My Farm, Your Table brings residents and farmers together

Several residents met and engaged with local farmers and food producers during the Sept. 8 My Farm, Your Table event in downtown Ritzville.

Sponsored by the Washington State University Lincoln-Adams County Extension Office and the East Adams Library District, the event provided people the opportunity to learn the process of how farmers grow and produce the food they sell. Local growers, producers and businesses answered questions about their products.

Dusti Kissler, administrative assistant for the WSU Adams County Extension Office, explained the idea for My Farm, Your Table came from a teacher who had a parent not fully understand their food is produced from a farm.

The event was set up similar to a scavenger hunt where attendees signed in at the registration table and went around collecting stamps and information from the different vendors. People who successfully filled out their card had the opportunity to win door prizes.

One of the Ritzville producers was Ole World Oils Curt Greenwalt, who provided samples of Camelina Gold Cooking Oil. Another vendor was Paha Farms, which had information about honey and beekeeping.

Trish McRae, of McRae Family Dairy promoted dairy products and provided cream for people to make their own butter through the shaking process in a jar.

Other vendors like National Food Corporation out of Lind, beef producers Ginger Schoesler and Josslinn Schoesler, Creston’s Rachel and Travis Logan, and James Wahl for MJW Grain had information about their products.

Organizations such as Washington Association of Wheat Growers and Adams County 4-H had information for attendees while the Vets on the Farm Program distributed vegetables grown by veterans and the WSU’s Food Lincoln-Adams County Extension had a booth with information about food preservation and pressure canner gauge testing.

Lind-Ritzville Middle School FFA chapter members had a poster with information about the fruit and vegetables they grow from their garden and where it comes from.

Annika Holland explained all of the food the chapter harvests goes directly to the school kitchen and said the chapter enjoyed sharing their knowledge of what they grow with attendees.

During the event, attendees had the opportunity to taste test food grown and cooked by local farmers at the H.E. Gritman Senior Center. The event also featured three guest speakers who presented different topics.

Aaron Esser gave a presentation on the fact and fiction behind genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and how they are used in farm production. Esser’s presentation included him acknowledging the rise of GMOs in the last 20 years and stressing that there are no GMOs in commercial wheat production.

He also cautioned attendees about how some websites will provide misinformation about GMOs and how they can affect food. An example he gave is how some researchers say GMOs have allergenic effects on laboratory animals, however they did not note effects GMOs have on commercial animals, nor did their research specify the animals that were affected.

“Be careful where you get your information,” Esser said. “There are advantages and disadvantages to GMOs and often the argument is very emotional.”

Another speaker was Greg Peterson from the Peterson Bros, who are known for producing parody music videos about farming. Peterson, who grew up in Kansas, said his family made the music videos as a way to entertain people while teaching the different aspects of farm life.

During his speech, Peterson encouraged the local FFA students in the audience to delve into creative outlets, like music, and to not be afraid to try new things as those risks can lead them to different avenues.

Peterson also explained how important it is for agricultural-based individuals to work together. While there may be an ongoing dispute between which is healthier, organic or not, the industry needs all of those people to support each other.

The final speaker was Dr. Paul Kuber, WSU Northeast Regional Livestock Extension Specialist, who presented “Meat Science: Cuts and Cooking.” During his presentation, Kuber explained different ways to identify various cuts of meat. He also presented tips for cooking meat to release the most flavor, as well as provided information on the difference between wet and dry aging.

Kuber provided slides of the beef, lamb and pork carcass and described where each cut comes from. He also explained the best way to cook each cut, including direct versus indirect heat, grilling, frying, searing, roashing or braising.

He recommended using a quick-cook method for chops or other smaller cuts of meat, and a long cook period for larger cuts, like ribs or roasts.

Kissler said she felt the event went well and people were excited about it. However, she hoped everyone who attended the event at least learned something.

Resident Janis Rountree said attending My Farm, Your Table allowed her to learn about the products and information local vendors had to offer, yet she would have liked to see more locals come to the event.

Her daughter, Willow Rountree, said she also learned a lot about food and vendors from the event.