Tilth Producers Brunch

Way back in July, I was approached by Zach Zink of the Pike Place Market to help with a fundraiser for the Tilth Producers of Washington. They are an organization of over 400 growers that promotes “ecologically sound, economically viable and socially equitable farming practices that improve the health of our communities and natural environment.” Sounds like something right up my alley! I’d been familiar with the big annual event they organize that gathers farmers from all over the state for a weekend of networking and workshops to offer organic agricultural techniques, research and issues. I’d also attended a Farm Walk at Stokesberry Sustainable Farm, one of ten half day workshops that is cosponsored by WSU. Those are educational and fun activities that can also provide the forum to exchange meaningful dialogue regarding farming techniques and theories.

So Zach asked me to put together a brunch menu and he’d source the goodies for me. He also managed to get Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin to come and give remarks to the brunch attendees. The brunch was held in Carnation at the Carnation Tree Farm in barn that has a converted loft. The views from the top of the barn are of the tree farm and a nicely sized garden and, in the distance, Tolt-MacDonald Park.

I kept the meal fairly simple, given that I had only a small home-style kitchen to work in for a meal for 40 people. A mixed greens salad dressed with fresh blueberries, goat’s cheese and a basil-mint vinaigrette was accompanied by a winter squash soup garnished with an herbed sour cream. Grandview Mushroom Farm donated some shiitake and chanterelles which were used with Larkhaven Farm’s aged sheep’s milk cheese to create a savory mushroom frittata. Rosemary and garlic spiked fingerling potatoes and wilted Lacinato kale were passed around the room on platters. For dessert, I baked some emmer flour biscuits and served it with deliciously fresh whipped cream and a simple raspberry coulis. The dairy products came form Golden Glen Creamery, and I highly recommend seeking out their products. A quick shout-out to some of the other farms that donated goods to the brunch include: Full Circle Farm, Alm Hill Garden, 21 Acres Farm, Growing Things, Sidhu Farms, Baird Orchards, Willies Greens, Herbco, Bluebird Grain Farms, Nash’s Organic Farm, Columbia City Bakery, Caffe Vita and Madison Market who supplied oil, wine, and various sundries.

It was nice to see some familiar faces, including PCC’s Goldie Caughlin, Growing Thing Farm’s Michelle Blakely and King County’s “Farmbudsman” Steve Evans in attendance. Councilman Conlin’s comments were perfect for the feel of the event. “Food is a people connector:” was the theme of his remarks. He noted that the Seattle City Council is moving into new ground on many fronts with their effort to strengthen the King County Action Food Policy Council. First, continuing to find ways of getting local food into our schools, hospitals, and institutions. Next, by giving more funding to established groups like Food Lifeline and SPU’s Food Recovery Task Force. Finally, he stated the goal of the Council to free up land that the city and county have had control over for decades to provide for more community gardens and P-patches. I was amazed when he said that there are over 2600 people who participate in community farming in the city’s gardens, but that the waitlist has another 2600 people waiting for a place to grow their own vegetables. Conlin’s objective is to have nobody on the waitlist and put the dirt in the people’s hands.

Recipes: Full Circle Farm Cooking Demo

Savoy Cabbage and Baby Carrots with Herb Salad
Serves 8 as salad course

Ingredients
1 bu salad burnett
1 bu bronze fennel
1 bu chives
1 bu mint
1 bu lovage
1 bu tarragon
1 bu sweet cicely
1 lb mixed sweet peppers
1 bu white pearl onions
2 ea Savoy cabbage
1 bu thumbalina carrots
1 bu rainbow carrots
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp red wine vinegar
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1) Mix the Herb Salad: Wash and dry all of the herbs and pick the individual leaves off of each of the herb bunches. The chives can be cut into ½” batons and the tarragon may be lightly chopped if the leaves are large. Mix all of the herbs together and set asides, covered lightly with a damp towel.
2) Make the Vinaigrette: In a small bowl whisk together 1 Tbsp and 1 tsp vinegar. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.
3) Prepare the Vegetables: Roast, peel, and roughly chop the sweet peppers. Peel and cut the onions in half. Slice all of the carrots on a Japanese mandoline or slice very thinly with chef’s knife. Shred the cabbage with chef’s knife.
4) Cook the Vegetables: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in large sauté pan over high heat. Before the oil is smoking, add the onions and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for three minutes until the edges of the carrots begin to brown. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper to taste and cook covered for an additional six minutes. Remove cover and allow liquid in the pan to evaporate for one minute. The vegetables can be served hot or at room temperature.
5) Assemble the dish: Place the vegetables on eight salad plates, In a medium bowl, mix herb salad with vinaigrette, salt and pepper. Place a small pile of the herbs on top of the vegetables and enjoy. Bon appétit!


Lobster Mushrooms with Fennel and Tomato
serves 8 as a side dish

Ingredients
1 lb lobster mushrooms
2 ea fennel bulbs
2 pints mixed cherry tomatoes
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh bergartten sage, chiffonade
1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
dry white wine
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Method
1) Prepare the Mushrooms: Brush off any dirt with a coarse brush. Cut the lobster mushroom (if large) into quarters. Slice each mushroom piece into ¼” thick slices and set aside in a bowl. Heat a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and mushrooms in a single layer. Sauté for three minutes and season with salt and pepper. Deglaze the mushrooms with a splash of white wine. Set mushrooms aside.
2) Prepare the Fennel and Tomatoes: Remove most of the fronds from the fennel bulb. Using a Japanese mandoline or large chef’s knife, thinly slice the fennel into long strips. Remove stems from tomatoes. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes and cook until they begin to blister. Remove the tomatoes and add ½ Tbsp olive oil to the pan. Cook the fennel for four minutes until it begins to soften. Add thyme, sage, salt, pepper and the blistered tomatoes.
3) Finish the Dish: Rewarm mushrooms and toss with the fennel and tomato mixture. Transfer to serving platter and garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Enjoy!

King County Harvest Celebration Tour at Full Circle Farm

Last Saturday was the annual King County Harvest Celebration Tour. This year I was paired with Full Circle Farm in Carnation and I was asked to prepare samples of the farm’s seasonal produce. I treated this cooking demo much like I would treat my farmers market cooking demos – I arrived with knives and cutting boards in tote, but would allow the availability of produce determine what I’d be preparing for the Tour’s participants. (Full disclosure – I was emailed the produce availability list earlier in the week and I came prepared with a couple of recipes I could use as a guide.)

The very first local farm to get in touch with me when I returned to Seattle in 2005 was Full Circle Farm. A certified organic farm with restaurant and farmers market sales as well as one of the countries largest CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) programs, the farm stood out amongst the small farms of Carnation. When I finally met the farm’s owner, Andrew Stout, I understood why we were draw together – Andrew’s belief and passion about producing high quality foods for the local market and my desire and obligation to transform this produce to delicious menu items was a natural fit. I was immediately impressed right away not only about the diversity, variety and quality of their produce, but also the level of service provided by sales manager Lance McCune.

Three years later, some faces at Full Circle have changed, but the attitude has not. Maggie Hoback and Emily Thompson, guided by the inspiration of Andrew, are continuing to emphasize the role of the small farm in community and they are looking to the coming years as making the farm a model of sustainable farming and center of community and educational activities. I look forward to the opportunities that will be presented to me and other Seattle chefs in helping to forge their visions.

So, more details about the dishes I demoed for the visitors to the farm. I absolutely LOVE Full Circle’s selection of herbs, and so I wanted to make a dish featuring an herb salad as a garnish. I hand-picked several bunches of tarragon, sweet cicely, bronze fennel, spearmint, chives, and salad burnett. I had hoped for lovage as well, but the harvest was unavailable for me. The fragrant collection of herbs were tossed with a little raspberry wine vinaigrette and served over a sauté of just-pulled yellow and orange baby carrots, and Savoy cabbage, which Maggie indicated had been harvested by her only an hour earlier.

On my table display I had several large lobster mushrooms. Throughout the day, people asked what they were which is no surprise – the Pacific Northwest is one of the only places this beautiful mushroom grows in the wild. I’ve loved cooking with them because the earthy flavor and toothful texture yields to an aroma that complements many styles of cooking. For this demonstration, I wanted to provide more fragrance from freshly sliced fennel bulbs and the sweet juiciness of cherry tomatoes. I added a little sage and thyme to some tomatoes that I had blistered in a pan. The fennel was wilted slightly and the mushrooms were seared in a skillet. Everything was brought together to simmer in the tomato juice for a few minutes and the result was a versatile side dish that could accompany salmon, halibut, lamb or even pasta noodles.

Thanks go out to Full Circle Farm for providing me with the delicious ingredients for the cooking demo, to Maggie and Emily for helping to organize the day’s activities at the farm, to King County for continuing to promote the region’s seasonal bounties, and, of course, to everyone who came by the demo to grab a recipe, watch the cooking, and tour Full Circle Farm. Hope to see everyone at the farm next year!