I’ve found another reason to love March:  FamilyFarmed EXPO!  What an amazing event, and a brilliant move to bring it back to March when all is ahead of us.  From the outside, checking the website, trying to figure out where I would fit in—as a farm sales coordinator, as a farmers’ market junkie, as a consumer—it was hard to get my arms around the whole thing.  I’m glad I chose to attend all three days.  From where I sat, it seemed to come together seamlessly.  Congratulations and Thank You to Holly, Lloyd, Keighty, Kim, Delia, Kathy, Jim P, and dozens of other staff and volunteers—and especially to Jim Slama whose vision drives the whole thing.  Richly layered over the EXPO offerings was the Food Policy Summit; thanks, too, to Erika, Lauralyn, and all who prepared such a varied group of offerings and made that work so well.

There were two distinct farmers’ market offerings during the EXPO.  Dennis Ryan created a panel for Friday’s Summit on farmers’ markets (which Karen Stark and I helped to facilitate), which was attended by at least two dozen market managers, wannabees, and other interested parties.  We heard input from several experienced managers and questions from those just starting out, on issues ranging from publicity to location to days to hold markets to accepting LINK cards.  I heard from several that they found the session useful.  Please feel free to continue the discussion and pose questions in the Comments here.

 Saturday there was a Farmers’ Market Forum more specific to the topics of GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) and EBT/LINK.  Hopes of trolling for vendors there were dashed as most farmers—if at the EXPO at all—were at their booths.   But there was plenty of time for making those connections outside the forum.   We learned that GAP certification is not a requirement yet, but will be coming down the pike; it’s helpful for us to know what it entails for the farmer’s end of the supply chain.

Between the two events, there were representatives from several established markets (Logan Square, Independence Park, Geneva, 61^st Street, Green City/City of Chicago), fledgling markets and first-timers (Buffalo Grove, Forest Park, Humboldt Park, Glenwood/Rogers Park, Northbrook, Portage Park, Palos Heights); and no doubt I’ve missed a few.  In coming posts of Market Watch I’ll list the new markets I’ve become aware of with starting dates, times, locations, etc.  If you’re starting a market that I may not be aware of, by all means, mention it in the Comments below.

 Happy March to you!  And to you market managers and wannabees, Happy Trolling!

It is the same with cheese making.  At first I was really nervous to try making mozzarella – proclaimed as “so easy to make, kids can do it”. Imagine my adulthood shame when my first batch of cheese looked like milky soup and was certainly not mozzarella. But, just like with my first loaf of bread, I tried again and I completely forgot my previous failure because – I had made mozzarella! And just like that I had the confidence I needed to start making cheese.

This blog is designed to take the mystery out of cheese and will act as a place where us caseophiles can talk about our failures and successes in our cheese making escapades.

I’ll also review and suggest locally made cheeses and interview the talented people that create them. And what do we love more than cheese? Cheese pairings! The perfect couplings of cheese and wine, beer, vegetables, fruit and everything else that can possibly be made better with cheese.

Check back next week for more cheesy conversation!

At Granite City Brewpubs, they call their method of producing beer “Fermentus Interruptus.” It’s a bad idea, but apparently a profitable one. They’ve made a mini-empire from it. There are Granite City brewpubs throughout the Midwest, from North Dakota and Kansas to Ohio.

But it’s surprising to see a Granite City brewpub in a suburban-looking Madison, Wisconsin shopping mall. Madison is a fairly beer-savvy town. Some of the country’s greatest craft breweries – like New Glarus, Stevens Point, Capital and Ale Asylum – are within an hour’s drive. Still, Granite City appears to thrive.

Fermentus Interruptus means that Granite City mashes all its beers at a plant in Iowa, freezes the raw wort, then ships it to each of their 26 breweries. There, it’s defrosted and yeast is added … so technically, the beer is brewed on premise. But it’s not like there’s a brewmaster at each location deciding which malts, hops and yeasts are going into every brew they pump out.

It’s the equivalent of kit brewing, only using frozen wort rather than a concentrated wort syrup extract. (Kit brewing is basically emptying a can of concentrated, often hopped, syrup into water, boiling it, chilling it, adding a packet of dry yeast, and then generously patting yourself on the back for “actually having brewed beer.” No serious craft brewer does it that way.)

Based on my experience in West Madison, it’s really a sports bar – it’s not trying very hard to be a beer bar. I imagine it could do nearly as well without the brewed-on-premises gimmick.

But I sampled their beers, so you don’t have to.

Do I really need to drag you though the predictable, drinkable, but remarkably unremarkable beers that Granite City serves up? Does the world really need another brewpub that just phones it in?

Granite City Food & Brewpub

72 West Towne Mall
Madison, WI 53719

Among the myriad bakeries, meat markets and prepared food vendors, you can find local fish, meat, cheese, wine, some produce, and locally-crafted foods, such as jam and charcuterie. As for the produce, I’m reassured by some of the vendors that local produce will soon start to eclipse the nonlocal produce as we move into the Midwest’s major growing season.

Here’s what I found during one recent visit:

Produce

Produce Express Company (in the middle of the market) carries “Illinois Grown” produce. I noticed that (unlike a recent debacle involving Dominick’s), signs advertising “Illinois Grown” seemed to be carefully placed near produce that would naturally be local to Illinois this time of year (like squash and potatoes). I inquired of the vendor as to the exact identity of the purportedly local producers, but he could not give me specifics on the spot. He did say that they were careful to place their signs only near food that they knew to be actually locally grown, and that they were in the process of compiling and displaying a map that would identify the sources of their produce for their customers. They also told me that their philosophy for sourcing produce is that “closest is best,” although, when necessary, they will source food from further locales.Chicago Organics (on the North side of the market) occasionally offers squash from Indiana, Food for Thought jams and salsas from Michigan, and Farmer’s Creamery milk (Iowa). The vendor expects to carry more local product in the coming weeks.

Cheese and Wine

Pastoral (located at the West end of the market) sells mostly cheese, wine and sandwiches . If you’re looking for local cheese, Pastoral offers Prairie Fruits Farm cheese (Illinois), Antigo Italian-style cheeses (Wisconsin), the goat cheese stalwarts, Capriole (Indiana), and Widmer’s cheese (Wisconsin). Pastoral also carries L. Mawby’s Blanc de Blanc and Blanc de Noir sparkling wines (Michigan), Good Harbor Trillium white wine (Michigan), and Death’s Door Gin, Vodka and white Whiskey (Wisconsin).If you thought Wisconsin Cheese Mart (in the middle of the market) would be a good place to find local cheese, you would be correct. As the name suggests, it offers virtually all varieties of cheese from such Wisconsin makers as Carr Valley, Pleasant Ridge, Henning’s, Maple Leaf, Sartori, and Dante (a sheep‘s milk cheese made from a Wisconsin sheep dairy cooperative). They even offer Wisconsin-made Potter’s crackers to go with the Wisconsin cheese.

Meats and Fish

City Fresh/La Marée Seafood (Southwest end of the market) occasionally carries White Perch from Lake Michigan.City Fresh offers Miller’s Farm chickens from Indiana.

Locally-Crafted

If your idea of local food extends to that which is crafted locally, Fumare (North side of the market) carries sausages and charcuterie crafted by local producers, such as Ream’s Elburn Market in Elburn, Illinois. Fumare told me that all of its products are crafted locally.City Fresh carries Usinger’s sausages (Wisconsin), Bobak’s wieners and head cheese (Illinois) and Bende & Son Hungarian Brand products (Illinois).Gramp’s Gourmet Foods (Illinois)offers its own locally-made pickles for sale.

Have I missed anything? Has anyone else spied local food at the French Market?

Chicago French Market
131 N. Clinton
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 575-0306

Hours:
M-Fri. 7 am – 7:30 pm
Sat. 8 am – 6 pm

Jerry McGeorge, David Spear, Jack Hedin and Laura Sova

It turned out that the catastrophic flood of August 2007 that destroyed the organic crops of Featherstone Farms was a blessing for Jack Hedin, who was introduced at last week’s Family Farmed Expo as a “rock star farmer.”

While the image of an aspiring 4H club member in his bedroom late at night playing an air hoe and fantasizing about raising kale came to mind, no young vegetable grower wants to imagine pools of water rotting away the late-summer harvest.

But that’s what risk is about. Many businesses have to deal with the issues of hiring and training inexpensive labor, acquiring cash, buying and maintaining equipment and anticipating demand before the product is made. Farmers have the added difficulties of doing most work outdoors, subject to the whims of an indifferent Mother Nature.

Calculating the risks organic vegetable farmers face is foreign to many banks who typically finance corn and soybean harvests and know exactly what they’re getting into, said Gary Matteson. Matteson is a VP of the Farm Credit Council, a co-op of farmers (many are borrowers themselves), who comprise the nation’s Farm Credit System. Matteson focuses on loaning money to small and startup farms as well as offering assistance to young farmers (including 4H members, who have borrowed money to buy a few chickens).

At the Financing Farms, Farmers and Farmland seminar, Matteson insisted that new farmers or startup food companies seeking financial assistance must behave like responsible entrepreneurs and treat their concerns like a business. Any sensible creditor willing to lend money is going to want to see that the farmer has experience and a solid business plan, which includes an analysis of the demand as well as an understanding of the risks involved.

In Hedin’s case, the flood forced him to rethink his business plan as well as reorganize Featherstone’s loans. What was notable about the seminar was how many ways there are for novice food producers to find money. Whole Foods Market, for example, is a major buyer of Featherstone’s Minnesota-grown produce, but also will loan up to 80% of a producer’s expansion costs. Seeking to build relationships with local food suppliers, Whole Foods forager, David Spear, looks for farmers and food companies that have solid business plans and are buying new equipment, land or buildings. Spear’s goal is to keep the store’s shelves stocked and then to entice customers to empty them by publishing tales of local food producers. To that end, his local producer loan program offers up to $25,000 for companies to expand their production. He also trains local stores to work with their producers to ensure a steady, reliable supply. “Steady and reliable” are nowhere to be found on a farm when unpredictable rains keep coming down at the wrong time of year.

“Farmers are change managers,” said Matteson. They change virgin land into crop land, fertilizer and compost into vegetables, and they watch seeds change to food while the price at which they can sell their food fluctuates with the supply, the costs of distributors and other middlemen, as well as the tastes of a fickle public.

Few farmers endure the whiplash of watching the rollercoaster ups and downs of their sell price as much as dairy farmers. Just last year, painful stories of milk cows being culled because their upkeep costs exceeded the value of their milk were enough to curdle cream. While the price that conventional (meaning that they inject synthetic hormones and use technology invented in the past 50 years) dairy farmers get for their milk has generally risen, it remains below what organic dairy farmers earn (although organic costs offset much of that extra income). However, the organic farmers have not suffered the painful oscillations of milk prices, said Jerry McGeorge of the Organic Valley Co-op. A huge (his word) marketer of organic milk and dairy products, the co-op started in the 1980s when seven small organic farmers banded together in the shadow of the farm foreclosure crisis. Now, with more than 1,000 farmers, the co-op not only ensures a steady supply of organic products to retailers and consumers, but offers help to farmers willing to undergo the difficult transition (change management again!) of converting from “conventional” to organic. During that three-year shift when they’re not yet certified, their costs begin escalating, but they must still sell milk at the lower, conventional price. Joining the co-op not only finds them a ready buyer, but gets them financial and educational assistance from experienced farmers who are willing to lend a hand.

“Your budget tells your story,” said seminar moderator Laura Sova, executive director of The Land Connection, which trains farmers. If so, Hedin’s story focuses on his relationship with his customers. After starting the farm in 1997 by borrowing money from family and friends, Featherstone found 20 CSA customers. Two of them later loaned the farm $30,000 to expand operations. In 2001, Featherstone secured a bank loan and later worked with Whole Foods to acquire even more seed money. Today, just a few years after the devastating flood, Featherstone’s CSA provides 900 members with fresh organic produce and employs 30 people on 100 acres in southeastern Minnesota.

As the crowd of financiers, wannabe farmers and spectators listened to the experts speak, I noted how Hedin’s business plan differed completely with my assumption. I had always figured that to make a living farming, you had to either own your land mortgage-free or inherit a fortune. Featherstone owns virtually none of its land. As sprawl in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region continued driving real estate prices up, Hedin and his partner figured it makes more sense to use his cash for equipment and buildings and continue to lease the acres. With their modified business plan in hand, Hedin (who shared his balance sheet with the crowd) was able to locate new money and raise Featherstone out of the flood and on to continued success keeping his customers well fed with organic local produce.

The strategy: I randomly sourced bottles of local wine (at multiple price levels) from the shelves of Chicagoland stores. Then, I tasted this wine in a group that included local wine expert, Drew Goss of West Town Tavern, a restaurant in Chicago known for its contemporary comfort food and global wine list. He helped me narrow down which of these bottles are worthy of drinking alongside wine from other wine-producing regions. Here’s our report.

Sourcing the wines

I was in charge of sourcing the wine, the process of which was both encouraging and disheartening. On the upside, the Sam’s-turned-Binny’s on Marcey Street in Chicago maintains the former Sam’s “Midwest” wine section. On the down side, many promising bottles were sold out when I visited, and the selection was heavy on red wines (some made from grapes that are not ideal for growing in the Midwest’s mild climate). Trying to keep an open mind about these red wines, I selected three bottles from the Marcey Street Binny’s for the tasting (two reds and one sparkling rosé).

The search for local wine was temporarily derailed at the South Loop Binny’s. The person in the wine department believed that only wines made from fruit such as pears and plums, and sweeter, semi-dry reds, were produced in the Midwest (which is not true). Of course, perusing Binny’s South Loop store’s meager selection, that would be the impression you’d get. I walked out with nothing.

More on the upside, Lush, in West Town, Fine Wine Brokers, in Lincoln Square, and Pastoral, in the French Market, all carried a limited selection of local wines, and the people I talked to at those stores were knowledgeable about these wines. As smaller wine shops, I found that their selection was better vetted, and included lesser-known producers from the Leelanau and Old Mission peninsulas in Michigan, a burgeoning wine region. I selected a white and red from Lush, and a sparkling wine and dessert wine from Fine Wine Brokers for the tasting. (The selections at Pastoral were duplicative of bottles I selected from other wine shops.)

Not surprisingly, intrepid locavore Cassie Green of Green Grocer had four bottles of local wine in her store’s small, but well-curated, selection of wines—three of which were part of our tasting (a sparkling wine, a white and a red).

In the end, I purchased more bottles of red wine than white—the result of there being many more reds available off the shelf than white. Some of the selected wines included hybrid grapes, such as seyval blanc and vignoles, which are generally appropriate for a milder Midwest climate because they are cold-hardy and ripen earlier in the season.

The tasting

Overall, we were pleased with how well many of these bottles drank. There were two wines from Southwest Michigan that we thought going in might not drink well (the sparkling rosé and a table red), and unfortunately, they met our low expectations. The Illinois red wines we tried were fine and drinkable, though not particularly noteworthy, and rated in the middle of the pack. The winners are described below (in no particular order).

1. L. Mawby Blanc de Blanc NV, sparkling wine, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan (Chiefly chardonnay, some pinot noir and a “little bit” of vignoles. According to L. Mawby, the blend varies from year-to-year so that the wine tastes the same.) This was the only wine of the group I had tried before, but Drew had never tasted it.

Drew: Fine bubbles. Fat, glycerin sliding down the side of the glass. Minty and herbal tasting. Tastes mostly of chardonnay. Watching the fine bubbles flicker in the glass as you pour the wine, it is apparent that the L. Mawby sparkling wines are well-made. L. Mawby uses the more complex (and more expensive) méthode champenoise in making their sparkling wine, the same method used by the French to make champagne. The group concluded that the clean juiciness of the wine would make it a good choice to serve in place of cava. It would be a great sparkler to serve at the beginning of a dinner party while you’re eating hors d’oeuvres, such as cheese or flatbread. (Green Grocer, $18.99/750 ml; Whole Foods, $17.99/750 ml. Also available at Pastoral and Fine Wine Brokers.)

2. L. Mawby Blanc de Noir NV, sparkling wine, Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan (100% pinot noir; hand picked and whole cluster pressed, fermented in stainless steel tanks and blended with reserve wines before being fermented again and bottled.)

Drew: Biscuit-colored. Same bead as the Blanc de Blanc, but more toast. It’s fatter and richer. Some notes of cherry pit and amaretto. Wouldn’t have guessed it was from Michigan, more like a California sparkling wine, although not quite; tastes different. The group thought that this was the clear winner that night. The Blanc de Noir is like L. Mawby’s Blanc de Blanc, but dressed to the nines for the red carpet at the Oscars. Lush, heavy and bubbly, this is a sparkling wine that you would serve with food. Notes of terroir peeked through as we couldn’t quite align the characteristics of this wine with any other wine-producing region. (Fine Wine Brokers $11.95/half-bottle. Also available at Pastoral.)

3. Black Star Farms 2006 Arcturos Pinot Noir [red], Suttons Bay, Michigan (64% Grand Traverse county grapes and 36% Leelanau county grapes. Aged in a mix of American and French Oak.) The only red we tasted that made the cut.

Drew: This is a cool wine. Ruby-colored. Floral smell with dill notes that dissipated over time. Light, but good flavor. Fruity, not overly fruity, though; well-balanced with the oak. Enticing, makes you want to have another sip. The group thought that the nose was really expressive, and may be off-putting at first, but as the wine opened up, it mellowed and sweetened. (We probably should have opened the wine a little longer before drinking it.) Even though it was lighter in color than most pinot noirs, the wine certainly expressed the pinot noir grape in taste and smell. It was more similar to a Washington or Oregon pinot noir than a California one, although not quite – again, like the Mawby Blanc de Noir, this wine was showing its Midwest origins. I recently tasted this wine separately with a group of wine bloggers, sommeliers and the winemaker from Black Star Farms, and it was discussed that the lighter color extraction of the wine could be the result of the shorter ripening season in upper Michigan. The most expensive wine of the night, but that is to be expected with pinot noir. It was a proud representation of Midwestern pinot noir. (Green Grocer, $22.99/750 ml; Whole Foods, $25.99/750 ml. Also available at Binny’s.)

4. Good Harbor Fishtown White NV, Lake Leelanau, Michigan (75% chardonnay, 13% vignoles, 12% seyval blanc. Aged in 35% French oak and 65% stainless steel.)

Drew: Round, cream, cherry notes. Tastes a little like cherry cream soda, lots of vanilla. It’s got the viscous body of oak, but no oak taste. It’s like a rosé in taste and color. Here, the hybrids really make their appearance. The group thought this would be a fun summer wine to drink on a deck and wondered, if you poured it in black wine glasses (that would mask the wine), would people think they were drinking a rosé? It probably would go well with cheese and charcuterie. The cherry notes evoke the Midwest –the Leelanau peninsula, where the winery is located, is home to numerous cherry orchards. (Lush, $10.00/750 ml. Other Good Harbor wine available at Pastoral.)

5. August Hill Winery 2008 Seyval Blanc [white], Illinois River Valley (100% seyval blanc)

Drew: Smells like citrus. Fruity. Nose isn’t particularly pleasant, but improves greatly when enjoyed with food, which brings out its citrus-y notes. Made with 100% hybrid grape. This was the wine we ate with a light dinner. Would pair well with lighter fare such as chicken, fish and Mediterranean flavors that would bring out some of the citrus notes. An example of how wine should be consumed with food. (Green Grocer, $13.99/750 ml.)

One thing this tasting proved is that trying good local wine can be as easy as going to your nearby wine shop. If you’d like to try local wine without having to order it directly from a winery, I urge you to try one of these bottles. Keep your eyes peeled: Local wine can be sneaky — often, it’s camouflaged on the shelf alongside wine from other parts of the world. Have you found good locally-produced wine in Chicagoland stores that you’d like to tell us about?

* * *

Author’s Note: Black Star Farms recently participated in a tasting reported earlier on The Local Beet, and their 2007 Arcturos Pinot Noir, as well as the 2008 Arcturos Dry Riesling, performed well in that tasting. These wines can be found at Green Grocer, Whole Foods, and Binny’s. Another August Hill wine that Drew and I tasted, a Muscat dessert wine, earned “honorable mention” marks from us. Later, I noticed that this same wine was available on the wine list at LM Le Restaurant in Lincoln Square. It can normally be purchased at Fine Wine Brokers (for about $10.95 a bottle), but the distributor is currently out of this wine. Fine Wine Brokers plans to re-stock this wonderful dessert wine as soon as the distributor has a new supply.

Places mentioned in the article:
West Town Tavern
1329 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
(312) 666-6175

Fine Wine Brokers
4621 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625-2007
(773) 989-8166

Green Grocer
1402 West Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642-6303
(312) 624-9508

Lush
1412 West Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 666-6900

Pastoral @ Chicago French Market
131 N. Clinton
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 454-2200
(Other locations throughout Chicago)

LM Le Restaurant
4539 N. Lincoln
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 942-7585

Binny’s Beverage Depot
1720 N. Marcey Street
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 664-3359
(Other locations throughout Chicagoland)

Whole Foods Market
1550 N. Kingsbury
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 587-0648
(Other locations throughout Chicagoland)

It’s been a long winter and the warming weather and sunshine is bringing back spring’s hope of early crops. Last autumn I left frost blankets on anything that might spring up at the first sign of thaw: kale, Swiss chard, collards, mint, sorrel, and a test patch of celery. Waiting to see if this low-cost, low-maintenance season extender will yield crops for markets I’ve got scheduled for the next month.

My winter was full of sporadic markets throughout the city including those organized by Faith in Place at various churches, the indoor Logan Square Farmers Market in the Congress Theater on Milwaukee Avenue, and the new Empty Bottle Farmers Market. I ran out of cold weather veggies in December and have been trying to sell hand-spun wool yarn (most sheared from my own sheep) but the state of the economy has showed itself in dismal sales. You can imagine I can’t wait until I have food to sell!

* * *

Here are some photos taken at various winter farmers market, proof that farmers have specialized products that can bring sales through the winter.

River Valley Ranch mushrooms (Matt and Robin)

Earth First Farms apples and cider

Plapp Family Organics eggs

Fraternite Notre Dame cakes and pastries

When a friend suggested that we share a locally-raised Berkshire hog and that he would make all the arrangements – including delivering my portion directly to my door – I jumped at the chance.  I’ve been dabbling in charcuterie for several years and had become more than eager for such an opportunity.  But the idea of approaching a local farmer directly intimidated me, for some irrational reason.  Perhaps it was due to the fact that in my job selling ingredients to large-scale food manufacturers, small customers are generally viewed as nuisances.  The last thing I wanted to do was become a nuisance myself to some dedicated local farmer who, if not for being inconvenienced by my puny order, could be busy doing far more important work.

In addition to getting some stellar, nearly-legendary meat, I would also be buying locally, which was a nice, added bonus.  Supporting the production of local food isn’t always as easy for me as I wish it were.  Living in the far northern suburbs of Chicago – with booked-up weekends – and having a full-time, Monday to Friday job, opportunities to buy local don’t always come a’knocking.  While I’ve purchased a CSA (community supported agriculture) share and try to buy local whenever I can, many of the best opportunities for locally-produced foodstuffs are just too far off the beaten path for me to enjoy with frequency.

A couple of weeks before the delivery date, the farmer sent me a fairly detailed, multi-page order form, asking me to specify my butchering preferences.  Seeing such detailed questions helped set my expectations.  In filling out the form, I did my best to communicate my preferences, explaining – in the margins beyond the provided blanks – that I wanted everything as minimally-processed as possible:  skin on, bones in, parts whole.  A follow-up e-mail from the farmer gave me a reassuring opportunity to answer a few questions pertaining to details about which I wasn’t particularly fluent or articulate.

As I awaited the delivery, I wondered what the outcome would be when I applied my well-tested recipes and methods to such distinctive, high-quality pork.  Would the sausages, bacon and pates that I’d made so many times taste different, better?  Would the items I’d never made before end up being worth the effort?  I certainly hoped so, and as the fateful date approached, I brushed up on my notes and recipes, restocked my supply of casings, curing salts, starter cultures and other supporting ingredients, and made sure that I had plenty of storage room for the bounty that I was about to receive.  I knew I’d be getting close to 100 pounds of assorted pig parts and – in the old-world tradition – I planned to work through as much of it as I could on the day it arrived.  I had a friend on-call who had agreed to help me.  Once the goods showed up, I’d call him and he’d be at my house 30 minutes later to help.

However, the reality was not really close to what I’d expected.  So many of my requests to the farmer had gone unfulfilled.  First, instead of fresh pork, which the farmer offered to provide, everything was frozen solid (I advised my on-call friend to go enjoy his Saturday).  Frozen meat meant, of course, that I’d have to thaw it just to work with it – and keep it frozen until I was ready.  Ironically, the one space I didn’t clear out was my freezer, so I immediately had to scramble to do so.  As I sorted through the parts, I was repeatedly disappointed by what I encountered.

Both the belly and the ham had been skinned, and the long bone in the ham had been cut off, along with the shank.  Since I’d planned on dry-curing the ham, the absence of the skin and the extra section of bone were real blows.  And since I hot-smoke my bacon, the missing skin on the bellies would make it more likely that they’d curl up during smoking.  The skin generally protects the belly from such peril and also prevents the exterior of the belly from drying out or becoming too hard while smoking.

What I learned after the fact is that the farmer had sent the hog to a processor that was not set up to scald the skin.  As such, they completely skinned it instead.  Of course, I wish this had been communicated to me by the farmer at some earlier point in the process.  All those pages and subsequent questions and still, it wasn’t until after the delivery was made that I learned that some of my basic requests were never even possible.  That’s frustrating, to say the least.

But other, more-easily-managed requests were also ignored.  The shoulder had also been cut into several small sections, rather than being left intact, as I’d requested.  Given the fact that ignoring this particular request actually required more work than honoring it, this was especially perplexing. Instead of being left as a whole slab, spare ribs were curiously cut into almost-useless, 3-rib-mini-slabs.  Similarly, country-style ribs were cut as single ribs.  No portion of the head or trotters was provided.  There was no liver or tripe.  I received one kidney, along with portions of the heart and tongue.  Hocks, oddly, were split into 3 sections that were left partially attached to each other – again more work than simply leaving it whole, as I’d requested.

On the positive side, the meat was truly delicious.  Double-cut pork chops (one request that was honored) were well-marbled, had a nice amount of fat on the outside and were succulent – both on the grill and in the oven.  Fresh Italian sausage I made from some of the scraps I received was remarkably flavorful.  Bacon turned out very well, too, with only minimal curling.  I was also able to render nearly a quart of leaf lard out of the portions of fat that contained it.  As for the ham, I decided to give it a go without the skin.  After a several day dry-cure in salt, I now have it hanging in netting – since there is no bone from which to hang it – and am hoping for the best.

So, all in all it was a mixed experience.  My total cost was just under $270.  Even though the yield was significantly smaller than the hanging weight, considering the high quality of the meat – and the chance to support local producers (both farmer and processor) – the cost was completely reasonable.  My regular butcher carries very good pork and this Berkshire was no pricier than what he sells.  On the other hand, his pork is raised in Iowa, which isn’t much less local than Wisconsin, where our hog was raised.  His standard cuts are more recognizable and he fulfills customer requests with a religious-like devotion.

In the end, while I may not have placed a nuisance order, the net result was about the same.  I say this because I felt like it was not a natural or easy fit between myself and the providers.  The large gaps between us left me feeling less than satisfied with the experience, and made me feel that my needs simply could not be met.  I’m certain that in order to make this supply line eventually work, I’ll have to make some adjustments.  But I’m equally sure that if local providers truly hope to reach the full capacity of their potential market, they’ll have to do the same.

I haven’t given up, though, and will go at this again very soon.  Next time around, however, I plan to research and question the processor much more thoroughly.  And even if it means purchasing the hog and hiring the processor separately, that’s what I’ll do.  I’ve already obtained a few promising leads from friends who’ve been down this path, so I’m hopeful that I can get what I want out of future transactions.  For those who are content buying their meat from unknown sources at the grocery, all this must seem beyond ridiculous.  But for those who share my passion for food and cooking – and who desire the very best ingredients available – this is what we do, and the extra steps are not a burden but actually a labor of love.

Also, two new local resources I discovered this winter…
Backyard Chicken Run is the first. John Emrich will make home deliveries of organic chicken supplies.

Secondly, Jen Murtoff runs Home To Roost, an urban chicken consulting service. Jen is not a vet, but she is very knowledgeable and can help in many ways. j.murtoff@sbcglobal.net. She has experience with many breeds of fowl and that can be tricky to find in Chicago without spending a fortune.

Like we say, we like Blackbird.  And we like deals.  And we like pretty much all of these places.  You have an outstanding opportunuity get to sample places like Blackbird, Vie, Mado , Prarie Fire (pretty much a who’s who of Local Beet fav’s) during Chicago Chef’s Week starting next Monday.

It’s not all fancy-schmancy though.  Blackbird is a long way away if you live in a food dessert.  Learn about the issue of food deserts and how to survive on supermarket fare on Thursday with Mari Gallagher and Phil Lempert at the Save-a-lot, 7240 Stony Island Ave, 11 AM – 6PM.

There’s a whole bunch besides Paul on our Local Calendar below.  Please let us know what’s missing (and expect updates during the course of the week).

WHAT TO BUY NOW

Very limited supplies of local food left to purchase this time of year.  Look, and you will find  apples and potatoes.   I recently spied three varieties of Michigan apples at Angelo Caputo’s in Elmwood Park.  There are intermittent supplies of local greens (rocket, chard, lettuces).  Eat local sprouts and mircogreens.

This is truly the time for canned, dried and frozen items.  Tomato Mountain and River Valley Ranch are good sources.

As we noted last week, just because there is barely any local produce, it does not mean that there are not lots of other local foods to get from all our great cheeses, to meats, grains, beans, nuts, milk, eggs, etc.  There’s even local tofu at some markets.

Let us know what other local goods you are still seeing for sale.

 WHERE TO FIND LOCAL FOODS

These stores specialize in local foods:

• Downtown Famstand
• Green Grocer
• Dill Pickle Coop in Logan Square

WHAT TO DO

MARKETS  AND EVENTS THIS WEEK

Wednesday - March 17

Check out Paul Kahan and the rest of the crew at the Hideout for Soup and Bread – 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago – 530 – 8 PM

Wisconsin vs. the World – Cheese Contest - Monona Terrace – Madison, Wisconsin 6-8 PM

Thursday - March 18

Crawford Farm dinner at Vie – 4471 Lawn Ave, Western Springs, IL

Meet the folks behind Harvest Moon Farms and learn about their CSA – Lush Wine and Spirits (Roscoe Village) – 2232 W. , Chicago – 6 – 8 PM

Green Acres Cook Off and Bell’s Brewery Tasting – Green Grocer Chicago – Green Acres Farm is coming upstate to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with Bell’s Brewery! Self-titled Mid-Life-Farm-Wife, Donna O’Shaugnessey, will be leaving her hormone-free, pasture raised friends in Frankfurt for the night to pan sear some sliders and stir fry some pork. Pair all of that with a dark glass of porter or stout, and your eyes will be smiling Irish heritage or not! Never in all the four counties has eating ethically tasted so good! Slainte! Whet your appetite, and check out Donna’s blog. – 1402 W. Grand, Chicago – 5 PM

GreenTown: The Future of Community Main Conference – College of Lake County – 19351 W. Washington St., Building C – Lower Level, Grayslake, IL – 7 AM to 6 PM – See here for details

New! – Get shopping tips with with Mari Gallagher and Phil Lempert at the Save-a-lot, 7240 Stony Island Ave, Chicago -11 AM – 6PM.

New! – Screening of Fresh and discussion with Greg Cristian on  sustainable food practices. – Loyola Information Commons, 6501 N. Kenmore Ave, Chicago - 5 PM

Saturday – March 20

Ebenezer Luthern Church – 1650, W. Foster, Chicago – 9 AM – 1 PM

Empty Bottle Farmer’s Market – 1035 N. Western – 12 – 5 PM

Purple Asparagus Family Dinner – at Dawali Mediterranean Kitchen, from 2:30-5:00 PM

Celebrate National Corndog Day with Gus at Weiner and Still Champion - 802 Demptster, Evanston

Maple Syrup Festival – North Park Village Nature Center. 5801 N Pulaski Rd (between Bryn Mawr and Peterson Aves)

Sunday – March 21

Unitarian Universalist Church of Elgin – 39W830 Highland, Elgin – 1 – 3 PM

Logan Square Farmer’s Market – Congress Theater 2135 N. Milwaukee, Chicago 10 AM – 2 PM

Maple Syrup Festival – North Park Village Nature Center. 5801 N Pulaski Rd (between Bryn Mawr and Peterson Aves)

Monday - March 22

Pig Butchering class at Mado – 1230 PM – 1647 N. Milwaukee, Chicago

Tuesday - March 23

New! Farm Forum sponsor by the Geneva Green Market – First Congregational Church of Geneva, 321 Hamilton Street Geneva, IL – 830 AM – 1 PM

MARKETS AND EVENTS COMING

Wednesday - March 24

Culinary Conversations with Food Women – In celebration of Women’s History Month, Judith Dunbar-Hines will lead a lively conversation with five women who own and operate Chicago area food businesses to learn about their journey in establishing, operating and marketing their successful local food businesses. Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand will remain open until 8pm to accommodate post-event shoppers! Scheduled participants include: Nicole Bergere, Nicole’s Crackers; Jessica Volpe, Pasta Puttana; Jenny Yang, Phoenix Tofu; Meg Dhamer, Pigtales Twist; and Elizabeth Madden, Rare Bird. – Chicago’s Downtown Farmstand – 66 E. Randolph, Chicago – 6 – 8 PM - Call 312.742.TIXS (8497) for reservations or click here to register online.

Friday - March 26

 Tiny Mahler Orchestra performs La Bonne Chanson”  at 73o in Alice Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston on the Northwestern University campus.  Expect some neat food.

Saturday – March 27

Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is still Greens, Eggs, and Ham (we think).

Portage Park – Irving Park and Central, Chicago - 10 – 2 PM

Sunday - March 28

Winter Farmers Market at North Shore Unitarian Church, Deerfield - 21oo Half Day Road, Deerfield, IL – 10 AM – 2 PM 

Logan Square Farmer’s Market – Congress Theater 2135 N. Milwaukee, Chicago 10 AM – 2 PM

SOLD OUT! – Choucroute Garnie Alscatian stuffing at Mado – 1647 N.  Milwaukee, Chicago – 6 PM

 Tiny Mahler Orchestra performs La Bonne Chanson”  at 7:30 pm at the Heaven Gallery, 1550 North Milwaukee Avenue, 2nd floor.  Expect some neat food.

Saturday - April 10

Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese

Winter Farmer’s Market, Chicago/Beverly – Beverly Unitarian Church (the Castle) – 10244 S Longwood Ave, Chicago – 9 AM – 1 PM

SOLD OUT! – BaconFest Chicago – Chef’s participating here –  Ticket info here.

Tuesday - April 13

Geneva Green Market, NFP Green Chatter Matters – Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual by Michael Pollan – Inglenook Pantry, 11 North Fifth St, Geneva IL – 7 pm

Tuesday – April 20

City Provisions Supper Club – Earth Day Dinner

Thursday- April 22

Go Green Day Management Earth Day – Flair Tower – 720 N. Franklin, Chicago

Saturday – April 24

Chicago Green City Market at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, 8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m (Directions) – The theme is Cheese.

Portage Park – Irving Park and Central, Chicago - 10 – 2 PM