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FARMS, FOOD AND THE FUTURE GENERATIONS!
Until I was 12, I pretty much took the food on the table for granted.
Well, that's not really true, because sometimes my family was in
some tough financial straits, and we had to be frugal and innovative.
Actually, it was my mother who was frugal and innovative, and she
laid the foundation for much of what I do today, not only in the
culinary world, but also in general lifestyle services. That said,
I still didn't really understand the Path from field to table.
My Path
When I was 12, my family moved to a small farm in the Ozarks of
southern Missouri. At first, I was very unhappy. I was a city boy,
having lived previously in the San Francisco Bay area, and in St.
Louis. I had no idea how to interact with "country boys."
Well, both of my parents had some familiarity with farm living:
my father had grown up on a working farm, and my mother had a wide
range of largely self-taught domestic skills. Eventually, I became
excited by this farm life. We had a fruit and vegetable garden on
an acre of land, and grew most of our produce; we also had fruit
trees. I learned about canning, freezing, baking and all types of
home cooking. We also had a small herd of beef cattle, so I became
intimately familiar with the process of calving, nursing, selecting
breeding stock, rearing steers for maximum yield, and slaughter.
We had a pair of geese (Pierre and Babette) who laid a hatch of
eggs each spring (we built a special shed for them to nest in),
and reared a family of goslings annually that we slaughtered in
the autumn for our own meals or to sell to neighbors. We had three
White Pekin ducks, who didn't nest, but who laid eggs regularly
that my mother turned into homemade noodles and pasta with my "help"
… delicious! I raised rabbits for several years, part of a
project that my parents knew would teach me about managing a business,
keeping a budget, and maintaining proper records; not only did it
accomplish those goals, as I sold many of the young rabbits, but
it also taught me about responsibility at a relatively young age,
and also provided us with lots of rabbit meat that became delicious
meals in my mother's skilled hands.
Returning to the garden and orchard, my father taught me about
proper maintenance of fruit trees, strawberry plants, blackberry
canes, and every kind of vegetable imaginable. Then my mother took
over, guiding me through the stages of pickling and canning, including
lots of knifework (when I give public lectures, I often jokingly
refer to these experiences as "slavery"). I actually thought
it was fun to help; little did I know that I would make a living
using these skills that she taught me. Sometimes, as a teen, I thought
I was behind the curve in terms of life skills. Only as an adult
did I realize how far AHEAD of the curve I really am.
Slow Food
It turns out that many others have realized how important it is
to understand the Path of food from field to table. That is a statement
I use when I work public booths to promote Slow Food (http://www.slowfood.com/
and http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
and http://www.slowfoodfoundation.com/).
Slow Food is an international "movement" that promotes
the mindful understanding of all things culinary. Slow Food started
when founder Carlo Petrini had a visceral level reaction to the
opening of a McDonald's restaurant at the Spanish Steps of Rome,
and decided to create an antidote to "fast food." (I have
my own Spanish Steps story: I was in Rome, and had entered a restaurant
near my hotel for breakfast; I spoke broken Italian to the host,
and he seated me. I was perusing the menu, and two young Americans
approached me, asking in slow, halting English, "Do …
you … speak … English?" I replied, "Yes, I'm
American." They were relieved, and out came an avalanche of
relief involving … not understanding the language, and …
not being familiar with the food, and … HORRORS … had
I visited the McDonald's at the Spanish Steps? I replied, "No,
I haven't, nor do I want to." I was eventually able to disengage
these ugly Americans from my table, and proceed with my breakfast.).
Visit the Slow Food websites, and consider joining TODAY to fight
fast food! You'll become part of a movement that I devote a LOT
of my time to, and am proud to do so. Local chapters are called
"convivia," which says a lot about the philosophy of the
organization.
The Edible Schoolyard
One person who has also devoted a lot of her time to Slow Food is
Alice Waters, renowned chef of Chez Panisse, one of my favorite
restaurants in the US! Of course, Alice doesn't limit her volunteer
work to Slow Food. She has also created The Edible Schoolyard at
the Martin Luther King, Jr., Middle School in Berkeley, CA (not
too far from Chez Panisse). You can learn more about her work by
visiting http://www.edibleschoolyard.org/homepage.html
, but I'm going to present some of that website's text here to provide
you with abundant information.
"The Edible Schoolyard, in collaboration with Martin Luther
King Junior Middle School, engages 950 public school students in
a one-acre organic garden and a kitchen classroom. Using food as
a unifying concept, students learn how to grow, harvest, and prepare
nutritious seasonal produce. Experiences in the kitchen and garden
foster a better understanding of how the natural world sustains
us, and promote the environmental and social well being of our school
community. Children learn about the connection between what they
eat and where it comes from, with the goal of fostering environmental
stewardship and revolutionizing the school lunch program. Linking
garden and kitchen activities with classroom lessons using ecological
principles, students develop a deep understanding and appreciation
of how nature sustains life. Since the inception of The Edible Schoolyard,
the school garden movement and the demand for fresh, organically
produced foods has spread nationally. We are at a threshold of growth
in the shift toward sustainable food systems - these resources may
guide your involvement."
Now, if that doesn't sound like a recreation of my own teen years
on the farm, I don't know what does. Visit the website and the links,
and learn. Seeing how this same process has led me to my current
Path, I hope others will embrace this project, and related ones,
across the country. I know of a group in Chicago doing similar work,
Purple Asparagus.
Purple Asparagus
Purple Asparagus was started by my Slow Food friend, Melissa Graham.
She embraces the importance of involving the entire family in food
appreciation. I copied the following from their website, www.purpleasparagus.com:
"Purple Asparagus is an educational organization dedicated
to bringing families back to the table. We plan and promote activities
that enable the entire family to learn about and enjoy every aspect
of local and global food culture. Purple Asparagus celebrates the
role family plays in raising, making and sharing food, and teaches
children about the importance of food and its traditions."
I've seen their presentations at Chicago's Green City Market, and
their model is easily imitable by anyone across the country. Spend
some time at their website, and see what you can do to increase
familial awareness and enjoyment of food in your own community!
As a personal note, I KNOW that the family meals that I enjoyed
as a child helped build the foundation of my philosophy, and that
of GOD-DESS. Dining together is the future!
Spatulatta.com
Recently I represented Slow Food at Evanston's (Illinois) Farmers
Market. While I was staffing my promotional table, I noticed some
women handing out brochures advertising www.spatulatta.com,
and wondered what this was. I had the opportunity to speak with
the founder, Gaylon Emerzian. She's a great person, and invited
me to share their website with you, my readers. Here's the gist:
two delightful girls, Belle and Livvy, do cooking demos on video
(check out some videos on the website; you'll need Quicktime), to
teach their young peers about culinary technique, measurements,
and ethnic ingredients. It's important for children to learn proper
technique in the kitchen, and to be apprised of the world of culinary
wonders at their disposal. As a purist, I might quibble with some
of their ingredients, but I think this is a wonderful way to introduce
children not only to important cooking techniques, but also to a
wide range of ethnic cuisine. If we are to find commonality in this
world, we must embrace all cultures, and spatulatta.com is doing
a terrific job. As I write this, I have learned that the young chefs
have been invited to do a cooking demo at the Chicago Green City
market, a premier opportunity. By the time you read this column,
the demo will be over, but be assured that these girls know what
they are doing, they are personable, and I totally endorse what
they are doing to educate other children, so get your own children
online to view their Quicktime videos, and open their minds to a
world of flavor.
A Recipe for Children
I've been meaning to write up my "Italian Flag Zucchini Saute"
for a while, but haven't gotten around to it. Since my goal in this
column is often to teach technique rather than an exact recipe,
I'm going to offer this recipe in a somewhat unconventional form.
This is one of the first recipes I ever cooked with my mother, and
I have tweaked it over the years to its current form. I've now tweaked
it again, to emphasize technique and flavor theory for children
to understand
Ingredients:
- 1 medium zucchini (about 8")
- 1 small onion (about 3" diameter)
- 3 Roma tomatoes (about 3" long and 1.5" in diameter)
- 1 medium clove garlic (optional)
- 1 T oregano, dried
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 T red wine vinegar (there is no alcohol in wine vinegar, so
it's fine for children)
- 1 t salt
- 20 grinds black pepper
Trim the stem end off the zucchini. Slice in half lengthwise. Slice
each half into 1/8" to ¼" half moons; set aside.
Slice the onion in half lengthwise; remove skin. Slice each half
into 1/8" to ¼" half moons; separate layers and
set aside. Bring about a quarter of water to boil in a saucepan;
add the tomatoes for 15 to 30 seconds, lift them out using a slotted
spoon and plunge them into ice cold water; remove the loosened skins.
Quarter the peeled tomatoes lengthwise; chop crosswise into ½"
pieces; set aside.
Heat the olive oil in an 8" sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the onions and sauté until translucent and slightly browned,
about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the zucchini, salt, pepper
and oregano (and garlic, if using, finely minced by keeping the root
end of the clove intact while thinly slicing the length of the clove
in one direction, rotating 90 degrees and slicing thinly, then cutting
across the slices to produce the mince) to the onions and stir to
combine; sauté about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and red wine
vinegar, stir to combine, and cook until the zucchini are tender,
about 5 minutes. Serve as a pasta sauce, as a sauce for pan-seared
fish (such as salmon) or chicken (including boneless, skinless breasts
for a low-fat meal), or pan-fried pork chops, lamb chops or beef steak,
or as a topping on a hamburger or hot dog.
Your Role in the Future
I truly believe that the future of our society, even our world,
is dependent on our understanding how food grows, and how it gets
to our table. This is best taught to our next generation, our children.
If you have your own children, teach them. If you have grandchildren,
teach them. If you have nieces or nephews, teach them. If you have
influence over any other children, either as an educator, or a volunteer,
or in a church, teach them. Bring in a professional, such as myself,
if you need help, but remember that the future is in YOUR hands.
Please let me know what is happening in your own worlds with regard
to educating children about the source and preparation of foods
at at 773.508.9208 or bret@god-dess.com.
I'm sure I'll be revisiting this topic in the future, and I would
welcome other examples that will inspire. Thank you in advance for
your contributions!
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