How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World, by Sam Eichacker

At the end of the market this April, we were lucky enough to have a visit from Sam Eichacker, a 5th grader at Center for Inquiry school. You might have seen him at the market, gathering information for his report on Mushrooms. We are proud to share his report with you today: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World. We hope you will join us in thanking Sam for his research!

Meet Sitka Salmon Shares, IWFM Sponsor

Nic Mink launched Sitka Salmon Shares to connect with consumers in the Midwest with sustainable seafood options. In August, 2012 Nic was hired by Butler University's Center for Urban Ecology to help establish the Indy Food Council, designed to support food-related initiatives that improve the sustainability, health, and community revitalization in Indianapolis. We had a chance to chat with Nic about healthy salmon, ecologically-sensitive fishermen, and the challenges involved in introducing ocean-to-plate fish to a land-locked city in the Midwest. 

 

 

How did Sitka get started?

I was working for the Sitka Conservation Society in Sitka, Alaska, a few years ago, and we were trying to figure out how to get citizens in other parts of the country involved in the protection of Alaska's Tongass National Forest. The Tongass is the nation's largest national forest, by far. It's also the world's great salmon producing forest. The forest supports about 30% of Alaska's commercial salmon production. The health of wild salmon depend on the health of the forest, and, of course, the Tongass is public land, belonging to everybody--you, me, and everyone here in Indiana and the Midwest.

So, we began working on ways to communicate messages about the Tongass through the sustainably-harvested salmon that the forest rears. There were discussions, at first, about developing a line of canned salmon. We decided we wanted a higher value product, and Sitka doesn't really have much of a canning industry anyway--just about everything leaves fresh or frozen. After we departed from the canned idea,  I think our first real business plan was called "Tongass Salmon in your CSA," and the goal was to get Midwestern CSAs to offer wild salmon supplements to their members (We do have a few CSAs that still do this.) In the final stages of development, we decided it would be easier to deliver the salmon direct to consumers ourselves. We called ourselves Sitka Salmon Shares and began setting up infrastructure in the Midwest. We also began working directly with a few fishermen and Seafood Producers Cooperative, a quality and sustainability-oriented fishermen's coop in Sitka to source our fish. We knew the conservation message was important, we knew sustainability was important, but we knew that if the quality wasn't there, all of those benefits would be lost. Even today, we continue to work very closely with conservation organizations in Alaska: the Sitka Conservation Society actually supports one of our positions--a wild salmon community organizer--and, our CSF members support a Sitka Conservation Society intern. It's a complete circle, I guess.

What are the logistics involved in getting fish to a land-locked area like Indianapolis? How do you keep it fresh?

We like to bring as much salmon as possible in via barge and truck. It's cheaper and it's better on our carbon balance sheet (we pay to offset all our Alaska transportation carbon anyway). All of our fish is blast-frozen to 40 below once on shore, so, the trick is keeping that fish below zero during the transportation. That's actually not a problem. The cold chain that underwrites our current food system is just incredible. From the perspective of fresh v. frozen, 99 times out of 100 I'd take a blast frozen fish over a "fresh" fish in the Midwest. The blast frozen product is much "fresher." Going the barge/truck option takes about 15 days. Logistically, that's not feasible sometimes, so then the fish goes on Alaska Air Cargo. It flies, usually, from Sitka to Juneau to Anchorage, and then to Chicago on the red eye. It gets picked up by a refrigerated truck. Everything, regardless, goes to our cold storage facility in Galesburg, Illinois, where it's sorted into shares and the shipped out on dry ice to the rest of the Midwest.

Growing Places, like many urban farms, operates a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)-- does a Community Supported Fishery work in the same way?

The CSF is very similar to the Growing Places Indy CSA. Instead of dealing with an impersonal system, we let people have a personal connection with the producers of their food, only its our fishermen, not farmers. Members know who caught their fish, how it was caught, where it was caught--being as transparent as possible is a core value of ours. Like the CSF, we also deliver a share of the harvest of our salmon fishermen and, just as important, we capture much more of the retail value of the harvest for our fishermen. Our fishermen also fish in the most ecologically sensitive ways possible--with hook and line and small gillnet. This minimizes the larger ecological disruptions that less discriminate forms of fishing cause. I know the Growing Places Indy CSA puts ecological principles at the forefront of its operations.

We are different in a few key ways, though. We guarantee product for our members, no matter what. If you buy a share of our salmon, you'll get 15 pounds of fish--5 pounds of king, 5 pounds of coho, and 5 pounds of sockeye.  It's salmon for your family all summer to compliment those awesome veggies. Depending on fishing conditions, though, sometimes we have to move around deliveries in order to do this. Like our friends at Green BEAN Delivery, we also home deliver. Finally, the scale is a little different than Growing Places Indy. Even our smallest fisherman catches enough fish to feed several hundred families for an entire year. We want to be in a place soon where we can take everything that our fishermen catch all season. That's better for us and it's better for our fishermen. So, we have to grow.

How is Sitka's product better?

First, we realize that no system's perfect, but we're always striving to improve, to perfect.

For us, we look at the line from production to consumption and think systemically about how we can make improvements to the current system. We think that putting more money back into the pockets of small boat fishermen is a huge improvement; we think offsetting all our carbon during transport is another biggie; we think our 1% to the Wild program, where we return 1% of all our revenue back to the marine and salmon conversation, is better; we think our new Salmon Give Back Initiative, where we make strategic investments in other local and sustainable food projects in the Midwest, is also a nice improvement.

As far as the product goes, we ask our fishermen to have all their fish bled, gutted, gilled, and packed on ice with 20 minutes of being landed. Fish spoil 4 times as fast at 40 degrees than they do at 32; it's also the blood and insides of the fish that causes decomposition. So, the idea is to get that fish cleaned and cold as fast as possible. As one of our fishermen likes to say, it's not how long it takes the fish to get from ocean to plate that makes the difference in quality; it's what the fishermen does within the first 20 minutes of that fish being caught that makes the difference in quality. We also ask that all of our fishermen be "On Shore in Four," meaning that from the moment that first fish is caught, they're back at the dock in four days. Most hook-and-line salmon fishermen go on five day trips. Technically, you have 8 days before you see a decline in quality. This just gives us a little added assurance.

What are the biggest challenges in educating a new market on why your product is better- both in quality and sustainability?

Education is an on-going thing, and always will be. Most Midwestern consumers know very little about oceans, fish, and fishing, even though, however odd it might seem, their lives are bound intimately to them. I'm a professor by day, so my first inclination is to go into wandering and complex explanations. I'm getting better at simplifying and distilling so that the message comes across to people. The problem is that these concepts--quality and sustainability--are incredibly complex! In simplifying, you lose important truths that need to be conveyed. Sometimes I feel like it's a lose-lose situation.

What we've begun to start doing--and this has been effective--is taking the market on its own terms, at its own knowledge base, and building out from there.  Wisconsinites, for instance, know that Dan and Deb Carey at New Glarus Brewing Company make the highest-quality beer; Indianapolis residents know that Goose the Market makes the highest-quality bacon the world has ever known; Indianapolis residents also know that Mark and Josh at Fermenti Artisan are guided by sustainability and quality standards that are hard to match.  Once we make those connections, we the let them know that the same principles that go into being a craft fermenter, a craft butcher, and a craft brewer can be applied to fish and fishing--care, intimate knowledge of the food that's being produced, years of experience. People get the difference between artisan production and mass production, and it's about making that connection.

How have you been received here? Next steps for Sitka?

Things have gone wonderfully in Indianapolis. The media has been great. CSF sign ups have been brisk, proving that people are hungry for good, fair fish. Nowadays, everyone wants--and I'd even say needs--a personal connection to their food. We love this type of transparency and accountability between consumer and producer, and it's clear that Indy is that type of scene. In the next month, people will begin to see Sitka salmon at some of the city's--the Midwest's--best restaurants. Our long term vision is to see a Midwest where people have access to fish they can trust; a Midwest that understands the value of supporting small boat fishing families and sustainably managed wild fisheries; and a Midwest that actively supports fishing families who'd rather fish as artisans, not cogs in a machine. We're working on that.

Meet Dickinson Custom Furniture

I love wood because it is a natural material with wonderful depth, texture, and color that comes from trees which can be just as inspiring as the wood.  No two trees are exactly alike and it is always interesting and gratifying to discover nature's wonder in each tree's wood. Our state tree, Tulip Poplar, in particular has wide variation even within individual trees.  It can be many shades of green, blue, black, purple, red, or white. I love making kitchenware because it is practical and my work can get real use while being an attractive addition to any kitchen. 

 

I am passionate about what I do for two reasons. One, I love working with my hands and creating things from scratch and am especially inspired by wood. Secondly I believe in local economies.  I believe that locally made goods should be available, quality made or grown, and affordable.   

 

I enjoy the atmosphere of the market.  I also enjoy the variety and quality of the goods available and the fact that it is in the winter. 

 

I got into woodworking making wooden swords in middle school for me and my friends to whack each other with.  I got into making kitchenware using scraps from furniture projects and really got into kitchenware after being invited to IWFM 4 years ago by Laura Henderson and seeing success at the market.

 

Many people find it interesting that much of my wood comes from storm damaged trees or trees removed by arborists and is cut on my sawmill.

 

www.customfurniture4you.com 

www.facebook.com/dickinsoncustomfurniture 

 

-The Dickinson Family 

Meet Joe

I am Joe Gady and my daughter, Lauran, and I operate a two acre organic farm just south of Argos. Our goal is restoring the soil and the life therein to sustainability, so that outside inputs are required less and less. The high nutrient density of our produce and value added products promote sustainability of health in our customers. 

 

We grow heirloom varieties, stimulate soil biological activity with the addition of microbial & mycorhizal mixes and enzymes, humic acids & sea minerals, high quality compost, and plowing down of green manures. we also regularly spray the leaves with foliar sprays that contain microbes, humic acids and sea minerals. We grow and sell fresh romaine lettuce, carrots, beets, onions, garlic, leeks, root parsley, parsnips, cabbage, kale, basil, dill, cilantro, pickling cucumbers, winter squash, and heirloom pumpkins.

 

To learn more about Joe and his amazing carrots (and other delicious items) check him out here.

Meet Jess

I've come a long way from the child who would gleefully use dandelion pollen for eye shadow (mulberry juice for lipstick, lilac and lily flowers for perfume, etc...); the curiosity spark for what I once termed "faerie make-up" (and passions for alchemy and chemistry) remained, simmering, for decades. 

 

It was in April 2006 that the epiphany emerged from its chrysalis and finally took flight: what a positive and whimsical endeavor it would be to recreate these types of natural products that everyone can use - and afford to use. 

 

My greatest sources of happiness come from not only creating the products for all to enjoy, but in being introduced to new customers (and friends) worldwide through the creations, and knowing the creations help bring a smile or two to someone's day... 

 

More can be learned about Body Eclectic Skin Care and her awesome new scents at her website or come check her out every Saturday morning.

The Right to Hunt and Fish (and Farm)

We’ve recently told you about a couple bills under consideration at the Indiana Statehouse that we believe have an effect of our mission to help residents of Indianapolis “Grow well. Eat well. Live well. Be well.” However, there is a different sort of legislation under consideration that isn’t getting much attention in the media.

Senate Joint Resolution 7 (SJR 7), the so-called “Right to Hunt and Fish” resolution, would protect Hoosiers’ constitutional right to hunt, fish, or harvest game. We’ll admit this is a “valued part of our heritage” for many Hoosiers, yet the bill’s scope is cause for concern.

The bill, if enacted, would make it a constitutional right to engage in the agricultural or commercial product of meat, fish, poultry, or dairy products as well as hunting and fishing. No other professions in Indiana are guaranteed such rights.

Similar to SB 373, (a.k.a. - the Ag Gag bill), SJR 7 would limit our right to know where our food comes from and how it is grown. SJR 7 would effectively limit the ability of regulators to enact safeguards designed to protect public health, safety and the environment. Some opponents of this resolution have nicknamed SJR 7 as the “Right to Harm”.

Our stance is to support agricultural practices that are good, clean and fair. Likewise, we see the practice of growing produce as a basic agricultural act and absent of the Indiana constitution.

We encourage you to contact your House Representative and tell them you are opposed to SJR 7 and that you support continuing open conversations and interactions around good agriculture practices. (Go here to look up your rep). As part of Growing Places Indy, we support Ag Brag. We love what we do. We love the land. We love growing food. We have nothing to hide. 

Notable: A joint resolution must pass the House and Senate of two separate sessions of the Indiana General Assembly. SJR 7 has already passed through once. During this current session, SJR 7 passed through the Indiana Senate on February 26, and it has been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee. There is no current hearing scheduled, but we will let you know via Facebook, Twitter and this newsletter (if time permits). It is possible that SJR 7 will “die” in committee and or it may be left to the final weeks of the session.

If SJR 7 does pass the Indiana House, it will become a constitutional law and any changes or modifications would have to endure the same process that SJR 7 has traveled. In other words, it would be very difficult to amend in the future.

Pop tarts ain't got nothin on these. (Delicious fruit tarts)

Working this year's market has opened my eyes to a whole new world. Part of that being a learning process about the food I have been putting into my body. Being an amateur competitive boxer, I burn a lot
of calories. Which means I eat A LOT of food.

Most of the time that food is whatever I can get my hands on and anything that's "quick." One of those quick foods for the past three weeks has been frosted strawberry pop tarts, which in my opinion, are the best.

Being at the market every Saturday, there was one particular item that caught my attention, Rene's fruit tarts.

I bought one, and immediately I wanted everyone I knew to try a bite of this delicious miniature pie of fruit.

The perfect combination of fresh kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, and oranges surrounded by delicious slivered almonds all on top of a bed of pastry cream and all held together by a perfectly crumbly tart crust.

Not only did this pastry satisfy every taste bud in my mouth, it was also easy on the eyes with its combination of colors. My strawberry frosted pop tart will never be able to satisfy my pallet again.

I highly recommend trying one if you haven't, unless you hate fruit, then I don't recommend it.

Rene's is located in Broad Ripple behind La Piedad.

-jh