Lunching Llamas and Soap Box Rants

"Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure."

— John McConnell

I guess I'm a farmer groupie. I adore people who work the land, who fish the seas, who forage the forests in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way. They have chosen an ancient path to walk thru life. Their jobs are very real and very necessary. They are the superstars of the world. We can get by without having another lawyer or another computer programmer but try surviving without food. Farmers are the folks that I feel a connection with, a kinship if you will.

If the farmer is the producer, then the Chef is the co producer. A symbiotic relationship designed to help feed the world, though the farmer more then the Chef. Importance rests on the quality of ingredient. A Chef can never exceed the quality of their raw ingredients. The farmer supplies the palate to which the Chef paints with.

Food has seasons despite what Corporate Farming says. My menu changes so frequently to attempt to capture the flutters of the short seasons of ingredients. Asparagus is primarily a spring crop appearing on PEI in late May and lasting only till mid June. Tomatoes have no place on menus in February. They belong in the summertime when there flavor and taste is at its apex. Have you ever eaten a sun kissed tomato still warm from the sun? A far cry from the gas ripened crap passed off as tomatoes during the winter months. Basil is best in the heat of summer. It’s funny how Nature’s design is so perfect. Celebrate the seasons. Explore diversity on your plate!

"With the advent of industrial farming and the green revolution, organic farming was relegated to the status of "quaint" or "old-fashioned" - something practiced by hippies on communes, certainly not by serious farmers."

- David Suzuki

Starting the Slow Food chapter on the Island has been interesting. Ultimately it is the right thing to do at the right time. Mono culture has failed. Our environment is changing whether or not you believe that global warming is man made, a natural cycle or god’s way of punishing us for being heathens. The benefits of Slow Food are easy to grasp... for restaurants it means a constant supply of high quality organic heirloom ingredients that are vastly superior to commercial corporate farmed flavorless crap that has so infested our supermarkets, tables and stomachs. The ability to share the taste of a halibut just caught with our clientele. For the farmers, fishermen and foragers it means a market where their toils are rewarded. It cost more money to raise stuff correctly. For everyone else it is the antidote to the increasing corporate take over of our world. Do we really need another McDonald’s slinging unhealthy crap into our systems? A means to slow down the mono-cultured prefabricated corporate way of our current world. It is okay to have different heritages and different ways. It ok to maintain cultural traditions. I did not move to Prince Edward Island to have an American experience. I came here to enjoy the cultural ways of the Island as expressed on a plate. Yeah, sorry I am a Chef and I view the world thru food. The table is my expression of ancient songlines that Bruce Chatwin talks about...

“I have a vision of the Songlines stretching across the continents and the ages; that wherever men have trodden they have left a trail of song (of which we may, now and then, catch an echo); and that these trails must reach back, in time and space, to an isolated pocket in the African Savannah, where the First Man opening his mouth in defiance of the terrors that surrounded him, shouted the opening stanza of the World Song “I AM!”.

- Bruce Chatwin

We too must stop the corporate greed, our own greed, and learn to live in balance with both nature and our fellow man. We must preserve our traditions, ways and embrace the future not as citizens of individual corporate states but as citizens of the world. Yes, celebrate our diversity because that is what makes us rich. Man's true wealth. OK, off the soap box...

"Organic farming is rooted in ancient knowledge passed down through generations. Long before science could tell us why certain farming methods would produce greater crop yields, organic farmers were learning the hard way what worked and what didn't - and sharing their knowledge with others."

- David Suzuki

My days off have grown into a day of combining my favorite passions onto one plate if you will. I adore camping with my beautiful wife Lisa and my wonder dog Lucy. And I love meeting with folks who work the Earth and Seas. We decided to camp on Monday night behind the restaurant in Oyster Bed Bridge. Hell it's got a beautiful view, it's relatively quiet and we didn't have to drive anywhere to get there. We woke up early with an agenda full of potential visits... the two important ones were visiting farmer friend Raymond Loo's farm a second time and visiting an educational farm on the west side of the island called Pioneer Farms.

We had a little time to kill before getting to Raymond's farm so we stopped at Cheeselady’s Gouda Cheese, a local cheese maker’s operation to taste Goudas. Martina ter Beek came to PEI in 1985 and started a dairy business. Within a few years she joined in her families business and started producing wonderful Goudas hand crafted in the Dutch tradition using milk from her own cows. The ten month old Gouda was interesting and had great flavor. We both felt it would be wonderful if she aged cheese a little more and offered those wonderful crystalline three year old Gouda. Maybe someday I will approach her with a chance to have some custom aged stuff for us at the restaurant. You can visit her operation at 1423b Winsloe Road in Winsloe North or contact her by phone at 902.368.1506, email ryk.terbeek@pei.sympatico.ca.

"Many organic practices simply make sense, regardless of what overall agricultural system is used. Far from being a quaint throwback to an earlier time, organic agriculture is proving to be a serious contender in modern farming and a more environmentally sustainable system over the long term"

- David Suzuki

We stopped at the entrance of Raymond Loo's Springwillow Farm to photograph Lupines that grow wild alongside all the roads on PEI. Gorgeous little buggers! Raymond walked us around his farm. I always enjoy speaking with him. Having a 400 acre organic farm in a sea of chemicalized farmers certainly has challenges. Raymond told us a story about a government official who suggested one of the best things he could do to promote organic farming would be buy a bunch of 50,000 dollar trucks and give them to the organic farmers. That way the chemicalized farmer’s could see the benefits of organic farming.

“We are playing Russian roulette with features of the planet's atmosphere that will profoundly impact generations to come. How long are we willing to gamble?”

- David Suzuki

Have you ever wondered why food grown correctly is labeled as organic and food grown incorrectly is simply stated as vegetables? Language is a very important tool in the battle for our stomachs. I want to reverse this tide. Rather than lament about the high cost of properly grown ingredients let's lament about the even higher costs to both our health (increased rates of cancer and diseases from eating Monsanto pesticides genetically inserted in our stomachs thru bioengineering) and our planet (you need look no further than the declining salmon populations in the NW of America or mussel and oyster beds being adversely affected by chemical runoffs from farmers field in PEI). So when you go to your local grocery think twice about the perceived savings of a few dollars because you chose the chemicalized food option. Sorry about the rants today… it’s just where my head is this morning for some reason.

Next stop was Pioneer Farms (http://www.pioneerfarm.ca/) on the west side of the island. We almost didn’t drive out there. I started feeling lazy and was thinking more about the bottle of red wine we had stowed away and the prime rib and duck confit sitting pretty in our refrigerator. The thought of reclining and smelling the ocean was pretty captivating.

Lisa really wanted to see the off the grid farm. Thank god for Lisa. Pioneer Farms is something everybody ought to experience on so many levels: wonderful people (Roy, Jim and Judy are amazing people), crazy animals galore (spitting llamas, Moses the wonder donkey, Silky chickens, emus, dogs, rabbits, peacocks, sheep, goats) and best of all, people living in balance with the Earth… Solar and wind powered. It certainly doesn’t hurt that they also have a 150 acre tract of land that is amazing… among the most beautiful on the whole island.

The 90 minute drive from the restaurant to their farm was scenic and beautiful. Driving always has a calming effect on me. The well marked paved, gravel and dirt roads leading from the main road to the entrance of their property sets the tone for what is to come.

A sign tells you to park your car and walk into paradise. Lisa and I kept getting the feeling that we were walking into the past, an ancient time when we lived within the cycles of life. The short path shedding the modern world like skin off an onion.

We were greeted by Jim and Roy tending to an injured horse and a promise that stray children would be used as slaves.

Our eyes were alive with a sensory overload of more animals than poor old Noah’s ark carried. Llamas running around, goats laying on picnic tables, chickens cackling...

Roy gave us a tour of the property and showed off his “new” old saddles. He showed us the pigs he was raising for the table. I felt a connection with Roy as he was a Chef in a former life. Roy came to the farm as a Woofer. A woofer is basically someone who volunteers to work on a farm for a period of time in exchange for room, board and an education. That got Lisa and I pondering our next steps in life. We too someday want to milk goats and make cheese, raise chickens and live once again off the grid. To us it is a very intoxicating lifestyle.

"I've always divided human beings into two categories: those who resemble a courtyard and suffocate you between their walls- Then there are those who resemble a garden, where you can walk and be silent, and breathe."

- Antoine de St. Exupery

Roy cooked us a burger and Judy made a pot of coffee before going a horse driven carriage ride from the farm to the ocean and back again. He showed us his pigs that he is raising for the table. Jim and Judy very kindly offered to let us stay on their farm for the night.

Everyone pitched in bits and pieces to make a meal. Lisa and I threw in our Prime Rib, potatoes and duck confit. Roy, Judy and Jim threw in Flounder, Snow Crab, Broccoli and a salad. We enjoyed one of the best meals since coming to the Island. So much is the companionship of kindred souls.

“We forget there is no hope of joy except in human relations. If I summon up those memories that have left with me an enduring savor, if I draw up the balance sheet of the hours of my life that have truly counted, surely I find only those that no wealth could have procured me. True riches cannot be bought. One cannot buy the friendship of Mermoz, of a companion to whom one is bound forever by ordeals suffered in common”

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Anyhow, I could continue going on and on about this incredible day. If you want to satisfy your soul and meet some cool people and crazy animals then head over to Pioneer Farms (http://www.pioneerfarm.ca/)

In closing I want to thank Jim, Judy and Roy for their generousness.

Thanks for the GREAT DAY!

Waking up in the woods after having slept the deepest sleep with the soothing sounds of rain, thunder and the quiet stillness of the rich forest did my heart good. I almost cried as I drove home and back to the insanity of the restaurant business.

ASWAH

p.s. this is what an egg looks like... Tight white, vibrant yolk. Those things you buy in the store are simply imposters... threw them away. Make friends with a farmer and get some real eggs!

"who knows what form the forward momentum of life will take in the time ahead or what use it will make of our anguished searching. The most any one of us can seem to do is to fashion something-an object or ourselves- and drop it into the confusion, make an offering of it, so to speak, to the life force."

- Ernest Becker

My Salvation! The PEI Farmer's Market and why it Matters!

Saturdays are my favorite days on the Island. Saturday is the Farmer's Market day... an oasis day in a desert full of long repetitious days slaving behind the range. A day to walk around and hold conversations with nature and life...

This particular day Lisa and I had been looking forward to. Not really sure why, we just were. Up at the butt crack of dawn. The sun's rays shining brilliantly thru our window. One potent cappucino to combat the lack of sleep... so strong it should be called Lazarath's Brew guarunteed to raise the dead! We drove Kaya into town jamming on Exene and William Burroughs renditions of Jim Morrison's poetry...

"wake up, you can't remember where it was, has the dream stopped?

Once I had a little game. I like to crawl back into my brain.

I think you know the game I mean. The game called go insane.

Now you should try this little game. Close your eyes, forget your name.

Forget the world, forget the people. We'll erect a different steeple.

Children of the night, who among you will run with the hunt?"

Saturdays have become a ritual. Stop at the bank, hit the parking lot of the indoor market. Run, don't walk. Eyes wide, drooling, cash in hand. Is it Christmas today? Time to open the presents and celebrate ourlives... communion with farmers... food from the plow to the table... This is where food is born.

We always start by getting a smoked salmon bagel from Kim Dormaar (http://smokedsalmon.isn.net/). Toasty bagel slathered in cream cheese with just a touch of capers, red onions and a sprinkling of lemon juice... covered in thinly sliced smoked salmon.

I truly think he has the best smoked Salmon on the planet. He sources the best salmon from the maritimes to cold smoke. There are smoked salmons and then there is Kim's stuff. He also has fantastic smoked Eel. Last week I made some tortellini's with the smoked eel.

Next to him is the guy who mills his own flour, bakes bread and sells Colville Oysters (http://www.colvillebayoysterco.ca/).

While I am talking to Kim, Lisa grabs oysters to eat. The Colvilles are great oysters with a complex mild briny flavor. Nothing beats an oyster hours from it's cold wet nutrient rich home. So, bagel in one hand, oysters in the other we continue touring the stalls.

The next stop is usually business related. I stop by the Doctor's Inn (http://www.peisland.com/doctorsinn/) Organic Vegetable stand.

The Doctor's Inn is located in the Tyne Valley. Jean and Paul Offer grow an amazing array of organic vegetables including leeks, Asian greens, herbs.

They carry button mushrooms grown near them that I use in my duck confit salad. I always feel like the opening scenes in Lord of the Rings when the Hobbits are going on about a farmer's mushrooms. Makes me smile every time.

Next stop is the Cheese counter for some of Canada's best cheeses. If you ever make it out here you need to try cloth bound Island Cheddar and aged Gouda from the Cheeselady (http://www.gov.pe.ca/business/ onebusiness.php3?number=21129). Lisa and I stock up on a few different cheeses for our day off.

We stop by Isabel's Flowers for a quick chat, a free tomato and some herbs. Our landscaping, flowers and herb garden are done by the two magic souls that run Isabel's flowers. Another moment of pure happiness!

Next to the flowers is the coffee stand. Another cappucino, a pound or two of dark roasted beans to last the upcoming week and oh, what's that in the distance... the mini donut cart.

Yes, while I am getting my java fix on the scent of just fried donuts wafts over and smacks you in the face.I am having a Homer moments... mmm, donuts. Is there anything better than a freshly made donut still glistening in fat and dusted with cinnamon sugar?

The crunchy exterior with the warm, soft center. Culinary pornography! So now I am glowing with happy joyous feelings... slightly twitchy from too much coffee and still on the sugar high. Life is sweet, literally!

A few more errands. I need something for a new duck preparation. Rather than decide ahead of time I will let the market dictate the dish. I stop by Cranbush Farms counter and find the last of the seasons fiddlehead ferns. Later in the night they get mixed with celery, jalapenos, double smoked bacon and sweet corn and become a succatash of sorts. I stop by Sunshine Farms and pick up some Elderberry juice to make the sauce.

It's nice to think that nature is the best artist and chef. The color combinations that Jah, God, Allah or whomever or whatever you believe in makes are perfect.

The same holds true for flavor combinations. If you leave your ego out and let the seasons tell you what belongs together you end up with a more natural and pure cuisine. I as a chef can never exceed the quality of my raw ingredients. In fact, it is better that I manipulate them as little as possible. Cuisine Actuelle. Let the flavors speak in their own tongues.

Other small errands, fresh natural beef from David and Edith Ling; cute tiny radishes from Hughes Hill Farms a 50 pound sack of Fabula potatoes and some of the Island's best eggs from Raymond Loo.

Life is good. Life is sweet!

“Even as an old peasant woman recognizes her god in a painted image, in a childish medal, in a chaplet, so life would speak to us in it’s humblest language in order we understand. The joy of living, I say, was summed up for me in the remembered sensation of that burning and aromatic swallow, that mixture of milk and coffee and bread by which men hold communion with tranquil pastures, exotic plantations, and golden harvests, communion with earth.”

Antoine de Saint Exupery

And so every Saturday Lisa and I hold communion with the Island's farmers and celebrate the beauty of our lives! This is living!

Peace and Love ASWAH

and no, they don't serve old Goat and Dog...