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Recipes

Whipped Kohlrabi and Potatoes

You can’t go wrong with this combination. It places your mashed potatoes in a different league than grandma’s—but makes them just as great. Make this for your next holiday feast, and you certainly won’t have any left over. From Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables.

Serves 4

1 pound baking or russet potatoes (about 4 potatoes)
2 pounds kohlrabi (about 8 medium bulbs)
3 to 4 tablespoons butter
1/4–1/2 cup milk or cream, depending on how rich and creamy you like it
1/2 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper

1. Boil the potatoes and kohlrabi separately (use two pots if need- ed) until tender, 20 to 35 minutes depending on size. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the liquid from either vegetable.
2. Peel the potatoes and kohlrabi. Mash them together in a large bowl. (Larger, more mature kohlrabi should be run through a food mill to remove fibers.)
3. Melt the butter in a small pot over medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of the milk or cream. Heat until almost simmering and remove from heat.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the potato mixture. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste and beat until fully combined and smooth. Add another 1/4 cup of milk or cream for more rich creaminess, if desired. If you want a smoother texture, slowly stir in the reserved cooking water until it reaches the desired consistency. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Market News

As it does every year, Christmas snuck up on me once again. Athens Locally Grown will be open next week, but I’m still finalizing the details. It looks like we’ll move our pickup day to Wednesday the 23rd instead of having it on Christmas eve, but I’ll know for sure by next weekend. This week, we’ll be on our usual Thursday schedule.

Many of you have been asking about the raw milk situation, and where things stand. Progress is being made, but it’s slow, and ongoing. There are four approaches to returning access to clean raw milk to you. All four are being worked on, by us or other interested parties. Here’s where we are:

1. The first approach is to work within the existing law. Georgia does allow the sale of raw milk from Georgian dairies, so long as it is sold as pet food and the dairy has a pet food license, available for only $75. There are dairies around the state that do this, but I can’t vouch for the cleanliness of their milk, and right now I’m not comfortable letting them sell through ALG. None are in our immediate area, anyway, so it’s not like they’re asking to get in. There is an area licensed dairy that I’m very comfortable with, but they have not yet decided to sell raw milk to the public. They are considering it, and we’ll see where that leads. Even though this is legal under state law, however, just this week state agriculture officials have begun harassing farmers selling this way. For example, the market manager at the Norcross farmers market was told by two agents that it is against the law to sell raw milk even with a license (which is just false), and that she would be “held responsible” if a regular raw milk pet food vendor continued to sell there. This latest action is particularly alarming, and I’m trying to get more details as to what exactly happened.

2. The second approach is to change the law through legislation. I’ve mentioned the federal bill introduced by Representative Ron Paul that would clarify the FDA’s ban on interstate movement of raw milk, and would specifically unambiguously allow what Athens Locally Grown was doing — facilitating your purchase of raw milk from South Carolina dairies. The other leg to this is to get Georgia law re-written, so that raw milk could be sold for human consumption. State Rep. Bobby Franklin has introduced a bill that would remove all regulations on raw milk. I personally favor an approach more like South Carolina’s, where the milk is tested and certified free of pathogens. That insures a good clean milk that, frankly, grain fed and confined cows just can’t provide. Athens Rep. Doug McKillip is investigating this approach. A year ago, I would have said that neither bill would have a chance of passing. This year, though, with all the coverage this issue has received in the press, it might have a better chance. If you’d like to help, contact your state representative and senator and tell them you’d like to see raw milk become available in Georgia (whether regulated like S. Carolina or not regulated at all). Also, contact your federal representative and senators and let them know you’d like to see Ron Paul’s bill pass.

3. The third approach is through the courts, to get judges to rule that either the FDA’s ban is unconstitutional on its face, or that its enforcement of the rule agains individuals and purchasing clubs is wrong. We are among the plaintiffs of a pending suit that hopes to achieve this. It’s in the final stages with the lawyers before it gets filed, so hopefully we’ll see some news on it soon.

4. The fourth approach is activism to try and convince the state department of agriculture that they are wrongly enforcing the rules, or to try to force the issue beyond what happened to us in October. One person is organizing a group milk purchase, to be held in the open, and is practically daring the ag department to interfere. The delivery will happen near Athens, and he is looking for individuals who are willing to order milk through him and take part in this delivery. You can find details on his website: http://juicymaters.com/blog1/?page_id=355. I know some of you have wanted to be more active in this, and here’s one way you can. Without milk orders, his protest won’t have any effect.

Across the country, the FDA has suddenly stepped up its actions against raw milk. It is putting pressure on states to do the same. For example, in Springfield, Missouri, agents went to the trouble of setting up an undercover sting operation against a dairy family, and filed charges that might result in jail time for the family. I’m watching this one very closely, because it has direct consequences for Athens Locally Grown. In Missouri, raw milk is legal for a dairy to sell directly to consumers off the farm. The dairy is allowed to deliver that milk, but cannot sell it off the farm. This particular dairy took pre-orders (much like ALG) and had their customers pay in advance, and then delivered to a parking lot (again, much like ALG). One week, two customers who had ordered a gallon each didn’t show to pick up their milk. Another customer offered to buy the two gallons so that they wouldn’t go to waste. The two young women making the delivery, daughters in the dairy family ages 17 and 21, agreed and as money changed hands, the undercover agents came out of hiding. For this, they face jail time. You can find out more about this at Springfield’s local newspaper here: http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912060312.

Every week, we have two or three people who fail to pick up their orders. I used to make home deliveries for these people, or hold the items for the next day, and so forth, but the legal restrictions now keep me from doing any of that. Now, if you don’t come, your items get donated and I charge you anyway. If you reach me while market is still open, I put your items on the “extras” table so that others may buy them and reduce your liability. But now, given this action in Springfield, I have to see if even doing that doesn’t expose me to too much risk. I certainly can’t ask my volunteers to risk jail time to sell a pack of hamburger on your behalf if you can’t make the pickup. It’s all ridiculous, but also part of a dangerous and scary pattern.

I’d earlier put up video my wife took of the milk dumping at my farm on YouTube. This week I got some footage shot by the professional videographer for the upcoming documentary “Farmageddon” and was given permission to share it with you. It’s a bit over six minutes long, and you can find it at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/346/milkdumping.mp4

Athens really gets to show off our local food system this winter, as the Georgia Organics annual conference is being held in Athens on February 18-20. The keynote speaker will be Slow Food Founder and Leader, Carlo Petrini. Also attending is Woody Tasch, a leader of the “Slow Money” movement, and Alice Varon, director of the Certified Naturally Grown program. And at least 1200 others, all dedicated to the sustainable production and distribution of healthy locally grown foods. For the first time, they’re opening up the trade show portion of the conference to the general public, but if you’d also like to attend the conference itself (there are tracks for farmers, gardeners, cooks, and others you’d be interested in) they will be opening up registration very soon. Even if you won’t be attending yourself, please consider this: to make the travel expenses more affordable for farmers who travel from across the state (and beyond), Georgia Organics is looking for Athens households willing to host a farmer in their home during the conference. Check your calendars, see if you have a room you’re willing to share, and if so please let Georgia Organics know by emailing Jonathan Tescher at jonathan@georgiaorganics.org or by filling out the form you can find at http://athens.locallygrown.net/files/document/document/334/2010HomeStaysForm.pdf.

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, local food, and our rights to eat it. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at Ben’s Bikes at the corner of Pope and Broad Streets from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

The Athens Farmers Market has closed for the winter. You can watch for news during the offseason on their website. The other area markets are also all closed for the season too. All but Athens Locally Grown, that is.

Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!