BY LAURA REBECCA KENYON

REAL LEADERSHIP FOR RURAL AMERICA

Barack Obama promised change for America during his campaign and looking at his “Real Leadership for Rural America” document, it appears that farming policies will be getting some presidential attention. Currently, less than 1 percent of the US population claims farming as an occupation and about 40 percent of them are 55 or older. According to the EPA, this “graying of the farm population has led to concerns about the long-term health of family farms as an American institution.” To address this, the Obama administration wants to create a new program to identify up-and-coming farmers and ranchers, helping them develop professional skills and outlets that will lead to farm ownership and management. Additionally, the administration will “provide a capital gains tax break for landowners selling to beginning family farmers, and a first-time buyers tax credit for new farmers,” making it easier for new farmers to start farming on their own land. The administration will also seek to support local family farmers and promote regional food system policies. Unfortunately, hard details on this are sketchy. Obama says he recognizes that local and regional food systems are good for both the environment and local economies, and will therefore “emphasize the need for Americans to buy fresh and buy local, and implement USDA policies that promote local and regional food systems” but exactly how that will be accomplished is left unsaid. Still, the recognition that local food systems are important is heartening. Perhaps farmers and communities that rely on them really can keep hope alive. Access Barack Obama’s “Real Leadership for Rural America,” at www.barackobama.com.

HAUTE CHOCOLATE

Are there really people who can resist chocolate? Puritans perhaps— those who routinely deny themselves pleasure—but not hedonists. And who better to serve those who pursue gastronomic pleasure than Jennifer Posey and Zahra Langford, the duo behind Hedonist Artisan Chocolate? Posey, Hedonist’s chocolatier, puts her considerable talent towards turning out a diverse range of chocolate confections, from classics like bittersweet truffles, candied and chocolate-dipped orange peels to more exotic pairings like lavender, ginger, or whiskey sage. Chocolate offerings change with the seasons. For winter, Hedonist offers an assortment of truffles including eggnog, fig, orange clove, molasses, and Champagne pomegranate. For Valentine’s Day, they spice things up with a truffle collection of raspberry wasabi, peanut butter cayenne, coconut curry, orange chipotle, and lemon pepper. If you prefer to sip your chocolate rather than sink your teeth into it, Hedonist’s drinking chocolates combine shaved chocolate with cocoa powder for a decadently rich hot chocolate experience. Purists can indulge in their Bittersweet Drinking Chocolate but for a little something different, there’s also Cinnamon Chipotle, Lavender Lemongrass, and Yerba Maté (a flavor similar to green tea). Hedonist chocolates can be found at 674 South Avenue in Rochester and at www.hedonistchocolates.com .

FEBRUARY JUST GOT MORE PALATE-ABLE

PALATE may be 2009’s antidote to the late-winter blues. A celebration of local food, wine and art, PALATE makes its debut February 16-22 in Corning’s Gaffer District. The event will feature tastings and seminars by regional wineries, breweries and distilleries; winemaker dinners highlighting local wines; regional chefs offering cooking and wine-pairing classes, plus gallery receptions, music performances and movie screenings. “PALATE is an all encompassing event that will bring together all that Finger Lakes Wine Country has to offer,” said Morgen McLaughlin, president of Finger Lakes Wine Country. “This first-of-its-kind event is sure to offer unique experiences to every PALATE Pass holder.” A PALATE Pass provides ticket holders a wide range of events and activities and also gives access to promotions and specials throughout Finger Lakes Wine Country. Passes are $50 per person and are available at www.fingerlakespalate.com, Wegmans That’s T.H.E. Ticket! locations and by calling the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes at 607.962.5871.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SEED OIL

What’s amber in hue, smells like toasted sesame and tastes like the finest freshly-roasted nuts on earth? Stony Brook WholeHeartedFoods’ Butternut Squash Seed Oil, a new offering from the Geneva-based company, owned by Greg Woodworth and Kelly Coughlin. The seeds are harvested from Martin Farms squash in Brockport, toasted in a coffee roaster, cold-pressed, lightly filtered, and allowed to rest for 24 to 48 hours before being bottled. This is artisanal oil, and the results are marvelous. I spent five minutes simply sniffing the oil, swirling it around in my glass like a good brandy, before tasting the delicious and compelling flavor. Experimenting with it is definitely worth a foodie’s time. Woodworth tosses the oil with arugula and Bermuda onions, finishing the whole salad off with a sprinkling of sea salt. He also likes drizzling it over grilled sea bass or seared scallops to add an extra dimension of flavor. A 12.7 ounce bottle retails for $19.95 and can be purchased at Sheldrake Point Vineyards in Ovid, Bet the Farm in Aurora and online at www.wholeheartedfoods.com .

WINTER CSA's

When winter hits the Finger Lakes it’s hard to imagine that locally grown produce is available through the chilly season. But it is, with winter CSAs. Just like its summer counterpart, a winter CSA is a partnership between a local farm and its community. Shareholders receive weekly portions of the farm’s produce and the farmer is supported financially by the CSA members. Blue Heron Farm, located in Lodi and owned by Robin Ostfeld and Lou Johns, offers a winter CSA to the communities in Ithaca and Watkins Glen. Already sold out for this year, this marketing model helps Ostfeld and Johns maintain a connection to their summer customers and introduces those customers to new varieties of produce. “People really enjoy the surprise of finding something different in their share,” Ostfeld said. “Some are crazy about the turnips while others love the celeriac. Plus, it gives them something to look forward to during the dreary winter.” Shares can include root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, beets and rutabagas and you might even find greens like kale, cabbage, collards, bok choy and spinach—leafy vegetables that are tolerant of lightly frosty weather. Find a winter CSA near you via www.localharvest.org/csa .