On bartering

I have probably posted on this issue before, but I think it's high time to revisit it, what with the latest financial crisis. The American system is (as we all know--I'm not trying to educate anyone on this so don't think I'm trying to offend your intelligence) a capitalist system. And it is pretty much exclusively a capitalist system. Many other nations have capital, printed money, etc., but they often have extensive systems of trade and barter. America, in general, does not have this. But let me tell you that it can be done. We can work together to make the financial burden lighter for everyone.

I have worked many a farmers' market in the past two years. I have come to befriend many farmers, bakers, and craftspeople, and, needless to say, we support one another with our patronage. I try not to buy veggies (at least during the summer) at the supermarket, as I can easily get a bounty of wonderful organic veggies at the markets and have intelligent conversation with the people who grow these delicious things. How often do you have conversations with employees at the grocery store?

But when you work a market, you will inevitably have leftovers. And while those leftovers could go to waste or to stock the shelves of the food co-op, they are most often used for bartering. And don't think for a moment that the leftovers are in any way inferior because they are leftovers. I have made many a meal on market leftovers that I got through bartering cheese. I should note here that farmstead goat cheese is fairly expensive. We sell 8oz tubs of chevre for $8, most "bloomy" cheeses for $9 (although we have had to increase the price of our most popular bloomy to $10), and most hard cheeses for $20/lb (we usually sell the hard cheeses in $8 wedges--not many people could afford a $20 chunk of cheese or use it all before the quality deteriorates) with the exception of bleu cheese, which is $25/lb. So, my "currency" (cheese) is techincally speaking worth more than, say, the currency of kale. But I am something of a renegade when it comes to bartering. When I barter with someone for cheese, I usually take a few veggies from them and call it even unless they feel comfortable making up the difference in cash.

I have traded for just about anything you can get at a market--smoked trout, veggies and fruits, flowers, and even beeswax candles. It works. This past summer, we had a family trade us two CSA boxes for cheese, as they were going on vacation and could not use their boxes. We both benefited from this, and nothing was wasted.

Here's a tip if you're trying to make your dollars stretch and you can't barter--I wouldn't press the vegetable farmers to lower their prices if they are reasonable ("This isn't a flea market, it's a farmer's market."). But as for luxuries like goat cheese, ask if they would be willing to lower their price just a dollar. I usually give students a discount anyways, and if a loyal customer comes up a dollar or two short, I am more than happy to make a compromise. This should not be taken advantage of, however. We work hard to make our product, and this should be taken into consideration. But just so you know, we aren't stingy.

small but beautiful

I started a new market last Sunday. It's the only Sunday market in this area that I know of, and why not? Why is it that Sunday is earmarked as a do-nothing day? Why can't Monday be the new Sunday? We could all be French and just cease to work altogether and call eating a really old brie our job. Anyway, I heard about it through some folks at one of the other markets I work, I checked it out, and I saw that it was good. Really good.

Now, this market is not good in terms of sales. It's ok. Probably the least profitable market we do. But then, this market is amazing for several reasons. It is in the very small, utterly charming town of Marshall, NC. Wonderful place with just the cutest little downtown you've ever seen. This market is on a grass-covered area. I don't know whose bright idea it was to have all the farmers' markets in parking lots in the heat of summer. Not too bright. And then, there are all the little hippie children running around naked, and that's kind of cute. There's bread, veggies, and even mushrooms at this market. Pretty well represented by the food groups. And so I wondered why is was that we weren't doing this market. Obviously, because we're too busy to breathe, but as I am a slave for punishment and like to overcommit I decided it was worth doing. And Marshall is more "local" than Asheville. Why not?

My one wish is that I could sell raw milk. North Carolina's government is obviously not ready for the health benefits of raw milk, because it is illegal under all circumstances. You can't even sell raw milk as pet milk. I would be quite happy to fly beneath the radar on this one and sell as much raw milk as people want, but I can't do that because a.) we don't have enough milk to sell just milk--we need it all for cheesemaking--and b.) Chris isn't willing to take a chance on the raw milk thing. I totally understand and would never ask or expect her to agree to it. She's licensed, reputable, and pretty well established. The last thing the family needs is to be fined or possibly shut down over raw milk. Not worth it. I, however, provided that I had my own goats, would absolutely love to fill that niche. Why shouldn't people have access to good, fresh, healthy, raw goats milk?

The thing about raw milk that people don't understand is that pastuerization was standardized as dairies became too large to ensure sanitary conditions. Raw milk from the family cow wasn't an issue. Raw milk from a huge dairy, however, was. Raw milk is actually a very predictable thing. In fact, even when raw milk spoils it's more a matter of certain ("good") bacteria multiplying and giving an off-flavor. You can make homemade sour cream by letting a jar of raw milk sit out at room temperature for a few days. The result is fresh sour cream sitting in a thick layer on top of the milk. When milk is pasteurized, both "good" and "bad" bacteria are killed off, and so the milk is not only devoid of probiotics, but it is also a perfect breeding ground for any invading bacteria to come in and take over. In raw milk, the "good" existing bacteria ward off the "bad" bacteria. At least that's the case most of the time.

I won't deny that raw milk can be a scary idea when you've had nothing but the pasteurized stuff all your life, or, heaven forbid, soy milk or some other absurd thing. When I first started drinking raw milk I was a little hesitant, and I was super vigilant about smelling it to make sure it hadn't gone bad. But after a year of drinking raw milk I can assure you that I've had no problems, and my usually squirrely digestive system has neatly straightened itself out. No miracle cures here. Just plain old natural raw milk. I can understand avoiding raw milk if you are sick, pregnant, or your immune system is compromised. But even then, if you have your own animals I see no reason why you should avoid it.

The interesting thing about this issue is that people are becoming more and more educated about it. I have at least one person at every market ask me if we sell raw milk, and people are often interested in the raw milk cheeses we make simply because they are raw. Also, raw food diets are becoming more and more popular, and even those of us who prefer our food cooked or at least heated know that raw foods can improve any diet drastically. If things continue on this path we may have a full-fledged food revolution with goat and cow shares for everyone. There's plenty of raw milk to go around.

I, as a cheesemaker, am jealous of European cheesemakers who can forgo pasteurization altogether. I think most serious cheese-eaters know that a pasteurized camembert is nothing at all like its richer, yummier unpasteurized sister. We work with what we have, and we make a good cheese, but how I yearn for unpasteurized goodness. If we could age our bloomy (mold-ripened) cheeses to 60 days we could sell them legally. But getting a camembert to 60 days without having it turn runny and ammoniated is something I'm not sure we can do. A cheese that ripens at 3-4 weeks won't be too pretty come day 60.

10 Commandments for Market-Goers

I've worked many a farmer's market at this point. Rainy ones, cold ones, blistering ones, perfect ones, slow ones...you name it, and I've been there, smiling or at least trying to. This list is a sort of etiquette for market shoppers based upon what I have experienced at market. Believe me, we want your support and we'll put up with a lot, but the customer is not always right. We work hard to bring you fresh, local, sustainable goods at a fair (not necessarily cheap) price, and so I think there are a few rules that the shopper should follow just for courtesy's sake.

1.) Smile. That's it, come on...it can't be that bad. We smile back. You're at a farmer's market for god's sake, not a Harris Teeter. It's okay to smile. We like you, we really do, when you smile at us. It makes being on your feet for hours in all weather more bearable.

2.) We have samples out for a reason. We want you to taste to decide which flavor, which cheese, you like the best, and then we do want you to buy from us on occasion. Tasting every flavor and then walking away without so much as a thank you is not okay. Samples do cost us money.

3.) Restrain your children. It's wonderful that you bring them to market with you. They need that experience. But they should also be taught that samples are just that--samples, not snacks.

4.) Don't get high and come to the market broke but with the munchies. It's obnoxious.

5.) We do want to talk to you. We like it when you ask questions and give us feedback. But it's a little awkward for us when you start talking, unprovoked, about your skin condition.

6.) We know times are hard, and we know that you might be paying more for farmstead goat cheese than Kraft singles, but our prices are higher than big brands for a reason. When you ask us to lower our prices, it's offensive. We have goats to feed, gas to buy, repairs to make, electricity bills to pay, and lots and lots of other small expenses that really add up. Be assured that you are paying a fair price. We're not getting fat off your cash.

7.) Be kind. We've been up since 5 a.m.

8.) Be aware of other shoppers. If we're busy, we're not ignoring you. We can only do so many things at one time.

9.) We like talking about our products--don't hesitate to ask questions, from the specific to the general.

10.) Bring your own bag (0r basket). It'll be easier for the both of us and better for the environment.

There are more, I'm sure, but this is just a start. We need each other, so let's cooperate.

Is organic really better?

I remember when organic came in vogue. As I'm only 19 years old I'll be willing to bet that this has come into vogue before, before I was around to see it happen, but for the purposes of this blog, the "organic" craze is fairly current. Every magazine had articles about organic and why it's better, healthier for the body and the planet. And this, I will agree, it largely true. Organic is good. But what we have to ask ourselves is, what does the capitalist system do with ideas and characterizations--it makes them into selling points. "Certified organic" is, according to any small, uncertified organic farmer, a ploy for large corporations to seem earth-friendly. After all, you have to pay a fine to have your farm certified organic, and if I am correct, there's a fair amount of paperwork that goes along with it. In short, a bureaucratic system designed to favor the fat cats. A lot of farms around Asheville are organic, but they are not certified. They advertise as organic, sell at local farmers markets and co-ops, get to know their customers, and invite people to ask questions about their goods. This, my friends, is the new organic in my opinion. It doesn't matter a hoot whether a corporation advertises as organic (and by now we know that the requirements for certified organic farms are not all that stringent) if the customer still doesn't know where their food comes from.

There is, however, another, more complex issue at hand. The issue of organic animal husbandry. The small goat dairy that I work at is not organic. We do not give our goats hormones or steroids or other freaky things, but we do give them antibiotics. When we do, we make sure not to use milk from the vaccinated animals in our cheesemaking, but just the fact that we use antibiotics rules us out of the organic clique. I asked Chris how it would be possible to keep animals healthy without antibiotics. Grazing animals are especially susceptible to parasites and bacteria even in the cleanest of environments. She told me that the important thing to remember about the organic label is that it favors industry. When an animal in a huge "organic" dairy gets sick, they get rid of the animal and buy another one. On our farm, however, the goats are family. All of them have names. When one of them gets sick, it isn't a matter of tossing out the old in favor of the new. It's about getting the goat healthy again. One of our goats is nine years old and still producing milk, most likely due to the care given to it, and antibiotics are a part of that. Besides that, it just isn't economical to get rid of an animal when it gets sick. Maybe if you have a budget of a few million, but not for people who still make most of their money from farmer's markets.

I am disposed to think labels are silly. They are limiting and are never honest. They do not do justice to reality and the complexity of any situation. I don't know whether or not we should contrive to come up with a new label for organics that takes the holistic picture into account. I think it would probably be better if we just kept going to our little neighborhood markets and asked questions of our growers and vendors. Let the fat cats have organic. We've got the good stuff.