The Vegetarian Guy

Cauliflower has come into its own over the last few years.  No longer taking a back seat at the markets to colorful vegetables, it is now at the forefront, available in orange, purple and, my favorite as of late, a verdant Romanesco. Everyone from Dr. Dean Ornish to Dr. Mehmet Oz has proclaimed the value of foods with color; colorful cauliflower has joined the ranks of cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables.  Good for the liver and full of phyto-chemicals, it is healthiest steamed or eaten raw.

One knows a native Michigander immediately when they use their hand to indicate an area in the state.  This is natural considering the oven-mitt shape of Michigan.  Last month at the Birmingham Farmers Market, Lee Chaput of Blue Water Organics invited me to a certified organic Amish farm in Brown City, the middle of the Michigan Thumb.  I took the opportunity to visit three very different farms in the same region: Blue Water Organics in Brown City, Hickory Hill Farm in Clifford and Maple Creek Farm in Yale.

It was a perfect autumn day, cloudless blue skies with a warm gentle breeze.  As I drove into the Thumb region, rows of corn were intermittent with yellow soy bean fields.  The road led me through charming small towns rich with Victorian and early twentieth century architecture.  This was the agricultural heartland of the industrial Midwest.  Now, the fields of corn and soy are mostly those of agribusiness, grown for biofuels and commercial commodities.

However, the increasing number of farmers markets has created a lucrative venue for small organic farms.  In addition to helping existing farms survive, a number of stalwart city-folk have discovered their calling by growing fresh, organic produce for weekend markets around metro Detroit, which now boasts twenty markets.

As I approached my first destination, a sign read Welcome to Brown City, where the motorhome was invented — no small irony as an Amish horse and carriage trotted by.   Lee met me at the grain elevator nearby and I followed her to Elmer and Edna Slabaugh’s Amish farm, known as Blue Water Organics at the markets.

The lack of telephone poles and wires going into the house were my first indication that they were off the grid and living a traditional Amish lifestyle.  As Lee and I entered the house, Edna was in the kitchen rolling out pie crusts with one of her daughters, while one of the others was sewing.  The house was simply appointed with hand-crafted furniture and quilts.  It was charming, yet practical, and everything had a purpose, even the suspenders hanging from the door.

Watch my video of the Amish farm tour

Lee began the tour at the barn.  She described how it had burned down a few years earlier and that immediately following this potentially devastating loss, the members of the Amish community came together and raised a new barn within ten days.  The 150 or so community members had specific skill sets and the work was completed like clockwork, almost without speaking, a marvelous example of a tightly woven community working to help each other.

Watching the Amish Build a BarnFrom the book Growing Lavender and Other Poems
Iris Lee Underwood

I hear their hammers in summer
the steady rhythm of work
welcoming dawn, waking me
with the musice of building a barn.

I spy them from my bathroom window;
straw hats glowing in sunrise,
blue shirts and blacks pants with suspenders
raising timber from the ground.

They stride scaffolds into autumn,
waltz on two-by-fours like ballerinas in boots,
carpenter belts hang on their hips
as if some universal law says they cannot slip.

Like super-heroes, they climb ladders
in snowfall, dance on the roof
until the veil of dusk falls on the barn,
and they descend in the dark for dinner.

Watch my video about Iris’ Yule Love It Lavender Farm

We proceeded to the vegetable gardens.  The majority of the farm is a working, certified organic commercial farm run by Elmer. The gardens are Edna’s domain; Lee helps her to grow and supply the vegetables, berries and herbs for the farmers markets. The fields were strewn with Roma tomatoes, squashes and sweet red bell peppers dangling from the plants, marking the end of the season.

The dogs followed us to the basement where Edna has her canning pantry.  The ten by twenty foot room was fully stocked, telling the story of the summer harvest.  Canning is a family operation and is scheduled with the ebb and flow from the gardens.  Elmer and Edna’s refrigeration is an ice house, still full of ice from the previous winter, even with this year’s insufferably hot summer. They also use a large unplugged chest freezer which is used as a modern ice box containing a few fresh-cut blocks of ice to keep certain items cold.

Back in the house, the air was full of the intoxicating aroma of Edna’s fruit pies, which were cooling in the oven.   Her kitchen was like everything else here, simple and efficient.  She bid us farewell with a warm smile, while she served three of her eight children lunch.

Next, I made my way past more golden cornfields and pastoral landscapes to Clifford, where the Birmingham market master, Cousin Don Hobson, operates Hickory Hill Farm, an 80 acre farm which has been in his family since 1888. Unlike the previous farm, this one had many vehicles and farm implements in various states of repair and a very old barn.  While driving the rural roads, I had noticed many dilapidated barns.  Cousin Don explained that barns shelter hay and hay keeps barns dry.  Today, it is not a cost effective crop, so many barns have become obsolete.

Cousin Don and I spent time in the vegetable field admiring the Peruvian blue potatoes and baby leeks.  He entertained me with stories of farming and the common-sense relationship farmers have with Mother Nature.  As we stood in the field, it felt as though every inch of his farm lived and breathed history and I could feel the deep connection he had with his land.  I could have listened to his stories all day, but it was time to get to the next farm.  He sent me off with some beautiful tomatoes to use the next day in my cooking demonstration on Channel 7.

Yale was nearly eight miles from Clifford.  Compared to the other two farms, Maple Creek Farm was cranking.  As I walked up, I was again greeted by curious dogs who loudly announced my arrival.  Michelle Lutz was tying hundreds of bunches of basil, while a few people were washing squash in what looked like a large apple-washing machine.  They were preparing the 200 CSA boxes which needed to be delivered the next day.

It had been a tough year for Maple Creek Farm with unusually hot days and little rain.  According to Michelle, farms just a few miles away had plenty of rain, but the cloud pattern did not unload on this area.  Michelle is one of the most dedicated farmers I know.  She is active in the community and shares her knowledge and perspective at the markets, events and educational venues.  She reaches out in a way which endears people to the farm and the idea of organics.

We hopped into her ATV wagon and took a tour.  Michelle pointed out one plot after another that had been lost to the weather.  Although the farm is completely irrigated and the well pumped day and night for a month, they still could not keep up.  I looked at the weather map on my iphone and tried to comfort her with the prediction of rain.  As I drove away, I promised to visit her at the Royal Oak Farmers Market.  When I did, she told me my prediction of rain was right, ensuring that she could fulfill her farmers market and CSA commitments for the duration of the season.  The ups and downs of weather makes Michigan farmers tough and adaptable to adverse circumstances.

Connecting to the land through farmers like these is one of the simple joys of life.  I encourage everyone to run, not walk, to your nearest farmers market and remember to connect the dots with your food, know where your food comes from and support your local farmers!

My interview on TV5 Grosse Pointe talking about the farms, markets and Autumn harvest

Serves 4

4 globe zucchini squash, yellow or green

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup sweet onion, diced

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup ripe tomato, diced

Preheat oven to 400º F. Slice off the top of each squash and discard.  Carefully scoop out the insides with a small melon-baller or a teaspoon and reserve. Put 1/4 teaspoon balsamic vinegar and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt in each squash.  In a large bowl, mix together all the remaining ingredients and transfer to a glass baking dish.  Nestle the squash in, cover and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and reserve.

3/4 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped

1 cup almond flour or meal

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until cohesive.  Fill each squash until rounded at the top.  Cover again and bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove from oven.

1 tablespoon organic balsamic cream

1 large tomato, sliced

8 fresh mint leaves

4 Kalamata olives

For setting up individual plates, drizzle balsamic cream on a 4 to 6 inch plate.  Place a slice of tomato on the center of each plate, then 2 mint leaves on the top edge of the tomato and a stuffed globe zucchini on top.  Place an olive in the top center of each globe.  Serve warm or cold.

Save the remaining baking dish ingredients to serve as an antipasti relish with bread or crackers.

Balsamic cream is a balsamic reduction.  There is a recipe for it in Vegetarian Traditions

Thursday Night:  I was full of anticipation as my evening flight from San Diego landed in Detroit.  A week of touring and catching up with old friends and family lay ahead.   As the plane taxied, I was thinking of the many ways one can benefit from my cookbook, Vegetarian Traditions, and the best way to communicate that at the numerous events.

The first thing I did after picking up my rental vehicle was load 1200 pounds of books from the shipping terminal into the car.  Good thing the Chevrolet Traverse had substantial shock-absorbers! It was hot and humid and after that workout, I was eager to get to the hotel.

Friday:  A meeting with Dr. Michael Dangovian of the Wellness Training Institute kicked off the day.  We discussed my participation at Saturday’s celebration of the first anniversary of his institute. We see this event as the first step in a Food as Medicine program.

Later that day, I made my way to Stephan Brink’s Health Oasis in Royal Oak to teach the art of spicing, namely, how to make masala.

The class was a benefit for the local chapter of Women For Women, a group which helps women deal with health and social crisis situations.  It was held outdoors in a courtyard; the balmy Michigan evening added to the intimacy and culinary magic.

Masalas are provocative spice mixtures which are the basis for Indian cuisine.  I demonstrated, to the twenty or so attendees, how to toast, grind and mix three masalas and provided spicing techniques for making a large variety of Indian dishes with the authentic flavors achieved only through the freshly ground spices.  The intoxicating scents of toasting urad dal, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods and a multitude of other whole spices wafted through the quiet neighborhood.

Inn Season Cafe provided a delicious Bengali Rice Salad which satiated the wetted appetites. Most of the guests took my cookbook home with them.

Saturday:  At 7:30am I arrived at the Royal Oak Farmers Market, the bustling 81 year-old indoor market.  Don, Donna and Anthony Cinzori welcomed me as if I were long lost family.  They have one of the largest certified organic farms in Michigan and tirelessly provide some of the best produce I have seen anywhere.  The Cinzori family is warm, generous and knowledgeable.  I always look forward to discussing the latest in produce and organic trends with Don.

There wasn’t much time for that this day.  The market started to buzz and customers hummed around the colorful Cinzori stall like bees looking for sweet nectar.  The market is like a second home and I was able to speak with one person after another about the cookbook and the Don’s produce, which had inspired many of the recipes.

At about one o’clock, my son Spyros and I headed over to the Wellness Training Institute in Sterling Heights.  Dr. Michael Dangovian was celebrating the first anniversary of his new clinic and I was honored to be the featured speaker. Over two-hundred people attended the event which included food from Inn Season Cafe, talks by Dr. Dangovian and various teachers who participate in his program of integrative medicine and preventative cardiology.

My lecture was organized around the importance of connecting the dots with your food–knowing where it comes from and supporting your local farmers. I also spoke about food and community, food being not only the primary nourishing element in life, but the primary nurturing element.  All the great food cultures of the world weave food into the daily fabric of life and see it as a measure of life’s quality.  Without it, there is no benefit to longevity.

Most of the questions fielded were about specific ingredients I recommended and the health benefits they provide.  The afternoon was a success and as a result, Dr. Dangovian and I are planning future events with targeted information for attendees to gain specific tools they can apply toward a healthier life. This was just the beginning and we are excited by the possibilities.  If there is one thing I have missed about running the restaurant, it was seeing the fulfillment in the faces of our guests.  This Saturday afternoon, I saw the same looks.

Sunday: I arrived early at the Birmingham Farmers Market,  an empty parking lot with a few tents going up. As I set up my booth, the market began to take shape;  trucks pulled up with bushels of fresh corn, potatoes, zucchinis, pumpkins and fresh flowers.  A number of organic farmers came together on the south side of the lot with their splendid hand-picked vegetables.

Cousin Donny Hobson, the market master, is not just a farmer, he is a showman.  This day he planned to attract shoppers with Hay-Day.   Antique tractors, farm implements and bales of hay decorated the market with a festive county fair-like atmosphere.

Two of my favorite farms at the Birmingham market are Natures Pace Organics and Blue Water Organics.  Natures Pace is family-operated with a core dedication to sustainable foods.

Lee Chaput of Blue Water Organics is not a farmer by trade, but has the passion of one. She discovered Elmer and Edna Slabaugh’s certified organic Amish farm in Brown City, Michigan.  Living a dedicated Amish lifestyle, the Slabaughs use neither electricity or automobiles, so Lee brings the vegetables and the feel of the Amish farm to the Birmingham Market.  Look for a post down the road for a story about the farm.

 

Each week there is something new at the market.  I loved being in Michigan at the beginning of the harvest with the trees displaying the vivid colors of autumn.

It was a sunny Wednesday morning when I set out to visit one of Phil Noble’s three properties, known as Sage Mountain Farm.  The Stardust Ranch, which used to be part of an western ranch and a stagecoach stop on the way to Temecula, is 740 acres. Driving by the rolling hills and dramatic rocky outcrops of North County San Diego, I am impressed with the fact that Phil makes this trek a few times every week to Whole Foods and Hillcrest Market–an hour and a half drive each way. Today, in the wide expanse of the valley, the bright white dome of the Mt. Palomar observatory is visible over the ridge a few miles away.  At this farm, Phil grows onions, leeks, cucumbers, melons, eggplants, potatoes and corn. He will harvest about 50,000 pounds of onions, not to mention the rest of the crops.

As I drive through the gates and gaze upon the vast fields, Phil and his crew of six workers look like tiny specks.  They are harvesting row after row of sweet yellow onions; the pungent aroma wafts through the air in the 80 degree heat, a cool day in these parts.  They loosen the onions with a conveyor attachment on a tractor and then slowly work their way through the rows filling plastic lugs, which in turn are emptied onto a trailer hooked to Phil’s truck.  Periodically, the truck is backed down the row, little by little until the trailer is full.  Next, they drive the truck down the road to unload the onions beneath a tree to dry out and await trimming to become the round shiny yellow bulb we see at the stores.

It is a tremendous amount of work and reminds me how hard it is to produce high quality organic produce for local markets.  No combines and industrial size harvesters here, just the touch and sweat of hands as the bulbs are removed from the sun-drenched earth, shaken free of dirt and carefully placed with the others.

Phil and I walk along discussing the local food movement.  With local foods all the rage in the restaurant world, distributors have started to stock a few local products for their chef clients.  Phil explained these products are often chosen selectively and the big non-local producers make up the bulk of what is sold to chefs.  This means that unless a chef goes to the local farmers market to get his produce, or buys in quantity from a farm, his restaurant is probably not using local products to any great extent.

Phil tells me that he starts his day at five in the morning and ends it around ten at night.  Good help is hard to find and only a few people stay from year to year, which translates into a good amount of in-the-field training.  An urban dweller may think this is non-skilled work, but there is a lot more to planting and harvesting than we may think.  It only takes a few mishaps or improper methods to turn a row of 10,000 onions into compost.

Still, when the weather cooperates and the water flows, the land yields its bounty and the rewards are great.  Not only does the farmer and family survive until the next year, but there is communion with the organic life in the soil resulting in a fulfilling lifestyle synchronized with the cyclic rhythms of the earth.  I asked Phil if he had any regrets about leaving the security of the corporate world to become a farmer and he responded without hesitation  “No, it’s a good life.”