Leelanau cultured veggies: great farmentations

Pat Stinson
Sun contributor
This area’s growing community of food artisans is taking us back to our agricultural and culinary roots, reclaiming traditions of planting, growing, preserving, cooking and baking handed down to us by previous generations. Knowledge of these simple food processes are learned gifts that many of us have forgotten how to enjoy, have taken for granted or have chosen to ignore for the sake of convenience.
One by one, however, local artisans are turning back the clock to save the future of food.
Nancy Curley inspects her bok choy and cabbage prior to planting
On the sunrise side of Lake Leelanau, in Elmwood Township, Nancy and Pat Curley have joined a nutritional food movement that is sprouting across the country. Using raw vegetables and herbs grown from seed on their 13-acre, U.S.D.A.-certified organic farm, they produce live-culture (fermented) veggie condiments with an infusion of sea salt, herbs, spices, skill and loving care.

They call their product, “Leelanau Cultured Veggies” because, as Nancy explained, the couple loves Leelanau County, the “land of delight,” where they make their home. Pat calls the process “farmentation” because every step needed to produce the final product — planting seed, nuturing plants as they grow, harvesting and fermenting veggies, and packing and labeling the jars — occurs on their farm.
Unlike commercially-produced fermented foods, their recipes do not require heat (used in pasteurization) or vinegar to preserve the ingredients. Their certified kitchen, conveniently located between fields next to their home, doesn’t need a stove or an oven. The natural fermentation process is simple, as Sally Fallon, a nutrition activist, describes in the third edition of her book, Nourishing Traditions. After harvest, the veggies are washed and cut, blended with salt, herbs or spices and pounded or mixed to release their juices. The mixture is stored at room temperature for a few days to allow fermentation by naturally-occurring lactobacilli. These organisms turn starches and sugars into lactic acid. The salt keeps putrefying bacteria from forming until enough lactic acid is created to preserve the condiments for long-term storage in airtight containers, which are then placed in a refrigerator or other cool, dark location.
The bright flavors of these naturally-fermented raw foods, as well as their reported health-promoting properties, have made them popular items at area markets, including the Cedar City Market and Burritt’s and Oryana in Traverse City. Ty’s Spicy Beets is the creation of the Curley’s youngest son, a San Francisco chef who was living in Traverse City at the time he developed the recipe. Daisy’s Pink Ginger, made with red and white cabbage and a generous dose of ginger from Oryana, was the brainchild of daughter, Daisy, an artist and water quality tester, who felt that at least one of the products needed some of the aromatic spice. Curry Kraut, Kale Kraut, Dill Carrots and Nancy’s Kim Chee were recipes Nancy developed using her own taste buds and a time-honored Korean sauerkraut tradition. The kim chee recipe may vary, depending on the harvest, and might include farm-grown Napa (a Chinese cabbage), cabbages, bok choy, carrots, hot and sweet peppers, radishes, onions and garlic, plus salt and spices — all organic.
A Taste of Good Health
Whether genetic or learned, the response to intense flavors of organically-grown, handcrafted food is overwhelmingly positive. It’s the serotonin surge experienced by those who have bitten into crisp and juicy Brabenec apples from Northport or munched on fresh, crunchy asparagus from the Norconk farm in Empire. It’s a sensual taste experience most of us do not have with our supermarket vegetables.
“I study and do a lot of reading, I really care about the soil,” Nancy said. “People have commented that they can tell by the taste of our vegetables.”
The veggies’ great taste is no accident. Nancy and Pat have enjoyed and planted a garden together every year since they first met — in a garden — 34 years ago. Their skill, experience, shared passion for growing food and their commitment to health, hard work and stewardship of the land have resulted in an honest, “traditional healing food that more people can eat.”
Both Nancy and Pat had been vegetarians throughout their marriage — until the fermented food bug hit. Nancy said her years as a vegetarian and eating “tons” of soy all changed when a friend gave her Fallon’s book to read seven years ago.
“I thought I was doing the right thing for the earth by eating vegetarian … and that soy was good for you, but it’s hard to digest.”
Nourishing Traditions became Nancy’s food “bible,” and she read about the benefits of incorporating aged meats, cultured dairy and fermented grains into her diet. The book cites the historical tradition of fermented foods among isolated, older cultures. The story of dentist Weston Price’s travels in the 1930s — and his observations of traditional peoples, their food habits and fewer health problems — struck a chord with Nancy, who had been making sauerkraut for years. She began experimenting with recipes and added carrots and beets to her fermented foods menu at home.
Some health benefits of eating lacto-fermented foods include their high nutritional value and their ability to enhance digestion, increase vitamin and mineral levels and fight toxins. Everyday, to jump-start their digestion, the Curleys eat small portions of their cultured veggies as an appetizer or on a salad before a meal. They suggest serving them with pasta or, as Chef Nancy Krcek Allen likes to eat them, as a soup garnish.
Feeding the dream
While shopping at a store downstate, Nancy Curley discovered packages of fermented food products made in Canada. It was a turning point for her, as she knew she wanted to make fermented foods for a living, and be her own boss. For Pat, who wanted to do something besides painting, it was a chance to learn a new business. He visited the Quebec facility producing the fermented foods to study their operation.
Neighbor Marty Heller comes to get his share of the compost
When an opportunity arose in 2003 to buy a farm with good soil and lots of sunshine, they took it. Seeds were started in a greenhouse owned by Jim Moses and Linda Griggs. Fields were plowed and hay was planted. A potting shed was built and a building for the commercial kitchen was added. Last summer, they started building a new home on the property with the help of their son, Jesse. They moved to the Curley-Ladd farm in February, named in honor of Nancy’s grandparents.
None of this could have been possible, Nancy said, without the help of many, many people, including Moses and Griggs, close friend Benny Bowmaster, who helped with many projects; Fred Heltinen of Cedar, who did all of the tractor work, excavating and plumbing for the pole building; Jake Elliot, who helped with the farm and whose family originally owned it; neighbor Marty Heller and friend Karen McCleary, who help with the farming and processing; Chef Ted Sizma, of the Grand Traverse Resort; Rob Serbin for his help with the sale of the house and purchase of the new land; and for others who have expressed interest in carrying veggie products in their establishments.
“We are so blessed,” she said. “So many people have helped us, and we’re grateful for friends who donated time and words of encouragement.”
Last spring, the Curleys graduated from a 10-week course called, “Tilling the Soil of Opportunity,” offered through the county extension office. They learned how to evaluate “value-added ventures” and write a business plan. At the same time, they were sowing the seeds of their future business with plantings of cabbage, Napa, bok choy, kale, onions, garlic and peppers.
In April, the couple made their first deliveries to area markets and attended a presentation by Sandor Ellix Katz, the author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition and Craft of Live-Culture Foods at the Leelanau Horticultural Station in Bingham Township. Brad and Amanda Kik of the Island Institute (for Sustainable Living, Art and Design in Bellaire), and Marty Heller, the Curleys’ neighbor and farm helper, made Katz’s presentation possible by finding sponsors. The event was well-attended and helped raise community awareness about the importance of reconnecting with techniques for cultivating and harvesting our own food.
“It’s about taking care of the earth and how farming should be — without the chemicals,” she said. “It’s about keeping the faith.”