Food & Farm Notes for Henry's Farm Friends

Eggs Again - Fully Awake

2008-04-17T01:00:51Z

What a wonderful first sandal-wearing day of spring this was --a perfect day to fling off whatever stingy, wintry, bah-humbug-ish tendencies you may have, and embrace life anew. And what better symbol of new life than the egg.

A truly good egg is laid by a mentally and physically healthy hen. She is free-ranging, eats organic feed and insects and grass and weeds and rocks . . . and produces an egg with a viscous white and a high, plump yolk that is rich and delicious. And that�s what we�ve got for you (and your Seder plate).

Unfortunately, I need to be in Wisconsin for the next couple of days, but the fine fresh eggs in question can be had by calling or emailing Joel Smith at 773-477-0792 or jasmith@jasmith.net, and arranging to pick them up from 442 W. Aldine � noonish, or after 5 any day is fine.

There are a total of about 25 dozen chicken eggs ($4.50) and 8 dozen duck eggs ($8), so make your arrangements asap. (All are certified organic, from happy hens raised by our neighbors Dennis and Emily Wettstein.)

Now that you have your fine fresh egg, what to do with it? As with most good things in life, you should mostly stay out of its way. Here�s what the late, great Laurie Colwin wrote in her collection of short essays, More Home Cooking.

In my opinion, the perfect form of egg is sunny side up, very gently cooked and covered until a pink, filmy veil forms over the yolk. These eggs should be served with very lightly buttered toast . . . Both eggs and toast get the merest sprinkle of salt and nothing else. You do not eat these for breakfast: You eat them for dinner, when you are fully awake.

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Spring EGGS (duck and chicken) this Sat.

2008-03-27T23:48:33Z

Hello again, and greetings from the farm.

It's been a real winter down in Congerville, with plenty of ice and snow, and a lingering cold, wet spring . . . but Henry's greenhouse is getting greener by the day with seedlings that will soon be transplanted into the black bottomland and launched on their way to satisfying your stomach, and your soul, at the first market come mid-May.

Already the day length is speaking to our feathered friends, both duck and chicken, and they are responding with lots and lots of eggs for our neighboring organic farmers Dennis and Emily Wettstein. I will have those eggs available for pick-up this Saturday at 442 W. Aldine (2 blocks north of Belmont, between Broadway and LSD) from 10 to 2. The Chicken Eggs are $4.50/dozen and the Duck Eggs $8.00. Call when you're on your way, so I can guide you behind the building and meet you there.

Happy Spring,
Terra
847-338-1861

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Winter Work and Lucky Ducks

2007-12-07T02:11:48Z

Food & Farm Notes

December 7, 2007

Early this morning, I woke to a world that was one multifaceted jewel with every surface glinting � silver in the shade, gold where the sun was striking. I watched a jay perch on the porch chair, survey the luminous world, and move on. A moment later, a red-tailed hawk soared close to the house and landed in a spindly tree. He didn�t turn his head when I opened the door � all senses were finely tuned to the field below.

My thoughts went there too, and for a similar, though more distant, reason: food. He was looking for breakfast, a field mouse or vole. I was thinking of next summer�s suppers, redolent with garlic. For although it was 11 degrees when I woke this morning, Henry was already down in his fields, laying thick mulch over his tens of thousands of garlic plants � tending to them as tenderly as a mother tucks a blanket round her sleeping child.

Although all seems still in the fields, already the strong bone-white roots of the fall-planted cloves are reaching down into the soil, deeper and deeper, positioning themselves for spring when they will begin supplying the water and nutrients needed to shoot the green garlic stalk up through the mulch.

But that green growth is at least four cold months away. Now, in our fields, the quiet and crucial work of winter is going on: the repairing and rebuilding of soil structure, and the restocking of water in the soil. I love this time of underground activity, of repair and rebuilding. It�s a time for internal life, which has often been more real to me than external life. Whether the sparkles sifting through this evening�s air are snow or simply time passing earthward, who can tell?

v v v v v v v

But there are two things to tell you in this first of the intermittent winter Food & Farm Notes � both concerning lucky ducks.

First the real ducks, which were lucky to be raised by Dennis and Emily Wettstein and their nine children, lucky to be raised by a family that knows the true meaning of husbandry -- not only of animals, but of the land. Husbandry is the name, says Wendell Berry, of all the practices that sustain life by connecting us to our world. It is the art, he says, of keeping tied all the strands in the living network that sustains us.

Suffice it to say that Dennis and Emily and their kids made these ducks part of a vibrant living network. They raised them from one-day-old ducklings that arrived on the farm courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service, to healthy adults, grown fat and happy on a diet of grasses, clovers, dandelions, insects, and organic grains that were raised, ground, and mixed right there on the farm. These ducks were definitely living la dolce vita, and you will taste it when you roast them up for holiday fare � or just for yourself one of these wintry nights.

Ducks are seasonal, reaching their full size and flavor in November, and Dennis and Emily recently had about 50 ducks organically processed in the Amish facility in Arthur, IL. They weigh about 4 pounds each, and are $6 a pound. I will be coming up to the city this Sunday, but only bringing up as many ducks as I have orders for. So e-mail me with your order (number of ducks and pick-up location).

You can pick them up Sunday in either Evanston or Chicago. I�ll be in Evanston from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, upstairs at 1227 Dodge (near Dempster), and from 8 to 9 p.m. at 442 W. Aldine, near Belmont and Broadway in Chicago. (Call 847-338-1861 if you have any questions)

"Not only the Roman medical writers of the time make mention of it, but likewise the philosophers of the period. Plutarch assures us that Cato preserved his whole household in health, in a season when plague and disease were rife, through dieting them on roast duck."
-- Mrs Beeton�s Book of Household Management

v v v v v

GOAT MEAT. My sister Jill still has a few goats, which can be processed to your specifications. The meat will be coming up to the city sometime close to the 20^th, but needs to be ordered now, so call Jill at 815-269-2003.

Henry�s Burdock and Sunchokes are in repose in our winter storage pit, but I can take orders now, if you would like some delivered to you around the 20^th -- just email me with what you�d like and we�ll be in touch later about the details of the delivery.

v v v

My lucky-duck tale to tell is that I have finally turned a corner and am beginning to breathe more deeply and see more clearly. In the winter, the view to Henry�s bottom field is clear � you can see it all the way from the top of the tree-covered ridge. The view inward also becomes clearer as activity lessens and there is time to uncover what�s been simmering within all year � all these many years since the fateful day I sped on down to Springfield one warm May afternoon to file the articles of incorporation for The Land Connection, our educational nonprofit. I remember returning directly to Henry and the crew in the upper field, near the sweet anise hyssop starts, and thinking my life was about to change. And it has, in many ways.

From that day in 2001 until today, The Land Connection has grown fast and furiously, with generous support from many of you, and with many on-the-ground successes: saving farmland from development, transitioning land to organic production, facilitating the first organic meat processor in the state, and launching a full-year farmer-training course, Central Illinois Farm Beginnings, which I will continue to administer.

But since that day I ran down to Springfield 6 1/2 years ago until today, my life was rarely my own. All things have their seasons, and as we enter this winter season of underground work, I am very pleased to announce that The Land Connection has a new Executive Director, Megan Lewis. Megan comes to us from the American Planning Association (APA), where she was a senior research associate, working on land conservation, climate change, energy efficiency, and green building.

Hiring an Executive Director means that I will begin to have the quiet time to re-stock and re-structure, and to begin the work so many of you have encouraged me to do for so long: namely, to write. I want to write about the inspiring farmers I know � experienced ones with a world of hard-won wisdom, and the new farmers who are leaving lives of security for lives of meaning, returning to family farms, or buying new farms of their own. I want to write articles and editorials that counter the prevailing notions that we �feed the world� and that our current food system provides us with �safe and abundant� food. Mostly, I want to describe the intricacies of daily life lived close to the earth: weather, wildlife, farm-life, seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, seeding . . . .

I very much look forward to the work of writing, the concentration that comes from paying attention � to a blue jay on a porch chair, or a heavy-shouldered hawk on a spindly tree. In these moments I almost glimpse what I was born to -- not so much in the jay or the hawk, as in the pulse that forms the words, the prose that can dip and shimmer with thoughts, and with usefulness and meaning. When that happens it is exactly like sparkles of icy snow, sifting through the air, fine as any fairy dust. But how can we know if this is time falling, or snow? Writing is a strange and solitary thing -- one that I hope to be sharing with you as time goes on.

I am very much looking forward to the next phase of growth for The Land Connection with Megan at the helm -- and ask you to join me in welcoming her aboard.

I am also looking forward to this underground season, a time of revitalization and rejuvenation for both the soil and the soul.

Best wishes to all of you this Holiday Season -- and don�t forget to send me your order for duck (coming this Sunday), and for burdock, sunchokes, or goat (coming in another week or two).

Terra

Oh . . . a recipe . . . J

Crisp Roasted Duck

A whole roasted duck doesn't have to be fussy. With just a few hours' roasting and hardly any work at all, you can have a juicy bird with crisp skin�the best of both textures.

1 (3 to 5 pound) duck
2 cups boiling-hot water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425�F.

Thaw the duck (24 � 48 hours in the refrigerator), then rinse duck inside and out. Prick skin all over with a sharp fork. Fold neck skin under body, then put duck, breast side up, on a rack in a 13- by 9- by 3-inch roasting pan and pour boiling-hot water over duck. This is said to tighten the skin and to make it crispier in the end.

Cool the duck, then pour out any water from the cavity into the pan. Pat the duck dry inside and out, reserving water in pan. Then rub duck inside and out with kosher salt and pepper (and any herbs you may like).

Roast duck, breast side up, 45 minutes, then remove from oven. Turn duck over, and roast 45 minutes more. Turn duck over again (breast side up), tilting duck to drain any liquid from cavity into pan. Continue to roast duck until skin is brown and crisp, about 45 minutes more (total roasting time: about 2 1/4 hours). Tilt duck to drain any more liquid from cavity into pan. Transfer duck to a cutting board and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

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GREENS, and much more, at Pre-Thanksgiving Market

2007-11-16T01:28:34Z

FARM NOTES: Last market at last . . .

We have once again traveled with you from spring equinox to summer solstice to autumn equinox . . . and as we wind up yet another growing season, old bittersweet feelings return. There is sadness that the season of growth is over, and that green life will soon sink into black earth--that divine sepulcher of deeper life, to be covered by a blanket of white snow. But, at the same time, there is always the quiet sense of completion.

The completion and fulfillment come from the turning of the seasons, and also from the partnership between you, our loyal customers (or �co-producers� � see Carlo Petrini�s explanation in the green box at the bottom of this email) and the many hands that worked the soil, planted the seeds, hoed the long rows, mulched them, staked the tomatoes, and harvested, harvested, harvested . . . to bring, literally, tons of good food to your tables.

Those hands include Henry�s and Hiroko�s, their children Asa�s, Zoe�s, and Kazami�s. Also our parents� Herman�s (champion potato-digger) and Marlene�s (champion tomato-sorter). And farmhand Matt�s. And intern Courtney�s. And Andy�s. And many others . . . our Nature Conservancy friends Bob and Renee, our market helpers Marjorie, Jen, and Jonathan ... and so many others. All these hands create a brief, simple, and perfectly transparent food chain that links us to each other and to the earth.

If you�ve been to Henry�s Farm (or even to the website, www.henrysfarm.com), you know and can picture the oak-hickory forested hills surrounding the rich bowl of bottomland that nourished the vegetables that are nourishing you. Producing and eating good local food is a wonderful way to engage the world that sustains us. Like all the best pleasures, the pleasure of a real meal is based on knowledge. We don�t give you �happy meals�, but �real meals.� Through these Food & Farm Notes, and through talking with Henry and the workers at the market, you know the true cost of this food, the precise sacrifice of time and energy it entails. And you can rest assured that your meals have been fully paid for, with no environmental or social justice debts outstanding.

The diversity and beauty of Henry�s and Teresa�s farmstands mirror the diversity and beauty of nature. As Michael Pollan reminds us: �We eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we�re eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world.�

SONG OF THE TASTE

by Gary Snyder, from Regarding Wave

Eating the living germs of grasses

Eating the ova of large birds

the fleshy sweetness packed

around the sperm of swaying trees

The muscles of the flanks and thighs of

soft-voiced cows

the bounce in the lamb's leap

the swish in the ox's tail

Eating roots grown swoll

inside the soil

Drawing on life of living

clustered points of light spun

out of space

hidden in the grape.

Eating each other's seed

eating

ah, each other.

Kissing the lover in the mouth of bread:

lip to lip.

With forecasts calling for lows in the mid-20�s, Henry and the crew have been on several rescue missions since you last saw him two weeks ago -- busily cutting and pulling your produce out of harm�s way. They spent most of today harvesting all your greens � the chois, kales, collards, and especially the lettuces and spinaches, which Henry declared to be in �record-breaking amounts� for this late in the season.

In fact, there was so much lovely, thick-leaved, sweet-tasting, late fall spinach, that everyone was picking it for five cold hours straight. �Everyone� included Jonathan and Jen, Evanston residents who have helped sell at nearly every market this season. During the marathon harvest, Jen admitted she had a whole new appreciation for the numbing work involved in harvesting end-of-season spinach, and she just shook her head, quietly saying, �I just never knew . . .�. Like the painful hard-earned knowledge that fosters such appreciation, the result is rich and sweet and complex.

Because I was in Mexico for the past week (a Slow Food congress), I wasn�t able to write the usual Notes for Henry�s mid-week downstate CSA, so Henry had to write them himself. He so seldom has time to write, but writes so concretely and so well, that I want to share it with you.

Henry writes: On Monday we were out pulling all the more freeze-susceptible roots, mainly the different kinds of turnips and winter radishes. Those roots stick slightly out of the ground and when it starts getting down in the 20�s, the part that sticks out of the ground freezes solid. It thaws out during the day and the plant keeps on growing, but once frozen like that the root won�t store nearly as long and the frozen part loses some flavor and texture. We pull the plants, tear off the tops and put the loose roots in boxes.

Later this week, I�ll wash all the roots and most of them will be used up over the last two CSAs and my last Evanston market. What�s left will go into the storage pit for our winter usage.

Freezing chois for winter stir-fries. Take any of the greens you don�t think you�ll be able to eat this week�I would recommend the kale, komatsuna, bok choi and Ruby Streaks�and put them into the freezer for winter stir-fries, soups and anything else. All you need to do is blanch the greens in boiling water for a couple minutes, then cool them rapidly in cold water, squeeze out excess water, pack in ziplock freezer bags and place them in the freezer.

Also, don�t be afraid to use the greens for salads. Make your own mesclun this week. Chop up some Chinese cabbage, komatsuna and Ruby Streaks and throw it in with your lettuce. Slice the bok choi stems into hefty slivers for a nice crunch. I like to sliver up fennel as well in my salad. Even the kale, if you sort out the smaller leaves, is tender enough to eat raw.

Finally, you can hold the greens for a few weeks just by putting them as they are in a plastic bag in your refrigerator. The Chinese cabbage, in particular, can be stored for a month at least. You might have to throw away some outer leaves at that point, but the rest will be perfect.

One final point about the greens. Just because we went through a couple really cold nights and just because we went out on a rescue mission doesn�t necessarily mean you�ve seen the last of the greens from the field. All the greens that we are picking now are very cold-hardy. They won�t be killed off until temperatures don�t rise above 32 all day long. The two nights in the mid-20s last week did hurt these cold-hardy veggies. The outer leaves freeze, which means the water in the plant cells freezes, crystallizes and ruptures the cell walls. That causes the leaves to wilt and droop and if you tried to eat them they would be soft and rubbery.

However, the plants themselves are still alive and still growing. When the weather warmed up again and we had a string of nights that didn�t go below freezing, the smaller interior leaves that were protected by the outer leaves kept growing and brand-new perfect leaves developed. The accumulation of these hard freezes makes it harder and harder for me to find enough of those good, undamaged leaves, but it is those fabulous new greens that you�ll see � in record-breaking amounts.

INDOOR/OUTDOOR FARMERS MARKET

Saturday, November 17

Immanuel Lutheran Church

616 Lake Street (Sherman and Lake), Evanston
9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Please note the start time: 9 a.m. We love all you early birds, but folks living around the church have called the police in recent years, complaining of the noise, and since we don�t want them to shut this market down, the rule is that we cannot even open the back door of the truck until 7, and we need at least an hour to set up . . . so please, get some sleep! If you must come early, please only come 1 hour early -- around 8 a.m. is the earliest we�ll be able to sell you anything.

Think: Holiday Gifts, Host and Hostess Gifts . . .

Gifts for The Land and for YOU!

Think: Land Connection Farmer-Annotated Calendars

This market will be the last occasion for you to buy the beautiful (and educational) Farmer-Annotated calendar, A Year on the Land. With this calendar on your wall, you�ll know exactly what Henry is doing each week of the year, and you�ll be prepared for the peak week of tomatoes, or beans, or corn . . . and also be privy to the secret lives of bees, goats, fruit trees, and more. For a sneak preview take a look at http://www.thelandconnection.org/get_involved/calendar.cfm

We�ll have plenty of calendars at the market, or you can order them securely online at the above URL.

No matter how you buy it, your calendar purchase supports The Land Connection in its work of preserving farmland, transitioning it to organic, training new farmers and connection farmers and consumers. Thank you!

FOOD NOTES: Highlights of the Pre-Thanksgiving Market . . .

Gorgeous Autumn Greens

Henry told me that many of you took our advice to buy up the broccoli raab in bulk two weeks ago, and freeze some for winter. You should do the same this week with the spinach and all the beautiful chois. Consider buying 5 (or 10!) bunches, and cooking them down to put in freezer bags for later. It�s very easy to do (instructions below), and super-easy to use in the depths of winter . . . simply heat in the microwave or in a wok, adding the garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, or whatever flavors appeal to you. We guarantee that your frozen greens will taste fresher than any �fresh� produce you can possibly buy in the stores in December or January.

Sweet Potatoes

It turned out to be a better sweet potato year than Henry expected, so they�ll be a lot coming up for you. Henry cures all the sweet potatoes so that they will last perfectly for months if you keep them a dark, dry place, between 55 and 72 degrees. We were eating perfect sweet potatoes clear into April this year.

Leeks

Leeks have been around for a very long time. The ancient Romans were particularly fond of them. The first century Roman Cookery of Apicius includes seventeen recipes for leeks. Among them are fabulous-sounding dishes such as leeks stewed with shell beans in white wine, beets and leeks in raisin sauce, leeks and celery poached with honey and pepper, leek sauce with pepper for braised meats, fish fillets with leeks and coriander, and leeks with truffles. The Roman tradition continues all over Europe and the Middle East, where nearly every shopper�s market basket contains a pound or more of leeks. Large leeks are good for stuffing and for making soups. But small or medium leeks like the ones Henry is bringing have a much better texture and taste.

Daikon

The name (dai = large or great; kon = root) reveals that this is a large radish�but the more radish, the more you can do with it. Daikon have a medium bite when raw, but are very mellow when cooked. Raw daikon can be grated, slivered, diced, or sliced to add its crunch and zip to relishes and salads. For salads, thin-sliced daikon is especially good with carrot and sesame (seeds and/or oil). Stir-fried daikon slices, strips, or cubes are turnipy-sweet. Chunks of daikon boiled briefly in miso or another broth make a mild and delicious soup.

And for an uncommon cure to the common cold, try Mrs. Takayasu�s wonderful Daikon with Lemon: Thinly slice half moons of equal amounts of lemon and daikon. Add sugar to taste. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Eat the lemon and daikon and drink the liquid � they�ll cure whatever ails you!

Lettuces

Fall lettuce, like fall spinach, is extraordinarily tasty. And, because it�s gone through a fair bit of cold weather, it will keep well for weeks in your refrigerator. Stock up!

How to Freeze Greens

All the Asian Greens freeze extremely well, so . . .

Put a pot of salted water on to boil. While you�re waiting for it, rinse the greens and coarsely chop them. Then, when the water�s boiling, put lots and lots of greens in . . . they melt down as they hit the hot water, and you�ll be surprised how many chopped greens will fit into one pot.

Bring the pot back to a boil for just a minute or so, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. You want them tender-crisp, just a minute or two shy of being cooked they way you�ll want them in the end. Then fill the freezer bags, and put them in the freezer and you�re done, until, a few weeks or months from now, you crave some farm-fresh greens, and voila, there they are, waiting for a microwave or a pot of boiling water to bring them back to the exact taste, nutrition and freshness you had the day you froze them.

CHOI Recipes

Garlic Choi

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

4 teaspoons minced garlic

2 or 3 bunches any choi

2 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt broth

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add garlic; saut� 1 minute. Add choi and stock; simmer until tender, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir-Fried Choi

1 or 2 bunches komatsu-na, bok choi, or tah tsai

2 tablespoons water

1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Trim choi and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. In a bowl stir together water and soy and oyster sauces. In a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, and stir-fry choi with salt 2 minutes. Add soy mixture and butter and stir-fry until choi is crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes.

Leeks

Although leeks nearly disappeared from the tables of the gentry throughout northern Europe in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, they kept going strong in solid peasant fare. One of the less-known, but more delicious versions of champ is Leek Champ. (�Champ� is one of the best-loved ways of cooking potatoes in Ireland. Simply boil them, mash them with some boiled milk, and stir in a green vegetable such as scallions, chives, nettles, peas, or leeks. Serve the creamy, green-flecked mixture with a big knob of yellow butter melting in the center.)

Leek Champ

(adapted from Irish Traditional Cooking, by Darina Allen, published by Gil and Macmillan, 1995)

1 pound potatoes

12 oz leeks

1-2 Tb butter

1 cup (or more, depending on dryness of potatoes) milk

salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Scrub the potatoes and cook in boiling salted water until cooked through.

2. Meanwhile, wash and slice the leeks into thin rounds. If the leeks are gritty, slice them longitudinally and rinse well before slicing.

3. Melt one tablespoon butter in a heavy pot. Toss in the leeks and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook on low heat until soft and tender, 15-20 minutes.

4. As soon as the potatoes are cooked, drain, peel, and mash.

5. Bring the milk to the boiling point in a small pan. Beat the buttered leeks and their juices into the potatoes along with enough boiled milk to make a soft texture. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately with a lump of butter melting in the center. Serves 4.

Classic Leek and Potato Soup

One pound potatoes

1/2 pound leeks

3/4 cup cr�me fraiche or heavy cream

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 Tb chopped fresh tarragon or chervil for garnish

1. Combine the potatoes, leeks, and one quart water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer gently until vegetables are very soft, 35-40 minutes.

2. Puree the soup in a food processor and return to the saucepan. Stir in the cr�me fraiche and cook over low heat just until heated through. Adjust the seasoning and serve, garnished with the fresh herb.

Carlo Petrini speaks on �Good, Clean, and Fair� Food

As consumers, we have been progressively distanced from production, so much so that nowadays we know little or nothing about it. We are no longer able to recognize the quality of a product, nor are we capable of taking the responsible, conscious decision NOT to support producers who do their job badly.

Quality is not simply a question of food safety or even of taste and aroma. Food is of top quality if it is sustainable environmentally (does not threaten biodiversity or ecosystems) and socially (does not exploit workers). Quality is a matter of taste, environment, and social context.

We must have the strength to give the food economy back to the citizens, because food must be good, clean and fair.

Good, absolutely good, so that we are not condemned to eat badly! Even during the historic troubles of Italy, many of my gastronome friends speak of the �Italian memory�. The Italian gastronomic memory has a name: hunger. Built into this memory is the wisdom of many women, which brought about, along with a subsistence economy, some masterpieces, very simple, but good.

Clean, because one cannot produce nourishment by straining ecosystems, ruining the air, and destroying biodiversity.

Fair, because the citizen must be paid; if we want the young people to stay and return to the land here in our countries they must have dignity and fulfillment, and they must be valued.

Good, clean, and fair are three adjectives that farmers must offer to the consumers, whom I would like to call co-producers, in an effort to change our food system.

Carlo Petrini

Founder of Slow Food

And finally, at this time of Thanksgiving, we give thanks to all of you. You enable us and all our local farmer friends and neighbors to do what we do.

So as we sit with our respective loved ones this Thanksgiving and count our blessings, let�s also count up the number of local foods on the holiday table, and do good while eating well!

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