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News
from Edible Phoenix
July 2006
Dear
Charter Members of the Edible Phoenix Community,
Heritage animal breeds have been making news here in the Valley. These are the older varieties of lamb, beef, pork and poultry that are no longer bred for wide-scale consumption and are often on the brink of extinction. A few small farmers and conservation-minded organizations are working to turn that situation around.
One of the commercial groups working to preserve food animal diversity is Heritage Foods USA. Last month, they stopped in Phoenix on a trip from Kansas to California to deliver two breeding pairs of Red Wattle pigs to California farmers. The highlight of their visit was a four-course pork dinner at Ranch Pinot restaurant in Scottsdale. Chef Chrysa Kaufman and her team prepared the meal with assistance from chefs Matt Carter of Zinc Bistro, Wade Moises of Sassi, and Chris Bianco of Pane Bianco. The dinner included a tribute to Tohono O'odham Community Action for their work to raise tepary beans and other traditional Native American foods.
Paradoxically,
the message from Hertitage Foods USA was
"You have to eat them to save them." It's
only by creating a market for these forgotten
breeds that farmers are encouraged to raise
them. (For more info, see www.heritagefoodsusa.com)
This
month, Navajo Churro lamb is the focus.
Events celebrating the use of these sheep
for both wool and food will be held in Flagstaff
and Winslow from July 27 to 31. On Sunday
the 30th, La Posada Hotel in Winslow will
host a Churro lamb cooking demonstration
and a tribute dinner. Join us and find out
why this scrubby-looking sheep is well-adapted
for our Arizona climate.
The
proceeds from the event will benefit the
newly formed Churro Lamb Marketing Association.
For advance reservations, contact Gay Chanler
from the Slow Food Alta Arizona convivium
at mchanler@cybertrails.com.
In
the fall issue of Edible Phoenix (out September
15), we'll talk about heritage breeds of
turkeys and how you can place your advance
order for Thanksgiving.
Want
to make sure you're up-to-date on the Valley's
food happenings? Check out the events calendar
on Edible Phoenix on a regular basis (www.ediblephoenix.com/pages/calendar.htm).
Warm
regards,
Pamela L. Hamilton
Editor and Publisher, Edible Phoenix
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