Happy, Healthy--You Are What You Eat

Vetter Beef starts with a crossbreed of Holstein and Black Angus. The cows graze in free-range pasture and are fed a blend of grasses from the farm with high quality, all natural minerals, vitamins, and amino acids, filling their complete nutrition requirements every day.

(This article was written for and appeared originally in The WEDGE Newspaper, August/September 2021 issue)

When Bob Vetter was a boy growing up in rural New York, farms fascinated him. His family didn’t farm, but one down the road did, and he started visiting, watching the activity, learning about the animals. That family put him to work, and he knew he wanted to work with farms for the rest of his life.

As Vetter continued learning and working with other farms, he became a Registered Animal Scientist with the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists (ARPAS) and a Livestock Nutritional Consultant. His focus was on family farms and helping them with better production, healthier animals and “believing in family farming” that could compete in larger agriculture markets.

Along the way, Vetter discovered that he was feeling sick when he ate mass-market beef, suspecting additives in the meat as the culprit. So, he set up an experiment. He purchased his own cow and raised it on the diet he prescribed to many of his clients: grass, hay, and alfalfa supplemented with amino acids and all-natural mineral and vitamin supplements; no hormones, no antibiotics, no animal by-products.

“Cows have nutritional requirements for their bodies just like we do,” Vetter notes. “It stands to reason that the more nutritious the food for the cows, the more nutritious the beef will be for humans.”

He had the beef processed, ate that, and was no longer sick. At that point Vetter decided to raise his own cows.

Bob Vetter shows one component of what the cows eat daily. Alfalfa and hay are stored in silos and ferment naturally, providing nutrients and probiotics, aiding digestion, and keeping the cows happy.

One of his clients purchased a dairy farm between Avon and Honeoye Falls in 1955. For over a decade Joe Mroczek and his son Andy have used Vetter’s consulting service to enhance and optimize feeding and production for their herd of Holsteins, but the farm has been scaling back milk production little by little due to society’s waning demand for milk products.

“COVID was the final nail in the coffin,” says Andy.

It turns out that school systems are the biggest consumers of milk, and with the closure of schools last year for remote learning, the family made the difficult decision to cease operations.

About the same time, Vetter was looking for a new location for his small herd of beef cattle in the Finger Lakes that would be closer to his home in Avon. One day he stopped at the Mroczek farm with a proposal that would keep him closer to his family and keep the Mroczek farm operating. 

“Today’s start-up costs for a farm, well, it just isn’t feasible,” Vetter says. “Combining my business with Andy’s is allowing us to grow at a rapid rate.”

Andy agrees, adding, “An empty barn deteriorates.” Having activity in the buildings and animals in the pasture keeps the farm functional and healthy. The farm also produces wheat, corn, soy, and hay for feed, rotating the fields for optimum quality and soil health. In fact, Mroczek Farm received an award in the 1980s for its environmental conservation practices.

The new partnership, a combined total of 100 years of farm experience, will continue the commitment to cleanliness, quality, and sustainability utilizing the systems already in place for silos, pastures, barns, and feed. They are also using crossbred cattle, Holstein (dairy) and Black Angus (beef.) This combination produces hybrid vigor: bringing out best traits of the breeds while decreasing the worst traits. In this case the result is excellent marbling in a lean meat that enhances flavor and tenderness without a heavy outer covering of fat.

Vetter adds, “Everyone wants Black Angus, but I’ve eaten some tough Black Angus. I’ll put my steak up against a Black Angus steak anytime.”

Working together is keeping two businesses going:  a 66-year-old family farm and a growing beef business. The partners are, from left to right, Andy Mroczek, Joe Mroczek, and Bob Vetter with his sons Evan and Wyatt.

Each day the cows on this farm are checked and walked to confirm overall health and are fed a largely home-grown diet with a complete nutrition package. Their bedding is natural hay, and barns are cleaned daily with the manure carted to a separate pit to use for crop fertilizer. Cows are put into the free-range pasture in the morning and wander back into the barn out of the mid-day sun, where water and fresh hay are available for grazing. When the cows are sent for processing, it’s to a local, relatively small USDA-inspected facility.

In the barns, the lights and noises are low. The cows are serene—curious about visitors, but not anxious or jostling or bellowing. Humans in the barns speak in quiet tones and move slowly. This is by design, according to Vetter. The calmer, less-stressed the cows are, the happier they are, and this is reflected in the end product. 

“When you buy ground beef in grocery stores and fast food, chances are much of it comes from a big facility that processes large quantities of meat a day,” explains Vetter. “You don’t know where it came from or what the animals have been through. It makes a difference in what you’re eating.”

 Vetter says that working with his farm clients and seeing their commitments to quality food led him to “want better” for his wife, Jessica, and two sons, Evan and Wyatt. He says each day inspires him to provide not only a living, but an improved quality of life for his family, the animals, and for his clients and customers.  

Beef from Vetter’s can be purchased at the South Wedge Farmers Market (see the SWFM Facebook page to see when he’ll be there,) through the website www.VettersBeef.com, and at Weaver’s Farm Market in Canandaigua.

Lento Restaurant and its Locally Grown Commitment

"Lento" means "slow-paced," and from day one, this restaurant committed to the farm to table, slow food philosophy. This article was published in the August/September 2018 issue of The Wedge newspaper. 

In 1986, McDonald’s opened its largest restaurant to that date, in Rome on the popular Piazza di Spagna, one block from the historic Spanish Steps. Romans—and Italians—were outraged. To a culture so interwoven with its revered familial culinary heritage, the brash arrival of the world’s epitome of cheap, fast, mass-produced meals was a stunning wake-up call.

Italian activist and journalist Carlo Petrini organized a movement to protest this trend and, in a nutshell, promote and preserve traditional farming, crops, livestock, preparation methods, and recipes. This was the Slow Food movement which made its way throughout the world.

Around this same time in the United States, a chef/restaurateur named Alice Waters became one of the first American chefs to seek out, use, and promote locally grown, organic produce and meats.  Her restaurant, Chez Panisse in Berkeley, led this trend, which eventually morphed into what is now “farm to table” and “farm to fork.”  Google this in Rochester, NY, and several choices will pop up. One of those is Lento at Village Gate.

Art Rogers, owner/chef, Lento Restaurant

Art Rogers, Lento chef/owner, says that 11 years ago when he opened the restaurant, he was all-in with the local food movement and applying it to his business. After studying Hospitality Management at the University of New Hampshire, he went to Maine to see a restaurant called Primo. This was a “full farm restaurant” where everything from herbs to livestock was grown on the premises and provided the restaurant fare, in effect, a restaurant on a farm. Anything the farm didn’t produce was purchased from nearby farmers and purveyors. Rogers was enchanted, spent the next three years at Primo, then returned to Rochester to open Lento.

He began by connecting with farmers, but many didn’t want to work with restaurants, finding them too demanding. Now, Rogers says farmers are calling him, which gives him a wider range of ingredients (meats and greens in particular,) gives the farmer a steady income stream, and gives the diners better quality and more choices on the menu.

The influx of locally sourced food keeps Rogers and his staff inspired, too. With area farmers making use of greenhouses to extend the growing season, he can design the menu with what is available on any given week, but also plan ahead for fresh items coming. For instance, he likes working with root vegetables, potatoes, and onions, and those are available locally all year.

“We get to change it up all the time,” Rogers says. “Especially when you know the new stuff is coming, like corn about this time of year. That first hit is really special. Or the first batch of cherry tomatoes. I feel like I have to get my hands on them right away. It’s better when you’ve waited for it.”

Critics of the farm-to-table movement say that it is pretentious and caters to the wealthy class. From this perspective luxe farm dinners with high price tags have become trendy, rather than making “real food” more accessible to those in need. In fact, one downstate restaurant charges a non-refundable, advance payment of $258 per person for a meal at their own farm, with wine pairing an additional $168.

Rogers doesn’t agree with the criticism but says it is a “grey area.” Because he works with individual farmers and fresh, high quality foods, his costs are higher than if he were to order from a distributor buying large quantities from industrial agriculture companies.

Currently 100 percent of Lento’s meat is sourced locally all year, as are their salad greens. In July through October, at least 95 percent of the remaining menu ingredients are local, but in March and April the selections are understandably limited. Rogers lists Lento’s farmers and purveyors on the website, www.LentoRestaurant.com, so customers can see the local names and places behind their meals.

“Restaurants will post a sign that says, ‘We use local when available.’ That’s a clue that it’s not really local,” he explains. “If people were really educated on the food system, they would want to eat like this [farm-to-table.] But now costs are costs, and people don’t always care where their food comes from. The food system is broken. We eat too much meat, but it’s cheaper than produce. It’s upside down. Farm-to-table and Slow Food shouldn’t be ‘a movement.’ It’s the way people should be eating.”

In 2015, Lento Restaurant was nominated for a James Beard Award, the only restaurant in Rochester to achieve this. Lento is located at 274 N. Goodman St. For reservations or more information, call (585) 271-3470 or visit www.lentorestaurant.com.

Article and all photos by Glynis Valenti

Root Vegetables: It's What's Inside that Counts

Root vegetables aren’t pretty. They aren’t like a baby pepper that transforms into a shiny, chiseled green block or like a plump, sun-kissed heirloom tomato. They are the workhorse veggies, staples that (no pun intended) ground the meal.

Before industrial agriculture and year-round availability of produce at the grocery store, root vegetables were harvested at the end of the season, stored in “root” cellars and eaten during the cold, lean months of winter. This makes sense given that root vegetables are just that: roots that store all of the nutrition for their plants above-ground. All of that energy, vitamins and minerals are beneficial to humans, too.

Carrots and potatoes are common root vegetables, but three others—parsnips, beets and sweet potatoes—are inexpensive and have some unique qualities that add nutrition and variety to favorite winter dishes.

Parsnips look like large, pale carrots but are used like potatoes. Researchers say the plant originated in Europe, and ancient Romans ate it, though they called carrots and parsnips by the same name. Before sugar cane, parsnips were used to sweeten foods. Farmers developed plumper, fleshier parsnips and harvested them late to increase the sugar. Vegetables in the same family include carrots, celery, parsley, fennel, celeriac and chervil.

Nutritionally, parsnips are high in fiber, low-calorie, low fat, cholesterol free, and harbor valuable omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Generally parsnips can replace potatoes in recipes because of their similar physical properties. Try dicing them for soups or mashing them with potatoes or cauliflower to add some nutritional and flavor zip.

Beets, related to turnips and spinach, have their own unusual properties and benefits, most obviously the betalain pigments that give beets rich colors.  As with many phytonutrients, betalains provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory support, but these combined with beet levels of Vitamin C and manganese appear to target eye health and nerve tissue.

The beet was cultivated along the Mediterranean as early as 2000 BC and in China during the first millennium AD. During this time, though, beets were grown mainly for their greens above ground, also nutritious. In the 19th century, sugar beets were developed in Germany and harvested as an alternative to sugar cane. Today one-third of the world’s sugar supply comes from beets.

Preliminary research indicates that beet phytonutrients inhibit a type of enzyme producing cell messages that trigger inflammation. In cases of chronic inflammation like heart disease, atherosclerosis and resulting Type II diabetes, stopping these molecules reduces dangerous inflammation. Because of this, scientists have been doing tests on various tumor cells and beets with promising results. Another nutrient found in beets, betaine, is showing positive results in decreasing cardiovascular system inflammation.

Beets are best when small to medium-large size. Watch for small bruises or holes because the pigments contained within the skin will leak from a punctured root. To conserve the pigment and nutrients, beets should be cooked with their skins intact and with about an inch of stem still on the root. The valuable betalains are susceptible to heat, so recommended steaming time should be kept to less than 15 minutes and roasting or baking time to less than one hour. When removing the outer skins wear rubber or disposable gloves to keep the pigment from coloring the hands. Root skins should peel off easily with a paper towel.   

There are over 400 varieties of sweet potatoes throughout the world, but only two varieties are commonly grown in the United States: one with gold colored skin and white or yellow flesh, the other with tan or brown skin and orange flesh, commonly called a yam. However, it is not even in the same botanical family as a true yam, which is grown only in tropical climates, nor is it related to the common potato. The yam misnomer began when African slaves coined the North American sweet potato “nyami,” the Senegalese term for a similar-looking root grown in Africa.  

Ten thousand years ago inhabitants of Peru were growing the sweet potato, which is actually part of the morning glory family. Columbus took them to Spain from the New World, and the Spanish and Portuguese grew and exported them around Europe, Africa, the Philippines, and Asia after that. Native Americans in the south were already growing them, called “batatas,” and sweet potatoes are still a southern cooking staple.

The darker the flesh, the more beta-carotene inside, and this is the type of beta-carotene from which human bodies can directly produce Vitamin A. In Africa and India school children are fed sweet potatoes to support healthy eyes, bones, skin and immune systems. It’s said that the sweet potato sustained Civil War soldiers during the winter months.

Sweet potatoes produce their own healing nutrients, sporamins, when the root’s flesh is damaged. These are stored in the vegetable flesh, so humans ingesting the vegetable may absorb these healing antioxidants, as well. Research indicates that sweet potatoes could help those with intestinal tract maladies or with high levels of mercury, cadmium or arsenic in their systems. 

An unusual benefit to people with Type II diabetes has to do with the body’s production of insulin regulator adiponectin, produced by the body’s fat cells. Sweet potatoes increase the production of this hormone, and, contrary to the usual avoidance of starch for diabetics, one medium sweet potato boiled or steamed will provide about three grams of dietary fiber and only register around 50 on the glycemic index.

Boiling seems to be the best way to preserve the nutrients and keep the glycemic index low. Studies also show that the beta-carotene is best absorbed when eaten with a small amount of fat. Adding a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil or some crushed walnuts to a medium steamed or boiled sweet potato will be enough to reap the benefits.

True, root vegetables look a little rough on the outside, but so do diamonds when they’re first dug out of the ground. Using each of these in a winter dish every week could save a bit in the budget and add a boost to the immune system. It’s what’s inside that counts.

January: Burrow in with Some Comfort Food

It looks like Winter finally came back from the Bahamas, so hearty fare like stews and pastas will probably begin showing up on dinner tables. Stop back on this page weekly as I feature different comfort foods each week all month. In addition, I'll pair wines to go with them in this site's "Wine Pick of the Week," posted on Thursdays on the "Wine" page. 

First, a background on comfort foods and how they became part of us. Here's a feature I wrote, originally published in The Times Leader. Enjoy!

It isn’t possible to know exactly when sustenance became a substitute. Cavemen most likely ate to survive and hunt another day. Were gorging Romans trying to assuage guilt about throwing people to the lions, or were they alleviating worry about the fall of the empire? By that point food was considered pleasurable and was far more complicated than nuts, berries and wild boar, but a source of comfort? No one can say.

By end of the 1970’s, however, comfort food was a genre listed in Webster’s Dictionary and recognized by anyone holding eating utensils. People used food to feel better. There is a physiological reason for the body to seek food for comfort that in fact dates back to the cavemen: stress. When a person is threatened, be it a saber-toothed tiger or job loss, the brain tells the body to produce cortisol, which signals systems throughout the body to gear up for life-saving (increase the heart rate, become alert, send blood to muscles for quick action.) In the short-term, once the danger has passed, the body will shut the responses down. For chronic or long-term stress, cortisol production is prolonged, and the body’s internal response is to keep energy reserves (fat, particularly in the abdomen) on hand to maintain a higher level of internal activity. This means a natural craving for high fat, high sugar foods easily stored for energy. Once fat is stored, the body finally begins to shut the responses down, letting the brain know that there is a reserve of energy available.

The psychological and emotional connections to comfort food are a bit more complex and individual, but generally go back to the body’s hormone production. One university study had students categorize foods into nostalgic, physical, indulgence and convenience comfort foods, in effect showing that people make conscious choices about what foods make them feel better and why. When the body takes in sugar and starch, it produces a neurotransmitter called serotonin. The brain translates this chemical into “contentment, well-being.” Oxytocin is produced when the body eats salty food. This chemical is a warm and fuzzy “love hormone” related to trust, bonding and human sexual responses. Foods themselves can determine the resulting chemical and, to a certain extent, emotional reaction.   

Sight, sound, touch and smell link memories with responses as well. The scent of a perfume, good or bad, can take one back to a fourth grade teacher or great aunt. So it is with food. In an informal survey for this article, a group from various backgrounds in the east, Midwest and west coast were asked about their comfort foods. In answers to “what makes this a comfort food for you,” 50 percent of the respondents specifically mentioned associating the dish with their mothers or grandparents. Another 22 percent noted childhood memories (without mention of mothers or grandparents.) The difference may seem subtle, but the “moms” group associates the food with a person, love and connection to that person in general over time. The “childhood memories” group and, in fact, the remaining 28 percent seem to identify with the dish itself and its association with a time of illness, a reward or past good times.  

Comfort food is also not an American phenomenon. Cultures on every continent have dishes that incorporate the same characteristics and are eaten for the same reasons as classic American versions. Most are served warm, though some of the sweeter foods are not (candy, ice cream;) most are soft (noodles, melted cheese, meatballs;) many are starchy (potatoes, homemade bread.) One person’s eggnog is another’s pad thai.

In the above-mentioned survey one Ohio Valley chef (port braised lamb shanks with creamy polenta and arugula) and one owner of a computer service company in New York (beef stew) both cited the change of season for their comfort food choices. The chef associated his dish with the change in menu and good times with his restaurant crew. The man with the computer company noted the fall colors of his dish and mentioned the first snow of the season. 

Lists for the top named (American) comfort foods include what one might expect: macaroni and cheese, chicken soup, pot roast, beef stew, chocolate, apple and pumpkin pies, spaghetti, meatloaf, mashed potatoes. Aside from a couple of the favorites, though, the survey really showed the diversity of population while still staying true to comfort food characteristics: mashed potatoes with noodles in the center; peanut butter; ginger ale; eggnog; French fries with gravy; creamed peas and bacon made by mom. One woman describes her favorite: “Whole grain bread, toasted, with huge amounts of melted cheese on top. Tastes good while being not especially good for me, a prerequisite of comfort food. It probably reminds me of childhood when the cheese would have been generic Velveeta. Now the cheese is actually real cheese.”

She does bring up a point about comfort food: it isn’t healthy for everyday fare. This is also part of today’s stress issues relating to the upswing in obesity. As previously mentioned, stress increases serotonin in the body, therefore increasing cravings for easily converted energy foods. High carb/low protein foods keep the production of serotonin going, also stimulating insulin production, which over the long-term can result in obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Cookbooks and websites are full of updated recipes to make comfort-style foods healthier, but part of the idea is the indulgence. 

Though each has different experiences and preferences, humans are all designed the same, and using food to feel better is universal. The word “comfort” is derived from the Latin “confortare,” to strengthen. Chances are just reading this article has triggered some favorite food memory.

In the words of renowned food writer and author M.F.K. Fisher, “It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it ... and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied ... and it is all one.”

Looking for Something Different for Dinner?

(Another of my features originally published in the Times Leader. Check out the two Wheeling businesses, and Wegmans carries Kalettes. No word yet on local bug flour.)

Are you an adventurous eater? Tired of standard beef, potatoes and chicken? If the thought of a Moroccan market sets your heart a-flutter, there may be some foods stateside to satisfy that pioneer spirit.

On the tame end of the spectrum are Kalettes (pronounced kay-lets.) This new vegetable is a combination of kale and Brussels sprouts. Scientists in the UK spent 15 years developing this hybrid through natural plant breeding rather than genetic modification, hence they are non-GMO. Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Whole Foods began carrying them last year.

To some people, crossing these two vegetables is the ultimate “awful” given kale’s sometimes sharp, bitter taste and the sprouts’ somewhat sour flavor, but researchers have tried to bring out the best qualities of each and say the result is more appealing. It looks like a tiny dark green and purple cabbage with ruffled leaves and has a taste that is both sweet and nutty.

They are actually from the same plant family, Brassica oleracea, which also includes broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. Of course a one cup serving is packed with nutrition: 15 percent of the RDA in iron; 27 percent of the RDA in Vitamin C; 80 percent of the RDA in Vitamin K; 90 percent of the RDA in iron; 5 grams of fiber. Blanching and roasting seem to be the most popular ways to prepare them, and there are recipes online.

Carnivores may want to give beefalo a try. Just as it sounds, the meat is a cross between cattle and American bison. This is not a new concept or breed. Settlers in North America noticed the results of accidental crossings in the mid-1700s, and in the 1800s ranchers in the United States and Canada began efforts to intentionally crossbreed to develop hardier cattle for harsh winters. For the next 80 years breeders tried to find the optimum combination of bloodlines and determined that 3/8 buffalo to 5/8 cow (usually a beef breed) is that ratio.

Nutritionally, beefalo is lower in fat and cholesterol and has 5 percent more protein than regular beef. Beefalo are grass fed without grain supplements, so they are more self-sufficient eaters and less expensive for ranchers.  The meat is lean and with a slightly sweeter flavor than beef.

Matt Welsch, chef/owner of The Vagabond Kitchen (on Facebook) in Wheeling, has beefalo on his menu regularly saying he “fell in love” when a West Virginia producer had him try it. 

“I have a longstanding relationship with the Utterbacks at Brookside Farm in Aurora,” Welsch explains. “When Mark told me about his lamb and beefalo production, I was excited to try it, and when I did I fell in love. It makes it even better that I know his animals are treated well and they are a good hardworking family.”

While a local grocery store carries regular buffalo meat, Welsch adds that he doesn’t know of another producer in this area, though Pittsburgh stores may carry beefalo. Meanwhile those interested could contact Brookside and stop in for a sandwich or steak at Vagabond Kitchen.

“Beefalo is one of many things we’re proud and excited to bring to the area. We invite folks to come in and give it a try,” notes Welsch. “They’re often pleasantly surprised.”

This is a chicken-fried beefalo steak burger, one of the menu items at The Vagabond Kitchen. Chef Matt Welsch says customers love his beefalo entrees. 

 People may also be surprised at the benefits of hemp seeds and hemp seed oil. To start, Cannabis sativa grown for hemp is not the same as the Cannabis sativa grown for medical or recreational marijuana. By law, the hemp plant can have no more than .03 percent of the psychoactive substance tetrahydrocannabinol (THC,) and any seeds used for commerce must be sterilized so they cannot produce plants. The hemp plant is fibrous and has been used to make fabric, rope and medicine for over a thousand years in Asia, and it is also legal in the European Union.

Hemp is a nutritional star. One tablespoon of hemp seed oil per day contains the full recommended daily allowance for all essential fatty acids (EFAs,) is a source for gamma linoleic acid (GLA,) as well as being desirably low in saturated fatty acids. Hemp seeds contain 35 to 50 percent high quality, easily-digestible protein.

Benefits to the body include improved cardiovascular health thanks to a 3:1 ratio of (mercury free) omega 6 to omega 3 acids. This also helps beneficial gut flora and aids the autoimmune system. Hemp is high in Vitamin E and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate skin dryness and slow the aging process. It has been shown to aid in weight loss and regulation of blood sugar.

Douglas Flight, owner of Winkin’ Sun Hemp (www.winkinsunhemp.com,) notes that people using flax seed oil or chia seed, borage oil or evening primrose oil may want to check out hemp seed oil because it has higher omega fatty acids as well as the GLA. Since the seeds contain so much protein, those wanting to reduce animal protein in their diets may also find hemp seeds to their liking.

He says that seeds taste similar to walnuts, sunflower seeds or pine nuts. Eating them in the shell is crunchier and provides more fiber. Seeds come in a variety of flavors, even chocolate covered.   

  Is there something buyers should look for on the label when comparing hemp seeds and oil?

 “If you're picky about ‘organic certification’ then look for the certified logo or emblem. Typically, most hemp seed IS organically grown as it needs no pesticides to grow healthy by nature,” Flight points out. “You'll want to make sure packaging has a nutrition guide outlining the serving size and nutrition content as well as a freshness date stamp or sticker. Seeds and oil have about a 6 to 8 month shelf life, and it should be stored in the refrigerator to extend freshness after opening. We also recommend Canadian seed over other imported brands in regards to taste and nutrient content.”

 Finally, who knew that bugs in flour could be a good thing? Other cultures have eaten crawly, crunchy critters for centuries, and now climate changes and trying to feed people in drought-affected countries have necessitated alternative methods of providing nutrient rich foods. As it happens, insects are an excellent source of protein, are gluten free and contain minerals like magnesium and iron.

There are now farms that raise crickets for human consumption.  Proponents of insects as food say that growing them uses less food and water and is more environmentally friendly, that a cricket becomes an adult in six weeks producing fast harvest turnovers, and a female can lay 15,000 eggs in her lifetime. Once harvested, they are sterilized and roasted, then milled into a powder that has about half as much protein as beef—unless you’re comparing it to dried beef. Crickets have 22 percent more protein than dried beef.  

 In 2013 a group of Canadian MBA students were awarded $1 million to develop insect –based programs that would produce flour for undernourished populations. They were beginning  their “Power Flour” program in Mexico with grasshoppers and had researched opportunities in Africa and Thailand. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization supports this, noting that popular insects like grasshoppers, crickets and mealworms contain not only protein, but fat and amino acids lysine and tryptophan that are not plentiful in cereal grains like soy.

Companies like Bitty Foods in San Francisco are introducing baked goods made with insect flour to customers, and other bakeries in New York and Los Angeles may follow. There is even some discussion in the pizza industry about cricket flour crusts, though taking it to Western culture mainstream is still only speculation for the future. Maybe just starting by adding anchovies isn’t such a bad idea. 

Feature Article: Tools of the Trade

Wooden spoons are more versatile and durable than they first appear and are found in most professional kitchens. Diane Conroy’s spoon was a gift from her mother before Conroy got married, and she uses it to make many of her cookies and desserts. 

(This is a feature article that appeared in the Times Leader on Sunday, May 10, 2015)

From classic Julia Child to programs that feature weird foods in exotic places, Americans are obsessed with food and cooking. Their appetites aren’t satisfied there, but branch out to kitchen renovation shows and infomercials that tout the trendiest must-haves. An internet search for “kitchen gadgets” yields  a $20 egg topper (for soft-boiled eggs,) a $90 corkscrew, a $700 home espresso machine, a $100 tabletop unit that cuts potatoes into French fries and a $34 heated butter knife.  

A great craftsman, no matter what the task, is not determined by the latest or most expensive gadgets and utensils. But having the right tools and knowing how to use them can certainly contribute to success. The three cooking professionals interviewed for this article did not mention an avocado slicer/pitter or a $500 frozen smoothie maker in their lists of must-haves. Instead, their go-to tools of choice are practical and even humble.

 And it doesn’t get much more humble than a wooden spoon. Diane Conroy, caterer, baker and owner of A Cookie Jar, says one of her most prized tools is a wooden spoon that her mother gave her nearly 40 years ago. Conroy grew up in a Greek/Italian family where everyone learned their way around the kitchen practically as toddlers.

“This spoon has been through it all, seen it all and done it all,” she explains. “My hands, my children’s hands, and lots of friends and family have used this spoon throughout the years. Its handle is slightly bowed from all the use.”

Researchers speculate that spoon-like utensils have been around since the Paleolithic era, but were definitely utilized by the Egyptians 3,000 years ago. Wooden spoons were often part of the precious few possessions that settlers carried with them, and they were even passed down through generations. Native Americans carved spoons and sold them to the new colonists.

Cooks today still consider them important to have on hand, and there seems to be a resurgence in wooden spoon popularity. The best are made from hardwoods like apple, maple, teak, cherry, hickory, olive wood, birch and ebony for durability and wood density. Many cooks have one for sweet recipes and one for savory because strong foods or spices can flavor the wood. Wood doesn’t conduct heat, so it stays cool in the pan; it is non-reactive with acid and won’t taint the cooking foods; wood is safe for non-stick coatings and won’t scratch metal pots and pans.

“Every brownie I’ve ever made was made with a wooden spoon, never a mixer. I use the spoon instead of a mixer in a lot of recipes because it gives it a different texture.”

Diane Conroy, baker and caterer, with one of her favorite kitchen tools. This model of the KitchenAid mixer is made in Ohio and has been a standard with professionals for 80 years. 

Conroy, however, won’t part with her KitchenAid mixer, either, and considers it another kitchen essential for serious home cooks and bakers. With all of the attachments available, she not only uses it in much of her baking, but for making pasta and ravioli and grinding and stuffing sausage.

Chef Mark Glass, a chef for more than 35 years and now a chef instructor at West Virginia Northern Community College Culinary Arts program, agrees with Conroy and places his KitchenAid mixer in his top three kitchen tools. The one he uses at home once or twice a week is over 20 years old.

The first KitchenAid mixer was developed by the Hobart Company for Whirlpool in 1918 and was built at the Troy Metal Products factory in Springfield, Ohio. It was called the C-10 and was a 10 quart commercial grade developed for bakeries. It was soon added to US Navy ship galleys as standard equipment. KitchenAid’s first stand mixer was produced a year later and during the 1930s became the iconic “K” model with the familiar shape. Attachments from the first “K” mixers fit today’s model, and vice versa.

These first home mixers were sold door-to-door by women, and by the end of the decade the company sold out every Christmas. During World War II, the Springfield factory closed, but when production resumed after the war, it was moved to a larger facility in Greenville, Ohio, where they are still made today.

“They’re very well made. I couldn’t use it every day in a commercial kitchen, but for 20 years of home use—we’re talking about a whole generation,” Glass says.

Glass also uses his Cuisineart Food Processor often for chopping and pureeing. He notes, though, that all aspiring and accomplished cooks learn and develop knife skills first.

“That’s probably the most important kitchen tool for anyone—a good set of sharp knives,” he continues. “You need at least a chef’s knife, paring and boning knives and a sharpening stone. You can find good knives for $25 to $35 each, too. You don’t have to spend $100 on a knife. I don’t think I’ve ever paid $100 for a knife.”  

Chef Mark Glass, culinary arts chef and instructor at West Virginia Northern Community College, with a professional mandoline (used for slicing and cutting julienne strips) and one of his wish list items, a Robot Coupe, a super-charged food processor for commercial kitchens. 

In fact, Dean Baranth, chef/owner of Ideal Provisions food truck and catering, gave knives two of his top three slots when asked for his favorite tools: his off-set serrated knife and 10 inch chef’s knife.

“I can cut a loaf of bread, slice roast beef on a buffet line, slice a sandwich in half or open a can with [my serrated knife,]” says Baranth. “My mum bought me [the chef’s] knife when I was going off to college for culinary arts. I use this knife for everything. The tip broke off years ago, but sharpening it almost every day, you can't tell it was ever broken.”

Knives, like spoons, are thousands of years old and began as sharp rocks and shells. Around 3000 BCE, humans began fashioning copper then bronze into knives and swords. Eventually, because of their rich natural resources available for manufacturing, Germany and Japan emerged as world centers for swords and weaponry, which led to knives.

Their designs, philosophies and materials were different regarding swords and knives, though. Germany’s were made of softer but heavier, rugged steel, and the edges weren’t pinprick sharp, but got the job done. The knife blade had a slightly rounded shape, allowing the user to “rock” the blade and chop foods. The Japanese developed blades made from thin layers of different types of steel. This meant that they could be sharpened to precision without breaking and be lighter to carry and wield. Their knife blade was straighter across than the German counterpart, making it better for slicing, drawing the knife toward the user.

Today, knives have evolved into more hybrid versions with advancements in design and materials. Reviews and hundreds of options are available online, but anyone serious about starting a useful collection should hold the knives to gauge its ergonomics, comfort and weight in the hand.

Baranth’s business is, much of the time, barbeque, so his other favorite go-to tool is a “reverse flow, off-set stick burner smoker, used for “kissing” all their meats in a hickory, apple, cherry and Alabama peach wood smoke bath. A “bigger smoker” is on Baranth’s wish list of gadgets, so that he can better accommodate his growing clientele, and Glass also put a smoker on his wish list.

Glass and Conroy noted pumped-up versions of two of their favorite tools when it came to things they’d like to have someday. Glass picked out a Robot Coupe—a high-powered, “super Cuisineart” with all the attachments. Conroy says she’d like a KitchenAid Red Proline Series with a 7 quart bowl and lift.

“Imagine 16 cups of flour,” she adds. “Goosebumps!”      

For more information on culinary arts classes and dinners at West Virginia Northern Community College, visit www.wvncc.edu or call (304) 233-5900.

To find out where the Ideal Provisions truck will be daily or for catering information, see the Ideal Provisions Facebook page.

Conroy sells baked goods at the Ohio Valley Farmers Market from June to October and desserts at Food by Jane. See the Facebook pages for Diane Conroy or the Rock Hill Presbyterian Church for her upcoming cooking classes.   

Dean Baranth, chef/owner of Ideal Provisions, says his chef’s knife, a gift from his mother, is indispensable. Home cooks should be able to build their own sets affordably with a little research.  

Food Security, Part 2

This feature installment appeared in the Times Leader on Sunday, April 19, and is the continuation of last week's "Food Security" feature on this site. 

Family farming has been on the decline in the past few decades, but the smaller, local farms would be vital during an emergency that could raise food costs or stop production, such as drought and earthquakes in major agricultural areas of the United States to South America. Fresh, locally grown produce is available at the Ohio Valley Farmers Market twice a week from June until October.   

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations identifies several global challenges to food security which could have local impact. Water deficits and shortages are appearing throughout the world and affecting grain production in some of the most populated countries, including China and India. Closer to home, California has instituted a statewide mandatory 25 percent water use reduction to conserve what the drought-ridden state has available.  Climate change and the extreme weather events (like droughts and floods) associated with it is another challenge on the FAO list.

Though originally intended to optimize food production for growing world populations, industrial agriculture has instead become a threat to food security, according to the FAO. Large scale mono-cropping, or planting one type of crop on the same land over consecutive years, depletes the soil of valuable nutrients and increases the risk of pests and diseases. As a result, more pesticides and fertilizers are necessary.

Livestock raised on feedlots instead of pasture land are fed cheap chemically-enhanced grain-based diets instead of grass and hay. They may be given growth hormones to get them to market sooner and antibiotics to stave off diseases inherent in poor quality living conditions and breeding practices. The FAO’s concerns relate to industrial agriculture’s creating hazards for the environment, water supplies and even the food itself. 

Kacey Orr of Grow Ohio Valley presents information on trends in farming at a recent conference on local food security.  

Ohio Valley experts believe that stepping up production here would be a start in addressing the food security issue. Susan West, owner of Lone Oak Farms and founder of the Ohio Valley Farmers Market (www.ovfarmersmarket.org,) thinks self-reliance, especially in the event of an emergency, begins with more farmers.

“There are not enough producers to sustain this region should we have to depend on ourselves. I believe the majority of the people in the Ohio Valley are uneducated about the need to secure our food supply. Years of access to food shipped from around the world and never dealing with a food being 'out of season' have contributed to people's lack of understanding about where their food is produced,” West explains. “At one time, the Ohio Valley had many small produce farmers and orchardists. Those numbers have fallen off in recent years as older farmers retire or pass away. I have seen a recent but small resurgence in interest in growing food.”

Holmes agrees with West.

“On the community resiliency side we need more farmers. The average US farmer is nearly 60 years old, and there are not enough new people entering the business,” he says. “Fortunately the type of small-scale, diversified farming necessary for true security is becoming profitable again for the first time in decades, so there is opportunity for those who are interested. We also need people to grow more food--in their backyard, the terrace of their apartment, in community gardens--everywhere.”

And that is where Kacey Orr and Grow Ohio Valley can be of assistance. The nonprofit is tackling two challenges related to food security, in part with assistance from a national “Local Foods, Local Places” grant awarded in December.

“Food security starts at a local level when we learn to eat locally and seasonally. Then we don’t depend as strongly on other geographic locations or decrease fossil fuel use by transporting food long distances,” notes Orr. “[Currently] there are not enough local food producers. There are some dairies and livestock farms in the area, but there are fewer farms focused on growing local produce. In addition, people also need to be educated on the importance of healthy food options. Health is a major concern. Grow Ohio Valley puts a great emphasis on education and teaching children and adults about farming, gardening, and healthy food.” 

Grow Ohio Valley has constructed a greenhouse in downtown Wheeling that will help supply flowers and produce for their distribution programs. Kacey Orr notes that they mixed all of the potting soil themselves by purchasing the organic ingredients, saving hundreds of dollars. The greenhouse was designed using the angles of the sun to maximize light and heat and utilizes found materials to minimize costs and environmental impact. 

Grow OV already has an urban farm, a mobile farm market that visits area sites with fresh produce, a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) membership program, children’s programs with Head Start and churches and a new downtown greenhouse growing seedlings and tomatoes now.

With the new grant, Peralta explained at the conference, Grow OV has secured two tracts of land on Wheeling’s Vineyard Hill over the Ft. Henry Tunnel. They will be planting apple and berry orchards on one tract and use the other as a demonstration and interactive farm for educating students. Peralta says there will be crops and animals at the farm to illustrate a sustainable and interconnected system.

Sister Kathleen Durkin, CSJ, says the Sisters of St. Joseph organized and hosted the recent conference to raise awareness and start an open discussion about food security.

“For me, the first priority would be assuring that food is a right and not a privilege and that nutritious food is essential for healthy brain development from early childhood on,” Sr. Kathleen continues. “Food security means that children and families can count on having enough food to meet even their basic needs. To be food insecure doesn't necessarily mean not having any food, but not enough food.  Beyond that, to be food-secure means also having access to healthy foods which provide the necessary nutrients for health and well-being.”

She shared a story of stopping a woman walking along the road alone. The woman was on her way to the grocery store--five miles away. Durkin drove her to the store and realized how lack of transportation affects people on the outskirts of town and their access to food.

“I believe we need to be awakened to this issue for many reasons, the first being that of our common, shared humanity...people who lack food security are our brothers and sisters. We are one!” she adds. “The health and well-being of generations to come depends on access to affordable, nutritious food and education about how to benefit from it.  The development and potential of children are influenced by a nutritious diet.”

Numerous studies show that good nutrition makes a noticeable difference in a child’s ability to concentrate, behave, learn and perform better in school. Some eligible schools are now offering breakfast, lunch, a snack and dinner for students at no or reduced charge. For some students, their only food comes from the school.

“For individuals and families the root causes of food insecurity stem from poverty, and children are hit particularly hard,” Holmes notes. “Hungry kids have a hard time learning. They do poorly in school, and the cycle of poverty continues. Programs like free hot breakfast, after school meals, and the [weekend] backpack program help, but in the long term we need to strengthen our local economy.”  

Part of Grow Ohio Valley’s mission is education for children and adults. These are “seed balls” ready for one of the children’s interactive programs that demonstrates gardening.  

While the food situation is far from secure, more customers are visiting the Ohio Valley Farmers Market  and are taking an interest in county extension Master Gardener programs such as the St. Clairsville community garden, as well as classes at Oglebay’s Schrader Environmental Education Center (www.oionline.com.) Grow OV has enlisted new farmer/suppliers for this season’s produce and will be expanding their educational opportunities.

“I think it is important to know that the issue of food security and access to healthy, local food is a movement that is happening all over the country,” Sr. Kathleen concludes. “A parallel benefit is that it’s promoting relationships and building community among individuals and groups of people who we might not otherwise have the privilege of knowing. The issue of food security and nutritious, local food is a context for lifting up and celebrating the gifts, creativity and generosity of local community members.”

Food Security, Part 1

The following is a feature article that appeared in the Sunday, April 12 Times Leader. As with most global issues, it is complicated and huge. I wrote the piece as an introduction to promote thought and attention toward something that affects everyone at some level.  

Almost 90 million acres of corn is grown in the United States, 40 percent of the world’s total. The majority of the crop is used for livestock feed (43 percent) and ethanol (30 percent,) and only 3 percent is grown for human consumption.

If there were an earthquake or other disaster that rendered the area inaccessible, how would Ohio Valley residents get food? What if fires, drought or an earthquake destroyed crops in California, Mexico or Chile where much of the Ohio Valley’s—and United States’—food is grown? Even though there is food available now, how many people know families or elderly neighbors who are not able to provide enough food for their households, or cannot provide nutritious food on a regular basis?

Food security is a growing concern throughout the world. Its definition, per the 1996 World Food Summit and echoed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA,) is “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.”  USDA research indicates that, in 2012, 49 million people did not have households with food security, including 8.3 million children.

Experts have decided on four pillars with which to measure food security: availability, access, utilization and stability. Availability pertains to food supply and its production, distribution and exchange or trading systems. It begins with the soil—or pasture or feedlot—and ends at the cash register. It encompasses what farmers plant or raise, how food is fertilized and watered, how it is harvested and transported to be distributed or sold, and how it is packaged and marketed to consumers.

Research has found that poverty more than scarcity affects access to food. Is food affordable? How much food can a family afford? Is the food they can afford nutritious? Direct access to food means that a household can grow its own (vegetables, fruits, or livestock) in order to sustain a healthy diet. Economic access means that food is grown somewhere else and purchased by the consumer. 

Ken Peralta, director of Grow Ohio Valley, explains the importance of developing more agriculture programs and training the next generation in how to grow food. The Sisters of St. Joseph recently hosted the conference on food security, “Growing Food, Health and Hope,” at which Peralta spoke.

Utilization of food is basically the dietary habits of the households and whether the food eaten is safe to eat (regarding freshness and proper handling) and whether it meets recommended requirements for nutrients and dietary restrictions. Families below the poverty level may only purchase “cheap” processed food because of its low cost, but much of it is high in sugar and low in nutrients, creating long-term health issues.

Stability means that the household is able to have access to available, nourishing food over an extended time. It may be affected by weather, growing seasons or natural disasters in the overall picture or by individual issues like unemployment or illness in the household.    

How is the food security issue relevant to the Ohio Valley? First, this region ranks consistently above the national average in diagnoses and deaths from diabetes and cardiopulmonary disease. Low incomes and high poverty rates have helped create the habit of purchasing inexpensive, highly processed food in boxes and packages. Processing and chemicals diminish the nutritional value of the food, and cheap additives like high fructose corn syrup only enhance the flavor and add calories. The body, however, isn’t receiving the nutrients it requires and stays “hungry” while chemicals that it can’t use in the food pass through the digestive system or spark undesirable reactions (like inflammation response.)

Sugar in particular causes the body to crave more food; people respond by eating more processed food, increasing calories and perpetuating the unhealthy cycle. This has become so prevalent that, at the recent “Growing Food, Health and Hope” conference sponsored by the St. Joseph Retreat Center in Wheeling, Kate Long of Try This West Virginia stated that a study of 11 year-olds in West Virginia determined one out of four (25 percent) has high blood pressure. 

Buying locally grown berries not only supports a local family, but is healthier food. Produce harvested that day or the day before still has most of its valuable nutrients. Produce picked in South America a week before arriving in stores has most likely lost much of its nutritional value, and the money spent goes to large corporations.

As far as food supply and availability, as mentioned, much of the Ohio Valley’s food comes from at least 1,000 miles away. This gives local consumers less control over their food supply, and the longer the time between harvest and table, the fewer nutrients the food retains. By the time tomatoes or blueberries arrive in stores from the west coast or South America, as much as 50 percent or more of the nutritional value is gone. Relying on long-distance production also uses more fossil fuels for transportation. Oil price fluctuations often affect food prices for this reason. By purchasing from local growers who have harvested within the past 48 hours, consumers can nearly double the food’s value to the body. Buying local also keeps money in the area, while purchasing from large retailers takes money from this community.

Ken Peralta, director of Grow Ohio Valley (www.growov.org) who also spoke at the conference, noted that Walmart controls one out of six food dollars in the United States. While the Ohio Valley is somewhat rural-- especially Belmont, Harrison, Monroe and Guernsey Counties—there are fewer than 11 acres being farmed for vegetables in Ohio County, and fruit orchards have moved out of the area. Peralta and Brandon Holmes, policy analyst for West Virginia Food & Farm Coalition, conducted a study that found that increasing consumption of locally produced food by 10 percent would create nearly 400 jobs in production, processing, distribution and other industries in the Ohio Valley.

“It’s great that we can get relatively fresh produce in the middle of February here in the Ohio Valley, and in very real and important ways that adds to our food security,” Holmes says. “But 1,500 miles becomes a lot farther away in the event of a spike in fuel prices, drought, hurricane, etc. One reason to be concerned right now is the severe drought affecting many key growing regions in California, the southwest, and Mexico. Producers there are adapting, and prices have remained stable, but it shows how vulnerable we are by having all of our eggs in just a few baskets. As production shifts in the West, local farmers can cash in on new opportunities, and make our area more resilient in the process. Having more food production capacity here in the area would boost our ability to withstand problems in the international food supply, while still enjoying food from all over the world.” 

(Part 2 will be published in the Sunday, April 19 edition of the Times Leader and posted here next week.)

The number of small dairy and beef farms is decreasing in the Ohio Valley as farmers age and their children opt for non-farming careers. Fewer farms mean  less food and food security in the event of an emergency.