Author Archives: Sylvia Burgos Toftness

About Sylvia Burgos Toftness

A Latina baby boomer from the tenements of the South Bronx, I now raise 100% grass-fed beef in west-central Wisconsin with my husband Dave. We believe more people will choose to farm and eat healthful foods if they know the connections between what we eat and how it's grown. That's why we invite you to walk the fields with us; hear from experts on my Saturday morning show, Deep Roots Radio; share our adventures on my blog, From the Bronx to the Barn; and buy our sustainably-grown beef. We farm with a tiny carbon hoofprint (R) so that you can enjoy great-tasting grass-fed beef that's high in nutrition while helping to restore our environment.

Dr. Gail Hanson on antibiotics overuse in industrial ag and the rise of superbugs

Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Dr. Gail Hanson on antibiotics overuse in industrial ag and the rise of superbugs
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The antibiotics given to livestock amount to tons every year. If these drugs were administered to help the animal recover from illness or injury, I could see it. But that’s not the case. In many confined animal feeding operations, antibiotics are mixed with the daily feed in order to prevent illness due to crowded conditions, and to boost animal growth.
What does that mean for us?

Dr. Gail Hansen, a senior officer for Pew’s campaign on human health and industrial farming

Dr. Gail Hansen, a senior officer for Pew’s campaign on human health and industrial farming

This Deep Roots Radio interview with Dr. Gail Hanson, of the PEW Charitable Trusts provides eye-opening information.

Sylvia

Chefs for sustainable food – James Beard Foundation VP Kris Moon on the new Impact Programs

Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Chefs for sustainable food - James Beard Foundation VP Kris Moon on the new Impact Programs
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We all know that chefs can cook, some of them extraordinarily. And we know that what they cook can reflect and flavor local culture. But did you know our chefs can – and increasingly do – play a role in redesigning a more sustainable, healthful food system in America?
I really enjoyed this conversation with Kris Moon, Vice President of the James Beard Foundation because the foundation’s Impact Programs spotlight and promote chef-led efforts to rebuild a more nutritious and regionally-sourced food system in our country.
Experienced and trained in restaurant management, nutrition and major networking events, Moon is leading programs true to the values and heart of the foundation’s namesake, James Beard – the chef and cookbook author who was lovingly regarded as “America’s favorite chef.”
I hope you enjoy this Deep Roots Radio conversation.
Sylvia

Connecting the dots between what we eat and how its grown

Connecting the dots between what we eat and how its grown

I hadn’t expected it. After all, the forecast had been for rain yesterday afternoon, and when it didn’t materialize, I thought, “oh, well,” and “darn.” [When your business is converting grass to beef, as our’s is, we can always use an inch or two of rain every week.]
Believing the rain had either veered by us or that the system had disintegrated at the county line, I then did the usual farm-mental-gymnastics and planned for today’s early activities.
And so, now it’s raining, but lightly. The weatherman says the showers will be brief. I can see the edge of the clouds to the north. From solid grey cover they break up to brighter, puffier islands in the blue.
One more cup of tea, and it’s outside I go.
SylviaReceeding showers - May 5, 2016

The Prince.

imagesI’m surprised by how much the passing of Prince has hit me.
He belonged to the world, but first he was Minnesota’s.
RIP.

Live w 2nd Harvest Heartland (fighting hunger with good, surplus food) rescheduled to April 16, 9-9:30AM CT

A technical glitch prevented our April 9th interview with Second Harvest Heartland. Don’t dispair – we’ve rescheduled this live interview for April 16th.

What: Deep Roots Radio live interview with Heidi Coe, Agriculture Sourcing Representative with Second Harvest Heartland, MN/WI
When: Saturday, April 16, 2016, 9:00-9:30 AM Central Time
Where: Broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio, 93.1FM and on the Internet, www.wpcaradio.org
Why: Millions of Americans are food insecure – they miss one or more meals a day. One way of meeting this pressing need in the Upper Midwest is through the efforts of Second Harvest Heartland, a non-profit expert in gathering and distributing surplus foods of quality. Heidi Coe will describe their efforts, and her particular specialty – finding and distributing surplus farm product.

I hope you’ll tune in. Got a question or comment? Text me at 651-238-8525.

Sylvia

Herbalist/farmer Nancy Graden talks about medicinal herbs on her certified organic Red Clover Herbal Apothecary Farm.

Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Herbalist/farmer Nancy Graden talks about medicinal herbs on her certified organic Red Clover Herbal Apothecary Farm.
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I hope you enjoy this Deep Roots Radio interview with trained and experienced medicinal herbalist and farmer Nancy Graden, owner and operator of Red Clover Herbal Apothecary Farm, Amery, Wisconsin.
Nancy brings decades of training and field experience to her farm and to the people of Amery, Polk County and the Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota metro area.

Deep Roots Radio, 91.3FM and www.wpcaradio.org

Deep Roots Radio, 91.3FM and www.wpcaradio.org

Lisa Kivirist about newest book, “Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers”

Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Lisa Kivirist about newest book, "Soil Sisters: A Toolkit for Women Farmers"
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Just published, Soil Sisters:A Toolkit for Women Farmers provides resources, tips and new visions. Its a book about empowering ourselves to reach out, branch out, and shape our lives on the farm.

A toolkit for women farmers

A toolkit for women farmers


I hope you enjoy this Deep Roots Radio interview with farmer, author and prize-winning eco-innkeeper Lisa Kivirist about her newest book, Soil Sisters: A toolkit for women farmers.
Lisa is a Senior Fellow, Endowed Chair in Agricultural Systems at the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture and a national advocate for women in sustainable ag. She founded and directs the Rural Women’s Project of the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, an award-winning initiative championing female farmers and food-based entrepreneurs.
She and her husband John Ivanko are partners in Inn Serendipity, their nationally recognized environmentally-designed b&b in southern Wisconsin. They have also co-authored Homemade for Sale, Farmstead Chef, ECOpreneuring, and Rural Rennaisance.
Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

Lisa Kivirist and John Ivanko

Baking French sourdough without $$$ artsy extras. Some alternatives.

I’ve been baking bread a long time, and I’ll admit it – I love the equipment and gadgets that come with artisan baking. Thing is, those extras can add up to some serious change. Can you bake great French sourdough without a $35 willow banneton, a $15 lame, or pricy organic rice flour for dusting a linen couche? Can you get a high, lofty loaf without the aid of a steam-capturing dutch oven. And what about those large plastic buckets used for the first (bulk) fermentation? Nobody gives those away.

Lovely crispy crust

Lovely crispy crust

I didn’t have any of these things when I first started baking bread. Now, I’ve got all of them. I was brought up short recently when one of my baking students said she was “disenchanted by the expensive extras” needed to produce the deep brown crust and open crumb of French sourdough.

And so, this challenge to myself: to share lower-cost alternatives.

Here we go!

Options for the first rise aka bulk fermentation

Options for the first rise aka bulk fermentation


The first rise (bulk fermentation). I use plastic buckets, and if you’ve got one, great. If not, use whatever you have on hand that’s big enough to contain your dough as it rises, and that’ll let you see its progress. Any large bowl or metal pot will do. Caution: make sure whatever you use is food grade. Don’t use a container that once held toxic substances.
To keep dough surface moist. You want to make sure the dough’s surface stays moist and pliable. I use elasticized plastic caps purchased at my local grocery store. I like them because they’re sturdy enough to reuse 4-6 months. That said, you don’t need them. Use plastic wrap. Re-use the food-grade plastic bags your veggies/fruits came in. Be sure to lightly oil the surface facing the dough so that it won’t stick to it.
Bannetons and towel-lined colander

Bannetons and towel-lined colander


For the second rise. I just love willow and wicker baskets for raising the shaped loaf. (They’re called bannetons or brotforms.) But are they required? No. Instead, line a colander or bowl with a really well-floured towel (sack or other close-weave, not terry). Don’t have an extra towel? A clean old cotton shirt or sheet will work. Cut it to a generous size, and flour it like crazy.
Knife, commercial lame, and a DIY version

Knife, commercial lame, and a DIY version


Scoring your loaf. We score, or slash, a loaf so that the crusts rises without tearing the loaf. Lots of bakers use this step to cut a signature design into each loaf. A lame is the professional baker’s choice, but you don’t need to spend big bucks. This short video demonstrates how you can assemble your own in about 10 seconds.
I’ve also gotten good results with sharp knives, especially those with very small serrations. The objective is to create clean slashes; you don’t want to drag your knife or razor through the dough. Have fun!
Parchment paper. You need some way to get your risen loaf from the form (banneton or towel-lined colandar/bowl) to your hot oven. Some people sprinkle coarse cornmeal on a peel or cooking sheet. I don’t because any cornmeal sticking to the loaf burns during the bake, and I don’t like the char taste. Parchment paper is a “must have” for me.
Metal peel, a curl of parchment paper and some old sack towels

Metal peel, a curl of parchment paper and some old sack towels


A peel. – I use a metal peel to transfer my scored loaf into the oven. I used to use a wooden one but found it a bit clumsy. A cookie sheet works.

Baking. Baking bread in a dutch oven has become wildly popular because the enclosure captures steam rising from the bread during the first 20 minutes, an environment that encourages fast expansion, and thereby, a loftier loaf. It’s a home-baker’s way of approximating the steam-injected space in professional ovens. Does it work? Yes. Is it required? No.
(If you do decide a dutch oven’s the way to go, however, use whatever’s in you kitchen now. Or hunt down an inexpensive buy at your local thrift store or garage sale.)


This non-dutch oven alternative has two components: the surface you’ll bake on, and a way to add steam to the hot oven.
1) Before you turn on your oven:
Place an old, beat up cake or pie tin on the oven floor. You’ll use this tin to add steam to the oven. This will corrode the tin, so consider it for this use only.
Place a pizza stone, old cast iron griddle (smooth side up) or cookie sheet in the oven.
2) Pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees F.
3) Put your peel (or an extra cookie sheet) on a flat surface. Cut a sheet of parchment paper larger than your risen loaf. Place the parchment over the dough while it’s still resting in your form. Invert your risen loaf,, with the parchment, onto the peel.
4) score the loaf and spray with water
5) Open the oven door and pour 1/2 c of water into the pan sitting on the oven floor. BE CAREFUL of the very hot steam.
6) Spritz the oven walls with water, quickly.
7) Slide your love(s) onto the pizza stone, griddle or cookie sheet.
8) Close the oven door. Wait 30 seconds, then spritz the oven walls again. BE CAREFUL not to drip water on the glass of your oven door or to spray water on oven bulbs.
9) Bake as directed.

Interested in baking sourdough? Drop me a line, sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com. I hold hands-on classes for small groups of 4-6.
Sylvia

The good, the bad, the absolutely ugly, and hope. US Senate Ag Committee approves DARK Act

It was interesting. This morning’s US Senate Ag Committee hearing was carried live on the Internet, and watching it was an education in and of itself. I, along with thousands of others (I hope) looked on as 20 committee members (Senators all) considered a proposal to amend the “Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946” that would establish a national voluntary labeling standard for bioengineered foods.
Transparency – that’s good.
Why the amendment? Because some businesses and elected officials want to make it illegal for any state to require GMO labeling on our food. So much for truth-in-labeling. It’s why this legislation has been dubbed the DARK Act (Deny Americans the Right-to-Know Act). That’s bad. Very bad.
Over the course of the hour-long hearing, I heard committee chair Sen. Pat Roberts say that about 625 organizations submitted letters supporting the amendment. No surprise. What he didn’t say is that over 4 million people have signed petitions demanding GMO labeling, and that poll after poll indicate 90% of those asked want GMO labeling.
That’s an absolutely ugly aspect of this issue: 625 organizations/corporations trump over 1.4 million individuals’ signatures. The amendment also seems to step all over state rights.
When Senator Roberts put the amendment to a voice vote, it was approved 14 to 6. Now titled Senate bill S-2609, will go to a vote by the full Senate as the companion to House bill HR-1599 which passed last year.
The fight’s not over. There’s another opportunity to demand transparency in food labeling. That’s hopeful.
Stay alert for next steps.
Sylvia

We have the right to know what's in our food.

We have the right to know what’s in our food.

Baking French Sourdough – Class March 20, 9:00AM-1:00PM

SOLD OUT
By request, another sourdough bread baking class is scheduled for
March 20th, 9:00AM-1:00PM.
Where? The teaching kitchen at Bull Brook Keep, an easy ride from Minneapolis/St.Paul

Yes, you can made hearth bread -a French sourdough, and variations – in your home oven to fit your schedule.
Click here for more information and to register.
Class is hands-on and limited to 6 students.


Questions? Sylvia Burgos Toftness, 651-238-8525, sylvia@bullbrookkeep.com