rancho_gordo

Your post is indeed interesting and I don't blame you for being offended, especially by what you present as convenient fictive caricatures of farmers at a market you know so well. However, I don't think cutting ties with the Italian organization for the sake of forging a superior American institution, especially on the basis of this one incident, is the answer. I like the idea that a hot-headed Italian chauvanist accomplished so much in the name of the principles he passionately supports. I also like the fact that Slow Food has developed into an international movement which it really should be. ← It's just the needs of the different countries are so complex. I didn't say a "superior" American institution but I would say we need one that is better at dealing with our problems. There are many more problems with Slow than this one incident. I believe a lot of people have found reason to be disappointed in the group. They can be arrogant and elitist, depending on the chapter and who is running it. I think this is just the smoking gun I suspected was there all along. i think it would be great if he broke a big bottle of champagne over the bow of the ship and let sail where it needs to, always thankful that he started it.

I would add that it's possible to support and appreciate a lot of the good stuff Slow has done and still be very critical of it. My gut level feeling is the US group (and all others) need to cut ties to Italy and let each country evolve on its own, without Mr Petrini's help.

This is an entry from my blogthat I think could use a larger audience and some real discussion. I should state I was a delegate from the original Terra Madre conference in Torino and was on board 100%, donating and throwing benefits on my property. SLOW FOOD VS THE FARMERS AND YOU AND ME Normally this space is dedicated to posts about soaking beans or pruning cactus. Unfortunately, a recent book by someone supposedly fighting the good fight for pure, good, local food has caused such a stir that I felt the need to comment and present the point of view of a grower who previously was cheering Slow Food and selling at the San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Carlo Petrini is the head of Slow Food, an international organization that mostly raises awarness about the deplorable state of modern food production. They’ve done a lot of good and opened many eyes. I’ve made some good friends and learned quite a lot, so I don’t want to discount the whole organization. Petrini has written a new book, Slow Food Nation, and the bulk of one short chapter is spent describing his trip to Ferry Plaza with his friend, restauranteur and local food icon, Alice Waters. I’d like to share the passage with you: -from Slow Food Nation by Carlo Petrini. ©2007 Rizzoli Ex LibrisThere are a number of disturbing suggestions and some flat-out lies. The easiest finger to point is at price. Yes, the price of food at Ferry Plaza, both in the shops and at the farmers market can be high. You can spend over $3 for a single peach. You can also find bunches of spring onions for 39 cents, juicy oranges for 99 cents a pound and lettuce mix for less than five dollars a pound, all comprable to an average grocery store. Petrini full well knows that “regular” prices are artificially low and I would say it’s downright irresponsible to bring up price without mentioning what it takes to bring a 69 cent head of romaine to a grocery store. For the small independent grower, expenses add up quickly. There’s gas, business permits, labor, ag department fees, farmers market fees, organic certificatrion, water and even seed stock just to start. But as long as we’re talking about price, did you know your Slow Food membership starts at $60? For this you get a little pin of a snail, probably made in China and not by “artisan” labor, and a quarterly magazine that is always late and rarely of interest. And you get the chance to got to events like meeting Petrini and eating a hamburger for $100. I don’t believe Mr. Petrini is in a position to discuss value. Petrini mentions that most of the customers seemed to be actresses. In my mind, this conjures up images of women in furs with big Breakfast at Tiffany’s sunglasses strolling with their snow leopards on a leash. Or at least unusually gorgeous and well-turned out women. I apologize to my customers, whom I love dearly, but San Francisico’s fashion motto could easily be “Dare to be dowdy!”, especially on a foggy Saturday morning. Try Beverly Hills or even nearby Walnut Creek if you want to see “actress types”. I mentioned this to a friend and he said, “There is a sense of glamor to the place. Maybe that’s what he’s picking up on.” I doubt it. I think it’s great that Alice Waters introduced him to “dozens” of farmers but to see the farmers market through her eyes is not to see the market. She doesn’t even shop there! She probably knows her regular suppliers and thought she was doing them a favor by introducing them to Petrini. I sincerely doubt that all of the farmers introduced by Waters were all Silicon Valley dropouts and college grads but if they were, how wonderful! To turn away from a cubicle and work the land and show off the fruits of your labor should be something to induce pride. In the magazine Gastronomia, writer Rachel Laudan accuses Petrini and Slow Food of being “culinary luddites” and I suspect they are “ag luddities” as well. What’s even more offensive is that these two farmers who left such an impression on Petrini simply don’t exist. He made them up as a way to illustrate his points but since he doesn’t really understand the California farmers market system, the Bay Area food scene and the dynamics of suburban sprawl, he’s caught off guard. He writes about the olive oil grower who wears a suit and tie (why is this relevant at all? Oh! A big bad business man!), “I was thinking of what he must have uprooted and cleared away in order to grow all those plants, each one of them impeccably organic.” Since this farmer and this grove of olives don’t exist, it is hard to say what was uprooted, but if it’s in Northern California, there’s a better chance that this olive grove prevented more suburban sprawl rather than destroy native habitat. The surfer example is the worst, in my book. The subtext here is that the farmer, the one Petrini chose to write about, is gouging the customer in order to go surfing. There is one rather famous surfing farmer and it’s Joe Shirmer of Dirty Girl Produce. Yes, he surfs, sometimes for extended periods, in Baja. But he’s an innovative farmer, works like a dog and sleeps in a tent on the beaches of Mexico. Joe and I exchange seeds from Baja, always looking for the elusive wild beans (frijol silvestre) of Baja and saving wild tomatillo seeds and studying legumes. But so what if all Joe did was surf on his well-earned vacations? Is this any of Petrini’s business or even mine? The subtext is that it’s not enough that we grow food as Petrini has suggested in the past . Now we need to sell to a particular customer, charge a particular price, wear certain clothes and spend our leisure time according to his vision. I think he’s irresponsible and Slow Food should be ashamed for giving him an unrestricted platform, despite all the good things he may have done in the past. Next: I meet Carlo Petrini in person! Edited to add copyright info.

And you too. Come back soon. You're good for the economy!!! (and a swell guy).

Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com has two books, Cook 1.0 and Super Natural Cooking. Heidi is a member here and posts now and again.

I like to think so! ← We'd all like to think that there couldn't possibly be 2 of you ← I wouldn't wish that on my enemies! I checked out oakapple's site, and perlows, too, and I've heard good things about the beans, especialy the runner cannellini in the tomato sauce. If it's done right, it should make you swoon. Even though huge Gigande beans are the rage, I think the slightly smaller runner beans have a more buttery, less potato flavor. I normally don't like to mix my beans but Jason's shot of the pork on a bed of mixed beans looks beyond fine. FWIW, Marco and his chef Edward are great guys and seem to be on the top of their game.

I like to think so!

I want to hear about the bean dishes!

Sorry to disagree and I don't know what your source is or how you used it but it's quite different.

In what sense? Commercial Farming, you mean? There were/are a lot of native bees, like Bumble Bees and Leaf Cutter bees, that pollinated plants before the introduction of the European Honey Bee. ← Thanks to you and your suggestion of the book 1491, I've learned that the Americas were much more advanced than we've been led to believe. And they was major agricutlure. But as I write this beans, corn, tomatoes don't need insects to pollinate... But what are the native bee populations like now? Mason bees, too, I think are native.

Since honeybees aren't native, what was done before they were brought over?

It's a different plant alogether but they taste somewhat similar. The native has a slight citrus touch and is earthier. I'm sure Penzy's has it and we grow it but if you're making your chili now, go ahead and use what you have on hand. There actually are many "Mexican oreganos", I've been told. I think Spanish must have called all the green herbs "oregano". But Lippia graveolens is the most common and called for in recipes.

Each crockpot is different so if that works for you, keep up the good work. I find if I put unsoaked beans on high in the morning, they're perfect by dinner, and sometimes as quick as 4 hours. Does the slow actually end up simmering? I think they really need to get to a certain heat or they can be toxic! If it's gently simmering when you wake up, you should be fine. Does it taste good? I know this sounds like a setup folks, but honest, it's not! There are several samplers here , depending on your interests. I think it's ok to announce now, but I'm in the process of writing Heirloom Beans: Rancho Gordo Cooking for Chronicle Books with a Fall 2008 release date! The manuscript is due Monday which is why I'm here on the food boards and even working in QuickBooks to avoid writing. In the meantime there are recipes here: RG Cooking and a blog here:RG Blog, also loaded with cooking ideas. Well, I'm sure she's lovely but I know what I'd do.......

Call me intuitive, but I'm guessing some of you aren't Anthony Bourdain's target audience.

I have a lot of these but I tend to use Jack Bishop's Vegetables Everday first. The recipes are simple and good and easy enough to improvise from based on what's on hand. Chez Panisse Vegetables is a runner up but I'm very excited about the new Russ Parsons book! Already pre-ordered on Amazon. oops! Lookie here. Russ himself has chimed in. I had NO idea!

I just got these in Mexico: and these: Most folks bring back Havana rum. I bring back wooden spoons and wooden bean mashers.

But not under Thos Keller, was it?

Bingo. ← Happily, you don't have to read them! For the rest of us, who else is saying that the emperor has no clothes? And making us laugh out loud at the same time. Sports fans wouldn't put up with a show about how shoelaces are made when they came to see a football game. Why should we accept this drivel and remain quiet?

Just a thought: You're not confusing El Faro with El Farolito, are you?

Personally, I like the one on 24th a little better. It's a bigger, brighter room in a more interesting neighborhood. I only ever have the pastor, so I don't know about the rest. And if you get a burrito, they grill the tortilla along with the meat instead of using one of those steam machines and it makes all the difference. But the pastor and that uberspicy thin guac is killer.

That's one way of looking at it. Another is that if you want to present crappy programming, people are going to criticize it. Who is biting whose hand? The network was made popular and valid and on to so many cable systems because of the Batalis, Bourdains and Saras. I say let him rant until Unwrapped! is replaced by Cassoulets with Paula Wolfert.

I've been pureeing them with cooked leftover cauliflower and sauteed onions and anchovy for a spread on crostini. I'm sure this would be even better with famous eG oven roasted cauliflower!

El Farolito has always been my favorite. they used to have bowls of thin guacamole with tomatillos and tons of heat but now you have to ask for it. I'm glad you got to eat the pastor there. The burrito is good too as you have a pool of red pork love juice running down your hand by they end. The farmers markets at the ferry building are only on Saturday and Tuesday. I think you went to the ferry building on a day without the market. Try and come back on a Saturday, although today was a rainy bust.

I might be able to have one before my dinner at the French Laundry. What do you think?? A taco before "oysters & pearls"? My schedule looks very tight. I'm going to have to pace myself. And of course, a full report with photos .. ← I think the best taco truck is Michoacan. As you go up 29 past Napa, take Salvador and the truck is either behind the gas station or in front of the school. There are always lots of crews and locals eating. Just get one taco al pastor or suardero. It's $1.50 and you will smile.

It's pretty. I looked at it when it first arrived and it's been on the shelf ever since. If you cook a lot, there's a pretty good chance there's not much new there. But I can see reading all the text one of these days.