Borodino Market @ Schoolhouse Farms: Ancient Grains at the Borodino Market

Monday, December 28, 2009

Ancient Grains at the Borodino Market

A sunny four mile walk mid way between Skaneateles and Otisco lake December 27th is not only a rarity but a stimulating way of getting the cerebral juices flowing. More to the point it really helped stimulate our conversation pertaining to our future plans. Most of our walks are continuous mobile conversations centering on Schoolhouse farms and where it and we are headed. We exercise our bodies and brains simultaneously.
Our farm is small by conventional standards but it is a farm in every sense of the word. We approach it with all the same zeal as the big boys. The biggest difference between us and larger operations is the scale and the size of our carbon footprint. We have a pretty puny footprint and if we can control things we will continue to keep it that way.
So the on going discussion lately has focused around grains. Really cool grains that have been around a long, long time. Ancient Grains like; Kamut, Farro, Black Barley, Quinoa, Amaranth and of course rice, grains with strange names completely unknown or unfamiliar to the majority of the population. These ancient grains had been the mainstay of diets for thousands of years. Like much of our foods these grains fell out of favor as we entered the modern era and embraced all things processed. Over the past couple years we have been cooking and experimenting with these grains and we feel it is time to share these nearly forgotten grains with our family and friends.
The Borodino Market at Schoolhouse Farms has sourced some wonderful examples of these old grains and offers them in the shop during our season. Keep your eyes open as we will be offering them to the public via the Borodino Market web-site.

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Slow Food USA & Living Slow

Living the slow life with food as the focus is as rewarding as it is easy, and it can be done daily by each one of us. Ultimately, it is about pleasure and taste, knowledge and choice. Once we begin to take an interest in the enjoyment of food, and in finding out where our food comes from, we can begin to see the effects of these choices. When we shorten the distance—both literal and figurative—that our food travels to get to us, we are participating in the Slow Food movement. Slow Food is about coming together as a food community—connecting producers and co-producers, coming together on the farm, in the market, and at the table—to create and enjoy food that is good, clean and fair.
Slow Food is also simply about taking the time to slow down and to enjoy life with family and friends. Every day can be enriched by doing something slow - making pasta from scratch one night, seductively squeezing your own orange juice from the fresh fruit, lingering over a glass of wine and a slice of cheese - even deciding to eat lunch sitting down instead of standing up. For example, here in the Slow Food USA office, we take a moment to eat lunch together every day.