Magical Yeast

When I told someone that Kristin made vanilla, maple,raw milk yogurt, their response was, "thats made with cultures, right? Isn't that dangerous?" Contrary to the heebie-jeebies some of us get when we think about the process of fermentation it is very safe and exciting. Start off with milk or juice and end up with yogurt, cheese, kefer, kombucha, beer, wine, vinegar or liqueur.



Yeast cultures have been used for thousands of years to preserve, sanitize and to make bread. The fermentation process allows us to store liquid products that would normally expire quickly. Historically we would save a portion of our last batch and us it to start the next batch of whatever we are brewing. By choosing the best performing cultures each time we had domesticated and selectively bred yeast for thousands of years. Now science has allowed us to isolate cultures making fermentation extremely safe (and idiot proof.)



Almost every one uses yeast at some point to bring a loaf of bread to rise. If you have ever made a loaf of bread you are just a hop, skip and a jump away from making your own wine and cheeses. Last year we made thirty bottles of Australian Chardonnay, today we racked five gallons of a Pomegranate Zinfandel (not local ingredients but...) We are even brewing our first batch of kombucha.

While wine and fermented tea may seem a little complicated yogurt is not. You can get started buy ordering yogurt cultures online at www.customprobiotics.com or check out Radiance at 9 West Grant St. Lancaster, PA, across the cobble stone from Central Market.

If we can make yogurt, then you can make yogurt. Just start off with wholesome ingredients. We get raw milk from a local amish dairy with a roadside sign, (pictured above.) When I pull that gallon container out of their refrigerator in their little store I am standing no more than fifty feet from the milk pump. That's fresh milk.

Use the right ingredients and yogurt making will be a rewarding experience. It would be an easy project to do with little kids or as a couple, like us.

While Kristin watched the thermometer diligently waiting for the milk to cool, the smell of vanilla and maple syrup filled the kitchen with sweet anticipation. Tomorrow morning we will enjoy our first batch of vanilla, maple, raw milk yogurt. We will be sure to tell you how it goes.

Coffee Break

There are a few things that we decided early on that we were going to make exceptions for. Coffee was the first. Our inspiration for trying the 100-mile diet was the Kingsolvers as chronicled in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. They made an exception for coffee but stipulated that it be fair-trade and organic. We already bought a fair-trade organic label from BJ's Wholesale club and we wanted to add a local twist to our selection.



Lancaster has many great artisan coffee roasters. Our favorite by far is Square One on Duke Street. Josh Steffy and his wife Jess run a coffee shop that goes beyond atmosphere and creates a whole coffee experience. They care for people by using only fair-trade certified and organic beens. They strive for a quality roast every time and it is apparent in the smokey flavor of their artisanal coffees.

Today we jumped in the car and headed over to Duke St. When you walk inside Square One it gives you a casual feeling. It is all exposed brick and recycled lumber. Edgy young artists have there art showcased on the walls and the music is chill but with a beat. Their website packs just as much fun and attitude as the cafe. Check it out: www.squareonecoffee.com

We bought a bag of Columbian and a bag of Peru which we shared later that night with my brother and his wife's family. It was exceptional. If every part of our 100-mile diet is as rewarding as Square One Coffee than this is going to be a great year. Thanks Josh and Jess.

Hospitality

There are some rules that we never ironed out before we started our 100-mile diet. One of them is how do we deal with hospitality. Our pride wants us to make it three-hundred and sixty five days without once cracking for a dark chocolate or a Dr. Pepper. The reality is that we will be guests at other people's tables. At some point we were going to be faced with the decision to turn down dinner invitations and become hermits or make some concessions when hospitality is involved.

It did not take long for an opportunity like this to come up. Kristin was away to New Jersey to visit for her Goddaughter's birthday. My meals were reduced to pieces of cheese and eggs in her absence but I stuck to our commitment diligently. Sunday came and my brother called me to see if I could help him tear down a tree in our grandfather's backyard. It was a big tree and I was hungry in the end. My grandfather wanted to order pizza to repay us for the mess we had created in his backyard. I did not know what to do. I did not want to throw it all away on Papa John's. My dignity was on the line. I did not mind going hungry a little longer, waiting to eat at home. What had me stuck was that I did not want to turn down my grandfather's hospitality. So I obliged. I ate Papa John's pizza.

This created an interesting conversation between Kristin and I. We want to follow through with our commitment so that we can show other people that is possible. However, if we hold our nose up at the food that people us offer we will just upset every one. Every week we try and make it to dinner on Tuesdays with my brother and his wife's family. Strange I know, but they're great people and we all like each other. Our parents live a couple states away. This weekly tradition was the centerpiece of our consideration Sunday night when Kristin got home. We tussled with all of the options. First, we stop going on Tuesdays. Second, we bring our own food and eat it while everyone else stares at us with funny faces. Finally, we still go but offer to cook at our house on occasion and bring side dishes made with local ingredients.

In the end we decided it was much more important to maintain our friendships than be snooty about where the food came from. We set some guidelines for these situations that will keep us in line with the main goal of our new way of eating. Like we drink water instead of juice or soda. We can offer to bring sides with local ingredients. We want our friends to see how flavorful and practical local food is. To accomplish that we need friends. When local food goes head to head with the rules of hospitality, hospitality wins.

Fries without Ketchup

When we were planning our One-Hundred mile diet we knew that we would be forgoing a lot of foods. One of the first things that we realized we would miss dearly is condiments. Most of our favorite refrigerated sauces are riddled with extra sodium, sugar and fat. Thats why we love them so much.

For our sake they pose a problem because they are decidedly not local. Our mayonnaise and salad dressings found their way into the trash. The hardest for me to give up was the ketchup. Like an addict I never realized my dependancy until the threat of losing it. Its not so much that I like ketchup on my fries. Rather I consider fries an edible utensil for scooping ketchup into my mouth.

Once called ‘katsiup’ the chinese recipe got its origins as a fermented fish sauce. In the 1600s sailors picked up the recipe and it began to change as it traveled around the world. It was not until the two hundred years later that we find recipes printed that included tomato. Now most bottles have a hefty dose of high-fructose corn syrup.

No more sugary tomato sauce for us. So what did we whip up quick as a replacement when Kristin made Grass-fed burgers and fries? We made an old favorite from my childhood.

Sweet and Spicy Honey Sauce


2 Tbs Honey (Local aviary)

1/4 tsp Hot sauce (Made in Lancaster with local peppers)

This is a simple inexpensive recipe for dipping and it makes a good BBQ replacement when grilling. Look for more advanced condiment recipes after we master the secret art of mayonnaise, mustard and ketchup.

Day 1

Today is the beginning of a new lifestyle for my wife and I. We chose Earth Day to be the first day that we eliminate all of the thousand-mile-salads and January-tomatoes. Starting today and continuing until April twenty-first of 2011 we will consume only food that is produced within one-hundred miles of Lancaster PA.

Inspired by Barbara Kingsolver and her family's adventures with local food in Animal, Vegetable Miracle, we decided to try out the one-hundred-mile diet ourselves. So for one year we will eat produce grown in the very same soil that dirties our hands and gets in our eyes. A large portion of our diet will be sustained by our garden which we cooperate with my brother Cody and his wife Chelsea on. The rest of our food we will buy from produce stands, markets and local food stores.

We awoke early and had local free-range eggs and pancakes made with flour from Daisy Organics. Daisy breaks our rules a little bit but most of the wheat is sourced near by and if not than it still comes from the east coast instead of from out west. It is also milled in Lancaster County.

Which brings up a good point. Not every thing grows in Lancaster, Berks, Lebanon, Chester... one hundred miles goes along way. However, nowhere within one hundred miles will we find a fruiting banana tree, or a citrus grove. So where do we draw the line? Well we had to sit down and decide what our purpose was and what foods do not comply with that purpose. We'll explain our decisions another time. But for an example; we decided to purchase only fair-trade coffee from a Lancaster City roaster, Square One Coffee. The coffee farmers get a break, a local business gets a break and we get really good coffee. So we tread a line between what works for our diet and what does not. Basically any major calorie food will be grown and processed within one- hundred miles of Lancaster.

Today was rough. We got hungry. We got grumpy. At the end of the day Kristin made an amazing meal with spinach, mushrooms and a cheese sauce. Local food at its best.

Final 4

We are four days away from the launch of our new way of eating. Starting April 22nd we are going to eat only food grown within one-hundred miles. (with exceptions like salt, etc.) Last night we wandered through the aisles of our neighborhood grocery. We bought a bottle of kombucha tea so that we can start brewing our own. As we passed the rows of over-packaged food we realized we wouldn't be visiting places like this very often this year. It was a strange feeling turning down our usual treats. Even the produce section offered little for us to partake.

We liken this feeling to when we are getting ready to go on a big trip. I do not know why but it feels like we are going away and things will be strange when we get there. We have done our research so food will not be scarce. Still its odd to think that we will not be able to stop for a quick chicken sandwich at Burger King. We can not even eat bananas. A nervous feeling is setting in.

These last four days we are consuming a few things that we can not bare to give away. The last of our International Delight gave Kristin's coffee a smooth farewell goodbye.

Kristin went to one of her favorite farm stands today. It opens early and offers asparagus and last season's potatoes. Both found themselves welcome on our plates next to the pre-roasted chicken that I picked up from the grocery store.

We emptied our pantry and put all of the unqualified food in a box for family or charity. Soon our refrigerated condiments will find there way into the garbage. Goodbye Hellman's. See ya later Heinz.

Breaking Ground

You will be hearing about our garden now and again within the posts of this blog. It is closely tied in with our commitment to eat local food. Both of our families had gardens growing up. My family had at least an acre and it provided for most of our produce. My brothers and I did not realize how lucky we were to grow up eating fresh organic produce. Back then we wished we could just buy our food instead of weeding for it. Now we rent land to grow because we love gardening.

My brother cody is the mechanical type. He is six foot seven inches of sunburn and broad shoulders. I am the thinker and tinkerer. I love plants and I am fascinated with how garden and agricultural plants fit into the natural world. It is not unbelievable to see me out in my yard with a flashlight observing worms go about their work with fascination. We make a good team and this project gives us plenty of time to spend together. Our lives revolve around the garden and its cycles.

From the garden we intend to harvest much of what we need this year. Last year we did some canning for the first time since we left the farm that we grew up on. Hopefully we will be ready for the canning mayhem come August when the tomatoes and string beans are overflowing our kitchen.

Today we tilled the soil that will grow our food. With the no-till methods that we plan on using hopefully we will not have to do that again. Even though I regret the vermicidal (worm-death) practice of blending the top soil like a smoothy, it was exciting to break ground. The long winter is over. Three feet of snow has melted and every thing is in bloom. Soon we will be munching on fresh lettuce and sugar snaps.

Elephant Bones

Yesterday I (Kyle) got home from work and got a phone call from my brother. We are cooperating on a eight-thousand square foot garden this year. We had lovingly potted seventy-five heirloom tomatoes, about three-hundred onions, peppers and eggplants who had sprouted happily in our backyard in a makeshift green house. For four weeks I watered them daily and constantly monitored the temperature and humidity.

On easter weekend we spent a day and a half building a larger greenhouse before moving our little green babies into it. They were all tucked away safe in the new greenhouse in Cody's yard (my brother.)

I got a call from him a week later. Winds had taken the wooden framed structure and flipped it upside down along with the built-in shelf. All of our lovingly tended seedlings got dumped upside down. "I think they'll be ok." he said, but I was not very optimistic. I told him I would be right over.

When I pulled up the twisted frame of our greenhouse stuck into the air like the ribcage of an elephant. My heart wanted to break. I wanted to be mad but what would that get me? I had no one to be mad at. The wind does not care who its enemies are. God hadn't conspired to kill our Brandywine tomato seedlings. So I helped Cody and his wife Chelsea clean up the mess and we repotted most of the plants. They spent today in the back of his pickup with clear plastic tarp pinned over it creating a makeshift cold-frame. Meanwhile Cody is building Greenhouse number two.

Permaculture

(Permanent Culture)

When we decided to be more active about living a "greener" life we were stumped. Our goal was to make personal steps towards addressing the many environmental problems created by such a large, consumerist society. We were ready to go "green" the problem was we did not know how.

There are so many "green" products today that it almost seems like "green" is its own brand. What does it actually mean to be "green"? Are organic strawberries that travel two-thousand, six hundred miles to my refrigerator really good for the environment and economy?

To answer these questions we sought out Lancaster's permaculture experts and signed up for an introduction to a permaculture workshop. Ben Weiss and his business partner Dillon Naber sponsored the class and explained the basic principals of permaculture.

Permaculture, as defined by one of its founders David Holmgren, is, "Consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships found in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fiber and energy for provision of local needs." Permaculture addresses the needs of finding renewable resources while eliminating waste. It offered to give us, as a couple, the tools to evaluate "green" products and technologies and qualify them as legitimate or not. The foundation of permaculture is analyzing and evaluating so that one can build a sustainable system. We were excited after the workshop and decided that it would be important to send one of us to take the permaculture certification course.

I (Kyle) signed up for the course and today was my first day. It was exciting to have discussions with people who see the importance of a low impact lifestyle, some of whom. I am mentally exhausted and excited. Ben and Dillon are very excited about what they do and that energy was apparent in their teaching. Some of the subjects were tough and even depressing.

The beginning of the class discussed the topic of energy descent and all of the implications that it could have on our society. It was all doom and gloom, a world with rising food costs, lost farmland and exploding gas prices. (Basically the apocalypse.) The mood changed as we began to discuss all of the possibilities that permaculture offered. We saw video of projects that reaped amazing results in some of the most inhospitable environments. The lesson was, if we can take arid, salted hardpan and grow figs and citrus fruit then systems can be set up anywhere to provide for all of humanities needs.

This class is an important part of our decision to eat local. Both our local diet and the desire to get a permaculture certificate stem from our desire to make this world a better place for our children. We want to stop sending our money to the oil wells and keep it in our local economies.

Tomorrow the class resumes at Reed's Run Nature Preserve. It will be a day of mixed emotions for me because the property was bought from my grandmother. I lived there with my mother, father and two brothers for eight years, while I was in high-school. To me it is, "back home on the farm." Our asparagus patch lives on along with the pear trees and the chestnut trees that our grandfather planted. We still go there to harvest the abundance of wild raspberries to make preserves. It will be interesting to learn what insights Ben and Dillon have for this place.

April 22nd gets closer every day. Many people are excited to hear about our progress. From now until then you can catch random posts as we say goodbye to some of our favorite foods in favor of local fare. We did take advantage of the cheap strawberry crop this year. They were enjoyed with a batch of Kristin's hand whipped topping. Those strawberries came from more than two thousand miles away. Besides many small operations and CSAs with strawberries, there is a farm that grows several thousand bushels less than fifteen miles away.

Twelve days left and counting.