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Month: September 2010

  • Matstreif 2010

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    A walk around Matstreif, an outdoor food market, will give you much more than going to the average food store in 2010. Excellent ingredients without food additives, in addition to speaking with the producer who has turned the ingredient(s) into a finished product, is what you get.

    Talking to the producer, you will get the story behind the product you are buying and you are paying the producer directly, contributing to open cultural landscapes and a wide variety of food all across the country.

    I made a short visit to Matstreif on Thursday 30 September. As usual, lots of pensioners were lined up in the hope of getting a free gourmet meal. Moving this guild to the square outside the Town Hall from Karl Johan, a Norwegian version of Oxford street in London, seems like a sensible choice due to the crowded conditions in the former place.

    My personal favourite regarding top-notch products from this market is organic flour and polished spelt from Holli flour mill is a must. A good starting point for homemade baker’s products and “Norwegian” risotto.

    I also bought a sausage with garlic from Mohaugen in Valdres. What are you looking for when you have bought flat bread and sausage? Avdem farmhouse dairy from Lesja had what I was looking for. That is, unpasteurised butter and sour cream.

    Avdem and Holen farmhouse dairies form part of a cooperative which has obtained the honour of having a product called pultost, being approved as a presidium by Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. In these times of slimming where all food should contain as little fat as possible, how about a cheese with a fat content of 1%, that is, the cheese called pultost. You are recommended to have a taste of this type of cheese, which tastes totally different and much better than the bland factory cheeses.

    Primal cut from Løten deer breeding and crème brulée from Ek farmhouse kitchen are both award-winning products which I also bought, ensuring a delicious weekend meal. This presentation was just a little teaser on the large selection of high quality food products from Norwegian small scale producers.

    I also attended a food fair, called Mersmak, in Skien where I got to taste local baker’s products and several types of flat bread. It was a great pleasure to find again my favourite flat bread from the producer Klingeling in Porsgrunn. Recommended!

    I recommend everyone to visit Matstreif on the Town Hall square, talk to the producers about their products and buy some genuine food. Instead, going to the local food store, the talk consists of do you want a bag and have a nice day.

    Happy tasting!

  • Matstreif 2010


    En tur rundt på matstreif gir deg mer enn et besøk i matbutikken anno 2010. Gode råvarer uten e-stoffer samt direkte kontakt med produsenten som har foredlet råvaren er det du får.

    Du får med deg historien bak den varen du kjøper og gjør en handel direkte med produsenten. Du vet at varen du betaler for går til den som har tilvirket den. Ved å handle bidrar du til vakre kulturlandskap samt opprettholdelsen av et matmangfold i hele Norge.

    Jeg tok en sveip innom Matstreif torsdag 30. september,som sedvanlig hadde pensjonistene gjort sitt inntog for årets gratis goumetmåltid. Det å flytte dette matgilde til rådhusplassen synes fornuftig, mer boltreplass til publikum vil sikkert avverge de tillløp til sildestim det var på Karl Johan tidligere år.

    Personlige favoritter når det gjelder kjøp er: Økologisk mel og polerte speltperler fra Holli Mølle et must. Et godt utgangspunkt for god hjemmebakst og «norsk» risotto.

    På Mersmak i Skien i august fikk jeg smake på mye lokalbakst og ikke minst flere typer flatbrød. Det var derfor gledelig å finne igjen favorittflatbrødet fra produsenten Klingling fra Porsgrunn. Anbefales.

    Et annet bekjentskap var en pølseprodusent fra Valdres. Mohaugen som har en deilig spekepølse med hvitløk. Hva trenger man så når flatbrød og spekepølse er kjøpt inn. Avdem Gårdsysteri fra Lesja hadde det jeg var ute etter. Flott upasteurisert smør og rømme.

    Avdem har sammen med Holen Gardsysteri fra standen ved siden av skaffet seg hedersbetegnelsen presidieprodukt fra Slow Food bevegelsen for sin pultost. I disse slanketider hvor all mat skal ha en lite fett, hva med en ost som har en fettprosent på
    1, nemlig pultosten. Ta en smak på disse ostene, de smaker veldig annerledes og mye bedre enn de pregløse fabrikkostene til Synnøve Finden og Tine.

    Ytrefilét fra Løten hjorteoppdrett og Creme Brulét fra Eker gårdspakkeri begge gode prisbelønnede produkter ble kjøpt inn. Helgemiddagen er i boks. Dette var et lite knippe av de flotte produsentene som var tilstede på rådhusplassen denne solfylte torsdags ettermiddagen i september.

    Ta gjerne turen innom Matstreif på rådhusplassen, slå av ekte matprat og kjøp med deg ekte mat. For den matpraten du får i matbutikken på mandag består av få ord, bærepose samt ha en god dag.

    God handel.

     

  • Eco-weekend

    Øverland Community Garden and Slow Food Asker and Bærum arranged an event drawing attention to organic food. The last weekend in November 2010 was filled with practical courses, films, photo exhibition, organic lunch, cakes made in accordance with raw food guidelines together with fine talks at the Waldorf school in Bærum near Oslo.

    Three practical courses were held on Saturday 27 November, first raw milk, followed by lactic acid fermentation and finishing with baking using old types of grain.

    Raw food
    Raw food was the last and most trendy type of food in 2010. The cafe Helt Rå (meaning completely raw) in Sandvika, 10 km east of Oslo, is an example. Celebrities like Lady Gaga and our own Princess Märtha were among their customers the first week after the opening. Raw food is food which has not been heated above 40?C, and it consists mainly of whole grains, nuts and vegetables. Raw food enthusiasts claim that doing traditional cooking leads that up to 80% of the nutrients are lost due to the heat. Consequently, the rather careful heat treatment of raw food.

    Lactic acid fermentation
    Lactic acid fermentation is an old method of conservation for conserving vegetables. A diverse selection of vegetables is cut up into small pieces and put into a jar where they are compressed. After having filled up most of the jar, salt water is poured over the vegetables until it covers everything inside the jar. Keeping the jar at room temperature, fermentation will start and continue until the ambient temperature is lowered to about 4?C, like in a fridge. The jars used at the course were quite large, 8 -10 litres(?), and they can be ordered from hjemmeproduktion.dk, which has a large selection of utilities for making food.

    Baking course
    The bakery course was arranged by Kristin og Johan Swärd who brought along grains like emmer, einkorn wheat, rye and barley from the farm Aschim Vestre on Hadeland north of the town Hønefoss. They are cultivating their grains organically and biodynamically. The next day we were informed by Kristian Ormset from the soil and plant analysis company Vital Analyse that the grains grown by the Swärd family had the best quality of all grains he had tested. His analysis showed that their grains were full of vitamins and antioxidants. After having prepared the dough on a Saturday, it was left for raising overnight such that breads could be finished for lunch the next day.

    Speeches
    On Sunday, nearly 70 participants could listen to discourses which were performed simultaneously in adjacent rooms. After a short introduction by Jolien Perotti, the leader of Øverland CSA, and Per Chr. Bakken, the leader of Slow Food Asker og Bærum, we could listen to Linda Jolly who told us about the story of agriculture, while also encouraging the audience to contribute their thoughts on the deficiencies of modern agriculture, Astri Riddervold, an ethnologist in her eighties, who talked about food conservation followed by Kristian Ormset from Vital Analyse who talked about the quality of the soil and showed us microscope photos of slices of grain and vegetables cultivated both conventionally, oganically and biodynamically. His conclusion was that especially biodynamically, and to a certain extent, organically grown grain and vegetables are more nutritious than conventionally grown ones, but only if the farmer is cultivating the harvest correctly. In extreme cases, organically grown plants may be less nutritious than conventionally grown ones.

    After having listened to experts from outside Øverland CSA and Slow Food, some of our “homegrown” experts shared their knowledge on composting, leftovers, beekeeping and organic agriculture.

    However, this event would not have been so great without the delicious vegetable soups made of organic pumpkins, onions and diverse vegetables together with a Thai soup with the same ingredients as the former, but also with coconut milk and curry. Homemade bread together with organic butter and sour cream from Røros dairy contributed to a delicious and nutritious meal. The last coffee break was enriched with a large selection of raw food, being quite tasty and diverse.

  • Fra gård til gaffel

    Matidentitet blir det når: – du nyter god mat, vet hvor den kommer i fra og om den er laget uten å skade. Første aktiivtet i nyetablerte Slow Food Asker og Bærum Convivum forsøkte å favne alle de tre grunnleggende Slow Food pilarene, god, ren og rettferdig.

    Conviviumets plan var å besøke matprodusentene og så spise mat fra dem i etterkant. Øverland Andelslandbruk, Persbråten Gård og spisestedet Hos Oss på Stabekk ble aktørene i fra gård til gaffel aktiviteten som hadde en økologisk profil.

    Måltidet som deltagerne inntok på spisestedet Hos Oss på Stabekk var Norges nasjonalrett får-i-kål , som består av kjøtt fra sau/lam, poteter og hodekål. Dette måltid hadde fått en ekstra dimensjon i og med at vi hadde besøkt andelslandbruket som lå få kilometer unna. På Øverland Gård ligger Norges første og største andelslandbruk som er økologisk drevet. Nærmere 300 andelshavere dyrker et stort spekter av grønnsaker sammen. Her ble de økologiske beate potetene til måltidet høstet dagen i forveien. Kjøttet som ble servert kom fra Persbråten Gård. Lammet hadde blitt slaktet få dager tidligere, hengt opp til mørning og delt opp før det ble levert til restauranten. På Persbråten Gård fikk deltagerne tatt gården nærmere øyesyn, snakket med sauebonden og høre om hans hverdag. Hans gjeterhunder som var i aksjon i bakgrunnen i full jobb med å samle inn sauer; et flott skue i kulturlandskapet på Skui i Bærum.

    Måltidet etter den to timer lange rundturen i Bærums mat- og kulturlandskap hadde fått en signatur og en identitet. Deltagerne hadde fått et par timer i friluft denne kjølige septemberkvelden samt lært noe om økologisk matproduksjon og andelslandbruk. Og som de selv sa: – besøkt flotte steder i sitt nærområde de knapt visste fantes og var så flotte.
    Innehavere på spisestedet Hos Oss hadde fått kontakt med en ny lokal leverandør og informasjon om økologisk andelslandbruk.

    Aktiviteten til Slow Food Asker og Bærum var et bidrag i nettverksbygging mellom lokale mataktører og forbruker med mål å skape de gode lokale matoppevelsene. Det er som kokken Arne Brimi pleier å si: – det gjelder å skape indetitet, troverdighet og bygge forventninger opp mot det måltidet som skal komme.

    RELATERT INFORMASJON:

    bilder – Slow Food Asker og Bærum

     

  • From farm to fork

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    The food we are eating gets an identity when you are enjoying a delicious meal, you know where it comes from and the way it has been produced did not harm nature. The first activity in the newly established Slow Asker og Bærum convivium tried to include Slow Food’s three interconnected principles: good, clean and fair.The first activity consisted of visiting the food producers Øverland community garden and Persbråten farm and eating vegetables and meat produced by them at the restaurant Hos Oss. The meal which we ate at the restaurant Hos Oss at Stabekk was the Norwegian national dish called får-i-kål, literally sheep in cabbage, consisting of mutton, potatoes and wild cabbage.

    Visiting the food producers just before arriving at the restaurant, was really a way of getting a feeling of where the food we are eating is coming from and how it is produced. Øverland community garden was the first of its kind in Norway and it is also the largest where 300 part owners are cultivating a large selection of vegetables and herbs. The organically grown potatoes of the Norwegian variety Beate were harvested the day before the activity. The mutton for our dinner had been slaughtered and butchered a few days before the dinner, hung up for making it tender, before transporting it to the restaurant. During our visit to Persbråten farm, we met the sheep farmer and talked to him about raising his animals and watching his shepherd dogs herding some of his sheep and the cultural landscape surrounding his farm, a pleasant sight, indeed.Visiting the food producers who made the ingredients of our meal helped to give the food an identity. Since all of the participants were town dwellers, visiting a lovely place near to where they lived, but didn’t know about, gave an added dimension to a fine undertaking.

    The owners of the restaurant Hos Oss had discovered a new source of high quality meat and got information about an organic community garden located nearby.This activity was a contribution to creating a connection between local food producers and consumers in order to create the delicious food experiences. The cook Arne Brimi, who is famous in Norway, at least, uses to say: it’s about creating identity, credibility and making expectations toward the meal to be served.

  • Livèche chickens

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    From Soil to Table visited Nedre Grini farm at Hærland in the county of Østfold, where Bjørn Ivar Holmen is one of three producers who is breeding Livèche chicken.

    From Soil to Table visited Nedre Grini farm at Hærland in the county of Østfold, where Bjørn Ivar Holmen is one of three producers who is breeding Livèche chicken. The other breeders are located at Løken farm and Frøshaug farm. We wanted to have a closer look at this chicken which is allowed to live twice as long as the common, Norwegian chicken available countrywide.

    The Livèche chicken weighs about 3 kg when it’s ready for slaughter. Due to the taste of the meat and a residual taste of garden lovage from the fodder they are being fed, this chicken has become popular both among cooks at restaurants and among consumers, in general.

    Since the Livèche chicken is only sold as fresh meat, a close cooperation between the 3 farmers who are raising them, is required. This means that they are buying newly born chickens and slaughtering the grown-ups at different times, in order to ensure a steady delivery of chicken meat. When the chickens are sent for slaughter, they are gassed with carbon dioxide, beheaded and hung up like what is done with turkeys. Afterwards, they are cut up and sold as either whole chicken, thigh or chest.

    When Bjørn Ingar has sent the chickens to slaughter, the premises where the chickens have resided, has to be cleaned thoroughly and be prepared for reception of another set of tiny chickens, a hybrid called Ross Rowan. It has been time-consuming and costly to develop this slow-growing, meaty chicken, Bjørn Ingar told us. His chickens have an average lifetime of 65 days, while chickens available in supermarkets countrywide live for 28-32 days. The upper limit of chickens bred yearly at Nedre Grini farm amounts to 50.000 chickens, while a conventional chicken breeder has an upper limit of 120.000 chickens.

    The fodder which the chickens are eating is prepared at Mølla in Trøgstad, consisting of barley and oats, together with maize and garden lovage. No animal proteins nor fish flour is added to the fodder.The chickens have enough space in which to roam, Bjørn Ivar adds, I see it on their behaviour and their general health.

    The chickens seemed to live a good life according to our untrained gazes. Since we don’t know anything about chickens in particular, we just had to trust our senses. They were free to move indoors and they were able to walk inside a netting fence whenever they felt like it. Natural light indoors together with being able to eat and drink whenever they wanted, seemed to give the chickens as good a life as can be expected for domestic animals.

    We also touched upon the circumstances of Norwegian farmers. We are very often told how much subsidies farmers receive from the government. How much do you receive in subsidies in relation to the total sales? 5%, Bjørn Ivar replies. If I buy a chicken chest for about 100 Norwegian crowns in the supermarket, how much do you get? 10%, he said. Research and development, nice packaging, the slaughterhouse, the wholesaler, the supermarket and the government takes the remaining 90%.

  • Livèchekylling

    Jord til bord tok turen til Østfold og Bjørn Ingar Holmen på Nedre Grini i Hærland som er en av tre produsenter av livèchekylling. Vi ville se nærmere på denne kyllingen som får vokse dobbelt så lenge som den vanlige norske butikk-kyllingen.

    Livechekyllingen har en slaktevekt på 3 kg når den forlater Nedre Grini Gård og på grunn av smaken, og kanskje hint av løpstikke i foret har denne kyllingen blitt populær både på restaurantkjøkken og blant vanlige husholdninger.

    Siden livèchekylingen kun selges som ferskvare fordrer dette et tett samarbeid mellom de tre gårdene som leverer. De har ordnet det slik at det altid er en av dem som slakter kylling ukentlig. Når en besetning med kyllinger sendes til slakting i Rakkestad blir de gasset, hodekappet og hengt opp på lik linje de gjør med kalkun. De blir så sendt tilbake til Nortura anlegget nær Nedre Grini Gård. Kyllingen blir partert og solgt som hel kylling, lår eller bryst.

    Når Bjørn Ingar har sendt en besetning til slakt blir ute- og inneområdet vasket ned og klargjort for å ta i mot en ny besetning av små kyllinger, en hybrid kalt Ross Rowan Det har vært tidkrevende og kostbart å utvikle denne saktevoksende og kjøttfulle kyllingen forteller Livècheprodusenten. Levetiden er på 65 dager forteller Bjørn Ingar og fortsetter: – en vanlig butikkkylling lever 28-32 dager. Det maksimale kyllinger gården kan produsere i løpet av et år en 50 000 kyllinger. En konvensjonell kyllingprodusent har en øvre grense på 120 000 kyllinger.

    Fôret vi har lages på Mølla i Trøgstad nær de andre produsentene og består av lokalt mel 75% bygg og havre, litt mais og løpstikke. Det inneholder ikke dyreproteiner og fiskemel. Boltreplassen til besetningen er god nok ytrer bonden. – Jeg ser det på adferden og holdet til kyllingene.

    Flokken med fjærkre hadde ingen skader på verken ben eller fjør etter det vi kunne se. De beveget seg fritt innendørs og kunne ta turen ut i det fri når de følte for det. Naturlig lys innedørs og alltid tilgang til fôr og vann. Bjørn Ingar styrer fôrmengde og vann via et avansert datasystem. Kyllingene spiser og drikker når de føler for det.

    Bondens kår er vi også inne på: Vi hører så mye om at bonden får så mye subsidier, – Hva utgjør de for deg av totalomsetningen til gården. 5% svarer Bjørn Ingar. Og når jeg kjøper med meg et kyllingbryst med hjem til snaue 100 lappen i butikken; Hvor mye er det som tilfaller deg som produsent? 10% var svaret jeg fikk, litt å tenke på det også. Forskning, utvikling, flott emballasje, KSL Matmerks nøkkelhull og speialitetsmerke, Nortura, grossisten, butikkleddet og staten tar de restererende 90%.

    I tillegg til Nedre Grini produseres det også livéchekylling på Løken Gård og Frøshaug Gård.