Aberdeen Summary.
After learning that agricultural production contributes 60% to an average restaurant’s ecological footprint, I sat up and took notice. Most of this comes from meat (particularly beef) production. But field vegetable and greenhouse vegetables are also contributors. So to do our part for you, we will begin to explore ways to:
· Monitor BTU/lb, Kw/lb, water/lb, and waste/lb, with a monthly scorecard
· Reduce packaging waste by switching to compostable packaging materials
· Reduce water use by more thoroughly monitoring soil moisture conditions
· Reduce food waste by increasing nutrient density and Brix levels of our produce for even longer shelf-life
· Reduce electrical use by monitoring refrigeration and ventilation efficiency
· Reduce fuel use by determining seed varieties and cultivation methods that require less heat
Reducing winter greenhouse fuel is the biggest problem and the most difficult to solve. Several years ago we switched to more efficient furnaces. But last week I had an opportunity to speak with some engineers who are currently developing dramatic new technologies. Bubble Greenhouses insulate on both cold winter nights and hot summer days. Bio-digesters produce heat from waste products. One of the most interesting new developments is a “fast pyrolysis”. This takes any plant material and “burns” it without oxygen. This produces methane to burn, a tar for burning or using as diesel, and carbon charcoal which is the best “fertilizer” available. These are exciting times.
Even as small a business as a restaurant can start this productive procedure. It is not easy to determine where to start, but contact the GFTC to determine what they can do for you. A thorough energy audit may be the best way to start. There are many government grants to help you implement recommended improvements. Click Guelph Food Technology Centre to get started.
Sent June 15, 2009
REDUCED SUMMER PRICES RETURN!
This is the result of meticulous management (seeding, harvesting and packing) by Deb, helpful advances in Frank Morton’s new Wild Garden Seed varieties, and steady improvements in our soil quality.
We now feel comfortable to share these new efficiencies with lower summer prices for Salad Greens. (These will continue until frosty weather returns – probably about Thanksgiving.) This 20% reduction will be a big help for your food costs during the busy salad season. In return, we hope you will be able to bump up your leafy green orders at Cookstown Greens.
We also feel comfortable in providing steady supplies of several new salad mixes which some of our chefs have been requesting. You can use these blends as we prepare them; or you may use them as a base for your own specialties. These include:
· Our Classic Baby Salad Greens which remains our best selling item,
· Simply Cookstown Greens is the classic without any seedlings or flower petals,
· Asian Greens with various mizuna mustards, komatsuna, tat soi and mitsuba (to cook or serve raw),
· Mixed Arugulas with traditional lobed leaves and deeply cut wild leaves,
· Spinach Salad with heirloom Bloomsdale and Bordeaux along with colourful beet, chard, and orach leaves,
· Fordhook Mustard, which thanks to your support we have probably saved from extinction.
Dave Cohlmeyer checking Asian Greens under a row cover.
Asian Salad Greens presented on a plate.
Another seasonal price reduction is for summer Rainbow of Chards. In thanks for your tremendous support for Seedling Salad we will also reduce its price for the summer. After four frustrating years of inferior sunflower seeds, we finally again have a source for easier-to-harvest Sunflower Seedlings. Now we can return to the former price (a 27% reduction)!
Sent June 8, 2009
The early-spring wild vegetables are about finished. (After all the recent rains, there may be yet another flush of morels – but don’t count on this.) Intensely flavoured Green Garlic, long and tender Leek Scapes, delicate succulent Tulip Chives continue. Of course asparagus in all its colours: richly flavoured Green Asparagus, easy to cook White Asparagus, and our unique Tri-Colour Asparagus also continue. Spherical Easter Egg Radish, finger-size Breakfast Radish, convenient-to-use Red Icicle Radish, and luscious springtime Baby White Turnips will remain tempting until the intense heat arrives. Only lasting a few more days are tender Spruce Candles (loaded with tart vitamin C) and Sweet Cicely Pods (loaded with a burst of refreshing liquorice flavour). Just starting now are our Welsh Onion Blossoms. These are too biting to be used raw, but a gentle steaming turns them into an amazingly delicious side veg – perfect for creative Luminato presentations.
Welsh Onion Blossoms are a terrific late-spring steamed vegetable.
Baby Salad Greens are reaching their peak. Readily available this year will be zesty Mixed Arugulas, creamy Spinach Salad, fascinating Asian Greens, and piquant Fordhook Mustard Greens. We will tell you more about these next week.
We (and you) have enjoyed a good long season root vegetables. But this week we must say adieu to our Red Carrots, Golden Beets, Ratte Potatoes and Valentine Radishes. You can look forward to the return of beets in early July; and Carrots in late July. But in the meantime you can look forward to many intriguing summer crops.
Sent June 1, 2009
All this cold and wet weather is beginning to delay our summer progress. We had a good start in mid-April with a few days of “normal” weather. The leafy greens, which love cold weather, are already being harvested. All the cool weather lilium (asparagus and onions) are also currently being harvested, albeit more slowly than usual. The brassica (radishes and turnips) are just beginning to be harvested, with their flavour greatly benefiting from all the cool weather. The temperate weather crops such a baby fennel, baby leeks, peas, beets and carrots are growing too slowly to fill your expectations in July. So we have decided to re-cover these beds with row covers to keep them growing on schedule. The crops which require hot weather to thrive such as the solanum (tomatoes, peppers, and ground cherries), and the cucurbits, (summer nugget squash, winter squash, and Chanteraise melons) are currently biding their time in the heated greenhouses.
Baby Bell Peppers and Ground Cherries ready for the fields.
Early summer beets and carrots kept warm under blankets.
The Brick Works Chefs Market is starting up this Tuesday morning. Since Tuesday is our main delivery day, we are not planning to attend this market. But if your life would be easier (or more ecological), please let us know if you would like us to arrange a drop-off there.
Here Comes Summer
From the Early Spring Beds
Summer birds have been returning extra early this year. This must have been the harbinger of the summery weather that surprised us in late April. It was so warm I could even have a record early enjoyable swim in our pond on April 24! The early garden vegetables wasted no time in popping out of the ground. We only hope that late frosts (which are sure to come) do not scar their leaves too much.
True Wild Dandelions have a perfumy aroma lacking in Chicory leaves, which so often masquerade as true dandelion. Our over-wintered Baby Leeks failed to survive through the three “springs” (three full snow melts) they had to endure last winter. But we do have plenty of Welsh Onion Bulbs that look similar but also have wonderful garlicky notes.
Now ready for harvest in our spring herb beds are amazing (celery-like) Lovage Stalks and (licoricy) Sweet Cicely Leaves. German Tulip Chives have sweet succulent leaves that are an intriguing alternative to the common hollow-leaved chives. You may even consider blending them into a quick “pesto”.
We hear again and again that both our Green Asparagus and White Asparagus compare with the best in |
