Food
Bison beats Beef!
08/12/2009 15:29
Went to 24 Carrots, looking for a replacement for mainstream meat. After watching Food, Inc. Got some venison and some ground Bison, from a farm called Yankee Farmers in Warner, NH. They have two other locations, with about 300 acres and a thousand acres of pasture, where they raise their bison for processing. The small herd (16 animals and a water-buffalo that actually makes them look small!) at Warner is for show. The Farmers (that’s their name, as well as their occupation) are looking to attract visitors, tourists, school groups, etc.
They’ll need to add a little to the “things to see” at the farm, to be a destination. But the store is well-stocked and the prices seem reasonable. You can go up there and buy bison, elk, deer, ostrich and organic chicken in bulk to fill your freezer. The other animals are not grown there; the Farmers have made meat from other local growers available in their store. Or, you can get bison, and several of the other meats from the freezer at 24 Carrots.
We made meat-balls from a pound of ground bison. They were complete a replacement for ground beef. I used to use 93-95% lean beef, so I was used to the leanness of the buffalo meat. According to the Farmers’ info, it’s actually lower in fat than CHICKEN! A few days later, we had bison sausage, fried up with onions. Really good sausage! Tasty, and you can eat it without wondering what nasty stuff is in it. It’s been a long time since I’ve let myself enjoy a good Italian sausage – this will ADD sausage and pepper sandwiches, and all kinds of dishes back into our menu. Nice work, Yankee Farmers and 24 Carrots!
Dave's Keene Mushrooms
08/09/2009 15:28
On farmer’s market day in Keene, we ran into a surprising sign that announced one of the alleys between the downtown blocks as “Mushroom Alley.” I couldn’t resist, so we strolled down it to find Dave Wichland under a white tent at the corner of the parking lot behind the main farmer’s market area. His homemade sign announced him as “Wichland Woods Mushrooms,” and he had a variety of fresh and dried mushrooms, mushroom art, and even two flavors of sun-brewed mushroom tea, which he was offering samples of to passersby.
Paul Stamets’ book Mycelium Running was prominently displayed on the table, so we had a starting point for conversation. Dave has been to Stamets’ seminar, sells his sporulated chain-saw oil, and is probably the local expert in the same way Stamets is the expert on northwestern mushrooms. One of the things that became apparent in our conversation, is that Dave has taken a lot of the general knowledge in books like Stamets’, and adapted it to the particular conditions of the New Hampshire climate and landscape.
We bought a package of fresh Chanterelles and Black Trumpets, which went into a nice white sauce for pasta that evening (it’s always a challenge for me, finding out how to use new and different foods, because I’m not a big fan of recipe-reading. I like to start by using the new thing in something I’d normally eat anyway). Dave also has a landscaping business, and can consult on or implement mycological projects for bioremediation (cleaning up toxins in agricultural runoff, for example) or permaculture-style biological diversity.
Dave has developed a hardy local strain of “garden giant” mushrooms that have been very successful outdoors in Keene. He grows them in his yard, which is walking distance from my yard, so I’m looking forward to dropping by to see his plantings. And then putting some around the yard, so maybe we can pull mushrooms from the garden next year! Dave has tackled all the issues I thought were the “Hot buttons” when I was reading Stamets. It’s great when someone does cool stuff, so you don’t have to do it all yourself!
If you miss Dave on market days, ask Michael and Barb at 24 Carrots – that was the first place I saw his mushrooms.
If you miss Dave on market days, ask Michael and Barb at 24 Carrots – that was the first place I saw his mushrooms.
