June 2021 Feast Magazine

Inspired Local Food Culture

/

midwest

Savor the season with fresh herbs, edible flowers, heirloom wheat and more.

june 2021

Come See Us in

Springfield…

We’ll Show You Around!

When you visit Springfield, Missouri, ask a local! We know where the best watering holes are. Whether it’s enjoying a refreshing beverage at one of the many local craft breweries or cruising down one of the many water trails on a kayak, we love our city and know the best places to eat, drink and play. See you in Springfield!

Explore Springfield at

SpringfieldMo.org

Point your smartphone camera at this QR code to find out more about the Ozarks Tap and Pour Craft Beverage Tour.

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soyleic.com

Missouri

s

(573) 635-3819 734 S. Country Club Drive Jefferson City, MO 65109

Inspired Local Food Culture / m i d w e s t

june

2021

Volume 11 / Issue 6

EDITORIAL

sales

Editor in chief

general manager

Heather Riske, hriske@feastmagazine.com

Susan Eckert, seckert@feastmagazine.com

managing editor

media Strategist

Rachel Huffman, rhuffman@feastmagazine.com

Patti Ruesch, pruesch@feastmagazine.com

assistant editor

Kasey Carlson, kcarlson@feastmagazine.com Kansas City Contributing Editor

Jenny Vergara St. Louis Contributing Editor

Contact Us Feast Media, 901 N. 10th St., St. Louis, MO 63101 314.475.1260, feastmagazine.com

Mabel Suen

Distribution

Springfield Contributing Editor

To distribute Feast Magazine at your place of business, please contact Rich Hudson for St. Louis, Jefferson City, Columbia, Rolla and Springfield at rhudson@post-dispatch.com and Jason Green for Kansas City at distribution@pds-kc.com.

Tessa Cooper Columbia Contributing Editor

Jessica Vaughn Martin fact checker

Karen Parkman Proofreader

Alecia Humphreys

/ 9 / the mix

Poolside Swizzle / 10 / dine & Drink

VanDeli, Lamy’s,

Contributing Writers

/ 24 / healthy appetite

Farmers’ Market Enchiladas

/ 26 / the dish

Boeuf and Pomme Hash

Lucie Amberg, Julia Calleo, Kala Elkinton, Amanda Elliott, Amy Feese, Teresa Floyd, Hilary Hedges, Rogan Howitt, Claire Porter, JC Sandt, Hope Timmermann, Emily Wasserman, Shannon Weber

The Strollway Market

/ 27 / one on one

Steve St. Pierre of Have A Cow Cattle Co.

/ 28 / quick fix

ART

/ 12 / how-to

/ 11 / One on One

Art Director

Alexandrea Povis, apovis@feastmagazine.com

Homemade Tortilla Chips

/ 14 / shop here

Mushrooms Naturally

Contributing Photographers

Zach Bauman, Tessa Cooper, Jason Dailey, Teresa Floyd, Dean Groover, Anthony Jinson, Drew Kimble, Sean Locke, Ben Nickelson, Pilsen Photo Co-op, Amy Ray, Amy Schromm, Matthew Seidel, Jennifer Silverberg, Christopher Smith, Kim Wade, Cheryl Waller

/ 15 / on trend

Edible Flowers

/ 16 / midwest made Microgreens Feast Magazine does not accept unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or artwork.

Submissions will not be returned.

All contents are copyright © 2010-2021 by Feast Magazine™. All rights reserved.

Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents, without the prior written permission of the publisher, is strictly prohibited. Produced by the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, LLC.

/ 19 / one on one

Kelli Stephens of

table of contents Heirloom Turkey Red wheat ramen noodles by Jason Dailey

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feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

Grilled Sweet Gem Lettuce Salad

/ 29 / culinary library

Brandon Winn of KC Family Meal

/ 30 / crash course

Hassle-Free Herb Garden

34

the 1876 Ramen Project

39

unpacking school lunch

Edgewood Creamery

/ 20 / mystery shopper

Duck Eggs

/ 22 / sugar rush Plum-Blackberry Financiers

/ 23 / one on one on the cover Midwest herb garden by Jennifer Silverberg

Erica Parker of The Sage Garden

Elle and Jan Sanchez of Tsokolate

How Ramen Bowls co-owner Shantel Grace and her father began growing heirloom Turkey Red wheat in Kansas.

Chef Gaby Weir Vera uses lunchtime to nourish her Columbia, Missouri, students in more ways than one.

Imagine your home, totally organized!

Custom Closets Garage Cabinets Home Offices Pantries, Laundries and Hobby Rooms.

SUMMER FLAVOR TOURS Guided Saturday Walking Tours for the Curious Foodie 5 progressive venues & chefs Historic downtown Quincy IL

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Locally Owned and Operated Like us on

and / j u ne 2 02 1

5

Letter

from the

Editor

I

think I speak for all of us here at Feast when I say that I wish I had a teacher like Gaby Weir Vera growing up. The private chef at Windsor Street Montessori School in Columbia, Missouri, cooks fresh, seasonal meals for her students (pork and spinach rice bowls, anyone?) that put the peanut butter sandwiches of my childhood to shame. But Weir Vera isn’t just cooking great food; she’s also using lunchtime as an opportunity to educate the next generation of eaters about sustainability, food justice and the role that food plays in our culture.

Weir Vera has designed the food menus at Windsor Street Montessori for the past four years, but her story is especially poignant today. For many of us, the way we think about food – including the journey it takes to get to our plate – has changed drastically over the past year and a half. The effects of the pandemic on the restaurant industry are no secret, but consumers have also started to think more critically about the food supply chain necessary to get meat, as well as dairy, fruits, vegetables and other products, into our hands.

There’s still work to be done, though, and Weir Vera’s classes have been pivotal in starting that work at an early age. Dustin Stanton, a co-owner of Stanton Brothers Eggs in Centralia, Missouri, and a recent guest speaker at one such class, puts it simply in contributing editor Jessica Vaughn Martin’s feature on p. 39: “Folks go to the grocery store, and they assume that’s where food comes from and there’s nothing before that,” he says.

In that spirit, our farm issue has become a yearly tradition and an opportunity to celebrate the farmers and producers whose work is foundational to getting that food to our plates in the first place. Good food starts on the farm, and few people know that better than Ramen Bowls co-owner Shantel Grace. Not satisfied with importing ramen noodles from halfway around the world, Grace enlisted the help of her 73-year-old father, a sixth-generation farmer in central Kansas, to grow heirloom Turkey Red wheat to make into noodles to serve at her Lawrence, Kansas, ramen shop (p. 34). In the following pages, you’ll also meet several microgreen farmers (p. 16), get a crash course on growing your own herb garden (p. 30) and learn how two sisters are crafting nutrient-rich superfood bonbons (p. 23).

As we head back into our favorite local restaurants and watering holes this summer, it’s important to reconnect with our local farmers, too, and I hope this issue of Feast can help you do just that.

Heather Riske

editor@feastmagazine.com 6

feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

photo by Erin Stubblefield

Until next time,

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7

PROMOTION

SIMPLIFYING SUMMER WITH MORE TIME SPENT OUTSIDE There is something about the summer months that provides a sense of relief as if I am exhaling after holding in a long breath. Maybe it’s the warm weather and longer days that offer more time to relax and unwind with my family or the association with being a kid and running out of school, looking ahead to what fun adventures summertime will bring. No matter where it comes from, I love the feeling it creates reminding me to slow down, go outside and have some fun.

One of my favorite parts about summer is being able to cook and eat outside. With so many delicious fruits and vegetables coming into season, I tend to gravitate towards grilling or a quick assembly to highlight the sweet flavors of fresh produce versus crafting intricate dishes in the kitchen. Not to mention it helps keep the house cooler when I don’t have to turn on my stove and oven. Finding simple meal solutions in Simply Schnucks Magazine like this month’s No Bake Pizza can make cooking a breeze and is perfect for a backyard picnic.

For more ideas on spending less time cooking and enjoying more time in your backyard, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Simply

Schnucks Magazine.

Even though I love to cook and explore my kitchen, it’s nice to have days where meals come together quickly and offer more time to spend outside with my family enjoying our backyard oasis. As I soak up the warm summer sun, I’m grateful for a space for my girls to run and play, meals to be shared and memories to be made. It’s the perfect way to enjoy all the wonderful things summertime offers and the best part is it’s just beginning.

NO BAKE PIZZA WITH RICOTTA, MELON & PROSCIUTTO SERVES 4 ¾ cup ricotta cheese

¼ medium cantaloupe

½ tsp garlic powder

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ cup fresh basil leaves

1 Schnucks ultra-thin

1 Tbsp balsamic glaze

pizza crust

PREPARATION In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese, garlic powder and black pepper.

Spread mixture evenly over the pizza crust. Thinly slice cantaloupe into strips and arrange over the pizza along with the prosciutto and fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic glaze and season to taste with salt and pepper.

SPONSORED CONTENT BY

ALLISON PRIMO

SCHNUCKS REGISTERED DIETITIAN

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feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

Traditionally a sour-style cocktail, the Swizzle often features fresh herbs and pebble ice, and it’s mixed with a – you guessed it – swizzle stick. This variation is low-ABV and customizable depending on what herbs you have on hand. Whether it’s mint or basil, the herbs are muddled with a homemade pineapple-ginger syrup and lime juice and combined with blanc vermouth for an easy-drinking cocktail, which you’ll want to make over and over again. Batch large portions in pitchers for the pool, and top with soda water just before serving.

Story and recipe by Rogan Howitt, beverage director, Good Spirits & Co. in Springfield, Missouri Photography by cheryl waller

Poolside Swizzle

Serves 1 Caramelized Pineapple-Ginger Syrup (Yields 8 oz)

1 cup granulated sugar ½ cup water

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple

1 3-inch piece ginger, peeled

Thinkin g of st arting yo u r o wn her b g a rden?

Turn to p. 30 t o r ead all of o ur tips and tricks fo r g r o wing a enjoyin nd g fresh herbs this se ason.

Poolside Swizzle 6 to 8 mint or basil leaves ¾ oz caramelized pineapple-ginger syrup (recipe follows) ¾ oz fresh lime juice

2 oz blanc vermouth soda water, for topping lime wheel, for garnish fresh mint or basil, for garnish / preparation – caramelized pineapple-ginger syrup / Add sugar and water to a medium saucepan; set over medium-high heat and cook, without stirring, until mixture is a light amber color, 8 to 10 minutes. Add pineapple and ginger. Bring mixture to a simmer and then lower heat to medium low; continue cooking, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Add mixture to a high-speed blender; blend until smooth. Store syrup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. / preparation – poolside swizzle / Add herbs to the bottom of a tall glass. Add syrup and lime juice; muddle lightly until incorporated. Add vermouth. Top glass with pebble ice and soda water. (The herbs should be weighed down by the ice and remain at the bottom of the glass.) Using a swizzle stick or bar spoon, swizzle the ice to mix the cocktail. Garnish with a lime wheel and a bouquet of herbs.

/ j u ne 2 02 1

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the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

▼ AVA, MO

VanDeli

Turkey Club

Written by Lucie Amberg / photography by dean groover

At VanDeli in Ava, Missouri, owners Travis Barry and Kaycee Vandelicht Barry turn the bounty of fresh produce from local farms – including theirs – into universally loved lunches.

The bánh mì wrap, for example, combines fresh and pickled vegetables, garlic aïoli and your choice of teriyaki-marinated protein – from Glade Top beef to Peace Valley Poultry pastureraised chicken to Top Shelf Fungi lion’s mane mushrooms – in gluten-free cassava flour tortillas. The couple also crafts superfood lattes and medicinal nonalcoholic cocktails, and all of their desserts are paleo – we recommend the salted tahini “caramel” bar made with an almond flour shortbread crust.

133 S. Jefferson St. (inside Jean’s Healthway), Ava, Missouri, farmtodeli.com

▲ columbia, mo

The Strollway Market Written by Hope Timmermann photography by kim wade

Hoping to fill a void in The District in Columbia, Missouri, The Strollway Market serves fresh takes on deli classics using locally sourced ingredients. “We have a special opportunity in Columbia to build a symbiotic, thriving relationship with local farmers,” says head chef Casey Callans. “Surrounding us are these cool farms with delicious vegetables and great meat, and we’d be remiss not to take advantage of that.” In collaboration with

▶ SEDALIA, MO

Lamy’s Written by Kala Elkinton / photography by christopher smith

Located inside the 125-year-old Lamy’s Building in Sedalia, Missouri, No. 5 Bistro & Bar and Ox Horn Market offer two contrary yet equally well-executed concepts. The former, a fine-dining restaurant, serves clean, fresh American cuisine. How does 48-hour sous vide pork belly with Italian salsa verde, roasted shallots and fermented tomato pork jus or seared halibut with housemade romesco sauce, broccolini and fingerling potatoes sound? The Ox Horn Market, on the other hand, is a fast-casual concept, but dishes such as the pimento grilled cheese and the roasted salmon bowl taste just as gourmet. Chef Allen Plemmons strives to use every part of the ingredients at his disposal in an effort to create as little food waste as possible and, in turn, present an approachable, sustainable menu to his patrons.

108 W. Pacific St., Sedalia, Missouri, lamymfg.com

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feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

Amanda Elliott of Beet Box and Melissa Poelling of Harold’s Doughnuts, Callans has built a small but mighty menu that tries to achieve the perfect balance of savory, sweet, salty and tangy in every dish, including the roasted beet salad with Happy Hollow Farm beets and shallots. A love letter to local producers, the turkey club features smoked turkey breast, Sullivan Farms bacon, Goatsbeard Farm chèvre, housemade orange marmalade, pickled cherry peppers, fried onions and crunchy greens stuffed between two pillowy pieces of brioche baked fresh daily by Fiddle & Stone Bread Co. Wash it all down with a bottle of Polly’s Pop soda for the full experience.

114 S. Ninth St., Columbia, Missouri, thestrollwaymarket.com

ONE ON ONE

ONE on

/

st. louis

with Steve St. Pierre / farmer and owner, Have A Cow Cattle Co. How did you come up with the idea for Have A Cow Cattle Co.? We’re from Edwardsville, Illinois, [where we worked as] toy retailers. About 14 years ago, we sold our stores and moved to North St. Louis, where we joined a nonprofit called Restore St. Louis. One of the guys I worked with couldn’t get hired anywhere. My response to him was to learn to love your enemy, and he challenged me to demonstrate what I meant by that. I ended up quitting my job and starting the farm. The idea is to create as many jobs as possible.

We need to be an expression of what’s good rather than all these reasons we have for separation.

must-try items from have a cow's urban farm store

barbed wire brew coffee

Why did you decide on cattle farming, and how did that lead to the new concept in St. Louis? I’d never done any of this stuff before the farm got its start in 2017, but my brother, Mark, who is one of my best friends, raises cattle in California. I’ve always been envious of him, and he encouraged me to give it a try. I also love going to places that have farm-to-table aspects to them. I’m always learning new things, and I love sharing what the day-to-day aspects of the farm look like with people who come into the restaurant and store.

Written by Mabel Suen / photography by amy schromm

Located in St. Louis’ Gate District, Have A Cow Cattle Co. seems to do it all.

Visitors can grab freshly baked cinnamon rolls, scones and brownies from the bakery case, order classic breakfast fare and flame-broiled burgers at the café, explore the on-site urban farm store and sip on something – from coffee to smoothies and craft beer to cocktails – while they shop. Steve St. Pierre and his wife, Lisa, started the social enterprise as a way to employ individuals in their community who have had a difficult time finding work elsewhere and to bring rural pleasures to an urban setting. An extension of the couple’s 180-acre Hereford cattle farm in Owensville, Missouri, the multifaceted, ranch-themed business also offers pasture-raised beef, hand-harvested honey, beehive kits, chicken coop supplies and its own brand of coffee beans. The café is now open for dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well.

What inspired the name of your businesses? People said I was crazy for moving my family from Edwardsville to the West End [neighborhood of St. Louis]. My response to that was, if you’re going to have change come, it’s going to take something crazy. “Hey, don’t have a cow” means “Don’t be crazy,” [but] I think we need to “have a cow” if we’re going to reconcile and walk together in this life.

Tell us about the menu at the café. I have no restaurant experience, except that I love to eat at restaurants. I decided I was going to take all of my favorite things – like a family recipe for hominy casserole – and put them on the menu and have them cooked how I like them. I want to have fresh cinnamon rolls every morning and a good burger for lunch. I hired a phenomenal chef, Tom Shuman, who has helped make all of that possible.

2742 Lafayette Ave., St. Louis, Missouri, haveacow.farm

St. Pierre teamed up with local co-op First Crack Coffee to develop two types of wholebean coffee. The Guatemalan blends come in a namesake medium roast as well as a dark roast.

have a cow cattle co. beef

Hormone-free, pasture-raised beef is available in cuts such as briskets, filets and rib eyes. The meat from St. Pierre’s farm is vacuum-packed and blastfrozen by Lyon Country Meats, a small, familyowned processing plant in New Haven, Missouri.

sweet justice honey

St. Pierre harvests predominantly clover and wildflower honey from the three hives on his farm. Available in one-pound jars, the raw honey helps alleviate seasonal allergies – plus, it’s delicious drizzled over toast or vanilla ice cream. / j u ne 2 02 1

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the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

If you have a tortilla press, now is the time to use it.

Substitute it for the rolling pin in step 5 on the next page.

These tortilla chips are thicker than you might expect, with a crunch more akin to pita chips once they’re baked. Tossed with homemade seasoning and splashed with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, they make for a flavorful snack – even without dipping sauce.

Story and recipe by Julia Calleo, writer and recipe developer, mylavenderblues.com Photography by pilsen photo co-op

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This recipe serves 4 to 6.

Preheat oven to 425°F. In a bowl, combine 2½ cups  corn masa flour and 2 teaspoons kosher salt.

 Divide dough into 12 smaller balls.

 Slice each tortilla into six even triangles.



Slowly add 1¼ cups warm water while mixing by hand to bring dough together. If dough is too dry, add 1 tablespoon warm water at a time until dough is no longer crumbly.

dough to a lightly floured work surface;  Transfer knead by hand until a smooth ball forms.

Place one ball on parchment paper and cover with plastic  wrap; using a rolling pin, roll out until dough is ¹⁄₈ inch thick

In a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat, cook  one tortilla at a time, approximately 45 seconds per

(or thinner for a crispier chip). Transfer tortilla to a piece of parchment paper and cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep from drying out. Repeat process with remaining dough balls.

side. Repeat process with remaining tortillas.



Transfer triangles to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; lightly drizzle with vegetable oil. Bake until tortilla chips begin to turn a deeper golden color, approximately 4 minutes; flip and continue to bake until their color deepens further, approximately 3 minutes.



Remove tortilla chips from oven.

Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice and then toss with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 teaspoon paprika.

Enjoy immediately. / j u ne 2 02 1

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the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

▶ ST. LOUIS

Mushrooms Naturally Written by Kasey Carlson / photography by sean locke

For years, J.T. Gelineau, chef-turned-grower and owner of Mushrooms Naturally, has sold organically grown mushrooms to St. Louis-area chefs. Now, with the farm’s new shop in O’Fallon, Missouri, home cooks have access to the same selection of mushrooms, from gray oyster and black poplar to the seasonal nameko and lion’s mane. Alongside all of that fantastic fungi, Mushrooms Naturally offers mushroomgrowing supplies, infused sea salts and live soils packed with the nutrients needed to grow microgreens and edible flowers. Want to learn more about mushrooms?

Ask for a tour of the attached grow room to see where the magic happens.

1035 Liberty Industrial Drive, O’Fallon, Missouri, mushroomsnaturally.com

Products to Pick Up at

Mushrooms Naturally

fresh mushrooms

mushroom grow kits

The shop’s grab-and-go produce section features

Gelineau started growing mushrooms in his basement, and

a few types of vegetables, but the fungus varieties

thanks to the farm’s cultivation kits, you can too. The kits

grown in-house – think shiitake, beech, king oyster

include everything you need to grow oyster and shiitake

and hen of the woods – are the stars of the show.

mushrooms, and they do three-quarters of the work for you.

infused sea salts

Available in four flavors – black truffle, roasted shiitake, smoked mushroom and herb – these savory salts add a dynamic and earthy flavor to even the simplest dishes.

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feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

On trend ▪ Kansas City In Kansas City, edible flowers aren’t reserved for spring and summer. Missing Ingredient keeps its plants in a perpetual state of flowering 365 days a year. Get this: Some of its plants are more than six years old and still produce every day. It sounds like magic, but it’s just hydroponics, which involves growing plants under LED lighting in a controlled indoor environment without soil and feeding them nutrient-

Edible Flowers

rich water. Missing Ingredient started out producing cornflowers to match the cobalt blue tile in one of its client’s restaurants, where they were added to a signature gin and tonic. The urban farm even developed an exclusive black and white dianthus flower for The Monarch Bar in West Plaza.

Professionals and hobbyists alike can order edible flowers, from marigolds to violas, on Missing Ingredient’s website.

1720 Cherry St., Kansas City, Missouri, mi-kc.com

Neosho, Missouri ▶ As of now, only professional chefs and bakers have access to the edible buds and blooms from Maypop Flower Farm in Neosho, Missouri, but home cooks can still learn a lot from farmer and owner Molly McCleary. One of the most flavorful flowers that she grows is nasturtium, a warm-colored trumpet-shaped flower with a spicy punch akin to radishes.

Opposite in both color and flavor, borage is a baby-blue star-shaped flower with a smooth texture and refreshing flavor similar to cucumbers. Having studied herbalism at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, McCleary is wellversed in the health benefits of herbal flowers as well. Anise, basil and sage are all strong aromatics with a sweet flavor, but she also loves them for their calming effects. Southwest Missouri residents and visitors can get a taste of Maypop Flower Farm’s edible flowers at places such as The Flour Box Bakery, Lilac and Lord Baking and Prairie Pie. maypopflowerfarm.com

▪ Beaufort, Missouri As a farmer and the owner of Flower Hill Farm in Beaufort, Missouri, Vicki Lander knew that many of the flowers she grew for bouquets were also edible as well as herbicide- and pesticide-free, so she began selling them to professionals who adorn wedding cakes with the delicacies. While Lander has paused most direct-to-consumer sales, home cooks can place orders online for pickup at the Loving Roots Urban Farm stall at the Thursday afternoon farmers’ market at Winslow’s Table in University City, Missouri. Lander also loves giving advice to at-home gardeners; she says June isn’t too late to plant basil, dahlias, marigolds and zinnias, adding that Brassica vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and kale also produce delicious yellow flowers.

Whether studded on top of cake or mixed into a salad, edible flowers add a charming aesthetic to any plate. But they’re more than cottagecore eye candy. Many flowers lend flavor and, of course, aroma to different dishes – and some even have additional health benefits. These three farms supply edible blooms across Missouri.

–Story and Photography

by Tessa Cooper

flowerhillfarm.net / j u ne 2 02 1

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the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

microgreens As home cooks and professional chefs alike lean into microgreens, local growers are expanding their selections. Not just good for garnish, microgreens add flavor, texture, a splash of color and nutrients – most varieties are rich in iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, beta-carotene and vitamin C – to a range of dishes. They’re also convenient to grow: Hundreds of microgreens can be planted in small spaces outdoors, in greenhouses or even on your windowsill, and they’re usually harvested seven to 21 days after germination.

Written by Kala Elkinton photography by matthew seidel

Cress

Red Radish

Wasabi

Dill

Mary Densmore and James Meinert of Bee Simple City Farm produce approximately 30 kinds of microgreens in a small greenhouse just a mile from Downtown St. Louis.

Popular flavors such as zesty arugula, citrusy cilantro, nutty sunflower and sweet, earthy pea shoots abound, but there are some surprises too – think dill, kohlrabi, popcorn shoots, red amaranth and wasabi, which are as good on sushi as you’d expect. Shop for a selection at the Tower Grove Farmers’ Market, Local Harvest Grocery, City Greens Market or Fields Foods in Lafayette Square. beesimplecityfarm.com

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feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

Red Cabbage

Stem to Table Farm began in 2017 as a small educational project to keep the Stem family connected to nature as well as their community in Columbia, Missouri. Today, the family grows a variety of organic microgreens, which are available along with its raw honey at the Columbia Farmers Market. The core flavors of microgreens include broccoli, kale, pea, radish and sunflower, plus a zesty microgreen salad mix.

Want microgreens on demand?

Stem to Table also sells live trays of different flavors, from alfalfa to mung bean to wheatgrass. stemtotablefarm.com

In Springfield, Missouri, Trendy Trio Labs grows nutrient-dense microgreens with an indoor aquaponics system. There’s no soil involved in the process, and the system is both sustainable and largely self-sustaining. Husband-and-wife owners Jesse and Maria Estes harvest the microgreens year-round, and with a monthly subscription, you can have a mix of fresh broccoli, radish, sunflower and sweet pea flavors delivered to your home every week. The young vegetable greens are also available at Trendy Trio Labs’ new permanent location at Metro Eats as well as other establishments in southwest Missouri. facebook.com/trendytriogrowlabs

This summer, Blue Heron Farm & Bakery will open its first brickand-mortar store at Farmers Park in Springfield, Missouri. There, James Boosey and his team will serve microgreens grown on the farm in Marshfield, Missouri, on salads, sandwiches and tacos. The microgreens add color, crunch and a slew of nutrients to the casual but delicious bites. Blue Heron Farm Shop will also have various varieties of sourdough, including classic, multigrain and seeded, dark rye, pesto swirl and cinnamon roll, alongside other baked goods and locally made products. facebook.com/blueheronfarmmo

After closing Howard’s Café in Kansas City at the end of last year, Craig Howard and his family honed in on their one-acre urban farm in the Northeast neighborhood. Howard’s Farm & Kitchen offers oniony leek, floral radish and high-protein wheatgrass microgreens, among others, which Howard uses at home in myriad dishes. The microgreens also appear on Howard’s catering menu in dishes such as a microgreen salad with asparagus, soft-boiled egg, grilled spring onion and housemade ricotta. Sign up for weekly or bi-weekly deliveries of fresh microgreens and start experimenting in your own kitchen. howardskc.com

Sunflower

Cilantro

These tasty morsels are quite versatile.

Try them on:

Cherry Radish

Burgers Eggs Lettuce wraps Pasta Pizza Poke Salads Sandwiches Soups Stir-fries Sushi Toasts

/ j u ne 2 02 1

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ONE ON ONE /

ONE on

PURDY, MO

with Kelli Stephens / owner, Edgewood Creamery Why is it important for you to offer A2A2 milk to customers? For starters, almost everyone can drink it. There’s a huge demographic of people that can’t enjoy [A1A2] dairy. We knew if we could get A2A2 milk in their hands and get it to where they could drink milk again, make ice cream with it and cook with it [without it] hurting their stomachs, it was worth it for us to add A2A2 milk to our line. There’s not a whole lot more money in it for us, but it is a way to enhance our existing product line and give our customers one more option for drinking milk from a healthy, sustainable family farm. In our area, we are the only ones that have it in terms of farm-to-table, and it’s doing phenomenally. Our orders are getting bigger and bigger every week. People just love it.

Does A2A2 milk taste different than A1A2 milk? No, you won’t taste any difference in the flavor of the milk. But all of our milk is very creamy and sweet – it has a slightly different flavor than most because our cows are grass-fed and we’re not pumping them with a ton of grain. You can’t tell any difference between our [A1A2 and A2A2 milk] – it even looks the same. The only way you know it’s different is if there’s no pain involved after you drink it. [If you’re looking for it in stores] it has a red lid, and it says A2A2 on the front of it.

Written by Tessa Cooper / photography by drew kimble

A2A2 milk is not your average cow’s milk. Derived from Jersey and Guernsey cattle that naturally produce milk without A1 beta-casein, A2A2 milk elicits a similar bodily response in adults as breast milk does in infants. “Your body doesn’t recognize it as anything foreign, so it doesn’t cause an inflammatory response,” says Kelli Stephens, owner of Edgewood Creamery in Purdy, Missouri. “A lot of people who are lactose-intolerant are actually intolerant of A1 beta-casein.” Stephens purchased Edgewood Creamery more than three years ago, and recently, when she invested in cows that produce this type of milk, the creamery became the first and only in the region to offer grass-fed A2A2 milk. You can pick up a half gallon at Mama Jean’s Natural Market or Price Cutter and Hy-Vee locations across southwest Missouri.

Here, Stephens dives into the specifics of how Edgewood Creamery’s A2A2 milk is helping customers reclaim frothy lattes, milkshakes and other dairy-laden favorites.

How do you ensure the purity of the A2A2 milk from cow to bottle? We test our cows [to make sure they] have only the A2A2 proteins in them. At the barn, the milk goes into a separate bulk tank, and we make sure all the equipment is washed and cleaned between different types of milk. So none of the A1 is getting into the A2. We’re very, very careful about that, so there’s no crosscontamination of any milk. That kind of makes it sound like our other milk is bad – it’s not. We just don’t want to have any A1 protein getting into our A2A2 milk.

Is there anything else that sets your A2A2 milk-producing cows apart from other cows? Today, cows are being bred for production, which is not bad. But back in the day, nobody had trouble with milk because they were all A2A2 cows. We’re really [preserving traditional] milk and serving it how it used to be. You’ve heard of heirloom [seeds]? These are heirloom cows.

5888 Farm Road 1090, Purdy, Missouri, edgewoodcreamery.com / j u ne 2 02 1

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Visit feastmagazi ne.com for a list of duck egg producers a cross Missouri.

What Is It? Duck eggs are the closest alternative to chicken eggs. They’re approximately 50 percent larger than large chicken eggs, with a larger yolk and a clear, runny white. On the outside, their thick shells range in color from muted grays, greens and browns to mottled whites, protecting an interior that boasts intense, rich flavor when cooked.

Duck eggs

What Do I Do With It? Duck eggs can do everything chicken eggs can do, but size does matter. When baking recipes call for two large eggs, stick to chicken eggs – because of their larger size, duck eggs can throw off your ratios and wreak havoc on your favorite cake or cookie recipe.

Instead, enjoy them poached, boiled, scrambled or fried; their yolkheavy richness will make it feel like you’re making something special.

Duck eggs are common in eastern Asia, especially in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisines, where either the whole eggs or the yolks are salted and cured and used inside mooncakes, in congee or grated over all manner of vegetable, noodle and rice dishes as a savory element.

I’m going to lay it on the line: It’s about time we switched up our egg game, and with farmers’ markets in full swing, it shouldn’t be difficult to find more unusual but equally delicious options such as duck eggs.

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Hunt for duck eggs at your local farmers’ market, or call local farms to see what they have to offer. Out of season, most Asian markets will still carry fresh duck eggs, alongside quail and sometimes turkey eggs, and you’ll also find salted duck yolks there if you want to experiment with those.

Story and recipe by Shannon Weber, Writer and Recipe Developer, aperiodictableblog.com Photography by jennifer silverberg

Shirred eggs are simply eggs baked in individual servings, which makes them an ideal choice for brunch: Just choose the number you need and start cooking. Here, I pair them with a pesto full of fresh summer herbs – think basil, parsley and mint.

Shirred Duck Eggs with Summer Herb Pesto and Toast Soldiers

serves 4 Summer Herb Pesto 1½ cups fresh parsley, loosely packed

1 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed ½ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed 1 to 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped ½ cup pine nuts, pan-toasted ¼ tsp chile flakes ½ cup olive oil kosher salt, to taste Shirred Duck Eggs 2 tsp olive oil 3 Tbsp fine brunoise shallot 4 Tbsp heavy cream 4 duck eggs 1½ oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper seeded whole grain bread, toasted and cut into long rectangles (“soldiers”), to serve

/ preparation – summer herb pesto / Add herbs, garlic, pine nuts and chile flakes to the bowl of a food processor; pulse to break down into a thick paste. Turn motor on and slowly stream in olive oil. Once mixture is well blended, turn motor off; season with salt to taste.

Set aside. / preparation – shirred duck eggs / Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter four 4-oz ramekins. Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.

Add shallot; cook until softened, 2 minutes. Stir in cream and remove from heat; evenly divide mixture between ramekins. Carefully crack 1 duck egg into each ramekin. Divide goat cheese over top; season with salt and pepper. Bake until whites have just set and yolks are still runny, 15 to 16 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. / to serve / Set one ramekin on each plate, top with summer herb pesto and serve with toast soldiers.

You can make the pesto ahead of time, and it’ll stay a lovely verdant green until you serve it. Pesto thickens as it chills, however, so bring it to room temperature before serving; should you forget (it happens to the best of us), stir in a little more olive oil to loosen it up. / j u ne 2 02 1

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Plum-Blackberry

F i n a n c i e rs

serves 6

Financiers are small French almond cakes enriched with beurre noisette (brown butter).

The crisp, golden edges sharply contrast the moist interiors, and each bite-size pastry is studded with roasted plums and blackberries, making for a delightful afternoon snack.

Story, recipe and photography

by Teresa Floyd, Food writer and recipe developer, now-forager.com

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter ¹⁄₃ cup super-fine almond flour ¼ cup all-purpose flour ¹⁄₃ cup sugar 1 pinch ground cinnamon 1 pinch fine sea salt ¹⁄₈ tsp almond extract 3 large egg whites 1½ Tbsp grapeseed oil 1 large plum, cut into slices ¹⁄₃ cup fresh blackberries, cut in half lengthwise ¹⁄₃ cup roasted and salted pistachios, finely ground ¹⁄₃ cup pine nuts / preparation / Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a silicone financier mold (approximately 1 ounce capacity per cavity) on a large baking sheet, or spray a mini muffin mold with nonstick cooking oil spray. In a small saucepan set over medium heat, melt butter; continue to cook, stirring while the butter hisses and pops, until toasted brown bits develop at the bottom of the pan and the butter is a deep golden brown (it’ll have a slightly nutty aroma).

Pour brown butter into a clean heatproof bowl; set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon, sea salt and almond extract. Add egg whites; whisk until combined. Whisk in grapeseed oil and then brown butter. Place batter in refrigerator to chill, 1 hour.

Transfer chilled batter to a large piping bag; snip off the tip and pipe batter into mold until each cavity is half full.

Alternatively, use a spoon to fill each cavity halfway. Top each financier with a slice of plum and one to two pieces of blackberry. (Cut plums as needed to fit the mold). Sprinkle each financier with pistachios and pine nuts. Bake, 28 to 30 minutes or until financiers are golden around the edges.

Remove from oven and set on wire rack to cool, 5 minutes.

Remove from mold and allow to cool completely. Financiers are best enjoyed the day they’re made, but they can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days.

pair with: semi-sweet red

PA I R IT!

Storybook Red, a semi-sweet blend from Dale Hollow Winery in Stover, Missouri, is a refreshing, light-bodied wine. Its fruit-forward flavor offers just the right amount of sweetness to complement the plum and blackberry topping of these financiers. Enjoy it at cellar temperature or chilled. –Hilary Hedges dalehollow.wordpress.com

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ONE ON ONE /

ONE on

COLUMBIA, MO

with Elle and Jan Sanchez / co-founders, Tsokolate Sensational S u p e r f o o d B o n b o n s from Tsokolate horny goat weed

One of Tsokolate’s most popular bonbons contains horny goat weed, an herb traditionally used to treat fatigue and boost libido. The bonbon has an emerald exterior with a gold streak and a rich ganache center.

elderberry

For this bonbon, Tsokolate uses elderberry and elderflower from Elderblossom View, an elderberry orchard and winery in New Bloomfield, Missouri. The glossy shell has a purple swirl, reflecting the vibrant purple color and electric flavor of elderberries, which are high in antioxidants and sometimes used to fight colds.

written by Emily Wasserman / photography by anthony jinson

At Tsokolate in Columbia, Missouri, sisters Elle and Jan Sanchez craft bonbons that do more than satisfy a sweet tooth. Their superfood bonbons feature nutrient-rich ingredients such as moringa, which is high in antioxidants, and blue spirulina, which has anti-inflammatory effects. The chocolate confections – the first of their kind, according to Jan – have handdecorated shells with playful patterns and striking colors that reflect the ingredients in the

moringa

ganache centers. To pay homage to their home country, the sisters work with ingredients

This bonbon boasts moringa oleifera, an earthy, slightly sweet green tea that’s

found in the Philippines, but it’s equally important to them to source the ingredients that

packed with antioxidants and often used to reduce inflammation. Its speckled exterior and bright green ganache mirror the color of natural moringa.

grow in Missouri from local farmers. Combining all of their inspiration with their extensive culinary experience, they produce an array of colorful, health-forward bonbons.

What inspired your superfood bonbons? I’ve always thought about the health benefits of our food.

We’re not just making something; we’re serving people and making a difference in their lives. I try to be mindful of what we create. People might not know that cacao – or 100 percent chocolate that comes from cacao – is a primary source of cancer prevention. I thought, why don’t we create superfood ganache? We have a lot of superfoods in the Philippines; cacao, coconut, moringa and papaya are all superfoods that grow [there]. Just before the pandemic started, we moved from New York to Columbia. That’s when we really concentrated on chocolate and how it could boost our immune system – it was good timing. We’re blessed to be here in Missouri. It’s great to share our work with this community. –Elle Sanchez What does R&D look like at Tsokolate? Elle does most, if not all, of the research with regard to flavors and ganache infusions. She has an idea and gives it to me, and I develop the recipe. Once I feel like I have a balanced flavor, she does quality control. Nothing goes out unless Elle likes it. Once we establish a flavor, I look at the color of the ganache and what it reminds me of, and Elle gives me feedback as to what she thinks will look good [on the outside]. I’ve changed a few designs here and there, because if it doesn’t look right, we’ll redo it. Our designs are also influenced by art and architecture; paintings or fashion could be an influence. In New York, we saw graffiti artists who used lots of colors, so that’s also an inspiration. My favorite bonbon is the black sesame. I really like how

it has a nutty flavor to it, and it looks interesting inside because the ganache is gray. Black sesame is very expensive, which is why Elle thought about putting black and gold on the exterior. The whole thing is classy and elegant. –Jan Sanchez When we were first developing the bonbons, we would serve them on a petit fours plate. People just stared at them and wouldn’t touch them; [they would say], “Oh, marbles!” –E.S. How has your Filipino heritage informed your work at Tsokolate? It’s very common for people to have cacao trees in the Philippines. We had one growing up, and our mom used tablea [put simply, a ball of ground-up cacao beans] to make hot chocolate, which we’d have each morning with breakfast.

Later, when we went to culinary school and learned where bars of chocolate come from, everything came full circle. –J.S. [At one point] I was planning to farm and raise cacao trees in the Philippines with my mom. Around that time, Anthony Bourdain was visiting the Philippines. He talked to chef Andrew Zimmern about how the next wave in the culinary industry would feature Filipino food. I was happy he was talking about Filipino food because our cuisine hasn’t really become mainstream yet. We need to feature it more and think more about how we can market it to the world. For us, the best way to introduce people to Filipino cuisine is through our chocolates. –E.S. tsokolate.co / j u ne 2 02 1

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serves 4 1 10 7 1 3

1 2 2 4 1 5 3 12

yellow onion, roughly chopped cloves garlic jalapeños or serrano peppers pint cherry tomatoes Tbsp olive oil, divided salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste red onion, large dice carrots, large dice cups large dice shiitake mushrooms cups spinach cup pea shoot tops cups Chihuahua cheese, divided cups cilantro corn tortillas sliced avocado, chopped white onion and cilantro, for serving

/ preparation / Preheat oven to 350°F. On a half sheet pan, place yellow onion, garlic, jalapeños or serrano peppers and tomatoes; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss to coat.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast, 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add red onion and carrots and season with salt and pepper; cook until carrots are tender, approximately 10 minutes. Add mushrooms; cook, 5 minutes. Add spinach and pea shoots; cook, 2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before adding 3 cups cheese to filling. Set aside.

Remove vegetables from oven and transfer to a high-speed blender along with cilantro; blend until a thick purée forms. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Pour sauce into a shallow pan.

Set a plate next to the pan and a 9-by-9-inch baking dish next to that. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in sauce; transfer to plate. Fill tortilla with 2 tablespoons filling, roll and place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat process with remaining tortillas. Pour any remaining sauce over enchiladas and spread out with a spatula; sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake until filling is bubbling and cheese is browned, 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully transfer to plates.

Serve with avocado, white onion and cilantro if desired.

PA I R IT!

pair with: American Pale Ale Lookout, an American pale ale from Logboat Brewing Co. in Columbia, Missouri, is a great companion to these enchiladas. The brewery adds New World American hops during the fermentation process, which brighten the sauce in this dish. The corn tortillas’ slight sweetness echoes the ale’s delicate malt bill, and the melty cheese is washed down by the low-ABV beer’s bounty of bubbles.

–JC Sandt logboatbrewing.com

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me r Fa

rs’ Mark et

Enchiladas This month, as farmers’ market stalls continue to fill up with fresh produce, I suggest building your dinner menus accordingly. These enchiladas feature some of the best seasonal offerings, which I can almost guarantee are readily available at your local farmers’ market or in your CSA box.

Story and recipe by Amanda Elliott, chef-owner, Beet Box in Columbia, Missouri Photography by kim wade

PROMOTI ON

PRESENTED BY

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SITEMAN CANCER CENTER

BRINGING NIGHTSHADES TO LIGHT

» LET’S MIX IT UP!

Mediterranean Potato Salad

S P O N S O R E D C O N T E N T BY K AT H E R I N E L E W I S

SERVES: 4

Approximately 200 calories per serving

BELL PEPPERS

EGGPLANTS

POTATOES

TOMATILLOS

Usually the bell peppers found in stores are all the same variety of pepper that have been harvested at different times. These bell peppers typically start out as green, which are the least expensive because they’re picked earlier and don’t require as much water or care from growers. As they ripen and change color, the sweeter and more nutritious they become. Red bell peppers have exponentially higher levels of vitamins A, C and betacarotene than green bell peppers, making them great additions to omelets, tacos and tons in between.

Often relegated to eggplant parmesan, these vegetables are far more versatile than they’re given credit for. Some eggplants are white, others striped, still others the size of golf balls. They have a sturdy texture, which makes them a fine stand-in for meat; they blend beautifully into dips; and they can be sliced and baked into fries. Any preparation will bring potassium, fiber, antioxidants and very few calories — as long as they aren’t fried in oil.

With the exception of sweet potatoes, all 4,000-some varieties of potatoes — from white to yellow to red to purple to big russets to baby potatoes — fall under the nightshade umbrella.

Potatoes contain an alkaloid known as solanine that naturally repels pests. But for humans, skin-on potatoes are excellent sources of potassium, B6 and manganese.

For salsas that sing, reach for tomatillos: These nightshades are used in salsa verde and are known for their light, bright taste. Green tomatillos — excellent in dips and sauces — are tart while purple and red varieties are sweet and can be used in place of tomatoes in salads, pizza and pasta. Tomatillos are low in calories but high in vitamins C and K, and they’re filled with carotenoids, which may benefit eye health and the immune system.

1 lb potatoes, such as baby red and white 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 cup red bell pepper, diced 1 cup eggplant, diced ½ cup red onion, diced 2 Tbsp Kalamata olives, sliced 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tsp Dijon mustard ½ tsp black pepper ½ tsp red chili flakes Salt to taste 2 oz feta cheese (optional)

 DOCTOR'S Nightshades encompass a huge range of plants, herbs and vegetables. Many are toxic and have ominous-sounding names, such as angel’s trumpet and deadly nightshade, while others are as safe and run-of-the-mill as potatoes, tomatoes and peppers. What nearly all of them have in common is the presence of alkaloids, chemicals some plants produce that are natural insect repellents. But that doesn’t necessarily make all nightshades harmful to humans, points out Dr. Yin Cao, a Washington University associate professor and epidemiologist at Siteman Cancer Center. “The belief is that the glycoalkaloids they contain contribute to inflammation, which can cause a whole host of other health problems. This hasn’t been proven by research, however, and most people who eat nontoxic nightshades will have no adverse reactions to them,” she says.

Avoiding all nightshades would mean missing

ORDERS

out on a slate of nutritional benefits, like the vitamin C, potassium and carotenoids that tomatoes contain. “Both vitamin C and carotenoids are antioxidants that get rid of harmful free radicals, which damage DNA,” Dr. Cao says. “Lycopene, the carotenoid that gives the tomato its bright red color, can reduce the risk of prostate cancer, heart diseases and stroke.”

Scientifically speaking, many nightshades are part of the species Capsicum, including paprika, cayenne and most peppers. “These can be a great source of vitamin C, which can help slow down or prevent cell damage, and vitamin A, which promotes good eyesight,” Dr. Cao says. “Like tomatoes, peppers also contain lycopene, and the spicier versions contain capsaicin, which can aid digestion.” Eggplants are nightshades too. Their firm texture lets them bake and grill beautifully, and they can

siteman.wustl.edu/YDR

PREPARATION

DR. YIN CAO

Washington University researcher at Siteman Cancer Center PHOTO PROVIDED BY SITEMAN CANCER CENTER

be excellent alternatives for red meat: Think eggplant steaks, kebabs or meatballs.

Some people do have an intolerance or sensitivity to nightshades, and those with arthritis or digestive issues should take note of any adverse reactions, such as inflammation or migraines. But for most, eating nightshades will bring variety, spice and nutrition to everyday meals for very few calories.

Wash potatoes and boil until softened. Drain and set aside to cool. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in pan, then add eggplant and bell pepper when oil is hot. Sauté on medium heat until soft. Cut potatoes into slices or cubes, depending on preference. Add remaining olive oil to white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, black pepper and red chili flakes to mediumsize bowl, and mix well to make dressing. Add potatoes, eggplant, bell pepper, onion and olives to bowl with dressing, and stir well to coat.

Top with crumbled feta cheese to serve, if desired.

Tip: This is a great, healthy alternative to traditional creamy potato salad. Without the feta, it will hold up well in the summer heat. This dish can also be served as a side or made into an entrée by adding tuna or shredded chicken. / j u ne 2 02 1

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In 2017, Catherine Bersted and her husband, Thor, began serving lavender-infused small plates and drinks at Lavender Falls Farm in Clever, Missouri, with immediate success. Last year, the couple partnered with Aviary Café & Creperie in Springfield, Missouri, to create Aviary

by Lavender Falls, which still serves the sought-after brunch specials from the café and crêperie but also boasts a delicious dinner menu. On the new menu, floral flavors pop up when you least expect it. The boeuf and pomme (beef and potato) hash, for example, features Catherine’s signature lavender balsamic reduction – made with lavender-infused honey from the farm and dried lavender buds – to brighten up the rich and savory dish and give it a more distinctive flavor. –Claire Porter

Recipe courtesy of Aviary by Lavender Falls Photography by amy ray

with Lavender Balsamic Reduction

serves 2 Garlic Herbed Butter (Yields 2½ cups) 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 tsp salt 8 cloves garlic, minced ¼ cup freshly chopped herbs de Provence 2 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley Pommes Frites 2 russet potatoes, scrubbed canola oil salt, to taste Boeuf and Pomme Hash with Lavender Balsamic Reduction 2 6-oz flank steaks ½ tsp salt ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper 4 cloves garlic, minced, divided 2 Tbsp Lavender Falls Herbs de Provence blend 2 Tbsp canola oil 1 Tbsp garlic herbed butter (recipe follows) 2 Tbsp minced shallot 4 oz cherry tomatoes ¼ cup bacon bits 2 cups spinach 2 cups chopped pommes frites (recipe follows) 2 Tbsp Lavender Falls Lavender Balsamic Reduction 2 eggs

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/ preparation – garlic herbed butter / In the bowl of a stand mixer, add butter and salt; beat until fluffy. Fold in garlic and herbs. Transfer butter to a sheet of plastic wrap and roll into a log; twist ends of plastic wrap to seal. Refrigerate until firm, approximately 1 hour. / preparation – pommes frites / Cut each potato in half and then slice into fries; soak in cold water, 20 minutes. In a deep pot or Dutch oven set over high heat, heat 2 inches canola oil to 350ºF. Drain fries and pat dry with a kitchen towel. Carefully add fries to hot oil; fry until golden. Remove from pot and drain on a paper towel or wire rack. Sprinkle with salt to taste while fries are still glistening. / preparation – boeuf and pomme hash with lavender balsamic reduction / Season steaks on both sides with salt, pepper, 2 cloves minced garlic and herbs de Provence. Heat a large skillet over high heat until very hot, approximately 5 minutes.

Carefully add canola oil and then seasoned steaks. Add butter to pan. Basting as they cook, sear steaks, 5 to 7 minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove from heat and let rest, 5 minutes.

Transfer steaks to plates and cover to keep warm. Set the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic, shallot, tomatoes and bacon bits; sauté until alliums are fragrant and translucent. Add spinach; cook until wilted. Add pommes frites; drizzle with balsamic reduction. Set aside. In a separate pan or pot, cook eggs any way you like (over-easy, poached, hard-boiled, scrambled, etc.). / to serve / Slice steaks on a bias. Serve with hash on the side and egg on top of hash.

“Lavender has a delicate and almost volatile flavor. You’ve got to really work with it so it doesn’t become medicinal.

The balsamic vinegar reduction [that we use in this recipe] is something my husband and I have been making for years at the farm. It’s aromatic and sweet, and it’s phenomenal on vanilla ice cream.”

–Catherine Bersted, co-owner, Aviary by Lavender Falls

ONE ON ONE /

ONE on

HALLSVILLE, MO

with Erica Parker / farmer and owner, The Sage Garden

Written by Rachel Huffman / photography by anthony jinson

Erica Parker never considered being a stay-at-home mom – or a farmer, for that matter – but after her first daughter was born, going back to work at University Hospital in Columbia, Missouri, didn’t feel right to her. “I got my degree in psychology, and my husband got his degree in economics and statistics,” says Parker. “But both he and I had this feeling that we were being called in a different direction.” Long story short, Parker decided to grow vegetables and sell them to local farmers’ markets as a way to stay home with her daughter and still generate income for the family. The Sage Garden began on 2 acres of land in Hallsville, Missouri, but Parker and her family are currently transitioning to a 71-acre farm in Prairie Home, Missouri.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 75 percent of The Sage Garden’s sales were wholesale to restaurants. When those sales all but vanished in March 2020, it launched a CSA program that doubled its sales from 2019 to 2020. While the farm specializes in salad greens, Parker has begun diversifying their crops to provide even more variety in the weekly CSA boxes this year.

Besides growing in terms of acreage, how has The Sage Garden evolved since you first started it? For the first few years, it was just me with my [eldest] daughter in tow, and I was barely making any money. Then, in 2017, my husband quit his job and fully committed to the farm as well; that’s when we decided to go all in and get serious about [The Sage Garden]. Originally, I was growing all the traditional things you can grow in a garden, but it wasn’t working, so we honed in on the most desirable crops – what makes the most money in the smallest amount of space. That’s lettuce, spinach, arugula, microgreens, radishes and hakurei turnips. As we transition to the new farm, we’re going to continue growing those core crops – they’re still our bread and butter – and then we plan to diversify our crops at a sustainable rate. There are opportunities to do more forest farming on the new land – we want to start growing mushrooms – and maybe even have pasture-raised animals. We’re also going to plant fruit and nut trees.

When you lost a majority of your wholesale accounts at the start of the pandemic, how did you adapt to secure your family business? A part of me thought this would all blow over, so we decided to offer a short CSA program to bridge the gap until the restaurants reopened. In a matter of weeks, we had 63 families sign up; we were blown away by the response. Customers were so receptive to the program, and there was a level of excitement and joy that was just so different from other positive feedback we have received in the past. The first weeks of the program came and went, but we decided to continue in that capacity through the fall. We already understood the importance of CSAs, but I feel like the pandemic opened more people’s eyes to how critical it is to create a sustainable food system. It’s changed people’s hearts and minds, and I think more and more people want to support local family businesses. Our community is the reason we’ve decided to continue down this path.

When do people have to sign up for the CSA? April 16 was the first home delivery – the second week of April is when our crops really start pumping. But people can sign up online anytime as long as the program isn’t full. We deliver across the Columbia area for a fee of $5 per week, or you can pick up your boxes at the Columbia Farmers Market on Saturdays.

What’s happened with your wholesale accounts? We’ve kept a lot of wholesale accounts – they’ve picked back up since the start of the pandemic – but we just don’t prioritize them like we did before.

We’re still in grocery stores as well, but they get whatever we have left over after stocking the CSA boxes. We’ll keep our spot on grocery store shelves because we’re trying to play all our cards to stay safe, but right now, the CSA is our priority. thesagegarden.org / j u ne 2 02 1

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the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

This class spotlights some of the most delicious ingredients from Central and South America, as well as the flavor combinations and dishes they create. You might also get some new ideas for how to use your grill this summer.

Written by Amy Feese Photography by Jennifer Silverberg

Sweet gem lettuce is a cross between romaine lettuce and butter lettuce. The outer leaves have a silky quality while the inner leaves are crunchy and slightly sweet. It holds up well to a lot of cooking techniques, including grilling, and the char on the lettuce and corn is almost its own ingredient in this salad. Combined with bacon, jalapeño and red onion as well, this might be the dish you bring to every backyard barbecue this year.

Get Hands-On Join Schnucks Cooking School chef Amy Feese on Zoom at 4pm on Fri., June 25 to learn how to make the dishes on this month’s menu.

For more information on everything you’ll need for the virtual class, from cookware to ingredients, contact the cooking school directly. nourish.schnucks.com/web-ext/cooking-school

or call 314.909.1704 28

feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

serves 8 4 8

1 ½ 2 2 ½ ¼ 1 8 ¾

ears corn heads little gem lettuce, washed and dried, roots trimmed, cut in half lengthwise olive oil, for drizzling salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste cup mayonnaise or Mexican crema cup lime juice tsp chile powder tsp garlic salt tsp ground cumin red onion, thinly sliced jalapeño, minced oz bacon, cooked and chopped cup Cotija cheese

/ preparation / Preheat grill. With each ear of corn, peel back the husk, but leave it attached. Thoroughly rinse ear and remove silks.

Replace husk and soak the whole ear in water, at least 30 minutes.

After allotted time, transfer ears to hot grill; grill, approximately 15

minutes, turning every few minutes. Remove from grill; allow to cool enough to handle and then use a sharp knife to remove kernels from cob. Set aside.

MAKE THE MEAL • Grilled Sweet Gem Lettuce Salad • Grilled Strip Steak with Chimichurri Sauce • Saffron-Scented Quinoa Pilaf • Maduros (Fried Sweet Plantains)

Drizzle cut-side of lettuce with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Add lettuce to grill, cut-side down; grill just to mark, approximately 3 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together mayonnaise or crema, lime juice, chile powder, garlic salt, cumin and black pepper to taste. / to serve / Lay lettuce on a platter, cut-side up. Top with corn, onion, jalapeño, bacon and Cotija; drizzle with mayonnaise or crema mixture.

CULINARY LIBRARY /

KANSAS CITY

with Brandon Winn / founder, KC Family Meal

tAfter leaving his post as executive chef of Webster House at the beginning of the COVID-19

pandemic, Brandon Winn set up a mobile kitchen at the headquarters of Kanbe’s Markets. Now, he has established his own organization, KC Family Meal. Working in conjunction with Pete’s Garden – and with the support of The Culinary Center of Kansas City – Winn turns donated produce and proteins into wholesome, nutrient-dense, flavorful meals that go to the agencies across the city that need them the most. Winn is innately creative – he loves the challenge of taking what he’s given and developing new recipes with the ingredients. Here, he discusses three books that have impacted him throughout his career. –Jenny Vergara photo by zach bauman

Letters to a Young Chef

The Soul of a Chef

The Art of Fermentation

by Daniel Boulud (2017)

by Michael Ruhlman (2000)

by Sandor Ellix Katz (2012)

“My mentor, Andrew Kneessy, gave me this book on the day I graduated culinary school. It’s a collection of food theory, professionalism and perspective that anyone who thinks they want to have a life in the industry needs to read. I still remember being told, ‘Sure, you’re a big shot here, but this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg.’ There was more truth to that statement than I’d like to admit – which is probably why he gave me the book.”

“This book simply couldn’t have been any more indicative of the industry. It begins with the Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America, and it is painfully elaborate. The second part is about chef Michael Symon, and the third portion is about Ruhlman’s time with Thomas Keller, which shows you how the iconic American chef struggled through his career, what built his love and respect for food and why his kitchens are so highly revered.”

“[This book] forced me to really hone the process of preservation and find balance between, say, pickling and allowing things to break down naturally with the addition of kefir grains, etc.

[At Webster House] we found that so many flavors could be developed by careful but playful adaptation of processes that we already had in place. It translated to our bread program, cheesemaking, charcuterie and kimchi.”

/ j u ne 2 02 1

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the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

from the ground up

story and recipe by Shannon Weber, writer and recipe developer, aperiodictableblog.com

e e r f e n ~ l s e s d a r h a g b r e h

photography by Jennifer Silverberg

If you don’t think you have the time or the skills to manage a full-fledged fruit and vegetable garden, consider starting an herb garden. Notoriously lowmaintenance and almost impossible to mess up, fresh herbs take up as little or as much space as

You’re convinced – an herb garden is the way to go. Now you need some foundational knowledge to build on.

sun Herbs thrive in full sun or mostly sunny areas, so position your planters and pots accordingly.

soil Before settling your herbs into place, lay down a layer of compost. Top that with an organic, all-purpose fertilizer and turn everything over several times to combine. While you work, remove any debris such as sticks, leaves and leftover weeds from the previous year. Finally, add fresh topsoil to keep things growing strong.

you want, and they’re easy to move – like when you need to bring them inside for the winter. From basil to rosemary and lavender to sage, fresh herbs also add pops of flavor to a variety of dishes, and you might be surprised just how often you use them when they’re at your disposal.

drainage Good drainage is key to a healthy herb garden.

If herbs sit in too much water, they’ll probably die. Make sure your planters and pots have good drainage – large holes in the bottoms ensure that excess water can escape, and occasionally turning the soil keeps things flowing well from top to bottom.

containers

If you’re using pots and planters from last year, remove any old dirt and give them a good scrub inside and out to remove any mildew or mold that might have started growing during the winter. If you need to move larger containers into spots with more sun, purchase a plant caddy in order to easily roll them to the perfect place.

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Herb Garden Grind

Best of the Midwest

It’s not difficult, but your herb garden will need a bit of maintenance.

The U.S. is divided into zones based on the climate and the geography of a region, plus how well different types of plants will grow there. We live in Zone 6, which is a great place to grow many herbs, fruits and vegetables. If you want surefire hits in your herb garden, though, here are the best choices for our area. ▼

But First, Planting At this point in the growing season, your best bet is to use starter plants rather than seeds.

Plant them in damp soil, and be careful not to damage their roots as you work. Water frequently for the first three or four days to get them established in their beds, but after that, you can let the soil dry out before watering.

Pruning and Trimming When you head to the garden to grab a few herbs for your next recipe, the plants will be naturally pruned, but you might need to give them a bit more love throughout the year. Some herbs, including basil, will get “leggy” – thick, long stems with less leaves – if you neglect them.

Cut such herbs back to promote new growth and keep their yields as high as possible.

Perennial Herbs Chives English lavender Mint Oregano Sage Thyme Winter savory

Pest Control

Annual/Biennial Herbs Basil Chamomile Dill French lavender Parsley Rosemary Summer savory

Consider how much of each herb you usually use, and try to plant congruent quantities.

Herbs have very few natural enemies. Other than the smattering of spider mites or aphids – or the occasional hungry caterpillar – you shouldn’t have to worry about pest control.

But if you see something, do something: Buy an organic, vegetable-friendly pest spray just in case.

Watering and Fertilization

Out-There Herbs Borage Chervil Chocolate mint

Ready to experiment? A plethora of specialty herbs exist that you might never see in mainstream markets.

They’re just as delicious as our go-to herbs, but it’s up to you to bring them to life. Here are some of my favorites.

Epazote French sorrel Lemon balm

Lovage Perilla Tulsi (holy basil)

When I said herbs are lowmaintenance, I meant it. Don’t fuss over them. Water them when they’re dry, but don’t overdo it – if they get waterlogged, they’ll start to wither. As for fertilizer, if you applied a good base fertilizer and new topsoil, the herbs might not need anything else during the growing season. If you feel the need to fertilize, do it once, midseason, and keep it minimal. / j u ne 2 02 1

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the mix / dine & drink / how-to / shop here / midwest made / MYSTERY SHOPPER / sugar rush / HEALTHY APPETITE / the dish / QUICK FIX / CRASH COURSE

Chimichurri has incredible versatility, but how you make it matters. In a food processor, pulse the ingredients just enough to break them down without becoming a pesto-like paste. The fragrant and zesty character of the chimichurri sauce in this recipe is the perfect match for the flank steak.

Chimichurri-Marinated Flank Steak with Chilled Farro Salad

serves 6 to 8 Chimichurri Sauce

3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, loosely packed

½ cup fresh oregano leaves, loosely packed 5 to 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

6 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp chile flakes

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 cup olive oil Marinated Flank Steak

½ cup chimichurri sauce (recipe follows)

1 cup yellow onion, sliced in ¼-inch rings

2 cloves garlic, smashed

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1½ to 2 lb flank steak Chilled Farro Salad

12 cups water

2 tsp kosher salt

2 cups farro

¾ cup chimichurri sauce (recipe follows)

½ cup almonds, toasted and chopped

1 cup dried apricots, chopped ¼ to ½ tsp chile flakes / preparation – chimichurri sauce / Add parsley, oregano, garlic, vinegar, salt, chile flakes and black pepper to the bowl of a food processor; pulse in 1 second bursts until chopped but not paste-like, 8 to 10 times. Transfer to a medium bowl; stir in olive oil until blended. Refrigerate, at least 2 hours or until ready to use. / preparation – marinated flank steak / In a shallow baking dish large enough to hold steak, combine chimichurri sauce, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, mustard and black pepper. Lay steak in marinade, flipping to coat.

Seal tightly with plastic wrap and marinate, at least 6 hours or overnight. / preparation – chilled farro salad / In a large pot set over high heat, bring water and salt to a boil. Rinse farro in a mesh strainer under cold water; add to boiling water. Once water returns to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until farro is al dente (not mushy), 15 to 20 minutes. Strain and spread out on a clean baking sheet to dry and cool, 30 minutes. Add farro to a medium bowl.

Add remaining ingredients; toss to combine. Chill until ready to serve. / to serve / Bring steak to room temperature before cooking. Prepare grill for indirect heat by heating your charcoal and pushing coals to one half of the grill; cover and preheat, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove meat from marinade, scraping off excess. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place over coals; grill, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip and grill, 3 minutes. Transfer to cool side of grill (the meat will continue to cook). Once thermometer registers 125°F (rare) or 130°F (medium rare), remove from grill. Loosely cover with foil and let rest, 5 to 10 minutes.

Slice flank steak against the grain into thin strips. Divide onto plates and drizzle with remaining chimichurri sauce. Serve alongside chilled farro salad.

Alternatively, serve sliced flank steak family-style on a large platter with chilled farro salad and small bowls of chimichurri sauce on the side.

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It’s time to revel in your bounty, but remember that fresh herbs are delicate, so transfer them to a basket or other container with airflow – no plastic bags, please.

Harvest How-To Here are a few easy yet appetizing ways to use your harvested herbs.

1. Blend them into sauces, salsas, pesto and creamy dips

and dressings. Using fresh herbs to craft your own ranch dressing or homemade gremolata, for instance, will give you a brightness that you can’t find in a jar. If you only have a few spare herbs, mix them into room temperature butter for later.

2. Keep things interesting this summer by adding chopped herbs to

cold pasta, slaw and green or grain salads. Elevate potato or egg salad, as well, and it should go without saying, but they’re a great garnish for

grilled meat or vegetable dishes, all manner of eggs, rice bowls and more.

3.

Infuse jams, jellies and simple syrups to maximize a small amount of herbs. Test different flavor combinations, clean some Mason jars and

get to work, and don’t stop at cocktails when it comes to enjoying herblaced simple syrup – try it in soda, lemonade and iced tea, too. In keeping with the season, you can also add herbs to ice cream; simply put backyard basil, mint or rosemary in the hot cream base and continue with the rest of the process as usual. And don’t forget pantry items such as granulated sugar, sea salt, olive oil or vinegar; add a few stems to a jar of the ingredient, seal it and let the herbs work their magic.

4. Cooking and baking with herbs might seem like an obvious

choice, but it’s still worth mentioning. Fresh herbs build flavor in soups, stews and chilis, plus breads, cookies and other baked goods. Herbs work equally well in sweet and savory recipes – think rosemary and brown sugar blondies and Cheddar-thyme crackers and flatbreads.

5. Freezing helps prolong the life of delicate herbs such as basil and cilantro; drop them into ice cube trays for individual servings that you can grab on the go. Drying, on the other hand, works for heartier herbs, including marjoram, rosemary, sage and thyme; leave them on their stems and strip them once completely dry. / j u ne 2 02 1

33

Every time a bag of wheat from Japan was delivered to the back door of Ramen Bowls, the restaurant I co-own in Lawrence, Kansas, I had the same thought: Wouldn’t it make more sense for my business – not to mention the planet – if I could get my hands on some local heirloom wheat to mill and use to make wheat noodles for the ramen shop? Up until this point, we’d been making all of our ramen noodles in-house using our own Japanese noodle maker, and we were having to pay for bags and bags of wheat flour to be shipped to Lawrence each month. This was wheat that was grown in Canada, then shipped to Japan, then shipped from Japan to California and finally delivered to the restaurant, where it’s made into fresh ramen noodles.

I knew there had to be a better way.

I picked up the phone and called my father, Glenn Ringler, and invited myself over for dinner. As the owner of a sixth-generation family farm in central Kansas, I felt as though he was the only person I knew who would listen to my idea with open ears.

After a lovely dinner, we settled in for a talk. I decided it was time to broach the subject that I had driven three hours to discuss. I took a deep breath and said, “Dad, do you think it would be possible to grow heirloom wheat here on the farm so I could make ramen noodles out of the flour?”

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Here I was, a wheat farmer’s daughter, sitting with my 73-year-old father at the dinner table on our family farm in Sylvan Grove, Kansas, asking him to take this leap with me. Located between Salina and Hays, Sylvan Grove is 10 miles off Highway 70, an area of the state where the flat lands of Kansas turn into rolling green hills. It’s the perfect place to raise cattle and grow wheat, and my family does both – my dad tends to the land and my brother, Justin, to the cattle.

From one entrepreneur to another, I made my case to Dad. I explained my frustration in being a restaurateur, proudly born into a Kansas wheat farming family, but not having access to desirable heirloom wheat.

If my dad was willing to test my theory by helping me source, plant, grow and harvest this heirloom wheat on our family farm, then I proposed that I would buy it from him, use what I needed at the ramen shop and sell the rest to local bakeries and restaurants. There are so many of us in the restaurant and bakery scene here in Lawrence who want to work with Kansas-grown wheat for our recipes, but it’s almost impossible to get it in large enough quantities. Talk about irony: We live in Kansas, the Wheat State, and yet we can’t get our hands on local wheat to work with.

Today, on many family farms like mine, modern commodity wheat is grown and sold to futures markets, but heirloom wheat is typically sold directly to pizza makers, bread bakers and brewers – people who prize its complex flavor and high protein content.

From there, my dad and I began talking about the “what if” scenarios of my proposition. What would the cost be? What would this look like? What type of heirloom wheat would we grow? What if it was a flop? What if I couldn’t pay for it?

What if I couldn’t sell it?

Growing up on the farm, I watched year after year as my father had his wheat taken out by things out of his control such as the weather or even market prices. I used to wonder how he could face that kind of despair each year, hanging on for just that one year when he might finally make enough money to keep the operation going.

Our family would frequently talk about the price of wheat at the dinner table. My dad grew up growing wheat, and my sister worked at the local grain elevator in high school. At the time, the price was $5 per bushel, then up to $7 or $8 in the 1970s. Now, it’s dipped back down to $4 or $5 per bushel again. It’s heartbreaking to see the work that goes into it with so little payoff.

This is all to say that I was acutely aware of the amount of risk I was asking my dad to take on for me and my idea. At that point, I also wasn’t sure if we could even grow the type of wheat that I would need here in the Midwest. But the more I researched, the more confident I became, and I just knew in my gut that this was a risk worth taking.

With 50 years of farming experience, Dad, on the other hand, was a little more apprehensive about the process of planting and growing a type of heirloom wheat

But we initially had a hard time tracking down the wheat we wanted to plant.

PICTURED:

he had never grown before. I listened closely as he wondered aloud how this type of

Dad ended up calling Kansas State University looking for Turkey Red, and they

wheat would handle the winter weather, what the yield would be and how much work

pointed him to a man in Healy, Kansas, who owns Ehmke Seed. He collects

The 1876 Heirloom Ramen Bowl.

it would be to harvest.

heirloom varieties and had been preserving Turkey Red wheat berries for the university. We purchased enough wheat berries from him to plant 30 acres; that

In the end, as father and daughter, one entrepreneur to another, we shook on it and

fall, we turned around and planted it all.

decided to take the leap together.

The first thing we noticed was how crazy the heirloom wheat looked coming up We settled on Turkey Red winter wheat mostly because of its desirable flavor

out of the ground compared to the commercial wheat growing right next to it.

profile and high protein content – protein in the wheat absorbs water to form gluten,

The Turkey Red wheat was robust and beautiful, with its golden bearded heads

which acts as a glue to hold dough together. But I was also drawn to the historical

drooping toward the ground, unlike its stately, shorter neighbors that grew

tie: Turkey Red winter wheat was planted and grown all around this part of central

upright. It also came up sparse compared to other wheat crops my dad was used

Kansas by German Mennonites from Russia’s Volga River who came and settled in

to growing. It was delicate and wispy, but full of perseverance and determination.

Kansas in 1876. This experiment was already taking us full circle with our land and our

We were all nervous. Wind, rain and hail are always a worry, but not as much as

food systems and that felt really meaningful, too.

they were that first year. / j u ne 2 02 1

35

For the next step, we needed to get it milled and start working with it to develop our wheat noodle recipe. Ramen Bowls chef Rozz Petrozz bought a grain mill and put it in their garage. Once the flour was milled, we tried one recipe after another as chef Brian Chambers helped us come up with a recipe that would not only taste good but would work with our Japanese noodle maker.

No matter how many times we tweaked it, we kept getting the wrong consistency: an overly crumbly noodle that didn’t work in the noodle maker or hold up when boiled in the broth. Brian finally figured it out. The secret was to make the noodles using two-thirds Turkey Red winter wheat, onethird cake flour, salt, baking soda and water. I felt pure pride and elation when Brian brought me the most perfect bowl of fresh wheat noodles that soaked up broth beautifully and tasted subtle but smelled so fragrant.

After weeks of trying, we had finally cracked the code.

We proudly launched the 1876 Heirloom Ramen Bowl at Ramen Bowls in February of this year. Our new signature bowl is named for the year the German Mennonites settled in Kansas with their Turkey Red wheat berries.

Wanting the bowl to be something that represented my family, we also use beef raised on my family’s farm whenever possible. The tonkotsu-style ramen bowl features a rich, beefy bone broth, wheat noodles, slices of pot roast and a sprinkle of cilantro – it’s simple and delicious.

I’ve had many bowls of ramen before and sometimes wondered if our ramen could compete among the best. This bowl absolutely could – it represents the most authentic version of who I am and what I have to offer.

Right now, I see a big future for what we are doing, both in growing heirloom wheat and making delicious noodles with it. Currently, we sell our wheat noodles at The Merc Co+op in Lawrence, Hy-Vee and a few other grocery stores. I want to continue to grow heritage wheat not just for my own ramen noodles but for other kinds of fresh pasta as well. Dad is planning to grow 1,000 bushels of Turkey Red winter wheat each year, with the hope to expand to several thousand bushels in the next three years.

When I look back at all the work that my dad and I have done to get here, I feel a tremendous sense of love and pride. I have often found myself feeling disconnected to where I come from, but this process has brought PICTURED: Ramen Bowls co-owner Shantel Grace and her father, Glenn Ringler.

My dad’s neighbors must have seen this sparse-looking wheat field

me closer to my family and the community of hardworking people who

with all the plants bent over and wondered, “What has Glenn gotten

live much different lives than me just three hours away. I understand what

himself into over there?” In late June, we had to ask a friend with a

it feels like to pray for rain, to hope for good crop and the comfort of

vintage combine to come and harvest the wheat for us because my

knowing you can rely on your neighbors for help when you need it, knowing

dad’s modern combine couldn’t do the job, given the way the Turkey

it will be your turn to return the favor one day.

Red winter wheat bent down to the ground.

Our 1876 Heirloom Ramen Bowl represents who I am: a farm girl from The good news was that we had a lot of leftover hay from the

the Midwest. I suppose you could say that this bowl is everything I love

harvesting process. That first year, there was a shortage of hay, so

and believe in: rural families with a complex farming lineage. Cultural-

after we fed our cattle, we sold the rest for a profit. The challenge?

culinary fusion, respect and rustic simplicity. Kansas. The Midwest. The

The yield was much smaller than what you’d get from a commodity

breadbasket. Ancestry. Ancient grains. Farmland. Untouched seeds.

crop – about half, in fact. We knew that would be the case, however,

Descendants who fled persecution and starvation for a better life. A vision

and while we hoped to get at least 20 bushels an acre, we actually

rooted in historical significance. Distinguishable sweetness and puzzles.

harvested 30 bushels an acre, so we did much better than we expected.

I hope Dad and I inspire other farmers who might feel like they are being held hostage by either the weather or market prices to consider making the leap to grow heirloom grains in Kansas. If we grow big enough to start a new business together, we already have a name: Dad and Daughter Heirloom.

918 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kansas, ramenbowls.com

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Let’s Eat

A weekly treasure trove of tastiness, featuring reviews from restaurant critic Ian Froeb and how-to videos by food writer Dan Neman.

Sign up today STLtoday.com/newsletters

/ j u ne 2 02 1

37

L

ocated ocated in in the the heart heart of of Ozark, Ozark, Finley Finley Farms Farms is is restoring restoring and and reimagining reimagining the the historic historic Ozark Ozark Mill Mill property property to to create create a a sprawling sprawling gathering gathering place place featuring featuring

farm-inspired farm-inspired restaurants, restaurants, vibrant vibrant event event venues, venues, a a wedding wedding chapel, chapel, an an urban urban farm farm and and more. more. During During your your next next weekend weekend getaway getaway or or day day trip, trip, stop stop by

by The The Workshop, Workshop,

a a charming charming coffee coffee shop shop and and craft craft space. space. Inside Inside the the fully fully restored restored 1930s 1930s industrial industrial garage garage you’ll you’ll find find a a complete complete menu menu of of options options including including coffee, coffee, avocado avocado-topped -topped

toasts, toasts, farm-fresh farm-fresh salads, salads, homemade homemade pastries pastries and and hand-crafted hand-crafted cocktails. cocktails. Large Large garage garage doors doors lead lead to to a a lush lush patio patio offering offering sun-soaked sun-soaked seating seating and and photo photo worthy worthy views views of of the the farm. farm. We We look look forward forward to to hosting hosting you. you.

OZARK, OZARK, MISSOURI MISSOURI || FINLEYFARMSMO.COM FINLEYFARMSMO.COM ||

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@ @ FINLEYFARMSMO FINLEYFARMSMO

At Windsor Street Montessori School in Columbia, Missouri, chef Gaby Weir Vera is educating the next generation of eaters.

Written by Jessica Vaughn Martin

Photography by Ben Nickelson

On a cloudless day in April, students at Windsor Street Montessori School in Columbia, Missouri, are sprawled out on fresh spring grass. Sitting atop yoga mats on the front lawn, they dig into their lunches: rice bowls brimming with seasonal ingredients, all grown in Missouri. A bowl of McKaskle Family Farm rice is loaded with Patchwork Family Farms pork loin, a hard-boiled Stanton Brothers egg, bright radishes from The Veggie Patch and spinach from The Sage Garden and paired with a cold glass of whole milk from Ozark Mountain Creamery. In celebration of Earth Day, the meal comes with a message, part of a recipe the students will later take home with them: “Honoring our Earth is simple when we consider the food on our plate. The less our food has to travel, the gentler we are to our home, the Earth.” / j u ne 2 02 1

39

Dustin Stanton of Stanton Brothers Eggs chats with Weir Vera’s class at Windsor Street Montessori for an Earth Day lesson on sustainability.

After students clear their plates and scrape any leftovers

From seed to plate, the entire process is done as sustainably

that I knew growing up, but when you’re not around it, it’s easy to

into compost bins, they gather on the pavement for a lesson

as possible. Leftovers and brown paper towels become

miss.” During April’s culture class at Windsor Street Montessori, he

from the folks at Patchwork and Stanton Brothers, who have

compost. Students recycle and help gather glass milk bottles

takes the time to answer questions about where his chickens live,

attended today’s class to explain how the students’ lunch got

to return to the creamery.

how many eggs they lay and how

from the farm to their plates. Then, they’re given a task: Head

And the use of real plates

long they live. Given the many

to the farmers’ market, visit with producers and create their

and napkins also reduces

student faces that he recognizes

own local rice bowl at home. If it’s something special, the recipe

waste. A sixth grader says

at the farmers’ market, he knows

might just wind up on the school lunch menu.

his family began gardening and composting only after

Unlike the sunny April skies, today’s lunch and lesson isn’t a

Windsor Street Montessori

rarity. Each day at Windsor Street Montessori, students are

implemented the program –

sowing seeds of sustainability in the earth and in their minds,

just one of the many seeds

and in the lunchroom, they are making worldly connections that

of sustainability sprouting

go beyond farm to table, thanks to school chef Gaby Weir Vera.

amongst the students.

Weir Vera’s menus are framed around fresh, local ingredients

“The lunches take them on trips around the world and make them more aware of sustainability.”

it’s time well spent.

With meals such as Puerto Rican pork, Venezuelan bollitos and pork belly ramen, each bite of lunch at Windsor Street Montessori blends nutrition, seasonality and cultural

whenever possible; along with eggs from Stanton Brothers,

Dustin Stanton, half of the

she sources all of her pork from Patchwork Family Farms

brother duo that owns and

and milk from Ozark Mountain Creamery. Many ingredients

operates Stanton Brothers

are grown even closer to school, though: In addition to the

Eggs in Centralia, Missouri,

sprawling herb garden outside of Weir Vera’s kitchen, Windsor

knows the importance of

Street Montessori has two garden plots that are split among

introducing these concepts

of milk and often bland – in

the classrooms. Students and teachers work together to

at an early age. “Folks go

color and flavor – food. In her

select, grow and harvest produce that Weir Vera then uses

to the grocery store, and

role as the school’s lunch-

to make school lunches. During the height of the season, the

they assume that’s where food comes from and there’s nothing

maker, Weir Vera intends to leave those memories behind by

earth, enriched with the school’s compost, is full of life – this

before that,” he says. “Letting teachers and students know that

working toward equity for a group that’s often overlooked in

year, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkins and more.

there are farmers in the background is critical. It’s simple stuff

the culinary world: kids. “The industry is built around the adult

40

feastmagazine.com / jun e 2 0 2 1

-CHEF GABY Weir Vera

enlightenment. It’s a grand departure from what, for many of us, is the familiar face of school lunches: Styrofoam divided plates, a paper carton

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experience,” she says. “It doesn’t include the kid – as a society, we think they’re not

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But the meals Weir Vera cooks for her students serve a purpose greater than just

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satisfying hungry kids – they’re a gateway to the stories behind these dishes.

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Weir Vera, who learned to cook in her parents’ restaurant in Venezuela before immigrating to the U.S., uses the food she cooks as a vehicle to explore food

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culture, justice and sustainability with her students. Once a month, she incorporates a cultural lesson with the meal and sends an illustrated recipe home with students.

“The lunches take them on trips around the world and make them more aware of sustainability,” she says. “To me, this is food justice. It’s covering what it means to be

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41

descendants, and we can’t take that away. Food justice is doing

high-end restaurants and as a private chef in the Midwest. Her

what she’s doing in the kitchen and why. Gaby plates and serves

right by the people whom you serve, whatever that means to

attention didn’t turn to school lunches until her daughter, Erika,

each child’s meal individually, explaining one at a time what’s in

you. For me, that means serving fresh food – cooking food

started school. “My daughter was the one who got me to think

it and where it comes from.”

from scratch.”

about how bad school lunch was, in my opinion, and the one who helped me see how amazing it could be,” says Weir Vera.

To keep things hyper-seasonal, Weir Vera plans her menus one

The recipe artwork, drawn by Weir Vera’s friend Emily Lessner,

“In all my years as a professional chef and watching her grow, I

month at a time, penciling in favorites such as “pizza soup” (a

outlines the ingredients, where they come from and why

always wondered what it would be like if you took the time to

hearty tomato soup packed with vegetables and topped with

the dish is important in a colorful, engaging way that’s easily

work with the kids and cook for them.”

a crouton) and pasta with a side of veggies, alongside at least one new cultural dish. Though the emphasis is on freshness and

digestible for even the youngest of diners. As new recipes are incorporated, the collection becomes a cookbook, meant to

Weir Vera’s students have embraced her restaurant-quality

the ingredients are often local, Weir Vera doesn’t want to focus

grow year after year. “It gets you thinking – there is a world

dishes at school, but parents often ask her advice for getting

solely on that aspect. “I try really hard to use words like nearby

out there,” says Weir Vera. “In our culture, it’s easy to just be

kids to eat their veggies at home. She starts slowly by

farms or regional or sustainable cooking, so that it’s more

performative about music, food, all aspects of culture. We think

encouraging kids to take just one bite, but she also has a way of

about the fact that I’m cooking food fresh, the same day, from

that honoring means just sharing, but you have to talk about it.

reframing the experience entirely. “First, I get rid of words like

raw ingredients from wherever they might come,” she says.

You have to acknowledge and dive into what it means for people,

‘picky’ and defy the stigma that kids aren’t capable or that you

how it came to be.” When she serves ramen, for example, she

have to have ‘kid food,’” she says. “I call it ‘food inclusivity.’”

As she looks to the future, Weir Vera hopes that this approach can reach children beyond her own classroom. This year, she

also incorporates a lesson on chopsticks, demonstrating how to use and respect the tool. If there’s a family who has a direct

This also means ditching the standard divided plate, a tool

began that expansion by catering to The Language Tree, an

connection to a particular culture class, Weir Vera invites them

Weir Vera says reinforces the idea that kids can’t eat like

early childhood language immersion school in Columbia. “I feel

to share their perspective, and students are always encouraged

adults. At Windsor Street Montessori, students eat from a

like once I get to the point where I can’t handle it alone, I think

to share theirs, too. They take these lessons to heart. One sixth

single, reusable plate or bowl – no dividers in sight. If a student

that there’s still a place where I could do consulting – help

grader says, “It makes eating more interesting because it gives it

is struggling with this concept, Weir Vera invites them to eat

schools hire a chef, develop a school garden and create cultural

more depth. It’s not just food; it has a story to tell.”

at her “chef’s table,” a desk tucked into her kitchen. This slow

lessons,” she says. “Not only because it’s something we think is

and steady method leads to greater understanding and hunger

good for our kids, but because we believe it’s good for all kids.”

But Weir Vera didn’t initially set out to become a school chef;

for more food knowledge. “Gaby is half chef, half teacher,” says

before starting at Windsor Street Montessori, she worked in

school director Mary Windmiller. “She really wants to explain

42

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