Author Archives: Jen

Recap from the Meat Producers Panel – Feb 6th FAC meeting

Posted on by
Reply

By Tamara Movold

It’s my first meeting since getting the student position with the Coalition and I’ve been invited to their monthly meeting.  I come in the room to the sound of Len Parkin just getting in to the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition business. Long name; we can abbreviate that. CVFAC is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing venues for local food producers to sell their goods in Creston. You might recognize their popular venture- The Creston Valley Farmers’ Market. Providing local food is just one of their goals, however.  If we want to get into the philosophy behind that it might take a little longer. Here, this might draw a more complete picture: http://www.crestonfoodaction.ca/site/about/

Tonight’s panel is a handful of meat and poultry industry folk here to speak about raising their animals, processing and selling them. Len sits down, readying his list of questions for the panel after making quick introductions.The first question is read off and the conversation evolves from there. What I’m struck by first, as a vegetarian, is referring to raising cattle as “growing beef”. Clearly I’m around people of a different mindset here.  They have different lingo, a range of farm vocabulary completely foreign to me…what is an abattoir? Oh. Ew.

As unfamiliar as their talk is I’m soon intrigued by the explanation of the difference between grass-finished and grain-fed beef, laying hens versus meat hens.  What is interesting to me is the contrasting dynamic between Tom Tarzwell and the McNamars in their practices. Tarzwell Farms beef is grain fed, the McNamars use grass and hay. Kootenay Natural Meats do not inoculate unless a cow is sick, Mr. Tarzwell has all his cattle inoculated. The differences go on.

In listening to them back and forth between their philosophies and raising methods, one similarity becomes abundantly clear- they both nurture their cattle as best they can.  The dialogue wends its way to the challenges the growers face in selling their products, shipping costs and logistics of marketing.  I’m shocked when I hear that to most of these farmers the Farmers’ Market to them is basically just a publicity show. The return almost doesn’t justify the time spent.

Tom Klaus talks a bit about his practices in butchering and preparing all his meats on the store premises and I have to admit, I haven’t had dinner and it’s all kinda sounding good to me right about now. Oh, right, I’m a vegetarian, shucks.

The questions came from the audience in rapid succession, I’d be hard pressed to have enough room to address them all here. We ran out of time before we ran out of questions and I had learned a surprising amount in just over an hour’s time.

 Overall, I left the meeting with a deep sense of appreciation for these people and what they do in the valley.  It also renewed for me the feeling of connectivity to food, myself and my community and how supporting these people is not a one way gravel street. We buy products from them, they in turn buy services and goods from the Valley, reinforcing a beautiful symbiotic relationship.

Panelists:

Dale and Wendy Mcnamar of Kootenay Natural Meats-http://kootenaynaturalmeats.com/

Tom Tarzell  of Tarzwell Farms- 250-428-4316

Tom Klaus, Famous Fritz-http://www.famousfritz.ca/

Randy Meyer at R&S Meyer Farms-250-428-7013

 

Meet our newest employee!

Posted on by
Reply

Tamara MovoldThanks to a grant provided by the Columbia Basin Trust’s School Works program, the Food Action Coalition is thrilled to have a new employee joining our small (but mighty!) team! We thank all of the students who applied for the job – there were way more applicants than we were expecting!

Meet Tamara Movold, a student at the College of the Rockies here in Creston. She’s planning on pursuing a career in urban planning and sustainable development and loves food. You may recognize her from around town, especially if you frequent King Fisher Used Books where she also works part-time. Tamara was also a key person behind the Unofficial Town Forum that was held during our November municipal election.

We are so pleased to have this dynamic young woman come join our team! She’s got a lot of energy, ideas and talent that we are looking forward to getting to use. Over the next four months Tamara will be updating the Farm Fresh Guide, helping develop a membership package for the FAC, helping with the Farmers’ Market, and many more things..

Tomorrow Tamara will be posting about her first experience at the Food Action Coalition meeting from earlier this month, where we heard from some of our local meat producers.

The Locavore’s Cookbook: Soft wheat perfect for baking quick breads

Posted on by

locavore-s_cookbook_soft_wheat.jpg

Banana bread can be made with spelt flour.

By Heidi Bjarnason – Creston Valley Advance
Published: February 05, 2012 6:00 AM

Soft wheat is generally used for pastries or quick breads. Using hard wheat would result in a hard, dense and heavy end result where soft wheat yields much lighter results. This is because the amount of protein in soft wheat is considerably less. Generally, besides the difference in protein, the two kinds of wheat contain mostly the same vitamins and minerals. And just like hard wheat, soft wheat has a very long shelf life, as long as it’s not ground or broken in any way. Once it’s ground into flour it is only good for up to three months stored in the fridge or freezer in an airtight bag or container, although the flour is best used if ground as needed so that it’s always fresh.

The taste of soft wheat is also much less “wheaty”, which is a good transition for anyone trying to make the switch from using white flours to whole grains. The soft wheat from our local community-supported agriculture grain is actually very light in color and very mild tasting, which is great for anyone who thinks they don’t like whole wheat, although you can’t always completely replace white flour for whole grains. A lot of times, baked goods will need less flour for the same amount of liquids, as the whole grains absorb more resulting in a drier and denser end product. The same amount of whole grain flour in comparison to white flour will also yield a smaller end result because whole wheat will not always rise as well as white flour.

Khorasan and spelt are other grains that are lower in gluten and are also good for using in pastries or quick breads. Khorasan actually has a lower moisture content than wheat and can last slightly longer once ground, but should still be stored in the fridge or freezer. I have found that khorasan is the best for substituting in recipes that call for all-purpose flour as the bran and germ are fairly unnoticeable once ground into flour, and the flavor is very mild. I’ve also found that spelt, while it has it’s own unique but still fairly mild flavor, is slightly harder to substitute. Usually in recipes that call for any kind of wheat flour, the amount of spelt needed is slightly more, or the amount of liquid should be slightly reduced. Some sources say to reduce the liquid by 25 per cent but I haven’t found it necessary to change it quite that much.

As mentioned, soft wheat, or grains with less gluten like khorasan and spelt are best suited to quick breads or pastries, but can also be cooked whole to use in salads, pilafs or even mixed into yeast breads as chewy whole grains or used in part as flour in yeast bread recipes.

• • •

Spelt Banana Bread

2 C spelt flour

(add 1-2 tbsp for freshly ground flour as it’s fluffier than flour that has been sitting)

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 C maple syrup or honey

1/4 C flavorless oil

2 large eggs

2 C mashed bananas, or approximately 4 small

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (or a mix of both — optional)

2 tbsp coarse sugar for

sprinkling over top (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a loaf pan by spraying with oil or non-stick spray and set aside.

In a small bowl mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a larger bowl, combine the well-mashed bananas with the maple syrup/honey, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and mix quickly, adding the nuts or chocolate chips in the last minute of mixing. Small lumps or a little flour that is not completely combined is fine.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle with coarse sugar over top, if desired. Place in the oven and bake 55-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Remove the loaf pan from the oven and let the loaf cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before turning it out and cooling completely on a cooling rack.

• • •

Local wheat grown by Full Circle farm in Lister can be purchased at Vital Health on 10th Avenue. Did you know that Creston is also home to Canada’s first community supported agriculture (CSA) project for grain? Local grain shares will again be available for sale at the Creston Valley Farmers’ Market starting May 5 at Millennium Park. More information can be found at www.kootenaygraincsa.ca.

Heidi Bjarnason is a Creston Valley mom and blogger. For more recipes, kid friendly ideas and food, visit Fooddoodles.com.

Read past articles:

FRESH the movie

Posted on by

FRESH is available for viewing online for FREE! For a limited time (they do need to pay their bills after all), you can access the full-length film from your desktop. The movie will be available for one week, from Thursday, January 26th through Wednesday, February 1st, so don’t wait to watch! To access the movie, simply click below.

http://action.freshthemovie.com/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=6608

FRESH - the movie trailer on YouTube

FRESH Synopsis

FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who are re-inventing our food system. Each has witnessed the rapid transformation of our agriculture into an industrial model, and confronted the consequences: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources, and morbid obesity. Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.

Among several main characters, FRESH features urban farmer and activist, Will Allen, the recipient of MacArthur’s 2008 Genius Award; sustainable farmer and entrepreneur, Joel Salatin, made famous by Michael Pollan’s book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma; and supermarket owner, David Ball, challenging our Wal-Mart dominated economy.

Food Action Coalition is hiring a student!

Posted on by

The Creston Valley Food Action Coalition (CVFAC) and Farmers’ Market is looking for a dynamic, creative and versatile person to join our team as a Food Action Assistant. This opportunity is available for a high school or post-secondary student and made possible through funding provided by the Columbia Basin Trust. Job will include light physical duties, office, and organizational responsibilities. An interest in agriculture, business, community development, or education is an asset. The student will work out of the Food Action Coalition office and be supplied with a computer.

CVFAC is a network of local food producers, agricultural agencies and concerned citizens working to create awareness about how we can better feed ourselves using local resources in a sustainable, healthy, secure and environmentally sound way. The CVFAC operates a number of initiatives, including the Farmers’ Market, Harvest Share, and the Farm Fresh Guide.

This is a part-time temporary position; starting date is February 6th and ending June 1st, 2012. Wage is $10.25 an hour. Student will work 10-15 hours a week based on their availability, but Saturdays are required throughout month of May. There is a possibility of extended employment with the Farmers’ Market throughout the summer and fall on Saturdays and part-time throughout the week (approximately 15-20 hours a week) at same rate.

Deadline for application is Tuesday, January 31st, 4pm

Send email (attached cover letter and resume) to Len Parkin, President of the Creston Valley Food Action Coalition via email to lenparkin [at] telus.net

Roles & Responsibilities

Student will support ongoing operations of Creston Valley Food Action Coalition in a number of different ways:

  • Phoning, emailing, contacting organization members to update annual local Farm Fresh Guide
  • Assist Farmers’ Market manager with market duties such as distributing promotional materials, and registering market vendors
  • Assisting with Farmers’ Market set up and take down, and hosting the info booth at the market
  • Updating CVFAC and Farmers’ Market social media sites (blog, Facebook, Twitter)
  • Compiling electronic copies of Farmers’ Market radio interviews
  • Student will be supervised by Farmers’ Market manager for duration of contract

Skills required

  • Good communication skills
  • Speak and write English with a high level of proficiency
  • Comfortable using a computer, particularly email and social media, and Microsoft Office suite (specifically Word & Excel)
  • Able to assist with light physical duties, such as setting up tables, chairs and canopies at Farmers’ Market

Download the full posting here: FAC Student Job Posting

BC Food System Network – JOB POSTING

Posted on by

BC Food Systems Network

BCFSN Gathering Coordinator Job Posting

The BC Food Systems Network is looking for an energetic, detail-oriented person to coordinate our 2012 annual Gathering which will take place on Gambier Island on July 5-8, 2012. The successful candidate will have experience working within a non-profit organization, have some knowledge of the BC Food Systems Network and be an excellent communicator. An in-depth understanding of food security and the surrounding issues is essential for this position. This position requires a flexible personality. The successful applicant must be able to multi-task and prioritize. Experience fundraising and managing large projects and PR outreach is crucial to this position. Developing and implementing a communications plan that will help promote the Gathering and keep all stakeholders informed of gathering development. The Gathering this year is being held at Fircom on Gambier Island, and will require this coordinator to be strong in organisational performance to deal with food provision, thus the this position will be best filled with someone who lives local to the Lower Mainland.

The coordinator will work from a home office and must have regular access to the web, telephone, and be comfortable communicating via email.

Duties include:

  • Fundraising for the Gathering. This includes researching to find suitable grants and other sources of support, and applying for funding from these various sources.
  • Working with the Gathering Committee (composed of Network members and directors) to develop the Gathering. The committee meets via a monthly (and, closer to the Gathering, biweekly or weekly) conference calls to direct the coordinator.
  • Communicating with the BCFSN Board via monthly teleconference calls. These reports include progress updates, tasks and areas that need support.
  • Preparation of Gathering budget and program schedule Communicating and corresponding with the Network membership and beyond to develop the Gathering agenda. Craft final agenda for workshops and Gathering as a whole, in consultation with the Gathering Committee.
  • Coordinating conference registration including: assembling packages for participants, receiving registration, coordinating sleeping arrangements, food, workshops, and facilities, schedule of events, daycare and volunteers.
  • Developing and implementing a communications plan that will help promote the Gathering and keep all stakeholders informed of gathering developments.
  • Coordinating volunteers assisting with the Gathering including delegation of tasks to volunteer and Gathering subcommittees and garden barter activities
  • Overseeing the duties of coordinating meals and menu while ensuring that the food meets the criteria of the BCFSN in contributing to local food sustainability and local food security.
  • Supporting the creation/development of the menu with the local chef, sourcing local ingredients and contributions from network members and acting as a local liaison.
  • Ensuring that local details and facility details are finalized for the gathering.
  • General administration related to the Gathering and other duties as they arise.
  • Crafting a final report to be posted on the BCFSN website and an evaluation report to be submitted to the board by the end of July.

This is a contract position in the amount of $6000 that runs from February 1, 2012 to July 31, 2012. Hours per week increase from about 5-10 to 20-25 as the Gathering approaches. The contract will include an incentive (based on net profit) to produce a successful event.

A PDF of this job posting can be downloaded here.

To apply for this position please send a cover letter, CV, and references to cheryl.thomas24@gmail.com.

The closing date for application is January 23, 2012.

How Designing Smarter Farmers’ Markets Will Help Our Cities Survive

Posted on by

What we’re working towards in the Creston Valley isn’t unique to our area. We all know this shift is happening all across North America. Every community will face their own individual challenges and opportunities, and there are many great models of success out there. One of my favourite is what is happening Detroit, read on!

….

 

Posted from Treehuger

Lloyd Alter
Living / Green Food
December 13, 2011


© Dan Carmody

Daniel Carmody, President of the Eastern Market in Detroit, is a passionate speaker, and entranced many of us attending the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference in Buffalo this fall. It seemed, at first, an odd choice of speaker at a conference about old buildings. But in fact, he demonstrated how important the growing and distribution of food can be to the rebirth and revitalization of our cities and towns. It isn’t about one market, but about the entire economic system in America. Dan kindly shared a copy of his presentation with me, which forms the basis of this post.

A hundred years ago, 38% of Americans lived and worked on the farm; today, it is less than two percent. The impact of that change has been massive; the economist Joseph Stiglitz writes in Vanity Fair this month that the last Great Depression was caused by industrialization of agriculture, a “structural change in the real economy.”

Agriculture had been a victim of its own success. In 1900, it took a large portion of the U.S. population to produce enough food for the country as a whole. Then came a revolution in agriculture that would gain pace throughout the century—better seeds, better fertilizer, better farming practices, along with widespread mechanization. Today, 2 percent of Americans produce more food than we can consume.

Stiglitz writes that we are going through the same kind of massive change right now as the manufacturing economy that built Detroit and much of America changes.

Today we are moving from manufacturing to a service economy. The decline in manufacturing jobs has been dramatic—from about a third of the workforce 60 years ago to less than a tenth of it today. The pace has quickened markedly during the past decade… the inevitable result is precisely the same as it was 80 years ago: a decline in income and jobs. The millions of jobless former factory workers once employed in cities such as Youngstown and Birmingham and Gary and Detroit are the modern-day equivalent of the Depression’s doomed farmers.


No, This Is Why You’re Fat!/via

But the tools and techniques that revolutionized agriculture came at a cost. It is massively dependent on fossil fuels for equipment and fertilizers. Farmers cannot make enough money to live on farming alone. There is massive concentration of ownership (two seed companies control 60% of the market, four companies control 83% of the meat packing industry) so that farmers have little control over the prices they sell their products for. Half of the corn they grow is now used for making fuel, so the price of food is skyrocketing at the same time that the customers are losing their jobs or cutting back on spending because of the economy and debt.


© Eastern Market

In the country, the agricultural system is broken, and in the city, the manufacturing system is broken. But some, like Dan Carmody, see new opportunity in reintegrating the two. He sees food as an organizing tool for society; urban farming and markets can be important employment and wealth creators for cities. Detroit’s Eastern Market is a demonstration of how this might work; Its development strategy is to make it the hub of a complete local food system:

  • Serving as a center for urban agriculture by hosting both a model market garden and urban garden training classes.
  • Serving as an animated venue for improving education about food-related public health issues.
  • Developing cutting-edge systems to convert waste streams generated in the district to provide energy to heat, cool and power facilities, and compost to increase food production yields.

It can generate a lot of money and jobs; Michael Shuman has estimated that if 20% of Detroit’s food was grown locally, it would create nearly 5,000 jobs and nearly $ 20 million in business taxes.


© Dan Carmody

There are all kinds of jobs in food, from the obvious ones of farming and production to processing, wholesale and retail. The Eastern Market supports 300 independent food vendors and several hundred non-food vendors. It is expanding to serve the wholesale industry and is helping Detroit schools switch from processed food to locally grown and minimally processed food.


© Dan Carmody

They are setting up a city wide network of incubator kitchens in schools’ disused existing kitchens.


People’s Pierogi Collective/Screen capture

They are supporting local processors and packagers to produce and market specialty products. They are working with community groups to establish farmers markets and stands around the City.


© Dan Carmody

It is much more than a farmers’ market; it is putting people back to work making stuff we need. And it isn’t just for cities like Detroit; the model works for main streets in former market towns across America.

Here at TreeHugger, we have been writing for years about the merits of supporting local farmers, vendors and craftspeople, about the advantages rust belt cities will have in the future, with their water, their transportation infrastructure of rail, road and canal; their temperate climate in a warmer world.


© Dan Carmody

In Detroit, Dan Carmody and the Eastern Market have shown how this might work. It’s a demonstration of how to revitalize a community and rebuild a local economy. it is more than just a farmers’ market; It may well serve as a model for survival.

Santa’s Secret Seeds from the Food Action Coalition!

Posted on by

Congratulations on your mystery seed package from the Food Action Coalition! Your seed package has a letter on it, below are the instructions for how to plant them.

For all the seeds, 1) select a sunny location to prepare the seed bed. (All of the seeds can be planted anytime after the weather warms up in late April or May. You may also plant your seeds in a pot and grow indoors but the Runner Bean grows so large that it is best grown outdoors.)

2) Prepare the soil by digging, breaking up soil lumps and clearing any weeds or unwanted plant growth from your selected location. Mix in soil amendments such as peat moss or compost. (Separate flower and seed heads from weeds and toss in the garbage and then compost all remaining parts of the weed plant.)

3) Rake and level the selected area.

Your mystery seed is:

P – Poppy – sprinkle seeds onto soil surface. Press firmly into soil. Water lightly and keep moist until sprout appears. (Produces a colorful red to purple flower about 60 cm tall) In late season, the dried pod will provide seed for next year’s planting.

M – Marigold – sprinkle seeds onto soil surface. Gently pat down seed to ensure entire length of seed has made contact with the soil surface. Lightly cover seed with a thin layer of soil – 4 mm only and water lightly. (Produces a beautiful yellow or orange flowering plant about 30 cm tall) In late season, dried flower heads will provide seed for next year’s planting.

C – Calendula – same as for the marigold seeds but cover with 1 cm of soil. (Produces a beautifully scented yellow to orange flower about 45 cm tall) In late season, dried flower heads will provide seed for next year’s planting.

RB – Scarlet Runner Bean – These plants will need a support to climb. Drop seed onto soil surface. Push seed down into soil to a depth of approx 3 cm. Cover with soil, water regularly. (Produces a tall vine with colorful flowers and then a large bean later in the season) In late season, after the bean pod has dried, extract the bean seeds and you have seed for next year’s planting.