My curry includes:
:: Sweet potatoes from Guilford Gardens.
:: Okra harvested from my garden and frozen on the autumnal equinox.
:: Cooked turnip greens and spinach frozen on October 27.
:: Snow peas harvested from my garden and frozen on December 4.

Pea patch in late October.

Pretty pods in mid-November.

My recent encounter in Oklahoma City with this “locally grown” jar of roasted bell peppers from Napa Valley caused me to revisit this fantastic article from last May, which explores the angles and issues with the “local” label. Mezzetta, Frito Lay, and others are making a case for “local” in relation to their processing plant and are clearly leaving the eater out of the equation. What merit does this have? Is this an improvement upon former business practices or is it merely a new marketing strategy for their status quo? When the labels we trust become diluted from government certification or opportunistic marketing gurus, they become, at best, nothing more than a game of semantics and at worst, completely meaningless.

From the article:

…the widening view of what it means to eat locally is similar to the changes the term organic went through as it grew from a countercultural ideal in the 1960s and 1970s to an industry with nearly $25 billion in sales last year. A related debate about how to define sustainable farming is now gathering force in government, agriculture and business.

Randy Marks and Ron Ferrell led the hopeful gardeners attending the Sustainable OKC workshop, which happened to be in our yard. They started us off with an exercise: we were to wander around the yard looking for on-site resources that could be used in growing projects, such as: pecan hulls, compost, “urbanite” (concrete scraps), shade and sun, water sources, wind blocks, soil, people. We learned about thermal mass, permaculture, food systems, and much more. Randy and Ron told us about their background and shared some of their favorite books.

We identified the placement of the garden and spread cardboard on the ground with lots of overlap in order to effectively smother out weeds and grass. You can actually install this garden right on top of existing lawn. That’s why this method is sometimes referred to as a “no-dig garden.” Of course we all know how tenacious bermuda grass can be, so there will be some creepers that invade—just not nearly as many as you would have otherwise. Then we placed the bluestem straw bales (bluestem holds up better than wheat straw) around the border. The bales should last about three years, after which they will need to be replaced or framed with something else. The bales help insulate the soil and retain moisture.

Next we filled the bed with loose straw and stomped it down. The straw acts as a sponge to retain moisture. Eventually the straw and cardboard will decompose and feed the soil.

Then it was time to add our growing medium: well-rotted horse poo. Expecting some slight settling, we made a heaping mound of it. The straw bales, straw fill, and compost all are moisture retainers, so watering requirements should be greatly reduced.
With nearly 30 people helping out, the construction of the bed took all of 26 minutes!

We took a break for a delicious potluck lunch: quiche, meatballs, granola, roasted veggie orzo, sweet potato soup, chicken, tabouli, cookies, cake, breads, and more. By the end of the day, we had decided on a name for our mission: Oklahoma GardenShare. Sharon Astrin created a facebook group for us. Please join and spread the word: Oklahoma GardenShare. The idea is to nurture a garden community, where we can reach out to this group and say—”Hey! I want to build a raised bed this weekend. Who can help me out?”—much like people come together to raise a barn or build straw-bale homes.

Much thanks to Chelsey Simpson for photographing the event.

People met in a parking lot this afternoon to pick up their birds.

A volunteer-led effort has helped a new Oklahoma chicken processor get a good start by selling 1,300 processed chickens in four days.  The processing plant’s success is key to regional, small-scale food security since it 1) is in Oklahoma and 2) is a small processor looking to help small, sustainable farmers and 3) is filling a food-supply gap.

From the Oklahoma Gazette:

For years, many struggled to figure out how to build a profitable facility that would cater to independent chicken farmers, so they were surprised in July to learn about Raymond Jones, a Tahlequah man in the final stages of completing a facility.

Jones is the founder and CEO of the DARP Foundation, a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation program for offenders who are sent to him through the courts, in lieu of going to prison.

To combat the recession, Jones decided to build a chicken processing plant for independent farmers, staffed entirely by his DARP participants. After USDA inspections, the facility was set to open Sept. 21 and can process 5,000 birds per day. All of the profits support the foundation.

“I wanted to do something that there’s a need for,” Jones said. “We’re not trying to become a Tyson or a Simmons, but we can produce something that is good for the community at much less price than other people can.”

There will be another round of chicken deliveries next week. If you are interested in placing an order, refer to the contact information in my previous post.

This information comes from an email I received earlier today:

A new small-scale chicken processor just got their USDA certification and are busy processing birds.

This processor also raises birds a few miles from the processing location north of Tahlequah. These birds are housed at a much lower density than current industrialized standards. They are free to range during the daylight hours and are fed a completely vegetarian ration with no hormones or antibiotics added. I’ve seen these birds, and they seem healthy, calm, and stress-free. The resulting dressed product weighs about 7-9 lbs and *tastes wonderful*. This processor is committed to providing processing services to sustainable Oklahoma farmers and to providing affordable products to rural residents of our state. However, they face a short-term cash flow crunch and are very much in need of our help. How? By buying chicken! These birds are being offered at $5 for a 7-9 lb roaster. We are in the process of setting up one-time deliveries to Oklahoma City and Tulsa for next week. The Tulsa delivery will be Wednesday, OKC is still TBD. If you want to support local food, farming and processing, check your freezer space and come buy some birds. Buy some for your family and neighbors. Buy some and donate them to your local food bank!

Please send an e-mail to osborn.nancy@gmail.com with your name, phone number, location, and number of birds you’d like to buy. If we can buy about 4,000 birds in the next week, they can get through this crunch. If you have restaurant or institutional contacts who might like a large lot of roasters, please talk to them and send them our way. You have an opportunity to make a real, long-term difference in the face of local food next week–just by buying some chicken!

I just placed my order. Let’s help this entrepreneur get a good start!

Conventional wisdom taught Lisa Becklund, a chef and native Washingtonian, that when it came to food, the more exotic and well-traveled—the better. But since taste is paramount, Lisa found her clients receptive and excited about the fresh, local ingredients she sought out, which led to her toying with the idea of a farm-restaurant enterprise. She fell in love with Oklahoma while accompanying a friend on a family visit. Shortly after returning to Washington she decided to leave her Seattle restaurant and start farming here. She raises vegetables, chickens, goats (for milk), and sheep (for meat) on a 7-acre farm.

We went to one of Lisa’s Farm Table Dinners last weekend. It happened to be my birthday. We were greeted with refreshing mojitos and were given a farm tour where I learned that llamas deter coyotes and they poop in the same spot. Fascinating! So, their poo can be efficiently gathered for compost. I thought I took a picture of the wheelbarrow o’ poo, but alas, I did not. Just use your imagination. And speaking of poo, the Living Kitchen facilities offer a “hippie bathroom,” which features a groovy composting toilet.

Lisa and Casey on the farm tour. Casey is the “much-more-than-an-intern” and lives in the yurt.


The probable origin of “the grass is always greener on the other side.”

I loved the peaceful, friendly vibe of the Living Kitchen and the food was absolutely a-mazing. Every. Single. Bit. I can’t wait to go back. Maybe it will become a birthday tradition.

the menu:

second
everything-in-the-garden salad with homemade goat milk feta tossed in a lavender balsamic vinaigrette, studded with fresh lavender leaves

entree
pork shoulder crusted with lavender salt and slow smoked over lavender wood
served with tender Italian flat beans and Yukon gold potatoes in pan juices

dessert
lavender-lemon pound cake with peach ice cream
Tidal School Oklahoma Gold served in lavender-smoked glass

soul food
chocolate lavender truffle

I traded Lazy Day Farm (on Seward Road, 1.5 miles east of I-35 near Guthrie) the massive amount of pots I’ve accumulated for eight pounds of tomatoes. I had no idea she was going to give me so many! I’m going to make gazpacho and salsa.

If everything goes right, Ressler Farms will sell cornmeal through the Oklahoma Food Co-op. When I met Larry Ressler in February, he asked about unmet demand in the co-op. I immediately thought of cornmeal. Someone used to make it—I can’t remember who—but it’s not available anymore. Well, there’s hull-less popcorn. Would that work for milling? Somewhat moot since I don’t have a grain mill.

Blueberry Bonanza for Father’s Day and Mom’s Birthday.
The family doubted the fruity dish; we are a bunch of fervent chocolate lovers. But there was nary a blueberry left.

Blueberry Bonanza with Cornmeal Topping
Submitted by Judy Rogers in the Gardeners’ Community Cookbook
:: 3 to 4 c fresh blueberries
:: 1/2 c sugar
:: 1 T fresh lemon juice
:: 1/2 c cornmeal
:: 3/4 c all-purpose flour
:: 1 1/2 t baking powder
:: 1/2 t salt
:: 1/2 c plain yogurt or milk
:: 3 T butter, melted
:: 1 large egg, slightly beaten
:: ice cream, frozen yogurt, or creme fraiche

1. Preheat oven to 450˚.
2. Place the blueberries in a 9-inch square baking dish. Add 1/4 c sugar and the lemon juice and toss to mix.
3. Mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 1/4 c of sugar in a large bowl. Add the yogurt, butter, and egg and stir briefly until blended.
4. In 1 T amounts, drop small mounds of the cornmeal mixture over the top of the blueberries. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove and cool enough to handle, then serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the cream garnish of your choice, if using.

Tricia’s note: I think this topping would work on most fruit. I’ve made it three times now: with Oklahoma blueberries, peaches, and apples. When I made it for the apples, I substituted brown sugar for the white sugar.

Oklahoma ramps. I gather it’s a regional term, but generally means wild onion or garlic.

Our group of wildcrafters was led by the inspirational Jackie Dill. Jackie graciously shares her knowledge with all who are interested. My jaw dropped when she shared her age. Let’s just say that many people her age are barely coherent; she’s initiating and leading groups of people into the backwoods to stalk wild food. She said she grows or forages about 70% of her diet.

My take: mullein and ramps. The ramps are quite potent! Their “aroma” filled my refrigerator.


Mullein can be taken as a tea to treat congestion.

It’s not wise (read: potentially lethal) to eat pokeberry or mature pokeweed. Baby pokeweed is made edible by cooking the hell out of it. Of course, there are the hearty types that scoff as such statements.

Poke sure is pretty. This is a picture of still-green pokeberries in northern Georgia.

Heals-all. Just like it sounds. Use like you would aloe vera. You break the stem and rub the goo on a wound. It heals all.

I’m drying my wildcrafted sage in order to make a smudge stick.

Read about last year’s wild food walk.