Delore ”Mike” Michael is a man with a passion for quality-quality soil, quality produce, quality service.
Couple that passion with Michael`s spunky determination to farm his 20-acre Ladybug Farm using organic methods and, well, you`ve got a match made for culinary heaven.
Just ask the chefs-and there are some 60 of them in the Chicago area-who find that the quality of Michael`s produce and his farm-to-restaurant service are a perfect mix.
”His products are beautiful, plus he offers a wide variety and assortment of produce,” says Ron Blazek, executive chef at Gordon restaurant, who`s been using Ladybug Farm`s produce for four years and is waiting for Michael`s first crop of lemon boy, roma and valencia variety tomatoes.
”I like his product quality and his good attitude,” adds chef/owner Michael Foley of Printer`s Row restaurant, who listed Ladybug Farm in the restaurant`s network of organic food suppliers five years ago. ”Besides, he`s working with something we feel is very important, and that`s sustainable agriculture.”
It is Michael`s insistence on delivering top-quality produce, though, that separates the crisp asparagus, tomatoes, greens, peppers, beans, beets and herbs grown on his farm from the limp lettuce, dull peppers, shriveled beans and poorly flavored tomatoes which so often carry the ”organic” label. ”We`ll guarantee the quality of the product, and we`ll ask for no concessions just because we`re organic,” says Michael. ”I think a great deal of work needs to be done by organic growers to organize so that they deliver nothing but quality.”
Gardening on a large scale
Michael never expected to carry the organic banner with such missionary zeal when he purchased some arable Illinois land in 1982 near Spring Grove northwest of Chicago and dubbed it Ladybug Farm. The 72-year-old former publisher and his wife, Geneva, actually had planned to retire. ”We`d always wanted to garden,” recalls Michael, ”and had wanted to do it on a larger scale than what we`d had before.”
A man with a deep respect for the earth before it became a cause celebre, Michael loved farming as a child growing up in Amery, Wis. Although he pursued a career in publishing, he joined the Wilderness Society and continued gardening as a hobby. His first garden in Wilmette failed for lack of sun. His second in Northfield fared better, with Michael working sludge, clippings, manure and sand into the solid clay, ”and in six years we had beautiful soil. My god, I never saw anything work so well.”
He was so impressed with the soil improvement that, ”I started reading Rodale (the publisher of magazines and books on organic growing methods) and became intrigued because one of the objectives of organic growing is to improve the soil,” says Michael. ”Organics are important for the health aspects, but very honestly, it was the soil improvement that was most important to me originally.”
So Mike and Geneva headed to Spring Grove with plans for their third
”garden,” located next to their earth-sheltered home-half the house has been built under a small rise in the earth. Sweat and persistence, and a lot of reading and research on Michael`s part, turned those acres of farmland into crumbly, porous, rich soil. Then the crops started coming in, and Michael`s passion for quality also began to pay off. ”Now, I enjoy the value of organics for both the health aspects and the conservation aspects,” he says. Marketing of ripe tomatoes
Those first crops harvested from Ladybug were sold through a North Shore garden market. Then on a trip to London several years ago, the Michaels talked to a restaurateur at the Chicago Rib House there. ”I told him we raised the best tomatoes in the state,” recalls Michael.
He suggested the Michaels contact restaurateur Klaus Fritsch, president of Morton`s of Chicago Inc. Once back in the States, Michael did just that, tempting Fritsch with Ladybug Farm`s ripe tomatoes. Fritsch said he would buy anything Michael could grow. Word of mouth among restaurateurs spread-Foley, Gordon Sinclair at Gordon and Jennifer Smith at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!-signed up. Today, a network of 60 Chicago-area restaurateurs and a half-dozen supermarket chains await the seasonal best from Ladybug Farm.
The first asparagus should poke through the moist black soil just after Easter, signaling the beginning of Ladybug`s growing season. Those will be followed by some 70 varieties of greens and herbs-beginning with arugula, then continuing with radicchio, mache, sorrel, green oakleaf, sangria red boston, black-seeded simpson, catalogna and some new-this-season French crisps, which are somewhat like romaine, but grown in a compact head. The tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and squash will follow in mid and late summer.
From now until late summer, Michael and his team will be busy with the details of an organic farm: Planting, weeding, tilling, harvesting, cooling and shipping via several trucks to stores and restaurants.
”The best part, though, is working outdoors all summer,” says Michael, delighted to have his fingers in the rich soil after a long winter. ”The physical activity is good for me.”
There are so many details involved in running an organic farm that last year the Michaels hired a young couple to join them as farm managers. Bob and Janine Moore left jobs in dentistry and retailing, respectively, to join the Michaels` organic efforts. Bob Moore traded his white lab coat for a pair of Oshkosh overalls, then researched the business of organic farming like a kid cramming for a final exam, reading seed catalogs, studying manuals on organic gardening.
Natural fertilizer used
The organic designation for Ladybug Farm ”means we use natural fertilizer via composting it into more manageable forms,” says Bob Moore.
”We feed the soil to feed the plant. To maintain a healthy soil, we maintain a quality nutrient base.
Thanks to the surrounding dairy, hog and sheep farms, Ladybug Farm rarely is lacking for contributions to its compost heap. Says Michael, ”We`re composting all of our manure and we`ve had three years of chemical freedom for the soil.”
”To control pests, we use natural predators,” says Moore, ”like ladybugs who eat the aphids on the tomatoes. We bring in the ladybugs by the gallon in June and spread them among the plants in the evening.”
To control the weeds, the farm team weeds by hand, says Moore, ”though occasionally we use organic herbicides-made from herbs or soaps-but we don`t spray automatically.”
Ladybug Farm is a small farm by heartland standards. But it is one of a growing number of organic spreads around the country where the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides are out and natural methods of farming are in. Consumer interest, prompted by reports of pesticides and chemicals in the food supply, has fueled the growth of organic farms and organic food products.
”There has been a dramatic increase in sales of organic food products in the last 20 years,” says Mark Schwartz, a member of the board of Organic Foods Production of North America (OFPANA), a trade association. Yvonne Buckley of the Minnesota-based Organic Growers and Buyers Association cites an almost 300 percent increase in the number of growers certified as organic over 1988.
No definition for organic
Illinois does not have a certification program for organics. Nor is there a single definition for organics across the country. That may change, though, because organic farmers are asking Congress for such a definition.
These days Michael`s passion for reviving the earth`s dilapidated soil finally is in step with the times, part of our growing environmental awareness.
How good does Ladybug Farm produce taste? Ask Geneva Michael, Mike`s wife for more than 40 years. She tends to the culinary aspects of using the food, transforming those first asparagus stalks into a rich, savory soup, perhaps, or arranging lightly-cooked spears on a platter for guests to enjoy with a variety of dips. She refuses to use anything but plump, vine-ripened red tomatoes, sometimes in a dish as simple as a layering of onions and green peppers dressed with vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper.
”I`ve learned to cook what they bring in,” she says with a laugh.
Which also is how Chicago-area restaurateurs have supported their networks of organic food producers-creating menus based on the best the farmers have to offer.
Ladybug Farm tailors its growing plans to meet their needs. ”We want to offer something unique,” says Janine Moore, ”and the chefs want a palette to paint with. At the end of the season, we go over what they (restaurateurs)
like or don`t.”
”Increasing numbers of organic growers are developing direct sales with restaurateurs,” says Judith Gillan, of the Massachusetts-based OFPANA. ”The farmer-restaurant connection will be an important niche for organic farmers.” Of course, Ladybug Farm`s popularity is based on other factors, says Janine. ”The quality is consistently good and we provide direct-to-market shipping-it`s almost like having a garden in your back yard.”
Here are a few of Geneva Michael`s favorite recipes:
FRESH ASPARAGUS SOUP
PREPARATION TIME: 25 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 10 MINUTES YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1/2 pounds fresh asparagus
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup each: butter, flour
2 teaspoons chicken stock base
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cups milk, scalded
1. Trim off asparagus tips; cut stems into smaller pieces. Place stems in a dish with 2 tablespoons water and cover with plastic. Microwave on high power (100 percent) until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Place tips in a dish with 2 tablespoons water, cover and cook on high for about 1 minute.
2. Cook green onion in covered microwave dish until tender, 1/2 to 2 minutes.
3. Puree asparagus stems and onion in blender or food processor until smooth.
4. Melt butter in a saucepan. Blend in flour, stock base and pepper. Gradually add scalded milk and cook, stirring until thickened and smooth.
5. Stir in pureed asparagus. Heat through. Add asparagus tips and serve hot.
MIXED GREEN SALAD WITH MUSTARD VINAIGRETTE
PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
4 tablespoons each: French-type mustard (Grey Poupon), red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
8 cups mixed greens, including baby romaine, mache, lamb`s lettuce, red oak
Edible, pesticide-free flower blossoms, as desired
1. Whisk mustard and vinegar together.
2. Continue whisking while adding olive oil. Mixture should be thick and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Dressing can be made several days in advance and refrigerated.
3. Wash and crisp greens. At serving time, toss greens and flower blossoms with dressing and add additional ground pepper. Reserve leftover dressing for another use.
One of Geneva Michael`s favorite party dishes consists of a platter of lightly cooked-she uses the microwave-and chilled asparagus spears. Arranged on a platter, the spears are served like finger food, for dipping into several different sauces. Here`s one:
BLUE CHEESE DIP FOR SERVING WITH FRESH ASPARAGUS
PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES YIELD: 2 CUPS
1/2 cup each: mayonnaise, sour cream, crumbled blue cheese, small curd cottage cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1. Blend mayonnaise, sour cream, blue cheese and garlic salt well. This may prepared several hours in advance, covered and refrigerated.
2. Just before serving, blend in cottage cheese. Serve with fresh, lightly cooked asparagus spears.
MOROCCAN LEG OF LAMB
PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES COOKING TIME: ABOUT 1 1/2 HOURS
YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
1 leg of lamb, about 4 1/2 pounds
6 medium red potatoes, peeled and halved
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
2 teaspoons each: ground cumin, paprika, salt
2 sprigs parsley
1. Place leg of lamb in a large roasting pan. Place potatoes in cold water to cover; set aside.
2. Mince garlic in a food processor. Add butter, seasonings and parsley and mix unil smooth. Spread butter-herb mixture over lamb in a thin layer. Roast lamb for about 50 minutes.
3. Drain water from potatoes. Add drained potatoes to roasting pan with lamb. Baste potatoes with pan drippings and meat juices. Continue roasting 40 minutes longer. Total cooking time should be about 20 minutes per pound or to 130 degrees F. on a cooking thermometer for rare meat. Potatoes should be tender.
4. Let roast and potatoes stand for 15 minutes, covered lightly with aluminum foil. Thermometer will rise to 140 degrees. Thinly slice meat and arrange on a warm platter to serve.
VINE-RIPENED SUMMER TOMATOES PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES
YIELD: 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
6 tomatoes
1 each: medium onion, green pepper
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1. Peel tomatoes and thinly slice. Thinly slice onion and separate into rings. Thinly slice green pepper. Layer tomatoes, onion and green pepper in a large, shallow dish.
2. Stir sugar and vinegar together so sugar dissolves. Add oil and salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over layered vegetables. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate overnight.
FRIED GREEN PEPPERS
PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOKING TIME: 20 TO 30 MINUTES YIELD: 6 TO 8 SERVINGS
12 green peppers, or a combination of red, green and yellow
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Fresh oregano or basil
1. Wash, core and quarter peppers.
2. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add pepper quarters and cook, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until peppers are tender.
3. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. Serve hot.
