Edible Portland Blog

RATATOUILLE
From Ellen Jackson

Ratatouille is a Provençal ragout of summer’s most abundant, brightly colored fruits. Equally delicious hot or cold, its flavor improves as it sits. The vegetables should remain intact yet meltingly soft, cloaked in a syrupy reduction of their communal juices. This is best achieved by cooking the elements separately without stirring. Instead, shake softly and persistently to prevent sticking.

1 lb eggplant, as small as you can find
1 lb zucchini
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup good, fruity olive oil
1/2 lb onion, thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic
2 sweet red or yellow peppers, sliced (about 1 cup)
1 lb firm, ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and juiced (about 1 1/2 cups pulp)
1/4 cup parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper

Trim the ends of the eggplant and zucchini and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Cut again so that the pieces are approximately 3 inches long and 1 inch wide. Place the eggplant and zucchini in a colander, toss with salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Blot with paper towels.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch pan until hot. Add the eggplant in a single layer and sauté about a minute on each side or until very lightly browned. Repeat the same procedure with the zucchini and 2 tablespoons oil. Set both aside.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan and slowly cook the onions and peppers until tender but not browned. Add garlic and season to taste.

Slice the pieces of tomato pulp in 1/2-inch thick strips and place on top of the onions and peppers. Season with salt and pepper, cover and cook over low for 5 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to render their juices. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with their juices, and boil for several minutes or until juices have evaporated.

Put 1/3 of this mixture in the bottom of a 2 or 3-quart casserole that is 2 1/2 inches deep. Sprinkle with parsley and arrange 1/2 of the eggplant and zucchini on top. Repeat and finish with the remaining tomatoes and parsley.

Cover the casserole and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip and baste with the rendered juices. Taste and correct the seasoning. Raise the heat slightly and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, basting several times. Be careful not to scorch the vegetables. Most of the juices will evaporate, leaving a few spoonfuls of flavorful oil.

AUBERGINE CAKE
From Ellen Jackson

This interesting and delicious recipe is adapted from Roger Vergé’s Vegetables in the French Style. Serve it with a fresh tomato coulis and herb salad.

3 medium-sized eggplants
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp Tabasco
Salt and pepper
1 roasted red pepper, peeled and diced

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Trim the ends of the eggplants and halve lengthwise. Sprinkle the cut sides with 3 tablespoons olive oil and bake 30 minutes. Cool.

Sauté the onion and garlic in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender. Scrape the flesh from the cooled eggplant, saving the skin. Coarsely chop the eggplant, transfer to a strainer, sprinkle lightly with salt and drain.

Cut the eggplant skin into 1-inch wide strips. Butter an 8-inch springform pan and line the bottom and sides with the strips, shiny side down. Coat the entire pan with breadcrumbs.

Beat the eggs and cream with cardamom, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Add eggplant and red pepper to the onion and garlic mixture and fold into the custard. Pour into the prepared pan and bake 35-45 minutes. Cool 1 hour before unmolding.

From Marjorie Braker, Preserve
Makes 1 1/2 cups

This quickly prepared jam calls for smaller amounts of fruit and sugar. Cooking it in a wide pan speeds up the gelling process, so no pectin is needed. The jam has a soft set, a bright color and a full fruit flavor. It is just right for spooning onto toast or muffins, but may not be stiff enough for a peanut butter sandwich.

1 lb fresh strawberries, cleaned and sliced thinly
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Note: Measuring fruit without a scale requires some guessing. A pint or small box of berries usually weighs about 3/4 pound and contains about 2 heaping cups of berries.

Chill a small bowl in the freezer or place the bowl in ice water to chill it.

In a 10 or 12-inch wide skillet, bring fruit, sugar, and lemon juice to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly and skimming foam as necessary. Cook about 8-10 minutes, until mixture begins to look syrupy and thickens slightly.

Remove pan from heat.

Spoon 1/2 teaspoon of the hot fruit into the cold bowl and let it rest for 30 seconds. Tip bowl to one side; jam should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is thin and runs down side of bowl, the gel is too soft. Return skillet to heat and cook jam 1-2 minutes longer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and repeat test.

Cool jam to room temperature before serving. Because a minimum of sugar is used, the jam needs to be refrigerated to prevent mold from forming. Refrigerate 2-3 weeks.

For longer storage, freeze or process hot jam in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

OLD-FASHIONED STRAWBERRY JAM
From Harriet Fasenfest, Preserve
Makes 3-4 half pints

We at Preserve do not necessarily recommend making jam this way unless you grew up with it and have come to like the “cooked down” caramelized flavor. The sugar content is a little higher, and it is the long cooking time that gels this mixture.

4 cups crushed strawberries
4 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Put strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan. Bring slowly to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve. Cook rapidly to the gelling point (this could take a while). As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Remove from heat and ladle hot jam into jars leaving 1/4-inch head space. Cover with lids and rings and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. If you are going to keep it in the fridge or freezer just let cool overnight before storing.

Written by Harriet Fasenfest
For Summer 2007

WALKING THROUGH THE BACKYARD IN SPRING fills me with giddy anticipation. Flowering strawberries stand tall and promise full glory in June. Every year I harvest the crop and every year it produces ever more strawberries. What started out as a sensible patch has grown into something a little less so, but then a certain degree of overzealousness is to blame.

In the early years of my marriage, I would do anything to please my stepson and strawberries seemed the way—they are his favorite fruit. Imagining an appreciative, curly-haired boy walking barefoot through patches of glistening strawberries, I planted large patches of three different varieties: Shuksans, Bentons, and Tristars. Though I still love my patches, I would advise any erstwhile backyard farmer of the following:

• A few strawberry plants go a long way; be patient lest you like to divide and conquer.
• Kids grow up. That curly-haired child is now a teenager with limited interest in the garden (evidently, weeding seems to diminish the joy for some.)
• Freezing excess berries for winter jam making is not only a solution, but a darn good one.

I recently made jam using frozen berries and it tasted just as wonderful as making it with fresh berries. And, as an added plus, it filled the kitchen with warmth and lovely fragrances. It’s a great help should you be short of time, but follow the guide for proper freezing methods. And whether using frozen or fresh berries, there are some jam making tips you should know to understand the science of jam and jelly making.

It's about time cows demanded their own bill of rights. Have you heard? Bovines across the nation are uniting in the call for access to organic pasture, eradication of synthetic hormones and a better day for bovine sisters.

These are just a few of the rights cows nationwide are presenting as part of their agreed-upon “Bovine Bill of Rights” – a historic document that is the centerpiece of "Cows Unite", a movement unveiling afoot in which a strong affiliation of cows in pastures coast-to-coast have created to help humans understand the importance of organic dairy, decent treatment for cows and the critical role of family farmers.

Go to www.cowsunite.org to download the Bovine Bill of Rights and to watch two films capturing the resistance in action.

In what began in recent years as a small but spreading murmuring among cows living on organic farms who were concerned about their sister bovines—coping with the effects of confinement, antibiotics, synthetic hormones and pesticides—Cows Unite has evolved in to a large-scale initiative to create change. “That change can only come from the support of conscientious milk-drinkers, and that’s why we’ve gone to mass media with our message,” said one spokescow who asked to be referred to only as “Bessy”.

How dare we publish "The Best Peach Pie in Oregon" with no Best Peach Pie recipe? Not to worry. Click the links below to find two great peach pie recipes. One from Ellen Jackson, whose love of pie was inherited from her grandmother. And one from Chef Joseph Carey, whose recipe borrows from his Louisiana roots. Bookmark these recipes and enjoy them come August - when peaches hit their peak!

Perfect Peach Pie
Louisiana-style Peach Pie with Candied Pecans

There is nothing better than a sweet, simple plate of Strawberry Shortcake on a warm June day. Robert Reynolds of Chefs Studio shows how to prepare a quick Strawberry Shortcake in this delightful video. Click here to find the video and his unique recipe:

The Return of the Berries

Today, we plan to buy lots and lots of strawberries at opening day of the Portland Farmers' Market at Ecotrust - right outside our front door!

Still have leftover berries? Harriet Fasenfest gives us preserving tips and recipes in this issue of Edible Portland. Check out two recipes here:

Edible Preservation

Ecotrust's popular Un-earth Dinners have been... un-earthed. Develop your seasonal appetite with old friends and new at these family-style suppers. Celebrate the pleasures of the table and the bounty of the region. This delicious meal will be prepared by none other than Chef Naomi Pomeroy.

To keep this dinner intimate, Ecotrust is hosting two evenings. Please RSVP for the date of your choice.

Thursday, June 21st
Friday, June 22nd
6:30pm arrival | 7:00pm supper

Billy Frank Jr. Conference Center at the Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center
721 NW 9th Ave | Portland, Oregon 97209

Quick! Space is limited. Reservations are $45 per person, per night. Reservations accepted only through Ecotrust. RSVP to events@ecotrust.org or by calling 503.467.0792.

Find out more

Written by Zoë Bradbury
Illustration by Tae Won Yu
For Summer 2007

AWHILE BACK, I DID SOMETHING in the produce section of the grocery store that made my boyfriend, Danny, stare down into the cart in shock. I stared, too, a little confused by the impulse that had just landed a tropical bromeliad flown thousands of miles from Maui into our cart. It was squatting resolutely next to the tub of yogurt.

“A pineapple?” I looked up sheepishly and he reached to feel my forehead in mock concern.

“Organic, at least?” I shook my head and bit my lower lip.

“You feel okay?”

A few feet later, he returned the volley, snatching a bunch of ripe bananas and settling them next to my pineapple. My eyebrows went up.

“For my smoothies,” he quipped, and rolled ahead to the checkout. I began to wonder if the mini-quiche samples we’d tried by the front door had been laced with something.

This was a few months ago in early spring, and as we unpacked the groceries at home, an odd countertop disjuncture developed with the pineapple and bananas camped out next to our late-season basket of winter squash. In a kitchen that typically housed seasonal produce from nearby farms, it was as if we were suddenly harboring illegal aliens—secretly exciting, and at the same time I hoped fervently that our neighbors wouldn’t drop by that day.

That afternoon, I harvested a bucketful of pea shoots out of the cover crop I’d seeded last fall. From the yard, I could see the spiky silhouette of my pineapple sitting inside on the counter, and as I turned back to the tangle of delicate pea tendrils, I had an uncanny sense that I was witnessing two opposite extremes in the big, complicated continuum that is our modern food supply—homegrown spring pea shoots at one end and a foreign industrial pineapple at the other.

What lies between those two archetypical foods is an entire landscape of food choices that can be bewildering even to the most literate eaters amongst us. For the consumer seeking “natural,” “healthy,” or “sustainable” options, organic used to be the obvious and easy answer. Now “local” has become the latest buzzword, with a myriad of other labels, stories, values, and standards proliferating in the grocery aisle that can turn a quick trip to buy eggs into a nerve-wracking test of your personal belief system.

Zoë Bradbury suggested we join her on-line to continue the conversation she began with her article "Organic, local, and everything else: Finding your way through the modern food fray." I have a burning question to get the conversation started….

Our recent issue of Edible Portland featured Coconut Bliss, a non-dairy ice cream produced by a locally owned company in Eugene, Oregon. It is darn delicious, though the coconut milk base and exotic flavors leave little room for local sourcing.

Let's compare Coconut Bliss to Breyers ice cream. I don’t know where Breyers is based; it isn’t clear from their website. I do know Breyers is owned by Unilever, a mammoth food industry giant. But I’m told that many an Oregon strawberry ends up in those pints of Breyers. If true, which scoop makes for the better choice?

Here is Zoë's response:

Your tough question inspired me to do a Google search on Breyers and Coconut Bliss both. An innocent little query about ice cream quickly turned into an hour-long research project! It drove home the point that being an informed food consumer in this day and age really does require 1,000 questions.

This is what I learned about Breyers to help lend some insight to your “which is better” question:

Who: As you said, Breyers is owned by Unilever and is the world’s largest ice cream company.

Where: Corporate headquarters is in Wisconsin, but Breyers has regional plants around the country and world.

How: Breyers uses rBGH milk to make their non-organic ice cream. That’s a genetically engineered hormone injected into dairy cows to make them produce more milk, which is known to cause cancer and is banned in Europe.

Fishiest of all: Breyers is now using a genetically engineered (GE) protein derivative of an eel-like Arctic Ocean fish, known as the Arctic pout fish, to make “creamier” low-fat ice cream varieties. (I’d be pouting, too, if someone were genetically engineering my proteins and putting them in tubs of Rocky Road!).

The protein is a natural anti-freeze that keeps the pout fish’s blood from freezing in sub-zero water, and as it so happens, the GE version (made by altering the genetic structure of a baker’s yeast) works to reduce ice crystal formation in ice cream. (Read more here.) The jokes about “van-eel-a” ice cream abound, as you can imagine…

THIS WEEKEND Whole Foods Market in the Pearl hosts Go Local, a two-day event celebrating the joy of local foods and products. Meet 40 Northwest farmers, growers and artisans while eating delicious samples and listening to live jazz and bluegrass.

Go Local
June 23 & 24
11am to 7pm

Whole Foods Market
1210 NW Couch
Portland, OR

LAURO KITCHEN CHEESEBURGER WITH POMMES FRITES AND AIOLI

Recipe from David Machado, Lauro Kitchen
Photo by Frank DiMarco, dimarcoimages.com

The burger:
5 lbs of Oregon Country Natural ground chuck
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1 cup yellow onions, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Tabasco
1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
Salt and black pepper

1. Combine the beef, garlic, onion, Tabasco, Worcestershire and parsley and marinate for 2 hours.
2. Season well with salt and pepper.
3. Cool the mixture well before shaping. Make a small test patty and grill to taste for seasoning.
4. Weigh the ground meat at 6 ounces and form into balls. Using a mold, shape into burgers about 5 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Stack with wax paper and refrigerate until needed.

Aioli:
3 egg yokes
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic, chopped
16 oz extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1. In a bowl whip egg yolks and lemon juice until frothy.
2. Add chopped garlic.
3. Slowly start adding oil a little at a time.
4. Continue adding oil until thick and creamy.
5. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until needed.

Pommes Frites:
Potatoes
Salt and pepper

1. Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch match sticks. Rinse and drain well.
2. Blanch potatoes at 325 degrees until just beginning to color. Drain well and cool on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
3. When ready, fry potatoes at 375 degrees until crispy and an even golden color.
4. Toss in a bowl with salt and pepper and serve.

To order:
6 oz Cascade Natural ground chuck patty
1 1/8-inch slice Mezzo Secco, Sonoma aged Dry Jack cheese
Pearl Bakery burger bun
1 Tbsp homemade aioli
Butter lettuce, torn
1 slice vine ripened tomato
1 thin slice red onion
1 handful blanched Pommes Frites
Salt and pepper
Ketchup

1. Grill the burger on a hot gas or charcoal grill turning as necessary until it reaches the desired temperature.
2. Top with cheese and let melt. Cook the fries and toast the bun. Garnish the bun with aioli, butter lettuce, sliced tomato and sliced onions.
3. Serve with fries and a side of ketchup.

I ABSOLUTELY ADORE the hamburger at Lauro Kitchen on SE Division. Sometimes when I really can’t stand the thought of cooking for myself, I’ll head to Lauro for the burger and fries. It is one of my all-time favorite meals. We shared Dave Machado’s tips on how to make the perfect burger in the Summer issue of Edible Portland (See "The Divine Hamburger"), but we didn’t have room for his thoughts on fries! Read on for more musings – about fries and childhood adventures and first jobs that all include the classic American meat patty – from Lauro Kitchen’s Dave Machado.

–Deborah Kane

Dave's youth
As a young man, I moved to San Francisco and became a regular at an Italian counter joint called Little Joe’s. Joe’s was in North Beach, and you always had to wait in line for a seat. They served a massive hamburger – at least a half pound of ground beef molded with chopped onions and served on a French roll with melted Provolone cheese. I often washed this down with a glass of California Burgundy. What a perfect combination.

In 1985 I enrolled at the California Culinary Academy and secured a part-time job cooking at the famous Balboa Café. My job? Flipping gourmet burgers and dropping crisp shoestring French fries for San Francisco’s society set. I lasted a few months and then quit after a humbling shift: I cooked over 150 burgers in the hours following a San Francisco 49ers football victory.

My Balboa flameout did not discourage me from becoming a chef nor dampen my love of the hamburger. Why such devotion to the humble hamburger? It might be that the hamburger represents to us, as Americans, one of the most emotionally satisfying gastronomic experiences that we can partake of. The preparation and eating of a well made burger can be a deeply stirring and evocative act.

Burger history
Where did it all start? Common hamburger folklore tells us the hamburger is an offspring of the “chopped steak” favored by German immigrants who came to the U.S. from Hamburg in the early 19th century.

Written by David Machado
For Summer 2007

PORTLAND NATIVE JAMES BEARD published the above ode to the noble hamburger in 1972, which was my junior year in high school and the same year that a much-anticipated burger chain from California, called McDonald’s, opened its first location in my hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. My first taste came years earlier courtesy of my Uncle Tom and his cast iron skillet. A transplanted Southerner and Iwo Jima veteran, Tom would cook me up a thin and gristly after-school version that he served between two slices of fluffy white Bunny bread. I loved it!

Several years later, I would step up in quality when I began to frequent Almacs Diner with Father McCarrick and a carload of altar boys fresh from a Friday night Novena. These burgers were professionally flipped and garnished with hot cheese and griddled onions by tattooed, paperhat-wearing war veterans. They were a divine revelation.

WHAT MAKES A TRULY GREAT HAMBURGER?
It’s a popular and well-worn cliché that Foodie Nation members must seek out and use only the best quality ingredients in their pursuit of producing remarkable food. So let’s start with the beef itself. Chuck is the correct choice in either the ground or whole muscle form. The chuck muscle has a natural fat content of 15-20%. This is the perfect ratio of protein to fat and makes for a flavorful and juicy burger, if handled correctly.

TO GRIND OR NOT TO GRIND?
If you decide to grind your own chuck in a hand grinder or Kitchen Aid attachment, make sure of two things: The equipment should be clean and sanitized before you begin, and the equipment as well as the meat should be extremely well chilled. The meat should be placed in a freezer for about 20 minutes and then cut in one inch wide strips before being placed in the grinder. Grind it twice by starting with a large-diameter plate and finishing with a medium-diameter plate. The resulting mix should be liberally seasoned with salt and black pepper and then gently formed into six-ounce patties.

To help form a consistent patty, use some sort of mold or template. At my restaurant, Lauro Kitchen, we use a small Spanish terra-cotta cazuela that does the job perfectly. Be careful not to overknead the beef. Try to form the patty with just enough force to shape it into a secure form. This step is essential—it promotes even cooking and results in a tender and juicy finished product.

Tomorrow, Grand Central celebrates its new artisan bread bakery and cafe with live music, tours, baking demos, cookie decorating for kids and a cake walk. Not only fun and delicious, but proceeds from the cake walk plus 10% of retail sales will benefit Friends of Forest Park, an organization dedicated to maintaining, preserving, protecting and improving Portland's 5,000 acre park.

Grand Central Bakery Fair
Saturday, June 23
10am-3pm
Click here for a Schedule of Events

Sawtooth Bakery and Cafe
2249 NW York
Portland, Oregon

A newly renovated 13,000 square foot building within Portland’s Northwest Industrial Area, the Sawtooth bakery (see the roofline above to find out where it got its name) will house Grand Central's sixth bakery cafe as well as all of its artisan bread production. Check it out this Saturday!

Written by Paul Greenberg
Photo by Janna Nichols
For Summer 2007

IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO EAT A LOCAL FISH. It feels fresher, more sustainable and, somehow, more “true.” And so, up and down the Pacific Coast, as shoppers’ thoughts turn to warmer weather and lighter fare, they will be seeking out that local fish that feels right. Often, it’s the red-skinned fillets in the seafood counter that draw the eye and make the mouth water. Inevitably, those fillets will be tagged with the label “red snapper.” It's a good name and most consumers will put a couple of pounds of it in their shopping carts without asking any more questions.

But is that red snapper really red snapper? Even more importantly, what is red snapper in the first place? And most important of all, given the dire state of so many of America’s wild fish stocks, should that red snapper be eaten?

The answers, like so many of those that concern the wild ocean, are not straightforward.

First of all, let us talk of names. “Red snapper” was originally used to apply to Lutjanus campechanus, a large, bottom-dwelling animal native to the Gulf of Mexico, not the Pacific Coast. It is often called the “true red snapper” and many chefs insist that you make sure that the snapper you’re getting is campechanus and not some imposter.

But as fisheries conservation problems go, true red snapper is one of the more intractable. Not only is Lutjanus campechanus identified as overfished by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch Program, it is also the inadvertent target of the Gulf shrimp fishery. Because juvenile snapper often mix with shrimp populations, millions of little true red snapper are caught, killed, and dumped overboard by the shrimping industry every year. So all in all, “true” red snapper is not necessarily the “right” red snapper.

Earlier this week, we had quite the Portland food experience. We were invited to sample from Café Castagna's new lunch menu. The meat-eaters at the table started with agretti and shrimp salad and continued with sliders and fries, the Italian sandwich, and house-made potato chips. Wonderful comments were heard round the table.


Agretti, a mild-flavored Italian green

Meanwhile, the vegetarian chowed down on THE best salad of her life: butter lettuce salad with vinaigrette royale. (I'm not just saying this to get your attention. It was, literally, the best salad I have ever eaten.) I then sipped on ten treasure soup and was able to find around eight of them. The meat-eaters glanced jealously toward my bowl.

Lunch ended with a choice of chocolate, strawberry or vanilla milkshakes, but not before Chef Kevin Gibson ran outside to pick up his farm-fresh delivery of porcini mushrooms from Gene Thiel's Prairie Creek Farm for that evening's dinner. Co-Owners Kevin Gibson and Monique Siu actively support local farmers in their quest to bring fresh, seasonal ingredients into Castagna's kitchen.

Café Castagna is open for lunch Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
1752 SE Hawthorne Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97214
www.castagnarestaurant.com

–Laura Ford

A note from Deborah:
A friend of mine, Lisa Sedlar from New Seasons Market, once told me that 75% of the top 100 U.S. markets are controlled by five grocery companies. Each of these companies has a Director of Produce doing all their buying.

While talking to me, Lisa paused for effect and went on to underscore her point: “That means that five guys (and they are all guys) are deciding where most of the produce in this country comes from!”

That doesn’t seem right! I was reminded of this exchange with Lisa after reading the following article in the last issue of Edible Portland.

Freedom of Choice?
Written by Aimee Witteman
For Summer 2007

IF ASKED TO USE ONE WORD to describe the U.S. food system, my bet is that many Americans would say “Choice.” The aisles and aisles of products in most American supermarkets make our choices as consumers not only appear abundant, compared to many other countries in the world, they seem practically limitless.

But do these supersized supermarkets and scores of new products within their big box walls really represent an expansion of choice in the marketplace?

Let’s pull back the curtain and see what is really going on. I submit that we should not conflate the sheer abundance of products with: a diversity of food companies in the market; our welfare as consumers; or the notion that our food system is on a healthy path. Yes, you may be able to choose from 20 different flavors of canned spaghetti sauce, but consumers’ power to choose what company they can buy from and what supermarket they can shop in, or farmers’ choice of who they can sell to, has shrunken considerably in the last decade.

Understanding this dynamic is essential to addressing many economic, social, and environmental problems facing today’s food system.

In the last several years there has been rapid market consolidation in the food processing, marketing, and retailing sectors. There has been a “merger madness” with firms at each link of the supply chain that runs between farmers and consumers, buying out or being bought out by their competitors.