Updates

On Saturday, January 20^th Western Nevada College hosted a workshop focused on the evolution of Community-Supported-Agriculture in the 21^st century.  There were around 25 participants representing farms and ranches from all over rural Nevada, Lamoille to Winnemucca, Fallon, Wadsworth and Reno.  Every participant was dedicated to figuring out the formula in which CSAs can compete with national meal delivery services and farm box programs.  It truly is a conundrum.  Participation in local farm-based box programs has declined over the last decade—while in the same period the societal values of supporting local businesses, responsible ingredient sourcing, respect for the environment, and sustainability are on the rise.  A decade ago, farms with CSA programs were the only source for locally grown fresh produce—now the market is flooded with companies that offer home delivery of farm boxes and meal kits that claim to support local farms, invest in communities, and maintain sustainable environmental standards.

On the eve of the workshop, Walmart sent out an email promoting the new availability of subscription-free meal delivery programs and farm crates delivering seasonal produce sourced locally at small farms.  The truth of these claims is suspect at best.  I reached out to Farmbox Direct, Walmart’s partner in their farm crate program, with an inquiry about their sourcing.  The response was non-specific—the claim that they sourced from local partner farms from around the country was re-iterated with the caveat that they did have to purchase produce from outside of the country to meet demand and to provide ingredients that are not available in the United States.  I asked for a list of local farms that were suppliers for their crate program—and they replied that they do not disclose their partner farms.  The problem with companies like Farmbox Direct and those offering meal-delivery services is that their marketing is misleading to a casual subscriber—they are not honest. The challenge for a small farm in competition with these national behemoths is combatting their HUGE marketing budgets.

The take-aways from the CSA workshop include that small farms need to sell their story, we need to support each other, and we need to expose the fallacy of claims made by national box programs.  In 2017, the Fallon Food Hub began administrating the Great Basin Basket CSA program.  Twice a week, staff and volunteers would gather together in the barn at Lattin Farms.  First, we would assemble boxes—sometimes as many as 100 at a time.  Then, we would fill the boxes with produce grown by our friends at Lattin Farms, Pioneer Farms, Mewaldt’s Organic Farm, The Green Man, and more.  Frequently, our box assembly was interrupted by the arrival of Churchill County farmers delivering their produce for the boxes. During the summer season, it was not unusual for the pick-crews to pull up to the barn with a truckload of freshly harvested melons that we loaded directly into the NevadaGrown boxes.  That is a true demonstration of collaboration, supporting local, and being environmentally sustainable.

The turn of the calendar year marks a time of reflection and hope.  Our thoughts are drawn to the past–bidding farewell to ones we have lost, renewing old friendships, reflecting on our experiences and memories of the past year.  Then we turn towards the future—with plans, resolutions, hopes, and dreams.  This liminal time between years is naturally filled with superstition and symbolism.  While many in America might limit their New Years traditions to an embrace at midnight and a toast of champagne, around the world there are countless examples of allegorical practices that call for luck and prosperity in the coming year.   Not surprisingly, many of these traditions involve food!

In the United States, the most pervasive of New Years’ foods is Hoppin’ John–an earthy mix of black-eyed peas, pork, and collard greens.  Every element of Hoppin’ John is symbolic: the pork for luck and prosperity, field peas simultaneously representing coins and humility, and collard greens—they are leafy and green much like dollar bills.  Of course, this dish would not be complete without a side of cornbread, representing gold and riches. During the 1800’s black-eyed peas (or field peas) were considered food fit for only animal consumption.  When Union troops swept through the south and ravaged Confederates’ food supply, they left little more than greens and field peas.  Thus, many southern families avoided starvation through eating black-eyed peas and hearty braising greens.  If the thought of black-eyed peas turns you off, have no fear—tradition dictates that this dish is eaten sparingly.

Pigs are universally symbolic of prosperity—their round bellies evoke fortune as is evident in the idioms hog-heaven and high-on-the-hog.  Pigs root relentlessly ahead when they eat, as opposed to chickens or turkeys which scratch backwards, resulting in porcine symbolism for progress. In Austria the pig makes an appearance in the traditional Marzipanschwein—tasty marzipan treats formed in the shape of pigs.  Or cook some pork with lentils to double-down on your gambit for luck.  Lentils represent riches thanks to their resemblance to Roman coins.

Lucky dishes for the new year are not limited to the savory.  In Spain, 12 grapes are consumed at midnight—one with each toll of the bell.  This tradition originated at the turn of the 20^th century as a wish for a bountiful grape harvest.  Legend goes that each grape represents a month: a sweet grape foretells a lucky time; sour grapes do not bode as well.  In general round fruits are lucky with their resemblance to coins, and ring-shaped foods represent the year coming full circle.

In Japan, Toshikoshi Soba (from one year to another) is the traditional dish at the new year. Long buckwheat noodles are symbolic of long life and resilience, and therefore are lucky—but only if they are eaten without chewing or breaking.  Now is the time to practice your slurping technique!

Cowpeas or marzipan pigs, champagne or buckwheat noodles–food traditions abound at the turn of the year.  Whether you indulge in the symbolic dishes of the past or create your own New Years tradition, we wish for you peace and prosperity, fortune & luck.  At the Fallon Food Hub, we are here to help with your New Year’s dish—come in for local pork, black-eyed peas, and organic greens, or just to share your stories of the past and wishes for 2018!

As the poet Edith Lovejoy Pierce wrote, “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

 

There is little official record of the first Thanksgiving celebration.  We know that it occurred after the first successful corn harvest by the Plymouth colonists in the year 1621.  Governor William Bradford called for the first celebration and the fest lasted for 3 days!  The colonists had learned to cultivate corn thanks to their relationship with a member of the Pawtuxet Tribe of Native Americans known as Squanto.  Squanto contributed mightily to the survival of the colonists; teaching them how to catch fish, harvest sap from maple trees, and helping them to forge a relationship with the local Wampanoag tribe that would endure for over five decades.

The menu that was enjoyed during the first Thanksgiving contained some ingredients that have stood the test of time – and others that seem quite strange.  Historians believe that the colonists prepared a variety of meats including fowl, deer, and seafood.  A four man ‘fowling’ mission likely yielded a variety of birds including the ubiquitous turkey, but also ducks, geese, and swan.

Most of the proteins served at the first Thanksgiving came from the ocean.  Colonists harvested mussels, clams, and oysters.  They caught bass, lobsters and seals.  Local vegetables that probably appeared on the first Thanksgiving table included: onions, beans, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots and perhaps peas.  Records show that the first corn harvest was plentiful, so undoubtedly corn was served at the first Thanksgiving.  In those days, the corn was removed from the cob and pressed into cornmeal then made into a porridge often sweetened with molasses.

Fruits indigenous to region included grapes, plums, raspberries, gooseberries, and (of course) cranberries.  While the colonists were certainly familiar with cranberries – that first Thanksgiving meal did not include cranberry sauce as the sugar supplies brought over on the Mayflower were depleted by the fall of 1621.

But what about pumpkin pie?

With the dwindling supply of sugar and a complete absence in the colony of butter and wheat flour, the colonists did not have the necessary ingredients to make pie crust.  However, both the colonists and the Wampanoag tribe regularly consumed hard winter squash – like pumpkin.  According to some accounts, English settlers in the Americas improvised a pumpkin ‘pie’ by filling a hollowed-out squash with milk, eggs, honey or molasses and spices then roasting it on a bed of hot ashes.  So, the original pumpkin pie was more akin to crème brulee!

Though the menu and the times have certainly changed, the sentiment remains consistent from 1621 to 2017.  Thanksgiving is a time to gather with your community and celebrate a bountiful harvest (whether literal or metaphorical) around a table laden with delicious food!

At the Fallon Food Hub, we celebrate the abundant crops raised by farmers in Churchill County! We are ready to supply you for your Thanksgiving feast – with locally raised hard winter squash, tomatoes, salad greens, sprouts, potatoes, carrots, and more!

As is fitting for the season – we are grateful to and thankful for our local farmers and ranchers who tend to their crops and watch over their flocks with a loving eye and careful hand!