Saturday, November 21, 2009

Spreading the Word about Farm to School

From the Ground Up founding members from left to right: Allyson Levy, Nicci Cagan, Mary Jane Nussbaum
From the Ground Up presented a farm to school workshop at the fourth Farm-based Education Conference in Tarrytown on November 15th

Spreading the Word about Farm to School
.
By Susan Krawitz
written for the BlueStone Press
Published Nov. 20, 2009
.
The movement to connect farms with schools has a reach far beyond the boundaries of the Rondout Valley, but a local organization has been called upon to widen its spread even more.
.
Though it was formed just a year and a half ago, Marbletown Elementary’s Wellness organization From the Ground Up has made great strides in implementing the use of fresh local food and sustainable practices in their school and throughout the district. They’ve worked hard and learned much, and recently, were invited to take their show on the road to speak with others about ways they can do the same.
.
The group, which was co-founded by Marbletown parents Nicci Cagan, Allyson Levy, and Mary Jane Nusbaum was invited to present a workshop at the fourth annual Farm-Based Education Conference in Tarrytown, Westchester County. Farm-based education, according to the event’s press release,“ promotes land stewardship and the value of physical work; advocates for sustainable food systems and healthy lifestyles; supports strategies designed to ameliorate many social ailments, including obesity, food access, childhood health, and climate change; and supports proven therapeutic and rehabilitative approaches for diverse audiences.” Sponsored by Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture and The Farm-Based Education Association, the three-day conference featured presenters on all aspects of ag-centered learning.
.
FTGU’s contingency also included Davenport Farms’ Bruce Davenport, who’s signed on to sell produce to be used in Rondout Valley schools, and the New York State Executive Mansion’s executive chef Noah Sheetz, whose ongoing support of FTGU’s programs has greatly aided their cause.
.
According to farm-to-school.org, there are currently around 10,000 schools in the US using locally grown products in their cafeterias, and conference attendees hailed from as far away as California and Nebraska. Making the link between classroom, cafeteria, local farms, and community was FTGU’s main message, or, as Nicci Cagan put it, “having a community approach to school food systems.”
.
The program began with a list of their achievements to date, which includes creating a school garden that’s become part of classroom curriculum, instigating successful recycling and composting programs, sponsoring garden produce cooking demonstrations with Chef Sheetz, obtaining a grant for a dishwasher in order to stop the use of wasteful Styrofoam trays, and putting plans in place to start using local produce in school lunches by next year.
.
Making substantial changes within a school system can be a difficult process, and FTGU’s workshop participants found the group’s success impressive. Hungry for nuts-and-bolts information, they questioned the panel about things like their vermiculture program, and the hoops they had to jump to implement recycling. Should you get support of the PTA? asked an attendee. How were materials sourced for the garden construction? How did you get teachers to use these resources? What’s the most important thing to do first?
.
Jumping in and doing the garden was a key first step, said Cagan, and Levy agreed. “It was the most amazing domino effect,” she said. “Just do it, show some results, and then go ask for help.”
.
One important thing to keep in mind, Cagan maintained, was that the process of implementing a farm to school program encompasses a whole school wellness approach, not just obtaining local foods. Another key fact, she advised, is that there’s no one way to do this. Go for the low hanging fruit first, she said. Build on the small successful steps. And reach out for help.
.
“The interesting thing,” said one attendee, “is you just found out what you had to do and didn’t go through an enormous three-year battle. In all the workshops we’ve been to, it seems like everyone’s had to go through all these administrative struggles to implement their programs."
.
Near the end of the workshop time, Chef Sheetz fired up a portable gas grill and cooked a tasting sample of produce the group had brought from the Marbletown garden, Davenport Farms, and the garden at the executive mansion. “We usually bring some produce from the last garden we cooked at to the next,” said Cagan.
.
The attendees devoured both the food and the advice, and seemed well sated with both. “As my grandmother used to say, if I have my health, I have my wealth,” said Cagan. “There’s really no reason to not be interested in farm to school programs. It’s a win/win/win. When food becomes curriculum and nutritional well being takes place in schools and the community, we have healthier children, create less of a burden on all living systems, and create a more sustainable environment and economy.”
.
Davenport agreed. “It’s a boost for ag, for making future good eaters, and future farmstand customers,” he said.
.
At the presentation’s end, the group was asked if they’d reproduce the feat at the national conference in Detroit Michigan in spring, 2010. The idea is under consideration, said Cagan. “FTGUp is about connecting with others and having a support system so you can keep going.”

Friday, November 20, 2009

The School Garden at Howard L. Goff Middle School

Carol Bluhm has prepared her last Thanksgiving luncheon at Goff Middle School
Acorn squash with maple syrup and pecans
Remedial math teacher Tammy Kirwin
The solar powered barn in the Goff Middle School garden





The School Garden at Howard L. Goff Middle School
This was the last year that special education teacher Carol Bluhm prepared her infamous Thanksgiving luncheon at the Howard L. Goff Middle School in East Greenbush. Next year Carol will retire and will pass the tradition on to another faculty member.
.
The annual school luncheon fed close to 250 people and included potatoes, onions, garlic, acorn squash, pumpkins, and sage from the school's organic garden. Dishes created from the garden bounty included mashed potatoes, acorn squash with maple syrup and pecans, and pumpkin pie.
.
The school's garden was started eight years by former assistant principal Mark Warford. Previously a farmer, Mark not only developed the garden but applied for the grant that payed for the garden's solar powered barn that is complete with running water. In the years since its inception, the school's Garden Club has tended to the upkeep of garden. However, the science and special education classes have also been involved in recent years.
.
Since Mark Warford left Goff Middle School for another assistant principal position at Bethlehem Middle School, the vision and planning of the garden have been shared by Nancy Scott, remedial math teacher, and special education teacher Tammy Kirwin. Scott and Kirwin have plans to involve several of the other service learning classes in various aspects of the garden's maintenance.
.
Much of the produce grown in the Goff Organic Garden is donated to the local food pantry (more than a ton a year). A portion is also used by the sixth grade cooking classes. This year the school has partnered with the First United Methodist Church who tended two sections of the garden and "garden-sat" during the summer months.
.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Lactic Acid Fermentation Workshop with Louise Frazier at Olana

Louise Frazier is a nutritional culinary specialist and author of Vegetables First, Home Lactic Acid Fermentation of Vegetables and Around the Calender with Local Vegetables
Betsy Cashan talks about sauerkraut and lacto-fermentation
Shredded carrots are ready to undergo the lacto fermentation process

Lactic Acid Fermentation Workshop with Louise Frazier at Olana
Lacto-fermentation is a centuries old method for preserving excess vegetable yields at the end of the growing season. While lacto-fermented foods like sauerkraut and European style dilled pickles resemble many other “pickled” foods, the process is quite different than the traditional hot canning method that involves preserving agents like vinegar and sugar. During lacto-fermentation vegetables are cut or shredded, and salt is added. The salt draws out liquid within the vegetables and the vegetables actually ferment within their juices for a short period of time, usually two to six weeks.
.
The probiotic health benefits of lacto-fermented foods are similar to that of other foods with live cultures, like yogurt and kefir. Eating lacto-fermented foods with high probiotic concentrations ensures the maintenance of high levels of probiotic bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract that help ward off harmful bacteria and intestinal and digestive sicknesses.
.
This Sunday nutritional culinary specialist Louise Frazier, with help from Betsy and Abigail Cashan, conducted a lacto-fermentation workshop at Olana in Hudson with fresh organic produce from the Farm at Miller’s Crossing. Louise talked about how she learned the art of lacto-fermentation from Thomas Stenius while visiting Sweden. She spoke of the nuances that affect lacto-fermentation including the necessity of organic vegetables in the process. “Vegetables that are chemically fertilized or subjected to chemical insecticides do not have the capacity to produce the bacteria essential to lactic-acid fermentation” (Vegetables First). Incredibly high in probiotic matter, organic cabbage is ideally suited for lacto-fermentation. Because of the high probiotic concentration, Louise often adds a handful of shredded cabbage to other lacto-fermenting vegetables to kick-start the fermentation process.
.
As for the lacto-fermentation method, the process and ratio of salt to vegetables is very simple. For every one pound or cut of shredded vegetables, one teaspoon of salt is added. The vegetables are packed tightly into glass jars with rubber sealed clamp lids. The rubber seals allow bubbling and fermenting juices to escape. After three to four days of active fermentation in a room temperature setting, the vegetables finish fermenting in a cooler 50-60 degree location and are later stored in a cold storage area which stalls the fermentation process. It is not necessary to hot-water bath lacto-fermented vegetables and under ideal refrigeration the vegetables will maintain excellent quality for a year or more.
.
Sauerkraut
10# organic cabbage at room temp*, take out most of the core and shred by hand or in a food processor
¼ cup Celtic sea salt (non-iodized) dried and ground (or use other unrefined salt ground up), about 2 oz.
4 tsp whole caraway seed
Few crushed juniper berries
.
Mix well and let cabbage, salt and spices sit for one half hour or so to get the cabbage juices flowing. Then pack tightly into container, one layer at a time, using a fist or blunt wooden pestle to compress contents and get the air out as the lacto-fermentation process takes place in an anaerobic environment. Sauerkraut has been made successfully in 1 quart glass canning jars, 2 liter glass jars with clamp lid, and larger food grade plastic pickle and food containers. For the larger containers an air lock system works best to allow the carbon dioxide to bubble out and prevent oxygen from getting in. For the 1 quart or 2 quart containers a fairly snug lid will suffice.
.
Juices will rise to the top with packing and will be the top “seal” for kraut. To keep the cabbage mixture submerged, a layer of whole cabbage leaves wedged in using a cabbage core or a weight on top can be used. Keep container at room temperature, 65-68 degrees, for 2 weeks before moving to cooler space for 6 more weeks. Taste the cabbage after the initial 2 weeks to determine if it is sufficiently soured. If it is not, keep it at room temperature for a few more days.
*At room temperature the cabbage is quicker to wilt and have the juices drawn out of it by the salt.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Produce Project

The one acre 8th Street site in Troy will be the showpiece of CDCG's urban agricultural sites where students will be growing vegetables as part of a newly minted program known as the Produce Project.
Assemblyman Tim Gordon spoke at Thursday's press release for the Produce Project.

Stephen Corrigan is the coordinator for the Produce Project. He will be working with Troy High School students to grow and sell vegetables to restaurants and through farmers markets.
CDCG's Urban Grow Center Planner Matthew Schueler worked to secure the grants that helped fund the Produce Project. See a video clip of Matt talking about the Produce Project.Executive Mansion assistant chef Tom Santimaw was on hand with CDCG director Amy Klein for the Produce Project press release this past Thursday at the 8th Street location in Troy.
The Produce Project
While connecting Capital District residents with the resources to grow their own fresh organic vegetables may have been the founding mission for Capital District Community Gardens (CDCG) thirty years ago, today the organization has diversified into a network of programs that includes the Veggie Mobile, Squash Hunger and CDCG’s most recent program, the Produce Project - a collaboration with tenth and eleventh grade students from Troy High School.
.
Student gardeners will earn a stipend and a share of the vegetables that they grow for CDCG during the year round program which will utilize urban growing sites in Lansingburgh, Arbor Hill and the newly christened one acre location on Eighth Street in Troy where a press conference was held this past Thursday to announce the new project. The 8th Street location is also the future site for an Urban Grow Center, an entirely green building that will feature classrooms, kitchens, and a library.
.
The Produce Project is set up to be entirely student run, from the production of the vegetables to the direct marketing, selling and delivery of the vegetables to restaurants and at farmers markets. The students will also learn the entrepreneurial ins and outs of urban agriculture from workshops with local farmers and chefs.
.
While students will work up to 30 hours per week during next summer’s busy growing season, for now they will work 10 hours weekly as they prepare CDCG gardens for the winter season and grow vegetables by season extension techniques including the use of unheated high tunnel greenhouses. Under Produce Project coordinator Stephen Corrigan’s supervision, the students have already begun growing garlic, carrots, beets, potatoes, and salad greens. While the students will be selling through farmers markets and to restaurants, one third of the produce grown will be donated to the Veggie Mobile where it will be distributed to inner city areas with poor access to fresh produce.
.
Read more about the Produce Project
Troy students urban gardeners
CDCG – The Produce Project

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

From Carol Clement, Heather Ridge Farm

I thought we were having fresh beef this week, Oct. 31, but schedule changes at the processing place made it impossible. Fresh PORK instead! We will have fresh beef next Saturday, Nov. 7, and again Nov. 14. Sorry if this complicates any of your plans ... it has certainly complicated mine.
.
Sides of Beef and Pork
The next couple of weeks will be the last chance to order sides of beef and pork for this season. Contact me if you are interested.
.
Change of hours:
The farm store will be open from 11am to 2pm starting this Saturday. And continue these hours through the cool season (except for turkey pickup weekend.)
.
Shades of Bees Knees! Soup for lunch!
With the change of hours, and by popular demand, we will have a simple lunch available. Homemade soup and bread will be for sale to eat here or take out.
.
Delmar Farmers Market
This is the last week we will be at this wonderful market. We fondly wish the market the best of luck and we invite all our regular supporters to come visit us at the farm store. Last weekend was the last regular outdoor Saugerties market but we will be at the monthly indoor markets coming up.
.
Turkey schedule
Time to make your appointments for turkey pickup. Like the past two years, we will be open from 12 noon to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 21 and 22. Appointments are in 15 minute intervals (1pm, 1:15, 1:30, 1:45, etc.) Contact me with your choice of day and time. There are still a few turkeys available if you haven't reserved one yet.
.
Ravens Roost Farm fiber arts
We like having items from our friends at nearby farms in our store. Liz LoGuidice at Ravens Roost Farm in Hannacroix is making delightful "Woodland Fairies" of sheeps wool and flora. Fun and artful decorations. And wait until you see her felt hats, coming soon. We started our flock of sheep with four sheep from Liz and Ross' farm, so we have a close woolly connection.
.
Best,
.
Carol
.
Carol Clement
Heather Ridge Farm
989 Broome Center Road
Preston Hollow, NY 12469
518-239-6234
Heather Ridge Farm

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Marbletown Elementary School Garden



Marbletown Elementary School Garden
On Thursday October 22, I had the opportunity to cook fresh vegetables with the Marbletown Elementary students in the school’s garden. The garden is a refreshing centerpiece that makes perfect use of the school’s central atrium space. Even in late October there were still several vegetables thriving in eight raised beds throughout the sheltered garden area, including four varieties of kale, bok choy, nasturtiums, broccoli, red cabbage, radishes, chard, lettuce, pumpkins, and raspberries.
.
Since the garden’s creation by wellness program coordinators Nicci Cagan, Allyson Levy and Mary Jane Nussbaum of “From the Ground Up”, several positive changes have swept through the school’s food service department. A composting program was started, a dishwasher was installed to eliminate disposable Styrofoam waste, and the new three bay sink has made it possible for the kitchen staff to wash and prepare foods that are grown in the garden. The school has also made a Farm to School commitment to purchase foods from the Rondout Valley Growers Association and is serving up an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables to students on “Fresh Food Fridays”.
.
One of the more interesting (and delicious) dishes prepared in the garden this Thursday was sautéed carrots with apples. The idea was recommended by an excited student who had absolutely no reservations about the rather unusual fruit and vegetable paring. After a quick pan steaming with a little olive oil, maple syrup and a dash of red wine vinegar, I developed a reverent appreciation for the spontaneous culinary creativity and delectability that can only come from children.
.
As for the future, I look forward to seeing what exciting new developments are inspired by the garden in the upcoming growing seasons. Already the faculty members have begun migrating with their classes to the garden, realizing the educational potential, with respect to math science and nutrition, that the garden has to offer. The garden continues to be a positive force in Marbletown Elementary in more ways than can be counted.
.
Read more about From the Ground Up:

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Canning with Maija Reed

Maija Reed, youth projects director, Time and Space Limited

*picture courtesy of Jane Feldman

Canning with Maija Reed
Maija Reed is the youth projects director for Time and Space Limited (TSL), an arts and community organization in Hudson. Over the years she has developed several programs for TSL that include art, theatre, video, cooking and an environmental program that brings Hudson and Rhinebeck youth together. On the cooking program, Maija says “I get very concerned about what the youth eat. I see what they eat. I see what their busy families have to feed them, and I want them to be thinking about food differently so that they can be making choices when they become adults.”
.
About the importance of growing food, Maija says “[At TSL] we have a greenhouse. Growing food is as much a part of eating food. That comes into the cooking programs and I'm always working to bring people into our space to work with the children. It’s not about me working with the children. It’s about introducing them to other people and having them develop relationships with other people. You learn more that way.”
.
In early October, Maija taught the youth in her program about canning and the significance of preserving food, especially before the cold winter months when vegetable options become considerably limited. Below are three recipes from her canning session.
.
Pickled Beets
Yield: about 2 cups
.
Ingredients
1/2 cup cider or white vinegar
1/2 cup reserved beet juice or water
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups (approximately) thinly sliced, cooked and peeled beets
.
Preparation
Cover beets with water in a pot, boil beets until tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from water (reserving beet water for next step) and under cold running water remove skins by sliding off with fingers. Slice beets 1/8 “ thick and set aside. Combine first five ingredients. Bring to a boil; cool. Place beets in a deep bowl and pour dressing over them. Let stand at least 12 hours before serving.
.
Beetroot Pickled Eggs
.
Ingredients
6 hard-boiled eggs
1 cup of cider vinegar
1 cup of beetroot juice (from jar of beetroots or from your own boiled beets)
1/3 of a cup of brown sugar
1⁄4 of a cup of chopped onion
3 whole cloves
.
Method
1. Once the boiled eggs have been peeled and cooled, place them in a 1 quart or two 1 pint canning jars that have been washed in very hot water.
2. Place all of the remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the liquid to cool.
5. Pour the pickling solution over the eggs in the jar, so that the eggs are covered and seal tightly with the lid.
6. Store in the refrigerator for a minimum of two days before using.
.
Pickled Watermelon Rind
Yield: Makes about 5 pints
.
Ingredients
4 pounds watermelon rind (one smallish to medium sized melon)
8 cups sugar
4 cups cider vinegar
4 cups water
4 sticks cinnamon
1 tablespoon whole cloves
.
Preparation
Scrape off any pink flesh from rind. Cut rind into 3/4" squares. Cover with cold, salted water (1/4 cup salt to 1 quart water), and leave overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water and cook 1/2 hour, or until just tender. Drain again (NOTE: reserve liquid/broth for soup base). Stir together sugar, vinegar and water in a large pot. Tie cinnamon sticks and whole cloves and add to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Add watermelon rind and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the rind is translucent and the juices syrupy. Ladle into hot, sterilized preserving jars. Open cheesecloth, place a piece of cinnamon in each jar, cover and seal.
.