The indefatigable Andrew Hall has struck again, pitting Ohio wines against their Michigan counterparts in a reprise of last year’s groundbreaking Wine Clash. Now, as then, the focus was exclusively on quality, with an array of judges ranging from sophisticated consumers up to Sommeliers, and on local wine, with an unyielding requirement that all wines be produced from grapes grown in-state.

A few things were slightly different this year, however.

For one thing, last year’s broad array of top wines made people wonder which state had won the competition. (Perhaps the proximity of a certain football game had stirred up their rivalrous tendencies?) For another, the number of categories made it difficult to say which wine was the overall winner.

With those points in mind, Mr. Hall set the wines against each other—an evenly-matched set of 11 from each state—and carefully tallied the scores. You can read about the results in an article written by one of the judges. (Next year, Michigan, next year….)

Why do we find this event to be so exciting? (And we do.) Two reasons stand out. The first is that wine is the neglected stepchild of the locavore movement. Even in California, restaurants that compete to see who can source produce and meat from the closest farmers think nothing of having a predominantly European wine list—a discrepancy that locavores have noticed and find more than slightly annoying.

The second reason is that it’s a great example of taste education in action. Wine is an area in which prejudice and social convention trump taste; put simply, people are often afraid to trust their taste buds for fear of looking or sounding like they don’t know what they’re talking about. (This fear is most readily apparent on first dates.) And following social convention with wine generally means gravitating toward France, Italy, California, maybe Argentina or Spain… but not Ohio or Michigan. But wine experts, who do trust their taste buds, are actually a lot more generous than the general public when it comes to the best of Ohio and Michigan wines. If you really want to surprise some of your friends this holiday season, pick any wine off of this list—doesn’t really matter which one—and pour it for them without telling them where it’s from.

With election day coming up next Tuesday, a food-related ballot issue that may be of great significance to the citizens of central Ohio has been getting a lot of attention: Issue 2, an initiative to create a Livestock Care Standards Board. Our national office has sent us information on the subject. Our friends at other food-related organizations like OEFFA and Local Matters have made their positions clear. We’ve received requests for information about it; people have asked us what our position is, and what we think theirs should be. Our silence on the subject is becoming difficult to sustain. So we thought we should clarify our position.

Slow Food Columbus has no position on Issue 2, except to urge the citizens of Ohio to examine it carefully and to take the time to vote on it.

People on both sides of Issue 2 can agree on one thing:  This is an important issue.  Its implications for good, clean and fair food in Ohio could be very wide-ranging.  It deserves your careful scrutiny and your vote.  Please take the time to do both.

Our position may come as a surprise to those who know us individually and know that, as individuals, we do have positions on Issue 2. But Slow Food, historically, has not been very involved in politics, and the issue of how much it should be has been discussed quite a bit over the past year. From what we have been able to discern, the following statement captures the sense of our members: “Slow Food Columbus is not a political organization. We do, however, stand ready to assist anyone engaged in improving the American food system in a manner that is both effective and consistent with our mission.” Of course, we welcome further feedback from our members on this issue.

We did not anticipate that a question like Issue 2 would arise so soon to test our commitment to this principle. But in a way, we’re glad that it has. Because although all of us are dissatisfied with the status quo in the American food system, and most of us would be very happy if Slow Food USA could help bring about positive change in it, we also see great potential in Slow Food’s ability to bring people together at the table, and we believe that preserving our ability to do so is among our very highest priorities.

How, not whether, to bring about change in the food system, is therefore the issue. The main argument in favor of direct political action, quite simply, is that it works. Indeed, it works so well that it has become the default vehicle for special-interest political lobbies in American politics in the 21st century, and many complaints about the inability of American democracy to overcome the grip of special interests are founded precisely on the power of well-funded Washington lobbyists. Given that a restructuring of the American political order is not realistically in sight, it may be most effective to work within the system as it is currently constructed.

There are, however, many daunting arguments against a transition to a more overtly political mode of operation that are worth considering. First is the point that Slow Food has built up substantial goodwill and respect in large part by remaining above politics, and that losing that goodwill and respect would not only be tragic but would cripple Slow Food’s ability to serve as a nonpartisan actor in the world of food policy. Utilitarian calculations aside, each of us has experienced the instantaneous goodwill and spontaneous friendship of farmers, chefs, and food enthusiasts who have just learned that we belong to Slow Food. If we contrast that experience with the polite reserve and occasional outright hostility encountered by members of (say) the American Civil Liberties Union or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, we can understand what Slow Food might have to lose at the community level.

Moreover, in the political realm, impartiality is immensely valuable, hard to obtain, easy to lose, and, once lost, virtually impossible to regain. Slow Food has largely obtained it by focusing on the table as a meeting place for people of all different persuasions and backgrounds—precisely like the Roman convivia that give our chapters their name. That timeless tradition of bringing people together over food is, arguably, the organization’s greatest strength. Losing it could be both easy and irreversible.

We do believe that change in the American food system is a critical goal, and we recognize that we cannot do so in isolation from the political system. But we are deeply sympathetic to the response of Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini to the question, “Do you intend to be political?”: “Yes,” Petrini replied, “with our own methods.”

When Jill Moorhead, the Marketing Director for The Hills Market suggested holding an Ark of Taste tasting event at the store, I don’t think she had any idea what she was letting herself in for. The US Ark of Taste is a catalogue of over 200 foods in danger of extinction, and not surprisingly things in danger of extinction aren’t easy to track down. You can read about Jill’s scavenger hunt on the blog Itinerant Foodies.

To qualify for the US Ark of Taste, food products must be:

• Outstanding in terms of taste—as defined in the context of local traditions and uses.
• At risk biologically or as culinary traditions.
• Sustainably produced.
• Culturally or historically linked to a specific region, locality, ethnicity or traditional production practice.
• Produced in limited quantities, by farms or by small-scale processing companies.

While some of the foods came from such far corners of the country as Vermont, California, Minnesota and Hawaii, many of the ingredients were grown or produced locally. Most of the fresh produce came from the local Wayward Seed Farm. The choice of foods was based partly on availability and transportable and also with a view to what Hills customers might be interested in purchasing in future. Here is the list of foods that we tasted.

Souse – aka Hog’s Head Cheese (Thurn’s, Columbus, Ohio)
Pure Cider Jelly and boiled cider (Woods Cider Mill, Springfield, Vermont)
Jimmy Nardello sweet Italian frying pepper (pickled) (Wayward Seed Farm)
A flight of American artisinal sauerkrauts (Hawthorne Valley Farms, Ghent, NY).
Amish paste tomato (made into soup) (Wayward Seed Farm)
Hawaiian Alaea sea salt,
Gilfeather turnip – roasted with Tupelo honey
Green mountain potatoes – roasted with Tupelo honey
Early blood beets – roasted with Tupelo honey
Tupelo honey (Florida and Georgia)
Manoomin wild rice (Callaway, Minnesota)
Green striped cushaw squash(Sycamore Farm, Piqua, Ohio) – cooked with boiled cider
Pawpaw ice cream (Jeni’s Ice Creams, Columbus, Ohio)
Ground Cherries (Wayward Seed Farm)
Pawpaw autumn harvest chutney (Albany, Ohio)

Jill also managed to procure two Ark of Taste wines (Hitching Post Pinks & Duxoup Charbono) and a non-alcoholic Ark of Taste drink called ’shrub’ which is a colonial era drink made of fruit, vinegar and sugar by Tait Farm Foods in Centre Hall, PA. It comes in a variety of flavors and can also be used in cooking.

Each of the foods has an interesting history and associated food traditions and we were provided with information about each food. For each item we were asked to give feedback on whether we would want to eat it again, or whether we could understand why it was facing extinction. There was certainly a lot of discussion.

Clockwise from top left: Alaea traditional Hawaiian table salt (the color is from red volcanic clay), Jimmy Nardello pepper with souse, cider jelly and ramp crackers, the Gilfeather turnip from Wayward Seed, and the flight of artisanal sauerkrauts.

Wild rice is the only native grain to North America and this was one of the popular dishes. It was a light brown color and different to many of the more commercial wild rices. The pawpaw ice cream, which was served as a float with ginger shrub was also popular.

We are extremely grateful to Jill for such a great idea and for all of her hard work and persistence in tracking down Ark of Taste foods. She was assisted by Jen Burroway, the chef at the Hills Market, who was challenged with coming up with creative uses for all of the varied and not necessarily compatible ingredients.

More information about these Ark of Taste foods and many more are available on the Ark of Taste website. You can also nominate foods to join the Ark.

Last year the ‘Shake the Hand That Feeds you Dinner‘ at the Flying J Farm was my first Slow Food Columbus event. It was a magical evening, eating al fresco by candle light with convivial company, food from the farm and a master chef working the grill. I secretly feared that the encore could not live up to my memories. I was wrong. Sitting at a candle-lit table overlooking the vineyard at sunset, it was as if we had been magically transported to the Napa valley.

It was not all smooth sailing. Planning a big event never is, but the locavore dinner had more than its fair share of obstacles and logistical complications. In the final days before the event the rain was relentless and the forecast was ominous. Luckily saturday was dry and after a blustery afternoon the wind died down at 5pm precisely and the tablecloths finally stopped threatening to fly away.

There may have been an element of luck with the weather but the fact that the dinner came together with such style is a tribute to Bear and Colleen and their powers of organization, creativity and persistence. The Winery at Otter Creek is a young operation located near Johnstown Ohio with a beautiful hillside setting and as well as providing a stunning setting they supplied a variety of their wines for the dinner.

We started with refreshments and amuse-bouche as we watched the chefs in action and admired the view. The heirloom tomato-water ‘martini’ was a popular choice.

The crostini was one of my favorite things of the evening, goats cheese, pesto, roasted tomatoes, simple but sumptuous, a perfect match of creamy and crispy.

While we were milling around, whetting our appetites, the chefs John and Ryan from Basi Italia were hard at work creating amazing things on the biggest Weber grill you have ever seen.  They were cheerfully assisted by Andrew and Adrienne, who may not have realized what they had let themselves in for.

Above: Free-range Ohio pheasants, shot to order from Mill Creek Pheasant Farm crowding around a pan of spicebush scented sauerkraut with honeycrisp apples. Below: a riot of color – fall squashes, purple potatoes and beauregard sweet potatoes.

I will let the menu speak for itself. It was colorful, seasonal, delicious and a feat of outdoor cooking. The salads were plated but the main course was served family style and an ample supply of fresh bread, home made butter and rillettes added to the abundance.

As well as featuring a wealth of local foods, the dinner incorporated two foods that are both local and Ark of Taste: ground cherries in the autumnal tumble salad and garnishing the martini, and pawpaws in both cheesecake and ice cream form. I have a feeling that a few of the other foods would make excellent candidates. Purple potatoes, spicebush berries?

After the pawpaw festival I thought I might never eat pawpaw again, but these creamy treats enticed me back. I was responsible for the black walnut biscotti, using half of the nuts specified in my usual recipe. They were best dipped in some hot apple cider.

A Slow Food Columbus locavore dinner would not be complete without some pawpaw liqueur and so the more (fool) hardy headed to Flying J farm to set up camp, build a huge campfire and continue the festivities. Chestnuts anyone?

Although the dinner was the brainchild of Bear and Colleen, it would not have been possible without the help, generosity and kindness of so many others. As well as the thank you list below, there were many others who helped out on the night, collecting glasses, clearing plates and scooping ice cream. 

Our chefs, John and Ryan surveying the contented diners. A job well done.

There are more photos on flickr, including shots of our fantastic campfire breakfast.

This post was also posted on hungrywoolf.com

hillsmarket @SlowFoodCMH Would you like to do an Ark of Taste tasting with us?

I sat staring at the screen, dumbfounded. I had sent out a message on Twitter a few minutes earlier having to do with the Ark of Taste—Slow Food’s signature biodiversity program, a sort of “endangered species program” for local foods in danger of extinction—but I hadn’t really expected any replies, and certainly not so soon.

And certainly not that reply.

Ark foods are rare. Quite rare. With the exception of a few people like Adam and Jaime at The Wayward Seed Farm, farmers don’t seek them out. And we don’t get many of them in Ohio. It would take a lot of digging on the internet by some very dedicated individual, or a lot of talking with distributors and a lot of work by one of Columbus’ premier markets.

And one of Columbus’ premier markets had just dropped me a line.

I toyed with some possible responses.

@hillsmarket hell yes!!

@hillsmarket you're nuts, but we're game if you are.

In the end I ran the idea by the Chapter Board, which was unanimously enthusiastic, and along with Bethia Woolf (hungrywoolf.com) and Jim Ellison (CMH Gourmand) I went to Hills to meet with Jill Moorhead and the Hills Market crew to hash out the details. Jill had assembled a list that ultimately included about twenty different Ark foods, from an overall list of nearly 200—many of which are not currently available anywhere in the Columbus area. A colonial-era beverage called shrub. Creole cream cheese. 8 flavors of sauerkraut. Amish paste tomatoes. Charbono wine. Limited-edition Jeni’s pawpaw-flavored ice cream.

Food. Geek. Heaven.

The only potential snag was the price. Because a lot of these things required going outside of normal distribution channels, shipping would cost more than the items themselves, so the final price tag looked a bit prohibitive. The Chapter Board discussed it and offered to share the cost in order to bring it down to a level that’s not just affordable but compelling: $5 for members and $10 for nonmembers.

October 22. 7 p.m. Hills Market. Call 614-846-3220 to make reservations.

As I was sitting in ZenCha today sipping a cup of High Street Oolong, I was reminded of the first time, in a tea house, that the proprietor had advised me to re-steep the green tea leaves.  I was a little surprised at this advice, since I was concerned that it might become overextracted and bitter… or simply lose its flavor.  But I followed his advice, off and on, and the results weren’t bad.  To be honest, I never really thought much about it.

Then, one day when I’d gotten to know him a bit better, it occurred to me that his advice had been uncharacteristically forthright for such a quiet person, and I started to wonder whether there might not have been something more behind it than I had realized.  So when I overheard him advising another customer to do the same thing, I asked, “Why do you advise people to re-steep their tea?”

His answer was as simple as it was startling:  “It honors the labor of the farmer.”

I’ve re-steeped my tea ever since.

Sitting there today, I found myself wondering how different our culinary traditions would be if we were less conditioned by food as a product and more attuned, at a fundamental level, with the idea of honoring the labor of farmers in everything we do.  The most obvious implication would be less waste—fewer vegetable scraps thrown out, more creativity in using “extra” parts of animals.  But we’d also have more food, more stocks made from those scraps and parts, and perhaps a revival of some of the kinds of food that were popular back when our ancestors ate these foods more from necessity than from choice… perhaps some of them could even serve as inspiration for chefs.

This, truly, is the event that needs no introduction.

Those of you who remember last year’s locavore dinner at Flying J Farm have been asking us whether it will be happening again. Will Chef John Dornback be cooking again? Will we be having a long dinner table filled with sustainably-raised local meat, delicious fresh bread, and freshly-picked organic produce cooked to perfection? Will we be able to feel the gentle autumn air at our backs as the sun sets over us at the table?

We have some answers for you. And this time, there will be a few surprises.

This is one of them.

For more details, visit our Events page.

Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon, here… as a courtesy, to members only, at first. Tickets for nonmembers, if there are any remaining, go on sale the Friday after that.

If you are a member, you should have received a password by email to use when ordering tickets… but the national office handles membership, we don’t.  If you haven’t received one, contact us a.s.a.p. at events@slowfoodcolumbus.org!

Central Ohio’s fall harvest will occasion not one but two celebrations of local food this year. The first will be the Department of Agriculture’s Local Food Challenge, September 13-19, during which Director Robert Boggs challenges residents to “plan and prepare one meal every day using fresh, nutritious foods that are made, grown, or raised here in our state.” Events include a cooking demo at the Pearl Market on Tuesday featuring local chefs; if the rumors are true, the chef at the demo will be someone at the “Tip Top” of his profession….

The second week will be Local Matters’ Local Food Week, October 3-9, which kicks off on the 3rd with the Market to Market Ride, a bicycle ride from the North Market to Hills Market along the Olentangy River. Breakfast will be available at either market. (And for those who want a full day of local-food goodness, the 3rd is also the date of our annual Locavore Dinner in Johnstown, complete with overnight camping—so once you’ve fueled up at Hills, you could just keep going….)

When it comes to pawpaws, the need for education is apparent. Most people have never even seen one, and when you do a Google image search you get photographs of pawpaws, papayas, some durian-like spiky fruit, and the occasional dog. (Seriously.)

Pawpaws are not papayas. They’re a surprisingly tropical-tasting fruit, sort of a cross between a banana and a mango, with flesh the consistency of custard when they’re fully ripe. Chilled, they were one of George Washington’s favorite desserts. They are also a Slow Food Ark of Taste product, meaning that they are endangered by the industrialization of food: because they bruise easily and ripen quickly, they are less appealing to the food industry than (say) the hardy Cavendish banana. But they have few natural predators, require no pesticides, grow locally… and they’re delicious.

Pawpaw season is upon us, and one of the very best places in the world to sample pawpaws is at the Pawpaw Festival in Lake Snowden, OH. There will be many varieties available to sample and compare. Pawpaw experts, including Slow Food Betsy Lydon Award winner Neal Peterson and Integration Acres’ Chris Chmiel, will be present. There will be other activities too, but the pawpaws are the main attraction.

Join us for breakfast at the Northstar Café in the Short North on Saturday, September 19 at 9:00 a.m., where we will compare notes on how long everyone wants to stay and then carpool or caravan down to the Festival, leaving at 10 and arriving before noon. We will stay until late afternoon, during which time we will cheer on fearless leader Colleen and Hungrywoolf author Bethia, who will be official pawpaw judges at the festival. Those interested in doing so will most likely linger afterward for dinner in nearby Athens. Anyone interested in camping overnight should contact Bethia using the link on the Events page.

Not surprisingly, Slow Food Columbus has from the start had lots of contact with Columbus-area food bloggers. As the city’s arbiters of culinary excellence and intrepid explorers of everything from auberges and bistros to tapas bars and taco trucks, they inspire us, inform us, and often even feed us. They’re one of the best things about the city. It’s hard to believe that they do it just for the sheer joy of doing it.

Well, now you can have the pleasure of getting to know them too. Because no fewer than six of these folks—Jim Ellison from CMH Gourmand, Nick Dekker from Breakfast With Nick, Rose Rings from Bitchin’ in the Kitchen, Dave Scarpetti from weber_cam and Dave’s Beer, Bethia Woolf of Hungrywoolf’s Food Blog, and Becke Boyer from Columbus Foodie—will be at Wild Goose Creative on Summit Street this Sunday, September 6, at 7 p.m. to talk about what they do and offer up samples of food that represent their specialty.

Click here for more details, and come out to say hi. You’ll be glad you did.