ARE WE GUILTY OF GULPING

Are We Guilty of gulping down our meals in order to get on with the next activity… or do we savour our food slowly while enjoying each mouthful?

My friend Lesia revisited France this past summer and returned exclaiming that the French still have such reverence for food. As they settle down at the table the first few minutes are spent contemplating the presentation and asking such questions as where the cheese was produced or what herbs were used in the preparation of the appetizer Only then are the utensils lifted and the tasting begun. This is not about food snobbery but shows a profound respect for the whole process of planning and consuming meals. On the other hand my food writer friends tell me that the French are entrenched in a fossilized style of culinary arts. A new generation is rising that has created a reform movement called Le Fooding. This younger generation is fiercely challenging the snobbery surrounding French food while still embracing the idea of food as a pleasure, something to discuss and enjoy.

So here we are on the other side of the pond where many of us select our foods with a totally different criteria. We may ask “Is the recipe simple?” “Can we cook it in less than 30 minutes?” These are valid questions and we all ask them, especially those families where parents are working and time is a precious commodity. Perhaps our dining habits just need a bit of tweaking. There is nothing more pleasant than having all family members sit down to the meal at the same time. It creates a sense of celebration and is likely the best opportunity that busy people have to develop the idea of family togetherness. It is also an opportunity to discuss the ingredients used in preparing the meal, encourage the discussion of these flavours and help youngsters to appreciate the production of food. If you were raised in a family where the art of slow eating was entrenched then you received a precious gift. It is never too late to adjust one’s eating habits and pass the gift along to others.

Potato Wedges are divine! If your youngsters are old enough to help with chopping foods this is a great way to involve them in the fun of meal preparation. It is also a slick way to use up odds and ends in the fridge. Take two pounds of white or sweet potatoes, a half cup of olive oil, some salt and fresh garlic. Try thyme, sage or rosemary for extra flavour. Wedge-cut the potatoes and toss them in with the herbs and the oil. Roast uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 40 min. or less if you are using yams or sweet potatoes. There’s a bonus if you have organic potatoes as it isn’t necessary to peel them. An over ripe tomato or a bit of dried up cheese lurking in the back of the fridge can greatly add to the taste. Beware! One can get addicted very easily to potato wedges.

CHIFFONADING IS QUITE POSH SOUNDING

Chiffonading is a posh sounding description for a very simple leafy vegetable dish. “Chiffon” is French for “rag” and is a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy greens such as spinach, beet leaves, basil or kale are cut into long thin strips. This is accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons. Cut out the stems first if they look tough. I did a column on chiffonading almost two years ago, not that I used that particular word at the time to describe the process. However people continue to stop me in the street and ask for the kale recipe and I love to share the steps that convert the nutrient rich kale into a delicious addition to your meals.

So…here we go. In a heavy frying pan melt a tablespoon of oil and a knob of butter in medium heat. Toss in a small spoonful of grated ginger and the same amount of chopped garlic. Then add a tablespoon of water. I often add a pinch of sugar if the leaves are coarse. Mix the greens well with the other ingredients and use a heavy lid on the pan. After three or four minutes, on medium heat, pop the lid and the kale should turn intensely deep green and be ready to serve. It will make a delicious addition to your plate as well as a visual treat.

In September, as mentioned in the past column, I visited Powell River in order to experience the annual Edible Garden contest. I picked up two new ideas from a contestant in Lund, which is north of town. He had cleared a small garden site out of a deeply forested area and was successfully producing a variety of food stuffs and fruit. He told me one of his secrets for growing great grub was to feed the plants horsetail tea. Now that interested me was I am so enamoured with the new famous chicken dung tea. He claims that because horsetail has such deep roots it draws up nutrients from the earth that are not available to shallow rooted plants. To prepare the tea he harvests armfuls of the plant and chops it into smaller lengths. It is then left to soak in a large barrel for a couple of weeks while it gradually turns to a deep green brew. He then siphons the liquid out of the barrel and uses it in the same way that we traditionally fertilize our plants.

Composting our kitchen waste is a fairly easy process but what to do with the coarse stalks left over from clearing the garden and cleaning out the handing baskets can be a problem. The horsetail farmer made it look easy. He took a big clear plastic sack and tossed in all the garden refuse and small pruned branches. Then he sprinkled in a bit of water, tied the sack up and left it lying on the ground in the direct sun. He claims that by next spring all his scraps will have turned to sod. Now that is a tidy solution and if it works it is actually a brilliant solution! That’s one I must try.

CITY TAKES A QUANTUM LEAP

City Council Took a quantum “Green Leap” into the locally grown food movement last week when councilors officially approved the Agriculture Plan. The steering committee, of which I am a member, formulated the plan and recommendations for a strong agriculture sector to be developed in Campbell River. It was a great moment for our team. A year has passed since we received funding from the Agriculture Foundation to retain a researcher and a soil specialist to assist city staff and our committee to prepare a plan.

Readers of this column were surprised to learn that one third of municipal land is designated ALR (Agricultural Land Reserve). The research has now confirmed that there are specific areas in the community including the Willis Road, Duncan Bay Road and Airport South areas that have high soil values. These are equivalent to rich agricultural lands in the Vancouver delta area. As well, there are very accessible areas for possible commercial greenhouses.

Vancouver Island once produced more than half of the region’s food requirements. In the past 50 years this number has dropped to an average of less than ten per cent. The sad stats for local production show that we produce less than one percent of our food needs in Campbell River. Agriculture is now re-establishing itself on the Island and the Ag. Plan committee’s vision is that Campbell River become more sustainable with the production of local food, grown on it’s own land. This is an exciting time to be setting new directions and looking at new ways to strengthen our economic diversity and become part of the exciting locally grown food movement on Vancouver Island.