Gastroanthropology

England Preserves + A Give Away!

This contest is now closed. The randomly chosen winner is #4 - Tangled Noodle.

My favorite jams are chunky, fruity, and never sickly sweet. Jam should taste like the sun-ripened fruit, not sugar with fruit. One of my first weekends in London last summer was spent exploring Borough Market. It was there that I discovered England Preserves at Neal's Yard Dairy. I bought a jar of Blackcurrant Blighty (sounded so English!), Strawberry Days, and London Marmalade. At any given time I've got 8 or 9 jams in the fridge. These three were in and out of the rotation so quick I knew I had found something so special. 

Fast forward a few months to January of this year. In one of my food policy classes this semester there was a woman who humbly introduced herself as Sky - a small food producer. A few weeks later I noticed through an exchange of class emails that she was co-owner, and co-founder, of England Preserves. Small food producer, my foot!   

Sky and her husband, Kai, began the business over eight years ago in their home kitchen. Both came from families that made jams and chutneys at home. What Sky says started as an experiment has now turned into a successful family business. Sky finds that her jams seem to resonate with her customers as people seem to have an emotional connection to jam - especially here in England. 

Besides the marmalade (if you've ever tasted a Seville orange you'll know why), England Preserves only uses only 40% sugar. Most commercial jams use upwards of 60% sugar. While Sky can't reveal all her secrets, her fruit never goes over 90 degrees Celsius. This means the fruit is not boiled so the sugar content does not rise throughout the cooking process. More importantly, the integrity of the fruit is not lost.

Brioche and Kentish Bramble for Breakfast

All of Sky's produce comes from England, with two exceptions. The first is the Seville oranges for the marmalade. You can't really run a successful English jam company without making marmalade, and it happens to be one of Sky's best-sellers. The second exception is apricots, as they don't grow in England. All of her soft fruits come from Essex where the fruit is flash frozen at the peak of ripeness and made into jam at two week intervals at Sky's jam operation in South London. The pears and apples are from Chegworth Valley, and the vegetables for chutneys from Lincolnshire.    

Sky and Kai supply hotels all over London - a city where jams and marmalade are serious business, especially for tea time. These larger jars are for them.

The smaller jars are available all over London. You can find them at Whole Foods in Kensington, Unpackaged in Islington, Borough Market, and at various farmers markets in London. 

A little over a year ago, Sky gave birth to the youngest jam-maker in England. This is Sky's daughter - Bloom!

If your interested in trying Sky's jams, post a comment and make sure to leave a valid email address in the email field. One winner will be chosen at random in a few weeks and will receive two of Sky's jams. I couldn't really decide which to send, because each new flavor I try becomes my favorite. Last week was Redcurrant+Rhubarb+Vanilla and there was real pieces of vanilla bean in the jam - since when did a jam have that? This week my favorite is Kentish Bramble. For the give away I've picked two classics and the first that I tried. Blackcurrant Blighty and Strawberry Days. 

The Future of Food

On Friday, I was at the Real Food Festival in London which is put on to acknowledge great food producers and products in the United Kingdom and neighboring countries. Famous chefs like Giorgio Locatelli and Raymond Blanc were giving cooking demos and growers were showing people how to plant potatoes in their gardens at home. 

The food at the festival was fabulous and all producers stressed provenance, health, and sustainability. The festival also hosted a debate on The Future of Food. Debaters included Patrick Holden - Director of the Soil Association, Raymond Blanc - Chef of Michelin starred Le Manior aux Quat'Saisons, and Paul Kelly - Director of Corporate Affairs for Asda. Asda was gobbled up by Walmart not too long ago and is one the UK's largest retailers.

I enjoyed the debate, but it was largely centered on what we've done wrong, who to blame, and sharing facts and figures about the terrible state our food system is in. I think we need to identify the problem (which we have already done) and work in tandem for a solution. 

So, what is the problem? We've got people starving in some countries (hunger is expected to reach 1 billion people this year) and others who are suffering from diabetes and heart disease because they've eaten too much. Lack of adequate nutrition is not just a problem in developing countries. There are towns in developed countries, or food deserts, were access to fresh fruit and vegetables is limited. Access to healthy food is just one part of the equation - we also have climate change, the constrained economy, land degradation and soil erosion, huge projected population growth, and water scarcity to deal with. Food, essential to life as air and water, has become a mere commodity where price is king.

What's the solution? It will have to me a multi-pronged approach. People must demand healthy and nutritious food for all and government must enact laws for healthy and nutritious food for all. We need to share, debate, and discuss how we are going to feed a planet that is quickly approaching 9 billion people without pillaging the Earth to do it. Industry will follow suit - they sell what's profitable. 

It's easy to place blame on the industrial food system, fast food chains, and supermarkets - but, what can you do? 

1. Stop wasting food! In the UK nearly 20 million tons of food is wasted throughout the food chain, and 7 million of those tons are wasted in the home. Buy only what you need and don't get tempted by "Buy One Get One Free"! If you buy too much try to freeze your food before it goes bad. Just because it's expired on the label doesn't mean its bad - use your judgment.

2. Limit meat and dairy! Livestock is hugely inefficient. All the cereals used to feed livestock could be feeding millions of people. Livestock is responsible for a large portion of agricultural green house gas emissions as well.  

3. Sustainable fish only! We take more from the ocean than can be replenished and often using fishing methods that are harmful to the environment. 

4. Support farmers that practice sustainable agriculture! Support permacultures, not monocultures. It may cost a little extra now, but an investment that you can not afford to make. 

5. Food comes in all shapes and sizes! Just because its misshapen or has a blemish doesn't mean its not as tasty or healthy. We've become obsessed with how the perfect apple looks, the not so pretty varieties are often tastier, nutritious, and more resilient.

6. Get in touch with your food! Where is it coming from? Who grew it and how? Who reared the animal and how was it treated? Its easy to be disconnected about food. When you learn about your food you inevitably choose what's better for you and the environment. 

7. Stop buying bottled water! Does it really make sense that water is shipped every which way all over the world? Water is heavy and uses enormous amounts of energy and oil to move across the globe. Not to mention all the trash created by water bottles. Use a reusable water bottle and fill with tap. Buy a filter if you don't like the taste or are suspicious of tap water.

This list could go on and on. Is food a right? Is good, healthy, nutritious, palatable, sustainable food a right? How will we feed 9 billion people? How secure is your food supply? Britain relies on huge amounts of imports to feed its nation a well-balanced diet - what does Britain do if food imports cease?

Lots of questions here...what's your opinion? How sure are you that 20 years from now you will have the same access to the foods you eat? Will the food system be better or worse?

On a lighter note...one of my favorite Italian chefs, Giorgio Locatelli, was at the festival. If your not in London to try out his restaurant Locanda Locatelli, his cookbook, Made in Italy is fabulous. As part of the Love Food, Hate Waste campaign, Locatelli shared with us his favorite food.

 

Mudchute, A City Farm in London

Just 10 minutes from Canary Wharf (London's second financial district and home of the UK's three tallest buildings) on the Isle of Dogs, is a wonderful city farm - Mudchute Farm. On 32 acres of fertile land (nutrient-rich as it is just next to the Thames) lives 200 animals, mostly rare breeds. Mudchute Farm is also home to 70 community allotments, a farm kitchen and restaurant, horse stables, and smokehouse. Wood from the farm is used in the smokehouse where butter, geese, and cheese are often smoked.

The two most interesting animals I saw were of the avian kind. This is a beautiful, male Golden Pheasant. Originally from central China this guy was pretty happy in a large pen with multiple light brown, less-striking, female Golden Pheasants. 

As their name suggests, these are Transylvanian Naked Necks. They hail from Hungary and were introduced to the British as Churkeys because, like Turkeys, their exposed skin turns red when exposed to sunlight. Despite their appearance these birds are calm and love warm weather. They are quite popular in warmer Eastern European countries as they can withstand higher temperatures. What are they doing in London?!

Since it is a city farm these goats have to fight for their dinner with the local pigeons who have gotten tired of begging for sandwich scraps from the business-types in their blue shirts and black suits. 

This male (can you tell?) Tamworth was finishing the last of some lettuce scraps. The Tamworth is recognized as the purest British pig breed as it is a direct descendant of the European Wild Boar. 

The farm's kitchen uses as much product as possible that is produced on the farm. For meat, Mudchute practices nose to tail cooking, using the entire carcass. It's hard to ignore the importance of animal welfare when you see the animal and its habitat before you are about to eat it.

 

Mudchute Farm and Kitchen hosted an important event yesterday afternoon - London Food Link's bi-annual networking meeting. London Food Link is a group I have been working with since last October and is a group that aims to make London's food system more sustainable. The networking event is a chance for members to share and coordinate their projects. 

One of their newest projects is Capital Growth. Funded by the London Development Agency, Capital Growth aims to create 2,012 new community food growing spaces in London by 2012. Capital Growth provides grant money and food growing advice to people in the community who start new growing spaces.

Another project is Good Food Training, which I have been directly involved with. This project aims to encourage sustainable procurement and training for the public sector (schools, hospitals, prisons). The project hosts events all over London that show public sector chefs how to use less popular cuts of meat and sustainable fish sources. The project also trains service providers about sustainability, customer service, and nutrition. One of the latest projects includes teaching prisoners how to garden and cook - skills that they can use when reintroduced to society.

Another project that I have been involved with is the Good Food for Camden strategy. This strategy aims to help lower income and disadvantaged people living in Camden (a London borough). Specifically, the Camden strategy includes consultations and toolkits so the people of Camden can learn sustainable ways to buy, eat, and dispose of food that improves their health, well-being and the environment.

There are so many other great projects that are involved in London Food Link that I haven't mentioned. These include everything city beekeeping to reclaiming food. 

If you are in London I would recommend a visit to Mudchute and to have a meal at the farm kitchen. Last night I had a bit of lemon-gingerade, crudite, and hearty bread with nettle spread. Nearly all of the ingredients were grown on the farm or on one of the community allotments. The nettles were foraged from the farm. 

This sheep's wool will be used as insulation in some of the farm buildings...

Love Apple Farm + Tomatoes

I find that tomatoes are one of the best vegetables to plant in a home garden. They are relatively easy to grow and have so many uses. At our home garden in the South Bay of the San Francisco area the tomatoes grow like weeds and all summer long they produce. First, we start by eating them fresh, just plain like an apple. Then, we chop them up and add them to salads, sandwiches, and quick pasta sauces. After a few months of tomatoes they still seem to keep coming, so they get burred up as an addition to homemade fruit + veg juices. Lastly, they are chopped and frozen, canned, or made into tomato sauce. There are always so many, but never too many. I'm not sure I can say the same for the zucchini that seems to grow in overabundance as well...

At my recent visit to Love Apple Farm I was totally wowed by the selection of baby tomato plants for sale. I wanted to buy one of each, but there seemed to be nearly a hundred varieties. 

It can get cool in the Santa Cruz mountains so these little plants are protected by the greenhouse.

Cynthia Sandberg, owner of Love Apple Farm, is famous for her delicious tomatoes and her growing methods are no secret! 

You can check this link for more detailed tomato growing instructions, but here is an illustrated version...

So I bet your wondering what I picked... I got some of my favorite Brandywines and some that were new to me. I got a Gary O'Sena tomato, which is a cross between a Cherokee Purple and Brandywine. It will grow to be a round, black tomato. I know bigger isn't always better, but I found a Chyornyi Tarasenko that I had to have. It hails from Belarus and is rumored to be one of the biggest tomatoes around. I also found a Boar's Hoof tomato plant, a rare find and will be a deep brown tomato. Lastly, the one I'm most looking forward too - German Red Strawberry. I was told it would grow to be baseball size and look like a giant oxheart strawberry. Say goodbye to those tasteless, boring, red tomatoes your find at the grocers all year long! 

My mother will be tending to these for the next few months. I probably won't get to enjoy these off the vine as I will be returning to London later this week and don't have plans to return till after the summer. But, that's the great thing about tomatoes... they can be canned, frozen, or sauced... and I know I'll be enjoying them in some form.

Love Apple Farm + Biodynamics

I'm sure by now you've heard of Chef David Kinch of Manresa in Los Gatos. If your still living under a foodie rock he was recently on Iron Chef and won with the secret ingredient: cabbage. Manresa is in my hometown so I have a particular interest in the restaurant, not to mention he has a super cool blogging girlfriend named Chez Pim.

These days my excitement for farming and sustainable food procurement outweigh my restaurant interests so I decided to make a trip to Love Apple Farm. The farm is in the Santa Cruz mountains in a town called Ben Lomond, and is the exclusive kitchen garden to Manresa. The original hippy, organic farmers still exist here and the Silicon Valley just a miles east seems like it could be lifetimes away. 

At the farm, tomato plants (post on Love Apple's tomatoes here) and delicious jams are for sale to the public. I went a bit picture crazy and these are about a fifth of what I took. 

I was particularly excited to visit Love Apple Farm because they practice biodynamics - essentially treating the entire farm as a whole organism, using all outputs and minimizing inputs. Check out my biodynamic page for more general information on biodynamics. Love Apple Farm has wonderful descriptions of the preparations used in biodynamic farming, including how these cow horns are used.

When we first arrived, Dali (the Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pig, named after Salvador Dali) was hiding under a wooden crate. He couldn't be coaxed out or bothered with the squawking hens.

Then, the chickens were fed some soaked bread and the feeding frenzy began...

Dali gave them a few seconds of a head start and then started to get up and waddle towards the bread.

This is one pig that is so ugly, its almost kind of cute. In an effort not to annoy him too much we moved on to further explore the farm.

I'm looking forward to the heat these habaneros will provide in a few months time. Most plants at the farm were in the baby stages and ready for spring planting. However, in the greenhouse, lettuce was growing magnificently.

The red lettuce looked so delicious and healthy I want to pull off some leaves and enjoy them immediately.

Just outside the greenhouse full of lettuce was this interesting plant...

I was told it was called frizzle. Has anyone used or eaten this plant? I tried a little and it was delicious. A peppery, light arugula taste, and absolutely no bitterness. Not to mention a gorgeous purply color. I've got to get my hands on more of this stuff. 

Of course, no organic farm is complete without the compost... the natural fuel for the soil in the making.

As we were walking out to leave I saw a crate full of these freshly pulled radishes...

I'm sure someone enjoyed them at Manresa for their dinner last night. 

The staff at Love Apple Farm are friendly and informative. As I've said before if they can't stop talking about what they are producing, its a really good sign. It means they are farming a wonderful product and they can't help but share the goodness.

With places like these in California its hard to stop gushing about what an awesome place it is.

I 

Farm.