4 minute read
Rooted in Local: Super Tuber Farm
Say “hello” to Jeremy of Super Tuber Farm. For over a decade, BriarPatch’s Produce Department has worked directly with Super Tuber Farm in Chicago Park to plan crops. They supply the Co-op with delicious staple crops like potatoes, carrots, beets and cabbage during the shoulder seasons — fall, winter and spring.
“We started working with BriarPatch from the very beginning in 2012, planning with them to grow potatoes. After that, we continued to work with them as we’ve added additional crops like sweet corn, carrots, cabbage. And now we’re growing a lot of beets, as well,” says Owner-Farmer Jeremy Mineau. The Co-op’s lead produce buyer, along with Senior Produce Manager David Benson meet with Super Tuber and other regional farmers twice a year to plan crops for the next year. That way, everyone is on the same page and growing different crops, which means farmers get fair prices, customers get what they want, and there is less waste all around. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.
“Having the planning process with BriarPatch allows us to know we can grow a large volume of produce and sell it to a customer that we know is reliable. That allows us to try new crops and do new things, which then can trickle down
Tortilla Española
Makes 6-8 servings
This is an absolutely delicious way to enjoy Super Tuber potatoes. Flipping it over part-way through cooking can be tricky, but it’s worth it.
8 large eggs
Kosher salt, to taste
2 cups olive oil (all extra-virgin, or half EVOO and half other)
1 ½ lbs Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled/halved/thinly sliced cross-wise
¾ lb yellow onions, thinly sliced
In large bowl, beat eggs and a large pinch of salt until frothy, set aside.
In 10-inch nonstick or well-seasoned carbon steel pan, heat oil over mediumhigh heat until shimmering. Add potatoes and onions. Maintain a gentle bubbling, and cook about 25 minutes until melty and tender. Drain potatoes/onions of excess oil with fine mesh strainer over a heatproof bowl. Reserve oil.
Transfer potatoes/onions to medium heatproof bowl. Season with salt, stir well. Re-beat eggs; stir into potatoes/ into our smaller customer base, as well.”
Jeremy is passionate about sustaining the local food movement.
“Local and fresh food matters to me because it tastes different. It's a different quality than what you can get from a larger distributor. Since I'm selling directly to my customers and they're people I see every day, I really strive to grow the best tasting produce that we can and deliver it to BriarPatch in the best possible condition that we can.”
Super Tuber goes the extra mile to make sure that the local food system is thriving by supplying other local food businesses with ingredients. A longtime customer favorite, Local Culture Ferments uses Super Tuber cabbage for their nationally recognized, award-winning sauerkrauts. Working together has put Nevada County on the map as a rich agricultural hub with plenty to discover.
Jeremy is hopeful that as BriarPatch has expanded to its new Auburn location within our watershed (now BriarPatch’s definition of local!), this will provide more fertile ground within the area for new farms to sprout up and existing farms to root down deeper, providing more food for our community. Learn more at supertuberfarm.com onions. Let rest 5 minutes.
Clean skillet, add 3 Tbsp reserved olive oil. Set on medium-heat until oil is shimmering. Add mixture to skillet and cook, swirling/shaking pan rapidly until bottom and sides begin to set — about 3-5 minutes. With a heatproof spatula, press in the edges of the mixture to form the tortilla’s puck shape. Lower heat so bottom of tortilla doesn’t burn; cook 3-5 minutes more until edges begin to set.
Now for the exciting part…FLIPPING it over!!! Working over the sink or garbage can, place a large, overturned flat plate, inverted sheet pan (you want tortilla to go on flat, non-edge side) or lid on top of skillet, set dish towel and then hand on top, and, in one VERY quick motion, invert tortilla onto it. Add 1 Tbsp reserved oil to skillet and return to heat. Carefully slide tortilla back into skillet and continue cooking until second side firms up, about 3 minutes. Use heatproof spatula to press sides all around to form a round puck shape. Cook until lightly browned on second side but still tender when press with a finger in the center, 3 minutes more. Flip tortilla a few more times during the last minutes of cooking to reinforce the shape and cook the center more evenly. Carefully slide tortilla out of skillet, or invert it one more time, onto a clean plate. Wait 5 minutes before cutting into wedges or cubes for serving. Also great at room temp.
