Janet Chadwick's "The Busy Person's Guide to Preserving Food" is disappointing. Maybe I've become so used to the very glamorous canning books that I've been reading that something as so nuts and bolts basic as this leaves me cold. Or maybe it's just unimaginative. Hard to say for sure, but in any case I'll be returning it to the library post haste. One strange thing I noticed is the Chadwick's consistent pushing of lots of specialized equipment. Something called, I think, a squeeze-it for tomatoes and something else for cherries. What a drag. Other books I read offer recipe after delicious recipe that require little specialty equipment (after the kettle, rack, jar lifter, etc.- all basic canning stuff). I don't believe you can substitute stuff for passion and I'm becoming deeply suspicious of canning books that require me to run out and purchase some new fangled thing so I can produce something as pedestrian as tomato puree.
In other disappointments, I saw today that rabbits and deer have pretty much decimated the garden. So it looks like lots of farmer's market buying for me, especially if I want to pickle stuff again this year, which I do. I knew, of course, that this could happen. We've been sharing our space with both the rabbits and the deer since we moved in. I don't want to drive them off the property (they were here first) so it looks like the garden will have to be fenced if we're to try again next year. We didn't get to it this year, since we moved in just at the start of the season, so instead of harvesting this summer I'll spend my time improving the soil and getting ready for next year. Delayed gratification is always frustrating, but doubly so when it means more steps between me and my mason jars.
Not that I mind the farmer's market. Quite the opposite, in fact. The Charlottesville Farmer's Market is really great - lots of local produce, coffee roasters, crafts, and so on. There is, however, a fly in the ointment (isn't there always?). The Commonwealth of Virginia has adopted new regulations that basically make it impossible for farm-based producers of a variety of foodstuffs to stay in business. You know how one of the great joys of shopping at farms and markets is the availability of micro-produced baked goods, canned produce, sausages or cheeses? The new Virginia regulations put an end to all of these wonders. Essentially, the new regs make farm-based producers subject to the same processing laws as mega-conglomerates - this is illogical for several reasons (not the least of which is that Mega Co. needs more regulation because the nature of its business means that the animals and produce involved are more subject to sanitary and health concerns - anytime you have thousands of cattle in one place, it's going to be harder to keep track of their health than it is for a farmer with, say, a couple dozen who can stay on top of it herself). The cost for complying with the regs is estimated at $50,000.00 - how much goat cheese, olive bread, country butter or peach jam do you have to sell to make this worthwhile? It's just one more step in the commodification of our food supply - drive the small, artisanal producers out of business and then it's all General Mills, all the time. There is no evidence of a public health issue to drive these changes.
I plan on calling Governer Mark Warner to let him know how unhappy I am about all of this. Apparently, the Governer can suspend the effective date of the regulations until after the 2004 legislative session so that legislators may review the action. Will you join me? (Even if you don't live in Virginia, you might spend money here on vacation or a business trip and as a potential visitor, don't you have an interest in having the best, most interesting experience possible? And don't you want to eat great food while you're here? Then there's the possibility that your state might try a similar trick!) Governer Warner can be reached at: 804-786-2211. You can also fax him at: 804-371-6351 or write to: The Honorable Mark R. Warner, P.O. Box 1475, Richmond, Virginia 23218. Be sure to spread the word!
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