Just Cook It: Take time to remember where produce begins
I love a good story.
To be more specific, I love to get lost in a good story, especially if the story is classified as nonfiction. I love to listen to, read or watch true stories from the past. Stories that exhibit how far we’ve come as human beings and stories that make you wonder how far we will go long after all of us around today are long gone.
It can be a grim thought to some, but to me it’s an exciting one. It’s safe to say that the people who were alive during the American Revolution, for example, would have never been able to conceive something so common (today) as a smartphone or computer.
I reference songs a lot because I feel that music and food have a lot in common. I believe that they are both very pure forms of art and expression. This conversation takes me to a popular song by Bob Dylan titled “The Times They Are a-changin’.”
The times are changing, especially in the food world. My grandfather, in my opinion, is one of the best storytellers in the world. Not only because he can make you feel like you’re there when he’s telling a story, but also because he’s gone through so much and his experience is so vast.
One story that he’s told me sticks in my mind because it has to do with, you guessed it, food. It’s about fresh produce during this time of the year. He often tells me of how he used to stop at local farms or farmers’ stands years ago and buy corn, apples, apple cider and other fresh produce straight from the farmer and fresh off of the farm.
It was a normal thing for local farmers to set up stands on the sides of busy highways and sell their goods to local consumers who happen to be passing by. The consumer would receive farm-fresh produce that was most likely picked that day and the farmer would be making his or her living. Not a bad trade-off if you ask me.
I don’t have the years or the experience that my grandfather has amassed, but I do recall these produce stands even being more abundant in the 90s — moreso than they are today. Many young people consider the 1990s to be an ancient time, but it really wasn’t that long ago.
The topic for this column was conceived from a perfect storm of events. First, my grandfather’s stories as mentioned above got me thinking about how the times are changing when it comes to food. Then I had the honor of doing my radio show (Just Cook It Radio) on location last Saturday from the Connellsville Farmers Market.
It was a really great experience, and I was blown away by the selection the local farmers brought with them. The prices were also very reasonable and the product on hand was fresh and fantastic.
There are many Farmers Markets throughout the summer in the local area, and I think it is high time that we take advantage of what they have to offer. I have always been an advocate of supporting locally produced ingredients. Not only does it support the local economy but it’s also a great way to take advantage of some of the freshest and best ingredients available.
For instance — if you are buying produce directly from a local farmer, it only makes sense for him or her to supply you with the best product they have to offer. Not only does this increase their chances of repeat business, but it also will get them a local endorsement, which will most likely turn into referrals (more business), and if you don’t like the product for some reason, you know where to find the guy or gal who grew it! It only makes sense that you will get a superior product at most likely a better price.
Another fact my grandfather points out to me is the abundance of empty farmland and fields in the local area. He told me that he remembers when most of them were active farms and that it’s a shame that more and more farmland seems to be sitting empty every year.
The numbers show that 2.2 million farms are scattered across America’s rural landscape. I also learned that families – individuals, family partnerships, or family corporations — operate about 97 percent of these farms.
Those numbers all sound large but aren’t as big as they look. Farm and ranch families make up just two percent of the U.S. population. Today’s farmers produce 262 percent more food with two percent fewer inputs (labor, seeds, fertilizer, etc.) than in 1950.
As you can see, the number of farmers and farms in America is shrinking, but the demand and amount of food that they produce is increasing. For a field that already requires an extremely heavy load of manual labor, that just makes things more difficult.
Add in the fact that farmers and ranchers receive only 16 cents out of every dollar spent on food at home and away from home. The rest of that money goes right back into the overhead or running the farm. In 1980, farmers and ranchers received 31 cents out of every dollar. Try to tell them that the times they aren’t a changin’!
My point is that sometimes we get so caught up in the final product (i.e. the recipe or finished dish) that we don’t take the time that we should to recognize where the product begins and is coming from.
Unfortunately, some chefs today are so narcissistic that they believe that they can take any ingredient regardless of what it is or where it comes from and turn it into magic. They may not always come out and say this publically, but believe me as someone with insider access they do say this and feel this way.
My thoughts have always been that you can’t have a strikeout, home run, touchdown, field goal, slam dunk, three pointer, or goal without a ball in good condition. Give a quarterback a partially inflated football or a pitcher a baseball with partially torn seams and see how that turns out for them.
To me the same principle applies for chefs and their ingredients. Give a chef a rotten head of lettuce and I don’t care how good his or her vinaigrette is, it’s still going to be a rotten salad.
Some of the great products I saw available at the Farmers Market this past weekend were corn, tomatoes, green tomatoes, spaghetti squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peaches, cherries, fresh herbs, peas, green beans and more.
It’s very possible and plausible to go to a few different Farmers Markets on a Saturday afternoon and double or even triple your fresh food choices. Make an afternoon of it and then fire up your grill and enjoy your bounty that evening for dinner.
It’s fun, it’s delicious and it supports the local farmers and the local economy. It’s really a win-win situation for all parties involved and even kind of turns back the clock to the days of buying fresh produce from farmers stands on the side of the highway.
Enjoy all of the freshness that the summer season and the farmers have to offer.
Mario Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, entrepreneur, author, and the host of Just Cook It Radio on WMBS Radio 590 AM. His website is www.MarioPorreca.com. Twitter: @MarioPorreca