January Newsletter!

Welcome to The Pasture Post – newsletter for Sustainable Table and The Meatrix! Please feel free give us some feedback and/or ideas in the comment section!

Click “Read the rest of this entry” below to see the whole newsletter.

• Some Thoughts from the New Director of Sustainable Table – Not Another Editorial About New Year’s Resolutions
• At the Table – A Salute to Change
• Recipe of the Month – (Anybody Can Make) Soup
• New Folding Handout – Glossary of Meat Production Methods
• Update to Last Month’s Feature Article, Eggnog – Recipe from a Reader
• Become a Sustainable Table Facebook Fan
• Send Sustainability to Friends
• Stay in Touch with Sustainable Table

Not Another Editorial About New Year’s Resolutions

Rich Sanders, the new director of Sustainable Table, dishes out some thoughts about New Year’s Resolutions and sustainable home cooking in this editorial.

Yes, that time of year is upon us again: during the December holidays we were especially good to each other, and on January 1, we resolve to be especially good to ourselves. We’ll eat healthier, we’ll make our lifestyles more sustainable, we’ll be more frugal (the current economic climate leaves us little choice), we’ll turn over that new leaf that pops up every year around this time….

Enough already with the resolutions! You’ve been there, done that, got the bumper sticker, bought the tee-shirt, misplaced the button, and chipped the coffee mug. In two places. Fear not – you can relax, because I’m not going to exact a single pledge from you. After all, you’re slogging through the vicissitudes of winter and you’ve got enough to deal with. Of course, if you try the strategy that I’m about to present and it just happens to be good for you, and supports naturally raised and locally grown foods, and can save you money, and is warm and comforting and tastes delicious to boot, well, that just can’t be helped, can it?

So what’s the strategy I’m talking about? Sustainable home cooking.

Read the rest of Rich’s editorial here.

Diane Hatz, founder of Sustainable Table, shares her thoughts with us in her column on The Daily Table blog, “At the Table.” Here is a blurb from Diane’s posting this last Friday:

I must admit, I’m not a political person. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I vote and do my civic duty, but I don’t follow politics (well, except for the Daily Show) or call my Congress-people or get involved on a political level. I’m one of those people who believe change first comes from the ground up, from individuals and groups of people – it’s the public who make the difference. Politicians are supposed to simply represent us, so I focus on reaching people.

But, this week, as the world stopped to celebrate one of the most historical moments in our lives, I was right there with everyone. To me, the inauguration of President Barack Obama isn’t about politics – it’s about hope. It’s about possibility and change. It’s about the old guard finally being retired. And that is certainly a reason for celebration.

Read Diane’s full post, A Salute to Change, and find all of her “At the Table” postings here.

Are you planning to attend the TED conference in Long Beach next week?  If so, Sustainable Table founder Diane Hatz will be there and would love to say hello!  Just drop us a line if you’re one of the attendees.

I’d like to share an idea I cooked up some time ago: the Conceptual Recipe. It’s not just a recipe for soup; it’s a recipe for how to make soup. And it’s called:

(Anybody Can Make) Soup

All it takes is time. Remember, all the ingredients are flexible and everything is optional. Except the water. If you’d like to use any dried ingredients (like dried mushrooms), start soaking them in warm water now. Put a small amount of neutral oil (like canola oil) in a large soup pot. Over medium heat, brown some meaty bones (beef or lamb for example, and a couple of pounds perhaps) in batches. Arrange them so there’s only a single layer and each piece has room around it, otherwise they’ll steam and not brown. When one side is browned, turn them over. (Don’t move them until they’re really browned though.) When they’re all browned, set them aside.

Next, add lots (a few cups perhaps) of coarsely chopped vegetables and cook until tender letting them pick up all the fond (the brown bits) left behind by the bones and meat in the pot. Which vegetables should you use? Well, what did you find at the farmers market today? How about onion, carrots, parsnips, turnips, celery (or celery leaves), parsley (including the stalk)–you get the idea. When the vegetables are softened, add back the meat bones and enough water to cover well (and then some), scraping up the brown bits. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until meat is tender–this could take hours depending upon how much stuff you’ve started with. Alternately cover and uncover–the idea is that you want it to keep simmering (covered) and to reduce a bit (uncovered), but not down to nothing. Remember to skim off and discard the protein scum that forms. When meat is tender, remove bones from the pot, break up the meat and reserve. Discard the bones and fish out the vegetables–they’ve given their all to the soup. (Alternately, you can strain the veggies out, but remember, you’re keeping the liquid, not the veggies!) Congratulations, you’ve just made stock.

Now you’re going to turn the stock into soup. Add some vegetables like onion, carrots, parsnips, turnips (no leaves or stems this time) cut into bite-sized chunks and any soaked softened drained vegetables you might have started with. You can also add a handful of some kind of dry starch like barley, pasta, or rice. Continue to cook over medium heat stirring occasionally. Covering the pot will prevent any further reduction. When the starch and veggies are cooked, add back the reserved meat.

Notice that you haven’t added any salt to the soup yet. If you did, as the stock reduced, it would be much too salty. Since you’re not reducing any more, now is the time to season. Here’s one of my secrets: instead of using salt, I like to use a little soup/bouillon base. You’ve probably seen it in the soup aisle of your local supermarket. I like the product that comes in a small jar; it has a thick consistency and is, in my opinion, superior to regular bouillon cubes. And as a bonus, they have an organic line and a vegetarian line as well! It’s salty stuff, but adds another layer of flavor that salt doesn’t match. If you can’t find it, regular bouillon cubes will do just fine. Use about the same amount that you would use if it were salt (in other words, to taste). If you’d like to, you can add a little heavy cream at the end, again, to taste. Serve with hot crusty bread (something we’ll never be able to make from a Conceptual Recipe).

So give it a whirl. And give us an account of your story in The Parlor, Sustainable Table’s forum on the Sustainable Home Cooking board. Did you try a recipe for the first time? Did you try the conceptual (Anybody Can Make) Soup recipe? Let us know what you made–and how you made it sustainable–and tell us how it turned out.”

I know we sent this out earlier, but just in case anyone missed it – check out our newest handout, the Glossary of Meat Production Methods! We turned this easy reference of sustainable farming practices and their definitions into a folding handout that will fit into your wallet. Keep the guide with you to help decipher confusing meat labeling terms at the store when you shop. Terms include pasture-raised, organic, cage-free, non-confined, no added hormones, no antibiotics, and more.

Print a copy of the Glossary of Meat Production Methods now!

Peggy Dyson-Cobb of Lexington, VA contacted us last month after we sent out our newsletter. She was wondering why we didn’t include an eggnog recipe (Why didn’t we?).  Peggy said, “Making eggnog is not rocket science and is much easier in many areas than finding decent organic eggnog. Sustainably produced eggs and milk products are often available locally – once you have those, a good recipe and the spirits of your choice (delight and anticipation, if not rum, brandy, or bourbon!) are all that is required for a luscious holiday treat – you may not be able to turn out the lights and get to bed until your guests are clear that all the eggnog has been consumed.”

Peggy gets her cream through participating in a cowshare program. She owns a share of a Jersey cow on a local farm, and pays boarding fees for her portion of the cow’s care costs, while getting weekly installments of her portion of what her cow produces. Peggy says, “The milk, cream, butter, buttermilk, yogurt, and soon cheese, that I can make from this excellent milk are delicious and much appreciated at our house!”

Peggy’s Eggnog Recipe (Thank you Peggy!):

Makes 2-3 quarts eggnog, depending on how fresh the cream and egg whites are!

Try it – you’ll never want ‘boughten’ eggnog again!

Ingredients:
4 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark rum
1/3 cup bourbon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 pint whipping cream

Directions:
Beat egg yolks and sugar until smooth and thick. S-l-o-w-l-y add liquor while continuing to beat. Chill, covered, for 2-3 hours. Then beat egg whites and salt to soft peaks. Beat cream to soft peak, and fold yolk mixture gently into cream. Fold beaten egg whites in, sprinkle with nutmeg, and chill if you can stand waiting.

We are spreading the news about sustainable food and you can join us on Facebook!  Write on our wall to let us know what sustainable efforts you are making or to tell others about sustainable events in your area. Maybe one of your comments will make it into our Daily Table blog!

Help us get the word out about sustainable food and what we’re doing here at Sustainable Table and The Meatrix.  Please pass this newsletter to your friends and encourage them to get involved on our site.  The only way we’re going to save family farms and be able to provide local, sustainable food for everyone is if we all join in and work together.

Keep up-to-date on our blog, The Daily Table!

Ask questions and share your ideas on our forum, The Parlour
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