When The Food Channel® started its series in 2009 with Langford Farms, it was based on the trend we had observed toward “locavore” cooking and eating. People want fresh food, from reliable sources.
That’s the same thing we found with Allison Langford—a fresh face, and a reliable source of information about what to do with all the produce being created. So, we asked her to come in and give us some tips. You can find her advice and videos on the site.
Here’s her story:
I have been canning and preserving for most of my life. Although we lived in a suburban area growing up, my family always had a large garden. My parents canned a variety of vegetables and made homemade pickles, relishes, and jellies. I started helping my Dad in the garden and my Mom in the kitchen at a young age.
Now that we have our own garden, I have applied what I learned as a child to our own household. My older brother and his wife have also carried on the canning tradition. I generally can by myself, and at times, my husband joins me. I have also had various friends over so that they can also learn how to can or preserve their share of the harvest.
I have found that canned or preserved fresh food is far superior to canned or frozen foods bought in the grocery store. I do not remember eating canned green beans until I was married and purchasing my own groceries. The difference is amazing. The quality difference, along with the confidence of knowing the source of my food, has led me to choose local produce, canning, and preserving.
I have canned or preserved potatoes, zucchini, squash, green beans, pink-eye purple-hull peas, and corn. I have also made dill pickles, bread and butter pickles (using both zucchini and cucumbers), pickled okra, and salsa. In addition, I have preserved several kinds of soups including radish top, squash, potato-leek, and tomato-basil. During the harvesting season, I rarely purchase any vegetables. At any meal, we have 1-4 dishes made with vegetables from our garden. Some meals (the soups, for example) are made almost entirely using produce from the garden. It is incredibly rewarding to have meals made from food grown by us. During the winter months, I anticipate that half of the vegetables at mealtime will be from our garden.
In the US, citizens are becoming more interested in the origins of the food that they eat. They are concerned about pesticides and additives that may ultimately cause harm to themselves or
to their families. When this concern is combined with a struggling national economy, then I believe the result will be a greater interest in gardening, farmers markets, CSAs, and other sources of local produce, and canning/preserving.
Two years ago, my husband had the opportunity to visit a CSA (community shared agriculture) farm in Nova Scotia. This was his second CSA to see first-hand, and it whet his appetite for farming.
Members of a CSA buy into the farm prior to the growing season and share in both the risk and reward. This provides stability for the farmer and members since the risk is spread out over many members. The harvest is then split equally among the shares.
Since there was not a CSA in our local area, we decided to provide fresh produce to our community using the CSA model. During our first year, we sold 11 shares (equivalent to food for 44 adults). The shareholders were not required to work on the farm; however, we did have some volunteer
workdays which allowed the members to visit the farm, meet the other CSA members, and get their hands dirty. This year, we have 22 shares (equivalent to 88 adults). Some of the shares are working shares where members work six hours a month per share, while other shares are non-working. The vegetables are delivered to the members’ doorstep once a week. It is our goal that one share will provide enough vegetables for a family of four for one week plus extra for canning or preserving. We try to provide recipes and tips on the produce since some members are unfamiliar with some of the varieties.
I’m looking forward to working with The Food Channel to provide these tips and recipes!
—Allison
See more about Langford Farms at www.langfordfarms.org.
