Ballard dad Joshua McNichols knows how to make the most of the home harvest. McNichols co-wrote the lauded Urban Farm Handbook last year. Below, he shares thoughts on organic vs. conventional food, offers canning and planting tips, and passes on a couple of tried-and-true recipes.
Recently, there's been talk that organic food may not have more health benefits than conventional food. What's your take?
I recently bought what was probably a Florida tomato at Safeway and sliced it open next to an heirloom tomato grown in Washington's Okanogan County. The heirloom looked like the devil's heart and tasted of sin. The Florida tomato was pale like the heart of a pretzel-eating, video-game-obsessed Icelander and tasted like yellow snow. Nobody's going to convince me that the Florida tomato is as nutritious as my heirloom.
Each label stakes out its own territory. Each word designates a kind of "good," but individually these labels won't guarantee you a good tomato. Organic means you won't encounter certain toxic chemicals that may be used to control insects or fungi on conventionally-grown crops. But it does not measure nutrition. Heirloom is a fuzzy word that generally means the farmers used older varieties that may not store or travel as well. Often times they're better. Local means it hasn't traveled far, which reduces the likelihood that it was picked green and gassed-to-ripe before being sent to the store … Vegetables are only as healthy as the soil in which they're grown. And there's no label for that!
In the end, I believe the best practice is to use organic whenever you can afford it (to avoid chemicals), but rely on your senses to sniff out the real quality stuff. Aroma and color are fairly reliable indicators of flavor, and by extension, nutrition. They will tell you more than any label.
What’s the best way to introduce kids to canning?
We let kids watch us can, but our kids are only 4 and 7, so we don't let them get too close. That liquid gets pretty hot!
Fermented foods are also a great way to preserve summer produce. Fermented projects are perfect for kids because they rely on natural fermentation rather than boiling to neutralize unhealthy bacteria. Pickles and sauerkraut, for example. And better yet, these foods introduce sour into their diets!
During the preparation, my daughter will eat red cabbage from the cutting board though she won't eat fresh cabbage at the dinner table. Once it's fermented, she enjoys a little sauerkraut on the side of her plate. It's a taste she shares with her daddy, while her older brother – and even my wife – look on with mild distaste.
Can you share some ideas for stocking up on healthy foods in the winter if you're not interested canning?
If you have a freezer, you can freeze fruit to put in smoothies later. I also tend to sneak small amounts of baked yams or carrots into my pancake batter during the winter, though I'm occasionally caught and have to refrain for several weeks.
We have had success getting our kids to eat veggies using a rewards system. We offer a Lego from a purchased set for every serving of vegetable, or a quarter for the piggy bank if they're saving up for something. I allow them to disguise the taste – they can smother it in peanut butter, wrap it in cheddar cheese, wrap it in a tortilla. That's their business. It's good to give them some ownership over the preparation.
When is the best time to plant for the spring, and how can kids help with the planning?
The best time to plant depends on what you're planting. You can plant many things in February, but everything but radishes grow slowly during this month and are likely to be munched by slugs. If you're not into being on constant slug patrol, March 1 might be a better target date for planting snap peas, shelling peas, radishes, carrots and lettuces. These all germinate well in the cool spring months and offer a variety of flavors and textures.
Most kids will find a way to love at least one of these veggies. And if they don't, pay them a few pennies (for little kids) to harvest them for you. If you get their hands on these veggies enough, some of them are bound to find their way into little mouths.
I used to try to let my kids pick out the seeds, but they always went straight for the pumpkins and cantaloupes, things that either take up too much space or rarely ripen here. Now, I say, "which of these shelling peas should I order?" And we read the descriptions in the Territorial Seed Company catalog.
They get to choose the variety, which means they're also choosing if we go with very tall peas that daddy has to reach, or shorter bush-style peas. I can live with that kind of unpredictability. Usually they go for the tall ones. Radishes, carrots and lettuces also offer myriad colors, shapes and sizes that are fun for kids to choose.
What sort of edibles can families make at home in fall and winter without having much garden access?
Here are two simple foods that anyone can make at home: Yogurt and pancakes made from heirloom grains. They may sound intimidating at first. But believe me, once you've done them once, you'll say, "that's all there is to it?" They are simple enough that I incorporate them regularly into my weekend routine without a second thought.
For yogurt, you need a good thermometer. A cheesecloth is optional (for thicker yogurt). Heat a gallon of milk to 180 degrees and hold it there for 20 minutes. Cool it in a water bath to 110 degrees and mix in a half cup of plain (not vanilla) yogurt, such as Nancy's. Next, you want to keep it at that temperature for eight hours or so, or up to 24 hours if you want it more sour and firm. You can put it in a cooler with a few inches of hot tap water in the bottom. Or you can put it in an oven if you blast it with a few seconds of heat every hour or so. After it's done, you can drain it in a cheesecloth to get thicker Greek style yogurt. The runoff is whey – save it for fermenting projects! Serve yogurt with fruit jams or syrups for flavor.
Heirloom grain pancakes are another favorite in our family. We soak our grains for greater nutrition and texture. Spelt flour is the most readily available heirloom grain in many grocery stores. Mix three tablespoons of plain (not vanilla) yogurt into two cups of water. Add the water slowly while stirring with a fork to get a uniform blend. Then, pour this into four cups of spelt flour. Mix it up and leave it covered on the counter overnight. In the morning, put a big plate in the oven and turn the oven on warm. Take the soaking batter and pour off the separated liquid for thick pancakes, or stir it in for thin pancakes. Crack in four eggs, stir together with one eighth cup of a neutral oil, and one teaspoon vanilla. Premix one tablespoon of baking powder, one teaspoon of baking soda, three quarters teaspoon of salt, and one teaspoon of cinnamon, with one tablespoon of sugar (that’s optional). Then stir that dry mix in, too. Cook pancakes, stacking them on the warm plate in the oven. And serve a whole warm stack all at once!
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Source: http://www.seattleschild.com/article/urban-farm-handbook-talk-with-joshua-mcnichols
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