Posts Tagged ‘dairy’
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Love That Taste of Buttermilk
Do you ever wonder about buttermilk? Most people know that buttermilk is–at least it used to be–the liquid leftover from churning butter. The solid butter got all the fat, leaving the liquid buttermilk nearly fat-free. But what’s the story behind buttermilk’s sour tang?
In the early 1930s, American farmers were literally in the dark. Nine out of ten farms had no electricity. By the time fresh
cream arrived at the dairy for processing, it had fermented or soured, giving the buttermilk and the butter a distinctive tang. The Rural Electricity Administration brought power to the countryside and by the time of WWII, nine out of ten American farms were electrified. The cream could be quickly chilled so it didn’t sour before being churned into butter. “Sweet cream” butter rapidly became the preferred butter style. But the taste for tangy, sour buttermilk lived on.The buttermilk we use and love today is a cultured product, made by fermenting milk so that the milk sugars turn into lactic acid, causing the milk proteins to become solid, as they are no longer soluble in more acidic conditions. Buttermilk can last longer than regular milk because the acidic conditions keep harmful bacteria from thriving, which means it’s easy to keep a quart on hand in the fridge for baking and cooking needs.
Buttermilk has lots of applications in today’s kitchens. It’s the base of lovely, low-fat salad dressings. It adds tang and purpose to pancake batter. Most cornbread recipes are better for it. The acid in buttermilk makes it an effective and flavorful marinade especially for chicken. Frying fish? Dip the fillets in buttermilk before coating in breadcrumbs or cornmeal. The list goes on and on.
We have two summer favorites for you today. We’d love to hear your favorite things to do with buttermilk.
Corn-off-the-Cob Salad with Buttermilk-Herb Dressing
from the FarmPlate KitchenMazza’s in Colchester (both Sam and Paul) have fresh Vermont sweet corn this week.
4 ears fresh-picked sweet corn, shucked
½ cup Monument Farms buttermilk
1 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
2 tablespoons sliced fresh basil
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
1 red or green bell pepper, dicedCut the kernels from the corncobs with a serrated knife. Bring a pan of water to a full boil, add the kernels and immediately pour into a strainer set in the sink. Rinse with cold water.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, lemon juice, herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. Add the blanched corn and diced pepper. Stir to blend. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serves 4
Lemon Buttermilk Pie
from the FarmPlate Kitchen
This old-fashioned southern dessert is ever-so-good on its own and even better when served with fresh-picked raspberries or blueberries.
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell (try a frozen one from Vermont Mystic Pie Company)
4 large eggs
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1½ cups Monument Farms buttermilk
4 tablespoons butter, preferably Vermont Creamery cultured butter, melted
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon vodka such as Green Mountain Organic Lemon Vodka or Absolut Citron, or pure vanilla extractPreheat the oven to 375ºF. Line the pie shell with a piece of parchment paper and add a handful of dried beans. Blind bake the pie shell for 10 minutes only. Remove from the oven and let cool while you mix the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk or beat the eggs and sugar until light and lemon-colored. Beat in the flour, followed by the buttermilk, melted butter, lemon zest and juice, and vodka or vanilla. Pour into the half-baked pie shell.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 30 minutes then chill before serving.
Serves 6 to 8
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Organic Food Inspection Group Banned By USDA
Foreign products that receive the USDA organic label can be found in supermarkets and natural food stores across the nation. To ensure products meet USDA organic standards, the U.S. government hires third party, independent inspectors.
The USDA announced on Monday that it will ban the Organic Crop Improvement Association from operating in China because of conflicts of interest and concerns on food safety. The non-profit group has been a leading inspector of organic food for U.S. markets in China.The Wall Street Journal reports that the Organic Crop Improvement Association (OCIA) “improperly used Chinese government employees to inspect Chinese farms that use state-owned land to grow crops for export to the U.S. bearing the USDA’s organic seal.”
In addition to the ban of OCIA, the USDA plans to send an audit team to China this year to broadly review the certification process, reports the New York Times.
OCIA is a non-profit based in Lincoln, Nebraska, that was founded by farmers in the 1980s. On its website, the group describes itself as “one of the world’s oldest, largest and most trusted leaders in the organic certification industry. A nonprofit, member-owned, agricultural organization, OCIA is dedicated to providing the highest quality organic certification services and access to global organic markets.”
The Wall Street Journal reports the USDA has been trying to take away OCIA’s authorization since 2007, when it was discovered that Chinese government employees had been working as farm inspectors, but the OCIA appealed the ruling.
OCIA began shutting down its operations in China in March, due to financial difficulties and regulatory pressure, says the New York Times. The group signed a settlement agreement with the USDA on May 28 that bans its operation in China for one year. The company can reapply for accreditation after the one-year ban is up and can continue inspecting organic food in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
Organic products from China are sold in supermarkets nationwide, including at organic retail leader Whole Foods. Whole Foods stopped stocking products inspected by OCIA last year. The grocery store has decreased its Chinese organic offerings in the past two years, going from selling 30 products made with Chinese organics to selling only 2, shelled and unshelled frozen edamame, by the end of this year. The shift away from Chinese products has come from customer complaints and better prices from other sources.
More National News
June 14: The “Go Local Chicago” initiative works to distribute locally produced food and beverages in corporate offices. Chicago Tribune
June 13: Wisconsin dairy farmers who want to legally sell raw milk will make their case in court on June 15. Chicago Tribune
June 12: Revolutionary British food critic Egon Ronay died at age 94. Associated Press
June 12: Despite an increase in milk prices, dairy farmers in New York state are still in financial trouble. Associated Press
Regional News
June 14: If approved, Williamstown, Vermont will boast the state’s largest solar farm. Times Argus
June 14: Woodchuck Cider donated 8,432 trees to plant as a part of the Global ReLeaf campaign. Burlington Free Press
June 14: NeighborWorks of Western Vermont, the housing non-profit, was awarded a $4.5 million grant for innovative energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. Vermont Business Magazine
June 11: Maple syrup production in Vermont has dropped 3 percent this year, but nationwide production of maple syrup has dropped by 19 percent. Associated Press
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A Look at Food Waste in California
In California, more than 6 million tons of food products are thrown away every year by farms, restaurants and supermarkets. Food shelters, on the other hand, do not have the supply to meet the ever-increasing demand.
A recent examination by California Watch and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism took a close look at California’s food system to try to identify the reasons why these unwanted food products are not channelled to food banks and other organizations where donations are greatly needed.The examination concluded that many grocery stores are more likely to throw away food than to donate it to local food banks because of liability concerns. Often, stores will donate bakery products but will throw away other highly perishable foods, including meat and produce, even before the expiration dates have been reached.
This is in spite of a 1996 federal law that, as reported in a recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle, “protects all donations made in good faith . . . . The only exceptions are gross negligence or intentional misconduct. A plaintiff would have to prove that a company or individual intentionally tried to harm another person by making a donation of food it knew to be unsafe.”
The California Watch examination also reported that the majority of restaurants in California do not participate in food-donation programs, opting instead to throw out tens of thousands of tons of edible food each year.
In the San Francisco area, however, most restaurants in the Golden Gate Restaurant Association participate in the Food Runners program that distributes food that would otherwise go to waste to shelters.
On a national level, Food Donation Connection partners with the National Restaurant Association to link restaurants to food banks. This program rescued more than 21 million pounds of food in 2008.
In Vermont, initiatives are already in place to make sure that food that might otherwise go to waste gets to the people who need it most.
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Feds Investigate Possible BigAg Antitrust Violations
The U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are joining forces to investigate potential violations of antitrust laws in the agriculture industry. Attorney General Eric Holder and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack traveled to Iowa last week speak to farmers, ranchers and industry leaders at a public meeting.
The first of five workshops on competition and consolidation in the agriculture industry took place on Friday in front of a crowd of about 700 people.The central question to tackle is, Holder said, “Is today’s agriculture industry suffering from a lack of free and fair competition in the marketplace.”
Public relations executives from Monsanto Company were also at the meeting.
Monsanto, a biotech company that has patented their genetically modified soybean, is one of the most prominent companies under scrutiny. The Justice Department is currently investigating whether or not the patents on seeds are being abused to maintain dominance in the industry. Currently, 93 percent of U.S. soybeans contain Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready gene.
Monsanto received national attention after being featured in the documentary Food Inc., which showed the huge amount of power Monsanto wielded in court against small farmers and seed cleaners who were sued by Monsanto for patent infringement.
According to the New York Times, Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney drew applause from the crowd on Friday when she announced the Justice Department “planned to keep a close eye on the coming shift to generic forms of biotech crop traits, as the patents that companies hold on those traits expire.”
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USDA Releases New Guidelines for Organic Milk
Organic dairy standards have gotten a makeover from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The new guidelines, which will require that dairy producers meet more stringent criteria in order for their milk to be certified organic, will go into effect on June 17, 2010.
The amendments to the National Organic Program state that animals must be pastured for at least four months of the year to be approved as organic milk producers. During the four-month grazing season, 30 percent of their diet must come from pasture grass.Dairy farms in temperate climates will be expected to pasture their cows for more than the four months specified in the guidelines. USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan stated the standards were the minimum requirement for organic farmers, “You can meet this threshold whether you’re in Vermont or Arizona.”
Environmental considerations were also addressed in the new guidelines. The USDA states “Producers must have a pasture management plan and manage pasture as a crop to meet the feed requirements for the grazing animals and to protect soil and water quality.”
The changes are an attempt to standardize the organic certification process to protect the consumer. According to the Los Angeles Times: “The new rules seek to close loopholes that had allowed some of the country’s largest feedlots to sell their milk as organic, even though their herds rarely grazed in fields.”
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The Power of Food Labels
Listing nutritional information on fast food could affect what parents choose for their children to eat, reports a new study to be published in the February 2010 issue of Pediatrics. The study, “Nutrition Menu Labeling May Lead to Lower-Energy Restaurant Meal Choices for Children,” was conducted at a pediatric practice in Seattle, Washington.
The 99 parents who participated in the study had children aged three to six years old. Participants were given photos of McDonald’s food and asked which menu items they would pick for themselves and their children. Half of the group was given menus labeled with the number of calories in each selection.
Parents who saw the calorie-labeled food items chose a meal for their child with an average of 102 fewer calories than those who saw unlabeled choices.Pooja S.Tandon, MD, lead researcher of the study and graduate fellow in pediatrics at the University of Washington in Seattle, emphasized, “One hundred calories over time is actually a significant amount in terms of weight gain, given the rates of fast food consumption and childhood obesity in our country.”
Thirty-two percent of American schoolchildren are overweight or obese, and childhood obesity is a growing topic of national concern. Ed Bruske, the blogger behind The Slow Cook, recently published an eye-opening six-part series “Tales from a D.C. School Kitchen,” which chronicled a behind-the-scenes look at exactly how school lunches are prepared at his daughter’s elementary school.
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Hannaford Supports “Keep Local Farms” Program
Hannaford Supermarket has joined the effort to support dairy farmers in the Northeast by launching the “Keep Local Farms” program in its 171 stores in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont on January 12.
Locally sourced dairy products in Hannaford markets will be clearly labeled with the “Keep Local Farms” icon to help increase consumer awareness and support for local dairy farmers.Hannaford is also encouraging customers to further contribute to the “Keep Local Farms” program by providing the option to donate an additional $2 or $5 upon checkout.
The Vermont Dairy Promotion Council, the New England Dairy Promotion Board and the New England Family Dairy Farm Cooperative launched “Keep Local Farms” in September 2009. The program’s goal is to stabilize milk prices by “connecting consumers with dairy farmers through education and direct support.”
The “Keep Local Farms” website reads, “Because the basic price of milk is federally regulated and determined nationally, the price that local farmers receive fluctuates monthly, making it difficult for them to anticipate what their income will be on a month-to-month basis.” High production costs have also contributed to the closing of more than 100 dairy farms in the Northeast in the last two years.
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Whole Foods Makes a New Year’s Resolution
Whole Foods Market is starting 2010 by giving back. Yesterday the food retailer announced the launch of a new Facebook application that encourages Whole Foods customers to post their aspirations for healthier, more socially conscious eating habits in the New Year.
By completing the phrase “This is my year to…” an individual can select a food-related mantra to publish as his or her Facebook status to show support for one of three non-profit organizations.A vote for “know where my food comes from” supports the Non-GMO Project, an organization committed to the sustained availability of non-GMO choices. Voting to “eat organic” supports Mission Organic 2010, which supports a goal for each individual to eat at least ten percent organic foods. Choosing “share my plate” logs a vote for Growing Power, an organization that works to provide equal access to healthy, affordable food by developing community-based sustainable food systems.
In addition to raising awareness for each cause through social marketing on Facebook, each organization will receive $10,000 from Whole Foods. The organization that accumulates the most votes will get an additional $10,000.
“Collectively, our shoppers will be supporting three terrific non-profit organizations,” said Whole Foods Market program coordinator Barry Hirsh. “We believe small, simple steps are the best way to enjoy healthy eating and living well on a budget, and we hope our shoppers will share their aspirations and ideas with others through the ‘This is my year to…’ Facebook application.”
The application is available to download here, and voting will be open until January 31, 2010.
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Winter at the White House Garden
Nineteen inches of snow and the White House Kitchen Garden is still growing. Fresh off the success of the fall harvest, Michelle Obama’s garden was prepped for the winter growing season with hoop houses just days before this weekend’s record snowfall.
A hoop house is constructed using metal bars and then stretching fabric or plastic tightly around the outside of the structure, creating a temporary energy-efficient greenhouse. The sun warms the hoop house, and the structure protects and insulates crops from snow and frost. Hoop houses also improve soil and water quality.
Volunteers and USDA staff planted spinach, lettuce, carrots, mustard greens, chard and cabbage, as well as a crop of rye, which is used by farmers to balance soil and prevent erosion of topsoil during the winter. Assistant Chef and Food Initiative Coordinator Sam Kass announced the White House Winter Garden on a video posted to the White House blog.
On hand to help with the construction of hoop houses was USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who announced a new USDA program that will help farmers finance hoop house construction to extend their growing season. Merrigan notes the value of producing year-round, explaining it’s “important because that helps build local and regional food systems–something USDA wants to help you with.”
Financial assistance will be provided to fund hoop house construction on farms of various sizes in 38 states. The three-year project is part of the
USDA’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative.The timing for erecting the hoop houses at the White House Garden couldn’t have been better, considering the massive snowstorm that hit Washington last weekend. According to blogger Eddie Gehman Kohan, of the ObamaFoodOrama blog, the hoop houses were cleared of snow after the storm and the vegetables remain protected.
Kass has already been showing off the benefits of growing through the winter. D.C. elementary students toured the White House Garden with Kass as part of the Operation Frontline program, which focuses on nutrition and healthy eating habits for children. Kass captivated the students with the garden’s cold weather spinach, which tastes sweet, and taught them about preparing healthy meals.
More National News
Dec. 18: A new study shows local food businesses play a critical role in economic development. Business Week
Dec. 20: In Wisconsin, a man argues for his right to sell raw milk. Chicago Tribune
Read the rest of this entry »
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