Fruition: Local Foods Blog

November 10, 2022Kathryn Farr

MEET DANIELLE BARSE, MASTER FOOD PRESERVER VOLUNTEER

How long have you been preserving food?

Since 1997. I started with my father’s green tomato pickle recipe and venison. My aunt and I spent a weekend canning and divided up the food. My next adventure involved canning squash, which I learned shortly thereafter was a bad thing! I did not do it correctly, and it spoiled in my pantry. The jars leaked the fermented, rotting squash, and it smelled very bad.

What are your favorite preservation methods?

I like dehydrating foods because it is easy; it saves space; and it’s versatile. I also enjoy pressure canning—I find I preserve many more low acid than high acid foods, the latter of which can be processed in a water bath canner. Plus, I can a lot of meat, which requires pressure canning.

Jar of canned meat. — Danielle likes to make a mixed ground meat as a hunting camp staple. It’s versatile and she fries it up like hash, adds to breakfast burritos, includes with Spanish rice in stuffed peppers and more.

What are some of your favorite foods to preserve and why?

I like to dehydrate apple slices until they are crunchy. I eat them like potato chips or crumble them into cereal, yogurt, or quick breads. I also like to pressure can meats for use as a quick meal solution on busy nights. I can chicken, pork, venison, beef, and turkey, which we use in tacos, casseroles, sandwiches, soups, stews, and stir fry. I like to make and can shepherd’s pie that my family need only heat up before eating. I also make and pressure can many, many different types of soup.

November 4, 2022Flip

Storytelling about Farming

Have you ever experienced something so nice, you wish everyone you knew could experience it too? That was my takeaway from the In Season: Story Slam last weekend. We gathered together in the gallery of the Our Rural Food System in Photos Exhibit, surrounded by hundreds of images of farmers and food producers of the region. The table was laden with goodies, all of which included ingredients from businesses in St. Lawrence County. There were around 40 attendees, and folks were relaxed and enjoying the sunny day in a beautiful space. On top of all that, we were regaled with 10 tales, each with a different take on the complicated, strenuous, and at times hilarious work of cultivating the land and producing food.

appetizers at event — The snacks and drinks at the event were sourced from 8 local businesses.

The format for the event was simple; any community member could opt to tell a 5-minute true story that related in any way to farming or food. As it turned out, every storyteller was a food producer, some growing produce and/or livestock for their own families and many as a business. Despite the differences in production scale, each person spoke with passion about their experiences tending the land or raising food products.

The audience was entertained by 10 community storytellers

The People’s Choice award went to Kathy Montan, hear her full story in the video below where a morning of beekeeping on her remote homestead took an unexpected turn.

Organizing Garden and Yard Storage Areas

This is an ideal time to evaluate your outdoor storage areas and make a plan to reorganize them. Use the following steps as a guide, but avoid moving anything until you have a detailed plan and the materials to complete your project.

Plan your attack

Make a rough sketch of your yard including all storage and garden areas. Think about tools that you’ve left in odd places. Do you need some sort of permanent storage there? If so, add it to the sketch.
Look inside each storage area and list the categories of tools and supplies stored there, such as hand tools, power tools, potting supplies, soil amendments, watering equipment. Don’t touch anything yet.
For each garden area, note the tools and supplies you use there. Then decide which storage area is best for which tools, considering where they will be used and whether the storage area will accommodate the tools. List the tools on your rough map, checking against your original list of categories to make sure you are providing space for each item.
Hanging hand tools saves space and offers convenience
Consider the tools against the storage space, if one already exists. If not, think through the process and make some notes so that you acquire storage that meets your needs. Stand in front of each storage area and look at it from all sides. What will you put where? Which things need to be within easy reach? Which items will be used at the same time? Do you need to strengthen the storage area against wildlife or weather? Make a repair? Do you need to add shelves? Wall hooks? Bungee cords or Velcro ties for bundling hoses? Jot down a “Needs” list for your storage space. Do this for all the storage areas on your map.
Think about your resources and set limits, if needed. Do you have the time, money and supplies to complete your project? Which storage areas are your priority? Decide which areas you will and will not organize at this time.