There’s only two things that money can’t buy – and that’s
true love and home grown tomatoes.
Guy Clark
I’ll agree with the enthusiastic lyrics of Guy Clark’s song:
money just can’t buy anything as tasty as a homegrown tomato picked right from
your backyard. (Locally grown heirlooms, like the ones on sale this week at the
Co-op come pretty close, though.) Several summers ago, when we were remodeling
our kitchen, we put up 50 quarts of soup and 50 quarts of salsa in our outdoor
makeshift kitchen. Which had some benefits – not heating up the kitchen on a
hot August afternoon being the primary one. Now we’re empty nesters, so we
don’t need those huge amounts, although we still can enough to give our kids
the taste of summer in a jar (Greg
Brown song) as Christmas presents.
Here’s my two favorite recipes for tomato season, adapted
from Putting it up with Honey by
Susan Geiskopf. You may want to check with your county extension agent for
recommended processing times as these may have changed since the 70’s when this
book was written. Personally, I still use these times and they’ve worked for
me.
This is a yummy soup, and there is nothing like it on the
shelves you can buy that comes near to the rich flavors. Eat it as soup, or use
it as a base for chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.
Outrageous Tomato
Soup
12 quarts
quartered tomatoes (If you don’t have 12 quarts worth of tomatoes, just cut up
what you have and reduce the other proportions accordingly.)
6 medium onions
14 sprigs of
parsley
1 head of celery
– the whole bunch
Garlic coves to
taste – I use a whole bulb
Basil to taste –
I pick about a quart of basil leaves
Hot peppers to
taste – I use the equivalent of one cayenne with seeds. Gives it a nice kick.
¾ c olive oil or
melted butter
2/3 c cornstarch
6 T honey
2T non-iodized
salt
Wash and quarter the tomatoes. Chop the onions, celery,
parsley and add the garlic, peppers and basil into a BIG pot! Cook until the celery is
tender; I let it simmer for a couple hours. Put it all through a sieve, food
mill or Squeezo Strainer. (This year my daughter had my Squeezo Strainer, so I
used a food mill to get the liquid out and then 
ran the pulp through my juicer.
It worked great!)
Mix the cornstarch with the oil or butter to make a smooth
paste. Thin with some of the strained tomato mixture. Add this to the soup;
stir in well. Add the honey and salt. Heat until boiling. Pack hot soup into
hot sterilized jars to within ½ inch of the tops. Complete seals. Process 15
minutes in a boiling water bath. Makes 7-9 quarts, depending on how long you let
the tomatoes cook down. Sometimes I’ve let the tomato mixture cook long enough
that I haven’t needed to use the cornstarch to thicken it.
Hot Salsa
2 quarts peeled & chopped
tomatoes – use paste/roma type, remove seeds and squeeze out the juice before chopping.
1 quart chopped peppers – I use a
combination of sweet and mild to very hot peppers. For a hotter salsa, use more
hot peppers. Wear gloves or oil your hands for protection when handling hot
peppers, and don’t rub your eyes. Ouch!
2 cups chopped onion
2 tsp non-iodized salt
1/3 cup lemon juice
Combine all
ingredients and bring to a boil. Pack into sterilized jars. Complete seals.
Process for 10 minutes in a boiling hot water bath. Yield is approx 6 pints. Recipe
can be doubled.
Written by Dani Lind, VFC Produce Manager
On a lovely Friday afternoon in the middle of July, Driftless Organics in rural Soldiers Grove welcomed me and five other volunteers out to their fields & packing shed to harvest (or “glean”) around 400 pounds of seconds, last pickings, culls, and market returns.
This was the first run of a pilot project of Valley Stewardship Network’s Farm & Food Initiative called “Kickapoo Harvest: Gleaning for Healthy Communities,” aimed at getting healthy, locally produced food into the hands of those who need it most in our region. The gleaned food was distributed to residents of Park View Manor, a fixed income housing complex in Viroqua, as well as the Living Faith Food Pantry.
Over the last year, volunteers of the fledgling Farm & Food Initiative (of which I serve on the Steering Committee, and VFC’s general manager, Jan Rasikas, serves on the Advisory Committee) completed a Community Food Assessment. Several of our findings inspired us to start this pilot gleaning project:
- Many low-income residents lack access to locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Most area vegetable farms must ship their produce to surrounding urban areas to make a living.
- In the vegetable farming business (except for those who grow for processing), only the cream of the crop gets shipped to market, often times leaving blemished and odd-ball veggies, or “seconds” – which usually don’t make economic sense to harvest, wash, pack, and ship - to rot in the field.
This 2009 pilot program engaged adult and youth volunteers to 
harvest this excess “unmarketable” produce and fruit grown at several area farms (participating farms include Ridgeland Harvest, Keewaydin Organics farms, Harmony Valley, Miles Farm, Slattery Family Farm, & Turkey Ridge Orchard). Once a month through October, the harvested produce will be cleaned and nicely boxed, CSA style, by volunteers before being distributed to Park View Manor residents.
In addition, area chefs (including VFC’s very own Kim Sandker, as well as VFC members Monique Hooker, Macon Luhning, & Frank Wildingway) are offering cooking demonstrations and recipes to residents along with their gleaned food boxes to help them out with some of the more unusual contents.
Excess gleaned produce is also being distributed to the Viroqua Public Schools’ 5th Season Project. This project was begun last year as part of the school’s Farm to School Program to purchase locally produced food, prepare and freeze it for use in school lunches throughout the school year. The School is partnering with us to 
provide them with some free gleaned produce as well as delivering seconds for the burgeoning Farm to School Program. In exchange, we get use of the Viroqua High School cafeteria for washing and packing gleaned produce.
With a year of experience under our belt, we hope to be eligible for grants to expand our project next year, enabling us to supply gleaned food to more community members in need. In the future we’d also like to assist local institutions (like schools, hospitals, nursing homes, jail, etc.) in purchasing locally produced food, providing new markets for seconds and other area farms’ products.
If you wish to donate your time or money to help harvest, wash and pack, or distribute gleaned produce, please call Jessica Luhning (608) 637-8568 or email jessicavsn@frontiernet.net.
Written by Zeba Due
I
recently began educating myself about the raw food diet. My first
search on Google came up with 7,110,000 hits. Where to begin? A VFC
customer recommended several books and websites as sources to start my
journey.
The principle behind raw foodism (sometimes called
rawism) is that plant foods are in their most nourishing state when
they are uncooked and unprocessed. Heating food above 116ºF is believed
to destroy enzymes that can assist in digestion and absorption of food
as well as diminishing the nutritional value and “life force” of food.
Benefits of eating raw are believed to be:
• Increased energy
• Improved skin appearance
• Better digestion
• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer
The
raw food diet not only contains fewer trans fats and saturated fat than
the typical Western diet but is also low in sodium, high in potassium,
magnesium, folate, fiber, and phytochemicals (plant chemicals).
Guidelines
A
100% raw diet consists mainly of fresh fruits and vegetables, dried
fruit, seaweed, freshly juiced fruit and vegetables, sprouted nuts and
seeds, seaweed, and some soaked and fermented foods. Foods should
consist of unprocessed, preferably organic whole foods. Some raw
foodists also include; beans, grains, legumes, young coconut milk,
possibly raw milk and cheese. There are raw foodists that eat meat and
fish raw, but I haven’t researched this segment.
While there is
a lot of information about eating raw, I also found value in speaking
to others about their experiences and educating myself through
experimentation. A raw foods diet doesn’t have to be “all or nothing”.
Whenever I embark upon another new change in my life, I have to honor
the time it will take me to “settle in” to my new routine. I have had
great success in making a couple of simple changes that make sense for
me.
The first change I made was implementing “Green Smoothies” 2
to 3 days a week for breakfast. If I was still hungry I would also eat
the Raw Sunflower and Pumpkin Seed Cereal (see recipe below). For lunch
I would have a raw salad and then dinner would be cooked. For me a slow
introduction to eating raw works. I paid attention to signs and symptom
changes in my body and adjusted the raw eating accordingly.
Green Drink
1 1/2 cups raw milk or milk of your choice
1/4 - 1/2 small whole lemon (seeded)
3-4 cups spinach
1-4 inch piece of zucchini
1 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp. Nutiva Hemp Powder
2 Tbsp. protein powder
Pinch stevia powder to sweeten
1/2 tsp. lemon extract (optional)
1 Tbsp. fresh coconut
4-5 ice cubes
Place
all above ingredients except ice in a blender and blend on liquefy or
highest setting on your blender, blending until desired consistency.
Add ice cubes and blend to crush.
Soaking Grains & NutsThe second change I made was soaking grains and nuts.
Soaking
grains breaks down enzyme inhibitors and phytic acid so they are no
longer harmful. As grains soak their vitamin content increases,
especially the B vitamins. Soaking nuts also breaks down enzyme
inhibitors, activating their full nutritional benefits and aiding in
better digestion.
Raw Sunflower Cereal
1/8 cup raw pumpkin seeds, soaked
1/8 cup raw sunflower seeds, soaked
1/8 cup raw buckwheat groats or oat flakes, soaked
pinch of stevia or sweetener of choice
1 Tbsp. oat bran, soaked (optional)
1 Tbsp. coconut
In a small bowl, combine seeds, groats, sweetener, oat bran, and coconut. Cover with nut milk. Chew slowly and enjoy.
I’ve
tried several variations of the above raw cereal. I’ve used soaked
spelt berries instead of the groats, eliminated the oat bran and added
soaked oat flakes. Also adding a heaping teaspoon of raw nut butter or/
and raw nuts will increase the protein. You may enjoy adding your
favorite fruit. This is one cold cereal you need not worry about
wilting before finishing!
by Zeba Due, BS Nutrition, VFC Cashier
Sources:
Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine by Gabriel Cousens, M.D.
Eco-eating by Sapoty Brook
The Raw Food Diet Myth by Ruthann Russo, PhD, MPH
Celebrating our Raw Nature by Dorit
Prudence Tippins (VFC customer/owner)
Written by Arwyn Wildingway, VFC Plants & Seeds Buyer
Sometimes when I look out and see the irresponsible, irreverent way we humans have structured this modern life, I can feel hopeless about our future. But an experience like the Seed Savers Exchange annual conference in Decorah, Iowa verifies my belief that we can get along and live harmoniously with nature.
This was my first conference as a new member of the Seed Savers Exchange, so I didn’t know what to expect, but I was drawn to attend by its relevance and importance for our survival. Not to mention some of my heroes of organic agriculture were there.
Eliot Coleman of Four Season Farm in Harborside, Maine feeds his family and his community fresh food year round in a climate as northerly as ours. He gave a 2 hour demonstration of greenhouse techniques. He utilizes all hand tools, some of which he designed himself (and markets through Johnny’s Selected Seeds) because he believes in the power of human determination and work, which throughout history has supported our growth. In his keynote speech, Eliot noted how starting in the woods, with soil pH of 4.6, they simply applied already documented organic gardening techniques and amendments, with complete success. They have to be intensive as they only have 1½ acres, and they admire the spaces and natural fertility of our area. (Remember, we are lucky!)
Eliot’s wife Barbara Damrosch illustrated the bounty of their endeavors with a beautiful slide show, and pointed out that the colors and vibrancy of fruits and vegetables call out to us because our DNA requires them. She gave some cooking ideas, including battering and frying celeriac rounds, which I can’t wait to try.
Both Maine residents encourage everyone to extend their intake of homegrown foods throughout the year by planting cold hardy greens like mache, claytonia, spinach, and lettuce on both ends of the regular growing year, and by bringing into your home pots of herbs, celeriac, and brassicas for greens in the winter. Also both have written books which I refer you to for more in-depth information.
My favorite speaker was Mike McGrath, former editor of Organic Gardening, and current radio show host on WHYY in Philadelphia. His humor brings light and ease to the perceived difficulty of organic gardening, and all kinds of questions are answered on his website YouBetYourGarden.org. (Check it out!) He spoke on seven secrets of successful heirloom gardens, which was very common sense and enlightening at the same time. I’ll write a summary of that in a future post. His answer to all problems is shredded leaves -- because they feed the worms, whose castings are now proven beyond a doubt to be more nutrious than even compost itself. And he shared that the highest quality compost, made of shredded leaves and coffee grounds, burns a hot pile that scientifically proves itself to cure and prevent bacterial and fungal plant diseases, besides being perfect in N, P, K, and Ca.
I appreciated that the Seed Savers Exchange gave the conference such an organic bent – I think they know it’s the way for the future to thrive, as is their work of saving 2,500 varieties of heirlooms. During the weekend we had the opportunity to tour their fields and orchards, visit their flocks and herds, and admire their new facilities for seed processing, storing, and germinating.
I wished I could have attended every workshop as they all looked interesting. Too many details to relay here, but get yourself a copy of Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth to learn lots. We all can and should contribute to the health of our biosphere by saving some seeds. It’s an ancient activity, like many things largely forgotten in modern times, enjoying a resurgence as humanity wakes up again to what’s real.
Also, next time you’re in downtown Decorah, visit the Porter House museum near the courthouse. The rock wall surrounding it is so beautiful I felt completely blown away. My world is changed for seeing it! 
by Arwyn Wildingway, VFC Plants & Seeds Buyer
Viroqua Food Co-op Conducts Community-Wide Challenge to Eat Local from August 15 to Sept. 15
Eating local is not just for foodies anymore. Whether it’s “60 Minutes,” the New York Times or the Vernon County Broadcaster, more and more media are talking up eating local. And, more shoppers are walking the talk, both as a way to become more mindful eaters and to support the local economy.
With that in mind, Viroqua Food Co-op for the second year is hosting the “Eat Local, America!” challenge this summer, inviting area residents to focus on eating more local food from Aug. 15 to Sept. 15.
Eat Local, America! is honor-based. Those wishing to participate simply sign a large poster at the Viroqua Food Co-op or log on to www.eatlocalamerica.coop.
Participants may choose the level that’s right for them. “Newbies” might start by eating one meal a week made with local food. Seasoned “locavores” can push the envelope – perhaps by making four out of five meals with local foods. Or participants can pick a personal goal somewhere in between.
During the Eat Local America Challenge and throughout the year, we call attention to local food on our shelves with a green shelf tag that says “Local”. At VFC we define local as grown within a 50 mile radius of Viroqua.
For this challenge, however, we are defining local food as being grown in Wisconsin or within 100 miles of your home. So we will have additional Miles-to-Market or Made in Wisconsin signs during the Eat Local Challenge.
If you want to learn more about the local farmers and food producers for the VFC, check out our website at
http://viroquafood.coop/food-thought
National Challenge Underway
Viroqua Food Co-op is joining other food co-ops coast-to-coast in the second, national Eat Local, America! All participating co-ops are members of National Cooperative Grocers Association (NCGA) – a business services cooperative representing 111 retail food co-ops nationwide. Food lovers can learn about all participating Eat Local, America! food cooperative and initiatives at
www.eatlocalamerica.coop.
Sign-Up and Join
Put your taste for local food to the test! Beginning August 15, visit the Co-op to sign up for the challenge and learn more about helpful recipes and products that will make achieving the challenge as easy as a summer breeze. Or, visit the national Web site at www.eatlocalamerica.coop to follow other participants coast-to-coast.
To help you navigate through your own personal local food challenge, NCGA asked foodies, nutritionists, chefs, gardeners, writers and others to share their thoughts, recipes and encouragement about local food on the eat local blog. Charlene Elderkin, VFC Marketing Manager will be contributing to that blog - so check frequently for new local food tips, information and recipes at www.eatlocalamerica.coop/elablog2009
Why Eat Local?
Viroqua Food Co-op cultivates truly reciprocal partnerships and friendships with local growers and producers. Together, the VFC and local producers create viable market opportunities for local products, while giving co-op shoppers a convenient connection to fresh, delicious food of the highest quality.
Local food benefits Co-op shoppers, growers, communities and the environment. It’s also fresher and tastes better, because it retains more nutrients and promotes a healthy environment. With a shorter distance to travel, local food uses fewer natural resources, such as oil, in its transport.
In addition, eating local helps preserve and even stimulate the local economy, as dollars spent on local foods support regional farmers and producers. By keeping their wages in the community, much of the income they earn and the taxes they pay in turn go back to the local economy.
Locally owned by over 2500 members of the community, the Viroqua Food Co-op keeps its investment dollars in the vicinity by supporting local farmers and producers in the Driftless area. Since July 1, 2008 to present, VFC has purchased $479,500 worth of food from Wisconsin farmers. 20% or $94,000 was purchased from Viroqua area farmers.
Although we’re holding this challenge during peak season for fresh produce, it’s possible – and not too difficult – to eat local food year-round. Fruit and vegetables can be preserved until the next harvest season, via canning, freezing and dehydrating. VFC is the go-to source for local dairy products, including milk and artisan cheese, as well as eggs, meat, poultry, fish, honey, maple syrup, herbal wellness & body care products, and even pizza, salsa, sauerkraut and ice cream. Happy eating!
Linking Local Farms and Institutions in the Chippewa Valley
In the March/April '09 issue of Pea Soup, we wrote about the Chippewa Valley Buy Local Consortium, a model for institutional partnership with local food producers. While the consortium had already begun delivering local food to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire, it was still working on becoming a legal entity.
The consortium is now a co-op! The official launch of the Producers & Buyers Co-op took place June 12 at the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Breakfast in the Valley.
The Co-op facilitates buying and selling for farmers in 12 counties in the Chippewa Valley region. Sacred Heart Hospital is a founding partner in the project and committed 10% of its $2 million food budget to purchasing local food products in order to provide a market to help the organization get off the ground.
“Having a stable market price allows me to do more long-range planning with my farm operation,” said Darrel Lorch of Lorcrest Farms, Inc., in Blair, Wisconsin. Lorch also serves as an ad hoc member of the Co-op board.
The Co-op intends to bring new buyers on board as products are sourced and serves institutions such as schools, universities, colleges, hospitals, and businesses that provide cafeteria services.
Currently, the Co-op is working to facilitate the production and purchase of locally produced meats (beef, pork, chicken, fish) fruits & vegetables, dairy & eggs, dry goods, and other locally-produced food.
“Support of the Co-op helps rebuild the local processing infrastructure (i.e. for processing meats, dairy, etc.), and expand local food production by providing a stable market.” said Co-op coordinator Mary C. Anderson*, a value-added farmer with extensive direct sales experience.
The idea for the Co-op began in January 2008, when representatives from River Country RC&D and Sacred Heart Hospital met with area farmers at the Midwest Value Added Agricultural Conference and Wisconsin Local Food Summit. In June 2008, Sacred Heart CEO Steve Ronstrom, pledged 10% of the hospital’s $2 million food budget to buying local food. On July 17 a Buy Local Buy Wisconsin grant was awarded to River Country RC&D to pioneer the best way to get local food to local institutions.
After many planning meetings with local farmers, March 26, 2009 marked the State’s formalization of Articles of Incorporation to create the Producers & Buyers Co-op.
To date, the Producers & Buyers Co-op facilitated the purchase over 26,000 pounds of locally grown product from over 14 local rural communities.
“There have been profound changes over the past century for farm families and rural communities, and in the 1990s alone Wisconsin lost almost 40% of its dairy farms. It’s our responsibility to buy local food to support our local agriculture industry,” said Rick Beckler, Co-op organizer and Sacred Heart Hospital’s Director of Hospitality Services. “We have had an outpouring of warm compliments on our food from patients, our Meals on Wheels patrons and employees.”
*Mary Anderson email: Mary.Anderson@rcdnet.
UPDATE 11/09/09 - The
first annual meeting of the Producers & Buyers Co-op will be held
November 10 at 6 p.m. at Sacred Heart Hospital’s Community Auditorium
(900 West Clairemont Ave.) and the public is invited. Members will
elect new officers and approve bylaws and have opportunities to share
the organization’s recent success and future goals and taste local food
products. Please RSVP by calling (715) 579-5013. A reception will begin
at 6 p.m. and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m.
The annual Co-op meeting will provide information on membership opportunities for farmers and processors, and institutions.