EARTH DAY PARTY

FJ HOUSE Advocates: The Farmer and the Cook, Ojai, CA (pt. 2)

YerbaMateLover's insightful post about The Farmer and the Cook from earlier this week was really insightful, but it only told half the story.  Olivia Chase is the Cook side of the operation: she runs a delightful restaurant fueled by her husband Steve's farm, and co-manages it's accompanying organic market.  I've been to bigger organic markets, and I've been to fancier farm-to-table restaurants, but I don't think I've been to anything that's quite as integrated, thoughtful, and friendly as her operation in downtown Ojai.

Let's talk about the market first.  Why why why do we not have anything like this in LA?  In some ways it's just not fair. . .Ojai has a few strong regional advantages: miles and miles or orange groves, ample farm space, miles and miles of supportive hippies.  But even so, you think someone (other than our Highland Park allies in FOOD JUSTICE, Figueroa Produce, of course) in LA would make an effort.  Anyway, almost all of the Farmer and Cook's vegetables come from Steve's farm, and their amble citrus collection is picked from local Ojai orchards.  In many ways, it's like a big farmer's stand, and what's being sold is directly tied to seasonal and regional availability.  We hit it right at the height of citrus season, and not surprisingly, the oranges were amazing.

The Farmer and the Cook also featured two of the fastest ways to my heart: bulk goods (spices, cereals, soaps, oils, beans, grains), and an almond butter machine.  The sooner Northeast gets these things, the better.  Those yuppies in Santa Monica have them...we've already got indie-star-friendly bars and upscale coffee shops...why not a granola dispenser or two?

But it's not the Farmer and the Grocer; let's get to the food!  I started out with the soup and salad bar.  My corn chowder soup was a bit lackluster, but the potato salad was wonderful, and the pasta mixed with the dressed chard salad was refreshing and packed with flavor.  I saw a lot of very happy-looking people opting for a very happy-looking plate of huevos rancheros, but I was looking for something I could take home and opted for a burrito.  Filled with seasonal veggies and topped with an interesting sweet sauce, it made for a fantastic lunch.  I'm always skeptical of clearly inauthentic (i.e. not Mexican) Mexican food, but Farmer and the Cook didn't try to fool anyone and put their own spin on it.  The result was something that was both filling and refreshing: you could really taste the purity and thoughtfulness of the ingredients.

For dessert we got a chocolate/peanut butter/graham cracker bar and an Orange Dreamsicle smoothie.  The smoothie was, despite it's name, minty green and absolutely delicious, and the bar avoided the overwhelming richness that these sort of things usually have by layering dark chocolate on real, unsweetened peanut butter.

Our trip to Ojai was both disheartening and inspirational.  Working and eating with Steve, we learned how difficult it is to find FOOD JUST food, and how few businesses you can actually trust ("It's a dirty world," he said repeatedly).  He told us story after story of supposedly JUST businesses like Whole Foods screwing small farms over, and supposedly organic producers turning out to be imposters who were just in it for the money.  At the same time, the Farmer and the Cook showed us that it really is possible to stay ethical; you just need to learn how to play the game and hold onto your values while doing it.  Of course, not every market and restaurant can run a farm to supply its produce, but I think a lot of small businesses can learn from operations like Steve's and Olivia's.  If farmers, cooks, and their communities work together, forming relationships and organizing their businesses around one another's needs, the result is a product that's actually made with care from a traceable, responsible source.   Steve can't put out a dirty crop of lettuce because Olivia won't be able to sell it to a community that can see where it's coming from.  Transparency, integration, responsibility: if that's not FOOD JUSTICE, I don't know what is.

The Farmer and the Cook is located at 339 West El Roblar in Ojai, CA.  Look to spend around $15-20 for an entree and sides.  Thanks so much to Steve and Olivia for the opportunity to learn about their business; if you're interested in learning more yourself, or volunteering for a free lunch, check out their website.

DONUT JUSTICE a la Maison

Inspired by Ben "The Best"'s winter break post about that amazing donut shop in St. Paul we decided to initiate DONUT JUSTICE as a new aspect of our overall FOOD JUSTICE undertakings.  In layman's terms that mean that yester-morning we fried some dough on our stove and made four dozen chocolate glazed donut holes.

This little recipe was from the acclaimed Smitten Kitchen. My 'do' had some problems congealing so I had to pour in some extra milk to gather up the rest of the flour like 'do' into a nice malleable ball.  Also, because we are not really set up for deep frying here I had to do each hole individually which means it took a while, but it was worth it as that also gave me time to lovingly place a single chocolate chip in each hole.  I suggest trying this recipe but head caution and taste the first couple that you fry to be sure they aren't over or under cooked.  Dip them in milk too if you want!

QUICK NOTES JUSTICE

• FJ HOUSE member Dylan Sittig did some work with Food Forward this weekend, an organization that harvests unused fruit from participating private owners and redistributes it to local charities.  Maybe he can tell you more about it in the future.
• Considerable work has been done to the FJ GARDEN.  Look for photos and updates in the future.
• The New York Times has published two interesting articles about Apple and the cost of foreign manufacturing.  First was their unsettling look at the dim future of American technology manufacturing, followed by an equally dark look at the human costs of Apple's Chinese production.  Both are interesting looks at the other side of a company that's generally regarded to be not evil, and reveal the high costs of affordable luxury items.  
• On a similar note, awesome blog Well Spent posted a piece called Why Clothes Cost What They Do, which explains why its worth it to pay more for quality.  It compiles the commentary of some of the coolest designers and manufacturers out there, including another brilliant exposition from American hero Eunice Lee.  Fellow Minnesotan Kat McMillan (from Pierrepont Hicks) hits another one home in the comments section.  Well Spent have also put out a feature on American-made slippers, something I didn't believe to exist until two minutes ago.
• I had a really good orange for breakfast this morning.