I've been making a real effort, within reason, to learn and to teach my son that food comes from living things (both vegetable and animal) I think it's important to know for a lot of the reasons the chefs were discussing: it makes you appreciate what it takes to get food on your table.

When I was in college, our biology class went on a field trip to a farm run by another local university. We sat through a presentation on cows, and one phrase stuck with me: "Cows are a mechanism for turning food we can't eat into food we can eat," an argument generally in support of grass-fed beef. We live in an ecosystem where fresh food is scarce during the winter. Our ancestors learned that an efficient way to store food safely, without compromising their ability to grow food for their own consumption, was in a living animal that could find food on its own most of the year.

It is unfortunate that the result of our ever-expanding population is that our food-storage system has become a food-consumption system, and has further reduced the production of local produce. There are all kinds of negative to mass production: it creates a need for uniformity: neatly-packaged cuts that are readily available, and decreases the understanding of how to use the whole animal. It creates food that is sometimes unsanitary and requires mass-medication. I often wonder what happens to the offal that's not sold as sausages - is it being thrown away? But factory-farming, while wasteful, unpleasant, and grossly inefficient in many ways, serves its purpose, too: it produces large quantities of food cheaply. We have millions upon millions of mouths to feed, and the vast majority of those mouths can't afford to eat any other way.

MHays wrote:I often wonder what happens to the offal that's not sold as sausages - is it being thrown away?

It certainly pops up in cat and dog food. Farmers and processors are very good at using everything on an animal except for the moo, oink, bah and cluck. The deer processor, if we ever get the deer, has the heads and offal going to a rendering plant. A tour of a rendering plant, now that would be very interesting. Not surprisingly, they are in remote locations with no neighbors to complain about odors.

Regards,

When I had a cow processed a year or so ago, I wanted the suet. The locker guy told me that, not only was that an unusual request, but it would save him $$ as he had to pay to have the fat carted off.

Vital Information wrote:When I had a cow processed a year or so ago, I wanted the suet. The locker guy told me that, not only was that an unusual request, but it would save him $$ as he had to pay to have the fat carted off.

The deer processor told me the rendering companies used to pick up his post butchering debris for free. Now they charge to collect the fat and scraps leftover from butchering.

When we were visiting the pigs in September. A draft horse had died a few days before from bloat, he had eaten some of the pig's food. It cost them $150 for the horse to go to the renderer. It ended up it two trips to accomplish this, because the chains broke on the first attempt to lift the horse.

Regards,

City of tasting menus? Chicago is a tasting menu...



Sky Full of Bacon #7: Eat This City

Urban foragers are people who eat what grows naturally from a very unnatural place— a city. In this all-vegetarian Sky Full of Bacon podcast, urban foragers show us how they find food all around them. Chef-blogger Art Jackson shows us what's growing around his home in Pilsen, and then foraging expert Nance Klehm, Art and I nibble our way through a remarkable wilderness literally in the shadow of Chicago's skyscrapers. On a gray, wintry day, this podcast makes a nice reminder of a greener city (it was shot in September and October).

How to watch it:
1) Watch each episode at the Sky Full of Bacon blog (fastest, pretty good HD quality)
2) Watch the new one at its Vimeo page (pretty fast, better HD quality)
3) View or subscribe (FREE!) at iTunes, which I recommend for the highest, full HD quality— and because it will help me keep going to have real live subscribers more than just viewers (not that I don't love them too!)
4) Watch below (but it will be bigger if you follow the links in #1 and #2)



Check out Art's blog here. Nance's tours will start up again in March, watch for info closer to that time at spontaneousvegetation.net.

MikeG, "Eat this City" is probably the best “advertisement” I’ve seen for foraging in Chicago. Both Art and Nance were articulate spokespeople for “tapping our inner monkey” and learning about our environment by eating it.

I know you did a lot of shooting in September, and I was wondering if that was actually the best time of year to forage, so I appreciated Nance’s observation that it’s best to “follow where the plant is putting energy”: leaves in spring, flowers in summer, seeds and roots in fall. Next spring, I will be on the prowl of purslane and lamb’s quarters, both of which I’ve seen many times in my hood.

Must admit, I’d shy away from eating stuff growing alongside railroad tracks, and I’m still a little leery about eating what I find growing in empty fields (not easy to, as Nance says, “trust” the urban earth), but I’m inspired to eat more stuff that’s growing spontaneously around my chemically-free backyard.

Very much looking forward to taking part in Nance’s foraging tours this March.

I had talked to Nance initially in July or so, and she actually suggested waiting till fall, because there would be more things out than in late summer. I'm not 100% convinced that proved to be true where we were-- seems like we talk about a lot of things that are past their prime or not bearing fruit-- but I don't really mind since as you say, she provides a good sense of it as a process that runs throughout the growing season, not unlike what any of us are doing if we're following the farmer's markets to get what at its peak any particular week. It wouldn't be foraging if it was all just sitting there, obvious as could be, year-round.

Yes, she says to beware of railroad tracks because they spray pretty intensively to keep the weeds back. On the other hand, she didn't seem to mind taking a nibble here and there. I figure, how much deadlier can any of this stuff be than working in an office where people are firing up bags of microwave popcorn.

Hi,

Nance was a guest speaker for the Illinois Mycological Association's October meeting at Lake Katherine in the south suburbs. She had fully intended to arrive two hours early to forage the area, but due to vandalism to her car had maybe 20 minutes by flashlight. She collected quite a bit in those twenty minutes to make salad and comment on other edible plants. She also had some homemade fermented products she passed around for tasting in a communal cup. Not everyone was keen about the communal part that is. I tasted everything with my usual abandon, most of it was worth trying at home sometime.

Her family is very well know in ornamental horticulture from her parents who own Klemn;s Nurseries to her uncle who supplies plants wholesale to Home Depot. While she went in a very different direction, I would imagine her whole life has been solidly grounded in horticulture.

She claims to have designed the urban culture program at the newly relocated Pacific Mission on Canal Street. She certainly practices what she preaches.

Regards,

Hi,

It is clear the Chef grew up in the country. The way he made his way up the apple tree was something he learned in his youth.

Interesting film, thanks!

Regards,

I've just been catching up on the last few SFOB podcasts; terrific storytelling as always. Did I hear in Pt. 2 of "There Will Be Pork" that there are commercial Lion and Bear farms in Minnesota and Wisconsin? I didn't think they'd even be legal in the U.S. Are they regulated by the U.S.D.A. or does the meat just travel a shadowy, underground network? I tried to google them, but apparently they don't have websites.

Thanks, radiator.

Considering the presence of an inspector on the floor every day, I don't think a place like Eickman's is doing anything that isn't USDA approved. The lion and bear meat is apparently legal, when farm-raised; as for what places would be serving that in the Chicago area, your guess is as good as mine as to high-end places that have enough of a manly vibe to want to dish up lion (and withstand any complaints when word gets out, I suppose).

Meet an American farmer... though she may not quite fit the image that phrase puts in your head.



Sky Full of Bacon #8: Pear Shaped World

In this Sky Full of Bacon podcast, we meet Oriana, the Asian pear lady at Chicago’s Green City Market, and travel to her orchard in western Illinois where she grows Asian pears, paw paws and many other interesting things. She may not look like your typical midwestern farmer, but her challenges (from weather to pests), and her joy at making things grow (and sharing them with shoppers at the market) are universal. (FYI, she's been talked about here at LTHForum.)

How to watch it:
1) Watch each episode at the Sky Full of Bacon blog (fastest, pretty good HD quality)
2) Watch the new one at its Vimeo page (pretty fast, better HD quality)
3) View or subscribe (FREE!) at iTunes, which I recommend for the highest, full HD quality— and because it will help me keep going to have real live subscribers more than just viewers (not that I don't love them too!)
4) Watch below (but it will be bigger if you follow the links in #1 and #2)

Hi,

I was very impressed by Oriana's success at grafting. There is a fruit tree grafting society in the Chicago area that I once encountered at a public demonstration. They were taking dwarf stock, then grafting a number of different varieties to it. While Oriana was working with larger stock, I don't think any at the grafting society contemplated 30 different varieties in a single tree like Oriana accomplished. Don't like the fruit? Prune the offending branch off the tree, then graft a new branch of something you do like. Intriguing how the fruit tree performs at Oriana's will rather than nature's random selections.

Thank you for another intriguing film.

Regards,

Haven't had the time to sit down and watch until today - thanks, Mike, for another look at farm-to-table in real life. In this one, I was really struck by the commonality between the different farmers (and forager) you've talked to over the course of the series. While they come from different backgrounds and cultures, they all have that same, appealing, pragmatic attitude that must come with the vagaries of growing food.

Had the pleasure of dinner the other night at Vie (as did the Dickson's at another table). For those looking to sample Orianna's black walnuts, Chef Virant has them now in a few dishes. The Vie beet salad combines fresh and pickled beets with the walnuts in an array of interesting flavors. Vie has not been using Orianna's paw-paws, but instead paw-paws from Illinois's Spence Farm. Perhaps more than anything, I wanted the paw-paw pudding when I went to Vie the other night. Instead, I found the paw-paws gone for the year, but replaced by a steamed banana pudding highlighted by the walnuts in a few forms. Life remains good.

Speaking of steamed pudding, as a lot of you probably know, Vie has been purchasing entire cows from Wisconsin's Dietzler Farm. A whole cow gives the Chef a lot of suet/fat to play with. I've been bugging Chef Virant to use some in a steak and kidney pie (after all he has kidneys to play with too), but I also want him to use the suet in a traditional steamed pudding. It would help if you all echoed the suggestions.

Anyways, back to Orianna, her black walnuts are one of the more special crops around. Proof in the value of eating local. After being inspired by MikeG, think about eating at Vie too.

Anyways, back to Orianna, her black walnuts are one of the more special crops around

Though I'll tell you, not having her device at hand, hammering and picking apart enough black walnuts to make a tart is a serious commitment.



But then, so is growing all those things. Anyway, I made it for Christmas, and the fruity-winey complexity of black walnuts is certainly a cut above any other nut.

"It tastes like chicken. Like a free-range chicken."



Sky Full of Bacon #9: Raccoon Stories

Since the 1920s, the American Legion Post in Delafield, Wisconsin has hosted a raccoon dinner to support its youth sports programs. Even as the World War II vets who run it get older and the town itself becomes a suburb of Milwaukee, the spirit of the old Delafield— a place where you hunted for your supper, the town barber was the center of all the activity, and Al Capone was an occasional visitor— lives on in the stories of the folks preparing the 82nd Annual Coon Feed... and in the hearty welcome they give old friends and strangers alike. It's 18 and a half minutes of a midwest that's fast disappearing, but still knows how to have a good time on a Saturday night.

Featuring LTHForum's own Cathy Lambrecht, who of course has posted about the Coon Feed numerous times. And watch for a special celebrity guest chef (I'm sure many LTHers know what story that's leading to).

How to watch it:
1) Watch each episode at the Sky Full of Bacon blog (fastest, pretty good HD quality)
2) Watch the new one at its Vimeo page (pretty fast, better HD quality)
3) View or subscribe (FREE!) at iTunes, which I recommend for the highest, full HD quality— and because it will help me keep going to have real live subscribers more than just viewers (not that I don't love them too!)
4) Watch below (but it will be bigger if you follow the links in #1 and #2)

"Parma is sort of the Des Moines of Italy." --Kathy Eckhouse, La Quercia



Sky Full of Bacon #10: Prosciutto di Iowa

Here’s an example of a local food from the midwest that’s not just good for a local product, but as good as any of its kind on earth. Herb and Kathy Eckhouse of La Quercia set out to make a truly world-class prosciutto—and to do it in accordance with their principles about being environmentally responsible and humane toward the pigs they use. In this Sky Full of Bacon podcast, we tour the prosciuttificio south of Des Moines to see how state-of-the-art technology simulates the traditional Italian way of making prosciutto, and we hear the Eckhouses talk about how they got started, how they’ve built a business in line with their principles, and about getting Iowa farmers to adopt the ancient practice of raising pigs on acorns for the best hams. Plus guest appearances by several of Chicago's top chefs rhapsodizing about La Quercia.

How to watch it:
1) Watch each episode in HD at the Sky Full of Bacon blog or its Vimeo page.
2) View or subscribe (FREE!) at iTunes, which I recommend for the highest, full HD quality— and because it will help me keep going to have real live subscribers more than just viewers (not that I don't love them too!)
3) Watch below (but it will be bigger if you follow the links in #1)



But wait, there's more...

There's lots of amazing ham porn in the video podcast, but there's also a bonus 44-min. audio podcast containing an extended version of my conversation with the Eckhouses in which they talk about creating and marketing an artisanal product, how their prosciutto fits into the local eating movement, selecting farmers, and more. Go here to listen to it.

Chef Phillip Foss of Lockwood has a nice reference to Sky Full of Bacon on his blog...

Imagine seeing this guy on your plate...



Sky Full of Bacon #11: A Better Fish

You hear a lot about fish these days— about eating it for your health, about overfishing and the health of the oceans, about farmed vs. wild. In this Sky Full of Bacon video podcast, I dive deep into the world of fish as it meets us at the dinner table. I go on a tour of one of the country’s largest fish distributors, to see how they move through thousands of pounds of fresh fish a week, and talk with sales rep Carl Galvan, who’s passionate about getting his chef clients to look past the standard menu fishes and explore new and more sustainable options. And I talk to chefs Paul Virant and Cary Taylor, a fish seller from Cleanfish and experts from Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium about sustainability, and some exciting projects that offer promise for a future that still has fish in it. It runs 22 minutes, and it’s the first of a two-part exploration of fish issues that will conclude next month with my trip on a Lake Michigan whitefish boat.

How to watch it:
1) Watch each episode in HD at the Sky Full of Bacon blog or its Vimeo page.
2) View or subscribe (FREE!) at iTunes, which I recommend for the highest, full HD quality— and because it will help me keep going to have real live subscribers more than just viewers (not that I don't love them too!)
3) Watch below (but it will be bigger if you follow the links in #1)

More about a particular sustainable fish (which you can actually eat for yourself next weekend) and how it came to Chicago menus, complete with outtake from the above:

http://www.chicagoreader.com/TheBlog/ar ... -territory

Direct from its star-chef-studded premiere at the Shedd Aquarium, it's...



Sky Full of Bacon #12: In the Land of Whitefish

True Great Lakes whitefish are one of the classics of midwestern dining— and a local and sustainable choice to boot. In the second of my two-part exploration of fish and sustainability, I go on a Lake Michigan whitefish boat to see how they’re fished, talk with the family that runs a fifth-generation, 130-year-old Wisconsin fishery, and talk to chefs and fish sellers (including a 92-year-old “retired” fish seller who still comes in to work every day, and who's a hoot) about what makes these fish special—if, sometimes, a hard sell to diners looking for the latest thing. It runs 19:54.

How to watch it:
1) Watch each episode in HD at the Sky Full of Bacon blog or its Vimeo page.
2) View or subscribe (FREE!) at iTunes, which I recommend for the highest, full HD quality— and because it will help me keep going to have real live subscribers more than just viewers (not that I don't love them too!)
3) Watch below (but it will be bigger if you follow the links in #1)

Even though the total viewership of Sky Full of Bacon to date would be the fifth largest city in Wyoming, I've rarely had the chance to witness audience reaction from more than one or two people at a time.



That changed at the Great Lakes fish/sustainability event Monday night at the Shedd Aquarium, hosted by Supreme Lobster. An audience of about 200 chefs and other food industry/media professionals enjoyed the two most recent podcasts (both about fish, as you can see above).



Beforehand, Paul Virant (Vie), Troy Graves (Eve), and the Shedd's own kitchen prepared a variety of dishes using whitefish and smelts to show off the versatility and quality of Great Lakes fish. The one that impressed people the most, it seemed clear, was Graves' whitefish "crabcake" which really packed all the flavor of a good crabcake (and was fresher than any you'll likely have around here). No sense of a lesser substitute at all. Virant's hearty escabeche and a fried smelt on a kind of edamame-based puddin or stuffing (by the Shedd chefs) were also excellent. Goose Island provided beer alongside (and hosted an after party as well).

It was great getting to see how an appreciative industry audience reacted to the videos, to know that the things I thought were funny or interesting or most eyeopening were pretty much what they thought were, too. Check them out and then... go to Robert's or Dirk's (who was there) or somewhere, and get yourself a nice whitefish!

More here.

"Who looks in the cabinet and sees vinegar and thinks... 'I'll make a pie'?"

Sky Full of Bacon #13: Pie As a Lifestyle



Chicagoans flock to Paula Haney's pie shop Hoosier Mama for great pies made the old-fashioned way, with natural and local ingredients and by hand. She's also helped call attention to the midwest's heritage with this iconic dessert, by reviving 19th and early 20th century pie recipes like Hoosier Sugar Cream pie and using regional specialties such as persimmons. See how the pies get made in a tiny storefront, find out why there's an entire category of pie called "desperation pie," and pick up some pointers for your own piemaking from the pros in her shop in this Sky Full of Bacon podcast.

Hi,

Pie was once the every day dessert. As Nancy pointed out, it was cake which signaled a special occasion. To make a cake by hand is a lot of hard work, which you loose an appreciation for when you have a stand mixer. By contrast, pie is a handmade dessert and relatively easy once you grasped the techniques for crust. However for many the task of making pie crust escapes them, though they can easily make a cake.

I think we now witness a bit of role reversal: a good cake is more common than a good pie. Pie seems elevated to a more important dessert than in the past.

Great show!

Regards,

"They think Americans eat soft cheeses way too late. If you cut it and it oozes out, it's done."

Sky Full of Bacon Multimedia Event: Making Illegal Cheese



The US won't let cheesemakers sell cheeses that use raw milk if they're aged less than 60 days, even as the rest of the world eats such cheeses routinely. In the first half of this video-audio collaboration, I follow along and shoot as David Hammond interviews a local home cheesemaker who shows us how to make raw milk camembert. The video runs about 8-1/2 minutes. Next Monday, on WBEZ's Worldview, Hammond finishes the story with an exploration of the legal issues involved and a taste test (featuring myself and GWiv) to see if we can tell the difference between raw and pasteurized-milk cheese.

Love it! Great job as always. Did you record the tasting from the throwdown?

Jeff

Thanks. I did not shoot the tasting, but it will be part of Hammond's audio piece next Monday.

Mike G wrote:Thanks. I did not shoot the tasting, but it will be part of Hammond's audio piece next Monday.

Yes, Worldview wanted me to broaden the piece, though, so I also talked to a cheese monger and a UC law prof about regulations regarding raw milk products, the possibility that regs are part of a secret conspiracy by Big Cheese producers, etc. WBEZ cut the part, though, where I took a Roquefort to bed.

Thought it was too blue, did they?