WHERE'S THE BEEF?
Oooh! Now here's an event I sure won't miss. Slow Food Santa Fe is hosting a local beef tasting next Friday, Aug. 25. If you're interested in learning more about how New Mexico beef cattle are raised and meeting some of the folks who raise them, you should come to this tasting. The event starts at 5 pm at the Santa Fe Women's Club (1616 Old Pecos Trail), but people will probably filter in slowly, so don't sweat it if you have to work until 5. The real kickoff isn't until 6 pm, when Deborah Madison, local cookbook author and Slow Food leader, will talk a little bit about beef and the meaning of terms like grass-fed, grass-finished, organic and natural.
Madison will then introduce six New Mexico ranchers: Rick Kingsbury of Pecos Valley Beef; Nancy Ranney of Ranney Ranch; Shane and Sage Faulkner of Soaring Eagle Ranch and Sid and Cheryl Goodloe of Carrizo Valley Ranch. The ranchers will each talk about their land, their cattle, why they choose grass-finishing and why they think it makes their meat taste better. You'll have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and taste several different cuts of beef, along with local wines. To register, go to
(click on Workshops & Events) or call 820-2544. The event costs $10; wine is $2 per glass. I'll see you there.
Seriously, I've already registered.
For the beef tasting, Slow Food has partnered with the Southwest Grassfed Livestock Alliance (SWGLA) and the Quivira Coalition. Maybe you already know who all these different groups are, but for those of you who don't, I'll fill you in. Slow Food is a global anti-fast-food organization founded in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, who believed that the industrialization of food was ruining it for all of us. Part of Slow Food USA's manifesto proposes that "suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency." The solution? "Let us rediscover the flavors and savors of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of fast food." It's a theory most of us would probably agree with: We need to slow down a little and all have dinner together, preferably eating a home-cooked meal of locally raised ingredients.
Formed in 1997, the Quivira Coalition is a collaboration between environmentalists and ranchers who work together to promote ecologically sensitive, sustainable ranch management. The Coalition puts on events like this tasting, in addition to an annual conference and various workshops. They also help guide ranchers interested in making the transition to progressive stewardship. Look for them at
.
SWGLA elected their board of officers at the Quivira Coalition's 2003 annual conference and, as you can probably guess, their goals are pretty similar. Like Quivira, SWGLA is a coalition of both cowboy hat and Birkenstock wearers: ranchers, land managers, environmentalists and scientists. The big difference is that this group is primarily focused on promoting grass-fed food. Why grass-fed? They claim that animals raised on grass (as opposed to the grain most cattle are fed today) produce meat that has fewer calories, less "bad fat" and more "good fat." They believe grass farming is better for ranchers, their families, the consumer and the environment. Look for them at
.
OVERALLS FOR ALL
In other news, the Farmers Market Institute has launched its Roots in the Railyard campaign to raise the final funds needed for a permanent building at the Railyard. Did you know that in the 35 years the Market has been active in Santa Fe, it has grown by almost 600 percent? That's a lotta tomatoes.
On a busy Saturday, as many as 8,000 shoppers visit the market (as if you couldn't tell by the 8,000 Range Rovers all trying to park at the same time). Over the course of a year, Market visitors spend $1.75 million on yellow pear tomatoes, apricots, squash blossoms and other delicacies. But as part of the Railyard redevelopment, the Market's current site will be redeveloped into a park. A permanent Market building will allow the Market to operate year-round, with a fixed retail store that will give producers the opportunity to sell their wares winter, spring, summer and fall. Keeping the money coming in year-round will help more growers stay in business and, hopefully, allow them to grow their businesses. And that, the Farmers Market Institute hopes, will encourage more young people to take up farming and ranching. Besides, peaches may have a short season, but what about honey, sausages, pickles, dried chiles and herbs? Why not have them available every day?
What can you do to help with the permanent site? Fork over some cash! You can contribute online at
www.santafefarmersmarket.com/donate/
, where you can pay with a credit card. Or be old-school and mail a check to the Roots in the Railyard Campaign, c/o the Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute, 607 Cerrillos Road, Suite F, Santa Fe, NM 87505. The good news is that your donations are totally tax deductible. Oh, and don't forget to go to the Market. It's open every Saturday and Tuesday, from 7 am to noon in the Santa Fe Railyard, and every Thursday, 3-6 pm at the county fairgrounds on Rodeo Road.
Tell me where to eat! I need your input. Send all of your tips, gripes and raves to
.
