Local Flavors

The eat local movement can get hung up between the farmer's field and the cook's kitchen—some foods just need “processing.” Watson's Mill in Manotick, Ontario is still making flour the old way—wheat from a local farmer, grindstones powered by water. Sounds simple, and it is, until the stones actually get dull. Our Ottawa correspondent, Lucy Martin, shadowed a local man who learned to use hand tools to "dress," or re-groove, massive millstones. Bill Schaubs has worked on high-tech systems for military and space applications. But the volunteer miller says old-fashioned skills are still a useful part of the bigger picture.

A schoolyard garden in Keene Valley is expanding this year to include volunteers from the entire community. What began as a composting program ten years ago in the Adirondacks school has grown into a school-wide program that teaches youngsters the importance of healthy eating, gardening skills and the environment. Todd Moe spoke with Julie Holbrook, cafeteria manager at Keene Central School, about plans for this year's garden.

North Country gardens are just starting to yield regional delicacies. So, it’s into the NCPR kitchen with Martha Foley and Chef George Arnold who cooks up an omelet using fresh, locally grown ingredients.

For nearly 30 years, Jane Desotelle has been collecting herbs in the Adirondacks for teas and sometimes an entire meal of found food. Desotelle owns “Underwood Herbs” and also runs a botanical sanctuary. She’s a gardener, artist and plant expert. She recently led a plant walk for TAUNY on Falls Island in downtown Canton. Todd Moe tagged along to learn more about weeds that are good for you. Reminder: It's often illegal to pick wild plants on public lands, and always ask permission before venturing onto someone else’s property.

This year, NCPR is celebrating its 40th anniversary and food in the North Country. As part of "Local Flavor", our occasional series on growing, cooking and eating locally, Todd Moe heads into the woods near Canton in search of wild leeks. It's planting season in many backyards, but not all local food is cultivated. Sometimes it's nice to reap delicacies from nature's garden.

Farmers, chefs, and business people are celebrating local food successes and opportunities this week. A three-day road show includes speakers, food, panel discussions and networking in Lake Clear, Alexandria Bay and Croghan. Four Season Farm, on the Maine coast, is one of the success stories. Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman grow vegetables year round, selling mostly to the regional wholesale market. The farm’s extensive website shows immaculate rows of crops outside, and then inside—move-able, unheated, greenhouses, big tomatoes, little lettuces, and flower gardens to die for. The website also provides links to seeds, tools and other resources, as well as to books by Damrosch and Coleman, and to Barbara’s weekly column “A Cook’s Garden” in the Washington Post. Barbara Damrosch will be at the Riveredge in Alexandria Bay Friday and in Croghan Saturday. She told Martha Foley that, basically, she and her husband do everything they can to spread the word about year-round market gardening, and the gathering this weekend in the North Country is a natural match.

When it comes to healthy, environmentally-friendly eating, “local” has become the new “organic.” More and more people want to know what’s in their food, who produced it, and how far it traveled to get to the dinner table. Community Supported Agriculture, or CSAs, are a growing way to bring consumers and farmers closer. Think of a CSA as a subscription service for food. A farm in St. Lawrence County is just as comfortable marketing its CSA on the Internet as at the local farmers’ market. As David Sommerstein reports, The 8 O’Clock Ranch is challenging what it means to “eat local.”

NCPR is media sponsor for “Local Foods Connections,” three events in early May celebrating the agriculture of the North Country with a focus on local food and the farm-to-table movement. The events will feature food experts, farmers, chefs and business people working toward local food sustainability. The events are May 1st in Lake Clear, May 2nd in Alexandria Bay and May 3rd in Croghan. Todd Moe spoke with Jefferson County Cooperative Extension’s Molly Ames, one of the organizers.

College students are learning where their food comes from and how to garden at some of the North Country’s CSA’s this year. The farms become outdoor classrooms during the growing and harvest seasons. Food for Thought Farm, south of Canton, is helping a group of St. Lawrence University students with plans for, eventually, a sustainable campus garden. The weather last weekend lured some students outside and into the dirt for some early spring planting. Todd Moe has more.

The number of Community Supported Agriculture programs in New York is growing. But how do these farmers stay connected? As part of our series, "Local flavor: growing, cooking and eating locally," Todd Moe talks with the Northeast Organic Farming Association's Abby Youngblood. She's coordinating the new statewide CSA Network.