NY Times: When "Local" Makes it BIG

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Root Cellars ROCK!

"Opportunity is missed by most people because it's dressed in overalls and
looks like work."
~Thomas Edison~

Happy Birthday to Ravenwood!

I can't believe it!! We survived our first year!!! WOO HOO!!! This past Saturday marked one year since we opened our doors to the public. When I look back at the journey of the last 12 months I am in awe of how far we have come. Our family grew by one member, our dear Nathan, and our store grew to 3000 sq feet! A look back:
Here's the very first article written about our shop. This is a significant article for several reasons. Firstly, it shows all of us crazy hard working fools (including my stellar bro, Morgan) yet Mark is nowhere in sight. The reason? He was still working full time in crop research. His resignation from his position as Research Station Manager has been a HUGE change in the past year. The other thing you will notice is how MASSIVE I am (front and centre). Yep, that's right. I am the only 8.5 month pregnant woman I know who goes out of her way to create a job for herself.
This is our cutsie little teensy weensy store as it existed from May long weekend 2008 to December 2008.
And then all sorts of chaos broke loose! Here Mark and Dayle eye up the situation after smashing down the existing walls. There was soooooo much work involved with the renos and we did them all ourselves with the help of family and friends over Christmas "vacation". Next year can we just eat turkey and relax? :)
The finished product! Here's a view of the retail area. On the right is the walk in freezers and coolers where we display our wares. We use the walk in cooler for aging our meat "the old fashioned way" by hanging it versus the new fangled big business method of aging it in a vac bag. On the left are the stand up coolers filled with frozen entrees and desserts (all made from scratch using local ingredients of course!)Our front counter and fresh meat cooler filled with fresh cut locally raised, natural meats. Behind the pillar you will notice a wooden door leading to the butcher shop. We have sides of beef and pork hanging at all times so that if a customer has an inclination for a specific cut or an extra thick steak we can zip in the back and cut a fresh one for you. Old fashioned service is our speciality! :)
The butcher shop where all the action takes place. I have been banned from the butcher shop following my (failed) attempt at smoking jerky (it kinda vapourized into crispy little bacon bits). But Mark and Dale the Butcher seem to enjoy their work back here.
Here we are now!!! You'll notice that Will is much bigger (he's officially our VP of Public Relations), I am much smaller and you'll see a sweet little button that is Nathan! Hurray!. Mark is managing the store full time with a smile on his face. On the far left is Roxanne, the Sweet Delight's baker who supplies us with awesome cakes and cupcakes. Its been a wild ride!

Urban Chickens

Check out CLUCK: Calgary Liberated Urban Chicken Klub. This is a group of poultry fanciers who keep a few feathered friends in their backyards in the big city. Talk about taking growing your own food to a new level!

Pork is Safe to Eat!

PLEASE continue to support local agriculture and Alberta's hog farmers. Pork is still safe to eat as the "swine flu" in the media hype (H1N1 virus) is not passed to humans via pigs or pork products.

Some interesting facts from http://www.albertapork.com

Q.
Does the 2009 type A H1N1 flu virus pose a risk to food safety?
A.
No. Influenza viruses do not affect the safety of pork because influenza is not a
foodborne disease, according to the World Health Organization and the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. As a general precaution against
foodborne illnesses it is always recommended that all food products be properly handled
and prepared. As with any raw meat, pork should always be properly handled and cooked
to eliminate a range of food safety concerns.
Q.
Can people become infected with the 2009 type A H1N1 flu virus by handling raw pork?
A.
No. There is no evidence to suggest that touching raw pork can lead to influenza infection.
However, the following precautions should always be taken whenever meat is handled:
• Clean - Before and after preparing pork, wash hands, cutting boards, knives and
countertops with warm soapy water.
• Separate - Keep raw pork and pork products – and their juices – separate from foods that
won’t be cooked.
• Cook - Cook pork and pork products to safe temperature. Health Canada recommends
cooking pork to a temperature of 71° C (160° F).
• Chill - Keep food cold to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Put leftovers in the
refrigerator within two hours of eating.
Q.
Should people be avoiding exposure to pigs?
A.
No. Canadian swine herds are not a risk for 2009 type A H1N1 Flu Virus infection. We know that
this 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus is spreading between humans – not directly from pigs to people. As a
result, there is no risk from proximity to pigs.
However, because humans can spread the disease to pigs, individuals with influenza symptoms
should not enter pig barns or contact pigs. People who have just returned from regions severely
affected by the 2009 type A H1N1 virus (ie Mexico) or who have potentially contacted other
people infected with the virus should not enter pig barns for 7 days.
Government officials are conducting investigations to find out more about how this particular
strain of 2009 type A H1N1 Flu virus spreads

“Pork is safe to eat, and direct contact with swine is not the source of, and U.S. pigs have not been infected with, the hybrid influenza that has been identified in a number of people in the United States and more than 1,300 in Mexico.
“NPPC wants to assure domestic and global consumers about the safety of pork and urges pork producers to tighten their existing biosecurity protocols to protect their pigs from this virus, including restricting public access to barns.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security:
* People cannot get the hybrid influenza from eating pork or pork products. Most influenza viruses, including the swine flu virus, are not spread by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.
* There are no food safety issues related to the hybrid flu that has been identified, according to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.
* Preliminary investigations have determined that none of the people infected with the hybrid flu had contact with hogs.
* “This virus is different, very different from that found in pigs.”
* The hybrid virus never has been identified in hogs in the United States or anywhere in the world.
* The hybrid virus is contagious and is spreading by human-to-human transmission.
For more information, visit http://www.pork.org/, www.cdc.gov/swineflu or http://www.usda.gov/2009/04/0131.xml

Local Food Certificates

Hankering to learn more about local food systems, sustainability and food security?

Check out:

St. Lawrence College's Sustainable Local Food for Canadians Certificate

Ryerson University Certificate in Food Security

Both are distance education/online programs. Learn away!

Tam :)