Archive for the ‘Pavillion Update’ Category

The July 2011 issue of Ag Opportunities is now available online at http://agebb.missouri.edu/mac/agopp/index.htm Please feel free to share with others who may be interested.

Of particular interest to local farmers might be the “Selling Directly to Consumers Workshop” and the article called “Pricing Goods for Profit!”

• July Webinar – Marketing on the Web
• Have You Missed any Missouri Beginning Farmer Webinars or Workshops?
• Berry and Grape Production Workshop
• Selling Directly to Consumers Workshops
• Upcoming Missouri Beginning Farmers Program Workshops
• A Preliminary Assessment of Agrotourism in Missouri
• Cover Crops
• Pricing Goods for Profit
• Grants and Assistance
• 2011 Green Hills Farm Project Farm Walks
• Regional Grazing Schools for 2011
• ON THE CALENDAR

Did you know that you are part of an all-local, innovative program that will  help to ensure that healthy, fresh and local foods are available to those most at risk of disease due to poor nutrition?  Did you know that the AHF program was profiled in USA Today as the top news story out of Missouri?  Did you know Boone Hospital Center’s President Dan Rothery is this year’s (2011) Honorary AHF Chair?  Did you know that we need your support now to launch this important program in May?  Please visit the AHF page link below to see the letter from Boone Hospital Center, the USA Today story and to contribute to this exciting new program!  We need your help TODAY! 

AHF INFORMATION

Thanks to everyone who made the 2010 Taste of the Market such a great success. 

Here is just a partial list of folks to THANK!

Emcees: Peggy Kirkpatrick & Judy Baker and Win Grace

Sponsors:  Boone County National Bank, The Columbia Farmers Market, Columbia’s Kitchen, Kilgore’s Medical Pharmacy, MFA Oil, Missouri Legacy Beef, MU Bradford Research and Extension Center, Twaddle Orthodontics

Food from:  Annie’s Breads, Boley Farm, Crocker Farm Pork, Kenny Duzan, Grower, Main Squeeze Natural Foods Café, Missouri Legacy Beef, Nobis Farms, Pete’s Produce, Phil’s Garden, Rt. B Greenhouse, Shepherdsfield Bakery, Show Me Farms Beef, Shrock’s Greenhouse & Produce, Thoenen Ag Sales, Uprise Bakery, and Walk-About Acre- Honey Ice Cream

Entertainment from:  The Bubbas, The Rambling Daniels, LaMovida, Dancers- Ashley from studio B, Face Painters: Ami Romero-Perez & Sam Albert

IRON CHEFS: Craig Cyr from The Wine Cellar & Bistro; Aaron Wells-Morgan from Les Bourgeois Blufftop Bistro; and Jina Yoo from Jina Yoos Asian Bistro.
The Iron Chef Judges:  Mayor McDavid, Andrea Cobb  Karen Touzeau, John Turchiano, and Nick Twenter.  Sous Chefs: With Craig Cyr- Martha Dragich, With Aaron Wells-Morgan- Mindy Lonkausky, With Jina Yoo- Nazak Birjandifar

Event Photographer Kevin Dingman

The Steering and Advisory Committee Members for the Pavilion Campaign

And the nearly 100 Volunteers who helped plan, set up, run and clean up the 2010 Taste of the Market!  We could not have done it without you!!!

ENJOY THE SLIDESHOW.  If you have any fun pictures from the event and you are willing to share them with our site, please email them to me!  casey@farmersmarketpavilion.org.

Read about a massive egg recall!  Head on over to the Columbia Farmers Market this weekend and try some fresh, safe eggs!! 

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/19/eggs.recall.salmonella/index.html?hpt=T2

Judy Baker, Chris Stevens, Don Ginsburg and other local celebrities enjoy the feast!

At the Taste of The Market, 2009, three Local Chef/Local Farm Dinners were auctioned to benefit Sustainable Farms & Communities Pavilion Project. Chef Ben Randolph and farmer Dan Kuebler teamed up to host a dinner for eight at the Salad Garden Farm. Our dinner was bought by Sharon & Don Ginsburg, Judy & John Baker, Bonnie Trickey & Larry Giddeon, and Jennifer Perlow & Chris Stephens. Kim Coldicott and I were on hand to assist.

We began with icy mint tea and a tour of the farm showing vegetable production in the fields and high tunnels, along with the solar powered irrigation system. Dinner started on the deck under a canopy but rain moved us inside to a grand harvest table.

Ben Randolph, former Executive Chef at Trattoria Strada Nova and currently Chef at Harpo’s, created a seasonal tasting menu highlighting local foods from our farm and others at the Columbia Farmers Market. The multi course meal featured many small plates giving a sense of the chef’s style and range.  The guests enjoyed seven courses:

Tomato Trio
Gazpacho
Caprese Salad
BLT with Crocker Farm’s Bacon & Heirloom Tomato

Yellow Sweet Corn Bisque
Powdered Salsa
Shrimp Ceviche

Herd Salad in Truffle Vinaigrette

Troutdale Farm’s Trout
Sautéed and Sweet pickled Chard
Baby Patty Pan Squash
Green Beans

Susie’s Grass Fed Lamb Strip Steak
Mint
Eggplant
New Potato
Red Onion
Chili Oil

Grilled Peaches
Ginger Crème Anglaise
Beurre Noisette (Brown Butter handmade) Ice Cream

 Goats Beard Farm Fromage
Feta with Pink Peppercorns and Bonne Femme Honey
Chèvre with Country Goodies Apricot Preserve
Missouri Moon with Dates and Norton Syrup

 The presentation was glorious with unique and artistic plating. Chef Ben did an excellent job matching the impromptu selection of wines brought by the guests with the corresponding courses. Fabulous food and excellent  conversation were enjoyed by all.

Chef Ben Randolph and Farmer Dan Kuebler will be donating another Chef’s Tasting Dinner at this year’s Taste of the Market. Other auction dinners available are Chef Trey Quinlan at Deep Mud Farm and finally Mike Odette of Sycamore will host a dinner for six in the winning bidder’s home!!  These auctions will be held at the 2010 Taste of the Market this Saturday, Aug 7, from 6-9:30 pm across from the ARC!

Go to the homepage to get tickets to the event and bid on one of these amazing dinners!

Diane La Mar
The Salad Garden
Diane is a local psychotherapist and freelance writer, and lives at The Salad Garden Farm with her husband Dan Kuebler.

Local Corn Fest at the Columbia Farmers Market this weekend

This saturday will be the annual cornfest at the market.  Join us and enjoy some great local corn grilled fresh for you and your family!  And be sure to get your Taste of the Market Tickets as well!  See you saturday!

croissants a dying art

Good croissants are what bring people in, is the philosophy of the chef at the Belgium bakery where I am passing this summer as an apprentice. The art of making croissants is rapidly disappearing. Instead, industrialized frozen croissants are replacing the daily staple of fresh croissants in Belgium. The extensive process of making croissants is considered time consuming and costly, so the knowledge of how to make artisanal croissants from scratch is becoming a lost skill, barely surviving in culinary schools, where only a single lesson is reserved for making croissants.

Nothing makes my chef happier than an opportunity to give his sermon on the necessity of high quality base ingredients. In his bakery you will never find margarine (cheaper than butter), premade anything (tarts, pastry cream, pie fillings), and though you will probably find strawberries in his shop in the dead of winter, his pastry offerings change with the seasons. My favorite cake, a strawberry triple layered cake, is the in thing to make now since the strawberries are in the height of season here. The chef loves telling me time after time that the butter, milk and cream he uses comes from a local farmer whose cows eat grass in the summer and hay in the winter, which flavors everything completely differently from season to season.

I have learned a lot during my internship–from how not to cover yourself head to toe in strawberry goo to how to make the perfect mousse, but the most important thing I will take away is that time, love and quality is what makes good pastries. Viva good croissants.

Claire Friedrichsen
Claire is a sophomore at the university of Missouri majoring in soil science and sustainable agriculture. After attending pastry school in Belgium, Claire has become passionate for French pastries and now has a small catering service on the side. You can check out her Facebook site at:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Columbia-Missouri/Claires-Pastries/233597586573?ref=ts

Jeff Rayl, Meghan Hardman, Carri Risner, Rachel Koppelman, Brook Harlan

We are extremely proud to announce the results from the Skills USA Awards Ceremony at the National Contest in Kansas City held June 25.

Rock Bridge 2010 Graduate Rachel Koppelman placed first in the national contest for Culinary Arts.  This is the first time that Missouri has ever had a National Champion in Culinary Arts.  By becoming the National Champion Rachel receives a full ride scholarship to her choice of schools; The Culinary Institute of America, Johnson and Wales University, New England Culinary Institute, or Le Cordon Bleu Schools of North America. 

Soon-to-be Rock Bridge Senior Meghan Hardman placed second in the national contest for Commercial Baking.  This is the highest place ever awarded to a Missouri student in Commercial Baking. By placing second she also receives a partial scholarship to many post secondary culinary schools.

Rachel Koppelman

Rachel, Meghan and the Chef Instructors would like to thank everyone for their support throughout the road to Nationals.  We would not be able fund the practices and make the trip without the Culinary Programs many supporters.

Thank you for your help,
Brook Harlan, Carri Risner, and Jeff Rayl
Chef Instructors, Columbia Area Career Center

James Saracini is a freelance journalist and has a local farm right across the river from Columbia in Moniteau County.  He just graduated from MU with a degree in Journalism and one in English and has an internship this summer gathering new video and photographic content for the rebuild of the Mo. State Parks’ website.  Check out his blog at SaltotEarth.wordpress.com and hit him up on twitter @jameslsaracini.

Sage Boppa and Sky Picking Local Cherrries

The crops are changing.  Corn made a Farmers Market debut last night and pints of blueberries and gooseberries are pushing out the cherries and strawberries.  I am hoping that there might be just enough cherries left at the market for one last round of pies in town. 

The truth is that I have been thinking a lot about cherry pie this month.  In my life cherry pie means one of two things, either it is my brother’s birthday (cherry pie – not cake for that fellow growing up) or it is a perfect year at my parent’s house.  As my brother was born in February, for now the perfect year is weighing in.

My father has a Montmorency cherry tree.  We keep tabs on the lackadaisical pace of the tree, from dormant sticks through buds, flowers, teasing green fruits all the way to the profusion of red temptation.  Unfortunately the birds seem to share our passion for those sour red orbs so we cross our fingers each year for a share of the bounty.  On perfect years it all comes together.

Two years ago my daughter was visiting on just the right day.  She perched on the ladder and patiently plucked fruit after fruit.  My Father in turn held out the bucket for each plop and kept my girl from falling.  Then she went inside to my Mother.  They measured, mixed, rolled, stuffed and baked.  Together they all enjoyed the delicious treat and even sent a slice back for us to savor.  Whenever you get Sky near a play kitchen you are now guaranteed a carefully constructed pretend cherry pie.

This year my father and daughter were joined in the cherry picking by a larger crew of family.  My Father, Mother, Daughter, Son, Husband, Sister-in-law, Nephew and of course myself all tackled that tree together and made one excellent pie.  I ended up with the cooking duty this round and went about it in my less than predictable manner.  I have difficulty embracing recipes or measuring cups.  It is sometimes a fault and other times a blessing.  Thankfully I managed to turn out a flaky whole wheat flax crust; filled beyond the brim with not too sweet juiciness all topped with what my nephew decided was a cookie (think crumble crust).  Eight people, eight slices of pie.  Poof, we were in happy delirium.  Sadly, my brother will have to wait until his birthday to partake . . .   

Young Sky Making Pie With Local Cherries

The fruit has encountered several variations year after year – and never comes out quite the same, but sitting around the table and devouring is always the same.  We are silent and embraced by something delicious. 

Carrie Koepke is locally grown.  She currently spends the majority of her hours being a mom of two.  They can often be found in together in their vegetable garden debating which weeds should stay because they might have flowers.