Local turkey

Yes! If you live in the Reno/Sparks area, or anywhere within a reasonable driving distance from Gardnerville, there may be local turkey in your future. Shannon, her father, sister, and brother-in-law raise turkeys in Gardnerville and have been for about six years. We learned last year that someone was raising turkeys in Nevada but we couldn’t track them down. Now we know!

These turkeys are organically raised Broad-Breasted Whites, the breed typically found on American Thanksgiving tables. It sounds like the family wanted to raise them range-free but it didn’t work out. Apparently living a range-free turkey life requires a certain level of bird-IQ and this breed doesn’t have it. After numerous tries at creating a set-up that would allow these turkeys to roam free they had to start keeping them enclosed. Even so, I don’t imagine these “enclosures” are anything like the gruesome conditions industrially raised turkeys endure. Shannon’s family raises turkeys for 140 families right now and has capacity for more…. hardly an industrial farm.

It’s about the time of year they start ordering poults to be ready for Thanksgiving. Shannon doesn’t usually require advance notice if a family is going to order one turkey. But if you’ll be putting together a bulk order with your family and friends or every one of the people you tell say they’ll be switching to local turkey this year, email her at shannon@graytv.com to make sure there will be plenty available in November. She orders enough to meet the average demand but my hope is this post will help her exceed the usual demand. Woo hoo!

Age your Sod Buster Farm chicken

Last weekend, we had an opportunity to spend some time with Debra and Clifford Shirk of Sod Buster Farm. We walked around the farm, learned about what they’re focused on this time of year, like seedlings and protecting the chickens from the cold, and what they’re planning for the future. We had a great time and I learned a few new things about gardening and chickens.

I’ve known for a long time that good beef is typically aged before it is served, but I didn’t know that chicken should also be aged to improve the flavor of the meat.

The Shirks told us that when we pick up our Spring 2008 order we should take it home, put it in the fridge for three or four days, then eat it or put it in the freezer. Who knew!?

We loved the taste of these chickens last year…can’t imagine how good they’ll be if aging really does improved the flavor.

Slow Food Lake Tahoe Supper in the Barn events

This sounds like fun! Sierra Valley Farms and Moody's Bistro and Lounge are teaming up to present a series of Slow Food Lake Tahoe, Supper in the Barn events. Here's a chance to eat great food on the land it was grown on, Sierra Valley Farms.

If you visit the Saturday farmers market on California street you've seen or met Gary. He's the guy with the organic greens, carrots, and drink mixes. This event info is on the calendar but I thought I'd get it out on a post because this type of event is what Slow Food is really all about. Knowing the people who grow your food, eating, talking, and enjoying who and what is at your table.

The first event will be open to Slow Food members and their guests (join Slow Food now and then join us for the first dinner!), and future events will be for everyone.

The member event is on Sunday, June 1st from 4pm to ? at Sierra Valley Farms. Farm tour from 4:00 - 5:00; 3 Course meal served family style, using all produce from the farm; live music.

The other events, open to everyone, cost $70 + tax and tip; BYOB; and will happen on:

Saturday May 31st at 4pm
Sunday July 13th at 4pm
Sunday September 21st at 4pm

Please call Moody's to reserve: Moody's Bistro & Lounge 530-587-5911.

Location:

Directions from Truckee :(About 45 minutes)

Take Hwy 89 North to Sierraville. At the only Stop sign turn left on 89, go 4 miles until you see Beckwourth/Portola A23 sign turn right (at the Sattley Cash Store) proceed 14 miles to Sierra Valley Farms on your right. Gary & Kim Romano: 530-832-0114. www.sierravalleyfarms.com

Local food producers improve online resources in 2008

Local food producers made huge improvements in 2008 to their online resources making many of the LFNN links redundant so I've updated this site a bit. Nevada Grown's website now lists many local growers, so I've removed many from the first page.

As local food enthusiasts and producers get more organized and interactive better, more current information is becoming available. Local Food System Network, along with all their community partners, has been working to centralize this information for a couple of years, and have compiled it in the Buy Local Guide. LFNN has been updated to include these resources, including a new-to-me CSA program.

Dairy products in Northern Nevada

Yes, it’s true! It’s been a few weeks since my last post. Why? Essentially, it’s because I got a bit stubborn. I refused to pursue any other unknown-to-me food source until I found a local resource for my favorite food group, diary. I was determined to write about local, sustainable milk, butter, and cheese available direct from a Nevada dairy to Nevada families. After months of searching I have to face it...there is no such thing in Northern Nevada.

In many places communities have found ways to develop programs that give consumers a fresh, local, farm-direct option for acquiring milk. Farm direct cheese, butter, yogurt, sour cream, and ice cream off-the-farm is less common, but milk happens all over the country. I figured there had to be something like this going on in Nevada...right? Nope!

Here are some of the things I learned over the last few months in discussions with people from the Nevada State Dairy Commission, Model Dairy personnel, and occasionally, people who live the Nevada ag-life:

Read NRS 584 to see the serious regulations that control diary production. Wow!

Cow-share programs must meet the same requirements as any industrial dairy that wishes to sell, trade or distribute raw milk. The law allows for the sale of raw milk if certain requirements are met, but no dairyman has met them because consumer demand is not enough to help fund the cost associated with requirement compliance.

Model Diary is sort of local because the plant is located in Reno, they obtain some of the dairy products from local dairies, which are available all over the Truckee Meadows, but the company is no longer locally owned. This could be an option.

Model Diary sells drinking milk grown on local dairies located in Gardnerville, Yerington and Fallon, which is then processed here in Reno. Look for the Model Dairy label or code 32-01 on the carton if you want to buy Nevada milk.

Horizon organic milk is a Model Dairy product but it comes from diaries located in other states.

Model Dairy drinking milk is from local cows. MD butter, cottage, ice cream, etc. is made from dairy that comes from other states.

Most of the milk we have access to usually comes from two breeds - Holstein and Jersey. Drinking milk typically comes from Holstein cows; cheese makers prefer Jersey for the high-fat content that contributes to cheesey lusciousness.

Some Nevada dairymen produce Jersey milk but it is shipped to California for yogurt production. If you want to make your own cheese try using Strauss Family Creamery milk, which still has the cream on top so makes a creamier cheese. My cheese-making friends say it works fairly well.

We lost our last goat cheese makers within the last couple of years. Is anyone out there looking for a new cheese-making life? I understand the facility is still up for sale.

At this point it seems the only way my family will be able to get fresh, unprocessed, all-the-fat diary is if we get our own cow. Pretty sure the HOA won’t go for that!