Food comes to life in the field, if you wait for it.
Sometimes the movement is the play of light over the taut skin of a chubby tomato, or the way the wind brushes weeping corn tassels. There’s the droop of a heavy pea pod from the vine on a hot day, or the chilly morning dew on cherries that evaporates as the sun gets higher.
Summer is the time of year to see for yourself. Head 100 miles, even 500 miles, in any direction. Not so far off the highway, you’ll find the farm belt straining with the weight of flourishing crops. The Midwest harvest is under way, a harvest that is the foundation for much of this region’s history.
By summer’s end, most of us will have participated in the gleaning in some fashion. Maybe the haul was a sack of Minnesota-grown sweet corn purchased right from the farmer, or a can of Ohio tomatoes for pasta. Maybe the potatoes for the 4th of July potato salad came courtesy of fields in Wisconsin, or the blueberries in a coffeecake from pickers in Michigan.
The richness of the region’s agriculture is right at hand, even though many of the crops that once were the hallmark of the Midwest are grown in greater numbers in other states, especially in California.
No matter; the Midwest continues to identify itself with agriculture. Yet many consumers are only vaguely aware of how the food they purchase is grown, harvested and processed.
To help remind us how food gets from earth to table, the Good Eating staff traversed the Midwest to take a closer look at some major crops, following the cycle of harvests and the people who gather them. One crop–wheat–is naturally associated with Kansas. The restsoybeans in Illinois, sweet corn from Minnesota, Ohio tomatoes and Michigan Concord grapes–may not have the same public profile, but they are surprisingly strong commodities in those states.
-Why has this region always been so promising for farmers? The answer might come as a surprise, judging by the dull flatness of the terrain and the often extreme climate of harsh winter and broiling summer.
“The key to agriculture is good soil and rainfall, and we have both,” said Tom Turpin, a professor of entomology and an agricultural historian at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
Deep glacial soil deposits enriched the land “before man came to dig it up,” Turpin said. And winds from the west meet Gulf Stream fronts, producing the regular rainfall.
“It would be hard to find 2 square miles of poor land” in the Midwest, said R. Douglas Hurt, director of the graduate program in agricultural and rural studies at Iowa State University in Ames.
Before European settlers and their transplanted crops arrived, naturally growing foods such as cranberries and persimmons, wild rice and popping corn were indispensable to the Native Americans. Their diet was seasoned with wintergreen and wild ginger and the sweetness of honey and maple syrup.
Immigrants from such countries as France, Germany and Norway brought fruit trees and vines, grains and root vegetables to help re-create their favorite meals, wrote Hilde Gabriel Lee in “Taste of the States: A Food History of America.” She cited “plantings of pumpkins, squash, potatoes, beans and cabbage.”
Then, wrote Lee, “starting in the early 1800s, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois were blessed with apples from apple trees planted by the now-legendary Johnny Appleseed.”
International factors, such as the Irish potato famine, as well as the economic lure of federal settlement acts and land grants, led the Midwest settlement.
With the fine ground already laid, Midwesterners pursued farming technologies that were in tune with the industrial advances of the 19th and 20th Centuries. Some of the innovations were small but significant, such as the steel plows developed by Illinois’ John Deere. The metal plows, unlike the wooden plows that had been in use before, turned the heavy soil and dropped it away much more easily, according to Turpin.
New tiling and ditch systems drained the swampy black soil of northern Indiana and northwest Ohio, allowing crops to flourish, said Lucy Long, a folklorist and assistant professor in the department of popular culture at Bowling Green State University.
The Great Lakes and river systems provided waterways to get goods to market, long before the trains came through. With the advent of the railroad, the produce of this region found a market beyond its borders.
“The major roads to the West were going through Ohio” by the 1900s, said Long. “Lima, Ohio, was the hub of the train network for the entire country. All that spurred on the agriculture, because you won’t have farmers growing a lot of crops if they don’t have the means to get it to market.”
The Midwest began to supply not only other parts of the country, but also an export market. Even such a far-off event as the Crimean War of the 1850s drove the sale of American crops, especially wheat, to the rest of the world, according to the USDA’s Economic Research Service. Every development in agricultural research, from hybrids to pesticides to biotechnology, fueled the farm industry of the region.
Up through World War II, farming was widespread in the Midwest, as it was around the country. But since the mid-20th Century, businesses in which production was more assured–cars and steel, for example–ate into farming, with its fluctuating harvests and fortunes.
From local to national
Today, a steady stream of produce flows into supermarkets, and consumers often don’t care whether their food comes from Michigan or South America.
“Food tends to be taken for granted in this country because we don’t have shortages,” said Orion Samuelson, the agribusiness service director of WGN Radio, who has covered farming for more than 40 years. “All we have to complain about is the price.”
That is frustrating for the producers, said Samuelson, who grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin. Yet despite the difficulties inherent in the work, emotional reasons, such as family tradition and love for the land, often are the draw for many growers, he said.
The idea of independence also can be appealing, Samuelson added, although the work is “very lonely.”
“They now have cell phones and radios in the tractor cab,” he said, “but still…”
Farmers are trying to improve their livelihood through sophisticated marketing efforts and the development of new uses for familiar foods.
Cranberry growers, for example, have created new uses for their crop since the 1950s, when most of the crop was sold as fresh fruit, usually about three weeks before Thanksgiving.
Today, only around 5 percent of the crop is sold as whole berries, said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. Bottled juice is the king of the bog now. And they developed a niche market for dried cranberries. The industry also has supported research into the possible antioxidant and anticoagulant properties of cranberries, which could make it even more attractive to consumers.
Farmers also have turned to organic produce, or to specialty items grown for professional kitchens, as is the case with Lee Jones’ The Chef’s Garden in Huron, Ohio. After the Jones family farm, a commercial vegetable operation, was destroyed by a hailstorm in the early 1980s, the family started up again on 6 acres down the road. But the persistent demands by a local chef for zucchini blossoms eventually led to the development of a 70-acre business in exotic greens, heirloom vegetables and other specialty produce.
“The chefs have allowed us the chance to survive as a small family farm,” Jones said.
Big is better
Large farms continue to be the most profitable businesses, though, and the Midwest faces competition from western states and other countries. Yet the future of farming in the region is still healthy, according to Samuelson.
“I do not see agricultural production in the Midwest declining,” he said. “We are losing a lot of farmland but still have a lot left. And I think people in the towns and cities here have more appreciation for what the farmers do.”
And farmers across the country will benefit from a controversial farm bill, signed into law last month by President Bush. It increases subsidies for farms to nearly $200 billion over the next 10 years.
But take a look past the price tag to the story of how food gets to our tables. You’ll be part of that story too, this summer, every time you butter an ear of locally grown sweet corn, sprinkle salt over asparagus from Indiana or pour a pool of syrup around a stack of pancakes made from Kansas wheat.
Double-cherry lemon pie
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Standing time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
This pie uses two types of cherries, canned and dried, as well as lemon zest in the filling and in the crust. During cherry season in July, feel free to pit fresh cherries to use in place of canned. About 5 cups of cherries should be enough. This pie, developed in the Tribune test kitchen, is quite tart; if you prefer sweeter pies, increase the sugar to 3/4 cup.
Pastry:
2 1/2 cups flour
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) butter, chilled, cut into pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
6-8 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
1 cup dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons dry red wine
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) tart cherries in water, drained, juice reserved
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Milk, sugar, optional
1. Mix flour, lemon zest, sugar and salt together in food processor. Add butter pieces and shortening; pulse until the dough has crumbles the size of peas. Add 6 tablespoons of the ice water; pulse until mixture begins to gather together, adding more water if needed. Remove; form into 2 balls of equal size. Cover each with plastic wrap; chill at least 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, for filling, mix dried cherries with red wine, lemon zest, cornstarch and 1/3 cup of reserved cherry juice in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes; stir. Add canned cherries to dried cherry mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out 1 ball of pastry to fit a 9-inch pie pan. Fit into pan. Fill with cherry mixture. Dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry. Fit over top of cherry filling. Fold edge of top crust under edge of bottom crust; flute or crimp the edges to seal.Cut several slits in top crust. Brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar, if desired, to color crust.
4. Place pie on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 1 hour. Cool at least 30 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
620 calories, 47% calories from fat, 32 g fat, 18 g saturated fat, 70 mg cholesterol, 306 mg sodium, 77 g carbohydrate, 7 g protein, 5 g fiber
Chicken and wild rice salad with grapes
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Minnesota is famous for its chewy wild rice, a native grass grown in marshy areas around the Great Lakes. This salad was developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups raw wild rice, rinsed well
1 1/2 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
1 bay leaf
6 cups water
3 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons sherry or red-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup green or red grapes, cut in half Freshly ground pepper
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, cook until translucent, 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute.
2. Stir in rice, 1 teaspoon of the salt, bay leaf and water. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat; cover. Simmer until rice has absorbed all the water and is tender, 35-55 minutes. Spread rice onto a baking sheet to cool completely.
3. Whisk together orange juice, vinegar, syrup, pepper, remaining 4 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt in a large bowl. Toss with rice, chicken, celery, green onions and grapes-. Season to taste.
Nutrition information per serving:
332 calories, 36% calories from fat, 13 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 29 mg cholesterol, 485 mg sodium, 38 g carbohydrate, 17 g protein, 3 g fiber
Great Northern beans with Asian spices
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Soaking time: Overnight
Cooking time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Dried beans, such as Northern and navy beans, are grown throughout the Great Lakes states. Use them in this version of baked beans, developed in the Tribune test kitchen. Look for five-spice powder, a blend of seasonings such as star anise, cinnamon and pepper, in the Asian food aisle of the supermarket or at Asian grocery stores.
1 pound dried great Northern beans
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 piece (2 inches long) ginger root, peeled, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
2 tablespoons each: dark brown sugar, tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
Freshly ground pepper
1. Place beans in a large bowl; cover with water. Soak overnight. Drain, rinse, set aside.
2. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, ginger root, garlic and five-spice powder; cook until onion is translucent, 3 minutes. Stir in beans to evenly coat with spices; cook 1 minute. Add water to cover beans by 2 inches; heat to a boil. Lower heat; cover. Simmer until beans are tender, 60-70 minutes. Drain if necessary.
3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place beans in a 2-quart casserole. Stir in brown sugar, tomato paste, salt, ground ginger and pepper to taste. Bake 25 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
274 calories, 10% calories from fat, 3 g fat,
0.6 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 825 mg sodium, 48 g carbohydrate, 16 g protein, 14 g fiber
Blueberry oatmeal crumble
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Look for blueberries from Michigan this summer to make this simple dessert, developed in the Tribune test kitchen. The oats for the oatmeal may have come from Indiana fields.
3 pints blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) butter, chilled, cut into pieces
3/4 cup each: quick-cooking oats, flour
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss berries with lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Place an even layer of berries in a greased 8-inch square baking dish.
2. Place butter, oats, flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar and salt in a food processor; pulse several times until mixture is in coarse crumbles. Sprinkle on blueberries. Bake until top is golden brown and blueberries are bubbly, about 40 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
473 calories, 45% calories from fat, 24 g fat, 15 g saturated fat, 62 mg cholesterol, 345 mg sodium, 63 g carbohydrate, 4.5 g protein, 5 g fiber
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Upcoming in the series
Next week: Wheat in Kansas
Through the summer and fall:
Corn in Minnesota
Tomatoes in Ohio
Grapes in Michigan
Soybeans in Illinois
Other top crops
Navy beans
Kidney beans
Tart cherries
Blueberries
Cranberries
