Plenty

Good day to you, friends and fellow supporters of sustainable food consumption.

I’m your host, Jay V., and you’re listening to Episode #17 of Plenty. I realize you might be listening to this show any time of year, anywhere on the planet, but here in our podcasting headquarters, the land is bathed in the golden warmth of late August. Creeping up to the edge of Autumn, each dawn sees the grass a little dewier, each morning sees the industrious preparations of squirrels and chipmunks, each afternoon finds the wasps and hornets a little quicker to anger, and each evening brings the merciful relief of mild temperatures regardless of the sun’s midday dominance.

It might seem peculiar that the founder of one of America’s most trusted and respected seed companies, the worker-owned cooperative, Fedco Seeds, of Clinton, Maine, would encourage its own customers to save seed.

That’s just what Cr Lawn promotes, however. As a co-founder of Fedco Seeds  back in 1978, Lawn has worked most of his life not only to ensure that the business thrives, but also to educate growers and the public about a number of issues that affect our food, our health, and our planet. Although Lawn retired from Fedco in 2018, (read a great piece on Lawn from the time in the Portland Press Herald) he remains rooted in the soil on his farm in Colrain, Massachusetts, with his wife Eli Rogosa, founder of the Heritage Grain Conservancy.

Although it’s great to hear Cr Lawn in his own voice, he also has written extensively on this and other subjects, and much of his writing is available on the Fedco website. We have, with his permission, republished his very concise article, “Why Save Seeds?” in the shownotes to this episode, so please be sure to head on over to greylockglass.com and look for the page for this episode to get even more information.

by Cr Lawn, 2001

• To renew your age-old partnership with plants. Seeds are the life force. Plants, as living beings, desire to reproduce. By allowing them to go to seed and complete their growth cycle, you cooperate in a process essential to all life forms on Earth.

• To retain control of your food supply. Some things are too important to allow other people to do for you. Food is a basic necessity and the cornerstone of our culture. Control of the seed is key to control of our food supply. By saving seeds you retain that lifeline. Over the past two generations, the seed industry has done almost no work to maintain, improve or develop open-pollinated varieties that will come true from seed. What little has been done has been accomplished by dedicated amateur seed savers and breeders. We need more such people. Instead, the industry has emphasized hybrid varieties whose breeding lines are trade secrets and whose seed will not come true to type. Lately, biotechnology research has almost completely replaced classical plant breeding at our universities and in the seed industry.

• To preserve our heritage and our biodiversity. Farmers saved seeds and improved food crops for millennia. Seed companies have been on the scene for fewer than three centuries. Only in the last hundred years have farmers and gardeners become widely dependent on seed companies. Today the seed industry is so concentrated that just five large multinational corporations control 75% of the world’s vegetable seed market. They add and drop varieties according to their own financial interests. Many of our present varieties have only one commercial source. If they are dropped, they will disappear and you won’t be able to get them—unless you save seed.

• To preserve the varietal characteristics you want. Most varieties being developed by the industry are for large-scale food processors and marketers. For the most part, they are bred for uniform ripening, long distance shipping, and perfect appearance at the expense of taste and staggered ripening. If you want the best-tasting varieties, save your own seed from the ones you like.

• To develop and preserve strains adapted to your own growing conditions. The large corporations who control the seed trade bought out scores of small and regional seed companies and dropped many of the regional specialties. They are interested only in varieties with widespread adaptability. If you want varieties and strains best adapted to your specific climate conditions, you can get them only by saving your own seed. Over several generations, seeds can develop very specific adaptability to the conditions at your site.

• To help preserve our right to save seeds. The industry continues to place more and more restrictions on farmers’ and gardeners’ right to save seeds. Variety patenting, licensing agreements, and restricted lists such as that maintained by the European Union, are industry tools to wrest control of the seed from the commons and keep it for themselves. Terminator Technology, now in its developmental phase, would render seeds sterile, making it impossible for farmers to save seed and forcing users back to the seed companies for every new crop.

• To increase our available options. Contrary to industry claims, patenting has not encouraged creative plant breeding. Instead it has reduced cooperation among plant breeders and restricted availability of germplasm and plant varieties. Compare the large volume of breakthrough varieties developed prior to the 1980 Diamond v. Chakrabarty Supreme Court decision that opened the floodgates to plant patenting to the rather modest plant breeding accomplishments since.

This is episode 16 of Plenty. I’m your host, Jason Velazquez, and as always, I do thank you for tuning in.

This edition of Plenty features yet another special guest, Jake Levin, whose food knowledge and skills speak to the very heart of sustainability, which is the preservation of food for later, in addition to indulging in decadent flavor now. His recently published book, Smokehouse Handbook, illustrates how anyone, anywhere, can employ techniques that will up their cooking cred with minimal tools and at minimal cost. At least until you’re hooked and start dreaming of converting the garden shed into a smokehouse — and he can help you out there, too…

I’d also like to say thank you to our newest sponsor, Greylock WORKS of North Adams, Mass.

sponsored

An elegantly reimagined historic mill, Greylock WORKS is a mixed-use campus that offers event, retail, private studio, and shared office space – all revolving around it’s core mission to celebrate this region’s food and sustainable design.

Residential lofts for sale and rent planned for 2020. Experience Greylock WORKS on November 23, during FESTIVE: A holiday market celebrating exquisite design and local food, featuring over 60 thoughtfully curated makers and farmers. More information at greylockworks.com.

We’ll be launching into our coverage of the impact of the climate crisis on the local food system soon, and you can be sure we’ll be looking into the role local food hubs like Greylock WORKS will play in the future.

All the stars seemed to align for this show, because almost immediately after I chowed down on that Brisket Egg & Cheese breakfast sandwich from A-oK Barbeque (in the name of journalism, of course), a copy of Jake Levin’s Smokehouse Handbook: Comprehensive Techniques & Specialty Recipes for Smoking Meat, Fish & Vegetables, dropped into my lap. Just released by Storey Publishing, right here in North Adams, this book, with it’s gorgeous photography and very approachable instructions and recipes is like a treasure map for your taste buds. I knew I needed to sink my teeth a little deeper into this savory serenity. So I picked up the phone and called Jake to see if I couldn’t catch some drippings of knowledge from this seasoned pro.

Jake Levin is the author of Smokehouse Handbook. A butcher and charcuterie expert who trained at Fleisher’s Meat in Kingston, New York, he has worked in whole-animal butcher shops including The Meat Market in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, and Eli’s Manhattan in New York City. He currently produces cured meats at Jacuterie, an artisanal charcuterie in Ancramdale, New York, and travels nationwide conducting workshops on how to slaughter, butcher, and cure meats. He and his wife live in New Marlborough, Massachusetts, and his website is therovingbutcher.com, though he suggests following his Facebook or Instagram pages for his most recent happenings and updates.

And of interest to our listeners in Western Mass, Eastern New York, or Southwestern Vermont, Levin will be the speaker at the Food for Thought dinner and demo, November 9th at Hancock Shaker Village, another of our wonderful sponsors. When you’re mouth starts watering — and I think it might just start not long into the conversation — you may want to grab tickets to that event, if they haven’t sold out yet.

So you have examples of it all over the world. There are great examples throughout Native Americans and First Nation in Canada. It’s a big part of Northern European culture. So, when I went to visit my wife’s relatives on a small island in Sweden, you saw these small rock huts everywhere. And, you know, fish is a big part of the diet there, and so there was a lot of smoked fish, and that’s existed for for as long as we can tell. In West Africa, smoked fish is also a big part of the diet. Again that serves as a way of preserving the fish so that it doesn’t spoil in the hot weather. There are examples of it with the Maori in New Zealand, and lots of smoking traditions in East Asia.

I think that there are bunch of different things that scare people. I think some people are freaked out by needing to have lots of equipment and new equipment that’s just for smoking, which isn’t really the case. Other people are freaked out by the time commitment. Texas-style smoked brisket can take 12 hours for instance. And then, as normal, most people are afraid of a new process or a process they don’t understand. And so I like to tell people to start small and easy. You can easily build a stovetop smoker with equipment that anybody would have in their kitchen, whether it’s a roasting pan or a sheet pan, a kettle or a big pot, and some tin foil and a colander, a steam basket, and then, start with a pork tenderloin or a fillet of salmon, or a duck breast — something that only takes five or 10 minutes to smoke. And then, if you you are excited about the process, you can go bigger from there. Maybe move on to your grill and start smoking some stuff in your grill. Maybe it’s ribs, maybe it’s a steak or a whole chicken or pork shoulder, and you take it from there. You don’t need to buy new equipment. And if you really love it, then you can buy some more serious, or build your own more seriou,s smoking equipment.

Sure, well, when you’re hot smoking, you want to avoid major temperature fluctuation. That’s something that I certainly struggled with at first is how do you maintain a consistent temperature and not get these big spikes. If you’re smoking, let’s say ribs or pork shoulder, you want to keep it around to 225 degrees. I like to keep it around 225 degrees. It’s about getting that rhythm in terms of when you add, whether you’re using split logs or wood chips or sawdust, how and when you add that so the the temperatures doesn’t spike to 350 suddenly, or so you don’t lose a lot of time by letting the temperature drop to like 100. I really think that’s about just just experimenting, you know, playing with it and getting the hang of it. Every smoker is a little different and each piece of wood acts a little differently. So that’s about experience and playing.

Another thing is, I really like to wrap the meat at a certain point when I’m hot smoking—people call it the Texas crutch. And that’s when after a certain point, you wrap the pork shoulder or brisket either in tin foil or burlap or newspaper. And that’s because at a certain point, the connective tissue in the meat has broken down, but you still want to cook it a little longer, but while it’s cooking, obviously, it’s losing moisture. And that’s what can dry it out. So if you wrap it up, it’s still still exposed to heat, so that connective tissue can still break down, but you’re not losing the moisture, so it’s not drying out. So that’s, that’s a great little tip and some competition barbecue people will tell you that’s cheating or something, but it’s not cheating. I mean, and we’re just trying to eat a good piece of smoked meat at home, so who cares?

Thanks for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe through Apple Music, Google Play Music, or directly through a podcast player of your choice, such as Downcast, my personal favorite. Until next time, cook with attitude and dine with gratitude.

Hey food enthusiasts! In this episode of Plenty, number 15 to be precise, we hear once again from Chef Brian Alberg, a nearly ubiquitous culinary presence in the Berkshires and beyond. Since it’s been quite a while since catching up with him last, we had a lot of ground to cover.

The new Seeds Market Cafe at Hancock Shaker Village operates under his direction, and is fast-becoming a favorite eatery in its own right. The Tap House at Shaker Mill is well under way, after it’s former incarnation, the Shaker Mill Tavern, was brought under the umbrella of Main Street Hospitality, where Alberg is Vice President of Culinary Development. And early August of 2019 finds Berkshire’s best-known chef and local food advocate teaching an intimate workshop that ends with a dining experience that couldn’t get any fresher. Let’s go to that conversation now, here on Plenty.

GG — I guess we should start with your work at the Hancock shaker village. You’ve got a couple of different things going on there. First, you’ve got the the bistro, Seeds, up and running, correct?

Chef Brian — It’s a great little museum cafe. It’s open primarily during the days, but we do a lot of culinary programming around the village and around food related topics. It’s a place where we try to use as much from the actual onsite farm as possible in our menus, as well as other neighborhood farms, keeping in context with with the shakers were about and also what we are about, as chefs.

GG — Tell us a little bit about the history of your history. Anyway, going back a couple of decades. With the local food movement here in the Berkshires?

Chef Brian — I grew up in Columbia County, just over the border in New York State, and I worked for a classical French chef named Jean Morel, who had gardens out back and — this is like the mid to late ‘80s, and, you know, farm to table wasn’t really a thing back then. Although, growing up in the kitchen, as I did, farm to table was, like, you know, get what you can from your backyard, what you can from the guy down the street, and that just kind of played in my mind throughout my career.

Chef Brian — Once I relocated back to the Berkshires — I started back in ’04, for at the Red Lion Inn — for the biggest part of my life here, but I just got involved with Ted Thompson and a whole bunch of other people that were growing and trying to keep our landscape green and build a better life for themselves, and give us better products in the kitchen. So it’s just always been something that I’ve been drawn to.

GG — Do you think that the agriculture we have locally in when I say local, you know, within 100 miles is being utilized? Well, or do you think that there’s some more room to bring farm to table to restaurants in the area?

Chef Brian — I think it’s being utilized. I think that there’s always room for growth. I think that farmers themselves could do a better job of finding the gaps in our seasons and in our growing products, so that not every farmers growing tomatoes or kale or, you know, whatever produce there is, because it kind of super-saturates the market. So I think that they would be doing themselves a favor by diversifying their crops.

GG — What what sorts of items are you using in Seeds? What kind of dishes you are you offering that that utilize these foods?

Chef Brian — Actually, we just started with tomatoes, tomato season. Strawberries are kind of over, but we’ve got tons of greens. Garlic scapes just ended, but there’s all sorts of things coming in — beans, peas… Peas are kind of winding down, but everything was late this year. So, typically we’d have peas being done in late June. Now they’re pushing through July, which is kind of interesting, but it made for kind of a poor spring season for us, but now now the crops are beautiful.

Chef Brian — I cook on these big cauldrons, and I set up kind of food truck style out in the field right out in front of barn, and we did some really fun food out there: brats, meatballs cooked over the fire, lobster salad. That was fun—it was good night.

GG — Of course, you’ve got other things going on at Hancock Shaker Village, like this “Eating the Landscape,” It’s a class that you’re offering next month?

Chef Brian — It’s basically just a class where people come — I think we have up to 20 people — and they tour the farm with me and one of the farmers. We pick produce out of the gardens, we talk about the meats that they raise, and then I’ll actually cook a dinner out at the table, from the stuff that we’ve picked. So it’s like a four hour class. It’s not really a class as much as it is a dialogue, kind of a working dialogue.

“Eat the Landscape” at Hancock Shaker Village

Where: Hancock Shaker Village
1843 West Housatonic Street
Pittsfield, Mass.
When: August 4 at 4:00 p.m.
Tickets $140 ($126 members)
Advance registration required by Wed., July 31
Contact: (413) 443-0188

GG — What sorts of people typically are interested in these classes? Are these people who are new to the experience of really getting their hands in the fields? Are they people who have been involved in food, but haven’t had the opportunity to hear from somebody like yourself?

Chef Brian — I think there’s two types. I think there’s the educational kind of searcher — somebody who wants to know more about it, learn more about it. I don’t know our full guest list yet, but I know that there’s a couple of people that have been involved in the local farming scene, not from a farming perspective, but from a participation perspective, that are attending. And then there’s people that just want to have a really cool, unique dinner out in the field.

GG — And this might be a lot of people’s best opportunity to have a one-on-one with you to sort of, you know, tap your brain for your food knowledge. What changes have you seen in what we’re eating locally in the last, say, 10 years or so? Do you find that we’re becoming better educated?

Chef Brian — I think so. I think for two reasons, I think, one for wellness, and two, because of the buzz about it. So you know, it’s a trend that’s not ending, so to speak. So I think that people care more about what they put in their bodies, so they eat more healthfully and more consciously. And then the other part is, you know, some people just want to do what everybody else is doing. And everybody’s eating like this—farm to table. And, when it really comes down to it, it’s the way it used to be back when our grandparents were around.

GG —  I wanted to cover the new project that you’ve got going on in West Stockbridge [Mass.]. Tell us about The Tap House at Shaker Mill.

Chef Brian — The project started about six months ago, I guess, when we started looking at the property, and we opened June 1. It’s been a great, great month and a half. We took over the Shaker Mill Tavern — we took it over through Main Street Hospitality — and a small group of my employees, we all put a little skin in the game, and kind of got something to make it our own, and be part of the West Stockbridge community, which I’ve always loved. I’ve always loved driving by the Shaker Mill Tavern on my way to or from work, and just admiring it. I thought it had a great presence to the entrance of town. On my way home, I’d stop and have a beer and a burger at the bar. I always loved it. I love the feel of it. So when it came available, we wanted to be thoughtful and mindful of the locals that have been going there for years.

GG — Yeah, [local eateries] can’t all be fine dining, and they can’t all break the bank. There has to be a place for your working man and working woman to go and have that burger and a beer.

Chef Brian — I didn’t want to change too much. I just wanted to kind of break it up a little bit, give it a little bit of freshness, and kind of play off of what all my predecessors have done there. So it’s a restaurant and a bar that’s not trying to be anything special — we just want to be ourselves. We want to be there for the community. And it’s been really kind of a fulfilling month and a half. My staff loves it. We love it. I think that most of our customers love it.

GG — The other thing I wanted to talk about, just very briefly, is a subject that I’m going to be exploring on this show going into the future. About a decade or so ago, the combined villages of Shelburne Buckland, known as Shelburne Falls, did a study on whether or not the community was able to be self sustaining agriculturally if need be, which I thought was interesting, given that the climate crisis really wasn’t center stage as it is today. But that was one of the motivations. Do you think the Berkshires — given the amount of arable land that we have — do you think that the Berkshires is self-sustainable agriculturally?

Chef Brian — By necessity or by want? Because I think there’s a big difference. I mean, it’s all relative based on the number of people you have to feed. You know, we’re never going to be able to eat — you’d have to totally change your diet and the way you think about food and the way you think about eating. I mean, you’d have to, you’d have to root cellar, you’d have to… there’s just so many things that come into play. I think that because of who we are as a country, we’ve gone past that. And I don’t think that any one small community could be self sustaining without outreach. And so it’s such a big argument. I mean, one of my best friends is a large scale dairy farmer, which, all of my other best friends that are small agriculture farmers, they’re totally dead against. And yet, there’s a place for that farmer, and there’s a need for that farmer. So I don’t know — I’m kind of torn.

GG — We’ve got we got a lot of points of contact for Chef Brian Ahlberg — Seeds cafe a Hancock Shaker Village. Do you need reservations, or can you walk in there?

Chef Brian — No, no, no, we don’t we don’t take reservations actually at either property.

GG — Oh, good. So Seeds at Hancock Shaker Village, and on August 4, the
“Eat the Landscape” class / workshop where chef Brian Ahlberg guides you through the picking and cooking. And then The Tap House at Shaker Mill in West Stockbridge. We’ll link to all of these in the show notes.

GG — I want to say thank you so much for talking with Plenty it’s you’ve been generous with your time and knowledge.

Chef Brian — My pleasure.

Good day to you, dear sustainable food enthusiasts! I am your host, Jason Velázquez, and I thank you for tuning in to Episode #14 of Plenty. On this week’s show, we hear from Leah Penniman, author of Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land.

Before we get into the episode. I have to pause to say that I was so excited…and so grateful, to get the notification yesterday that this podcast network just gained a new member at the $1 per month level. Think I’m crazy for getting jazzed about that? I don’t think I am. In total, the Greylock Glass has about 3,000 followers, and the number is growing every day. Imagine if every one reading our articles and listening to our podcasts kicked in a $1. That would be pretty close to a livable wage. Together with the members who are able to give $5, $10 or more, all those $1 memberships would really add up. And that would bring this news station a lot closer to our goal of creating more jobs in alternative independent journalism.

What about you? Do you have a monthly dollar you wouldn’t miss too much if you put it to work building a news source you care about? Why not become a member today? Thanks! Now, on with the show.

I spoke at length to Leah Penniman about her just released book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land. Penniman is a founding co-director of Soul Fire Farm, established in 2011 in Petersburg, NY, with the mission of restoring the inherent right of Black and Brown people to belong to the earth and have agency in the food system. Her work at Soul Fire includes farmer training, international solidarity, food justice organizing, writing, speaking, “making it rain,” and anything that involves heavy lifting, sweat, and soil.

Some of our most cherished sustainable farming practices have roots in African wisdom. Yet, discrimination and violence against African-American farmers has led to their decline from 14 percent of all growers in 1920 to less than 2 percent today, with a corresponding loss of over 14 million acres of land.

With Farming While Black, Penniman, hopes to extend her work by offering the first comprehensive manual for African-heritage people ready to reclaim agency in the food system.

Having read the book, I can tell you that she’s packed so much information into this volume, if she’d wanted to, she could have spread it out over at least two, maybe three titles.

She speaks October 27th, at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics in Great Barrington, Mass. with Ed Whitfield, co-founder and co-managing director of the Fund for Democratic Communities. I was fortunate to speak with her ahead of that engagement at length about her book, her work, and the critical place that people of color have in forging the future of this planet’s food system.

I encourage you to visit Soul Fire Farm on the Web to find out more about the really exciting work and projects they have going on most of the year. The link is in the shownotes of course, as is a link to purchase Farming While Black, but if you can remember “soulfirefarm.org” you’ll find them.

That’s our show for this week. I’ve been your host, Jason Velazquez, and until next time, eat as well as you’re able.

As you might expect, we’d never settle for a cookbook that asks us to sacrifice the satisfying or substantial to achieve our family dietary priorities. Thankfully, The Ultimate New Mom’s Cookbook, by Aurora Satler, doesn’t leave taste buds or tummies, big or small, wanting.

We have arrived at Episode #13. It’s good having you here, knowing we have Plenty in store for you. This podcast released a few days into Autumn, September 26, 2018. Like a lot of these episodes, though, the information and interview will be fresh and helpful long, long into the future.

We spoke this week with author Aurora Satler, author The Ultimate New Mom’s Cookbook just out from Page Street Publishing. Aurora has a solid background in food, writing, and more than a little experience being a new mom, and she really combines those ingredients into a must have volume in the kitchen. I should add, too, that this cookbook is all about cooking for the whole family, so you’ll find yourself going back to revisit these recipes for years to come.

Aurora has generously shared her recipe for her crowd-pleasing Butternut Squash Mac n’ Cheese. I happen to have a few gorgeous butternut squashes out in the garden right now that are >this< close to being ripe, and now I KNOW what I have planned for them. Look below for the recipe!

She’s a fascinating foodie, so let’s not waste any time getting to our conversation with Aurora Satler, right here on Plenty.

I can’t wait to find out what’s next out of Aurora’s typewriter. She hinted that she might be write chronologically, tackling a toddler book as a sequel, but I’ll be pretty excited about any culinary roadmaps she cares to draw for us.

You’ll also definitely want to read more about Aurora and follow the link to her blog, where she offers even more great ideas for feeding a growing family. Just go to greylockglass.com and look for the link to Episode 13.

I’ve been your host, Jason Velazquez, and I look forward to inviting you over again for a mouthwatering episode of Plenty.

Serves 8-10
Freezer Friendly

This is a meal the whole family will love. Perfectly suited for young children and adults, with the benefit of added vegetables, this Mac n’ Cheese is sure to please.

Ingredients:

Topping:

Instructions:

In a medium stockpot bring squash and stock to a boil. Cover and cook 15 minutes until squash is tender. Puree until completely smooth with an immersion blender.

Once squash is blended, remove from heat and add in Dijon and cheeses. Stir until melted and then add in milk and Greek yogurt.

Stir your creamy base until smooth and season. Toss pasta with squash and cheese sauce in the large pot. Mix thoroughly and spoon with a spatula into prepared baking dishes.

In a small bowl mix topping ingredients, then sprinkle over the top. Bake 20-25 minutes until bubbling. Serve warm.

To learn more about Aurora Satler and The Ultimate New Mom’s Cookbook, head to aurorasatler.com!

Recipe from The Ultimate New Mom’s Cookbook by Aurora Satler, Page Street Publishing Co. 2018.

Welcome to episode number 12 of Plenty, in which we spend time with a number of folks involved in HEIRLOOM by Design at Greylock WORKS in North Adams, Massachusetts—an inaugural celebration of the handmade, hand-grown, and house crafted.

We speak first with Sophie Grant, program director of HEIRLOOM by design. Her job is to coordinate vendors, entertainment, presenters, and more to create a truly memorable local food jubilee.

One event sponsor and presenter that’s a natural fit at HEIRLOOM by design, is Storey Publishing, based on the campus of MASS MoCA in North Adams, Mass. We spoke with Debra Balmuth, publisher at Storey, on site at GreylockWORKS, after she toured the space during the planning stages.

Storey, now an imprint of Workman Publishing, has been a familiar installment on the bookshelves of foodies, farmers, crafters, and do-it-yourselfers for just about a generation.

Although Greylock WORKS is the new kid in town when it comes to the local food movement, the overlapping missions, plus the local history represented by the former Cariddi Mill, created a timely synthesis of the two entities.

Of course, in a space this big, there’s room for LOTS of different delegates of the local and hand crafted scene. Sophie Grant again…

Lucy Rawlins is one of a new generation of farmers—she and her boyfriend are definitely the genuine article, in spite of, or maybe because of, an evolved perspective on the back to the land movement.

Participating in HEIRLOOM made sense, given the support that Greylock WORKS has pledged both to local agriculture organizations and local artists.

One of the points that rawlins wants to drive home is that the future of farming likely lies in the rediscovery of techniques that were the tried and true conventions for millenia.

Storey publisher Debrah Balmuth has seen traditional arts trend in and trend out over the years, which gives her a unique vantage point when it comes to the current renaissance in artisanal quality.

And that self expression is definitely en vogue from the Berkshires to Brooklyn and way way beyond.

While the hip factor helps fuel the image of local food, at the end of the day, sustainability also means creating a viable space for farming in the local economy.

Sometimes economic sustainability can mean a brisk business in traditional market gardening and sometimes that can mean taking the leap to offering customers a value added product that taps into a different area of consumer appeal. Nicole Blum operates Carr’s Ciderhouse with her husband Jonathan Carr, in Hadley, Massachusetts. Their experience as market gardeners evolved into a highly specialized (and delicious) product line based on hard cider.

For Jonathan and Nicole, how they produce their wares, and the environmental impact it has, is well-aligned with the agricultural ethics of many of their cohorts.

Lucy Rawlins of the Williamstown Farmers Market shares Blum’s holistic perspective on human effects of food production.

The appreciation of slow food, and respect for the basics will likely be instrumental in the quest to mitigate the accelerating effects of climate change.

Blum explained some of what Carr’s Ciderhouse will have to offer at HEIRLOOM. And despite the fact that she and her husband would obviously like to earn some coin from the event, their demonstration would seem to be the antithesis of profiteering—they will be teaching attendees to make a product at home that Carr’s sells bottled and ready to use. A willingness to share knowledge seems to be a defining characteristic of sustainability advocates, even if it means they don’t squeeze every nickel out of an opportunity.

Debra Balmuth of Storey Publishing described her company’s contribution to HEIRLOOM, including some of the demonstrations designed to educate event-goers about some of the highly accessible techniques of self-reliance that have been the stock in trade for the North Adams bookbuilder for decades.

Ultimately, a strong and health local food system requires the input of many players in addition to great food hub like Greylock WORKS. Rawlins, in describing the uncertainties of climate change and environmental degradation, says hedging our bets by supporting a variety of producer is the smart way to go.

Sophie Grant, of Greylock WORKS, agrees, and notes that while massive, immediate change would be great, the combined choices of individual consumers really does make a difference.

Well, I hope you can make it to HEIRLOOM, at GreylockWORKS in North Adams, Mass., July 28. Remember, we take the notes for you, so if you’re looking for more information about any of the organizations discussed, be sure to visit this episode at greylockglass.com.

I’ve been your host, Jason Velazquez, and I thank you for tuning in. Until next time, I hope you rustle up plenty of real food for yourself and your people. Take care.

Amazing no-till results, proof-of-concept urban agriculture, and learning “tracks” available for a curated conference experience

Hey, how’s it going today? I am Jason Velázquez, and we have arrived here at Episode #11. It’s good having you here at the table of Plenty. What’s the date today? Well for me it’s Sunday, December 18, 2016. For you it could be anytime after that, right? This is a podcast—you can listen whenever you like. I can’t make you do anything. And you know what’s great about this podcast? Even if some of the info pertains to specific events on certain dates, the bulk of the info is going to stay fresh for a really long time. Such is the case with this show.

Do you remember back in Episode #6, we spoke with Dan Bensonoff of the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Farming Association? If you didn’t catch that episode, you should definitely go back and catch up one of these days. But in the meantime, if you don’t know about NOFA, you really should check them out.  Even though the word “farming” is in the name, the organization provides educational programs for farmers and foodsters alike. And, obviously, since their policy work involves pretty much everything related to sustainable, responsible agriculture, their local efforts end up having a global effect. As always, I’ve got a link in the show notes.

Well, we have NOFA/Mass back on the show today—this time in the form of Caro Roszell. Caro is the Bulk Order Coordinator & Winter Conference Workshop Coordinator. Why do we like Caro? Well for one thing, she puts her work title in her e-mail signatures so I don’t have to struggle to remember what to call her. Thank you, Caro!

Mainly though, we’re excited to have her on the show, because she’s going to tell us about the NOFA/Mass Winter Conference, which is happening at Worcester State University on January 14th. The Winter Conference, is basically like Pleasure Island for those of us in the natural living camp. Massive amounts of useful food and farming knowledge, coming direct from people who are actually living the life day in and day out. If you go, and yes, there is still time to register, you’re going to want to bring a notebook, and make sure you have room on your phone or camera for pics. I’ll just snap a photo of a diagram, or even a farm or business’ sign to remember rather than write it down.

After we hear from Caro, we are very, very lucky to have as guests on Plenty a couple of serious rock stars of the new generation of organic farmers, Elizabeth and Paul Kaiser of Singing Frogs Farm out in Sonoma County, California. I am NOT kidding about the rock star thing, either. These two have taken the concept of no-till farming to mythical proportions. I don’t want to throw any spoilers out there, so let me just say that by just letting Nature do her thing, the Kaisers may have taken the back-breaking out of farm work.

And we close out this episode by speaking with Sayed A Mohamed-Nour, the executive director, and Emily Barbour, the Office & Project Manager, of Boston-based urban farming organization, NUBIA. The group started with the humble goal of trying to preserve some of the culture and way of life of a group of immigrants from a specific region within Egypt and Sudan. Now, with almost no budget at all, they’ve been turning vacant lots into the source of thousands of pounds of food that they donate to feed the city’s hungry. Hearing Sayed’s story, I am convinced that getting adequate nutrition to everyone has never been about production, but about distribution, and, above all, dedication.

Now, let’s get this show on the road with our conversation with Caro Roszell of NOFA/Mass/

I absolutely can’t wait for this year’s conference. People from everywhere converge on this one spot to share information, yes, but also to enjoy a little food solidarity, I think. And as Caro said, this time of year, farmers and gardeners are in planning mode, so this is the perfect time to do a little research to get your new ideas ready for Spring.

Well, two of the people who traveled quite a ways to deliver the keynote and to lead a learning track for the day are Paul and Elizabeth Kaiser of Singing Frogs Farm. Unless you’re into no-till garding, there’s almost no introduction I can give that prepare you for the marvels that these two innovators describe, so it’s probably better if I just let them do the talking.

See? What did I tell you? And it doesn’t take a lot of math to figure out that a network of small, intensive no-till farms could actually meet the food needs of a majority of people in the United States. Hmmm…maybe that’s why so much effort is spent on smearing the organic movement…Ya’ think?

Well, we go from a modest eight-acre farm down to an even more micro (can you say “more micro”) scale. Empty lots in Boston, one of the Northeast’s largest cities, are cranking out food for those in need thanks to NUBIA, started with aim to preserve cultural identity. The organization has a number of programs that do that, but what brings them to the Winter Conference is their amazing success in organizing and running an urban agriculture program that could serve as a model for programs nationwide. To talk about NUBIA, let’s welcome to the show Sayed A Mohamed-Nour and Emily Barbour.

And that’s our show for this week! Remember—if you’re listening via iTunes, Google Play: Music, Downcast, or any other podcatcher, you can find links mentioned in the show in our show notes at greylockglass.com. Find the link to Plenty in the main menu and select this episode from Plenty’s page. Thanks for listening and we hope you join us next week for another generous helping.

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The human stories connected to social movements are, almost  without exception, highly charged with emotion. Details about the violence and intimidation directed at protesters by corporations and law enforcement generate instantaneous, visceral reactions in people with any amount of compassion. The chronicles of the struggle of the Standing Rock Sioux, and their allies ignite just such emotions.

Few stories could be cast with more contrasting players: unarmed indigenous people and their supporters up against the gargantuan machine (and machines, literally) of corporate power in a existential crisis. The core issue encapsulates the clash of a basic human need, water, with a base human drive, greed.

Originally, I intended this show to be Episode #2 of “Growl,” our new talk show that critically examines some of the bigger questions of the day. The more I learned about the work of the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, the more I realized that their story belongs solidly to “Plenty.” Not only is access to safe drinking water the very essence of “Plenty,” but estimates show that one third of the nation’s food crops depend on the health of the Missouri River, under which the Dakota Access Pipeline is intended to lie.

The pipeline has been heralded as a step toward minimizing U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources by it’s backers. Others have both called that justification into question and pointed to accepted climate models that show the disastrous effects of extracting and burning the fossil fuels that will be transported by the line.

We spoke with Hugh MacMillan, senior researcher on water, energy, and climate issues at the group Food & Water Watch about the science of the conflict and about his organization’s study “Who’s Banking on the Dakota Access Pipeline?” which illustrates the web of financial cables that connect the violence and terror occurring daily at Standing Rock to the banks and financial institutions whose names are not typically connected to the conflict in reports by the mainstream media.

We also spoke with Shira Lynn Wohlberg, resident of Williamstown, Mass., who is preparing, over the Thanksgiving holiday, to journey to Standing Rock with fellow activists to stand as a Water Protector on the front lines of this struggle. She makes the journey in the aftermath of the tragic wounds suffered by Sophia Wilansky during standoff on a bridge November 20th. Authorities claim that an explosion that tore much of the flesh from one of her arms was caused by an attempt by protesters to bomb a truck with propane cylinders. Witnesses on the scene dispute this, and surgeons, who have removed shrapnel from Wilansky’s arm, say that the injury is consistent with the detonation of a concussion grenade, used to stun military or civilian targets, according to Wilansky’s father.

Wohlberg will be bringing food and supplies to the protest site and might remain there for weeks or months, she says, depending on what course the conflict takes. For information on contributing food, supplies, or cash donations, check out the Water Protectors’ official site or their Facebook page or Facebook page.

MacMillan is senior researcher on water, energy and climate issues at the group Food & Water Watch. He recently co-wrote the report “Who’s Banking on the Dakota Access Pipeline?” which states: “Powerful oil and gas companies are taking appalling steps to override the Sioux’s objections, using their immense financial resources to push for building this pipeline, which will further line their pockets. But behind the companies building the pipeline is a set of even more powerful Wall Street corporations that might give you flashbacks to the 2007 financial crisis.” Among the companies funding the project are Citibank, Wells Fargo, UBS, JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, SunTrust, Credit Suisse and TD Securities.

The report states: “These banks expect to be paid back over the coming decades. By locking in widespread drilling and fracking in the false name of U.S. energy independence and security, the banks are increasing our disastrous dependence on fossil fuels. …
“Even before Dakota Access’s security turned violent, the activists faced harsh responses as Governor Dalrymple has declared a state of emergency, removing water and sanitation resources from the reservation, and the police have set up roadblocks around the reservation. Dozens of protesters have already been arrested, and police have spread false rumors of violence from the peaceful protectors.” Gladstone is deputy communications director for Food & Water Watch.

In Episode #9, Plenty talks with another icon of the food world, this time pioneer of the culinary airwaves, Christopher Kimball. The founder of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, and instantly recognizable host of the Emmy Award–winning  “America’s Test Kitchen” from 2001 through 2016, he is also the author of best-selling titles such as The Cook’s Bible and The Yellow Farmhouse Cookbook.

Christopher shared his insights on the current cultural foodscape and gave us a taste of what’s cooking at Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street. His more than three decades of making culinary prowess accessible to everyone are channeled through this new, Boston-based venture that includes Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine and Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio (find a station near you).

Wouldn’t you love to get your hands on the charter issue of Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Magazine? Wouldn’t it be great if it were free? You’re in luck! For a limited time, a copy of Issue #1 is yours for the asking. Don’t we always turn you on to the best stuff?

For those looking for in-person instruction, his Milk Street cooking school is already open for enrollment with small class sizes in a predictably dreamy kitchen. Can’t make it to Boston? Not to worry, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television is already in production. The sad news? We’ll have to wait until Fall of 2017 for the launch.

Christopher’s new entity, CPK Media LLC, is a multi-media company focusing on a fresh, healthier approach to home cooking. Christopher Kimball, founder of Cook’s Illustrated and America’s Test Kitchen, says that he started Milk Street to transform the American kitchen.

“Our goal is to change how we cook,” says Kimball. “We’re going to open the door to a world of new ideas, new techniques, and new flavor combinations. There is no ethnic cooking. There are no foreign cuisines. It’s all just cooking,” he says.

Over the next year, Milk Street Kitchen will roll out a public television cooking show, a retail cooking school at 177 Milk St., Boston, magazines, cookbooks, and a new digital platform. Kimball will continue to host his weekly public radio show.

“Everything around us is changing, yet our kitchens are standing still. Just like fashion and music, home cooking needs an infusion of new ideas from around the world and here at home to make it bolder and fresher,” says Kimball. “This is a personal awakening, not just another day in the kitchen. I’ve dramatically changed the way I cook. Sweet, sour, salty, bitter, crunchy, creamy – these are my new passions. I’ve fallen in love with cooking again.”

Christopher Kimball offers up a precious treasure as we glide into the holidays—the secret to a perfect pie crust. You can read the step-by-step instructions at Milk Street’s site, but if a visual demonstration of some of his techniques would help you muster up the confidence (I’m a little afraid of pie crusts, I’ll admit), take a gander at his demo via Williams-Sonoma’s YouTube channel.

A lifetime Deadhead, Kimball often compares cooking to music. “Anyone can learn a song. But a good musician plays music; there’s a difference. I’ve always wanted to teach people how to cook, not just to follow recipes.”

Kimball adds, “There are some things that should never change. I still love Apple Pie. I love it so much that I hope it’s my last meal!” said Kimball. “But with just a little help from Milk Street, one can produce dishes that are far beyond what we all think is possible at home. It’s as simple as redefining what we mean by cooking. It’s not just about heat.”

Home cooks can join Milk Street Kitchen for free recipes, cooking tips, Kimball’s notes from Vermont and for news updates (MSK website link). Milk Street Kitchen will also offer free classes to kids and  parents. Partnerships with local and national nonprofit organizations will be announced later in the year.

Christopher Kimball founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and served as publisher and editorial director through 1989. In 1993, Mr. Kimball re-launched Cook’s Magazine as Cook’s Illustrated and went on to found Cook’s Country magazine in 2004. Mr. Kimball is the host and executive producer of the two highest rated cooking shows on public (and cable) television: America’s Test Kitchen, currently in its 16th season, and Cook’s Country which begins its 9th season this September. He remains as host of both shows through 2016.

Mr. Kimball is also the host of America’s Test Kitchen Radio, a weekly public food radio show (and podcast) broadcast on over 300 stations nationwide. Mr. Kimball is the author of several books including, most recently, Fannie’s Last Supper. In 2015, Mr. Kimball left America’s Test Kitchen to found a new company, Milk Street Kitchen, devoted to teaching home cooks fresher, better ways to prepare foods at home.

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street in downtown Boston — at 177 Milk Street — is home to the editorial offices and cooking school. It also includes the studio where Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street television and radio shows are recorded. Milk Street seeks to change how we cook by searching the world for bold, simple recipes and techniques. Adapted and tested for home cooks everywhere, the Milk Street team believes these lessons are the backbone of the new home cooking. For more information, go to 177milkstreet.com.

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The show forages the world to bring culinary insights and recipes to listeners, while telling interesting stories about the food we eat. It also shares simpler, more streamlined techniques for home-prepared meals.

Kimball, the popular founder of Cook’s Illustrated will co-host the show with Sara Moulton, host of public television’s Sara’s Weeknight Meals. Other regular guests include The Sporkful host Dan Pashman, New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik, Upshot writer Aaron Caroll, and Stephen Muse, an expert on the history of food and wine.

In addition to listening on the radio, you can also can experience the new Milk Street via podcast and their magazine. To get a taste of what’s coming, check out the show on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Radio is distributed by PRX and recorded in the studios of WGBH.

PRX is a leading creator and distributor, connecting audio producers with their most engaged, supportive audiences.

A fierce champion of new voices, new formats, and new business models, PRX advocates for the entrepreneurial producer. PRX is an award-winning media company, reaching millions of listeners worldwide. For over a dozen years, PRX has operated public radio’s largest distribution marketplace, offering thousands of shows including This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour, and Reveal.

In 2014, PRX launched Radiotopia, a podcast collective of 13 diverse, independent, story-driven shows, anchored by 99% Invisible from Roman Mars. The network has quickly grown to over 10 million downloads per month.

This episode of Plenty is unusual for the unique, unfiltered look it provides into one way  advocacy can result in changes to food policy. We sat in on the September “Chef Power Hour,” a monthly meeting of the minds hosted by the Chefs Collaborative and heard some thought-provoking ideas on how chefs, a set of professionals intimately concerned with food issues, can exert influence over the legislative and regulatory processes that govern the production, distribution, and preparation of our meals.

How can chefs influence food policy? What data and/or actions help politicians tune into pressing issues like food waste, sustainable seafood, hunger, and more?

During this one-hour phone call, chefs and experts dove into strategies and tactics for elevating the national conversation around food – especially in this election season. The goal was to send people away from the call with the information and tools needed to make a difference this fall, and all year-round.

FEATURING:

Chefs Collaborative is a national nonprofit network with a mission to inspire, educate, and celebrate chefs and food professionals building a better food system.

Participants were asked to consider information provided in the documents below as they formulated their responses to the question of how to influence food policy.

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Research conducted by Lake Research Partners & Bellwether Research and Consulting, below, indicates that attitudes in this country are highly favorable towards a change from business as usual.

While food is seen as widely available in America, voters across the spectrum think the weakness in our food system is that healthy foods are not as widely available or as affordable, and that is a problem.

Voters say their top priority for changing the food system is to make healthy foods more affordable (45 percent), followed by increasing education on healthy food choices so that people have more information when making food decisions (23 percent).

They express strong concerns around the food system’s impact on the health of children. Eighty-one (81) percent of voters are very concerned that one third of children today will develop type-2 diabetes. Sixty-nine (69) percent are very concerned that today’s children are expected to live shorter lives than their parents. In focus groups, these statements were a powerful call to action for policies that would aid access to healthy foods for all families, regardless of their zip code.

People also express strong concerns around the disconnect between government recommendations and the policies behind them. They believe special interests and money in politics influence the system. Forty-nine (49) percent of voters are very concerned (81 percent are very or somewhat concerned) that the Federal government recommends a diet of 50 percent fruits and vegetables while less than 1 percent of farm subsidies go toward fruits and vegetables. Voters express similarly strong concerns that the federal government does not provide enough support for sustainable farming practices that can meet our needs while protecting the environment.

Voters also express concerns about workers in the food industry. Forty-one (41) percent of voters are very concerned (75 percent are very or somewhat concerned) that five of the eight worst paying jobs in America are in the food system.

In this context, there is a strong appetite for change. Large majorities of voters across party lines favor government incentives to encourage sustainable farming practices that protect the environment. Overall 75 percent favor this, including 62 percent who strongly favor. By party, 85 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of independents, and 62 percent of Republicans favor incentives to encourage sustainable farming.

Half (50 percent) of voters favor limiting government subsidies to the largest farm businesses, including 49 percent of Democrats, 53 percent of Independents, and 50 percent of Republicans. Thirty-six (36) percent of voters oppose limiting government subsidies.

Voters want change that makes healthy foods more affordable. They were read the following two statements and asked which is closer to their opinion:

53 percent agreed that: “Too many Americans cannot afford healthy food in their communities. We need to change policies so that we make healthy and nutritious foods more affordable for every American, regardless of their zip code.”

31 percent agreed that: “Every American has a choice when they shop for groceries or order at a restaurant. We provide an abundance of food, and we need to let Americans, not the government, decide what foods they want to buy, cook, and eat.”

 Sixty-six (66) percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents agreed with the first statement, while 50 percent of Republicans, who place a premium on individual freedom and favor a more limited role for government, agreed with the second statement. Fourteen (14) percent of all voters volunteered that they agree with both statements.

These issues prove to be very salient for key groups in the 2016 elections. Younger voters, African Americans, Latinos, and unmarried women are particularly supportive of changes to the food system that would promote better access to healthy foods.

These voters favor government incentives to encourage sustainable farming (with 76 percent of voters under 30 who favor, 87 percent of voters between the ages of 30 and 39, 85 percent of African Americans, 82 percent of Latinos, and 74 percent of unmarried women).

They favor limits on government subsidies to the largest farmers (with 55 percent of voters under 30 who favor, 65 percent of voters between the ages of 30 and 39, 54 percent of African Americans, 54 percent of Latinos, and 53 percent of unmarried women).

And they believe we need to change policies so that we make healthy and nutritious foods more affordable (with 58 percent among of voters under 30 who agree, 62 percent of voters between the ages of 30 and 39, 66 percent of African Americans, 65 percent of Latinos, and 50 percent of unmarried women).

Populist messaging around the food system finds strong resonance across party lines, and in particular with younger voters, African Americans, and Latinos. Overall, 87 percent of voters find the following statement convincing, including 60 percent who find it very convincing.

“Our current food policy isn’t focused on our health, it is focused on money. We put profits before our health and continue subsidies that help keep junk food cheap and drive up chronic health problems, like obesity, diabetes, and even cancer. The goal of our food system should be to produce healthy, affordable food that is accessible for all Americans, that protects our health, our workers and our environment, provide humane treatment of animals, and that will protect our local farmers and keep them farming their land. We need policies that recognize that healthy food is a necessity, not a privilege.”

By party, 92 percent of Democrats find it convincing (69 percent very convincing) as do 87 percent of independents (60 percent very convincing), and 78 percent of Republicans (50 percent very  convincing).

Lake Research Partners and Bellwether Research and Consulting conducted focus groups in August of 2015 with white married mothers and white unmarried women in Des Moines Iowa, white suburban mothers and African American mothers in Raleigh North Carolina, and white suburban fathers and Latina mothers in  Denver Colorado. Participants were recruited to reflect a mix of partisanship and education levels.  

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