Did you know more than 40% of the food grown in the United States never makes it to someone's plate? Food waste is an on-going challenge but there are ways we can reduce waste here on the farm.
Learn how to properly store farm eggs, tomatoes, meats, greens, and more! Additionally, we'll cover other food safety basics and some quick ways you can preserve your excess produce for later.
Why does the Ninja have so many attachments? How does a knife stay sharp? What the heck is an immersion blender? Tom will answer these questions and more as you get acquainted with the tools at your disposal for creating delicious meals this summer!
We will also explore some farm-tested recipes together and learn the many uses for the Instant Pot, to make nutritious and delicious meals fast!
Live ferments have been used by people for thousands of years to both unlock nutrients from our food that are hard to digest while also providing a means to preserve our bounty for months in a cool place. The earliest record of fermentation dates back as far as 6000 B.C. in the Fertile Crescent—and nearly every civilization since has included at least one fermented food in its culinary heritage. LIVE ferments (those that have not been pasteurized, canned, or boiled to kill microorganisms) are also the original (and still best) probiotic. Our large intestine is alive with an entire microbial community that makes a living off of our mostly-digested food. In the process of them breaking this food down further we are able to absorb additional nutrients - a win-win! There are a whole suite of fermentations that are used for different purposes (wines, beers, breads, etc.). For this activity we will focus on lacto-fermentation. This is the same process that produces traditional dill pickles (not the dead ones you buy in the store), kimchi, and real sauerkraut. Lacto-fermentation is all about producing a salty environment where pathogenic bacteria and molds that can make us sick cannot survive, but the benign bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus can thrive. Lactobacillus bacteria convert carbohydrates naturally present in fruit or vegetables into lactic acid. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that (i) helps exclude pathogenic bacteria, (ii) preserves the flavor and texture of food, and (iii) unlocks its nutrients.
Cheesemaking is an ancient art dating back at least 5,000 years and was likely discovered by accident, by storing milk in bladders made from the stomach of ruminants.
What can we do with all the milk from our goats? Make cheese of course! Chevre, Ricotta, Paneer, and "squeaky" curds are a few simple recipes that we will try together.
We will also be learning the how-tos of running a public workshop and will turn around and run a cheese making program, using what we learn the following weekend!
This week we will be experiencing the cycles of life and death full circle. We will each be slaughtering one of the the chickens that we have raised since chicks. We will also be processing the bird (plucking/gutting) and cooking a few for lunch.
Part of this day will be processing this experience together.
In Bringing it to the Table, the indomitable Wendell Berry offers advice on eating responsibly: "Only by growing some food for yourself can you become acquainted with the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil to seed to flower to fruit to food to offal to decay, and around again. You will be responsible for any food that you grow for yourself, and you will know all about it. You will appreciate it fully, having known it all its life...The idea that every locality should be, as much as possible, the source of its own food make several kinds of sense. The locally produced food supply is the most secure, the freshest, and the easiest for local consumers to know about and to influence."
In consultation with Caleb France - local food advocate, chef, and owner of local eateries like Cerulean and Landing Beer Company - we will prepare an experience that tells the story of the food you have been carefully growing this summer. To bolster our local food system, we will source from local producers those ingredients we don't grow at Merry Lea. To tighten our local community, we will invite our neighbors to share in the celebration of this summer's harvest of food and knowledge.
Humans have been finding ways to extend the "shelf life" foods long before shelves existed. Through practices like smoking, salting, drying, and - as you experienced with John back in Week 3 - fermentation, food preservation has existed in many forms the world over, dating back to prehistoric times.
This final food preservation method we'll explore is all about heat and vacuums. The name of the game in preserving is creating an environment that is inhospitable or inaccessible to harmful bacteria. In this case, we'll use the latter. By simultaneously sterilizing the food and securing it inside a vacuum-sealed "can" (we'll use glass jars), we can create a product that is shelf-stable - and still delicious - for years!
Not only will we learn how to can, but we'll spend time reflecting on the advent of canning. The story of Nicolas Appert's life and work lends much to our modern context and challenges. From dogged determination to a seemingly humble ending, Appert demonstrates the power of perseverance and the unpredictability of legacy.
Gutting and preparing tilapia from an aquaculture farm
Lard Soap Making & Lard Candle Making (mixed with beeswax)
Bread Making
Storytelling
Rendering Lard
Essential Oils
Forest Farming
Dyeing with Natural Dyes (i.e. Poke Berries)
Culinary uses for bones (bone broth, marrow, etc.)
Presented by the ASI 2021 Student Cohort
With the help of Merry lea's Farm, faculty, staff, the soil, the flora and the fauna of this beautiful place, YOU, the 2021 ASI student cohort will plan, cook, and serve a complete dinner to family, friends, and local supporters! This is your chance to use the skills that you've developed in the Culinary Arts Series and your broader knowledge of the food system to showcase all you have experienced this summer! We will use the fruits of our love and labor from the education garden, the poultry we have raised and butchered, and milk from the goats we've hand milked ourselves as part of our dinner. Our goal is to use local food where we know the story and can show-case and share that story with our guests.
Here are some steps we will need to take to make this celebration happen:
Create a guest list and send out invitations: we will want to include all our field trip hosts, family, friends, and mentors!
Create a menu : we will work together to learn about the possibilities of what we can make from what we have right here on the farm!
Create a schedule: What needs to be done when? What can we make ahead of time? What needs done at the last minute? We will plan for success!
Delegate tasks: We will divide the work and allow each person's unique gifts and talents to flourish
Set-up the venue and determine what we want to share about our summer experience
All Merry Lea Faculty and Staff
Dean Ann Vendrely
President Becky Stoltzfus
All Field Trip Hosts
Media / Reporters
Noble County Visitor's Bureau
Family, Friends, and Mentors
Do you want a local food that you just can't find at Merry Lea, or find in needed volumes? Below is a foodshed map indicating sources for local foods in our area: