southwest edible colorado Traversing the San Juans to bring you the stor y of loca l food
THE LONG HISTORY AT LONG HOLLOW a (brief) retrospective ode to the long ear bug ranchers
No. 21 Summer 2015
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TWENTY COVERS
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SUMMER RECIPES Beyond Bread Pudding
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ODE TO THE LONG EAR By Sarah Syverson
WILD BAKING By Katie Klingsporn
BUG RANCHERS By Robbie Urquhart
THE LONG HISTORY AT LONG HOLLOW By Rachel Turiel
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A FIELD GUIDE TO LEAFY GREENS By Kati Harr
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SMOOTHIE QUEST By Rick Scibelli, Jr.
DIY: FRUIT LEATHER By Rachel Turiel
READERS OPINION: SAVE OUR SOIL By Travis Custer
Molly Sue in her Mancos, CO corral.
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t's our fifth birthday. In magazine years that might equate to around 47. So, a heartfelt thank you to our loyal readers and to our constant and invaluable advertisers. We have come a long way since misspelling 'cuisine' on the front cover (acquiring a copy editor helped). Yet, after 20 issues, we would like to think we are just getting warmed up. Happy birthday to us and happy summer to you.
ON THE COVER Max Fehrenbacker gets a push from his mom, Kristi Calbert, owner of Happy Belly Baking, on Wright's Mesa outside of Norwood, CO.
southwest
edible colorado EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Rick Scibelli, Jr.
MANAGING EDITOR Rachel Turiel
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Michelle Ellis
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WRITERS Robbie Urquhart Kati Harr Katie Klingsporn Sarah Syverson
PHOTOGRAPHY Michelle Ellis Rick Scibelli, Jr. DESIGN Rick Scibelli, Jr.
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SUMMER RECIPES BEYOND BREAD PUDDING Main Street Bagels, Grand Junction
M
aking bread pudding provides an excellent opportunity to purchase day-old bread or to use some that you already have around. Fresh-baked works, too. You will need approximately one large loaf or the equivalent amount of soft pan bread, Challah, crusty sourdough or butter croissants. Each type of bread will result in a different flavor and texture. Slice or tear the bread a few hours before assembling to allow to partially dry. This helps increase the bread’s absorbency. For the custard, go for the richness and flavor you desire by
INGREDIENTS 4 cups of your chosen milk 1 ¾ cups (about 9) eggs (use pastured hen eggs if possible – they have superior flavor and nutrition) ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla, or other flavor extract like almond or maple 1 teaspoon cinnamon, or other spice such as cardamom or chipotle For optional additional layers, use approximately ½ cup of any of the following: raisins, chocolate chunks, coconut or fruits.
choosing from any one of the following: rich cream, half & half, whole milk, skim milk, soy milk, rice milk, almond milk, or coconut milk. Get creative! Using a wide, shallow baking pan creates a more exposed crunchy top. A deep bread loaf pan yields more soft custardy goodness and a less crunchy crust. The deeper bread pan will require an extra five minutes of baking time. Bread pudding is best served warm but is also good chilled with a dollop of whipped cream or a bourbon sauce.
METHOD (serves 8) Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In the oven, place a large baking or roasting pan partially filled with water. This is the bath your pudding will sit in during baking, so be careful not to overfill. (This water bath is optional but recommended, as it will yield a more even bake and delicate pudding.) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients. Butter a 9x15 glass baking pan or a deep bread pan. Into the baking pan, put down alternating layers of the bread and any optional additions. Leave ¾ inch of room at the top of the baking pan. Whisk the custard mixture briefly and pour it over the layered bread, covering it completely. Set a cover over the baking pan and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. After the rest, pour more custard over the bread if there are any dry spots. Place the uncovered baking pan into the water bath. Bake for 40-60 minutes (adding about 5 minutes for the deeper bread pan). The pudding should be lightly browned on top and should still seem slightly jiggly in the middle. Don’t overbake it. It will set while cooling.
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Ode to the Long Ear By Sarah Syverson
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t’s 7 am and I am precisely 30 minutes late getting out to the barn. A cantankerous bray trumpets from the paddock like a landlocked living barge, asserting its status in the busy morning itinerary of farm life. Our long-eared donk, Molly Sue, is ready for breakfast. We acquired Molly, a standard spotted beauty, four years ago from an old wizard of a donkey breeder down the road, Charlie Goff. Charlie raised donkeys for more than 75 of his 90-plus years on the planet. In that time span, he created a unique standard breed of spotted donkey with a longer coat designed for a high altitude, colder climate that brushes out into a fine short coat during the warm summer months. Brilliant. Some quick donkey distinctions for those new to the humble equine tribe: first, don’t confuse them with mules. A mule is a cross
between a donkey and horse. A donkey comes from a Jennet (female donkey) and a Jack (you guessed it, the male ass) having romanced one another late one night under the full moon of the barnyard. Second, there are three basic breeds within this equine family: miniatures, standards and mammoths. They are bunched into breeds by the inches they rise from hoof to withers (the shoulder). Miniatures are approximately the size of a Newfoundland canine, and the mammoths, well, they live up to their name (think enormous ears, heads, hooves and height). And finally, you can call them donkey, burro or equus asinus (for you Latin lovers). It’s all the same to them. Just don’t call them stupid. They are incredibly intelligent and thoughtful creatures. Our donk regularly turns toward noises, unfamiliar objects and people with a curiosity and steadiness that rivals the
inquisitiveness of most humans. And can we talk ears for a minute? With a set of ears you could sleep inside of, they are incredibly keen at picking up noises up to seven or more miles away. Sometimes, just for fun on the weekends, I stand on the far edges of our three-acre property and whisper Molly’s name. She invariably turns in my direction, wondering which of her flock is cavorting outside of the fence line without her permission. One of the most essential donkey qualities is their steadfastness, which is often unfairly taken for stubbornness. Unlike horses, they stand their ground in the event of a predator approaching and have been known to kick, bite, and run down a bear or mountain lion. This quality makes them great guard animals if you find one with the right motherly temperament toward your herd. Our beloved burro is calm and tender in disposition with a side of kickassness, making her the perfect guard animal to our little pack of milking goats. Gentle with the herd, yet tough on barnyard crime. If you’re unknown to her and look like you might pose a threat, expect consequences. I once took a friend out to the paddock to glibly borrow a goat for an evening stroll down the road and when we returned said caprine 30 minutes later, Molly Donk was considerably irritated at our flippant choice to pirate one of her charges. She made clear her displeasure by swiftly kicking the barn at head height a few feet from my friend’s cranium. Message received. Ask before taking. Got it. You might wonder how you actually ask a donkey for permission. For me, it’s a combination of communication, centeredness and logistics. I literally voice to Molly Sue (or any animal I am guardian to: dogs, cats, goats – even the chickens are included) the new situation headed her way. Then I let her know by my body posture (rooted stance and calm disposition) that she can trust my actions as the human head of the herd. And finally, I give her the best environment to deal with the circumstances and her reactions to them. Like you would a child. Having come to long-eared equine caretaking in just the last five years, I find myself nerding out on all the aspects of her donkeyness that well-seasoned burro experts would most likely balk at. It is not uncommon for me to derail polite conversations with friends into donkey themed monologues. “Did you know they have three sets of teeth?” “Asses can live up to 60 years – I’ll be 100 when she finally kicks the bucket!” and “They remember other donkeys they met 25 years ago! Good luck recalling that guy you went on one date with in 1990.” But the best part of life with donkey? After one too many meetings and interactions with humanity’s not-so-nice side, there’s nothing like an evening session of sidling up next to
Molly and relaxing an arm over her nubby, furry back as if to say “nice to see you again.” She exhales into my neck, the smell of sweet grass wafting through the air, and rests her immense noggin on my shoulder. I can tell she loves it as much as I do, as donks (and equines in general) give each other love by laying their heads over one another’s backs or necks. Sometimes I wrap my arms around her head and we just stand there saying stuff telepathically to each other like, “you get me.” And “look at that grass.” Donkeys have historically been regarded as low on the proverbial totem pole of farm animals in terms of regal qualities or values. But it is precisely their down-to-earth characteristics that are catching people’s attention and creating a stir in the farm world. And what better animal to show us the way? They remind me daily of how to be a better human – clear communicators, humble and hardworking, and great listeners with enormous ears. I fetch Molly her breakfast of hay as the sunrise paints the farm in vibrant golden tones. She snorts her gratitude between grassy mouthfuls and short perimeter checks of her animal kingdom. Leaning into her warm, solid presence, every part of me unwinds. She’s my donk, and I’m her human. 4
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wild baking By Katie Klingsporn
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he calendar says mid-May, but today is doing its best impression of wintry March. Clouds bunch low in the sky, unleashing a mix of moth-sized snowflakes, styrofoam-esque gropple and slushy raindrops over the high-desert ranch lands of Wright’s Mesa. But here, inside the bin bakery, there is cozy refuge from the storm. A fire crackles in the corner stove, a dog named Harley sits by the door and the airy space is infused with the intoxicating, almost boozy fragrance of rising yeast and baking bread. If comfort could be embodied in a smell, this would be it. This bakery, which is located on a farm down an empty country road south of Norwood, is where Lori Ann Thayer perfects her craft: wild-yeasted, slow-fermentation baking. Instead of relying on the commercial yeasts that are the crux ingredient for many bakers, Thayer’s operation hinges on a wild-yeast starter that she grew herself by capturing the naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria that float in the air above Wright’s Mesa, truly embodying the notion of local. That starter — a viscous, bubbling concoction that emits the sweetish smell of alcohol — is the foundation for each loaf, baguette,
croissant, focaccia and batch of pizza dough Thayer creates at the bin bakery. It requires a lot of time and careful nurturing, but this wild yeast is what imparts a depth of flavor, an exceptional crumb and an artisanal texture that can’t be duplicated with culinary shortcuts. Along with that, it gives the bin’s bread a quality that is uniquely of the place — a nuance of the San Juans. “I think it provides just this beautiful product,” Thayer says. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s about love.” Thayer started the bin (which stands for Baked in Norwood) as a passion project two and a half years ago, and it has grown from scrappy home operation into a small artisan bakery that supplies seeded breads, brioches, croissants, cookies, buns and the occasional pies to customers in an area that spans from Norwood to Ridgway and Telluride. Using organic flours, sugars and butters, local produce and her wild-yeast starter, Thayer creates edible works of art that often don’t even last the drive home. The bin’s products — rustic loaves with deeply golden crusts, fruit tartlets dusted in sugar, flakey chocolate croissants — reflect the baker’s obsession with good ingredients and
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old world techniques. “Everything that comes out of here has to be perfect, in my mind,” she says. “It has to have that effort and those perfect ingredients. It’s truly baked with love.” Thayer, who has rosy cheeks, pixie bangs and a wide, generous smile, credits her appreciation of quality ingredients and deliberate meals to her mother, an inspired home cook and avid baker who shopped for her family’s meals at California farmstands. Despite the early exposure to cooking, Thayer started out a teacher, and raised two boys in Arizona before moving to the Western Slope. It was then that she started itching for the next big thing. “After I was done teaching and the boys were moving on, I realized I had to find something cool, because I was only halfway
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through my life,” she says. Thayer was hired as a baker at Indian Ridge Farm and Bakery in Norwood, where she worked for three seasons, baking loaves and developing a fascination for wild yeasts, slow fermentation and artisan methods. She read fanatically, followed her favorite bakers with a cult-like intensity and spent a lot of time geeking out on things like hearthstones and flour milling. The bin grew out of that obsession, which hasn’t ebbed in the two and a half years since she took the leap. “Every waking moment has been about the bin,” she says. She grew her wild-yeast starter about six years ago, setting a mixture of flour and water out to collect naturally occurring yeasts in the air above Norwood. It soon began to bubble, and voila. Thayer has tended daily to the mixture ever since, keeping it fed with quality flour and the good stuff that lives in the farm air and keeping it happy by finding optimal temperatures. Wild yeasts are less complaisant than commercial varieties, and over the years, Thayer has experimented with temperature, hydration, time and texture — all while keeping a detailed journal — to learn what works best for her starter and for baking at Norwood’s elevation of 7,000 feet. It’s been a learning experience, and Thayer admits she has thrown a lot of loaves out to her chickens. Today, she bakes her loaves in a day-and-a-half process that entails first pre-fermenting her levain, a gooey mix of starter and flour, overnight, and the following day mixing and kneading dozens of loaves, which get another rising treatment. When they’re ready, she slides them into her pride and joy, Rita — a hulking commercial oven fitted with hearthstones. Pulling them out, she says, never loses its magic. “It’s like Christmas every day.” It’s a deliberate endeavor that Thayer says allows the flavor of the wheat to develop delicious complexities, and she uses a blend of wheats to achieve subtleties of taste and texture. She adds sprouted millet or brown rice to give certain loaves heft, but she also bakes airy brioches. Adornments and wheat mixtures aside, Thayer says it’s the wild yeast, and the time and patience it requires to rise, that’s key to developing the crust and crumb of her bread. Thayer started at the Norwood Farmers Market and has expanded to the Ridgway Farmers Market. She also fills special orders, and Happy Belly Deli in Norwood and High Alpine Coffee Bar in Telluride carry her pastries. Thayer, a natural nurturer, also benefits from the job. It allows her to care for her yeast, her loaves and, in a small way, every person who eats a bin product. “I don’t take it for granted at all,” she says, sitting by the fire as the snow continues to fall outside. “It’s kind of ridiculous that you could love something that much. I’m very grateful.” 4
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BUG RANCHERS By Robbie Urquhart
Photos by Michelle Ellis
I
n a back room of the Palisade Insectary, Jess McKenney leans over a plate of floral foam, plucking out minuscule hylobius beetles with the tweezers in her right hand while counting them with the clicker in her left. The procedure seems painstakingly tedious. Down the hall from her, Mike Racette is diligently blending a concoction to feed these bugs. The hylobius, a natural predator of the Russian knapweed, will be shipped to Utah, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. The Palisade Insectary is the only place that rears these beetles in mass quantities. McKenney and Racette are biocontrol specialists in the Noxious
Weed Management Program funded by the Colorado Department of Agriculture and other organizations. They are employed by the Palisade Insectary, an insect-rearing facility established to develop and distribute safe and effective biological controls for non-native weeds and insect pests. These insects – the biological control agents – offer a chemical-free alternative to the often indiscriminate use of poisonous pesticides and herbicides. In the 1930s and 1940s, many peach orchards in Western Colorado were decimated by the Oriental fruit moth, a non-native pest, eating its way to the destruction of the economy. At the time,
Jess McKenney, biocontrol specialist at the Palisade Insectary 14 edible
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Albert Merlino. pesticide sprays were used heavily in an attempt to wipe out the moth but had minimal affect. Because of the economic impact, the state of Colorado established an insectary in Palisade to rear parasitic wasps that lay eggs in the larvae of the fruit moth. Thus was born the first rearing facility in the country on the corner of 1st and Main in Palisade. Albert Merlino, an employee at the facility from 1946 to 1981, recalls the many hours of counting, plucking, typing and sundry tasks he performed during his 35 years there. Merlino, who hides his 94 years behind a quiet, quick wit and humble intelligence, began right out of high school as an Oriental fruit moth scout, eventually working his way into the director position. Back then, the insectary struggled to become an acknowledged and accepted organization in spite of continuous fears of having funds cut. Rearing insects requires strict environmental control of temperature, humidity, diet preparation and more. The science is precise. As Merlino explains, “the insectary is much like a hospital. The insects need perpetual care.” Today, under the guidance of entomologist Dan Bean, the facility sits on two acres of irrigated land, across the street from a peach orchard, with two greenhouses adjacent to its structure. Although large, the building is unobtrusive and isolated from the main part of town. It’s difficult to imagine such a cavernous structure housing almost microscopic critters. Racette, like Merlino, has a quiet, witty, and intelligent demeanor with a smile that indicates he knows a bug lover from a bug hater. He oversees a minimal staff of biocontrol specialists working inside the facility, with others out in the field scouting, analyzing, and collecting insects in their natural habitat. Through their Request-a-Bug program, insects are available seasonally to private homeowners, gardeners, ranchers, and fruit growers as well 16 edible
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as governmental agencies and institutions. While the initial insectary projects were aimed to control predatory insects, the facility now mainly rears bugs to control many of the noxious weeds that have found their way into the western landscape. The insectary has also established protected field areas where insects are released and reared for later collection. If the insectary is akin to a hospital, then the greenhouses are the kitchens of the facility. The hylobius is the only species fed an artificial diet; the others are given their natural fare of weeds grown on site: tamarisk, leafy spurge, yellow starthistle, purple loosestrife, toadflax, and knapweed, all non-native, invasive weeds. Walking into these hothouses is not for the faint of heart. The plants are laden with bugs doing what they’re supposed to do: reduce the flowering, seed production, and stem growth of these noxious plants. According to Merlino, folks don’t like bugs because they “don’t know a good bug from a bad bug.” The Palisade Insectary experiences tremendous success rearing the “good” bugs that destroy harmful pests and allow native plants to once again regain their prominence without the use of toxic means. Farmers, ranchers, homeowners, hikers, conservationists and others who wish to preserve the health of the land benefit from these “good” bugs and the work of the insectary. 4
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The long history of Long Hollow By Rachel Turiel
G
ashed into the soaring sagebrush flats of Redmesa, Colorado, is a hollow. Down in the hollow, tucked against red earth, is a 90-year-old flour mill. Inside the mill is Trent Taylor, shuttling wheat berries through machinery purchased by his grandfather in the first half of last century, used. The entire building – an amalgamation of historic site-fired adobe brick and modern cinderblock – shakes under use. A fine mist of white flour sifts through the air, coating the machinery, the original hardwood floor, and Taylor’s cheeks and earlobes. Taylor, wheat farmer and miller, is tall, lanky and wellgroomed, only the faint smears of dirt on his boots indicating 15-hour work days in the fields. (He shifts down to an 8-hour day in winter.) From his living room, Taylor can spy the edges of his vast acreage, which, though convenient, means he is hardly ever not working. He has an enviable nest of jet-black hair for someone old enough to have ushered three children into adulthood. His Facebook page (yes, he can bale hay, overhaul a tractor engine and navigate social media) reveals his dedication to both religion and science. Graceful tact governs his communication. 18 edible
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In 1986, Taylor returned from college (he considered journalism: “too aggressive,” settled on agronomy: “felt like home”) to become the third generation of Taylor males to coax dryland wheat from acres of arid land. He is currently the last and singular Taylor planting, harvesting, cleaning, milling, packaging, marketing and distributing wheat, carrying on a tradition established in 1924 by his grandfather, Elmer Taylor. He calls his business Blue Horizons Farm. Shrugging and smiling, he says, by way of explanation of how he, of all his siblings and cousins, ended up running the business, “I just kind of liked it.” WHEAT 101 Wheat has been cultivated for roughly the past 10,000 years, originating in southeast Turkey and spreading rapidly around the world, likely due to ease of transit, storage, and cultivation (wheat grows from arctic regions to the equator, sea level to 13,000 feet in Tibet). Compared to other staple grains like corn and rice, whole wheat is higher in protein, vitamins and minerals. However, refined white flour, produced by removing the bran and germ (and hence the fiber and nutrition), is a simple carbohydrate, regular consumption of which is now believed to contribute to diabetes and other chronic illnesses. The Long Hollow Mill stopped milling white flour in 1957, and now mills only the much easier to process whole wheat flour. Taylor hefts a solid granite grinding stone in his flour-dusted hand to illustrate the simplicity: “The kernels go between two stones and I put it in a sack.” Taylor believes people shy away from whole wheat because it is quicker to turn rancid due to the presence of oil in the germ. (Keeping it refrigerated extends its longevity.) It also bakes into a denser product because of the sharp edges of bran popping the air bubbles in the dough, which otherwise contribute to the levity of baked goods. THE LONG HOLLOW MILL The Long Hollow Mill, which quakes under use of equipment roughly once a week, is a hipster machinist’s dream of antiquated apparatus and repurposed tools. With zero irony, Taylor finesses a living off machinery that rightfully belongs in a museum. “Lots of things to fix or break,” Taylor muses cheerfully, surveying his flourproducing kingdom. A six-foot-tall sewing machine made of cast iron sits regally in the corner of the basement, on which generations of Taylor hands have sewn shut thousands of bags of flour. Old combine bins Taylor “found at the neighbors’” have been refashioned to hold grain awaiting the grindstone. A leaf blower is rigged up as a venting fan. If the mill contains ghosts of the men who came before, they surely whisper to Taylor, who follows in the way of his elders, “If they didn’t have it, they made it.”
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference. — Robert Frost
Experience the Difference.
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Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Fresh and friendly in downtownTelluride. 201 E. Colorado THE TRIPLE WHAMMY: DROUGHT, GLUTEN-FREE MOVEMENT, CHANGING TIMES Hearing Trent Taylor enumerate his work struggles is like observing a character from classic literature flung into the modern world. Taylor stands precisely in the shaky intersection of dryland wheat farming and the year 2015, contending with unpredictable weather patterns, the national pastime of maligning gluten, the decline of home baking, and younger generations awash in what Taylor calls, “a Walmart mentality.” With a sweeping arm, Taylor motions his dryland wheat fields and says, “It’s all gonna be dead in thirty days if we don’t get some rain.” The winter wheat is five inches taller than usual, thanks to the record-breaking warmth of February and March, and is thirsty beyond what the soil can naturally quench. “It makes me sick to see wheat that thick and lush this time of year,” Taylor notes, shaking his head [This was in April. Things look better by June, after unprecedented spring rains]. But he’s seen hard times before. There hasn’t been a year since 1996 (a year dryland farmers mark as separating the glory years of precipitation from the following decades of drought) that he hasn’t collected on crop insurance, a pyrrhic victory at best, allowing him to simply break even.
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that when the time comes for Taylor to pass his business on to a new owner, there won’t be anyone willing or qualified. THE BUSINESS It seems that while Taylor can finesse wheat from droughtscarred fields, speak the rough and oily language of tractors, and tease fad from science, what he needs now is a team of savvy marketers. Much of America still worships at the breakfast altar of the wheat berry, cramming toast, cold cereal, and pancakes into precommute mouths. It could be argued that Taylor isn’t exactly a go-getter in the marketing department. He mentions that several small business entrepreneurs have bought sacks of flour to test for tortillas, for pancakes. “I never heard back from them. Maybe I should have followed up.” In Southwest Colorado, you can buy locally made donuts, bagels, pizza, beer, muffins, pastries and an impressive variety of bread; you can hardly swing a stick without hitting a breakfast burrito snugged in a wheat tortilla. Each of these locally-crafted items require exactly what Trent Taylor has.
While scientific models predict a decades-long “mega drought” in Southwest Colorado, Taylor asserts that the weather pattern that has caused him to downsize his wheat acreage by 80% in the past two decades is simply cyclical variation. “Climate change is a big buzz word. I don’t believe it,” he says. GLUTEN-FREE: FAD OR SCIENCE? Although our collective culinary cravings seem inextricably tangled up with flour, wheat consumption has been on the decline since 2000. Two New York Times bestselling books (Grain Brain by Dr David Perlmutter and Wheat Belly by Dr William Davis) advise consumers to beware of the range of maladies wrought by gluten, a protein composite in wheat that confers elasticity to baked goods. Although Southwest Colorado misses many trends (think fashion), the gluten-free movement is thriving here. Taylor has pulled his flour from the shelves of two large grocery stores because it stopped moving fast enough. Ironically, Taylor’s wife and one of his three children have been diagnosed with celiac disease, a serious autoimmune disorder in which gluten attacks the small intestine. Trent Taylor sent his son off to college with a fifty-pound bag of Blue Horizons flour only to watch him become increasingly sick. (Now, he can no longer
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work in the mill without a respiratory mask. And although “the whole gluten-free thing” has negatively affected Taylor’s business, he believes, as he does about the weather, that eventually “it’ll change.” He issues a trademark, good-natured shrug, noting, “butter’s good for you now.” SIGN OF THE TIMES On an average day, Trent Taylor uses a kaleidoscope of skills suitable to ten different men. When he needs to interface with a new generation of equipment dealers, “it’s a challenge finding someone who knows something,” he says plainly. A dealership that once had 20 plowing discs in the yard, had nothing but catalogue promises when Taylor was in recent need. Taylor needs to see and feel the equipment, rather than intuit function from some glossy photo. “Every day you wake up on a new planet,” Taylor says, shaking his head with resigned acceptance. Last winter, Taylor needed a new irrigation pump that could pump between 300 and 900 gallons per minute. He went to five different dealers, each insisting they couldn’t supply what he needed. Taylor finally got an old-timer in Ignacio, Colorado, to make one for him, which has led him, when seeking assistance from farm equipment dealers to “always ask for the oldest guy there.” It’s possible
EPILOGUE It’s milling day at Long Hollow. A faint trace of cologne follows Taylor as he becomes Zen midwife to hundreds of pounds of wheat berries, attending to each stage of the process with calm, meditative focus. As machines roar and the floor trembles, Taylor tunes his ear to catch vagaries in the system. He misses nothing. Not the mice that penetrate unsealed cracks, nor the annual scrutiny of the health inspector. He moves with a rhythmic fluency, seemingly programmed to the tasks: dragging bags to the hopper, rubbing flour diagnostically between two fingers like a purveyor of fine silk, scooping flour by hand, and sewing shut each cloth bag, one at a time. I repeat: one at a time. It is not a fast process, but there is no complaint in his movements. If success were measured not by economic growth but by satisfaction, Taylor is a giant in his field. Between bagging, he sweeps, his broom cutting through the white mist like a Zamboni, creating satisfyingly clean lines through the light snow of flour with the same tool used by Elmer Taylor 90 years ago. Finally, he takes the shop vac to his own clothes. “I don’t sit too much,” he says. 4
a field guide to leafy greens By Kati Harr
S
pring rolls in, dandelion heads peek up toward the sun, the vegetation takes on an emerald hue that sings lush and bright, and with it all comes early season greens. Kale, chard, spinach, bok choy and arugula are all cool weather hardy and the perfect kickstart to your local food season. Even though some of the other, more glamorous players of the salad – say, tomatoes and cucumbers – are months away, these greens will have you eating local in no time. KALE Family: Brassicaceae Nutritional value: Extremely high in vitamins K, A, and C, small amounts of iron, magnesium, calcium and vitamin B-6. Selection and storage: Look for darker green leaves with no signs of wilting or yellowing. Keep cool in the crisper drawer, stored in an airtight bag or container for up to 3-5 days. Kale is the current hipster darling of the foodie world. Lately, it seems, one can find it everywhere and in every iteration (chocolate covered kale chips, anyone?). But really, it’s nothing new. Cultivated for over 2000 years in the Mediterranean and valued for its ability to survive in cold weather and frost, kale is hearty and nutrient-packed,
relatively easy to grow, and a great plant for shorter growing seasons, as the leaves will actually get sweeter after a frost. Once summer heat hits, leaves will get bitter, but it’s a great bookend veggie for early and late season planting. Kale comes in many different varieties, from Lacinato (also known as “dinosaur” due to its bumpy, wrinkled resemblance to dino skin) to Curly (frilled edges) to Red Russian (flat-leafed and jagged). Each varies in appearance, texture and taste, but, on the whole, kale ranges from slightly peppery to a touch bitter, with definite earthy undertones. Kale pairs best with fat and acid, so remove the fibrous ribs, give it a rough chop, and sauté in coconut oil, butter or olive oil with a splash of vinegar or citrus. This method is not only delicious, but will fully optimize the nutrients you absorb from the kale. If you prefer your veggies raw or want to add kale to your next salad, massaging it (stick with me here) breaks down its cellular structure to enhance nutrient absorption, texture and taste. Rib and chop the greens, add to a bowl with fat and acid, then get in there with your hands and squeeze and press until the kale is slightly wilted.
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TELLURIDE CHARD Family: Chenopodiaceae Nutritional value: Very high in vitamins K, A, and C, as well as magnesium, manganese and iron. Selection and storage: Look for vibrantly green leaves, free of wilting, yellowing and holes. Stems should be crisp and firm. Do not wash chard before storing, as exposure to water can cause spoilage. Keep in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Chard is the beauty queen of the spring greens: bright, colorful and large. Hailing from the Mediterranean, word on the veggie street is that Aristotle mentioned chard in some of his writings in the 4th century BC, which just goes to show it must be good! Chard is a cool weather crop with more heat resistance than kale and a spring planting will last through the summer and fall as long as it is adequately watered on hot days. Chard can grow taller than a foot with leaves up to 6 inches across, but is best harvested between 6-8 inches high as the leaves tend to lose their flavor as they get larger. This beet cousin is both stunning and tasty, with vibrantly green, smooth, shiny leaves and, depending on the variety, ribs ranging from white (Geneva) to fuchsia (Ruby) to a mix of both, as well as electric yellow (Bright Lights). Raw leaves are very tender and almost salty to the taste and the ribs are edible and refreshing – juicy and crunchy, much like celery. Chard is a great addition to a salad. Cut into small strips and add to a mix of lettuce and other greens. The salty tang is a welcome flavor and the texture adds bulk to less substantial greens. Chard can also be lightly sauteed or steamed and then added to recipes such as lasagna or omelets. The large leaves make a great tortilla alternative for a grain free wrap - large and sturdy and able to contain all the goodies!
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C R E AT I V E S E A S O N A L F A R E
SPINACH Family: Amaranthaceae Nutritional value: Extremely high in vitamin A, vitamin K, manganese, and folate. A good source of iron, vitamins B2 and B6, and calcium. Selection and storage: Seek out deeply green leaves that are not wilted, slimy, or bruised. Do not wash before storing, as water encourages spoilage. Store in the fridge in an airtight container or bag for up to 5 days. Spinach can get a rough rap; from the frozen and creamed concoction reminiscent of childhood to vague associations with a balloon-muscled cartoon character, it’s not at the top of preferred foods for many people. But spinach deserves a chance, as it is a tender and mellow little green. Originating in ancient Persia circa 300 AD, spinach is a cool weather crop that requires well-drained soil and cool temperatures, as it will bolt (send up a seed stalk) at the first hint of summer heat. Deep green in color with tender stems, spinach comes in Savoy, Semi-Savoy, and Flat Leaf varieties. Both Savoys are crinkly in appearance and hold up well in the cold weather. Semi-Savoy is bolt resistant and grows in a more vertical manner, making it less prone to muddy splash-back in the garden. Flat leafed varieties are easier to clean, as they are not so crinkly but are quick to bolt in when summer heat rolls in. Spinach is mildly green tasting and tender, yet more substantial than lettuce, and perfect to add to sandwiches or wraps to get your daily greens. A spinach salad, with roughly torn leaves, a splash of acid, some fatty walnuts or avocado is the very definition of delicious and nutritious. Steamed or sautéed is also an option, but spinach has an interesting magic trick up its sleeve - you’ll watch what was once 1 pound of spinach shrink down to a mere cup after some time on the stove - it can also get a bit slimy once cooked, so best to add it to recipes where other textures can take center stage.
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BOK CHOY Family: Brassicaceae Nutritional value: High in vitamins K, A and C. Provides folate, calcium and potassium. Selection and storage: Bok choi should have perky, bright green leaves that are not wilted and free from browning, yellowing, and holes. Stems should look hardy and moist. Store in the fridge in an airtight container or bag for up to 5 days. Also known as pak choi, bok choi, Chinese leaves Bok choy is Cantonese for “white vegetable,” a clear nod to this headless cabbage’s pearly white stem. Popular in many Asian cultures for centuries, seeds have been discovered dating back 6000 years, making bok choy one of the oldest cultivated vegetables. Cold hardy, bok choy can withstand cooler temperatures (although prolonged exposure does make them more prone to premature bolting), and can also be planted late summer for a fall crop. When harvesting, cut the whole plant at soil level and make sure to harvest before bolting occurs, as the flavor can be affected negatively. Varieties are available in green or white stem, baby or regular, as well as specialty, which boasts some plants with golden or crimsonhued leaves. Baby bok choy grows up to 6 inches, with the regular varieties topping out at 2 feet tall. Bok choy’s dark green leaves are tender with a slight mustardy bite. The stems are substantial and thick, crisp and refreshing. Bok choy is best braised, stir-fried or simmered in soups or stews. The stems hold up well to the heat, retaining some crispness, while the leaves wilt and take on the flavor of whatever liquid they’re cooked in. Baby bok choy is more tender and mild in flavor and is best cooked or stewed whole while mature bok choy has a more pronounced bite and its leaves must be separated before tossing it in the pot.
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This Summer, Find your Happy Home... ARUGULA Family: Brassicaceae Nutritional value: vitamins K, C, and A, folate, and iron. Selection and storage: Choose arugula that is fresh and bright green in color, avoiding bruised, moist, or wilted leaves. Gently wash, wrap in a damp towel and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Also known as Rocket, rucola, rugola, roquette. Arugula has been grown in the Mediterranean region since Roman times. Long thought to be an aphrodisiac, it was forbidden from cultivation in monasteries during the Middle Ages, lest the monks get any spicy ideas from this scandalous little green. Arugula is a quick–growing, cool season crop requiring welldrained, fertile soil, and full sun. In general, arugula grows to about 2-3 feet in height and is ready to harvest within 40 days of sowing the seed. Summer heat will cause bolting. There are many different varieties of arugula, ranging from dark green, jagged leaved varieties (Surrey) to paler and paddle–shaped (Astro). There’s even a Wasabi variety, which is said to taste strongly of the spicy root. With its tender, mild-looking, bright green leaves, arugula has a surprisingly intense bite to it when served raw, with the darker green varieties often having a more intense flavor. Spicy, mustardy and pungent, it’s a great addition to salads needing a little extra kick. Thrown on top of a pizza, hot out of the oven, arugula provides a nice, bright balance to the rich and cheesy decadence. When arugula is sautéed or steamed, it loses its distinctive piquancy, becoming mild and mellow. Once cooked, it can be added to any dish calling for greens without impacting the taste very much. As for aphrodisiacal properties, who can say? Serve it up to your honey on a date night and find out for yourself! 4
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smoothie quest By Rick Scibelli, Jr.
T
o me, smoothies fall into the category of applesauce. A few swallows and I am bored. But that is not all. For even after managing to down a glass for breakfast, it seems by mid-morning I am inevitably devouring the breakfast burrito I had all intentions of forgoing. I have never found them to last. A simple Google search overwhelms with smoothie options. “Twenty Super-Healthy Smoothie Recipes” is the common theme. But super-healthy smoothie recipes include ingredients like orange juice and honey, vanilla yogurt, bananas and strawberries – all delectable ingredients unless, of course, you are prone to homicidal sugar crashes that leave you pale, shaking and angry at things like singing birds.
Jess’s No-Crash Smoothie INGREDIENTS 1 can full-fat coconut milk (such as Native Forest brand) ½ cup green tea or water if needed ½ avocado 2 tablespoons coconut oil/butter or MCT oil 3 Brazil nuts 3 leaves Swiss chard, destemmed 1 scoop whey protein powder (such as Vital Whey brand) or 1 tablespoon Great Lakes gelatin powder ½ cup frozen blueberries ¼ teaspoon maca root powder *Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until
“The definition of healthy is very open to interpretation,” says Jess Kelley, a master nutrition therapist at Namaste Health Center in Durango. “Many smoothie recipes are, in fact, sugar bombs that cause serious blood sugar spikes.” My goal was to create a smoothie that kept me going through the morning (and also left my mid-section with a six pack and sculpted pectoral muscles). Something delicious packed with protein and rich nutrients while not tasting like a glass of pureed grass. So I winged it. I bought a bag of flavorless protein powder derived from egg whites billing itself as “the best tasting protein on the planet.” Having now tasted it, I am loathe to taste the second best (and I am still wondering how one turns an egg into a powder and bags it). I added a couple of tablespoons of MCT oil, a nearly flavorless oil derived from palm (apparently all the rage du jour). I threw in unsweetened Greek yogurt. A handful of frozen organic blueberries. A handful of frozen organic raspberries. I deliberately did not add kale (which, if added, can be steamed or raw). Greens of any kind feel like a pro move best avoided by this novice (although Lucas Price at La Cocina de Luz in Telluride cuts the taste of kale in his smoothies with a whole apple, a low-glycemic fruit that is easy, by comparison, on your blood sugar). I topped it off with a little coconut water for sweetness and to adjust the consistency from wet concrete to something bordering on drinkable. What I created was a clinical-grade laxative. On a positive note, I wasn’t hungry for a good portion of the day thanks to my churning stomach. Lucas Price can’t say where I failed, but will admit they don’t use processed proteins. “We make our own with hemp seed, chia seed, flax seed and spirulina. We grind it up into a meal.” How much protein does it contain? “I don’t know,” Price says, “but it’s good!” Price also ventures off the grid with ingredients like cooked quinoa believing, due to its absorptive qualities, it cuts back on sugar spikes (although he is careful to use only low-glycemic fruit, like blueberries, to begin with). And his secret ingredient? A tablespoon or so of tahini. “It is the key ingredient,” Price says. “It really makes for a creamy smoothie.”
Jess Kelley’s ingredients of choice include unsweetened almond butter, full-fat coconut milk as well as Swiss chard and/or spinach. The only fruit she will use is berries. An organic raw egg is also a consideration. So is a little maca root. Maca is a natural stimulant from the Andes that promises everything from mental clarity to virility. So I try again using Price’s homemade protein powder. I add two tablespoons of coconut oil instead of the MCT oil. I throw in a tablespoon of tahini, and a handful of organic blueberries (once again, I didn’t want to push the envelope by adding any “green” ingredients). I topped it off with a half can of coconut milk and a half cup of coconut water and one ice cube, thinking the whole time that building smoothies is a calorie burner in itself. It was delicious. It had lasting power. It had no medical-grade effect (although I didn’t try the maca root). “Smoothies can be a good meal option for those that enjoy cold, on-the-go options,” Kelley says. ‘Can’ being the operative word here. I do confess, only a few sips into this frothy elixir, I found my mind wandering – longing – for something else. Something more. Like pancakes. 4
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Stop Buying and Start Making:
FRUIT LEATHER By Rachel Turiel
I
f all the forces of the natural world converge perfectly – warm spring nights, ample summer rain, abundant pollinators – the fruit trees of the Southwest will produce a veritable parade of sweetness. First cherries, then apricots; next peaches, then plums; and finally, as daylight recedes like a golden tide, apples and pears. Fruit leather happens like this: you come upon a laden fruit tree, farm stand, or U-pick orchard. You find, in every sun-sticky bite of ripe peach, the distillation of a fleeting season. You munch and drool and moan. Like falling in love, rational thought unravels. You pile blushing orbs in baskets, bags and boxes. You load your car, tossing
out nonessentials, like spare tires. Driving home, hundreds of whole fruits exhaling summer’s perfume, you dream of peach jam, cobbler, pie. Two days later, those hundreds of fuzzy-headed peaches are as needy as newborns. Fruit flies have become their own Frankensteinesque experiment of unbridled breeding. You need a plan. You start making fruit leather. Fruit leather is the answer to fruit abundance in the Southwest. Because we’re blessed with sun and aridity, fruit leather can be dried outside, no buzzing electric dehydrators needed.
FRUIT LEATHER INGREDIENTS Fruit of any kind METHOD Cut up and simmer fruit for approximately 1/2 – 2 hours, stirring frequently, which will evaporate some of the water. Put in food processor or blender and blend. Spread about
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1/8 – 1/4-inches thick on parchment paper (not wax paper, to which it’ll stick) that has been placed on a cookie sheet or oven rack or window screen in the sun. You can protect from flies with some hardware screen, or just, you know, look the other way. Bring inside at night to protect from hungry night-prowlers. After 3-5 days, or when completely dry, peel off parchment (which you can reuse), roll up, and impress your friends.
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READERS OPINION
OUR SOILS ARE "... PLAIN WORN-OUT" By Travis Custer, Agricultural Consultant, Dolores Conservation District
A
s a teenager, I read Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac, a beautifully-written book about wilderness, farming and conservation published in 1948. I remember being profoundly impacted by Leopold’s words, decades ahead of his time. A tattered copy of that book still sits on my shelf, riddled with stains, dog ears, and pencil marks. Leopold wrote A Sand County Almanac at a time when the great Dust Bowl was practically still being swept from the porches of American farms. Yet, even at that time, he saw that conservation was not being addressed in a capacity capable of guiding our future farming practices and decisions to sustainability for both land and people. He believed that land conservation ethics had to include soils, water, plants and animals and that humans are simply part of this larger community. Now I sit in an interesting position. Some 13 years after I first read Leopold’s words, I am a soil health and water conservation technician for the Dolores Conservation District (soon to be the High Desert Conservation District) and the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). My task is to develop a soil health program in Montezuma County and give consultations to farmers to help them develop innovative solutions for better soil health and water conservation practices. At its foundation, this is what NRCS – then known as Soil Conservation Services – was developed to do after the Dust Bowl: protect the nation’s soil health. There is still much work to be done. Heritage barely describes the reality of agriculture in Montezuma County. In 1877, when miners settled the Dolores River, they knew that promising farmland lay toward the west in the Montezuma Valley, but lacked the water necessary for success. In what would become the defining spirit of the American West, they would spend the next twenty years digging and constructing a truly amazing example of human ingenuity and agricultural innovation. It would include tunneling through a mountain, hand digging reservoirs, and developing a canal system that would come to include over 120 miles of ditches capable of delivering water to what is now about 38,000 acres of cropland. We are being continually challenged in the Colorado River Basin by severe drought and growing populations. But in agriculture, there is another factor, and that is the soil. Soil is a mixture of humus, minerals, and microbiotic life so diverse that the population of organisms in one cup of healthy soil can exceed the global human population. Without healthy functioning soils, every aspect of life as we understand it would cease to exist. No plants, no animals, no oxygen, no food. One of the basic measurements for soil health is organic matter (OM) content, which is the component of soil made 36 edible
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up of decomposing residues of plants, animals, and organisms. It is a finely choreographed dance of life, death, and cooperation that creates the nutrients for plant growth, maintains structure for holding water, and provides food for microorganisms to thrive. But we are destroying soils at a phenomenal rate. According to a Cornell University study citing over 125 sources, soil loss in the United States is happening at a rate ten times faster than nature can regenerate it. Much of the loss is associated with agricultural practices such as heavy tillage, open fallowing (leaving soil bare between crop rotations), over-application of chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and loss of diverse crop rotations, all of which can disturb the relationships needed to maintain these fragile systems. We are, in essence, taking more than we are replacing. To bring it home, area soil surveys conducted by the NRCS show that, historically, many croplands in Montezuma County had OM contents in the 2 - 5% range (a great number for this area). Now, many of these croplands show OM contents in the 1% or less range. As I have heard one dryland farmer say more than once, “these soils are plain worn out.” However, farmers across the country, and right here in our region, are turning to innovative solutions that can rebuild and protect one of the most important natural resources we have. Reducing tillage of our soils through no-till or low-till practices can help maintain the structure of our soils and allow for better use of water and nutrients. Planting cover crops such as oats, peas, and vetch can enhance soil organic content, keep bare soils covered, and return nutrients for the next crop cycle. Increasing biodiversity in our fields can sustain pollinator habitat, reduce soil-borne diseases, and suppress the growth of noxious weeds. These practices in turn reduce our need for synthetic fertilizers and pesticides and support the diverse community of life necessary to maintain good soil health. This may well be one of the most important and defining times in our agricultural history. I believe we need to come together as communities and protect our agricultural heritage and natural resources in order to allow future generations to thrive. We must always remember that when we grow food, we are also growing people and community. In my opinion, this reality has never been so important. 4 Travis Custer lives in Mancos, CO and is the proud father of a 3-year-old boy. Farmers and landowners interested in soil health and water conservation are encouraged to contact Travis at the Dolores Conservation District at (970) 565-9045 ext. 115 or email him directly at travis.custer@highdesertconservation.org
(Five years of)
outtakes
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