Wise Traditions Conference 2012 – We’re home!

Several of us volunteers from the Eugene Chapter made it down to California (and back) for the Wise Traditions Conference 2012 in Santa Clara, California. 

It was awesome!  

I am going to post my experiences in several parts.

Wednesday:

Three of us drove down together.  It took us about nine hours to get there, but we traded off drivers every 2 hours and talked about nutrition the whole time, so the time went by pretty quickly.  We also listened to several podcasts, one of which was by Chris Kressor, who we later got to hear in person.  Very cool.  

We decided to make a detour to stop at Three Stone Hearth in Berkley.  Three Stone Hearth is a CSK (Community Supported Kitchen) that makes nourishing-traditions type food for people in the bay area.  They have an online ordering system where people can pre-order broth, soup, fermented foods and more.  They then come pick up their food on certain days.  We made it there during their pick up time, so we got to see the facility in opperation.  

  

We were able to sample a couple of items, and purchase some more from the cooler.  They have some foods available for walk-in customers.  I don’t know if you can read them in the photos (and I figure the prices are higher if you buy them off the shelf) but check out some of these prices:  


Whey $5.00/pt
Soaked Oatmeal $6.00/qt
Yogurt cream $5.00/half pt
Grass-fed beef broth $12.00/qt
Pastured chicken broth $13.00/qt
Pickle relish $9.00/pt
West African fritter dough $8.00/pt  

I think it is wonderful that they are providing these foods to people who don’t have the time to make it themselves.  Personally, I suggest coming to our classes, and learning to make them yourselves!  

Wise Traditions Conference 2012:

Sept 21st: Broth-based Soups and Stews

“The Beauty of Broth: Broth-Based Soups and Stews”
by Jessica Prentice

A Presentation from Wise Traditions 2011, 12th Annual Conference
Friday, September 21st, 2012
DVD begins at 6:30 PM
Please come early.

Location:
Market of Choice
67 West 29th, Eugene
Upstairs in the Community Room

About the presentation:

Learn the essentials for making mineral-rich broths and delicious broth-based soups and stews.

Home-scale, commercial-scale, and community-scale approaches will be covered, including sourcing, techniques, equipment, and basic recipes–as well as photos and first-hand experiences from Three Stone Hearth Community Supported Kitchen in Berkeley.

Local reviewer’s notes:

Folks ask Jessica: “Should I take a chicken and roast it and eat the meat and then put the bones in a pot and cover it with water and cook it?… or should I take a whole chicken and put it in the pot and cover it with water and then pull off the meat?…  or should I take a brisket and sear it and then…?”

Jessica’s answer: “YES! Every which way is good!”

Though the basic process is simple, there are many different strategies to get minerals (and flavor and gelatin) out of the bones and into the meal. Come learn some of these tips and tricks.

About Jessica Prentice:

Jessica Prentice is a professional chef, author, local foods activist, and social entrepreneur. Her first book, Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection, was released by Chelsea Green Publishing in 2006.

Prentice is a co-creator of the Local Foods Wheel, and coined the word “locavore.”

Jessica is also a co-founder of Three Stone Hearth (www.threestonehearth.com), a Community Supported Kitchen in Berkeley that uses local, sustainable ingredients to prepare nutrient-dense, traditional foods on a community scale.  She lives, works, and writes in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Links:

Jessica Prentice web links:

Broth/soup web links:

Related Cookbooks available at the Eugene Public Library:

  • Bones: Recipes, History, and Lore, by Jennifer McLagan
  • The Butcher’s Guide to Well-Raised Meat: How to Buy, Cut, and Cook Great Beef, Lamb, Pork, Poultry, and More, by Joshua & Jessica Applestone and Alexandra Zissu
  • All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking, by Molly Stevens
  • Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook: Strategies, Recipes, and Techniques of Classic Bistro Cooking, by Anthony Bourdain
  • Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making, by James Peterson
  • Nourishing Traditions: the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats, by Sally Fallon

and many more.

Seasoning blends for your soups and stews are wonderful shortcuts and are available at local groceries. Look in the bulk, spice, and ethnic sections.