Dublin – Here we come! #GrazingItalyUK

Follow our farm visits and chats with SlowFood #GrazingItalyUK

Here it is, November 10, 2015 – travel day to Dublin, Ireland and the start of our UK-Italy grazefest. I’ll be visiting grass-based sustainable farmers in Ireland, England and Scotland, and chatting with SlowFood advocates in the UK and, hopefully, Italy as well. Yes, we’ll be eating our way – grazing – for a couple of weeks. Can’t wait.

Minneapolis to Dublin - the first leg

Minneapolis to Dublin – the first leg

I’m traveling with my lovely daughter, a writer/singer/rapper who performs as Dessa. She’s a member of the Doomtree crew and is the lead of her own band. She’ll be in the UK for a business conference, and to do a couple of shows.
I’m traveling as myself – a Baby Boomer from the Bronx, retired public relations practitioner, and now farmer. My husband David and I raise 100% grass-fed beef in northwestern Wisconsin. Our farm, Bull Brook Keep, is located in a lovely area of hilly pastures, lots of creeks and small rivers, numerous ponds and many lakes.
Why this trip? I’m on a mission to learn
– How grass-based farms operate in Wexford, Ireland; Bakewell, England; and Cardiff, Wales, and
– To better understand how good-food lovers in the UK and Italy anchor their cultures and economies, as well as their cuisines, in local agriculture.
I’m sure I could study both those issues for years on end, but this is a start. Dessa and I will be traveling together from Nov. 10-24. During the early part of the trip, I’ll be on my own as I walk through pastures. We’ll meet up in Cardiff and continue together from there.
I hope you’ll join our adventure on Facebook and Twitter, #GrazingItalyUK.

Agrilliance – global website for local food independence and data sharing

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Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Agrilliance - global website for local food independence and data sharing
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In this Deep Roots Radio interview, engineer and social-justice advocate Julien Roberge describes the 2015 launch and future direction of Agrilliance, a global web platform and project of Sustainability Innovation & Strategy, an organization he co-founded in Quebec, Canada.
According to its website, Agrilliance aims to transform “the landscape of food supply and demand by making it local – globally.
“We are developing a range of solutions with that intent and our first initiative comes in the form of a web platform that facilitates connections between consumers and food producers. By building trust between customers and suppliers, we aim to strengthen local quality food access.

Agrilliance website

Agrilliance website

“Much more than a farmer-to-consumer directory, Roberge says the aim is to develop a rich resource for access to increased biodiversity in crops and livestock, climate data and producer networking. The focus is on good healthful foods produced locally: revived food independence, food security.
I hope you enjoy this interview.
Sylvia
This and other Deep Roots Radio podcasts can be found on my website and on iTunes.

Stale bread is great bread. Think – pudding!

I love baking bread – French sourdoughs, millet, polenta and sunflower, oatmeal with sesame seeds, pumpkin and poppy seed, you name it. I usually make two to four loaves a week, if not more. I know, it’s a bit of an obsession, but I just can’t keep my nose away from the yeasty dough rising on the kitchen counter. And the aroma of hot, crusty loaves will draw my husband from the furthest corner of the garage.
It’s no surprise then, that partial loaves grow a bit stale, even as new loaves bake. What to do?
Well, I try to stay ahead of cycle by gifting fresh loaves to friends. As some loaves begin to dry, I’ll cut thick slices and soak them in a thin mix of eggs, milk and vanilla. Then into a buttered pan they go for French toast. Yum.
And if I find myself with an extra half loaf, well, that’s when I heat up the oven for bread pudding. Here’s how:
Ingredients:
– 3.5 c bread in 3/4″ cubes. Nearly all breads, except for strong rye, will work.
– 3 eggs
– 2 c whole milk
– 2/3 c sugar
– 2 tsp vanilla vanilla extract
– 1/2 tsp almond extract
– Some gratings of nutmeg
– 2 T cold unsalted butter, diced
– Optional: 1/4 c raw sunflower seeds, or raw pumpkn seeds, or sliced almonds, or a mixture
– Optional: 1/4 c golden raisins, or dried sour cherries, or snipped dried apricots, or a mix
Prep
– Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
– Butter an 8″x8″ glass or nonstick baking pan
– Have medium-sized saucepan at the ready
– If using dried fruit, microwave with 2T brandy or water 15-20 seconds, then cool 15 minutes.
Directions
1. Spread the bread cubes on a cookie sheet and toast until a lightly browned. This will take 10-15 minutes. Check periodically to make sure they’re not burning.
2. Let the cubes cool, then transfer them to a deep mixing bowl.
3. Scald the milk over medium heat and pour over the cubes. Let this sit for 15 minutes.
4. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the eggs and sugar until light. Add the vanilla and almond extracts.
5. Pour the egg-sugar mixture, the fruit and seeds (if using), into the milk-bread mixture. Stir gently and briefly, then pour into your buttered baking dish. Be sure to scrape all that lovely goodness into the bake.
6. Dot the top with the butter.
7. Butter one side of a sheet of aluminum foil to fit over the baking pan.
8. Bake about 40 minutes. The pudding will look a bit undone. Don’t worry – it’s done.
Serve warm or at room temperature. Top it, if you’d like, with whatever you want: ice cream, half-and-half, yogurt, fresh berries.

PS – You know, it’s funny. It was about two years ago that I began searching for a good bread pudding recipe. I went through all my cookbooks, searched magazines online, and googled for more. Turns out I adapted this recipe from Beth Hensperger’s Bread Machine Cookbook. I highly recommend the book to anyone with a bread machine.

Fermentation Fest 2015 – the Wisconsin terroir of chocolate, wine, yogurt, music, kimchi, bread, farm art and lots more

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Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Fermentation Fest 2015 - the Wisconsin terroir of chocolate, wine, yogurt, music, kimchi, bread, farm art and lots more
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Fermentation Fest 2015: A Live Culture Convergence is about lots more than hands-on classes and taste samplings of outstanding beers and wines, kimchi and yogurt. It’s about the terroir of local Wisconsin foods and the culture – social, agricultural and artistic – that springs from the land, water and people of Reedsburg, Wisconsin.
In this Deep Roots Radio conversation, event organizer Jay Salinas describes the arts, food and music of this 10-day event and why it’s bring more and more people together every year.
Fermentation Fest is the major annual celebration of the Wormfarm Institute, in Reedsburg.
I hope you’ll enjoy this Deep Roots Radio interview, and take in the music, classes, farm-art instillations and conversations of this unique event.
Sylvia

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

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

Missed a recent Deep Roots Radio show? Download/listen here or on iTunes.

100% grass-fed beef – grown for flavor, nutrition and environmental stewardship – is at the core of our farm, Bull Brook Keep. We breed our herd, raise the cows, and finish our beef with the land, animals and customers in mind. We’re committed to farming with a tiny carbon hoofprint (c).
We’re also dedicated to exchanging ideas and information. It’s why we encourage visitors to walk our pastures with us. It’s also why I produce and co-host a Saturday morning show called Deep Roots Radio.
Every food dollar we spend supports the production system behind it. Are we paying for chemicals and poverty-level wages? Are we importing instead of growing food here? Are we buying locally-grown foods?
In the past five years, Deep Roots Radio guests have helped us connect the dots between what we eat and how it’s grown. They’ve included farmers and ranchers, scientists and policy makers, educators and chefs, film makers and investigative reporters.
Here’s an archive of recent shows. Download/listen here, or find on iTunes. Enjoy.
Sylvia


Deep Roots Radio logo

Connecting the dots between what we eat and how it’s grown


Saturday mornings, 9:00-9:30AM Central Time. Broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio, 93.1FM and on the Internet at www.wpcaradio.org.

Home canning: the good, bad and ugly, and how Napoleon helped out – with Master Preserver Perry Rice.

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Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
Home canning: the good, bad and ugly, and how Napoleon helped out - with Master Preserver Perry Rice.
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Did you know that the French military played a big roll in developing canning methods? Or that people used to – and some still do – can in the oven? Are you aware that the canning recipes prior to 1994 may be suspect, or that the push to breed sweeter tomatoes means you can’t can them like the older, more acid varieties?
In this Deep Roots Radio interview with Master Preserver Perry Rice he gives a quick survey of canning history and important tips for safe canning.
I hope you enjoy this lively conversation. And here are a couple of canning resources:
– www.foodsafety.wisc.edu
– www.foodsafety.gov

Sylvia

Also: Perry and Emily Leuer, also a master preserver, will lead a hands-on workshop covering the ins and outs of tomato canning on September 29, 2015 in the New Richmond, Wisc. community education space. This session is co-sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Extension. Many methods of tomato preservation will be covered and demonstrated during this one-night workshop.
What: Tomato Processing/Food Preservation hands-on workshop
Date and time: Sept. 29, 2015, 5:30-8:30PM
Where: New Richmond, Wisconsin, Community Commons – 118
Cost: $10
Limited to: 15 students
To Register: https://newrichmond.cr3.rschooltoday.com/public/costoption/class_id/3788/public/1/

Apple sauce and apple butter - edible jewels for the winter.

Apple sauce and apple butter – edible jewels for the winter.

Sat., Sept. 19, 9-9:30AM CT live about canning – the why’s, quirks and history.

What: Deep Roots Radio interview with Master Preserver Perry Rice about the why’s and history of American home canning.
When: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, 9:00-9:30AM CT
Where: Broadcast and streamed live at WPCA Radio, 93.1FM and www.wpcaradio.org

Canning in the oven? Burying the jars underground? Perry Rice will share interesting history of canning in America, and provide important guidelines for the home canner today.
I hope you’ll tune in.
Sylvia

Apple sauce and apple butter - edible jewels for the winter.

Apple sauce and apple butter – edible jewels for the winter.

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

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

The long road to the new, small, 100% grass-fed Cosmic Wheel Creamery.

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Deep Roots Radio
Deep Roots Radio
The long road to the new, small, 100% grass-fed Cosmic Wheel Creamery.
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Amery, Wisconsin
Rama Hoffpauir and her husband Josh Bryceson have run their 250-subscriber CSA, Turnip Rock Farm, for a close to a decade. They added a herd of beautiful big-eyed Jersey dairy cows a few years back, and just this summer, the young couple began delivering their farmstead cheese to retail outlets, restaurants, and CSA customers.
In this Deep Roots Radio interview, Rama describes their 5-year Cosmic Wheel Creamery journey: getting her cheesemaker’s license (required in the state of Wisconsin), building the herd, constructing and licensing the cheese processing facility, and creating the aging “cave.”
Enjoy.
Sylvia


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

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

Aug. 29, 9-9:30AM CT, live with Keepsake Cidery – hard cider in the Upper Midwest

What: Deep Roots Radio interview with Nate Watters, co-owner and orchardist at Keepsake Cidery, Dundas, Minnesota, just south of Minneapolis and St. Paul
When: Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015, 9:00-9:30AM Central Time
Where: Broadcast and streamed live from the studios of WPCA Radio, 93.1FM and www.wpcaradio.org
Why: Hard cider is gaining popularity all across the USA. Hear what it takes to build a brand new hard cider operation based on traditional methods.

Hope you’ll join Dave Corbett and me this morning.
Sylvia

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

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

Feeling Laura Ingalls

My husband Dave likes to joke that when I was a kid growing up in New York City, I read Little House on the Prairie and decided to become a farmer.
While I love tales about clever people creating new communities (whether in the past or in some distant future), the truth is I knew next to nothing about Laura until I was in my 30’s. I became acquainted with her and Ma and Pa as I read to my children in our South Minneapolis home. I was captivated by the resourcefulness and skills demanded by the times. I was drawn to the self-reliance and community inter-dependence described in those children’s books. (And yes, we made the pilgrimage to her home and bought the stiff-brimmed bonnets.)
Fast forward a whole lotta years and here I am, a baby boomer from the Bronx raising beef cattle on Bull Brook Keep, our northwestern Wisconsin farm. (A far cry from a full career in business suits and awful commuter traffic.) This morning’s chores included moving our beef cattle to new pasture, feeding and watering the chickens, exercising the dogs, and meeting with a customer to deliver cuts of beef equaling 1/4 steer.* And of course, I went through the early emails and reviewed my digital photo files for possible uploads to my website.

Cabbage fermenting to sauerkraut

Cabbage fermenting to sauerkraut

Later in the day, Dave and I enjoyed a dinner of home-grown, grass-fed beef Bourguignon. And in the evening I sliced, brined and packed cabbage into half-gallon jars. In a couple of weeks, it’ll ferment to sauerkraut.
French sourdough boules

French sourdough boules

It’s late, and I just pulled a couple of French sourdough loaves from the oven – a weekly demand and a much-anticipated ritual.

It is very, very late and I’m tired. The tomatoes, peppers and onions on the kitchen counter will have to become salsa on another day. I’m ready for this day to be done.

Yes, I’m feeling Laura Ingalls Wilder…like a bad ass Laura with Internet coverage and in-floor heating.
Sylvia

*We offer our 100% grass-fed beef in variety packages (ground beef, roasts and steaks) in a range of sizes starting at just 25-30 lb. Reserving an order is easy online. We deliver to drop sites in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN.