25
june//july >> 2013
food
e
en c S d o o F l a c o L h ic R s it n o Sacramento Cashes In BY // BARBARA BASSETT PHOTOS BY // KIMYETTA BARRON
hen was the last time you celebrated a vegetable? Extolled the virtues of fruit? If it’s been a while, start now because June is National Fruit and Vegetable month, and what a month for produce! The seasonal fruits and vegetables available in June are so vast that even the pickiest eater can find something to please their taste buds. Sacramento is an especially abundant area for produce. Foodies everywhere are envious of the region’s climate and soil that creates California’s real gold mine— produce for the area and the world. Consider yourself lucky for living in close proximity to the riches and take advantage of the food motherlode California is known for.
Victory Garden Redux During World War II, victory gardens were a fun, yet necessary way for families to make sure they had enough nutritious food to eat during times of ration. Today, people are planting their own fruit and vegetable gardens to avoid pesticides and to help loosen tight budgets. You can join the backyard gardener movement by starting your own with help from the UC Cooperative Extension’s handout, “Vegetable Gardening 101.” It’s full of information and it’s free. You can get a copy at Sacramento County master gardener’s website, or by sending a stamped, self-addressed business-size envelope to: Environmental Horticulture continued on page 26
{sacramento’s lifestyle magazine for women}
bonnie magazine
26
june//july >> 2013
FOOD JACKPOT continued from page 25 Notes No. 96, UC Cooperative Extension, 4145 Branch Center Road, Sacramento, California, 95827. Slow Food Sacramento Sacramento is also home to a chapter of Slow Food USA, which provides education and introductions to producers of our region’s best food, farms, and restaurants. Slow Food USA is a grassroots movement to connect the community and the environment with the pleasure of food. The foundation of the movement is that all food should be “Good, Clean, and Fair.” It’s a way of living and eating that recognizes the connection between plate, planet, people, and culture. In a nutshell (figuratively), the movement envisions a world where people can access good food that is good for them, good for those who grow it, and good for the planet. Coral Henning, the president of Slow Food Sacramento and Janel Inouye, owner of Magpie Caterer’s Market & Café sat with me to discuss how people are embracing their local community and foods. Inouye believes that people in Sacramento like foods that are as close to “what they are” and are very educated in seasonal foods. “Five years ago, we had to explain why we wouldn’t serve tomatoes out of season, and now no one asks,” she says. “They know why,” Inouye adds. Magpie serves simple food that tastes as it should. Fresh, clean, and flavorful, her seasonal vegetable platter may contain vegetables you’ve never heard of, let alone tasted, but are grown locally and promoted in their glory. A simple risotto with peas and asparagus looks and tastes so enticing that you want to run out and shake the farmer’s hand for growing it, and hug the chef for making it. Magpie Café offers menus inspired by fresh, high-quality, seasonal ingredients, with a particular emphasis on products from Northern California. They believe their food provides a “simplicity of quality” combined with “complexity of variety.” The café itself is named for a bird native to the Sacramento area – the Yellow-
bonnie magazine
“Five years ago, we had to explain why we wouldn’t serve tomatoes out of season, and now no one asks.” Janel Inouye // Owner, Magpie Caterer’s Market & Cafe
Billed Magpie. They are well-known for their catered events, from weddings to box lunches. Henning knows the region has a bounty of farmers, ranchers, and wineries that support good, clean, and fair philosophies. As president of Slow Food Sacramento, she organizes events to showcase these products and the restaurants that use them. Slow Food Sacramento also offers various classes, like the upcoming “Makin’ Bacon” where people learn how to take a pork belly and make it into nitrate free
{sacramento’s lifestyle magazine for women}
bacon, learn the difference between bulk and artisanal bacon, and taste three bacon tapas and beer. Supporting slow food producers helps build communities by building a trust and connection to your neighbors and environment. You know where your food comes from when you eat at supporting restaurants. Community Supported Agriculture Another way to partake in local fare and support the community is
to purchase a weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. This is a direct-to-consumer program where you buy a share of a local farm’s projected harvest. Payment up front for the boxes helps distribute the risks and rewards of farming between both you and the farmer. Several Sacramento, Yolo, and Davis locations make produce boxes with enough fruit and vegetables for two to four people. Boxes are reasonably priced and bring a host of different edible items like daikon, beets, lettuce, and garlic in the colder months,
june//july >> 2013
Magpie Caterer’s Market & Cafe serves local, fresh, vegetables in their dishes.
and asparagus and fresh cut flowers in the spring. Fruits like peaches, apples, and pomegranates are also box inhabitants and CSA members can also order organic chicken and lamb. Delivered to your door fresh from the farm, a CSA box could be one of the easiest food choices you can make for your busy family. An added bonus—it is also surprisingly affordable, almost the same cost or cheaper than buying fruits and vegetables at a grocery story. Natural Foods Co-Op Joining Sacramento’s Natural Foods Co-Op is another way to bring sustainably produced agriculture into your home. Since 1973, the Co-op has been a trusted source of natural foods and products and provides
27
Coral Henning, president of Slow Food Sacramento.
educational resources and lots of interesting classes. Basic organic gardening, pickling and fermenting, and healthy cooking are just a few of the vast menu of courses offered. Starting in July, they’ll begin a Kid’s and Teen summer cooking camp. The CoOp provides a “Walk, Talk, & Taste” tour to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Co-op itself or exploring Co-op ownership. During the “Walk,” you’ll have an opportunity to enjoy an interactive presentation, food sampling, and store tour. Just visit the customer service counter or their website to register. Pick-Your-Own-Farms Another way to have a fun day, yet teach your children about fruits
and vegetables is to visit a local “pick your own” farm. There are several in our region, such as Johnson Farm in Butte County, where you can pick local blueberries and save $3.00 a pound over already picked berries. Peppers, squash, beans, plums, grapes, and more are available from late June to September and provide a happy day in the sunshine. Farmer’s Market Certified farmer’s markets are all over town and are a great way to get farm fresh produce at a price fit for your budget. Farmer’s markets are also a way to support sustainably farm practices and buy locally produced products. Food is fresh with nutrients intact, with the majority of produce sold at the markets
DOUBLE DOWN ON THESE RESOURCES To learn more about any of the programs mentioned above, visit, call, or email these resources for more information: National Fruit and Vegetable Month: http://healthymeals.nal.usda.gov/ Sacramento Master Gardener’s: at http://ucanr.org/sites/sacmg/Growing_Vegetables Slow Food Sacramento: http://slowfoodsacramento.com/, coral@slowfoodsacramento.com Magpie Caterer’s Market & Café: www.magpiecaterers.com/cafe, (916) 452-7594 Community Supported Agriculture Boxes (CSA): www.ecovian.com/s/sacramento/csa Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op: www.sacfoodcoop.com, (916) 455-2667 Johnson Farm: http://gridley.wix.com/johnsonupickfarm, (530) 846-5871, johnsonupickfarm@yahoo.com Sacramento Certified Farmers Markets: www.california-grown.com/Market-times.html
picked shortly before getting to market. Shopping a farmer’s market also helps preserve local produce that may not survive the rigors of packing and storage. You might find something locally that you can’t get anywhere else, such as unique heirloom produce, their seeds passed down through family generations. It’s Time to Eat Now and for the Future In the end, the National Fruit and Vegetable month and slow food is about the future. Supporting local farms keeps them in your community—more than a million acres of farmland are lost each year to residential and commercial development. Buying from local farmers and ranchers helps them thrive and stay on their land, and helps preserve open space. You reap the benefits of eating food at the peak of its flavor and nutrients, and you are keeping that money in your community, making your purchase twice as efficient in keeping the local economy alive. It’s a good plan for everyone. b Barbara Bassett is a locally produced freelance writer and executive assistant and loves her dogs.
{sacramento’s lifestyle magazine for women}
bonnie magazine