chefs and farmers unite for 2009 Grow-Out of New England heirloom vegetables

Evan Mallett, executive chef at the Black Trumpet Bistro in Portsmouth, believes Seacoast diners are eager to try locally grown foods. When the restaurant’s menu featured a dish with red curry squash grown at Meadow’s Mirth Farm in Stratham, customers reacted positively, intrigued by the rare local vegetable. That positive reaction, in turn, helped boost sales of red curry squash at area farmers markets.

“Things can go from a whisper to a scream pretty quickly,” Mallett said.

Organizers of the 2009 Grow-Out hope to replicate that type of success on a larger scale. The project, an initiative spearheaded by the Chefs Collaborative and the Renewing American Food Traditions coalition, seeks to unite area growers with local chefs, creating partnerships that will put New England heirloom vegetables on Seacoast restaurant menus by fall.

Chefs and growers mingled at the Black Trumpet on March 8, sampling appetizers from Vermont Butter & Cheese and sipping pints of Peak Organic Beer, before sitting down to brainstorm ideas for the 2009 Grow-Out. Farmers at the meeting received up to 16 varieties of heirloom seeds from New England, all donated by Fedco Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange and Old Sturbridge Village, such as the Trophy tomato from Newport, R.I., and the Boston Marrow squash from Salem, Mass.

While chefs often become minor celebrities in their communities, sometimes even getting their own nationally broadcast reality TV shows, many of the growers who provide their fresh ingredients go unnoticed, Mallett said.
“The true rock stars of the food chain are the farmers,” he said.

The Chef’s Collaborative and RAFT have launched pilot programs for the Grow-Out in Providence, R.I.; Boston, Mass.; and Portsmouth. The goals, according to Chefs Collaborative program manager Leigh Belanger, include restoring agricultural biodiversity to New England and spreading awareness about local produce. Organizers in the three cities have recruited a group of more than 20 farmers and 20 chefs to grow the vegetables and feature the products at local restaurants.

“By being here today, this is kind of the big handshake agreement,” Belanger told participants at the Black Trumpet. “We really get to shape the way this project will come together.”

More than a dozen local farmers and restaurateurs gathered for the meeting on March 8, as well as representatives from organizations like Slow Food Seacoast, Slow Food USA, UNH Slow Food and Seacoast Eat Local. All the guests expressed enthusiasm about working together to put local vegetables on customers’ plates. The details of how the project will come together are still being nailed down, as farmers educate themselves about how and when to grow the seeds they received.

“The way it comes together is really defined by the people who are growing the food and buying the food, not by me in the office in Boston,” Belanger said.

Some guests wondered what will happen if the farmers end up growing more vegetables than local restaurants can use, but they agreed that growers and restaurants can work together in a spirit of cooperation rather than competition. Mallett said he regularly works with Josh Jennings, of Meadow’s Mirth, and Garen Heller, of Back River Farm in Dover, pulling from a variety of products offered by each farm.

“I think there’s more than enough market for all of us, and then some,” Heller said.

If marketed properly, growers and chefs believe customers will be curious to sample foods that are part of New England’s heritage. Some guests suggested educating the public through festivals and other events, as well as with information about local ingredients on menus and signs.

Tom Roberts, co-owner of the Beach Pea Baking Co. in Kittery, Maine, noted that customers appreciate knowing where their food comes from. This is especially true, he said, with salmonella cases arising in tomatoes, jalapeño peppers and peanut butter. An appeal of using New England-based seeds is their traceability. Plus, the high cost of fuel will force many restaurants to think local instead of having products shipped in from other parts of the country and world.

Representatives from The Dunaway in Portsmouth, Flag Hill Winery in Epping, Fresh Local Bayside in Newington and others were also present at the meeting. Farmer Chuck Cox, of Tuckaway Farm in Lee, accepted all but a couple of the 16 seed varieties offered at the meeting. After receiving his seeds, he shuffled through brown packages of heirloom cucumber, squash, tomato, turnip, sweet pepper, sweet corn and watermelon seeds. Once he educates himself about the growing process for each seed, he will begin planting. Then Cox can provide area restaurateurs with a harvest schedule for when his products will become available, and the restaurants can place their orders.

RAFT is a coalition of seven national non-profit food, agriculture, conservation, and educational organizations, all dedicated to restoring the nation’s diverse food traditions. The Chefs Collaborative is a Boston-based culinary organization that provides resources for running economically healthy, sustainable food service. Visit www.environment.nau.edu/raft or www.chefscollaborative.org.