What do celebrity chefs, musicians and writers, a video lending library, a curriculum resource centre and development of a Saskatchewan grown label have in common?
They are all part of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate’s effort to link organic producers and consumers and to create awareness of local and organic food.
In 2009, Saskatchewan exported more than $8 billion worth of food.
Agriculture is a fundamental part of the character of our province, yet many people who live in Saskatchewan feel disconnected from agriculture and from the food they eat.
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There is a growing eat local movement, eager to keep food dollars in their local communities. There is a growing organic movement looking for healthy food from a healthy environment.
And of course local and organic is especially sought after by people who see benefits in both ideas. But people are having trouble finding local organic food.
SOD, through its Food Miles Committee, is trying to help people who would like to reconnect with local food. One focus is to increase the amount of local product in grocery stores. SOD discovered that many conventional growers have the same problems.
Working with province’s ministry of agriculture and people from the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan, SOD helped bring organic and conventional vegetable and fruit producers to a meeting with Loblaws and Federated Co-op.
The retailers are interested in local and organic. Initial meetings were positive, with everyone learning about each other’s needs and beginning to plan for next year.
A second direction for SOD was to develop directories that allow a consumer to find local foods. Several directories are available, including retail, restaurant and producer and processor directories for organic food. There are also links to a map of Saskatchewan indicating producers who sell directly to consumers, a listing of the province’s farmers’ markets and a listing of fruit producers in Saskatchewan.
SOD’s Food Miles Committee gathered curriculum resources for teachers in middle years and high school, to introduce concepts of local and organic food, and to encourage young people to be involved in their food choices.
Perhaps the most ambitious project of the Food Miles Committee is what co-ordinator Marion McBride refers to as “an edutainment reality TV series calledDining with the Stars.”
According to SOD past-president Bob Balfour, this project allows people to put a face to their food.
There are many stars in theDining with a Starseries. First are the farmers. Theirs is the talent and care that brings the finest ingredients that are the foundation of the feasts.
Vegetables forDining with the Starsincluded cabbage, potatoes, squash, parsnips, carrots and beets from:
• DonandDonnaKizlykatD&D Market Garden;
• Warren and Jamie Neuman at Wild Flower Organics;
• Keith Neu of Eco Farm and Steve and Jan Guenther at Living Soil Farm.
Meats include:
• beef from Sheldon and Gerry Scheck at Cactus Organics;
• bison, lamb and chicken from Gene and Pat Kessler of Clear Creek Organics ;
• lamb from Chuck and Marion Leniczek of Lily and Rose; From grain producers:
• flour, spelt flakes and lentils from Ray and Marianne Aspinall of Daybreak Scheresky’s Mill;
• Bob Balfour of Rand J Milling;
• David and HazelTanner of Pure T Organics;
• Ian and JoAnne Cushon, Moose Creek Organics.
More unique offerings include:
• hemp oil and hemp hearts from Ken and Pamela Irving at Caledonia Organic Farm;
• apples, saskatoons and cherries from Sylvia and Dean Kreutzer, Over the Hill Orchard;
• flower syrups from Lyn Brown at Bedard Creek Acres;
• wine from Susan Echlin of Living Sky Winery;
• wild rice from Lynn and Iris Riese of Riese’s Wild Rice.
Sixteen farms were visited by a film crew to capture some of the flavour of the farms for theDining with the Starsseries.
Capturing the flavour further is the second group of stars: the chefs. These stars offer their restaurants for the evening and provide the gourmet flair.
The final group of stars is the celebrities invited for the evening for their wit, their conversation and their musical talents.
These stars have so far included Don Atchison, C.J. Katz, Jack Semple, Ken Mitchel and Sheila Deck.
Each meal is an evening’s entertainment.
“Chefs have gone all out to have six, nine, even 10 course meals” says coordinator Marion McBride.
“Taping includes the chef and celebrity discussing options; chefs cooking, zeroing in on plating; and discussions at the table with producers and celebrities about their relationship to food. It starts as a bunch of strangers and quickly becomes a close group of friends.”
McBride hopes to sell the reality show to a local network where it will showcase the potential of local and organic food, and inspire action.
SOD, and particularly its Food Miles Committee, have taken an innovative approach to encouraging people to connect with their food, and to support their local food producers with every purchase.
Websites:
Saskatchewan Organic Directorate: www.saskorganic.com/Saskatchewan
Organic Directorate Food Miles Campaign: foodmiles. saskorganic. com/
Also at this site are educational resources for teachers, a retail, restaurant and processor directory.
Saskatchewan Alberta Organic Producers Directory: www.organicfarmdirectory.c a/
Events:
• Dine with a Star, Dec. 20, Regina; Jan. 8 and 16, Saskatoon; Jan. 15, Birch Hills, Sask.: foodmiles. foodmiles.saskorganic.com/
• Thinking of selling your beef into local markets: Jan. 10, Barrhead, Alta: organicalberta. org/events/ thinking-of-selling-your-beef-into-local-markets
• Transition to organic livestock production Jan. 14, Sangudo, Alta.: organicalberta. org/events/ transition-to-organic-livestock-production-january-16
• Guelph Organic Conference, Jan 27-30, Guelph, Ont: www.guelphorganicconf.ca /
Brenda Frick, Ph. D., P. Ag. is an extension agrologist and researcher in organic agriculture. She welcomes your comments at 306-260-0663 or email organic@usask.ca.
