Farm Fresh News: Beeting Ice and Snow, Farm Stewardship Celebrated, Farmland Holiday E-Cards, and more

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Best wishes for the holidays from American Farmland Trust and the Farm Fresh News team! Take a few minutes to watch a video about farmers helping the urban poor, learn a few ways to celebrate the holidays in a greener, farm-friendly way and get the latest on what beets are doing for our streets.     "Beeting" Ice and Snow   City transportation departments are employing a new farm-fresh method to combat icy streets this winter—beet juice! The hearty vegetable is this year’s greener remedy for keeping roadways clear after snowfall in slippery-street-prone cities like Columbus, Ohio, Washington, D.C., and Jasper, Indiana.    Farmers Bring Fresh and Healthy Cheer to the City  Farmers in upstate New York are spreading holiday cheer all year long. Joe Sidoti, a vegetable grower in Orange County, and other upstate farmers are providing City Harvest with fresh produce to distribute throughout New York City to encourage healthy diets for the urban poor. Watch the video about the partnership. Support Us Support Clean Water From Healthy Farmland "Thanks to the work of American Farmland Trust, more growers are learning how to reduce their pesticide use and protect our nation’s water supply."—Ken Bailey of Orchard View Farms, The Dalles, Oregon Donate today to help AFT keep the land—and our water— healthy!    Green Your Holiday Nine Tips for a Green Holiday Thanks to winter storms, many parts of the country will have a white Christmas this year. But no matter where you live, you can also have a "green" holiday. Here are nine ways you can support local farms and keep the environment in mind this holiday season.   Send an E-Card Tell Your Friends and Family Happy Holidays! Spread some holiday cheer by sending your friends, family and colleagues an American Farmland Trust holiday farmland E-Card. For Walnut Farmer, Stewardship and Success Go Hand in Hand   Walnut farmer Craig McNamara’s 450-acre Sierra Orchards in Winters, California, is living proof that farms don’t have to sacrifice profits to be good stewards of the environment. McNamara uses time-honored organic farming methods as well as the latest technological advances to protect the land, and his walnut production and sales have steadily increased. A member of AFT’s President’s Council, McNamara teaches more than 2,000 California students a year about the importance of sustainable agriculture through his Center for Land-Based Learning. For his great leadership in conservation, McNamara recently received the prestigious 2007 Leopold Conservation Award. Celery Root and Potato Purée from Chez Panisse Photo: Colin Findlay Alice Waters, founder of the famed Chez Panisse restaurant in Berkeley, California, is convinced that the best-tasting food is organically grown and harvested in ways that are ecologically sound by people who are taking care of the land for future generations. The Chez Panisse menu changes daily to feature in-season and fresh local ingredients. Waters provided this recipe from her new cookbook, The Art of Simple Food. 1 pound potatoes, preferably a yellow-fleshed variety such as Yellow Finn or Yukon Gold 5 tablespoons butter, divided 1 medium celery root (about 3/4 pound). Peel, cut in half, and slice fairly thin Salt, to taste Milk, if needed 1. Cook potatoes until soft in salted boiling water. Drain. Pass the potatoes through a ricer or food mill and return to the pot. For a chunkier consistency, smash with a potato masher right in the pot. 2. Stir in 2 tablespoons butter.  3. In a separate heavy-bottomed pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium-low heat. 4. Add the celery root and salt to taste. 5. Cover tightly and cook until quite soft, 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Lower the heat if the celery root starts to brown. 6. Pass celery root mixture through a food mill, or for a smoother version, purée in a blender. 7. Stir celery root mixture into the potatoes 8. If the purée is too thick, thin with milk. Taste and add salt or more butter if needed.

 

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