The Zen of Certified Organic Indiana Raised Lamb

It's no secret that I love to visit farmers' markets. The only problem is that it takes me forever to walk through one. It's never enough for me to simply stop and buy something. I want to chat and learn more about the product and producer. I always leave these conversations educated and inspired.

A few weeks ago at the Trader's Point Farmers Market, I struck up a conversation with Tom Zennie, co-owner  with his wife, Nancy, of Zen Sheep Farm in Cloverdale, Indiana. We got on the topic of how to make kibbe. Several years ago, I was introduced to a kibbe by a friend of mine whose father was Syrian. It's unusual to find anyone who can talk in-depth about kibbe. But Tom delighted me with his knowledge and enthusiasm for both the dish and his certified organic raised lamb.

I spoke with Nancy this week who told me that their journey into raising certified organic lambs started in 1982 when they moved from Boston to Indiana for Tom's post-doctoral work. They rented a farm house in New Richmond. One day, a neighbor told Nancy that she was going to a livestock auction and asked if she wanted anything. Nancy jokingly told her to bring her back some lambs. That afternoon, the neighbor called Nancy to come over and pick up her lambs. Nancy felt she had no alternative but to take the lambs and raise them. When people came over for dinner, they raved about the lamb and told Nancy and Tom they should sell the meat. So, they bought a flock, began to raise the meat commercially, and were certified organic in 1996. Their commitment to raise certified organic meat was fueled, in part, by their growing family and a desire to feed their children healthful food. 

After Tom's post-doctoral work was completed, the couple moved to Michigan and continued to organically raise and market lamb, pork, ducks, and chicken. But in 2003, a job change for Tom challenged the couple with a move to Indiana. Their biggest concern was their ability to retain their certified organic status when they moved the flock. After a long search, they found land that had been a wildlife habitat in Cloverdale where nothing had been done to the ground for 17 years. There they've established Zen Sheep Farm where they raise certified organic lamb and certified organic rocambole garlic.

The flock is fed a 100% plant based feed formula which was developed by Tom whose credentials in organic farming are extremely impressive. Zen Sheep Farm's certified organic lamb is USDA inspected, GMO free, and is raised without hormones or antibiotics. The lamb is sold by the cut as well as whole or half lambs. You'll find their lamb at several Indiana retail outlets and the Traders Point Farmers' Market.

I used their ground lamb to make ground lamb pita sandwiches. The lamb cooked up beautifully and was deliciously sweet. You'll find that recipe in the Summer Recipe section of this site. Additional recipes, including one for Tom's favorite way to make a grilled leg of lamb, can be found on the Zen Sheep Farm site.

Tom and Nancy are delighted with the customer response to their lamb and plan to increase the size of their flock in the coming year. They love having visitors to the farm and welcome everyone to come out and visit.

Zen Sheep Farm
Tom and Nancy Zennie
4963 E CR 900 S
Cloverdale, Indiana 46120
Phone: 765-795-5526
www.ZenSheepFarm.com
ZenSheepFarm@zensheepfarm.com 

Peach Sorbet

I wasn't going to post this until next week, but to withhold the recipe for this incredible peach sorbet for even another minute when Indiana peaches are in season would just be too cruel. I like my sorbet straight up but you can always top it with a few in-season blueberries or blackberries and a sprig of mint. And you can layer it with vanilla ice cream for a beautiful TAH-DAH dessert.

The recipe for the easy to make sorbet and the layered dessert are in the Summer Recipes Section.

Did I mention how good this is if you thaw it just a bit and enjoy it as a beat the heat slushie? The brain freeze is worth every luscious sip!

Richmond's Second 100 Mile Potluck Scheduled for August 6th

On July 2, 2008 Progressive Richmond-Wayne County sponsored a 100 mile radius potluck. I'd tell you all about it, but I'd rather let the fun and inspiring video of the event speak for itself.

The group is planning a series of these suppers with the next one scheduled for August 6th at 6:30 p.m. Anna Lisa Gross, one of the event coordinators, says to "just show up" and bring a dish made with local food to share with the group. She asks that you bring your own utensils and plates. Children are welcome.

As you can see in the video, there was something delicious for everyone at this fun event including several meat and produce inspired dishes, in-season local berries with custard, and homemade ice cream. But one of the standout items, according to Anna Lisa, was Matt McKimmy's Squash Patties which were made with local squash, eggs, cheese, and onions. She said they disappeared almost as quickly as they were placed on the buffet table. Now that it's officially squash season in my garden, I'm going to have to try his recipe this weekend.

Anna Lisa said that everyone had a great time getting to know each other and learning a little bit more about the abundance of Indiana local food in and around the Richmond area. If you want more information about the next potluck or how to organize one of your own, contact Anna Lisa (annalisa144@gmail.com ).

Blackberry and Dark Chocolate Turtles

Fresh, ripe, just picked blackberries paired with dark rich chocolate. No other words are needed. Head directly to the Summer Recipes Section!

CityFoods Needs Volunteers for Planning Committee

City Foods is developing a strategy for a not-for-profit downtown grocery store in Lafayette. The store will feature locally grown foods, crafts, and workshops. They're looking for volunteers to serve on the planning committee. If you're interested in helping out and/or receiving emails about their project's progress send an email to cityfoods@wineskinpress.com. 

Farm to Table Dinners will Benefit Indiana's Terre Madre Delegates

To help Slow Food Indy's Terre Madre delegates with the cost of travel to Italy for Terre Madre 2008, some of Indiana's most innovative chefs will be hosting a series of Farm to Table dinners in July through early October.

Participants in Terre Madre will travel to Italy to learn about sustainable food production from other farmers, chefs, and educators from around the world. Upon returning to the Hoosier state, they'll put their new ideas and skills to work to further strengthen the Indiana local food shed.

To find out more about the scheduled Farm to Table dinners and see the mouthwatering menus visit the Slow Food Indy Blog. You can purchase tickets for the dinners here.

Calling All Indiana Food Artisans

If you're an Indiana producer of a specialty food item, it's not too late to apply for the Indiana Artisan Program. The selected producers will have their chosen products showcased at various statewide events and retail outlets plus receive training and support to enhance the further success of their businesses.

The deadline for the next round of judging is Friday, August 8th, 2008. Click here for an application.

If you know an Indiana producer who might be interested in this program please send them this post. It's a great opportunity for them!

Indiana Apples in July

If you've looked for apple recipes on this site, you've probably noticed that they're in the Fall Recipes Section to coincide with the Indiana apple harvest. Well, I stand corrected. Last week, Robert and I were in our orchard and looked at one tree that had never produced before. It was loaded with apples and the bees and beetles were swarming the fruit--a good indication that the fruit was sweet smelling and probably ripe. At first I thought it was impossible but we picked a few and tried them. Much to our surprise, they were ripe. We'd forgotten that this tree was a Yellow Transparent apple tree (you would think that I kept better records of what varieties we planted in our orchard, but I don't). A quick bit or research confirmed that those apples were ready to be harvested.

Originating in Russia and introduced in the late 1800s to the United States, the Yellow Transparent apple, which matures in mid-July, is best for apple sauce and pie filling. So, last week I made a batch of applesauce and froze some apple pie filling. That applesauce was the best I've ever made. The texture of it was rich, the color an ivory yellow, and the sweet/tart taste addictive. It's my understanding that this variety of apple is fairly common in old farm fields and somewhat hard to find in commercial orchards. If you know of a commercial Indiana orchard producing these apples, let me know so I can share the information with everyone. If you are an applesauce or apple pie lover, you don't want to miss out on these!

Preserving Basil

The scent of fresh basil just sings "summer time" to me. As delicate as it is beautiful, basil will be the first herb in my garden to succumb to the fall frost. So, I am always looking for ways to preserve it for use later in the year.

There are a number of techniques for preserving basil but the three most successful for me are: drying, making pesto with it, and a technique I learned last year for layering it with Parmesan cheese and then freezing it. All three work very well.

You can dry basil by cutting a branch of it and hanging it upside down in a cool, dry place until the leaves are dry to the touch and crumble easily. Once dried, remove the leaves from the stems, discard the stems, and store the slightly crumbled leaves in a glass jar with a lid in your spice cabinet. The dried basil can be crumbled into stews, soups, sauces, and stews.

Of course, making pesto is a great way to preserve basil. I like to freeze the fresh pesto in ice cube trays to make individual servings of pesto or, as I call them, "pesto-ettes" to use all winter long.

I've tried freezing basil  by wrapping it tightly in rolled parchment paper with poor results--ending up with brown slimy leaves after thawing it out. But, last year I came across a new way to preserve basil by layering it with Parmesan cheese and then freezing it. I had great luck with that process and will definitely do it again this year. The thawed out basil was about as close to fresh as I've ever seen using a freezing technique.

You'll find my pesto recipe and instructions for preserving basil in Parmesan cheese in the Summer Recipes Section of this site.

Photo: Basil in the Dirtpatch herb and edible flower garden

Fast and Easy Pickles

Last night we harvested about 3 pounds of pickling cucumbers, came back to the house, and in 15 minutes flat made a few quarts of refrigerator pickles. My only problem? Having to wait the 4 days for them to be ready to eat!

If you think pickling is difficult, this recipe from COOKING LIGHT magazine will change your mind. These refrigerator pickles are crunchy, mildly spicy, slightly sweet, and so easy to make. All you do is thinly slice the cucumbers (be sure to use the thin skinned, small Kirby cucumbers which pickle especially well) and the onions, boil vinegar, sugar, and some spices, put the veggies in a bowl or canning jars, pour the pickling liquid over them, cover, put them in the fridge, and impatiently wait for 4 days to enjoy them.

If you decide to make these pickles, I suggest you double the pickling liquid amount. It seems I never have enough if I only make one recipe of it. Also, I find the cucumbers benefit from a 5 minute soak in a sink full of ice water before they are sliced.

Cucumbers should be in the markets this week. Enjoy!

Photo: A baby Kirby cucumber in the Dirtpatch gardens