At those picnics, including one right here in Iowa City, more than 20,000 people gathered around tables in parks and farms and school grounds to tell Congress to fix the School Lunch Program. Most of the discussions at these events and in the press afterwards centered on improving the food itself through increased Federal spending and local food initiatives. But there was another topic directly relevant to Labor Day: the call to create green jobs with a “School Lunch Corps.”

As the platform promoted by Slow Food states:

We can’t serve real food in schools without investing in school kitchens and the people who prepare and serve lunch. This spring, President Obama signed the Serve America Act, which expanded Americorps and reinforced his call for Americans to serve their country. Right now, our nation has an opportunity to train young and unemployed Americans to be the teachers, farmers, cooks and administrators we need to ensure the National School Lunch Program is protecting children’s health.  President Obama has called for an end to childhood hunger by 2015; let’s answer that call by putting Americans to work building and working in school kitchens nationwide.

It bears emphasizing that the School Lunch Corps idea is not an attempt to vilify today’s lunch ladies—or squeeze them out of a job.  No one at Slow Food is devaluing the hard work of the thousands of people who work in school kitchens, commissaries, and cafeterias.  These folks are dedicated laborers, many of them Union members, whose hands are tied by sometimes outlandishly picayune regulations.

For example, to be permitted to serve a simple but healthy dish of red beans and rice in a school cafeteria—according to Iowa City Schools food service director Diane Duncan-Goldsmith—kitchen workers must add meat or cheese.  Doesn’t matter that the dish is already a complete protein.  Regulations, serving no one but dairy and beef interests, insist that main dishes must contain meat or cheese.  This raises the cost and the calorie count, but adds little to the nutritional value of the meal.

Most of the food served in school cafeterias comes packaged in paper or plastic or cans, and is shipped in from an average of 1500 miles.  Multiply that by the 30 million meals served in schools everyday and the impact on greenhouse gasses and the waste stream become readily apparent.

All this doesn’t even touch on the potential health effects of the food our children are eating.  The keynote address at our Eat-In was delivered by Rep. Dave Loebsack (D-IA), who sits on the House Education and Labor Committee, the panel with jurisdiction over the Child Nutrition Act reauthorization.  Mr. Loebsack emphasized the connection between healthy kids and the future of our entire health care system, noting that one in three kids born after 2000 will contract diabetes before they’re old enough to vote; among minorities that number rises to one in two.

Thus a diet that puts more emphasis on whole grains and fresh vegetables, with meat as a side dish or condiment rather than the center of the plate is, as ever, the only healthy, viable alternative.  As an example, the dish I brought to our Eat-In was a slight twist on classic tabouleh, with everything but the grain coming from my restaurant’s garden (I haven’t tried to grow quinoa yet).

Quinoa with fresh veggies—coming soon to a school cafeteria near you? Quinoa Tebouleh2 cups quinoa, cooked 1 cup green lentils, cooked1 medium red onion, diced2 medium ripe tomatoes (1 red, 1 yellow if possible for color), diced1 cucumber (“English” or hothouse variety preferred), diced1 sweet bell pepper, seeded and diced3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced paper thin1/2 cup chopped cilantro and/or spearmintOptional additions: 1/2 cup olive oil; 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Simply toss all ingredients together, season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate one hour to overnight. Serves 6-8

Note: Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is a South American grain.  It’s extremely nutritious and cooks up just like rice.  Also, the lentils should be tender but not mushy.

Related Links:

White House loads policy initiatives into a few hours of fun at Healthy Kids Fair

Is privatization the answer to the school lunch mess?

Two takes on school lunches, plus other tasty morsels from around the web

UPDATE:  The owner of the hatchery in the video mentioned below has spoken out, says there were violations of procedure but makes no apologies.  He calls “instantaneous Euthanasia” “Standard industry practice.”  Read the story here.

Iowa is the number-one producer of eggs in the country, with more than twice the number of laying hens than Ohio, the number two state. There are nearly 20 times as many hens here than there are people, producing a shade over 14 billion eggs a year. As one might expect, their living conditions are less than ideal.

A cursory glance at the website of the Iowa Egg Council does not reveal any of the images of the way the laying hens are treated, but rather concerns itself with recipes, coloring books for the kids, and “Eggbert’s” somewhat rosy history of egg production in Iowa. A search of their site for the term “battery cage” yields a goose egg. But battery cages are one of the major reasons why Iowa out-produces everyone else - we have lots of them.

Across the US there are about 280 million hens in battery cages at any given time, cages that so severely restrict their movements that they cannot even spread their wings. They can’t nest, bathe in the dust, perch or forage, all instinctive chicken behaviors. Completely depleted of calcium in a few short weeks, their bones break and they are shipped off, dead and dying, to soup plants and pet food factories.

Then of course there’s the small issue of the effluent these factories produce, which must be stored lest it leak into the environment, which inevitably it does. The fumes threaten the health not only of the workers at these facilities but of the neighbors on the surrounding farms too.

While it’s true that none of this is news, it is interesting to note the ways people have opted out of participating in this heinous activity, and the ways that Big Egg has attempted to mask their misdeeds.

Here in Iowa City two years ago the student body of the University of Iowa voted to ban those eggs, insisting that only “cage-free” eggs be served to the 31,000 students and 15,000 staff members who live, work and learn in the Old Capitol. Sadly though, taking them out of the cages does not usually lead to bucolic lives on Old MacDonald’s farm.

Cage-free eggs come from chickens raised in warehouses in their thousands, beaks mutilated to prevent them from pecking each other to death due to stress, and exposed to ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gasses. Of course these are all hens. The male chicks were ground up alive soon after hatching and made into feed or fertilizer. They don’t lay eggs and are therefore of no use to the industry.

Yet all of this is only part of the reason why I don’t use such eggs in my restaurant. Our eggs come from Steve Rogers of Highland Vista farms, who runs his operation based on the model of sustainable-farm folk hero Joel Salatin. His chickens live on pasture, with the freedom to come and go from the coop as they please. They’re locked up at night to protect them from predators, and the rest of the time they scratch and forage on a different patch of pasture as they are moved about the farm. They live very happy, natural chicken lives and you can taste it in the eggs.

They cost us about three times what the factory eggs cost, or about $54.00 for a case of 15 dozen, which breaks down to about 30 cents an egg. Pricey? Perhaps, but it means 60 cents worth of the plate cost of the huevos rancheros we serve at brunch every Sunday, and when it comes to freshness and flavor (not to mention nutritional quality) there is simply no comparison.

We occasionally serve a very simple egg-based dessert over seasonal fresh fruits called Zabaglione (the French call it Sabayon).  It always wins raves for it’s rich decadence.  But each time a customer asks if we add turmeric or saffron to make it so yellow, I smile and say “no, that’s what eggs are supposed to look like.”

A little zab’ll do ya’.Photo: Kurt Michael FrieseZabaglione6 egg yolks2/3 cups sugar2/3 cups Marsala wine (or substitute rum, or Grand Marnier, or whatever turns you on)

Place a stainless steel bowl over a simmering saucepan of water to create a double boiler.  In the bowl, whisk the eggs briskly and constantly with the sugar.  While continuing to whisk, drizzle in the Marsala wine.  Continue to whisk until the mixture becomes light and fluffy,  a lttle like whipped cream at soft peaks.

Serve immediately over your favorite fresh fruits.  Serves 4-6

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Nowhere is this more evident than in our schools, where our kids are not taught about food and cooking, not even the “Home Economics” of my high school years. No, instead the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) teaches something called “Family and Consumer Science.” There you have it—we are not raising citizens, we are raising consumers. Our children are being taught one way of surviving in this modern, fast-paced world: the way of conspicuous consumption.

A recent federal mandate required that every school district write and implement a “Wellness Policy” that addressed, among other things, the epidemic of obesity and childhood diabetes now rampant in our youth. This was a noble endeavor; however, it needed to be more than a mere academic and bureaucratic exercise. What is called for here is a true revolution, one that, like all revolutions, will be very difficult to conduct in the face of the stalwart forces of the status quo. The fear of change is a very difficult one to overcome.

Like all of us, our children are what they eat, and they cannot be expected to learn and grow effectively on fat, salt, and corn-sweetener-laden government-subsidized surplus.  What is offered to them today is the result of the entrenched bureaucracy at the USDA, the immoveable object of parental indifference, and the irresistible force of union and administrative fear of change. Unlike the rest of the student’s school day, the lunch period is conducted not by the curricular side of the school system, but by the maintenance side. Meanwhile, the hardworking members of the ICCSD Food Service staff are restrained by inefficient kitchens, ludicrous time restraints, and a budget that is laughable at best. How well would you expect to eat on $1.60 per day?

We need a paradigm shift. From the parents and the rest of the taxpayers in the district, we need an understanding that spending more money is not “just throwing money at the problem,” it is an investment in the health and well-being of our children and our community. Parents must no longer choose to ignore the situation to the proven detriment of their children. From the teachers’ unions we need the flexibility to see that there are other models for the school day and the school year that can be effective besides the one we have in place, which was created over 100 years ago to fit an agrarian calendar so that kids could be home to tend to the farm when needed. The school year in the U.S. is 180 days long. It is 240 in Germany—and 243 in Japan. School days and even school weeks are longer too. A longer school day will provide the time necessary for children to eat healthily. Today they have 30 minutes or less, and most of that is spent standing in line.

If we move lunch away from the maintenance side of the equation and over to the curriculum, food will gain the attention that is necessary for it to demonstrate its own importance. We cannot continue to teach one thing in health class and peddle another in the lunch room. Teaching about food, its history, its culture, its etiquette, and its importance to our health and community will ensure a more productive and enjoyable future for our kids. To those who say “don’t try to tell me what I can and can’t feed my kids,” I say this: First, the USDA is already doing that, and in a demonstrably unhealthy way. Second, they may be your kids, but they’re our future.

This Labor Day, Slow Food USA will formally launch its Time for Lunch campaign with “Eat-Ins” scheduled all over the country—as of this writing, 227 in 49 states (step up, Mississippi!). In partnership with Sustainable Table, The Center for Ecoliteracy, Roots of Change, Edible Communities, and other organizations,  Slow Food is calling on Congress, during its reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act, to put real food on our children’s lunch trays. To do so, they must double the federal contribution to school lunches from $1 to $2 per meal.

Modeled on the sit-ins of the 60s, these Eat-Ins are potluck picnics to raise awareness. They are a call to action for our kids, alongside Slow Food’s signature celebration of local, sustainable, traditional food. Here’s a simple salad that’s delicious and ample enough to bring to to an Eat-In near you.

Anchovy, Goat Cheese and Romaine Salad8 cloves garlic1 teaspoon kosher salt40 anchovy fillets—rinsed and chopped6 ounces red wine vinegar1 cup olive oil1 teaspoon black pepper6 heads romaine lettuce—rinsed and coarsely chopped12 ounces fresh goat cheese—crumbled1 cup red onion—minced

Place garlic, salt, and anchovy fillets in food processor; pulse until chopped. Add red wine vinegar, and then puree. Slowly add in olive oil while motor is running. Add black pepper. Toss greens with vinaigrette. Garnish with goat cheese and red onion.

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Originating in Andalusia, the southern part of Spain that includes Gibraltar, the soup most Americans know is probably not the original. When most of Spain was part of the Moorish empire, cooks there developed an ancestor of the now-familiar gazpacho made of garlic, almonds, bread, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Now called ajo blanco, this was the go-to cold soup in Spain until Columbus returned with from the new world with the curious nightshade, the tomato, one of many New World foods destined to revolutionize world cuisine.

Gazpacho: Southern Spain in a bowl. Today’s most common version contains two new world foods, the tomato and the pepper. The ultimate summer soup, gazpacho also makes an interesting drink when used like a Blood Mary mix (omit the bread from the recipe below for that). Iowa is renowned for its ungodly hot and humid weather in July and August, and even though we’ve seen an uncharacteristically cool summer thus far, the gazpacho still sells well. We get a lot of vegetarian guests since the menu is about 65 percent veggie, and this dish can be made perfect for the stricter vegans, simply by leaving out the chopped egg garnish.

Gazpacho AndaluzAndalusia is the region of Spain where Jerez, the home of sherry, is located. Sherry is a nice accompaniment to Spain’s most famous soup. Look for a sherry called “Amontillado,” which refers to the medium-dry character of the wine. I like the Gomez or Wisdom & Werter brands.

3 pounds tomatoes—peeled, seeded and diced (see below)

1 onion diced
2 green peppers cored and diced2 roasted red peppers
4 cloves garlic4 slices day-old bread, cubed, crusts removed

2 1/2 cups tomato juice 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil4 tablespoons red wine vinegarSalt and pepper to taste,

at service Ice cubes1 red and 1 green bell pepper, minced1 onion, minced2 hard-boiled eggs, minced2 cups croutons

To peel the tomatoes, use a sharp knife to make an X on the bottom. Plunge them into boiling, salted water for 30 to 45 seconds, or until the skin becomes loose. Immediately “shock” them by placing them in ice water. When they are cool enough to handle (usually just a minute) use the knife to peel the loosened skins away. To seed the tomatoes, cut them in half along the equator and gently squeeze the seeds into a strainer over the sink. Rinse and dry the seeds and save them for next year’s garden.

Now puree the peeled, seeded tomatoes in a blender or food processor along with the onion, peppers, garlic, bread, tomato juice, olive oil and vinegar. You may need to do this in batches. Season to taste with salt and fresh cracked black pepper, then serve, garnished with an ice cube, pinches of the minced peppers and eggs, and a few croutons.

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Across the road, due north of their land, is a field of corn that is managed by the nearby Monsanto seed corn plant. In Iowa and anywhere commodity corn is grown, it is common practice around this time of year to use chemicals to control fungus. Often this is accomplished via the use of aerial application, commonly referred to as cropdusting. On July 6th, a rustic-looking old biplane swooped in to spray Monsanto’s field. To put it mildly, the pilot’s bombardiering skills were not what one would hope.

Dunham’s crew was in the field picking broccoli and spinruts (“turnip” backwards—a Japanese form of the root vegetable). They witnessed the plane as it failed to shut off its spray mechanism in time, and the fungicide drifted into their tree planting and hay field. “The hay ground is in the third year of transition and would have become organically certified on September 1st,” Andrew said. Now, probably not.

You’d think that this would be a clear-cut cause of action, as the legal folks would put it. But the clever folks at Monsanto hire the crop dusters as contractors, and they in turn use a corporate shell with no assets, so when something like this happens and a victim sues, they simply file bankruptcy and then form a new corporation.

Iowa is the single most radically altered landscape in the country. No state has changed more since the arrival of European settlers, and today the land is heavily “mono-cropped.” Nature abhors a lack of diversity, but pathogens love it so farmers respond with more and stronger chemicals to fight off the bugs and weeds and fungi. No one owns the airspace, so planes can fly over any land they choose. Even if the pilots are incredibly accurate, Iowa is a windy place (thus the massive increase in wind energy production here in recent years). Drift is practically inevitable.

Last month in Mississippi, the Clarksdale Press-Register ran a story about the problem of chemical drift. They spoke to a pilot:

Bob Howard, owner of Howard Flying Service, says crop dust pilots like himself are often unfairly singled out as the culprits of drift damage. Howard points out many farmers apply herbicides and pesticides from ground rigs, which if done in high winds, is also susceptible to cause drift injury.

The risk of dusting an off-target field with Roundup is something Howard says is always in the back of his mind when working.

“If everything was Roundup Ready it would be the greatest thing in the world,” Howard said. “If they would all go to Roundup Ready or all go back to conventional farming it would sure be a lot easier on us.”

I’m not sure I would even know where to start with this guy, but let’s try the part where he says that the risk is something that’s “always in the back of his mind.” The back? It’s stunning that someone so obviously shortsighted was able to obtain a pilot’s license. His apathy toward his community and flagrant self-centered simple-mindedness are indicative of the unconscious conspiracy to which so many are a party. They have all been bamboozled into believing in “Better living through chemistry.” So much so, in fact, that the methods most farmers have used for a mere few decades are called “conventional,” and the few who practice farming as it was done for millennia are the outliers. Monsanto’s website even claims that they are “Growing yield sustainably.”

Farmers like Andrew Dunham can do little more than stand in their contaminated fields in stunned silence as Monsanto’s contracted crop dusters continue to fly in the face of logic. But Dunham and his family still manage to produce excellent food. In defiance of negligent crop dusters, here’s a simple and delicious recipe from the Heritage Farm newsletter.

Kale with olives1 bunch kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped 2-4 Tbsp olive oil Ground sea salt and black pepper ½ cup olives, chopped Red pepper flakes and lemon wedges, optional Simmer the kale in a skillet in about 4 cups boiling water. Add salt and stir the greens until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the leaves, toss with the olive oil and add the olives, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

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“It is difficult to convince a man of something when his salary depends on him not understanding it.”

Admittedly my goals were lofty—not just removing junk food from menus and machines, but also bringing in lots of fresh local produce and planting gardens at the schools. The progress that we did make was indeed positive, if minimal. We produced a set of guidelines that called for more healthy options, and for shutting off the vending machines during lunch (an admittedly pointless activity that any child could work around).

I was thinking about all this when I saw a segment on MSNBC’s “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” program in which he lists his daily choices for the worst people in the world. The “winner” that night was Cynthia Davis, who represents the 19th District of the state Congress in the place we lovingly call Baja Iowa (most of you call it Missouri). She apparently had the political fortitude—if not aptitude—to pontificate on child hunger.

Her complaint was that the state was funding school lunches for kids even during the summer, when school was out, saying in part, “Anyone under 18 can be eligible? Can’t they get a job during the summer by the time they are 16?” She added—and I am not making this up—“Hunger can be a positive motivator.” She goes on to suggest that the kids can work at McDonald’s where they can eat for free during breaks. Olbermann rightly pointed out here that 1 in 5 Missouri children already is “motivated” by hunger.

A friend who once worked in a McDonald’s assures me that the eating free bit is not in fact the case. But even if it were, this State Representative is flagrantly stating that saving a few tax dollars now is more important that the health and welfare of our children. This from the Chair of the Missouri House Standing Committee on Children and Families.

Back here in Iowa, the state Board of Education finally approved a new set of nutritional guidelines that would promote fresh food. But legislatures have never seen a “well enough” that they could leave alone. So in Des Moines they set the guidelines aside “temporarily” so that they could stand on the floor of the Senate and put forth cogent arguments like this, from Senator Merlin Bartz (R-Grafton):

You know, you’re going to have this exodus of kids walking across the street to the convenience store, or more of ‘em that are just going to say, ‘I’m skipping lunch. I’m bringing my own food. We’re going to be selling Mountain Dew, black market, out of the tops of lockers.’

He also warned colleagues that there would be a backlash if schoolteachers and administrators turn into the “food police.” Ah, where to start?

Senator Bartz, in case you’re reading this, using rhetoric like “food police” is a convenient way to scare people, but it doesn’t begin to describe what should or would happen. The teachers and administrators are responsible not only for the education of our children, but also for their health and well-being while they are in schools. They learn just as much from what they are fed as from what they are taught, perhaps more.

When we tell our children in their health classes that eating a nutritious, balanced diet full of fruits and vegetables is important to their overall health, and then the very same school sells them the very junk they’d just been advised against, just what lesson do we think they will draw? There are no cigarette vending machines in our schools for a very good reason. We must not tell them one thing, and then turn around and sell them something else. It’s the height of hypocrisy.

If a “black market” were to result, it could be easily regulated through the same measures that stop kids from selling drugs from their lockers. And as for kids bringing food from home, they can do that now; and those who do tend to bring healthier, fresher food. Even if they don’t, at least the district is not profiting from peddling fat, sugar, and chemicals to our children.

Might it cost more to bring healthier, preferably local food into our cafeterias? Probably. When someone can show me a higher priority for our society than the health and well-being of our children, then I’ll begin advocating for that as well. But I simply can’t see one.

And now, since it’s freakin’ hot here in Iowa and the berries are coming into season, here’s a tasty berry gelato recipe. It’s a great treat for kids when served on moderate amounts—berries are full of antioxidants. You’ll need an ice cream churn, and there are inexpensive ones to be had. I prefer the type where the cylinder can be frozen separately, but the kind where you have to add ice works just as well.

Can’t we all scream for berry ice cream?Photo: desertculinaryBerry Ice Cream

3 egg yolks1 cup sugar1/2 cup water12 ounces fresh local berries (whatever’s in season where you are) pureed1/4 teaspoon salt1 tablespoon lemon juice2 cups half and half

Place yolks in a food processor or stand mixer, set aside.

Combine sugar and water over high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves, heat to a boil, and then boil 3 minutes without stirring.

With the food processor or mixer running on high speed, slowly pour the hot syrup into the egg yolks (go too fast and you’ll get sweet scrambled eggs). Process until the egg yolks are thickened and pale yellow. Turn off the processor and add the berry puree, salt, and lemon juice.

Process until pureed, strain if necessary. Stir in the half and half and refrigerate overnight.

Churn according you your particular machine’s instructions.

Related Links:

White House loads policy initiatives into a few hours of fun at Healthy Kids Fair

Is privatization the answer to the school lunch mess?

Two takes on school lunches, plus other tasty morsels from around the web

Take last month’s flap about Oprah Winfrey’s KFC promotion.  While the MSM focused on the feeding frenzy that ensued, and the near-riots when KFCs across the country ran out of food or people couldn’t download their coupons from the website, precious few (apart from here on Grist anyway) were commenting on Oprah’s hypocrisy in promoting KFC after she had done so much to promote the cause of animal cruelty prevention.  She was even named “Person of the Year” last year by PETA.  Yet while KFC continues to buy Tyson chicken, which is raised in heartbreaking conditions, de-beaked and pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, Oprah apparently has no trouble promoting the company.  Perhaps the greater hypocrisy lies with PETA, though; they’ve refused to call her out on the issue.

KFC is not blameless in hypocrite rankings either, foisting their products as fresh and healthy, hiding the true costs of cheap food, and claiming that it’s cheaper than making the food at home.  To their credit, KFC parent company YUM! Brands did cave to the Coalition for Immokalee Workers and their demand for a fair living wage for tomato pickers, but that was after years of protests and even more years of slavery in South Florida.

One member of the list of underwriters on the public radio show Marketplace is what truly pins my ears back though.  The Monsanto Corporation bills itself, there and on their website, as “dedicated to sustainability.”  Please.

I am a great fan of George Orwell and have read all his books, and so I recognize Orwellian double-speak when I hear it.  For the inventors of Terminator Seeds (from which plants grow, but the resulting seeds are sterile), Zombie Seeds (which will not grow until treated with a Monsanto-patented chemical); and Utility Patents on Seeds (giving them ownership rights not just on the seeds but on all their progeny) to stake some claim on “sustainability” may well be the height of hypocrisy.

The Orwellian rebranding does not end there, though.  Last month Frito-Lay announced a new ad campaign in five states, beginning with Florida, referring to their Lay’s Potato Chips as “local food.”  Strictly speaking I suppose it is since some of their potatoes are grown and fried in Florida.  But by this logic, all of us here in Iowa can begin referring to high fructose corn syrup as a local food as well.  That’s the same HFCS that the corn processing industry calls “an American agricultural product” in their ads.  Local Lay’s are just the beginning of industrial food’s latest foray into absconding with another useful term.  They took “natural,” they redefined “organic,” they’re taking “sustainable,” and now they want “local,” all the while changing the meaning of the words instead of their own detrimental practices.

I don’t know if there is another reason for this behavior besides profit, but I doubt it.  And I shan’t be hypocritical myself in this regard, as a business owner and father of two kids in college, I am in favor of profit.  But when lowering prices increases hidden costs to our environment, our health system, and our security—witness swine flu, possibly to an enormous Mexican hoglot owned by Smithfield—then that is false profit indeed.

So, my hypocrisy?  You’ll not catch me at a drive-thru, but I do confess to liking Ramen noodles—and Lay’s potato chips, for that matter. But I also make my own chips at home. Here’s how.

The chips are upHome-Made Potato Chips

2 “Idaho” russet potatoes, scrubbed clean (or peeled, if you prefer)2 quarts of your preferred oil (I like peanut oil.  Soy is good too, as long as it’s the non-GMO stuff.)Salt to taste

Unless you are quite skilled with a knife, you’ll want a tool called a mandolin. This has nothing to do with the stringed instrument; a kitchen mandolin is essentially the same thing Ron Popeil used to hawk on late night TV—it dices, it slices, it does almost everything but wash the dishes and walk the dog. Mandolins range from inexpensive plastic versions in the Asian markets to $200 stainless steel French versions.  Pick up the sturdiest one you can afford and treat it with respect—it’s very sharp and it doesn’t care what it slices and dices, be it potatoes or your knuckles.

Preheat the oil in a saucepan or electric fryer to 375 degrees, no more no less.  Meanwhile:

Using your mandolin, carefully slice your potatoes paper-thin.  Place them in the oil just a few slices at a time, for about 1 minute, then remove them to paper towels.  Once they have all been pre-fried in this way (it’s called “blanched” in the industry), then refry them - again in small batches - for about 3 minutes until they are crispy.  Remove to fresh paper towels and repeat for the rest of the batches.  Salt to taste as soon as they come out of the oil.

Another caution: deep-frying can be hazardous.  If you are doing it on the stovetop, be sure to use a much larger pan, one that’s deep enough that the oil won’t boil over.  Nothing spoils an appetite like a house fire.

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In case you’re unfamiliar, CSA means community-supported agriculture—a new name for what family-scale farming used to be. These days it works very much like a magazine subscription. You pay up front, usually in the late winter when the farmer really needs it, and in return you share in the bounty throughout the season. In these parts the season lasts roughly 20 weeks, so for each of those weeks we’ll receive a box full of all the fresh goodness that’s in season right then, usually picked that same morning.

Even though it’s just me and my wife at home these days, I still buy a full “family share.” I take what I want to cook with at home, and the rest goes to my restaurant, where my crew uses it for specials and such. Every Wednesday the cooks are always excited to see what’s in the box - they unload it like kids on Christmas morning. The box, of course, gets returned to be used for the next week’s bounty.

Laura Dowd of Local Foods Connection, left, and Susan Jutz of ZJ FarmsPhoto: Kurt Michael FrieseBuying a share of the bounty also means buying a share of the risk. It’s been a cold wet spring here in Iowa, so many plants aren’t even in the ground yet. I saw thousands of seedlings in Susan’s hoop house, each one yearning to breathe free sometime after Mother’s day - the traditional end of the danger of frost here. This means the season will start a little later this year, but all of us will gladly take that over last year’s disastrous storms and floods. ZJ Farms was high and dry, but some savage straight winds did take out her 100-year-old barn, sheeps and pigs still inside.

That barn is still being cleaned up a year later, but volunteers from Local Foods Connection, an organization Susan helped create, have been helping out. LFC is a charity that helps get fresh wholesome food to needy families. Volunteers do work on area farms, and in return farmers give CSA shares to the charity, which in turn gives them to the families. There is also a wonderful educational component too. Families are encouraged to learn about the foods, and how to cook them. They earn points that can be redeemed for kitchen tools.

Families are also required to visit one of the farms. Often they are reluctant, but LFC founder and president Laura Dowd says that the only thing harder than getting them to visit the farms is getting them to leave. Many of the families have never had the opportunity to see a working farm up close, and that is intrinsically rewarding for anyone.

So now we await our first box, expected the week of the 18th. I’ll be looking for asparagus, and radishes, and lots of baby greens. They’ll probably all end up in a salad topped with Devotay’s own balsamic vinaigrette.

Balsamic Vinaigrette 3 shallots 1/4 cup Boetje’s Dutch mustard (a Rock Island original) 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt3/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup Iowa Natural Soy Oil (strictly non-GMO, & made right here in Iowa)

Mix the oils together. Place shallots, mustard, pepper and salt into food processor and chop fine. Add vinegar and pulse. While running the processor, slowly add the olive and soy oils to emulsify. It may not all fit, so mix in remaining oil in bowl with a whip.

Make plenty—this dressing will keep in the refrigerator for weeks.

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