A Colorful New Year

Make your 2014 resolution to eat more antioxidant rich colored foods. Steve Peters/photos

By Steve Peters

With the New Year almost upon us many are contemplating resolutions to improve their health. Unfortunately, overindulging during the holidays often leads to setting unattainable goals for the following months. I often hear people talk about cutting out carbohydrates, meat, dairy, or sugar from their diets. While these are admirable goals, drastically altering one’s diet all at once can be difficult to implement and then follow through on for most people.

Rather than setting such limitations on myself, I like to think about what I can add to my diet instead.

We know we need to eat more fruits and vegetables. As Americans we’re continuously told we’re not getting enough. And in fact, half of the population is not. But simply saying we need to eat more of them isn’t really all that helpful. How much and of what kinds, for starters?

Knowing the recommended amounts is a good start – and using the rule of filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables at each meal is helpful. Yet there is actually no set recommendation for everyone to follow. The intake guidelines vary depending on age, sex, and activity level.

Choosemyplate.gov is the USDA’s resource for learning how to eat a balanced diet. While not everyone agrees with their suggestions, if nothing else, I believe it’s an achievable place to start.

Knowing my recommended fruit and vegetable guidelines is helpful, but the information only goes so far. Personally, the guidelines suggest I eat 5 – 5 ½ cups of fruits and vegetables a day. OK, but of which ones exactly? What if broccoli and oranges were the only two I ever ate? While I’d get plenty of Vitamin C and Vitamin K, I’d be missing out on several other important nutrients. It’s that kind of degree of information that I think is lacking for many people.

Throughout 2013 I took a particular approach to RAFFL’s Everyday Chef cooking education program to address that particular need. The theme was on color. Each month of the year – through October, at least – the foods and recipes I focused on at our events and on the blog were based on a different color of produce. And it wasn’t because I was looking for an artistic approach to presenting local food.

Each color of the fruits and vegetables we eat has its own set of unique benefits. These are based on a set of antioxidants – the substances that often cause damage and deterioration in the body that then lead to chronic diseases and illnesses – known as phytochemicals. It sounds a little complicated, so let me break it down for you.

Think of an apple. You know how when you cut it and let it sit out it starts to turn brown? This is because of oxidation. Oxidation starts to break down the apple and its nutrients. A similar process happens in the human body as we age. But when we consume enough varying antioxidants, this oxidation process is slowed down and our risk of developing disease is reduced.

Phytochemicals are the antioxidants that determine the color, taste and scent of fruits and vegetables. It’s why produce of the same color often contains many of the same nutrients. Eating a variety of these colors ensures that we receive a well rounded mix of antioxidants, vitamins and nutrients.

Beta-Carotene is the phytochemical found in orange and dark leafy greens such as pumpkins, sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash, spinach, kale, and broccoli. Eat these foods for benefits to the immune system, vision, skin and bone health.

Lycopene is a common phytochemical associated with tomatoes, but you’ll also find it in watermelon, and red peppers. Lycopene helps reduce the risk of cancer and improve heart health.

Lutein is a phytochemical vital to eyes, though it too also helps fight cancer and maintain heart health. You’ll find it in most green vegetables but collards, kale, sprouts, lettuce and artichokes are a good bet.

Resveratrol is another commonly known phytochemical attributed to red and purple foods, such as grapes and yes, red wine. In addition to cancer prevention and heart health, resveratrol aids in lung health and reducing inflammation.

These are just a few of the many beneficial phytochemicals found in the array of fruits and vegetables grown on our region’s farms. Incorporating a greater mix of colored produce into your diet is an attainable resolution this coming new year.

To learn more about colorful, locally grown foods and recipes and tips on how to use them, visit the Everyday Chef blog at everydaychef.org

Steve Peters manages the communications, marketing, and food education of the Rutland Area Farm and Food Link. You can reach him at steve@rutlandfarmandfood.org. 

Holiday Food Traditions

Figgy pudding served alight at a holiday celebration.

By Garland Mason

This time of year is particularly rich with food traditions. From chestnuts roasting on an open fire to visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads, food customs around the darkest days of the year are steeped in history, lore and cultural significance.

The food culture in New England is inherited largely from the European countries where most of the early settlers to the region claimed heritage. In Europe, as in Vermont, short days and cold nights call for foods that are rich, nourishing, and very often quite sweet.

Chestnuts

Despite their prominent mention in Nat King Cole’s “Christmas Song,” we rarely see chestnuts being roasted over an open fire these days. Around the time the “Christmas Song” was written, chestnuts were a popular treat, with street vendors commonly roasting them and selling them to passersby in cones, as we see with nuts and pretzels on the streets of New York City. The absence of this tradition from our diet this time of year may have something to do with Chestnut blight, a disease brought to the Americas from Asia around the turn of the twentieth century. American Chestnut trees had no resistance to the disease and had largely succumbed to the disease by the early 1940s.

Because there aren’t many chestnut trees left in the United States, we can’t claim this as a local favorite, but for the sake of tradition, try roasting some chestnuts over a fire this year (or on the grill or in the oven). A popcorn or chestnut roaster works best, but any oven-safe pan will do. Ten minutes over a bed of coals or under the broiler of an oven should so the trick. If you don’t have a broiler, 25-30 minutes in a 300 degree oven will also work.

Glogg

A warm mug of glögg pairs nicely with Chestnuts. Glögg is a centuries-old Scandinavian mulled wine made with red wine, orange peel, clove, and cardamom. The latter ingredient is what distinguishes this Scandinavian brand of mulled wine from its German and English relatives.  A number of recipes can be found online, as glögg recipes vary regionally. If you’re not up for making your own, Boyden Valley Winery in Cambridge, Vermont has just what you need, just heat up a bottle of their glögg for friends and family this holiday season.

Wassail

If you’re looking for an alternative to glögg for the kids, look no further than wassail. Now we may be more familiar with the act of “wassailing” referring to caroling—but the tradition and the drink actually harken back to an older practice of singing and drinking for the health of the apple orchards in southern England.

To make your own wassail, whether to bring along caroling, or to sing in the orchard, make mulled cider by simmering cider infused with any combination of sugar, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and nutmeg. Traditionally, wassail was served with a slice of toast for dunking.

Egg Nog

Perhaps due to the irresistible combination of rich, eggy, sweet milk with a hint of spice, egg nog still tops the list of seasonal favorites. The term “egg nog” was first used in the eighteenth century, but iterations of the famous drink were popular long before. Egg nog as we know it today, is derived from popular homemade beverages called “posset” and “syllabub” and which referred to a milk punch of milk combined with an acidic, usually alcoholic beverage like ale or wine.

Locally produced eggnog is easy to find, here in Vermont both Thomas Dairy and Strafford Organic Creamery sell egg nog in November and December.

Stollen

An alternative to the disreputable Christmas fruitcake, Stollen makes a wonderful holiday gift and is a treat on Christmas and New Years mornings. Stollen can trace its roots back to medieval Germany, where it was made as a festive holiday food.

Stollen is a sweet bread studded with dried fruits abd nuts, spiced with cardamom and cinnamon, and topped with a dusting of powdered sugar after baking.

Stollen makes a lovely homemade gift, but I highly recommend sampling the stolen made by the bakers at Earth, Sky, Time Farm in Manchester if you have the opportunity.

Figgy Pudding

Another example of a Christmas custom made famous by its prominence in a popular song—figgy pudding – does not make it onto the menus in even the most traditional of households. Figgy pudding is demanded by carolers when singing “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” whose chorus reads “now bring us some figgy pudding.” But what is it?

Pudding has all but fallen off the menu of adult fare in the United States. In Britain, however, pudding is still a part of the national cuisine. That’s where “figgy pudding” or “Christmas pudding” still holds its place on the table. There puddings refer to desserts with a cakelike consistency, made with dried fruit and spices similar to those in fruitcake. Figgy pudding is generally served flambé or alight, with a bit of alcohol added to the top upon serving and lit with a match.

There are countless cultural traditions linked to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the holidays that surround it. Sharing your own family’s food traditions with friends is a great way to celebrate the short days of winter.

Garland Mason heads up RAFFL’s New Farmer Initiative and Farm to School and Institution activities. She lives and farms West Tinmouth. You can reach her at garland@rutlandfarmandfood.org.

What’s In Your Milk?

Garland Mason preparing a cow for milking.

By Garland Mason

Ever wonder what’s in your milk? The short answer is obvious – milk. As you may have guessed, milk is a single ingredient food, so there’s nothing in it but what’s come straight from the cow.

That’s not to say that the cow is the only one worried about getting that milk to market, however. As a matter of fact, there’s usually a whole team of people working on getting that milk out of the cow and into your fridge.

First there’s the cow. Without her, we’d have no milk. But it’s not as simple as it once was. There’s more to it than the cow eating grass and later depositing the milk in a bucket. In fact, there’s a science that dictates what she’ll eat each day, her comfort, her health, when she’ll give birth, how much milk she’ll give, and how the milk will be treated after it’s left the cow’s udder.

Nutrition.

Nutritionists help farmers decide what the cow eats, in what ratios, and how much she’ll get. On grass-based farms much of this is done by the farmers. With knowledge developed over many seasons, farmers can “read” the pasture. They consider what the weather has been and the time of year, and they maintain an intimate understanding of the soils of each particular field, as well as what types of grasses and flowering plants are growing there.

On farms that are not primarily grass-based, a nutritionist is often consulted in order to determine the proper balance of grasses, legumes (think clover), grains, minerals, vitamins and other ingredients necessary for milk production and overall health.  This is known as the total mixed ration, or more commonly, TMR.

Reproduction & Replacements

Ever heard of an “A.I. guy”? That’s the person that comes and breeds dairy cattle using artificial insemination. Many farmers can do it themselves, but larger farms often hire a service to manage the breeding and genetics of their herds so that they can focus on other things. Of course bulls could get the job done as well, but most farms prefer to use bulls as a last resort. A.I. means the calves on farms are more genetically diverse, and bulls can also be dangerous to work around.

Breeding is just the beginning though. Once a calf is born, there are two and half years of care before she will join the milking herd. During this time she is referred to as a replacement heifer. Eventually she will take the place of a cow that has aged out of the herd.

Her life begins with milk feedings several times a day, along with general daily care and management. She is eventually bred as a heifer (a cow that has not yet given birth), and finally, she will give birth to her own calf, at which point she will begin to lactate and be milked.

Milk

On smaller farms the milking is often done solely by the farmer. On farms with bigger herds there are often a few hired hands to help out with milking and other jobs. This means that the farmer is not only responsible for the care and management of the dairy herd, crops, and farm business, but also serves as a supervisor and manager of the human resource aspect of the business.

Either way, all of the milking cows in the herd must be milked two or three times per day. Cows are creatures of habit, so they come into the milking barn or milking parlor with comfort and ease. They line up in their usual spot and the milker cleans their teats with an iodine solution before attaching a milking machine to their udder. The milking machine has a gentle pulsating suction that closely mimics the mouth of a calf, encouraging the cow to let down her milk. Most cows produce between five to ten gallons of milk per day at their peak lactation.

From the milking machine, the milk is sent into a system of stainless steel pipes leading to the milk room where it is pumped into a refrigerated bulk tank. There the milk is cooled and stored until the milk truck comes and pumps the milk out and into the tanker.

Distribution.

Depending on what company is buying the milk, the milk may be trucked locally, or may leave the state to be processed. The truck driver takes a sample of milk from each farm to be tested for antibiotics and other contaminants; this means that there are never antibiotics found in the milk you buy at the store, whether it is conventional or organic.

Several farms in Rutland County sell their milk to Thomas Dairy—that means that the milk is hauled just a short distance to Rutland Town to be pasteurized and packaged into the container you find in the store. Your milk would skip this step if you were to buy it from a local farmer selling raw (unpasteurized) milk directly from the farm to the end user.

The bottom line is that there’s nothing in your milk but milk. But that doesn’t mean that it’s simple. For every carton of milk you buy, you can guess that a number of people have put a lot of time, effort and energy into making sure that the milk you are buying is from healthy cows and that the milk you’re getting is pure and nutritious.

Garland Mason heads up RAFFL’s New Farmer Initiative and Farm to School and Institution activities. She lives and farms West Tinmouth. You can reach her at garland@rutlandfarmandfood.org.

The Good Food Bus

By Lindsay Arbuckle Courcelle

On a crisp November day leading up to Thanksgiving, a school bus pulled into the Shrewsbury Mountain School (SMS). This was no ordinary school bus, however. Instead of a bus driver, a farmer sat behind the wheel. Instead of seats, there were wooden shelves piled high with potatoes, turnips, and garlic.

It was the debut of The Good Food Bus, a project of The Shrewsbury Institute for Agricultural Education. The Shrewsbury Institute is a new non-profit organization with the goal of bringing together people of all ages to share agricultural knowledge and skills that will strengthen our community and region.

The Good Food Bus is just one way of doing that. From the outside, the bus still looks like your typical mode of transportation, with plans for a paint job in the spring. But step inside and it’s a different scene. Beautiful, handcrafted wooden shelves and counters line each side while two seats face a picnic style table in the front. The bus is essentially a mobile farmers market, with a set-up that allows for cooking demonstrations and, of course, eating.

For its pilot run, the bus was stocked with fresh vegetables from the school’s garden club and local farms including Caravan Gardens, Evening Song Farm, Alchemy Gardens, Tangled Roots Farm, and the farmstead of the Miller family: Greg, who designed and built the shelves and interior of the bus, and his wife Galen, a caterer who donated her amazing cooking skills to the project.

Students at Shrewsbury Mountain School enjoy fresh food from by The Good Food Bus.
Lindsay Arbuckle Courcelle/photo.

While the bus sat outside awaiting students, Galen set the stage for food samples. Roasted root vegetables, butternut squash soup, kale-bok choy salad, and apple crisp were on the menu. In small groups, the students came through the “lunch line” to receive colorful spoonfuls of veggies. The kids were full of smiles and questions and hungry bellies. Several young skeptics questioned the salad, or downright tried to refuse the squash soup. Their caring teachers encouraged them to try a bite, and almost every student complied.

Watching kids as they try new foods can be pretty fun. As soon as the flavors hit their taste buds, we witnessed a range of expressions. One boy who didn’t think he’d like any of it was taken aback, stating, “I like the salad.  It surprises me!” Another said, “This is the best food I’ve ever tasted because it was grown by farmers.”

The conversations amongst students were sometimes comical, including one exchange about how “potatoes are made of french fries.” In the span of a mere fifteen minutes, salad haters turned into kale lovers and the last bits of squash soup were slurped down with contentment. It doesn’t take long to change the mind of a little one when their taste buds are being delighted by delicious, fresh food. Even Principal Fishwick announced a newfound love of kale.

After eating, each student was given a recycled grocery bag and a handout with all of the recipes. As they boarded the magic school bus, the students’ eyes grew wide. Even for adults, it is quite a sight to be seen. Afternoon sunlight poured into the bus, highlighting the bright hues of the vegetables. Purple and magenta turnips, orange carrots, and bags of greens are like nature’s crayons.

Using the recipes, students filled their bags with the ingredients necessary to make one or two of the dishes. They were able to see the butternut squash in its raw form, before being transformed into the bright orange soup that they loved. This type of connection is important since many kids, even Vermonters, never see their vegetables in the fresh-from-the-farm form. I believe this is where the “potatoes come from french fries” comment comes from; most likely, some kids see many more french fries than whole, raw potatoes.

Luckily, with school gardening programs like the club at SMS, kids are learning not only what a potato looks like but how to grow the food themselves. Many of the students surveyed had gardens at home, or had helped in the school garden. Bunches of kale and huge carrots from the garden club were options on the bus, which served as the perfect platform for sharing the school-grown veggies.

As the students exited the bus with heavy bags of root vegetables and greens, I experienced many warm fuzzy feelings that are common when you are a farmer with grateful customers. One student said, “I liked the roasted roots. I’ve got the recipe, and I’m making it tomorrow.” Another exclaimed, “It was awesome to try different foods that we hadn’t tried before!”

The trial run of The Good Food Bus was a great success, and plans are being made for future mobile market educational endeavors. Grateful students, happy farmers, and excited teachers shared in the moment, a perfect preamble to Thanksgiving and the antithesis of Black Friday. Generosity, health, and happiness abound in the world of locally grown, good food, and I am thrilled to be a part of it.

Lindsay Arbuckle Courcelle and her husband Scott own Alchemy Gardens, a farm business growing vegetables and herbs in Shrewsbury and West Rutland. You can reach her at alchemygardens@gmail.com.