edible
COLUMBUS® THE STORY ON LOCAL FOOD
No. 34 | Fall 2018 Member of Edible Communities
Complimentary
FALL 2018 | CONTENTS
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DEPARTMENTS
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EDITOR’S NOTE
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#EDIBLECOLUMBUS
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COOK
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READ
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FARM
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ARTISAN
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POLICY
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HERO
FEATURES 10
SCHOOL LUNCH Fun, healthy ways to ease school meal prep—together
By Nicole Rasul, Photography by Rachel Joy Barehl, Styling by Bridget Henry in partnership with Williams Sonoma
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BUILDING A BETTER FOOD SYSTEM Central Ohio moves to implement its Local Food Action Plan
By Nicole Rasul, Photography by Maria Khoroshilova
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FOOD TANK A Q&A with Danielle Nierenberg about her dynamic nonprofit and how it’s changing the way we talk solutions in the global food community
By Colleen Leonardi & Danielle Nierenberg, Photography courtesy of Food Tank
RECIPES 8 9 9 12 13 16
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Extra Gingery Pumpkin Pie Grandpa’s Chicken and Noodles Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Orange Compote Quiche Lorraine Pasta with Swiss Chard and Basil Pesto Elderberry Kir Royale
COVER Certified organic corn held in the hands of farmer Chris Clinehens for Shagbark Seed & Mill, photographed by Julian Foglietti. See story on page 20.
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EDITOR’S NOTE
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We have great partnerships in our community working to advocate for local food access across all ZIP Codes yet children are still some of the last to receive the benefits of growing up on local food. A box of Cheerios? Sure. But the taste of organic tomatoes from a farm near where they live? A rarity. For children and families that are food insecure, access to local food from the region where they are born and live is limited. Oftentimes what they do eat is food that comes from some other state, country or continent, developed and packaged, sometimes, in a lab. What does this do to a child’s development? Surely, it diminishes the feeling of belonging to a place, that God-given sense of stability and identity in this world. Governmental programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provide a means for families to buy at farmers markets close to home and get the fresh food they need. Yet that program (as I write this) faces possible reductions due to the up-and-coming revisions to the Farm Bill. Policy program coordinator Amalie Lipstreu at Ohio Ecological Food & Farming Association shares on page 24 a breakdown of what is at stake.
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PUBLISHER
Franklin County Farm Bureau
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Colleen Leonardi CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Steve Berk COPY EDITOR Doug Adrianson DIGITAL & DESIGN EDITOR
Evan Schlarb EDITORIAL INTERN
Lynn Marie Donegan DESIGN
Melissa Petersen
WEB DESIGNER
Edible Feast & Kjeld Petersen PHOTOGRAPHY
When I spoke with Danielle Nierenberg, president of the nonprofit Food Tank (see story on page 32), I asked her how she keeps her team future-focused when so much in the food world is mired in the negative. She paused for a moment and then spoke of how working with so many young people who are passionate about the future keeps her eye on the prize of positivity. As autumn approaches, I’m reminded of what the future of food is: the children. They will determine what we eat, how we eat and how food is grown and distributed. If we raise them to believe food comes from a box, their beliefs will determine our future. We need more local food businesses and leaders in Central Ohio to get involved in some way in the food insecurity crisis to bring more local food to children. That’s the way we’ll have a resilient local food system in the future, and a sense of HOME worth fighting for. Thank you to the City of Columbus and the Franklin County Local Food Action Plan and all of its partners for fighting the good fight. Eat Well, Love Well, Live Well,
Colleen Leonardi
Rachel Joy Barehl • Julian Foglietti Maria Khoroshilova • Evan Schlarb WRITERS
Lynn Marie Donegan • Julia Flint Colleen Leonardi • Amalie Lipstreu Nicole Rasul • Joshua Wickham Teresa Woodard CONTACT US
P.O. Box 21-8376, Columbus, Ohio 43221 info@ediblecolumbus.com ediblecolumbus.com Edible Columbus
@ediblecbus
@ediblecolumbus ADVERTISING INQUIRIES
steve@ediblecolumbus.com Edible Columbus is published quarterly and distributed throughout Central Ohio. Subscription rate is $25 annually. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used without written permission from the publisher. Every effort is made to avoid errors, misspellings and omissions. If, however, an error comes to your attention, please accept our sincere apologies and notify us. Thank you.
Edible Columbus is brought to you by Franklin County Farm Bureau Board of Trustees President, Jeff Schilling Vice President, Neall Weber Treasurer, Leland Tinklepaugh Secretary, Roger Genter Dwight Beougher • David Black Veronica Boysel • Chuck Hines Denise Johnson • David Lewis Jack Orum • Cassie Williams Nathan Zwayer
PHOTOGRAPHY BY © RACHEL JOY BAREHL
n America, the belief has been fostered that we need to feed the world. I’m of the belief that we need to feed our children first. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) states that “in 2016, 20% of Ohio’s children were ‘food insecure.’” As writer Nicole Rasul details in her story on page 26 about the City of Columbus and Franklin County Local Food Action Plan, these children do not know where their food will come from some days. By these stats, we’re not doing such a good job, at least in Ohio, of feeding all of our children.
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#ediblecolumbus Share your edible endeavors with us on Instagram via #ediblecolumbus! Here are a few of our recent favorites... —Evan Schlarb
Top: @areyoukitchenme, @ferociousappetite, @freshtownfarm Middle: @jessicakapusta, @katyasvegantable, @plant_brat Bottom: @rach_lowry, @servingsalem, @urbanfarmsofcentralohio
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COOK
EXTRA GINGERY PUMPKIN PIE
Fall Favorites
By Adam Hagar I love this pie recipe because it is so spicy. The only way to achieve the right “bite” is by using freshly grated ginger. Once you get used to this recipe every other pumpkin pie seems to be missing something. Makes 1 (9-inch) pie Use your favorite crust recipe or a readymade crust.
Photography by Evan Schlarb
Filling: 1 cup brown sugar
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e partnered with Columbus State Community College’s culinary program and the director of operations at the School of Hospitality and Culinary Arts, Chef Joshua Wickham, to bring you recipes from leading and aspiring chefs who are making a delicious impact on Columbus. We asked them to share recipes that have a story to tell and are close to home.
1 tablespoon flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated 1 tablespoon candied ginger, finely chopped 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
3 large eggs, beaten
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin 1¼ cups evaporated milk
What’s in Season
Fruits: Apples, Blueberries, Apricots, Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Grapes, Peaches, Pears, Plums, Strawberries, Watermelons, Tomatoes Greens: Collard, Mustard and Turnip Greens, Lettuce, Kale, Spinach Cabbage Crops: Broccoli, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Radishes Root Vegetables: Beets, Celery, Green Onions, Leeks, Okra, Onions, Carrots, Parsnips, Potatoes, Garlic Last of Summer: Herbs; Hot, Bell and Sweet Peppers; Sweet Corn Squashes: Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Winter Squash, Pumpkins
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine all of the dry ingredients and set aside. Combine pumpkin and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer). Mix on low to medium until eggs and pumpkin are thoroughly combined and smooth. With mixer running add the evaporated milk in a steady stream, allowing it to incorporate as it is added. Finish by adding the dry ingredients and mixing until evenly combined. Place your desired crust into a lightly buttered pie pan. Form a strongly fluted rim around the edge of the pan to support the filling. Place the unfilled piecrust in the refrigerator until ready to bake. When the oven has reached 400°, place the pie pan with the crust on a cookie sheet and fill with the pumpkin filling. Bake at 400° 45 minutes, or until the filling is mostly set; the center should still jiggle slightly when the pie is gently shaken. Remove pie from oven, place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely before cutting. Keep leftover pie in refrigerator.
Visit ediblecolumbus.com for Chef Wickham’s recipe for Fall Vegetable Beef Soup inspired by memories of his mother cooking it “when our garden started to shift into fall vegetables.”
GRANDPA’S CHICKEN AND NOODLES
ROASTED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH CRANBERRY ORANGE COMPOTE
By Gillian Schmittauer
By Joshua Wickham
A simple and nostalgic recipe that embodies many of my childhood memories is chicken and noodles. This recipe has been in my family for three generations, starting with my grandfather on my mother’s side and was passed down to her. My mother was always very close to my grandfather, so when he passed away this recipe was kept close to her heart. Growing up on this recipe brought us comfort and warmth during the cool autumn months. Makes 10–12 servings
This is one of my favorite dishes to take to parties because it tastes great at room temperature and makes delightful little sandwiches when served alongside little Hawaiian rolls. Serves 4–6 For the Compote
For the Tenderloin
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pork tenderloins, cleaned
1½ pounds fresh cranberries
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil Fresh sage and parsley for garnish
(about 4 oranges) ½ cup sugar 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 whole chicken 2 carrots, peeled and cut to about 1 inch 1 onion, large diced 3 celery ribs, large diced 3 quarts water 2 large bags of Reames noodles
For the Compote: In a heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the butter until it foams; do not allow it to brown. Add the cranberries and cook over medium heat until the first few berries swell and pop.
Salt and black pepper to taste
Add the remaining ingredients and allow to come to a gentle simmer.
Place the whole chicken into a pot and fill with water till the chicken is covered, about 3 quarts. Add the vegetables.
Let the cranberries simmer uncovered until the liquid has reduced and the cranberries are well cooked, about 20–30 minutes.
Gently simmer the chicken and vegetables until cooked through, 1 to 1½ hours. The internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°F.
Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
Remove chicken from water and reserve the broth.
Generously season the pork tenderloins with the salt and pepper.
Reheat the water to a boil and add the 2 bags of Reames noodles; while the noodles are cooking, remove the chicken from the bones.
For the Tenderloins: Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a heavy skillet, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Carefully place the tenderloins in the hot skillet. Turn every minute or so until evenly seared on all sides.
Add the pulled chicken back into the broth. Discard the bones and skin.
Remove the tenderloins from the skillet and place on a baking sheet or casserole dish. Place the tenderloins in the oven and roast for 10–15 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 150°F.
Simmer until the noodles are tender.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.
Serve alone or over the top of mashed potatoes.
Slice the tenderloins and place on a serving tray; top with the cranberry compote, fresh sage and parsley.
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Fun, healthy ways to ease school meal prep—together
By Nicole Rasul Photography by Rachel Joy Barehl Styling by Bridget Henry in partnership with Williams Sonoma
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well-packed school lunch is many things. When your little one helps to prepare a bagged lunch, it’s a lesson in nutrition and a task to encourage independence. When time is spent perfecting a sandwich in the shape of a cat’s face, it’s a food-inspired love letter to your child. And when packaged, processed foods are passed over for healthy, whole foods, it’s a commitment to your child’s health and future. Consistently preparing nutritious, creative lunches that your child wants to eat can be daunting. With a bit of preparation, imagination and investment, however, the task can be made easy.
Let Kids Cook For Bridget Henry, a Columbus-based food and prop stylist and mother, teaching her 3-year-old daughter Bianca about food is an important part of her family’s daily routine. In the kitchen is a stool, which Bianca climbs atop to help in tasks like cracking and whisking eggs, which Bridget then scrambles. For food-inspired creative play, Bridget has fashioned an enviable play kitchen for Bianca. A chalkboard above the lustrous white wooden structure notes “Bonka Boo’s Bakery,” and inside are plastic loaves of bread, a tiny toy barista set and fashionable play dishes for a French-themed café.
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When day-tripping to the zoo or park, Bridget prefers to pack Bianca’s lunch. As a food stylist, this task is made fun with a slew of creative supplies. “I love the bento box concept for kids,” Bridget says, reflecting on the reusable Japanese-style single-portion lunch boxes fashioned with individual food compartments. “They are great for packing a variety of finger foods.” As children age and routines grow increasingly hectic, packing lunch the night before or preparing supplies for the week ahead in advance can save time, money and stress. Engaging children in lunch preparation also fosters an understanding of healthy food choices. “I am a big proponent of teaching kids to pack their own lunches,” says Sally Kuzemchak, a Columbus-based mother of two boys, ages 10 and 14, a registered dietitian and the author of the popular blog, “Real Mom Nutrition.” “Even young kids can do this.” Sally keeps bins with yogurt, nuts, dried fruit and other lunch supplies in the refrigerator and on the counter at her house. Her sons know that they must pack an item from each bin in their lunch bags. “It lets them be independent and helps us to share the work,” she says. According to Sally, a common mistake often made for both parents and children is packing too much for lunch. “Especially with
younger kids who may be in the cafeteria for the first time,” she says. “They may feel overwhelmed. It may be the only time that they get to sit and talk with their friends so they may not eat a lot.” When a nearly full lunch bag returns home at the end of the day a parent may feel frustrated. Sally recommends talking with your child about whether they were hungry or full after lunch to better gauge the appropriate portion size needed to satisfy appetites on a busy school day.
Invest in Essentials As a stylist, presentation is important to Bridget. “I try to make our picnics look cute. I like pretty straws and colorful paper napkins,” she says with a smile. And, according to Sally, time spent on the arrangement of food is well worth it as children respond better to a meal that looks fun and isn’t overwhelming. Cookie cutters can be used to cut bread, meats, cheeses, fruits or vegetables into entertaining shapes. The remnants can be used for other recipes, such as homemade breadcrumbs, soups or smoothies. If a reusable stainless steel or plastic bento box isn’t in your budget, Bridget recommends using any food container on hand and adding cupcake liners as a take on the bento concept. She also suggests a well-made drink container for milk or water, as well as a Thermos to hold hot soup or warm dinner leftovers. Since most lunches are left in lockers or on coat hooks, having a bag that can keep food cool is essential. Gone are the brown paper lunch bags of 20th century youth. Instead, reusable fabric bags with builtin freezable gel liners prove handy. Investing in a machine-washable bag can also be a game-changer for leaky containers or spills. Finally, don’t send your favorite flatware or containers to school with your child, Sally says, as it’s not uncommon for them to accidently end up in the trash bin in a busy cafeteria. Learn more about Bridget Henry at bridgethenry.com and follow her on Instagram @bridget_henry. Find Sally Kuzemchak at realmomnutrition.com and follow her on Facebook and Instagram @realmomnutrition and on Twitter @RMNutrition.
Nicole Rasul writes about the makers and shakers in our food system. Food history and culture drive her work, and she is especially interested in the intersection of women and food. Nicole lives with her family in Clintonville. Follow her on Twitter @foodierasul or view her writing online at nicolerasul. journoportfolio.com.
As noted by Bridget and Sally, a stainless steel or plastic bento box is a great option for transporting food to school or the park. With their individual compartments, the boxes ensure that food does not intermix. Some boxes also have separate lids for their interior units to ensure that a runny addition like applesauce or yogurt stays put. Some ideas for a bento box lunch include: Quiche Lorraine (see recipe page 12), yogurt, washed and cut fruit or berries and granola for the brunch or breakfast fan in your family. Or, try a box with Swiss chard and basil pesto pasta (see recipe page 13), washed and cut vegetables with hummus, a hard-boiled egg and applesauce.
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School Lunch Recipes When packing a lunch for your child to take to school, including wholesome foods that will satisfy yet energize is important. Lunches should contain fruits and vegetables and also a protein source and ideally a whole grain. The protein doesn’t have to be a meat or nut butter—yogurt, a milk box or cheese will suffice. Hard-boiled eggs, room-temperature pasta or meat and cheese wraps or sandwiches that don’t need to be heated are an easy main dish. Yogurt, applesauce, raisins, washed and cut vegetables or fruit, and granola are healthy yet stress-free grab-and-go sides that can be packed in advance.
QUICHE LORRAINE Adapted by Bridget Henry from the Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer and Marion Rombauer Becker
Eggs are a favorite for Bianca, Bridget’s 3-year-old daughter, and as frequent visitors to the Worthington Farmers Market, they like to use local eggs and milk as well as in-season produce for this quiche recipe. Use your child’s favorite ingredients or whatever you have on hand. Turkey, bacon or another preferred protein can be used in lieu of ham. Instead of Baby Swiss, try goat cheese or Muenster. Kale, mushroom, tomato or pepper could be added to the recipe. Use pre-made or store-bought pastry dough to speed up preparation. Makes 6 servings Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 6 individual quiche cups with pastry crust, brush the crusts with the white of an egg and prick well. Chop ¼ pound of sliced cooked ham into 1-inch lengths. Scald 2 cups of milk. Cool the milk slightly, then beat in the following: 3 eggs ¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch chopped chives (optional) Sprinkle the ham, a ½ cup of diced Baby Swiss cheese and a ½ cup of chopped spinach in the bottom of the quiche cups. Pour the egg mixture into the quiche cups. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the quiche is firm. 12
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PASTA WITH SWISS CHARD AND BASIL PESTO Adapted by Nicole Rasul from shelikesfood.com
In my family we use this dish as a way to incorporate healthy, leafy greens with pasta and cheese, as the latter are a favorite of my two small children. Sometimes we add chopped tomatoes since they are well liked in our household; their sweetness balances the earthiness of the pesto well and they add a fun splash of color to the dish. Spinach could be subbed for the chard or, if a more traditional pesto is desired, use only basil instead. Additionally, the pasta could be omitted and the pesto added to your favorite pizza or sandwich. Makes 4 servings Cook ½ pound of pasta (8 ounces), preferably a small-cut noodle such as cellentani, farfalle or penne While the pasta is cooking, combine the following in a food processor and blend well: 2 cloves garlic ¼ cup pine nuts
⅛ cup almond meal
1 cup packed fresh basil 4 cups packed fresh Swiss chard ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1 teaspoon lemon juice ½ cup olive oil Salt and pepper to taste
If needed, add water to help the contents emulsify. Once the pasta is cooked, drain and stir in the pesto sauce. Top with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and serve immediately at room temperature or cold after chilling in the refrigerator. The pesto will keep for 5–7 days in the refrigerator, making it ideal for prepping on the weekend in advance of a busy school week.
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READ
The Fruit Forager’s Companion Review by Teresa Woodard
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es, I harvest wild black raspberries from my secret roadside patch each summer. They were my one and only coveted treasure in the world of foraged fruits. But Sara Bir, chef and author of the newly released Fruit Forager’s Companion, opened my eyes (and nose and taste buds) to a host of less-known wild fruits, many that I previously rushed past while hiking, driving or biking. After reading her book, I now spontaneously stop to gather elderberries and red flower sumac, to check on a nearby grove of pawpaws to see if the fruits are ripe, to inquire about an abandoned apple orchard and even to plant my own ground cherries to harvest. In her book’s introduction, Bir confesses: “I am not a foraging expert, and I am not a botanist; I’m a physically restless chef who likes plants.” Restless, indeed. Bir grew up in Marietta, Ohio, and left with plans to never return. While away, she studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York City, contributed to Paste Magazine and worked several culinary-related jobs in Portland, Oregon, and San Francisco. But eventually she grew disenchanted with the West Coast and was stirred to return to her hometown. Once back, Bir began exploring nearby woods with a new set of eyes for Appalachia’s “wonders on a smaller scale” and a new definition of “what was epic.” Pawpaws were her introduction to foraged foods, and her repertoire began to expand. In this book that’s part memoir and part guide, Bir features 40 fruits from across the country. Each fruit is beautifully illustrated and
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photographed. Plus, Bir adds personal anecdotes, botanical notes, harvesting tips, culinary suggestions and recipes for each (see sidebar for Elderberry Kir Royale recipe). A handful of the tropical fruits like pomegranates and oranges you won’t find growing in Ohio, but there’s still plenty of cold-hardy varieties to add adventure to your foraging treks and cooking.
and believes once the foraging mindset takes control, a new culinary world hiding in plain sight will reveal itself. Whether you’re a foraging foodie or not, I recommend The Fruit Forager’s Companion to take cooking or foraging experiences to a new level.
Bir completes the book with 100 foraged fruit recipes ranging from wild cherry bounce (liqueur) to crab apple chutney to pawpaw lemon curd. As a seasoned chef, Bir has great respect for the fruit ingredients she gathers and she removes the culinary hurdles for readers by offering proven recipes. She even encourages readers to experiment and adapt the recipes, as foraged fruits often vary by plant and location. Bir’s fruit shrub syrup, spicebush-sumac rub and jam combos are definitely recipes I’ll try in my kitchen.
Teresa scouts and writes lifestyle features for regional and national magazines. She recently received the Garden Communicators’ 2018 Silver Award for magazine writing. She also is a master gardener, judge for America in Bloom, outdoor enthusiast and blogger at heartland-gardening.com. Visit ediblecolumbus.com for a special web exclusive featuring an excerpt from Bir’s book about elderberries and more recipes.
Bir peppers the guide with thoughtful essays and valuable lessons on topics like invasive plants, pectin’s role in making preserves and tips for labeling canned goods. She even covers “Honorable Mention” fruits like ginkgo and kousa dogwood and “Look But Don’t Eat” fruits like castor bean and honeysuckle. PHOTO OF ELDERBERRIES COURTESY OF EDSEL LITTLE
As a modern-day food forager, Bir encourages readers to scour “a new wilderness, the place where the natural world and the developed world meet.” She points readers to unexpected foraging sources such as a neighbor’s overabundant fruit trees (with permission), a co-worker’s wooded property, the fringes of commercial parking lots, roadside patches, parks and hiking trails. Best of all, Bir brings a fresh perspective to the definition of foraging. Much like my yoga instructor, she refers to her foraging as a “practice” or “art.” She encourages readers to reconnect with nature
This excerpt is adapted from Sara Bir’s book The Fruit Forager’s Companion: Ferments, Desserts, Main Dishes, and More from Your Neighborhood and Beyond (Chelsea Green, 2018) and is printed with permission from the publisher.
ELDERBERRY KIR ROYALE Makes 1 cocktail A kir is a white wine and crème de cassis aperitif. A kir royale gets an upgrade with Champagne and is therefore my preferred version. “I will drink Champagne anytime, anywhere, with anyone,” was a famous saying of one of my wines instructors in cooking school. This is a recipe for fun or trouble, or (more likely) both. Since the forager’s pantry likely includes mysterious bottles of home-infused fruit liquors and syrups, instead of buying crème de cassis, break out your Elderberry Cordial for this classy and celebratory drink. Chilled Champagne or dry sparkling wine, as needed ½ ounce (15 ml) Elderberry Cordial
Pour the Champagne in a flute glass. Add the Elderberry Cordial slowly. Party time!
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FARM
A Swipe for a Share How one farm is adapting the community-supported agriculture model to fit a changing marketplace
By Julia Flint Photography by Julian Foglietti
n Wednesday afternoons in front of The Happy Grape in Lexington, Ohio, you’ll find Joan Richmond at a table with certified organic produce harvested that morning at Meadow Rise Farm. The display of produce looks a lot like the farm’s setup for the Clintonville Farmers Market on Saturdays, but the Lexington farm stand functions like a community-supported agriculture (CSA) harvest subscription program for Richland County residents.
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noons, for customers to pick up their “share.” Rather than picking up a bag or box that the farm has put together in advance, however, each customer can pick and choose exactly what they want from the produce that’s available. Extra kale isn’t a problem, and you can skip the eggplant entirely if that’s not your thing. The customer then swipes their pre-paid Farm Share Card, which they purchased from the farm earlier in the year, and the value of their selection is deducted from the card’s balance.
As in a traditional CSA model, customers have made a payment in advance for Meadow Rise Farm’s produce. As in a traditional CSA as well, Joan has designated a set time each week, Wednesday after-
Joan describes the Farm Share Card program as a response to changes in consumer expectations and habits. People are busy, and at a time when anything (including packages of ready-to-prepare
At the market in Lexington, Ohio, with Meadow Rise Farm and harvesting on the farm.
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meals) can be delivered on demand, they gravitate toward what’s convenient. So as a producer with a business that is dependent on local buyers, Joan is hoping to meet customers where they are. “People want to support local farms, they want organic, they want the food to be beautiful, but they want to choose,” she explains. Which led her to ask, “How can I make this more convenient, and how can I give people a choice?” Joan thinks the Farm Share Card is showing promise. By asking customers to pre-pay for produce, like they would as part of a CSA membership, the farm can avoid going into debt at the beginning of the season. Joan set a minimum of $100 for initial Card purchases, which is significantly lower than the cost of a CSA membership, and she’s had more than double the number of members from last year’s traditional CSA. Joan says she isn’t the only person thinking about the challenges she and other small farmers face in trying to build businesses that aren’t just sustainable environmentally, but also economically. She points to others in Ohio, like Great River Organics, who are exploring innovative ways to stay competitive. She says the truth is that it’s difficult economically to build a sustainable small business, particularly a small farm. Small farmers rely on local customers and many farms also rely on the type of investment from the local community that the traditional CSA membership program has offered. For this reason, as small farms like Meadow Rise shift their practices to better serve their customers, there’s also an opportunity for customers to reaffirm their commitment to farmers—whether through a traditional CSA or a new program. As Joan points out about Meadow Rise customers: “If they weren’t willing to do this, I wouldn’t be here.” The Farm Share Card gives Joan a way to stay involved with her local community, which she says she missed when she was only selling in Columbus. On Wednesdays when she sees the crowd that forms to pick out their shares of produce, she’s reminded that this is why she does what she does. She says it’s not just about growing vegetables, but about growing the community as well. “It preserves that part that represents the ‘community’ in ‘communitysupported agriculture.’ I’m able to bring fresh, organic, locally grown produce to my community, and they enable me to farm.” Meadow Rise Farm is located outside of Bellville, Ohio. Find them Saturday mornings at the Clintonville Farmers Market, through November 17. Learn more about the farm and the Farm Share Cards at facebook.com/meadowrisefarm/ and localharvest.org/meadow-rise-farm-M8651.
Julia Flint is a freelance writer based in Southeast Ohio.
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ARTISAN
From Field to Chip The organic farmers behind Shagbark Seed & Mill’s delicious chips
By Colleen Leonardi Photography by Julian Foglietti
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ho grows the corn in your Shagbark Seed & Mill chips? His name is Chris Clinehens, a third-generation farmer and father of two who farms with his daughter, Ginger; son, Chet; and wife, Kim, in Maplewood, Ohio. Chris’s dad, Gerald, also runs the farm at 90 years old with hands that show the wear and tear of farming and a stature half the size of Chris, perfect for swimming in between the tight rows of certified organic corn, cutting weeds. The place where they foster their 200 acres of farmland used to be a dairy farm when Chris was little. He started working the farm with his dad when he was 8 years old. In 1994 Chris turned the farm over to organic grain and hasn’t looked back. “Organic farming is a risk,” Chris says as we stand at the edge of his cornfield looking at weeds and talking about water. Chris doesn’t have an irrigation system and waits for rain. He mentions how this summer he’s watched “spotty” rainstorms descend on the farm next door while his fields remain dry. When I ask him if that’s normal, he admits it seems like it’s getting worse. The surrounding farmland, with the exception of a cousin who grows non-GMO corn behind Chris’s farm, is all conventional crop. It’s a true maze of cornfields, one after the other looking the same as the next. You could get lost out there in the corn (which I did on the way home and got stuck behind a Amish buggy) as the wind shuttles through and makes the beautiful sound of corn stalks rustling under the sun. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of growing corn, you know it is a magical process. It has been said that for Native Americans, every
Chris Clinehens in one of the grain bins. 20
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Chris Clinehens with his daughter, Ginger, who will one day inherit the farm with her brother, Chet.
“Chris shows me his weed hook and how he twists it just so to pull out invaders like horseweed that grow higher than the corn sometimes.”
“Chris’s dad, Gerald, also runs the farm at 90 years old with hands that show the wear and tear of farming and a stature half the size of Chris, perfect for swimming in between the tight rows of certified organic corn, cutting weeds.” 22
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part of the plant is sacred, and that corn, or maize, is the staple crop for indigenous food communities in the Americas. The corn plant embodies a mythology all its own. And Chris has a sense of this— ”the plant has a mind of its own,” he says. From the single kernel of a seed to the first sign of a stalk, from the moment you notice tassels coming up and corn pollen raining down, to that first ear of corn, and, oh my, when the corn silks start to appear, it makes for a seductive summer, if you’re a lover of plants. And Chris is one—gentle, bright eyed, full of good humor and humility, all characteristics he’s passed on to his daughter, Ginger, who will one day take over the farm with her brother, Chet. He shows me his weed hook and how he twists it just so to pull out invaders like horseweed that grow higher than the corn sometimes. It takes three months of planting for the corn crop, cultivating the soil and then the hand weeding; this year they started in early May. They use traditional planting equipment done in six rows at a time, then wait and work all summer until August, when they take a break and pray for rain. Then, come October, the family will harvest the corn for the year, storing it in grain bins into the winter. The Clinehens produce 4,000 bushels of corn a year for Shagbark. Shagbark and the Clinehens move the corn crop by way of semi trucks that carry the inventory down to Athens, where it is cleaned, milled and sent to the tortilla factory. As a continuation of our look
into what makes Shagbark tick, we’ll feature more on this last stage in our winter issue. And speaking of winter, did you know you could keep your sweet corn, husk and all, in the freezer to enjoy when it snows? Chris ends our time together with a tip: Freeze the sweet corn on the cob with the husks on. When ready to eat, put them in cold water then bring to a boil (with the shucks still on). Let the corn boil as you would when cooking it in summer then remove and run cold water over again and remove shucks. We have yet to attempt one farmer’s approach to cooking sweet corn, but if there were ever a farmer to trust on this one, I’d place all my bets on Chris. “Nature,” he says, “she makes the rules.” It’s because of this humility that he, along with Ginger, Kim, Chet and Gerald, is among those unsung heroes of our country, preserving traditions that created the foundation for the backbone of America. Know that when you buy a bag of Shagbark corn chips you’re supporting a legacy of organic farming and a way of being in the world that is becoming silenced. And it’s up to us to continue to tell the story so the Clinehens can continue to grow the corn.
Colleen Leonardi is editor-in-chief of Edible Columbus and managing editor of Edible Indy. Learn more at colleenleonardi.com.
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POLICY
The Farm Bill Divergent visions of food and farming
By Amalie Lipstreu
T
he current federal Farm Bill expires in September. The U.S. Senate and House need to craft a vision of what our food system should look like before that time, one that garners enough support to pass. Make no mistake: This massive piece of legislation has a very real impact on what is on our plates, the quality of our drinking water, the preservation of rural landscapes, the vitality of our communities, public health and more. The process starts when the House and Senate develop their separate bills. As each chamber of Congress has passed their own version, a conference committee was appointed to resolve the differences. Once that is done, the final bill goes back to each chamber for a vote and then is forwarded to the President to be signed (or vetoed). The bill’s 12 sections, called titles, address, among other things, rural development, conservation, crop insurance and “specialty crops� (fruits and vegetables). The largest and most contentious part of this legislation is the nutrition title. The House version of the bill includes work requirements and changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which may increase food insecurity for more than one million low-income households. Reduced SNAP benefits would also have negative financial repercussions for local grocers and farmers
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markets. According to the Farmers Market Coalition, SNAP participants spend more than $19.4 million each year at farmers markets. A reduction in this spending would be felt by many small farmers and businesses across the country. These changes resulted in strong partisan divisions in the House when voted upon earlier this year.
The House Farm Bill: A Rotten Tomato Aside from provisions that would cause hardship to those most in need of food assistance, the House Farm Bill also fails to provide mandatory funding for programs like the Farmers Market and Local Foods Promotion Program, which invest in farmers markets and local and regional food systems. Sales of direct-marketed foods have increased, more people attend farmers markets and farmers and local food businesses have had more opportunities as a result. The House bill also fails to invest in farmers interested in developing shelf-stable and valueadded products to increase their economic viability. It eliminates funding for certified organic farmers to offset the costs of annual certification. This bill does not adequately fund the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) at a time when 100 million acres of farmland will change hands and the average age of farmers is close to 60. Nearly 40% of Ohio farmland is rented or leased from someone else and 87% of that
land is owned by non-farmers with an average age of 68. Interest in farming as a career is booming among young people starting out and others starting a second career. The need for programming to help beginning farmers access information, technical assistance, land and credit has never been greater. The House bill cuts conservation by $1 billion and funding for working lands conservation programs specifically by nearly $5 billion over 10 years. The toxic algae blooms choking Ohio waterways dramatize that how we grow our food impacts our environment. Investing in conservation helps farmers grow food in a way that contributes to water quality, decreases soil erosion and improves pollinator and wildlife habitat. Overall, the House bill helps the big get bigger and the rich get richer. Federal policy has historically contributed to farm consolidation, and the homogeneity and inequity caused by consolidation, by directing disproportionate resources toward the largest and wealthiest agribusiness operations. The House bill exacerbates this trend by getting rid of a 30-year-old rule that prevents corporations from receiving unlimited commodity payments (the price and income support payments that go to growers of commodity crops like corn, wheat, rice and cotton).
After this flawed bill failed to pass the first time, a second try yielded a two-vote margin of victory, split along party lines.
The Senate Farm Bill: A Cherry Tomato Mix In striking contrast, the Senate version of the Farm Bill was developed in bipartisan fashion. It scales up investments in local and regional foods through the Local Agriculture Market Program championed by Senator Sherrod Brown. This provision provides permanent mandatory funding for local food initiatives such as the 2015 project by Great River Organics that helped coordinate production aggregation and distribution of local certified organic produce. As Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said during the committee debate on this bill, it “builds the bench for the next generation” of farmers and ranchers by providing permanent, mandatory funding for BFRDP. This forward-looking investment is a major difference with the House bill, as is an important amendment to the “actively engaged” in farming rule that would prevent the wealthiest farmers from receiving unlimited subsidies. The Senate bill maintains level funding for conservation programs overall although it does reduce funding for two of the programs that support working lands conservation.
In reviewing both bills, we must ask, “show me the money.” Ultimately, many of the provisions in a bill don’t move forward unless they have mandatory funding. A program may be “authorized,” but unless funding is appropriated every year, it will be a program in name only. Given these drastically different visions for the future of food and farming and the inclusion of mandatory funding for key sustainable agriculture and local food initiatives, we look forward to seeing how the conference committee crafts a compromise that will be acceptable to both chambers of Congress. They have until the end of September to get it done. Let’s hope they embrace the Senate’s more constructive vision for the future.
Amalie Lipstreu is policy program coordinator at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association. For nearly 40 years, OEFFA has worked to build a healthy food system that brings prosperity to family farmers, meets the growing consumer demand for local food and safeguards the environment. OEFFA offers an annual conference, farm tours, workshops, grower support, organic certification services and other resources for farmers and consumers. For more information, go to oeffa.org.
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Building
a Better Food System Central Ohio moves to implement its Local Food Action Plan
By Nicole Rasul Photography by Maria Khoroshilova
Above: Columbus City Council Member Priscilla Tyson (above) and Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady jointly served as legislative sponsors of the Local Action Food Plan. 26
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T
he U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) reports that in 2016, 20% of Ohio’s children were “food insecure.” These youth and their families did not know where they would find their next meal—perhaps they visited a food pantry, community kitchen or fast-food restaurant to find something free or affordable to eat, or maybe they skipped dinner some nights. Despite our state’s deep agrarian roots, less than 6% of agricultural sales in Franklin County are for fruits, vegetables and livestock, according to the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture, in 2012. USDA ERS reports that in 2016, nearly 15% of all Ohioans were food insecure. Nationally this average was 13%. Crops leave the state while citizens nearby remain some of America’s most hungry. Obviously, change is needed. The City of Columbus and Franklin County Local Food Action Plan, adopted in late 2016 by Columbus City Council and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, creates a framework for transforming the food system. An ambitious effort to address chronic food insecurity and build a resilient local food network in our region, the Plan is rooted in the vision of “a fair and sustainable food system that benefits our economy, our environment and all people.” Now almost two years into implementation, the Plan is weaving together a diverse network of stakeholders in Central Ohio who are knee deep in the work of growing our local food economy and addressing food accessibility and affordability in our region’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.
Local Food Action Plan Team: Jalisa Dawkins, Local Food Systems Strategies Manager, Columbus Public Health; Cheryl Graffagnino, Local Food Systems Strategies Coordinator, Columbus Public Health; Brian Estabrook, Food Systems Planner, Franklin County Economic Development & Planning Department.
A Community Vision The Local Food Action Plan is comprised of four hefty goals: “Enhance coordination and communication among existing food resources and agencies; improve access to and education about healthy food, affordable food and local food; increase the role of food in economic development; and prevent food-related waste.” With significant action steps identified for each goal, including policy change, the creation of networks and enterprises and the development of training and tools, the Plan is bold, far-reaching and potentially hugely impactful. Extending beyond food, the framework aims to address the underlying issues of poverty, underemployment and unemployment in our region. “We know that food is important to the physical and economic health of our community and its residents,” says Priscilla Tyson, a member of Columbus City Council and a legislative sponsor of the Plan. “It was clear that we needed a comprehensive food plan that includes everyone who contributes to the food system.” The Plan was brought to life through a twoyear development process led by the City of Columbus, Franklin County and Local Matters, a Columbus nonprofit that focuses
on food education, access and advocacy. Community input was crucial to ensure that the Plan addressed the needs of residents of all means. The effort has been recognized nationally for the diversity of participants brought together to craft a common, shared framework. “The approach that we are taking is comprehensive and collaborative,” says Franklin County Commissioner John O’Grady, also a legislative sponsor of the Plan. “We are bringing all of the resources that we have in Central Ohio to the table and that’s a unique thing. We are doing this because we care about the community, we want to make sure people get fed and we want to make sure that our food economy is thriving.” Feedback from more than 1,000 Franklin County residents was gathered through community surveys, interviews and meetings. Eight hundred potential actions to change the food system in our region were identified and later whittled down to the 27 actions included in the final Plan. “There was a real need for a community-informed plan,” says Cheryl Graffagnino, local food system strategies coordinator with the Columbus Public Health De-
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“We are bringing all of the resources that we have in Central Ohio to the table and that’s a unique thing. We are doing this because we care about the community, we want to make sure people get fed and we want to make sure that our food economy is thriving.”
partment. “The Plan is bigger than what the city and county can do alone.” According to Cheryl, although city and county government and public and private actors in the community have a long history of supporting local food initiatives, “there wasn’t a strategic coordinated effort around local food” prior to the creation of the Local Food Action Plan. “Everybody recognized that we could do better.”
Pursuing Change As the legislative sponsors, Councilmember Tyson and Commissioner O’Grady oversee the network leading the action steps for a reimagined local food system in Central Ohio. The sponsors have requested that within five years significant progress is made on each of the Plan’s four goals. A 12-member advisory board, called the Local Food Board, comprised of influential community leaders representing public and private sector food and agriculture entities, meets quarterly to oversee implementation of the Plan’s actions. The Local Food Board is supported by a team of three staff members, including Cheryl, who are funded by the city and county, called the Local Food Team. This group facilitates the day-to-day work of implementing the Plan, including connecting food system players and tracking and reporting progress. Project teams, comprised of a variety of stakeholders, work on achieving progress on each of the individual actions identified in the Plan. Project teams have formed around actions like supporting local farmers markets and the development of resources to grow local food businesses.
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Community engagement is encouraged through the Franklin County Local Food Council, an independent entity founded in 2011 who helped to craft the Plan and who are aiding in its implementation. At the Council’s monthly meetings, which are open to the public, there is an emphasis on information-sharing regarding progress on the Plan’s actions “For the next couple of years our focus will really be on acting as a connector and convener for the Local Food Action Plan,” says Karima Samadi, co-chair of the Council. “Community outreach and engagement for this task is important to us because we need to make sure that everyone in our community is heard as the Plan is being implemented.”
A Living Document At a recent meeting of the Health & Human Services Committee of Columbus City Council, led by Councilmember Tyson, she noted that the Plan was not drafted to simply “sit on a shelf.” When the issue of regulatory setbacks that impact the production of food within city limits was raised during public comment, Councilmember Tyson said, “We will put together a team to work with Building and Zoning Services to address this issue.” Will the Local Food Action Plan succeed in transforming Central Ohio’s food system? If left to vision and commitment, the answer appears to be a resounding “Yes.” As the Plan’s stakeholders dig in their feet to move implementation forward, there is great hope that change is on the horizon. Learn more and follow progress at columbus.gov/lfap.
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e’d like to share several stories with you that have roots in the Local Food Action Plan’s ambitious framework. These stories bring to life the platform and demonstrate the powerful and real impact the Plan may have on the communities, economies, businesses and people in our region.
Linden Farmers Market It’s a hot July day. Atop sizzling blacktop, 20 booths showcase a diversity of prepared foods: tamales, homemade pies, pickles and salsa. Tables with vegetables and fruit overflow with the abundance of midsummer’s harvest. Nearby a vendor sells West African–inspired textiles while a food truck makes crepes. The sounds of laughter and music fill the air. This is the recently launched Linden Farmers Market, held on Sundays from 1 to 4pm during July and August in the parking lot of Gye Nyame Place at 2830 Cleveland Avenue. An initiative of the City of Columbus; Community of Caring Development Foundation, the nonprofit arm of nearby New Salem Baptist Church; and the Ohio Farmers Market Management Network, the market is focused on “accessibility and affordability,” according to Landon Adams, the market’s manager. Linden saw its last major grocery store, the Kroger at 3353 Cleveland Avenue, shutter its doors earlier this year. Centered on community empowerment, Landon notes, “This is a nontraditional farmers market. It’s a community market. There will always be something to learn and experience. We want it to be a hub of cultural and community exchange.”
The market aims to fill its booths with a percentage of vendors who live, work or worship in Linden in the hopes of not only providing fresh food to the community but also opportunity. At a Columbus City Council committee meeting in July, Landon reported that 17% of the vendors at the market lived, worked or worshipped in Linden, 26% of the businesses at the market were minority-owned and almost 40% were owned by women. Through funding from Columbus City Council as part of the group’s investment in the Local Food Action Plan, members of the Greater Columbus Growing Coalition who sell product at the market are covered by the organization’s general liability insurance policy. Victoria Meacham, owner of Aunt Vickie’s Pies, is a parishioner at New Salem Baptist Church. A single mother, she hopes that her booth offering freshly baked pies may inspire others who want to turn a hobby into a source of income. “If people come up to me and ask me how to create something like this, I want to help them,” she says. The market fills as a service at the church lets out. The church, a steadfast pillar in the community, has deep roots tackling food insecurity in Linden with a well-established food pantry, a weekend food bag program for children in a nearby elementary school and a free community dinner that feeds approximately 200 people a week. New Salem donated land for the market and their parishioners have committed to weekly patronage. “When we were approached for the farmers market it was a natural fit,” says Landon, a parishioner at New Salem himself. “Though some church members may not live in the
One initiative with roots in the Local Food Action Plan: the Linden Farmers Market on Cleveland Avenue.
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Above: Joe Brown, Director of Food Services, Columbus City Schools. Below: Donna J. Starks, a member of the Food Services team at Columbus City Schools, processing whole apples to serve to children in Columbus City Schools.
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neighborhood, we understand that as an institution we are part of the neighborhood.” Many of the market patrons that I stop to speak with have just attended the church service. For Linda Bozeman and Valerie Raimey the diversity of products at the market is attractive. Linda tells me that she just purchased a chipotle raspberry salsa that’s “to die for.” Valerie adds that she’ll be making squash and fried green tomatoes for dinner that night from supplies bought at the market. “It’s good fellowship. We love it,” Linda says. Parishioner Mary Richardson adds, “Most of us are trying to eat better. We like knowing that the food here is fresh.” Follow on Facebook and Instagram @lindenfm.
Ohio Apples in Ohio Schools This year, students in the Columbus City Schools’ elementary network, comprised of more than 70 schools and 30,000 students, will be offered nearly three million apples from Ohio. Even better, for the first time ever, these apples will be served sliced rather than whole, a difference that has proven to increase intake by students and reduce food waste. The potential impact on the local food economy and student health is real and staggering. “They are fresher, they taste better and they are less expensive. It’s a win across the board,” says Joe Brown, director of food services for Columbus City Schools, the largest school district in the state, regarding his team’s procurement of Ohio apples. Previously, all apples were purchased and shipped from the state of Washington. The apples were served whole, as kitchens in elementary schools in the district are equipped
only with refrigeration and warming units, not processing equipment, and procuring sliced and packaged apples from a distributor was cost-prohibitive. Joe served as a working committee member for the development of the Local Food Action Plan and he used this network to seek a solution for his team’s apple sourcing. Additionally, Columbus Public Health conducted a food waste audit for the district, which demonstrated that if offered sliced apples, elementary students would eat significantly more of the produce. “We found that the kids ate almost four and a half times as many apples when they were sliced as opposed to whole,” says Cheryl Graffagnino, local food system strategies coordinator with the Columbus Public Health Department. “Waste went down by 55%. It was tremendous.” Joe worked with a team comprised of staff from Columbus Public Health, Franklin County Public Health, Ohio Farm to School and Ohio State University Extension to draft a U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm to School grant application for the purchase of equipment to clean and slice fresh apples. The team was awarded nearly $100,000 and the equipment was installed over the summer. The equipment will initially be used for processing apples with the goal of expanding to other fresh, and ideally local, produce.
“Being able to help people connect is the most rewarding part of my job but I also think it’s the thing that’s ultimately going to get the end result that we are looking for,” she says, regarding the transformational goals outlined in the Local Food Action Plan. “The Plan has given people a platform for recognizing where they could work together to impact change.” This teamwork has also been demonstrated through the “Ohio Days: My Plate, My State” program offered by Joe and his crew at Columbus City Schools. Each month, the district offers a meal of Ohio-only products in the cafeterias of more than 100 Columbus schools. Joe credits the strong local food community in Columbus, including members of the Local Food Team, in helping make this program a success. “We weren’t sure how we were going to get local products,” Joe says. “The team with the Local Food Action Plan stepped up to help. They helped us source vendors, with communication about the program and with creating educational materials for our schools.”
“It’s been interesting going through this process and learning the capacity we have within our community,” Joe reflects. “Seeing the commitment and dedication behind growing our local food system has been really encouraging.” For Cheryl, whose role at the Columbus Public Health Department focuses on implementing the Local Food Action Plan, supporting the Columbus City Schools Farm to School grant win was thrilling.
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Food Tank
A Q&A with Danielle Nierenberg about her dynamic nonprofit and how it’s changing the way we talk solutions in the global food community
By Colleen Leonardi & Danielle Nierenberg Photography courtesy of Food Tank
F
ood Tank calls itself the “Think Tank for Food.” A global community with a robust online platform, their vision works to “push for food system change.” Established in 2013 by President Danielle Nierenberg, the nonprofit offers information-packed newsletters, volunteer opportunities, yearly summits and newly published book. You can also become a member of the organization and engage in solutions-oriented conversations within the sustainable food movement from your desk. “We try to be as interactive with folks as possible and we’re very open to engaging as much as time allows,” Nierenberg says, and she means it. She takes phone calls from people who have simple questions, like where to start with sustainable agriculture, and spent a lovely afternoon talking with me about Food Tank’s origins, how they stay positive in a “doom and gloom” food industry and what gives her hope—the core tenet of Food Tank—for a future of empowered, engaged and healthy eaters and farmers.
Q: Why did you create Food Tank? Danielle Nierenberg: I was working for many years at an environ-
mental think tank in D.C. Eventually, when I left I was the director of their food and agriculture program. We were really good at highlighting what wasn’t working and all of the problems. And in so many ways, you have to talk about the problems when you’re talking about the food system.
I was doing a lot of work interviewing farmers, scientists, women’s groups, chefs, nutritionists and policy makers all over the world. What I was hearing was a lot of hope and a lot of innovation that had potential to be scaled up and scaled out but wasn’t getting the investment, research and attention it needed. There were solutions; we just weren’t hearing enough about them. That was the real impetus behind it. And to build a platform for the good-food movement, for different organizations to be highlighted and for them to feel like they can come to Food Tank and find non-biased information, that it can be a resource for everyone—from regular moms and dads to policy makers and business leaders. That platform is really important to us so that people feel like they can be critical, offer suggestions, call us out on things and build a dialogue through our daily articles and research publications. And then being able to meet in person at our Food Tank Summits, where we’re bringing together unlikely suspects, like executives from McDonald’s and Cargill and Monsanto on the stage with food justice advocates having a real dialogue. There is a lot of demonizing when we talk about food issues. [We want] to really get people to talk to and listen to one another and understand that there is always going to be disagreement but that if we’re not all listening to one another, the things that we care about are never going to come to fruition.
Opposite: President of Food Tank Danielle Nierenberg.
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Q: You touch on sustainable agriculture as key to your mission, but what is sustainable agriculture, how is it different or similar to indigenous farming practices and why is it so central to these global food issues? A: Sustainable agriculture has so many definitions. For me, a sus-
tainable agriculture system is one that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. One that is regenerative. It’s not just extracting resources from the land but putting them back in. One that is able to make farmers a fair wage and also provide accessible, affordable food to eaters, and that doesn’t treat farmers, food workers and women as slaves to the food system, but one that treats them respectfully and humanely. And that’s very different from the industrial system of agriculture. When Food Tank talks about indigenous and traditional practices in other countries what we’re trying to highlight is that there are many of these practices that have a lot of potential, like rainwater harvesting, cover cropping, different irrigation practices that have been forgotten, and natural forms of fertilizing land as opposed to getting artificial fertilizer out of a bag. They’ve been ignored in favor of some technologies that offer a lot of promise but are very expensive. One of the key things that we try to do is highlight both high and low technologies, and combine big data, which is a term that is being thrown around a lot now because of GPS and drones and all this great information that we’re able to collect. [We’re asking] how can you get it to farmers, whether they’re small and large? Like being able to harness the use of cell phones, which has grown so tremendously across Sub-Saharan Africa and places like India, and having farmers being able to have access to data and information about weather systems and markets that they never would have before. I think there are ways to not ignore the new and fancy things that are coming about, but to combine them with the things that we know already work. Q: I read you joined the Peace Corps and worked in the Dominican Republic for two years, and you continue to travel the globe interviewing farmers. How has working with people from all over the world, particularly women farmers, influenced your perspectives on real solutions to climate change, obesity, malnutrition and poverty? A: The thing about women farmers is that they’ve been invisible for so long, whether you’re talking about the United States or the global south. When people think of farmers they think of men, either male farmers tilling fields by hand or sitting on a combine. They don’t understand that women make up nearly half of all farmers in the world. And in some cases, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, they make up to 80% of the agriculture labor force.
Yet they’re denied access to the same resources as men. They don’t get an education and extension services. They often are not allowed to own land. The bankers don’t listen to them, or [women farmers are] afraid to go to the banking and lending institutions. The real opportunity here is that if we invest in and pay attention to women farmers, data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization suggests that we could increase yields by 20 to 30% and lift as many as 100 million people out of hunger. So I think there is a real opportunity we’re missing there. From my travels and my experiences with the Peace Corps, or I was just in Senegal recently, we really need to listen to the needs of women farmers and make sure they’re not ignored when you’re developing new innovations or new technologies, or when you’re concentrating on some of these more sustainable or traditional practices. Q: Journalism about sustainable food and farming issues these days can be so mired in the negative. What values do you practice and hold close to help you and your team stay future-focused on positive solutions? A: Oh gosh, that’s a good question. No one has ever asked me that.
I think we try to talk to people who inspire us. When we get article ideas from our fellows and our interns I like to ask, “Who is your hero or heroine, who has inspired you? Why did you want to work here? What kind of person made you want to do this? Did you grow up on a farm, or in a city and always wanted to grow food on a rooftop?” It’s just about being able to get those ideas flowing. You know, there’s so much negativity. I get negative. But I think because I get this opportunity to work with so many young people who are so passionate and so energetic … we started this fellows program last year to get really keen, excited, smart people on board for three to six months with a stipend. And talking to these candidates for the position yesterday, they’re so energetic and come from so many backgrounds. That’s honestly what keeps me going: having all these young people. I learn from them all the time. Q: Tell me a bit about the journey of trying to eat well in your own community and what challenges you face as an eater and cook? A: I love food. I wouldn’t be in this if I didn’t care about food. Food
Tank talks so much about food loss and food waste. I have the same tendency that a lot of people have. Like, I see something beautiful at the farmers market or the grocery store, and I’m, like, “I want it,” but because I travel all the time, at least in the past, a lot of food used to get wasted. So I’ve had to practice what we preach and find different ways to preserve the foods that I want, so making more soups and pickling.
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That’s been a journey for me, for sure. I want to make sure I’m following the same values that we’re putting out into the world.
growing food,” or “I was able to send my children to school, because I couldn’t do that before” or “buy books or medical supplies.”
Q: Is there a recent experience from your travels and work that makes you smile and have faith in creating, as your mission states, “a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters”?
And then, one of the women said to me, “We’re fatter now.” And these women are not fat. What they mean is they’re better nourished and eating a more diverse group of foods.
A: There is one I think about a lot, and it happened several years
ago now. It is the one that makes me smile the most. I was in Niger with this group of about 50 women farmers who were working with a research institute. They had built a community farm that they themselves ran. They were using solar drip technology to irrigate their crops, because Niger is very dry. They were growing a lot of fruits and vegetables but also ornamental and fruit trees to sell, which you can get a high price for. One of the questions I always ask anyone I’m meeting is, “How did this innovation change you, what kind of transformation took place?” I was talking to these women and having it translated back to me. They would say things like, “I was able to buy my husband a bicycle so that he doesn’t have to walk to the land where he’s
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They were making more money. We forget farmers are businesspeople. These farmers were making about a dollar a day before they started this garden. Now each of them is making about $1,500 a year. That’s a huge increase. And I think that’s what transforms things. Understanding that the food system has to be all of those things mentioned before—environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. And that project, for me, really encompasses all those things, and the fact that these women thought they were fat when they’re really not. They were just eating a lot better. Learn more about Danielle and how Food Tank can become your food think tank at FoodTank.com.
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local marketplace
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Eat Drink
Local Guide Finding Ohio-grown goodness to eat and enjoy doesn’t have to involve hours at the stove, or online searching for the right place for dinner. These fine establishments offer locally sourced, seasonally inspired cuisine every day. The farm-to-table movement in Central Ohio starts with our farmers and growers producing flavorful, beautiful food. They take pride in delivering the best of what they grow and harvest to Columbus markets. Edible Columbus connects these farmers in the farm-to-table movement with other growers, producers and food artisans to help our local food community prosper.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAQUIB AHMED, KATALINA’S
Our dining guide features restaurants and chefs that work with these farmers and growers to showcase the finest foods of our region. By visiting these establishments, you’re supporting Central Ohio businesses dedicated to local and sustainable sourcing, delicious food and our communities.
JOIN US IN 2018!
You’ll reach our audience of eager readers, eaters, shoppers and drinkers—who are loyal to local—and receive placement in our print and digital “Eat Drink Local” guides. Contact steve@ediblecolumbus.com to learn more.
Ray Ray’s Hog Pit rayrayshogpit.com
Clintonville (food truck) 614.753.1191 • 2619 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio Westerville (walk-up window) 614.329.6654 • 5755 Maxtown Rd., Westerville, Ohio At Land Grant Brewery 614.404.9742 • 424 Town St., Columbus, Ohio We serve authentic barbecue, consistently crafted every time. It’s our mission. We smoke our meats, low and slow, with a nice coating of dry rub, using our own style. Our friendly and skilled staff is focused on giving you an expertly crafted product and the barbecue experience you crave.
North Market
northmarket.com • 614.463.9664 59 Spruce St., Columbus, Ohio Find on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter We are Central Ohio’s authentic public market. Since 1876 our independent merchants and farmers have loyally served the community and its visitors, delivering personal, personable service every day of the week. We provide an authentic Columbus experience that highlights the diversity and vibrancy of our community.
Katalina’s
katalinascafe.com • 614.294.2233 1105 Pennsylvania Ave., Columbus, Ohio Find on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter Live • Love • Local! Katalina has chosen each ingredient to make the most of her mantra: Fresh, homemade food with attitude but no pretense. Local, organic picks make food even more delish!
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Jazmyn Benjamin on the Highland Youth Garden By Lynn Marie Donegan Photography by Maria Khoroshilova
What is it about your work with Highland Youth Garden that brings you joy?
Everything about my work with Highland Youth Garden (HYG) brings me joy! I really love seeing kids try new vegetables for their first time and ask for seconds. I thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity of working outdoors with over 500 children in a setting surrounded by plants, insects, birds and animals. I feel lucky to work with such a diverse group of people, and I feel like we are truly making a difference and getting more fresh food in the hands and mouths that need it the most. Why is it so important for future generations to understand how to grow food?
Today, so many kids are spending so much of their time indoors away from nature and are disconnected from where their food comes from. Children who grow their own vegetables are way more likely to eat them. We work in a community with very low access to fresh food. I think if children grow up with the understanding of growing their own food, that could empower them as adults to also grow their own food, which would help supplement household food
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supply, saving them money as well as giving them a sense of power over their livelihood. Who are you hoping to reach in the community through your work with the garden?
Our main focus is on the kids in the community. If we can get children in the neighborhood excited about growing and eating healthy food, we hope they will bring that same excitement we see in the garden back to their homes and share their love of vegetables with their families. What does is it mean to be a community organization in service to others in need?
HYG not only provides over 4,000 pounds of fresh produce to children and their families, it is also providing a place of peace in a struggling neighborhood. The garden is a beautiful park for anyone to gather and enjoy. HYG strives to be a model garden for anyone interested in starting their own education garden; we offer gardening support and resources, monthly community celebrations and a safe place for children and neighbors to come together.
To learn more about Highland Youth Garden and to find out how you can get involved, visit highlandyouthgarden.org. Highland Youth Garden offers weekly volunteer times on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays from 8:30am to noon. There are also opportunities for volunteers to share their gardening knowledge and skills with the community, including education in cooking and nutrition. Volunteers are also welcomed to help at the Westgate Farmers Market, and there are even ways to help through social media. Details on volunteer positions are available on the website, as well as a calendar for opportunities and events in the coming weeks. Highland Youth Garden is located at 67 S. Highland Ave. in Columbus. For more information email Jazmyn at jazmynrose1218@gmail.com or call 614.707.2158.