Bio Products Opportunity

The 2009 CSA season is quickly approaching its close with only 3 more weeks to go. The weather has been kind and so we are finding ourselves in quite the abundance! The forecast for the first day of December: abundant sunshine. I can’t complain.

Expected harvest for December 1:

• Salad and Braising Mix
• Head Lettuce
• Chard, Kale, Asian Collards, Arugula and Pac Choi
• Broccoli and Cauliflower
• Beets and Carrots
• Radishes
• Edamame
• Peppers
• Sunchokes
• Sweet Potatoes and Seminole Squash
• Herbs: Parsley, Cilantro and Rosemary

Pac Choi:

• All of the bok choy plant is edible, even the flowers and flowering stalk if it bolts. It can be eaten raw in salads, steamed, used in stir fry, and put in soup. The leaves are a good source of calcium, fiber, and Vitamins A and C. It has little sodium and few calories.
• Storage: Refrigerate unwashed choi in a plastic container or in a loosely wrapped plastic bag. Choi is best when used within several days.
• Try it stir fried with garlic, broccoli, and carrots. Season with tamari or soy sauce and serve over rice or wrap the rice and stir fry mixture in large leafy greens (collards, kale, chard).

Original post by biofarm

This year Piedmont Biofarm had a bumper harvest of peanuts.

I first wrote about this in May in an entry called “Working for Peanuts,” in which a box of green peanut seeds arrived at the plant from a fellow in the mountains who had been seed saving for years.

I tried to grow them at my place.  Mine were eaten by rabbits.  I gave some to Bob, and he reported crop failure.  I’m not sure what happened to the ones we sent to UNC.  But both Jason and Doug took off giant peanut crops this year.

Doug will be taking some seed stock up to Black Mountain this year to the 24th Annual CFSA Conference, where seed gets traded amongst growers and plant breeders.

Here we are with greenhouses and garages packed with peanuts still on the vine, and along comes Carol Hewitt, who is staging a kiln opening next weekend.  Her life long interest in local economy was rekindled in part by seeing Michael Shuman speak over at STARworks.

The Hewitt’s openings are an institution in these parts.  People come from miles away, and line up early to buy Mark’s pots.

Before I knew it I was  committed to delivering locally grown peanuts to their preview party.  Pounds of them.  And there is only one trick:  they need to be shelled and roasted first.

Which is what I did on Sunday.  I set up a shelling and roasting operation at the plant kitchen, and tons of people passed through.  I would like to say they helped, but they mostly watched and chatted.  Carol came by and helped out, and as we toured the plant she also had a chance to sample some of Doug home grown popcorn.  Surely she left with the notion that at Piedmont we are snack food independent.

Years ago Oneas and Roey rigged up a concrete peanut sheller over at White.  It was part of the Full Belly Project in which they were attempting to deploy appropriate technology in Africa.

I need to find that rig, if it is still around, so that we can begin shelling peanuts in earnest.  As always, if you want to help the developing world, it is best to start right here at home.

And in the meantime, anyone looking for some amazingly delicious locally grown peanuts should simply head to the Hewitt’s for their show.

Original post by Lyle

Original post by pfairley

Original post by pfairley

Original post by pfairley

Monday, November 23, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kay R. Hagan (D-NC) today announced that Piedmont Biofuels Industrial in Pittsboro will receive a $139,249 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant for innovative clean energy research and development.

“Last year, I visited Piedmont Biofuels and saw firsthand their groundbreaking work in green energy,” Hagan said. “Today’s grant is a critical investment in a North Carolina small business that is helping to ensure that the state is a leader in the sustainable energy economy.”

“Our research staff at Piedmont Biofuels is delighted to partner with the Department of Energy and continue our work in the next generation of biofuels production. At Piedmont Biofuels we are actively evaluating and analyzing materials and technology to bring low-carbon fuels from concept to reality,” said Rachel Burton, Director of Research at Piedmont Biofuels.

Piedmont Biofuels will use the funds to develop advanced biodiesel production processes. These processes will enable biodiesel producers to reduce water usage and waste byproduct, as well as use lower grade feedstocks, such as poultry renderings. The company currently has 19 employees, and it believes the proposed innovation will lead to the hiring of additional research staff. The company’s commercial production facility in Pittsboro produces approximately 4,000 gallons of biodiesel a day using waste poultry fat or used cooking oil.

The Recovery Act funding is part of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which works to increase the participation of small, innovative companies in federally-funded research and development. Hagan, a member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, voted to extend the program in July.

Hagan worked with her Senate colleagues to craft the Recovery Act to create and save jobs.

Original post by Rachel

This week’s share is extra-bountiful. Happy Thanksgiving!

We are harvesting:

• Salad Mix
• Lettuce Heads
• Braising Mix
• Asian Collards
• Sweet Potatoes
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Bok Choi
• Radishes
• Carrots
• Beets
• Eggplant
• Sunchokes
• Peppers
• Garlic
• Herbs: Parsley, Cilantro, Rosemary

Original post by biofarm

Root crops are some of my favorite vegetables to both grow and eat. I like the anticipation of growing long term crops like sweet potatoes and parsnips, and the excitement of harvesting a particularly stunning beet or colossal carrot. When it’s cold there’s nothing I crave more than roasted root veggies and creamy soups made from these earthy stores of goodness. High in vitamins and minerals, these little nutritional bombs harvested in the fall can often be stored to provide nourishment long into the winter.

The structural function of a root is to anchor a plant to the soil. Biologically, they have two main functions: to absorb water and nutrients and to store excess food for the future. Hidden underground they are not showy like flowers or fruit, they lack the ornateness of leaves, but there is a certain simple elegance to them. Seasoned gardeners know that the health and vigor of the above-ground parts of a plant are a direct reflection of the health of the out-of-sight foundation on which they rest and depend.

Maybe my fondness of root crops stems from my own tendency to root. While I do get bit by the occasional travel bug, a restless wanderer or adventurous thrill-seeker I am not. My soul is not fed by adventure and the unknown, but rather by the meaningful connections to people and place that I have found by staying put.

However, if you leave a growing plant in a container that is too small it will soon become root-bound. Seeking nutrients from what little soil there is, it’s roots will wind around and around inside the container until there is nothing left. The plant will cease to grow and eventually die unless it is moved to a larger container or to it’s final home in the ground. Here in Pittsboro I am a recent transplant. Uprooted from a comfortable home, I am still exploring the unfamiliar ground and establishing my roots in this new place.

I don’t know if it will be time to uproot again come spring, but I do know that this winter I’ll be well-fed with the earthy goodness of beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes. I’m thankful for that and for my own roots, nourished and made strong by the people and places that I love and depend on.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Jennie

I found these amorous young carrots while thinning out the patch last week. Kids will be kids.

Original post by biofarm

Rosemary Cardamom Rolls

• 2 cups milk (scalded and cooled)
• 2 Tbs active dry yeast
• 1/3 Cup Honey or ½ Cup Sugar
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 3 Tbs Oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 7-8 Cups whole wheat bread flour (or substitute up to half with all-purpose flour)

Dissolve yeast in the warm milk. Add honey and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, oil,  salt, and herbs to yeast mixture. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down. Divide into 24 pieces for rolls or in half for bread. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Shape into rolls or loaves. Place in greased pans. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake rolls in preheated oven at 400F for 10-12 minutes. Bake loaves in preheated oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes.

Original post by biofarm

Rosemary Cardamom Rolls

• 2 cups milk (scalded and cooled)
• 2 Tbs active dry yeast
• 1/3 Cup Honey or ½ Cup Sugar
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 3 Tbs Oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 7-8 Cups whole wheat bread flour (or substitute up to half with all-purpose flour)

Dissolve yeast in the warm milk. Add honey and let stand until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, oil,  salt, and herbs to yeast mixture. Add enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead 8-10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down. Divide into 24 pieces for rolls or in half for bread. Let rest 5-10 minutes. Shape into rolls or loaves. Place in greased pans. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake rolls in preheated oven at 400F for 10-12 minutes. Bake loaves in preheated oven at 350F for 30-35 minutes.

Original post by biofarm

Today I delivered half a loaf of “multi-grain” bread to Benjamin Vineyards.  One of its ingredients was flour made from their grape seeds.

I have been running out there a lot lately.  Learning about grapes.

Grape seeds appear to be an annoying co-product of the grape harvest.  While they represent only 1-2% of the grape, they attract pests to the compost, which bring on larger predators, which makes them simply aggravating.

In my jerry-rigged crush plant in the hallway of building 3 we figured out how to crush grape seeds.  Exquisite oil.  And meal that looks like purple cigars.

I roasted some pumpkin seeds in the oil.  It was marvelous.  And I ran some oil back to Benjamin Vineyards.

Last weekend I pulverized the grape meal under a towel with a sledge hammer at Summer Shop, and fed the remains into a flour mill I borrowed from Farmer Doug.

I ended up with seven cups of “flour.”  More like corn meal, or perhaps sand.  And I distributed them around the neighborhood.

Arlo was the first to use it.  He cut 1 cup of grape seed flour into 3 cups of all purpose flour for a batch of chocolate chip cookies.  They were great.  May be not his best batch.  Since they had sort of a sand finish.

Camille took a run at it with Focaccia.  Better.  But still a tough sandy component.

Then Lynette stepped in.  You could say that’s not fair, since she is trained as a baker.  But she dropped off a multi-grain bread using grape seed flour that was to die for.  Unbelievable.  I had to run some out to the vineyard right away.

So where are we on the grape?

Most of it is pressed for juice.  We have figured out how to crush the seeds for oil and how to turn the meal into flour for high end human consumption.

Now all that remains are the skins.

One of the things we have learned to do at Piedmont Biofuels is account for every ounce.  There was a time when we would buy a pound of fat, spin it into fuel, and throw twenty percent away.  These days we have our bio-refinery spinning such that we are able to bring in a pound of fat, spin it into fuel, and recover cash for every left over ounce of product.

Just as we need to profit from every ounce, it would seem the wine industry should do the same.  I’m not sure how much of the grape is lost to the skin, but the trick is to convert all of that into useable product.

And I believe that might be what sustainability looks like.  Using every bit of waste.  Or having no waste whatsoever.

Piedmont is still finding its way.  We are on the ropes, but still in the fight.  For me to be out dipsy doodling with grapes might appear to some as Nero fiddling while Rome burns.

But it is much more than that.

Crushing begets feedstock.  Imagine a biodiesel plant running out of feedstock (fat) while America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic.  Too bad we can’t pay our faithful employees with irony.

I don’t think Piedmont is out of tricks.  And when I sink my teeth into some of Lynette’s multi-grain bread made with locally milled grape seed flour, I am inspired to push on…

Original post by Lyle

One of my favorite meals all through the fall and winter is this sweet potato curry with as much cilantro as I can find. The basic order of operations is the same for almost any other curry,  so feel free to improvise! Often people cook the potatoes in with the spices, but I find this method below a time saver, since I can prepare the sweet potatoes ahead of time.

Step One:
If you don’t happen to have leftover sweet potatoes, which work great in this recipe, you need to cook some! This can be done in advance. I usually steam the potatoes with just a little bit of water in the bottom of the pot so the curry doesn’t get too soupy. A little broth is okay, though.

Step Two:
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, I gather up my spices. I like to use whole mustard seeds, but if you don’t have these, it is okay! Just skip that step. Now heat up your sauce pot to a good medium heat and add the oil of your choice.

1) Fry the mustard seeds until they begin to pop, and then add onions or leek bottoms if you have them (I often make this only with garlic). Cook until the onions are about translucent.

2) Add your coarsely chopped garlic (and leek or green onion tops) and saute until almost done. Then you can start adding your ground cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Let it all cook some more, but don’t let it get too gummed up and burn on you.

3) Add your sweet potatoes and mash them up until it is all a smooth consistency. Let is cook for a couple of minutes to let the flavors meld, and turn of the heat.  While it is cooking, chop up your cilantro finely (stems and all!). When you turn it off, stir in the cilantro. Let it set for a few more moments to get the cilantro wilted, and then…

ENJOY!

Try making tasty curry tacos by putting it in in leaves of cabbage, senposai, or lots of mini tacos in braising mix leaves.

Original post by biofarm

IBM scientists have created a one-step point-of-care-diagnostic test, based on an innovative silicon chip, that requires less sample volume, is significantly faster, portable, easy to use, and can test for many diseases, including one of world’s leading causes of death, cardiovascular disease*. The results are so quick and accurate that a small sample of a patient’s serum or blood, could be …

Original post by Ian

What became a buyer’s dream, was a seller’s nightmare. While realtors said the number of houses sold is up, some homeowners wait for years, with no buyers in sight.

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for green jobs

Missouri growing number of untested rape kits in storage is backlogged like many other states, but the highway patrol’s crime lab director says things aren’t as bad in Missouri as many other states in the nation.

Original post by Yahoo! News Search Results for green jobs