If you’ve been paying attention to Michelle Obama’s White House Garden…

Read this: “Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House” NYT Article

Watch this:

If you’ve noticed the increasing number of farmers markets popping up in recent years…

If you’ve read a recent restaurant menu calling out the farms where the ingredients come from…

Read this: “The Top 10 Farm-to-Table Restaurants” Epicurious.com Article

If you’ve read any of the latest and greatest food journalism…

Read these: Grist Food, The Ethicurean, Civil Eats, Cooking Up A Story, Organic Consumers Association

And if you’ve seen any of the recent food documentaries…

Watch These: Food Inc., The Future of Food, Fresh: The Movie, Ingredients

…Then you might get the feeling that there’s something important going on here.

THE NEW GOOD FOOD MOVEMENT

Something is going on, indeed. There’s a growing movement throughout this country to return to a sustainable way of farming, a holistic way of cultivating the soil, a conscious way of eating, and a more enlightened way of looking at our relationship with food. This new movement has manifested itself in various forms, each with a specific and important focus. Here they are in a nutshell:

• Local, Organic, and Sustainable Agriculture:

The people in this part of the new food movement have their hands and feet in the earth. They are focused on practicing and spreading the good news about local, organic and sustainably-produced food. They are farmers and grocers and chefs and teachers and activists and scientists who spend their waking hours caring for the earth, rebuilding the soil, providing healthy food to their families and communities, and promoting the benefits of organic agriculture.

• Accessibility to Real Food:

These people have dedicated themselves to the task of making good food accessible, affordable, and viable for all people. You can find these people creating urban gardens, proposing solutions to the problem of rural and inner-city food deserts, and pioneering farm-to-school programs. They are making sure that food stamps are valid at farmers markets, educating children about nutrition and gardening, and lobbying state and federal politicians.

• Farm Worker Social Justice

These are the people fighting for social justice from the field to your table. They advocate for fair treatment, safety, and living wages for farmers and food workers in our country and throughout the world.

• Fighting Big Agriculture:

These are the journalists, filmmakers, activists, lawyers, farmers, and organizations that are scrambling, fighting, and lobbying for sustainable food’s place at the table of U.S. (and world) Agriculture. They strike back against the misinformation campaigns of the world’s Monsantos, live in the red tape and monotony of bureaucrats, read every page of the epic that is the Farm Bill, file lawsuits, fight appeals, practice politics, and secure government funds. They are dedicated to the end goal of unmaking global institutions and corporations and governments who make sustainable agriculture, good food accessibility, and farmworker social justice impossible.

• Creating a Good Food Community:

These are the journalists, activists, organizations, and everyday people aimed at creating connections between all the aforementioned groups and spreading the message of this new food movement. Their end goal is the enlightenment of the masses and the systemic change of our global agricultural juggernaut.

THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS

Barking Moon Farm @ Ashland Growers Market

Since 2006 Josh and Melissa have been growing certified organic vegetables and producing certified organic eggs on their property in the Applegate. They run a Community Supported Agriculture program and sell their produce and eggs through the Siskiyou Sustainable Cooperative, at two Ashland Farmers Markets (Tuesday and Saturday), and at local grocery stores (Ashland Food Co-op) and restaurants. But leaving their ability to grow amazing produce aside, the most impressive thing about them is the work they do to expand and strengthen the sustainable farming community in our region.

AN INTERVIEW WITH BARKING MOON FARM

MD: How did you guys get started farming, and what made you choose Southern Oregon as a spot to start up Barking Moon Farm?

Josh Cohen & lettuce headed to Ashland Food Co-op

Josh and Melissa: We started gardening on a very small-scale in Santa Cruz, CA. Melissa got a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz and worked for a nonprofit whose mission was to support organic farming. Our love for good food and growing gardens just grew into a dream to someday own our own farm. When we were driving to Oregon to check out grad schools for Melissa, we happened upon the Applegate Valley and immediately fell in love with the land and the area. Coincidentally, acquaintances from our Santa Cruz days, Chris and Melanie Jagger from Blue Fox Farm, moved to the Applegate right around when we discovered it. Anyway, Melissa ended up going to grad school in Montana, and so it was 3 years before we made it back to the Applegate. But during those 3 years we came to visit a number of times as Chris and Melanie were getting their farm up and running. When we returned, we interned with Vince and Mary at Whistling Duck Farm, and bought our farm about a year later. We love the Applegate community. All the farmers are so supportive of each other, and so many young people are buying farms and raising families out here.

MD: As young farmers yourselves, how do you view the future of small-scale sustainable farming in the Rogue Valley and throughout the country?

Barking Moon's 2009 Interns: Mark and Cameron

Josh and Melissa: I think it is the career choice of the future. Of now. Right now. It isn’t easy work and can be very grueling both physically and mentally, and it isn’t easy to start a farm business in terms of economics either. But I think the reason there are so many amazing, persistent and passionate young people wanting to farm out there is because it is intellectually stimulating work and meaningful. I think more and more people are getting interested in where their food comes from and there is nothing more that this country needs than more healthy, young, able farmers to feed them.

MD: I am so impressed with the work you are doing off the farm with the League of Women Farmers and with Rogue Farm Corps. Can you tell us about what you do when you’re not growing or selling vegetables?

Barking Moon Farm in the Applegate Valley

Melissa: Well, as an OSU Extension Agent off the farm, I’m continually working with new farmers. We coordinate a League of Women Farmers that meets often to network, learn and exchange information with each other. Most recently this summer, the OSU Extension was given a grant by the Organic Farming Research Foundation to host four field days for women farmers on the challenges and issues on Organic Certification in this region. We will also be training women farmers on carpentry this year, and hopefully we will do welding and tractor training next year. We have over 75 women farmers, both new and established, that participate in the group.

We also hold an 8-week business planning course called Growing Farms in which we help new farmers develop a plan for their farm. And if we can secure the funding, we will be launching a farmer incubator program in partnership with THRIVE and the Friends of Family Farmers, in which new farmers go through our Growing Farms course and then get set up on OSU Extension land to start their new farming enterprises.

Josh and Melissa: At Barking Moon Farm, we host two interns that live and work with us each season, from March through October. They learn all aspects of running a farm: soil, field prep, greenhouse, planting, harvesting, marketing, as well as all the business skills associated with running a farm such as insurance, bookkeeping, etc. We provide the interns with housing, food, a stipend, and lots of other perks.

We also are a part of Rogue Farm Corps, an internship program in the valley with about 10 participating farms. We teach parts of the Rogue Farm Corps curriculum, this year focusing on the intricacies of pastured poultry and Community Supported Agriculture. Our hope is that the interns will take all the skills they learn on our farm and begin new farms of their own in the future, or take those skills and apply in them in other managerial farm situations. While training and working with interns for 8 months of the year takes a lot of effort, we actually love this part of our farm and really develop close relationships with our interns. We are passionate about teaching and providing new skills to potential young farmers.

MD: Wow! What is it that drives you both to do what you do, every day?

Barking Moon's Organic Chickens in the distance

Melissa: We love the work of farming. It definitely isn’t the money that drives us to farm. It really is the good work that we are doing, the meaning of it all, and the belief that we are making an impact on our community. It is pretty darn addicting as well. I just can’t stop talking about it.

MD: As a farmer, and advocate for small farmers, is there anything you would like to say to all the everyday consumers out there?

Melissa: Small-scale farmers work really, really hard for very little return, and provide the highest quality food to communities all over the world. Please thank them for what they do and give them as much of your support as you can.

Dave Belzberg of Rolling Hills Farm

Dave Belzberg is no georgia-peach-growing great grandmother. But given the right mood and circumstances, his peaches just might bring tears of joy and delight to your eyes. They are really that good.

Dave has been growing his organic peaches at Rolling Hills Farm in Southern Oregon (Griffin Creek area) for almost 24 years. Before moving south to the Rogue Valley, Canadian-born Dave grew plums up in British Columbia for 10 years. That gives him almost 35 years of experience in the orchards!

Dave’s Canadian plums were also grow organically, but as he points out, things were much different back then. ”We grew things organically, but no one called it that. There were no certifications. We were just doing the right thing.”

And if you have ever seen and tasted one of Dave’s beautiful, juicy, planet-sized peaches, you know that doing the right thing truly does pay off.

Another impressive aspect of Rolling Hills Farm is Dave’s hands-on approach. Even after 20 plus years, Dave can still be found out in his 25 acres of orchard, picking, sorting and packing the fruit. In fact, I first met him wearing his picking basket, hauling a ladder from tree to tree, flying up and down that ladder, picking fruit, and packing the next shipment bound for Ashland Food Co-op. It was kind of him to take a break and show me around the orchard.

Dave's Desk at Rolling Hills Farm

“That’s my desk right there,” he said with a smile, gesturing toward a sorting table in the middle of the orchard. ”Not a bad view from my office.”

Not a bad view indeed. And I felt very privileged to be able to wander the orchard, take pictures, and enjoy the smells and sounds of the farm.

Rolling Hills Farm, Certified Organic Peaches

Here is the lowdown on where you can find Rolling Hills peaches: Dave supplies most of his crop to Ashland Food Co-op, but you can also find his peaches at Food 4 Less, Market of Choice, Ashland Tuesday Growers Market, Medford Thursday Growers Market, and Ashland Saturday Growers Market.

Rolling Hills grows the following varieties of peaches: P17s, 49ers, Elbertas, Red Havens!

The good news is that Rolling Hills’ orchard bears fruit all the way into October! The better news is that the sweeter and arguably more delicious fruit comes on later in the season!

Right off the Tree, Doesn't get any Better!

So find these local peaches wherever you can, and support Rolling Hills while peach season is still here, you will not be sorry.

I’ll leave you with a blast from the past:

Rogue Valley Brambles - Talent, Oregon

When Ken and Susan Muller first looked at the Rogue Valley with their new farm in mind, they saw an abundance of exceptional produce farms and talented produce farmers. Operations like Whistling Duck, Barking Moon, Hi Hoe Produce, Blue Fox, Rolling Hills, and a multitude of others were getting the job done, and doing it well.

But the one thing that Ken and Susan didn’t see much of was poultry. Specifically, high quality pastured poultry and eggs. And so a little over two years ago, equipped with family histories in farming, experience and skills gained from WWOOFing, and a healthy dose of inspiration, Ken and Susan set out to fill this niche and transform Margaret Krout’s (Susan’s mother) seven acres into a bonafide pastured poultry operation.

Today that transformation is complete. The infrastructure is in place, the chicken houses are beautiful, their flocks are growing strong, and their customers are spreading the word. And as a new customer myself, it’s time for me to help spread the word about this amazing local food resource!

There have already been some great articles about Rogue Valley Brambles that are worth a peek: Mail Tribune, Friends of Family Farmers, Daily Tidings. But in this article, I want to delve a little deeper into all the amazing foodstuffs the farm is producing and let you know where and when you can find Rogue Valley Brambles.

FARM FRESH EGGS:

Rogue Valley Brambles’ eggs are truly in a different class. They’re beautiful, rich in color, extremely fresh, flavorful, and sustainably raised. They’re some of the best eggs I’ve seen, and well worth the cost and a trip to the growers market to find them. This is what sets them apart from the rest:

COLOR – Ken and Susan’s eggs are so beautiful you’re almost tempted not to touch them. Many of the rare breeds that they raise (Araucana, Wyandotte, Buff Orpington, Delaware, Polish, New Hampshire, Cochin, Jersey Giant, and Gold Sex Link) lay eggs with unique and beautifully colored shells. The blue eggs from their Araucana hens are particularly striking.

NUTRITION – the eggs yolks are picture perfect. They are a bright and  carotenoid rich yellow-orange, reflecting the hens’ natural diet of bugs and grass. (Here is an article talking about evidence for the benefits of pastured eggs)

Rogue Valley Brambles Egg fried in Rogue Creamery Butter

FRESHNESS – the yolks are also extremely perky, sitting high up above the egg white. This is a reflection of the freshness of their eggs (the yolks of older eggs begin to droop down and flatten out).

TASTE – Rogue Valley Brambles eggs are full of flavor. Unlike the bland, lifeless flavor of mass produced eggs, Ken and Susan’s eggs are rich, savory and addicting.

8-Minute Eggs and Chioggia Beets

GROWING METHODS – It’s easy to see that Ken and Susan have put a lot of love, effort and thought into their egg operation. The painstakingly constructed hen houses on wheels, the electrified predator fencing, the flood irrigated fields of grass and carotene-rich insects, the organic supplemental feed, the solar-powered barn and heat lamps, the rotational grazing system, and their philosophy of sustainability are all crucial elements that contribute to the excellence of Rogue Valley Brambles eggs.

You can purchase a dozen eggs in 4 different sizes: $4.00 for smalls, $4.50 for mediums, $5.00 for larges, and $6.00 for x-larges

Happy Hens at Rogue Valley Brambles

PASTURED CHICKEN:

That same love, effort and ingenuity also went into the design of the chicken operation, the farm’s piece de resistance. This is what truly sets Rogue Valley Brambles apart from the pack. Local, free range, grass-fed, sustainably-raised chicken is a commodity in high demand these days (especially here in Southern Oregon where it’s hard to find). And I believe that once more people learn about Ken and Susan’s farm, the harder it will be for Rogue Valley Brambles to keep up with demand (a good thing for them, I hope). Last year they processed around 300 birds, and this year they set a goal for around 1000.

Ken calls the meat chickens that they raise “Slow Broilers”. Specifically, they are  a hybrid from the Delaware and Cornish Cross breeds. These chickens have many advantages over Cornish Cross chickens, which is what most large scale chicken farms produce.

• Enhanced viability—meaning they are sturdier, healthier, and have more “on reserve” to deal with episodes of stress such as changes in weather.
• Exhibit much of the plumpness and broadness of breast of the Cornish Cross.
• Superior in flavor and nutrition to the Cornish.
• Have a moderately fast growth rate—but a balanced growth in which not only muscle tissue but all systems are developing healthily and in sync.
• Have an efficient digestive system which converts feed to flesh with a minimum of loss and waste.
• Be vastly more proficient than the Cornish at “rustling its own grub” ranging on pasture. (more here)

Just like their hens, the meat chickens eat mainly bugs and grass (which is fertilized with their own manure in the rotational grazing system they use), and are supplemented with organic grain if necessary. They are given no antibiotics or hormones, and reach proper size for harvest at about 12 to 14 weeks (almost twice as long compared to conventional broiler chickens).

Solar Powered Heat Lamp for Baby Chicks

On the farm there are chickens in every stage of development, to keep the wheels of the operation turning and the customers fed.

Ken and Susan, and their crew of WWOOFers, process chickens every other weekend (about 50-60 per day). And man are they delicious! We roasted ours with a little butter, fresh herbs, and sea salt.

You can pick up their chickens for $4.75/lb.

Herb Roasted Chicken

PASTURED TURKEY:

One of Ken and Susan’s several exciting “experiments” on the farm, is this year’s flock of grass-fed, pastured turkey. They are raising two different heirloom breeds: Bourbon Reds (learn about this heirloom breed)and Holland Whites (learn about this heirloom breed). I, for one, am ridiculously excited for this. An heirloom, grass-fed, pastured turkey for Thanksgiving? And I can pick it up just down the road? Yeah…go ahead and count me in.

Ken and Susan estimate their turkeys will weigh between 10 and 20 lbs, and the price this fall will be $6.75/lb.

Ken Muller and his Heirloom Turkeys

OLIVE OIL AND MORE:

In addition to their chicken and eggs, Ken and Susan have developed a following for some of their other market offerings, especially their organic olive oil. That’s right. I just said olive oil.

Ken’s family has been farming near Woodland, California since the 1940′s. And some years back, Ken and his father planted an olive grove on the family property. Today they harvest and press those organically grown olives into their very own olive oil!

At the growers markets they sell Arbequina Olive Oil (spanish olive variety, balanced flavor, fruity aroma), Koroneiki Olive Oil (greek olive variety, grassy-fruity-peppery aroma), and a proprietary blend.

Olive oil is $11.50 per 500ml bottle for Arbequina and Koroneiki varieties and $8.50 per 500ml for the blended oil. These prices include a bottle, but a refill or filling one’s own bottle is $.50 off. People can also bring bottles of different sizes and Ken and Susan will adjust the price accordingly. Discounts are possible for larger amounts. 

Another exciting and upcoming “experiment” on the farm is organic heirloom apple cider! Right now there are several varieties of heirloom apples growing and ripening in a small orchard adjacent to the poultry pasture, and Ken plans to test his hand at some cider production. Hopefully we will get to try the final product later this fall?

Rogue Valley Brambles also sells raspberries, apples and various vegetables, depending of course on the time of year.

WHERE AND WHEN TO FIND ROGUE VALLEY BRAMBLES:

Now that you know about some of the amazing foodstuffs that the farm produces, it’s time to answer the most important question: Where and when can I find all these amazing foods?

Currently, you can find Rogue Valley Brambles at several growers markets in the valley, and on their farm during the weekend. Their poultry is only available for pickup at their farm, but you can buy their eggs, olive oil, produce, and place your orders for chicken & turkey at the growers markets. You can also place an order for their chicken & turkey by calling 541-210-2278. Ken and Susan hope to someday provide their poultry (and other goods) to local grocery stores (such as Ashland Food Co-op). This will require a USDA Certified Processing Facility, which, because of the significant red tape and monetary investment, could still be a ways out. Until then, support these amazing farmers and eat local!

• TUESDAY GROWERS MARKET in ASHLAND every week, 8:30am to 1:30pm

• THURSDAY GROWERS MARKET in MEDFORD every week, 8:30am to 1:30pm

• SATURDAY GROWERS MARKET in ASHLAND every other week, 9am to 1pm

• AT THEIR FARM in TALENT (View Larger Map) every other weekend, 4pm to 7pm (CALL 541-210-2278)

Photo Courtesy of friendsoffamilyfarmers.org

Wooldridge Creek Vineyard, Applegate Valley

With all the talk about Eating Local, Farm-to-Table Cuisine, and Local Food Movements, often times the movement to Drink Local is an afterthought. But for those of us that do partake in the drink, choosing local vineyards and wineries is as worthy a cause as choosing local farms. Not to say that the bottle of Brunello di Montalcino or that Chateauneuf-du-Pape should be left forgotten and unappreciated. What I’m saying is to think before you drink, and perhaps give the locals a larger portion of your wine dollar. After all, drinking local wine keeps money in the local economy, cuts the number of food miles that the wine has to travel, and supports smaller producers who prioritize stewardship of the land and who often utilize more sustainable practices (L.I.V.E. – Low Input Viticulture and Enology). In this article, you will find a list of wine resources specific to Southern Oregon, and Southern Oregon wineries according to AVA (American Viticultural Area). I’ll also point out wineries that are L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable, and profile Wooldridge Creek Vineyard & Winery (photos throughout blog are from their tasting room, vineyard, and barrel room). Hopefully this information will help people realize (or remember) the exceptional abundance and quality that we have at our doorstep.

Tasting Room at Wooldridge Creek Vineyard and Winery

THE IMPORTANCE OF TERROIR: No matter how many new innovations in wine-making come to us through technology, no one can ever deny the vital importance of terroir. Terroir can be loosely translated to mean “a sense of place”. More specifically, terroir expresses the idea that the specific environment in which grapes are grown imparts a very unique quality on the resulting wine. Micro-climate, soil chemistry, and topography are all determinants of terroir. The influence of these factors can be so significant that two wines from the same growing region, the same town, the same vineyard, and yet from two separate hillsides, can have a distinctly different flavor profile and aroma. To many people, this idea of terroir is the ultimate expression of “local flavor”.

Applegate Valley, Southern Oregon

GREAT GRAPES GROW IN SPECIAL PLACES: Many regions across our country create amazing produce, and yet the number of regions in the U.S. that create exceptional wines can be counted on one hand. We owe this fact to the ethereal and tempermental nature of the grape. For each grape variety, very specific growing conditions must be met before we can even begin to talk about the intricacies of winemaking technique or the influence of terroir. Only certain places on this earth meet these specific growing conditions. And even fewer places possess the unique growing conditions that allow exceptional wine to be made. To name a few: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand(Sauvignon Blanc); Mendoza, Argentina (Malbec); Alsace, France and Mosel Valley, Germany (Riesling); Burgundy, France and Willamette Valley, Oregon (Pinot Noir); Napa Valley, California and Burgundy, France (Chardonnay); Montalcino, Italy (Sangiovese); Rioja, Spain and Southern Oregon (Tempranillo). That’s right! Southern Oregon has made it to the big time. And not only has Southern Oregon been recently reconized as a hotbed for world class Tempranillos, but many other grape varieties thrive here: “The cooler areas in the region produce Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Gewürztraminer while the warmer, more arid regions ripen big reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Tempranillo, Merlot, Malbec, Dolcetto, Zinfandel, Grenache and Syrah. Many other unique varieties such as Albarino, Pinot Blanc, Gruner Veltliner, Marsanne, Rousanne, Baco Noir, Marachel Foch, Mourvedre, Semillon, Petite Sirah and Viognier are also grown; making Southern Oregon one of the most diverse wine-growing regions in the world.” (sorwa.org)

WINERY PROFILE – WOOLDRIDGE CREEK VINEYARD & WINERY: Ted and Mary Warrick, the founders of Wooldridge Creek, have been growing grapes since the late 70′s, and theirs was one of the original vineyards in the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. Despite this old-school pedigree, today (with the help of co-owners and winemakers Greg Paneitz and Kara Olmo) Wooldridge Creek employs many “cutting edge” methods. They also craft amazing wines with the twelve grape varieties that they grow in their vineyards. Their Gewürztraminer, Syrah, Rose, and (very unique) Warrick White were all standouts during a recent wine tasting.

Sustainably Designed Barrel Room at Wooldridge Creek

Here are some of their very cool, very sustainable methods that set them apart from the pack:

1. The winery is gravity-fed, meaning no pumps are used to propel the grape must into the tanks. Although this is not a new method, more and more wineries are rediscovering and utilizing this technique to ensure the grapes are handled more gently and naturally during the winemaking process.

2. The winery was constructed using both recycled materials and wood from the surrounding property.

3. The barrel room is an inspiring example of sustainable design. It was built in such a way (partially underground and with river rock trenches that facilitate cooling and humidity) as to maintain a constant temperature without the use of any artificial heating, cooling, or humidifying. In fact, during the recent heat wave, the barrel room reached a temperature of 64F while outside was a balmy 109F. Winemaker Greg also stated that the electric bill for his house was more expensive than the electric bill for the entire winery!

4. Both the vineyards and winery of Wooldridge Creek are L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable. In a nutshell, L.I.V.E. Certified Growers use green practices and “natural materials found on the farm to grow their grapes. When growers go off-farm for fertilizers, for example, or for disease treatments, they must choose from a limited list of approved materials. These are chosen for their safety to consumers, workers, and the environment. Many of these materials are also organic approved.”

Wooldridge Winemaker Greg Paneitz

5. Wooldridge has implemented a new and slightly unorthodox distribution program (video) intended to cut the costs for all parties involved and to leave a much smaller environmental footprint than traditional means of wine distribution. They have decided to supply a few select local restaurants with kegs of their premium wine. That’s right, high quality wine right out of the tap. No bottles, no corks, less waste, longer shelf life for wines by the glass, cheaper prices for the restaurants and for consumers, and more volume for Wooldridge . What a great idea! Visit Standing Stone Brewery in Ashland and Kaleidoscope Pizza in Medford to get Wooldridge wines on tap!

WINE GROWING REGIONS OF SOUTHERN OREGON:

• Southern Oregon AVA

The Southern Oregon AVA exists in the southwest portion of the state, stretching 125 miles from south of Eugene to the California border, and 60 miles at its widest between the Cascade Mountain Range to the east and the Coast Range to the west. It encompassesUmpqua Valley, Rogue Valley, Red Hill Douglas County, and Applegate Valley appellations. (oregonwine.org)

• Umpqua Valley AVA

Umpqua Valley AVA sits between the Coast Range to the west and the Cascade Range to the east, with the Willamette Valley AVA to the north and the Rogue Valley AVA to the south. Named for the legendary fishing river that runs nearby, the appellation stretches 65 miles from north to south, and is 25 miles from east to west.

• Red Hill Douglas County AVA

Red Hill Douglas County is a sub-appellation of the Umpqua Valley AVA near the small town of Yoncalla, which lies about 30 miles north of Roseburg and parallels Interstate 5. It encompasses 5,500 acres and is a single vineyard AVA, one of just a few in the country.

• Rogue Valley AVA

The Rogue Valley AVA is the southern most winegrowing region in Oregon. It’s made up of three adjacent river valleys (Bear Creek, Applegate and Illinois valleys) that extend from the foothills of the Siskiyou Mountains along the California border north to the Rogue River. It is 70 miles wide by 60 miles long and encompasses the Applegate Valley sub-appellation.

• Applegate Valley AVA

Applegate Valley is a sub-appellation of the larger Rogue Valley AVA in Southern Oregon. It stretches 50 miles north from the California border to the Rogue River just west of Grants Pass. SOUTHERN OREGON WINE RESOURCES: Southern Oregon Winery Association Wines NW Oregon Farm and Wine Tour Oregon Wine Umpqua Valley Winegrowers Association WINERIES AND VINEYARDS IN SOUTHERN OREGON:

• Umpqua AVA

Abacela Amaranth Ridge Vineyard and Winery Anindor Vineyards (L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable) Becker Vineyard Bradley Vineyards Brandborg Winery Chateau Nonchalant Vineyards Delfino Vineyards Girardet Wine Cellars Henry Estate Winery HillCrest Vineyard Julianna Vineyards MarshAnne Landing Melrose Vineyards Misty Oaks Vineyard Palotai Vineyard and Winery Reustle-Prayer Rock Vineyards River’s Edge Winery (L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable) Spangler Vineyards Wild Rose

• Red Hill Douglas County AVA

Sienna Ridge Estate

• Rogue Valley AVA

Agate Ridge Vineyards Carpenter Hill Vineyards (L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable) Crater Lake Cellars Cliff Creek Winery Daisy Creek Vineyard Del Rio Vineyards EdenVale Winery Folin Cellars Madrone Mountain Vineyard Paschal Winery Pebblestone Cellars Rocky Knoll Vineyard RoxyAnn Winery (L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable) South Stage Cellars Trium Winery (L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable) Weisinger’s Winery Volcano Vineyards

• Illinois Valley Unofficial AVA

Bear Creek Winery Bridgeview Vineyards Deer Creek Vineyards Foris Vineyards Windridge Vineyard

• Applegate Valley AVA

Academy Wines Applegate Red Winery Cricket Hill Vineyard and Winery Cowhorn Vineyard and Garden (Demeter Certified Biodynamic and Certified Organic) Devitt Winery Fiasco Winery Jacksonville Vineyards John Michael Champagne Cellars

Longsword Vineyard Rosella’s Vineyard

Schmidt Family Vineyard Slagle Creek Vineyards Soloro Vineyards Troon Vineyard Valley View Winery Wooldridge Creek Winery (L.I.V.E. Certified Sustainable)

Cheers.

A bit about milk, and a listing of exceptional dairies and creameries found in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon.

THE MAGIC OF MILK

Today, in contrast to this statement, most of us humans view milk as an ordinary commodity. A pasteurized, homogenized industrialized, and subsidized commodity. We “creatures of the breast” (mammals) have forgotten what an extraordinary substance milk really is.

In its purest form, milk is a magical, living fluid that contains all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients and calories necessary for new mammalian life. Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking, puts this fact in a larger context when he states that:

[Milk] gives newborn [mammals] the advantage of ideally formulated food from the mother even after birth, and therefore the opportunity to continue their physical development outside the womb. The human species has taken full advantage of this opportunity; we are completely helpless for months after birth, while our brains finish growing to a size that would be difficult to accommodate in the womb and birth canal. In this sense, milk helped make possible the evolution of our large brain, and so helped make us the unusual animals we are.

The cultural practice of dairying and drinking the milk of other animals (sheep & goats, and later yaks, camel, cattle) is believed to have originated over 10,000 years ago, and has also had a significant affect on human development. Although milk from dairy animals was not as beneficial and suited to us as mother’s milk, its efficient source of calories and nutrients played a major role in the success and spread of early human civilization.

And perhaps most importantly (at least to the culinarily-inclined among us), milk is the foundation from which the myriad of other amazing dairy products are built. Cream, butter, ghee, yogurt, buttermilk, creme fraiche, sour cream, koumiss, kefir, and thousands of fresh and aged cheeses are all derived from milk.

This all being said, we have most likely forgotten about the magic of these substances because most of today’s milk is the opposite of magical.

PASTEURIZATION:

Despite the fact that for thousands of years raw milk was the norm, in today’s industrialized dairy production, pasteurization has become a necessity. According to Harold McGee, “collecting and pooling milk from many different farms increases the risk that a given batch will be contaminated; and the plumbing and machinery required for the various stages of processing afford many more opportunities for contamination.”

But along with killing the bad microbes, pasteurization also kills the beneficial microbes and inactivates milk enzymes. And the flavor of pasteurized milk is a completely different animal when compared to the raw substance.

There are however, lesser evils when it comes to pasteurization.

High heat pasteurization is the most widespread method used. In this method, milk is pumped through a heat exchanger at a minimum of 162F for 15 seconds (Most dairies bring the temp much higher, around 171F). These temperatures kill just about all the living elements of the milk (good and bad), denature around 10% of the whey proteins, and create the distinctive cooked taste found in most milk today.

Batch pasteurization takes a fixed volume of milk and heats it to around 145F for 30-35 minutes. This is the lesser of all evils because it has a relatively mild effect on flavor, and at least some of the beneficial enzymes, microbes and proteins survive.

HOMOGENIZATION:

When milk is left on its own, the fat-laden cream will rise to the top. The process of homogenization was created in France to prevent this from happening and evenly distribute the milkfat. The process itself involves pumping hot milk at high pressure through small tubes and nozzles, a fairly turbulent event.

And although this produces a creamier mouthfeel, less of a tendency to create off flavors, and whiter milk, it also results in a blander taste and a less ‘alive’ substance (homogenization almost always accompanies pasteurization).

LARGE FACTORY FARMS & r-BGH:

Most of today’s dairy operations are terrifying juggernauts of technology and efficiency. Animals are confined in disgustingly close quarters, pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones (which have been shown to have negative affects on human health), and milked by huge machines. It’s a scary, scary sight to behold, and it’s sad how far astray we’ve gone from the traditional family farms of yesterday.

END RESULT

So as a result of all these modern day processes and additives, the majority of us have been left with milk that has been tortured, abused, contaminated, and adulterated. We have been left with milk that is bland, unnaturally white, standardized, and devoid of life. We have been left with a liquid commodity in every sense of the word.

THE DAIRIES NEXT DOOR

But all doom and gloom aside, there is good news people! There are some dairies leading the way, and doing things right. And more importantly, when it comes to food, the consumer has the power! Collectively, we can change the way milk is produced with the flick of the pocketbook.

Pholia Farm Goat Cheese

When it comes to local milk, those of us in Oregon, and in particular in the greater Rogue Valley, are lucky enough to be endowed with exceptional local dairies and creameries. Help support these people and the amazing things they’re doing by purchasing their products and spreading the word.

Siskiyou Crest Kid

GOAT MILK

Mama Terra Micro Creamery – This small family dairy and creamery operates out of Williams, Oregon. Animals are fed local, organic, “no spray” hay and organic grains. Their fresh and aged Farmstead Cheeses are available at growers markets and retail stores throughout the Rogue Valley.

Pholia Farm – This small but highly acclaimed dairy and creamery operates out of Rogue River, Oregon. They specialize in raw milk aged goat cheeses. You can find their cheeses in select restaurants, at Rogue Creamery, or at their farm on select dates.

Siskiyou Crest Goat Dairy – The Siskiyou Crest Goat Dairy is located on Boones Farm in the heart of the Little Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon.  They craft goat dairy products using fresh goat milk and create unique artisan cheeses in their on-site creamery. You can find their cheeses at restaurants and retail stores throughout the valley, and they also provide their goods to the Siskiyou Cooperative.

Willow Witt Ranch – Willow Witt is simply an amazing place. Period. Not only do they provide pastured meat and dairy products, but they also offer farmtours, farmstays, birding, hiking, skiing, and pack-goat adventures! They are located in the Southern Cascades near Ashland.

Willow Witt Ranch

COW MILK

Rogue Creamery – This world renowned artisan creamery has been making cheese since 1935, and making blue cheese (which made them famous) since 1957. You can find their products at restaurants and retail stores throughout the valley, and at their storefront in Central Point.

Rogue Creamery

Umpqua Dairy – Their milk and cream comes from family farms in Southern Oregon! Guaranteed antibiotic and hormone-free! Not bad for a larger dairy operation.

LOCAL MILK SPOTLIGHT: UMPQUA DAIRY

HISTORY & RECOGNITION

In 1931 Ormond Feldkamp and Herb Sullivan opened up a dairy stand next to the Roseburg train station with nothing in hand but $500 cash, a delivery truck, and a little wooden icehouse. They bottled milk, churned butter, and made ice cream, selling these goods to train passengers at the Roseburg Train Station.

Soon after this humble beginning, they began delivery routes all over the county, and by 1936 made enough money to tear down the wooden icehouse and construct a larger, brick facility. Part of this old building still stands, and has been incorporated into their new facility.

Umpqua gets its milk from independent family farms in Southern Oregon and Northern California and contracts with each farm independently, meaning they work closely with each farm to ensure high quality product. Every farmer Umpqua works with is committed to never using rBST/rBGH growth hormone in their dairy cows.

Today, Umpqua has five distribution depots around the state, and they distribute their products from Northern California up to Washington.

And over the past 10 years they’ve won numerous nationwide awards for the quality of their products, facilities, and business practices. In fact, they were awarded Quality Checkd’s Irving B. Weber Distinguished Award of Excellence (their most prestigous award for overall excellence) back to back, in 2006 and 2007.

WHAT THEY’RE DOING WRONG

Umpqua is a traditional dairy, and as such, it does a lot of things wrong from the milk purist’s perception.

• They Homogenize (and Pasteurize) their milk.
• They are Not an Organic Operation.
• They Add Undesirable and Unnecessary Ingredients to their cultured dairy products.

WHAT THEY’RE DOING RIGHT

But at the same time, we must recognize Umpqua Dairy for what they’re doing right. Because those things are extremely commendable and ahead of the sustainability curve compared to most other large dairies. Hopefully they will continuously re-examine their practices and eventually move towards dairy products in the mold of Straus Family Creamery in California. In the meantime, their milk and cream are excellent local choices for those of us in the Rogue Valley. Here are some of the things they’re doing right:

• They Don’t Ultra Pasteurize their milk, leaving some enzymes alive and flavors intact.
• The have a Strong Commitment to Supporting Local, Family Farms in Southern Oregon. And they are strongly committed to the Buy Local Movement as a whole.
• On the same note, they work closely with these small farms and Ensure that No Antibiotics or Growth Hormones are Used.
• As evidenced by their national recognition, Umpqua Dairy has some of the Highest Quality and Production Standards around.

Here are a few strategies and resources that can help you on your way toward making eating local a way of life. Hopefully, before you know it you’ll be cruising toward a future of sustainable food and a healthy local food economy.

1. FIND YOUR CLOSEST FARMERS MARKETS

This is the local eater’s bread and butter. It’s a sustainable gathering place where consumers and farmers can meet, connect, and share information and support. It’s a place to purchase food direct from the source, with minimal time and distance from the pitchfork to your plate. Check out these cool online resources that can help you find and learn about all the farmers markets near you.

For everybody:

Local Harvest

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service

For Oregonians:

Oregon Farmers Market Association

Oregon Department of Agriculture

For Rogue Valley Folk:

Grants Pass Growers Market

Eagle Point Saturday Market

Selma Farmers Market

Hillcrest Growers and Craft Market

Rogue River Sunday Market

Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters Markets – Ashland Tuesday, Medford Thursday, Ashland Saturday

Talent Evening Market

2. CONSIDER SIGNING UP FOR A C.S.A.

CSA = Community Supported Agriculture, also known as a farm share. In a CSA Program, the consumer purchases a “share/membership/subscription” in a farm, and in return they receive a box of seasonal vegetables each week. There are benefits for both farmers and consumers. Ask your favorite farmer at the farmer’s market if they offer a CSA!

Advantages for farmers: (from localharvest.org)

• Get to spend time marketing the food early in the year, before their 16 hour days in the field begin.
• Receive payment early in the season, which helps with the farm’s cash flow.
• Have an opportunity to get to know the people who eat the food they grow.

Advantages for consumers: (from localharvest.org)

• Eat ultra-fresh food, with all the flavor and vitamin benefits.
• Get exposed to new vegetables and new ways of cooking.
• Usually get to visit the farm at least once a season.
• Find that kids typically favor food from “their” farm – even veggies they’ve never been known to eat.
• Develop a relationship with the farmer who grows their food and learn more about how food is grown.

3. SHOP AT A FOOD CO-OP OR NATURAL FOODS STORE

Food Co-ops are  community-owned grocery stores that are committed to consumer education, product quality, and member control. Food Co-ops have been known as leaders in providing the community with high-quality organic, local, and sustainably produced products. Food Co-ops also take pride in building relationships with local growers, and do their part to support local communities by selling produce grown locally on family farms.

Learn more about Food Co-ops

Check out Ashland Food Co-op

Medford Food Co-op Coming Soon

4. SECURE A PLOT IN A COMMUNITY GARDEN

Growing your own food is as local as it gets. This is also a great way to ensure that eating local is a fun and educational experience. Here are some community gardens in the Rogue Valley.

Phoenix – Blue Heron Community Garden – 482-5293

Ashland – Ashland Community Garden – 488-6606

Ashland – Earthtribe Community Garden (Ecology Center of the Siskiyous) @ Southern Oregon University – 552-8512

Talent – Great Green Garden @ Talent Elementary – 535-9055

5. BUY DIRECT FROM A FARM STAND

Many local farms sell their own produce from a farm stand. Similar to visiting a farmers market, this is a great way to interact face-to-face with those that grow your food. Farm stands, however, bring you that one step closer to where your food is grown. And the drive out to many farm stands takes you through some beautiful country. So make it an experience: pack a picnic basket and a bottle of local wine and head out to a farm stand near you.

Oregon Department of Agriculture Farm Stand Listing by County

Oregon Farm Bureau Farm Stand Guide

Well alright! These resources should get you started on the road to local, sustainable eating.

Over the next few weeks, I will be traveling out to local farms, wineries and fisheries. Here is a list of some of the places I’ll be going. Follow the blog, let me know what you think, and show these amazing folks a little support.

Barking Moon Farm

Wooldridge Winery

Rogue Valley Brambles

Rolling Hills Farm

Whistling Duck Farm

Blue Fox Farm

Port Orford Sustainable Fishery

Mud Puddle Farm?

WHAT

Over the past decade, the local food movement has finally made its way back into the fringes of our culture’s mainstream. I use the word back because our short memories neglect to remind us that during the early years of our country, eating local was simply the way of the world. Eating local was neither fad nor trend but was, simply, what’s for dinner. You cooked with food out of your own garden, with food you hunted or foraged, or with food you purchased from your neighbor or local farmer. One only needs to leaf through the first few pages of Mary Randolph’s seminal cookbook, The Virginia Housewife (which many consider the first truly American cookbook) to see how eating locally was ingrained in the day to day lives of 19th century Americans.

Knowing these truths about our culinary roots makes a  trip down memory lane even more strange and hilarious: the turn of the century saw us eating home-cured meats, hearth-baked breads and seasonal vegetables; the middle of the century saw the introduction, rise, and eventual domination of processed foods (at the expense of local foods and food traditions); the 1960s and 70s saw local and seasonal eating hopelessly relegated to the likes of hippies, back-to-the-landers, and a very select few prophetic farmers and chefs; and today eating local has re-emerged as a growing trend, movement, and life-style all rolled into one, equipped with its own set of advocates and detractors, its own new-fangled vocabulary (“foodsheds“, “locavores“, and “food patriotism“), and its own social, political, economic, and environmental ramifications.

And although today’s incarnation is the seemingly trendy shadow of its forgotten former self, eating local is still about consuming food in harmony with the seasons, not in spite of them. It’s still about eating not only with respect to geographical distance, but also with respect to climate and growing region. And it’s still about both being more self-reliant, and being more connected to your fellow neighbors and your community.

In its most pure form, eating local means consuming only those foods (100% of their ingredients) which have been sustainably grown, raised, and/or produced within your foodshed (or within a designated radius), and by members of your greater community. In today’s world, this is a seemingly daunting task. But in many fertile regions throughout the U.S., eating local is easier than it appears, and is an altogether worthy endeavor.

WHY

So why eat local? What makes it a worthy endeavor? And what’s in it for me?

Everything tastes better.

Unlike processed food and food coming from factory farms thousands of miles away, local farm products are chosen for their ripeness, not for their ability to withstand industrial equipment and extended travel. So by eating locally a person can actually experience the true flavors of foods without sacrificing their tastebuds. Josh Viertel, former director of the Yale Sustainable Food Project and current president of Slow Food USA puts ity best when he says there is a very seductive thing about sustainable food: people are able to do the right thing by the environment and by their community not only without suffering, but while still experiencing intense pleasure and satisfaction.

Help yourself by helping your local economy.

Eating local and buying local keeps your dollars circulating within your own local economy. 

Support small farms and family farmers.

When small farms sell their products through national distribution chains, the increased costs of transportation, packaging and advertising offset their already small profits. When you buy from local farmers, the farmer receives a larger portion of the food dollar.

Help protect open space and farmland.

Supporting local farms helps ensure that the productive and beautiful farmland surrounding our cities will remain into the future.

Help build community.

Interacting with those that grow our food helps to create a stronger and wider web of community.

Help protect natural resources.

Food traveling through our current distribution system is resource intensive. Over 90% of the fossil fuels used in the world food system go to packagaing, transporting and marketing. Buying local cuts down food miles and lessens the carbon footprint of our food.

Help build your community’s food security.

By becoming an active consumer and eating responsibly you can help to control your own food resources. Wendell Berry puts it best: “We cannot be free if our food and its sources are controlled be someone else. The condition of the passive consumer of food is not a democratic condition. One reason to eat responsibly is to be free.”

HOW

In the next blog post, I will explore the hows of eating local and provide a few simple strategies and helpful resources.

Over the next two months, I will be traveling to local farms, vineyards and fisheries in search of agricultural (and aquacultural*) excellence – taking pictures, meeting some amazing growers and producers, and learning a few things along the way. You will be able to find these blogs on the Ashland Food Co-op Blog and on Return to Tradition. My partner in crime, Mary Shaw, will be examining another side of local food on her blog, Local Pantry. In particular she will explore local food preservation, traditions, lore, and recipes.

Well….it’s hot, it’s Friday, and there’s a salmon to cured and smoked. I’m off.