Our family was gathering for Mothers’ Day brunch. As expected the parking lots were full though it seemed far fewer parking spaces were available than for the surrounding businesses they served.  Seeing the tell-tale colorful bouquets of spring blossoms wrapped in white butcher paper walking by suggested a pop-up local Farmers’ market was just around the corner. Yay! The local Farmers’ market season was here!

Me (left), my mom (right), and Tamara Murphy

It was a partly sunny day, just warm enough to take my 80 year old parents for a leisurely stroll after brunch. It would be good to stretch their legs before the drive home, and I could share with them one of my favorite things to do.

In the Pacific NW, our local fruit and vegetable selections are fairly limited in selection early in the season. However spring is that short window of the year when sweet young, green garlic is available.  Imagine my delight when my Mother asked me what those small bulbs with long greens were on a Farmer’s table.  Not only was I going to enjoy a limited harvest of tender, young bulbs and their greens for dinner; I was also able to share with my Mother something new to her in her 80 years of food experiences!

I wasn’t surprised when offering to split the bunch with her that Mom quickly turned me down.  NO, she wanted to have her own. It was obvious she wanted to play in the kitchen too.  There were a few bunches left from the last of the local asparagus harvest, so we split a big bundle of spears that she sautéed for their dinner along with her tender young garlic—for the first time—in her 80+ years.  Don’t you just love that?

You never know what treasures are to be found each trip to a local Farmers’ market. As much as I love the fresh flavors from our local harvests, for me true enjoyment of a Farmer’s Market is ‘seasoned’ by the total experience. The ability to interact with farmers and others in our community, adds a depth of perspective and bounty that keeps us connected to who we are, and each other.

Photo by Josh Can Help ... not the pepper in question

$2.99 might not sound like much, but that equals 18 packs of Ramen noodles or three cans of Spaghettios.  And that’s the problem.  As long as one healthy vegetable costs up to 18 times more than an entire processed meal, rates of hypertension, heart disease, and type II diabetes will continue to climb in America.

How much does it cost to cook a whole meal using fresh ingredients compared to a processed, corn-syrup-laden, sodium-laced meal?  According to a survey conducted by the University of Washington in 2007, a 2000 calorie diet made up of junk food would cost $3.52, compared with $36.32 for a diet of healthier foods.

So, yeah, quality food is expensive; however, Americans on average spend only 6.9% of their income on food, the lowest of any nation on record, according to Natalie Jones of Civil Eats.  By comparison, the majority of Europeans spend over 10% of their disposable income on food (France at 13.5%, Italy 14.2%).  Though many Americans are feeling the crunch of higher food prices, we are still getting a lot of bang for our buck, relatively speaking, because we subsidize farming.  Except we only subsidize unhealthy garbage: corn (for feed grain and high-fructose corn syrup) and soy (for soybean oil).

So what can we do?  I suggest eating locally-grown, sustainable, healthy food.  Swap out canned green beans for some grilled asparagus.  Trade corn-on-the-cob for stuffed artichokes.  Yeah, it costs a little more than their non-organic, supermarket counterparts, but if enough people do it, if enough people make the shift toward true foods, perhaps the subsidies will shift, too.  Maybe local farmers who practice sustainable techniques can have a slice.  If more people eat it, then more people will grow it, then more people will be able to afford it.

Home-grown eggs by joshcanhelp

Urban farmers and their eggs – Got Eggs? Egg-laying season is upon us and the hens are ramping up their production quantities. There’s nothing like a farm-fresh egg, or better yet, the nuances of flavor from one that’s been collected that morning and yet to be refrigerated. Have you considered raising your own?

The future of the cookbook (?) – Really fascinating read on how a Seattle chef, John Sundstrom of Lark, is taking a whole new approach to creating a cookbook by crowdfunding it through Kickstarter. For those unfamiliar with the process, you put your mostly-formed idea out there and ask people to fund it by committing a certain amount of money in escrow. If enough people commit and the funding threshold is met, the project moves forward. If not, everyone gets their money back and it’s back to the drawing board. A fascinating idea in general and even more so for a book project. How bad do you want those recipes?

Foraging in Seattle – NPR talks about the new food forest being planted in Beacon Hill. This was my first introduction to the concept and I love it! Note-worthy:

• “It will feature fruit-bearing perennials — apples, pears, plums, grapes, blueberries, raspberries and more.”
• “…the 7-acre plot…could make it the largest, urban food forest on public land in the U.S.”
• “The group is currently working with $100,000 in seed money to set up the first phase: a 1.75-acre test zone to be planted by the end of the year.”

I like this on so many levels. First, what great community-building. Second, it’s such a better way to feed the homeless. Third, who wouldn’t want more things growing around them?

New restaurant trend: Pop-ups! – It’s always been clear to me that no one really eats the same as someone else. This goes for what we eat, how we eat, when we eat, and why. With all this variation, why would menus in restaurants stay the same day after day? Pop-ups are a one-day, special menu served by chefs in their own restaurants or by sous and line chefs in borrowed spaces. This new restaurant trend is gathering momentum, many being put into place with the spirit of supporting the greater community of young chefs either interested in or getting a start on their own.

John shared with me his beliefs in family, community, stewardship and responsibility.  Another gift -

“Being diligent and consistent starts with the very human hands of your local commercial fishermen to bring the best in quality; noticeably in each wild salmon you have for dinner with your family.  My name is John C McDonald; I have commercially fished in Alaska, Washington, and Oregon.  Since I was 19, I was on my first commercial fishing trip and I haven’t looked back ever since.  Being a good steward of harvesting wild salmon has been a permanent law in my heart.  The key is that I am just a steward of this valuable resource.  The rewards of the labor that I have put into properly handling each salmon, is in the appreciation of my friends, family, and customers.  It’s not a generalized practice to do what I do.  Secure flake ice, pull at least one gill on each salmon for proper bleeding, and immediately hold in a slush ice of 33 degrees or less until the salmon gets cleaned within a few hours of catch and sold to a local distributor with 24 hours of catch in most cases.  Not to mention the countless labor it takes to prepare, fish, transfer, and lastly transport and store the valuable resource until it reaches the market.  We sell to only a couple of local distributors.  Our website: www.isitwildsalmon.com markets to the direct consumers.  We centralized our wild salmon sale right in our neighborhood on the premises of our church parking lot at Bryn Mawr United Methodist Church starting in August.”

John C McDonald
Ocean Run Seafoods, Inc.

Photo by Josh @joshcanhelp.com

On first read, this announcement triggered the feeling that this is a good thing; that mass-market grocers are becoming more aware and action-oriented toward environmental issues including overfishing. However with further reflection, it also posed the question is this truly a supportive solution to preventing overfishing and harm to marine life and habitats?

A couple of years ago I was introduced to an ‘out of the box’ idea from Louisiana Chef/Author/Ark of Taste Culinary Activist Poppy Tooker, who spoke at a NW conference. The concept she shared was we must “Eat it to save it” which triggered multiple questions that are still ongoing within me. Initially, the idea was so foreign that it didn’t make any sense. Most of us have been taught that if we eat an endangered species, it will become extinct.

Poppy’s message asks us be consciously aware of who and what are fully involved in the ongoing availability of that resource. Are we willing to make complex and multi-layered choices to respectfully protect something so it continues to survive and even thrive? Instead of our dollars supporting mass-production by big conglomerates, are we willing to pay for heritage harvest practices that promote sustainability, biodiversity and cultural continuance?

At the forefront of a growing trend, Poppy has helped identify foods and growers that must be supported as regional links to our national and global heritage. Biodiversity, sustainability, and pre-petro-chemical knowledge that produce food are at a risk of being lost. How are our farmers, fisherman, their homes, communities, and their regional food systems being affected?  Should we instead raise awareness and regulate production methods and yields, versus eliminating the harvest of a species?

Of course prices will increase, however consumption will reduce. Yet would this approach allow a food and its culture to survive? If we stop eating a particular species of fish, does the fishery itself die? This is not simple set of choices, nor is it clear which pathway will result in the best environmental and cultural care. But the more questions we ask, the more we understand what’s at consequence of our actions, and our ability to consciously choose our future and the future far beyond us.

We never had the chance to meet Doc Hatfield, although he has been included in our conversations for over a year. Last week we learned of his death from our friend, Tara.

We became aware of Doc and his big picture thinking while working on a project about choices and how we as individuals do make a difference.

Doc Hatfield and his wife Connie, co-founded the cooperative, Country Natural Beef, in Brothers, Oregon, along with 14 other ranching families. They believed that by structuring the business as a cooperative, the rancher stayed in control of the meat all the way through the system. They believed in creating a natural business model that recognized diversity, respect, sustainability, collaboration and inclusion.

Doc brought people together with the belief that a diverse group is a strength — one that brings ‘collective wisdom”. He strove for common solutions that were better, — for healthy animals, healthy people, and for the health of our planet.

Thank you Doc – you made a difference.

Jody and Nancy

What a great way to spend an evening.

 “I am torn. I love our grain farmers at Pioneer Valley Heritage Grain CSA! They deliver some of the most nutritious grains anyone could hope for. Just the other day we had an Arikara bean chowder (beans from them) with a spelt salad (spelt from them). I am also in love with our meat farmers at Chestnut Farms Meat CSA. They care for their animals as if they were children (except they end up on the plate in the end). We eat only this meat and take advantage of their holiday turkey and fresh eggs, too. Best people and best meat, bottom line. Good farmers are a rare breed and they deserve our love and respect (even though they might tell you otherwise). Go hug a farmer.”  Jake B., Arlington, MA

Congratulations, Jake, on being the lucky recipient of TENDER: farmers, cooks, eaters through your participation in the Cookus Interruptus community-building contest. We were honored to be chosen by Cynthia to be featured, and share a common purpose of encouraging and inspiring simple ways to enjoy the seasonal bounties of our farmers’ efforts.

We hope you enjoy TENDER and invite you to share your experience of it with us here so others can enjoy learning from your perspective.

Thank you for fully participating, and for hugging your farmers, too!

Edible Education 101: A Complete Course on Modern Food Production
A new course at Berkeley led by Michael Pollan surveying “the political, social, environmental, and gustatory stakes of modern food production” is focused on bringing passionate and experienced guest speakers to students interested in really understanding how we eat in the 21st century. The whole series is on YouTube and there’s a sample below. From what I’ve watched for far, it’s an excellent series of lectures!

A year of progress for American Farmland Trust
A year in review on some of the highlights of what’s taken place in our region’s farmland through American Farmland Trust. AFT shares a few ways they have been working to protect farmland, safeguard the environment and provide fresh, healthy food throughout the region. Their subtitle for the Pacific Northwest: A Year of Progress.

Why Calorie Counts Are Wrong: Cooked Food Provides a Lot More Energy
Richard Wrangham, the chair of biological anthropology at Harvard University, talks about his chimpanzee research in the 70′s that lead him to, as he put it, “eat chimpanzee food all day.” This means totally uncooked, aka raw, food straight from the source. This activity led him to research the impact cooking has on food and found that cooked food provides more energy. Which means that calorie counts can often be wrong and that those eating a true raw food diet need to potentially eat a lot more than they expected to. Interesting fact: “the average woman on a 100% raw diet did not have a functioning menstrual cycle.”

Jim Watkins from Bastyr tells his story
Jim Watkins, Bastyr’s university’s director of dining services, makes mindful eating his mission. This is his story starting with 2 decades of social work in Minneapolis, moving through multiple restaurant openings, and finishing, for now, at Bastyr. “His philosophy boils down to this: Eat a varied diet; eat food in its whole, natural state as much as possible. It’s not just what we eat that’s important, but also how much. Exercise is equally vital.” Beautiful!

Tamara Murphy’s Melrose Plate
A great write-up from Seattle Weekly on Terra Plata and the journey to where it is now.

Photo by Joshua Huston on Seattle Weekly

What comes to mind when you read those two, seemingly innocent little words? For some of you, it was the thought of fresh, crisp vegetables stacked high on some hearty multi-grain bread. Maybe you heard that muted crunch, saw the bright colors in your mind, made a quick mental inventory of your fridge, or all of the above. For some of you, a veggie sandwich is exactly what you need right now.

For the rest, something altogether different registered. The first word that came to mind might have been “yuck” or “ugh” or, possibly, nothing because just the idea of a veggie sandwich put you quickly to sleep with boredom. It could be the lack of substance that’s the problem or maybe it’s the mishmash of too many different flavors at once. Maybe it’s the texture, both crunchy and soft at the same time. Whatever it is, you’d rather go hungry than even think about eating a veggie sandwich.

It was only a few months ago that I fell squarely into the latter camp. The idea of a veggie sandwich as a substitute for an actual meal was hilarious, carried forth by a long history of questionable eating habits. Just recently, however, my mind was changed for the better and for good. Allow me to share my little journey with you…

I was raised eating quite well. My mom moved between different diets for her health but always remained on this side of nutritional sanity. She cooked for us regularly and, along with my dad, tried very hard to curb the vicious sweet tooth we would inevitably inherit. We shopped at co-ops, ate our fair share of carob, and had home-cooked meals as the norm.

It never concerned me that we ate a little differently than my friends in school. In fact, I was proud that I had a family that watched out for what I consumed. I remember very distinctly a student in my middle school who had his mom drop off McDonald’s almost every day for him. The class, for the most part, was jealous of this almost unimaginable luxury. I was generally indifferent as McDonald’s had never been a part of my diet. One day, though, I noticed the stack of golden, glistening fries on the wrapper of his cheeseburger and I asked “hey, can I have a fry?” With a smile, he handed one over and as soon as I took it I noticed the greasy residue on my fingers. I turned to everyone at the table and said “hey, check this out” and proceeded to squeeze drop after drop of grease out of that single fry onto the brown paper sack that held my lunch. Even Mr. McDonald’s looked a little pale after that.

Even with that earnest start, I was destined for close to a decade of poor health habits, obesity, and a near-complete lack of regard for my nutrition. It all started with veggie sandwiches.

My first real job was working the front counter at a bagel shop chain in Bellevue, just across Lake Washington from Seattle for those unfamiliar with the area. The job consisted of bagging bagels, serving soup and soft- drinks, and making sandwiches. Almost everything we served was delicious and it was here that I developed my still-strong fondness for matzo ball soup and garlic bagels.

There were, however, three things we served that I could not wrap my head (or stomach) around: the bitter sesame “candy” called Halvah, the tough and smelly pumpernickel bagels and the mealtime anomaly known as the veggie sandwich.

I made at least 5 of these strange things per day and each time gave the recipient a puzzled look, unable to understand what the appeal was of a meal made almost exclusively of a side dish. Our vegetables were fresh and they tasted great surrounding some roast turkey or tuna salad but on their own between the two half-bubbles of a bagel, it made no sense.

For the next 15 years, every time I saw “veggie sandwich” on the menu, I would smile, shake my head, think back to the hippies at the bagel shop, and order something far more substantial. Meanwhile, on a potentially very related note, I had managed to reach 280 pounds and cultivated a diet composed partially of the same, greasy fries I once scorned. I regularly started each morning with a boston cream donut, a sugar donut, a large white chocolate mocha and 2 cigarettes on the way to work. This is all to say that I wasn’t terribly invested in what I put into my body.

I had a bit of a personal renaissance in my mid-twenties and took control over what I was eating and what I was doing. I forced myself into vegetables but in the way that can’t really ever be sustainable. I would choke down raw broccoli, eat a bland, uninspiring salad at least once a day, and find myself in front of a tasteless chicken breast and vegetables more times than I can count. Yes, I was eating vegetables but I was determined to get absolutely no enjoyment from them.

In the end, I lost the weight – almost 100 pounds in total – and changed my eating habits significantly. It took several years to find a place in my heart for a completely vegetarian meal as it was hard to see a meal without meat as an actual meal. Still, my time in San Diego was long enough that the veggie burritos won me over and I found myself enjoying a meatless meal on a semi-regular basis.

There was, however, those silly veggie sandwiches restaurants were still trying to push on people. Just vegetables? Cold, raw vegetables and bread? Why? Don’t you have to eat 3 or 4 of those just to quell the hunger pains?

It was at the end of November last year that my wife was planning out our meals for the week and she suggested making veggie sandwiches. She loves to recreate foods that she ate in the past and this was a meal that she still thought about. A veggie sandwich so good that you didn’t forget about it seconds after you were finished? Despite my pre-conceived notions, this was something I finally needed to try.

Watching all the colors come out of the fridge was very entertaining. I’m finally at an age where I can take some personal pride in eating an acutely nutritious meal and I felt ready for a big influx of vitamins and minerals. Lets be clear: I wasn’t excited to eat this sandwich, just pleased with myself for growing up a little bit.

To my surprise, however, the sandwich was delicious! We used some hearty, seedy bread from PCC, some whipped cream cheese to hold everything together, salted sunflower seeds for some extra texture and flavor, and a splash of italian dressing for some sauciness. In one oversized bite, I was a convert. I felt totally satisfied afterwards – even energetic! I’d been missing out on something great for years.

The real test, of course, was whether or not I would make one for myself. For lunch the next day, I did. It was like being transported back to that bagel shop, once again with knife in hand and colorful piles of fresh veggies waiting to be arranged and consumed. Like I do when I eat a really tasty lunch alone, I ate it like a starved animal, italian dressing dripping down my arm and shards of veggies falling out at every bite. It took me 10 times longer to make it than it did to eat it.

I take a lot of personal pride in the massive changes I’ve made over the years towards living a healthier life. it’s frighteningly easy to cast yourself as a certain type of person, someone who “doesn’t like vegetables” or “just needs a fast food meal now and then,” without thinking about where those motivations come from. A set of distinct preferences you hold today does not set the course of your life indefinitely. Keeping an open mind towards healthy, sustainable choices in your life is the only way to find what truly works for you as a person.

Trust me, if I can make my own veggie sandwich and truly enjoy it, you can do anything you put your mind to.