This is not your typical story, for Anthony Boutard, of Ayers Creek Farm, is not your typical farmer. Trained as a forester, he and his wife, Carol, backed into farming – as he likes to tell it.

He shares many stories, including how he goes about deciding what to grow for a particular season, and shares his wealth of farming knowledge, some of it borrowed from indigenous cultures.

Anthony Boutard has lots of ideas and thoughts, and he’s a nonlinear thinker. As a result, I think this story stands out from the rest in terms of style. I wanted to make sure that his personality came through, and that his experience, and the rich flavors of his philosophy and approach to farming did not get left out during the editing process. Even the ending music was left out, it just didn’t fit here.

If you love food – good food – I hope this story will resonate with you. If it doesn’t matter to you what you eat or where it comes from, well, then, maybe you’ll get a sense what the fuss is all about. And, why (for those who can), it’s really important to support your local farmer. Anthony and Carol Boutard love eating good food, and lucky for us, they love to grow and sell it too. For those in the Portland, Oregon area, Ayers Creek Farm sells direct at the Hillsdale Farmers Market.

Have you ever tried to grow food during the winter months? Indoors with a few herbs, or maybe a cold frame with some lettuces? Or try curing sweet potatoes and squash to bring out their sweetness? Our local farmers have so much knowledge to share to help us understand and discover the good food around us. I encourage you to visit your local farmers market, many (at least in our area) are open in the winter, too.

Who is your Good Food Farmer?

A factory of whisks. Wire, wire everywhere. How do they get those wires to stay in place and not come popping out. I was curious. I love to see how things are made.

Best Manufacturing Plant, Portland Oregon

I guess I’m one of those few people who don’t own a whisk. I see that it’s a simple tool, and widely used by many, but how? I called a couple of home cooks I knew and asked if they had a whisk. Both did. In fact, each had several. So off I went and watched them work their magic and listened. What an education.

Recipe from the show: Michael’s Mars Meringues

—Rebecca

“We will have to develop much more sustainable, or durable forms of food production because the way we have done things up to now are no longer as viable as they once appeared to be.” Prince Charles speech on the future of food, May 4th, 2011

Mankind is not on a timeless journey; as with all of life, our destiny is defined within the bounds of finite hope and promise. The magnificent bounty of nature, easily mistaken as being endless in supply, provides the foundation for all living things; it sustains the air we breath, the land we sow, the water, and other essential minerals in the earth, to create the necessary conditions for life to begin, and for it to continue to flourish. But nature’s abundance is not without limits, and in particular, the human species must learn how to navigate life’s path less destructively, and less rapacious of the natural world’s finite resources. Quite simply, unless we change course in time, having consumed both house and home—we may find ourselves plunged— as other civilizations before us— into sudden extinction.

Lubbock, Texas area from the air, showing center pivot irrigation circles.

The single source of irrigation is ancient water from a massive, underground aquifer. The Ogallala Aquifer is one of the largest, fresh water aquifer’s in the world, and was formed millions of years ago from the erosion of the Rocky Mountains. It traverses through portions of eight states (Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming), providing 30% of the total water used in irrigation of agriculture, and accounts for an astounding 20% of the entire agricultural output of the country.

More efficient center pivot irrigation of a cotton field in Hale county.

This short documentary provides a glimpse into an unusually important, and long-running research and demonstration project, called the Texas Coalition for Sustainable Integrated Systems Research (TeCSIS) and the Texas Alliance for Water Conservation (TAWC) that started with a grant from SARE to form TeCSIS. This combined project (TeCSIS/TAWC) involves scores of scientific researchers, educational institutions, government agencies, and local area farmers (producers) that are trying to find answers to extend the life of the aquifer, and promote more sustainable, economic viability for this invaluable agricultural region.

TAWC project manager, Rick-Kellison, talks to dry-land farmer Keith Phillips

There is another ambitious goal of this project that may be as important as its efforts to extend the life of the aquifer in this region. Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater. Roughly two-thirds of that water is frozen, leaving less than 1% available for growing crops, and for drinking supplies. The transferrable knowledge that is gained through this unique type of cooperative research effort may offer valuable clues to other semi-arid regions in the world who are facing similar critical water scarcity challenges.

When we look toward the very near future, with an anticipated 2 billion more global inhabitants expected by 2050, better conservation of these fresh groundwater resources will be critical for our continued well-being.

Additional Resources:

• Future of Food
  Speech by HRH The Prince of Wales, May 2011
• Groundwater Management in the High Plains Aquifer in the USA: Legal Problems and Innovations (pdf) 2007
• Rethinking Groundwater Supplies in Light of Climate Change: How Can Groundwater be Sustainably Managed While Preparing for Water Shortages, Increased Demand, and Resource Depletion? (pdf) 2008

Can the 2012 Farm Bill protect the Ogallala Aquifer?

• One Hundred Years of Agriculture– the Giant Side of Lubbock (doc)
  Lubbock Chamber of Commerce
• Water Pressure
  National Geographic
• Ogallala Aquifer
  Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
• Ogallala Map Series
  Texas Tech University
• Map of Ogallala Aquifer- 41 counties in Texas (pdf)
• Water Worries: Declining Aquifers Threaten Agriculture; May, 2011
• Ogallala Aquifer
  High Plains Underground Water District No. 1
• The Ogallala Aquifer: Saving a Vital U.S. Water Source
  Scientific American Earth 3.0-March, 2009 (paid download)
• Ogallala Aquifer: An Introduction (doc)

I remember it was a typical hot, dry day in August. I wanted to get a short trip to the Farmer’s Market in before the day was gone. So many beautiful fruits and vegetables to pick from. I was in heaven. Almost.

I passed a booth with 2 ladies with bright aprons selling…hmmm, let me see, what’s in those bottles? Mustard? And it’s called Monastery Mustard? Why? I looked around to get a hint. Up on their big banner, behind where they stood, was printed “Benedictine Sisters”. Oh, okay. Of Mt. Angel. Okay, too coincidental. There’s something more here, there’s bound to be a good story.

I walked over and introduced myself to one of the ladies, who turned out to be Sister Terry. I began to ask her about the mustard and how it came about, and I was intrigued. We exchanged information and I contacted her in a few days to come down to Mt Angel to visit, talk, and film the making of their mustard.

Community life is important to these Sisters. The community in their Monastery, the town community of Mt. Angel, and the larger community they reach through their participation at local farmer’s markets. And I think, in part, that’s what Sustainability speaks to. Acting locally, participating in your community, has an effect, eventually, on a much larger, global level. Like water rings from a single drop of water, it spreads outward.

After filming the making the mustard, and seeing how it’s made (and about it’s intent) Lynn and I bought a couple of jars. I had not yet tasted any of their mustard. It was mid-afternoon and we stopped to pick up a sandwich at a local shop. Once in the car, sandwich in hand, I opened a jar of Glorious Garlic, and took a small taste. And then another, and yet another. It was hard to stop. I had never tasted a mustard quite as good. Now I was in heaven. At least my taste buds were!

Curt Ellis has a definition of Sustainability that I agree with: “It’s food you want to eat when you know it’s backstory”. This fits in to what I learn about foods more and more.

Willamette Valley Marionberry Frozen Pie

Those frozen pies that seem to fill the supermarket frozen display bins, who made them, and how are they made? We discovered one company, the Willamette Valley Fruit Company in our own backyard, that processes fresh picked berries, and within hours, the fresh berries are frozen, and made into frozen pies for shipment. The pie crusts are made from flour and whole ingredients, if you are not able to make your own fresh fruit pies at home, this may be the next best thing. Check out these related recipes that are perfect for this holiday season: Holiday Pecan Pie with Scotch; Zesty Marionberry Sauce.

Frozen Berries on Conveyor Belt

Pie Dough Being Mechanically Flattened

Frozen Pies Being Completed By Hand

Close Up of Frozen Pie Being Prepared

It was fall, and crush time for the grape harvest. The weather was gorgeous, the skies were mostly clear with only a hint of possible rain. I heard (through the grapevine) about a doctor who practiced both traditional and nontraditional medicine, and also owned his own organic winery, Cooper Mountain Vineyards. This piqued my curiosity, and also that the winery began incorporating Rudolph Steiner’s biodynamic principles years ago when it was a fairly obscure practice here in the United States.

I must say, I also enjoyed filming the grapes, their different colors and shapes.

So when I “had” to go to the featured cheese shop, Curds and Whey, to scout this story, it took no arm-twisting. And once I met David Schiffelbein and heard his story, I knew I’d found a mecca for this cheese lover.

David happily turned me on to Pat Morford’s (Three Ring Farm) cheeses and again, no arm-twisting necessary to see how she created these great little cheesy gems. She was, as David promised, open, friendly, and very generous with her time and her product. Before her interview, she fed us an olive tapenade chèvre on a rustic piece of toasted bread and another little number that went well with avocado. Nirvana.

Pat Morford, of Three Ring Farm, attending to a batch of cheese

I say, thank you! —Beth Harrington

Beth Harrington—Grammy® and Emmy® nominee—is an independent producer, director and writer for television, radio and the education market.

I have a soft spot for flowers.

Years ago I took some painting classes from a great watercolorist, Susan St. Thomas. The subject I always picked to paint was flowers. Gladiolas, stargazer lilies, Johnny jump-ups. They are all my favorites, for various reasons.

Near to where I live there are many farms and nurseries. Out driving one day, looking for fresh berries to pick, I stumbled upon a field of sunflowers in full bloom. There were acres of them, which translated into thousands of perky yellow and black heads craning upwards. Which also translated into millions of seeds for birds, and, perhaps, for people.

Aha! There might be a story here after all.

I pulled over into the fruit stand, and asked for the owner. His name was Don, farmer Don, and he was great. I just had to ask him one question—Tell me about your field—and he took off.

Sometimes you never know where the next story will pop up.

Recipe from the show: Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

I met Ray Lampe at the American Royal Barbecue contest in 2003. Larry Mayes, another top competitor, said you gotta meet Dr. BBQ, his cooking classes are raising the bar for us competition cooks. Easy going, yet tenacious, Ray invited me to film him as he worked.

He’s somewhat a regular guy with a bulldog exterior. What makes him stand out – besides his goatee and flat top – is his ability to articulate in a down to earth manner. He’s got a story about so many different experiences. And considering how many miles he travels and people he meets every year, those begin to add up to more than just a lot.

While he was in town recently, Lynn and I rode along in his van. He added nearly another 100 miles to his odometer, and I had over an hours worth of dialogue on tape. We threw him some questions, and he talked. I wasn’t being lectured to, it was more like sitting around a campfire and listening to a storyteller. I began picturing in my mind the places he spoke of and people he met, and chuckled at his honesty. And these answers were all derived from a life devoted to bbq. It’s pretty amazing to think how something like food can create a new life.

—Rebecca

I read this in my local paper awhile back: “Oregon is one of the only bright spots in the country where we’ve got young farmers coming into the business…”. Hmmm, I knew most farmlands were industrialized, but I thought, with the growing interest in locally produced food, I would think the family farm would also be growing.

I contacted Dianne Stefani-Ruff from Portland Farmers Market, who made the quote, to see who might just be one of those new young farmers. She gave me the names of 4 or 5, and I never got past the first one I called, Mike Paine of Gaining Ground Farm. I knew right away he was someone who was very passionate about farming. He wasn’t born to farming, like many are, but raised in the suburbs. He had a garden as a young adult, but that was about it. His drive to become a farmer really sprouted from his experience in Africa in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica, and, finally from working on his Masters degree at UC-Davis in Agriculture.

Sustainable agriculture is a growing field. Many farming methods that may have been lost to time are now returning. One that Michael puts to practice is using chickens to ready his fields. He puts them in portable coops that are moved along the field after the group of chickens scratch, peck the ground, and leave behind a rich manure. Recently he created a pond to catch the natural drainage of water from the hills. This water will be used to irrigate his crops.

Using organic methods, some of the vegetables he grew this year were tomatoes, melons, squash, mixed green lettuces, eggplant, and beans. They were all beautiful. I really enjoyed his sharing all the different varieties he grew, many I never heard of. I think the people who come across his vegetables at the farmer’s market and who are shareholders in his CSA are very lucky indeed. If you’re not familiar with what a CSA is, check out the story I did on Laura Masterson’s farm, in Food Network: Community Supported Agriculture

Recipe from the show: Fall Carrot Soup

There is a lot of hard work involved in farming. I knew that. But what really surprised me is how hard it apparently is to get your first farm. It even surprised Mike. Does it surprise you? Here’s some alarming information about the state of family farms in America today, and the respective ages of these existing farmers.

From Farm Aid:

In the 1930s, there were close to seven million farms in the United States. Today, just over two million farms remain, and only about 25% of these are family farms. In 2004, the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) predicts that 98 percent of total farm operator income will come from off farm sources and at last count only 7 percent of all farm families reported 100 percent “on-farm” income.

More than half of today’s farmers are between the ages of 45 and 64 and a quarter of the farmers in this age group plan to retire by 2005.

Only six percent of our farmers are younger than 35.

The complete Farm Aid article is titled, “Why Family Farmers Need Help”

*Update: According to the latest 2007 USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service, roughly 4 million family farms have been lost since the 1930’s, though it should be noted that small farms (50 acres in size, or less) have increased about 13% compared to the earlier USDA 2002 census data).