The price of cheap food

A new short film made in Cornwall questions the sustainability of current food production.  It’s the first part of The Price of Cheap Food project.

Kerris Farmers is about four Cornish farmers. It’s been produced by Barry Cooper, lecturer in digital media at University College Falmouth. 

The film’s being premiered at the Cornwall Film Festival in Falmouth this Saturday 14 November. Screening will be part of the Cornish Shorts in the Phoenix Cinema, Falmouth starting at 2pm.

Camel Community Supported Agriculture is pleased to hear that The Price of Cheap Food project will also look at experiments in alternative agriculture, local food and allotments.

Barry says:

“In this film four Cornish farmers and family say how things are in an environment where food often costs more to grow than supermarkets eventually pay for it.

“Jeffery was eventually paid 18p per packaged cauliflower even though each one cost him 34p to grow. In the supermarkets they sold at around 78p.

“Adding to the pressure on farmers is the rising cost of fertilizer, fuel and a shortage of labour; farmers are an ageing community. Alan, the beef farmer runs his farm on his own and is totally reliant on a fleet of machines which he has adapted to do all the work by himself.

 

“East European and other migrant workers did the work in recent years but now that sector seems to be shrinking. So eventually the film leaves us with a question, who will grow the food in the future?”

Further parts of The Price of Cheap Food project seek to explore experiments in alternative agriculture, local food and allotments, along with surviving Chinese and Bulgarian pre-industrial farming cultures and the strategies of the supermarkets to globalize production.

* Find out more here about the LoveWadebridge initiative in Cornwall.  It’s arisen out of concerns about the impact of another supermarket on Wadebridge in the north of the county.

Seasonal recipe No 20 – Palestine soup

Jane Grigson gives this recipe in both her English Food and Vegetable cookbooks.   Ideal for the first appearance in the boxes of our own Camel CSA Jerusalem artichokes.

In general, because they are so knobbly, rather than peeling them raw, it’s best to scrub and parboil Jerusalem artichokes for about five minutes, refresh in cold water and then rub the skins off. 

Jerusalem artichokes have a bit of a reputation for causing wind so, as Grigson advises, eat: ”A little and not too much, too often.”

Serves 6

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes

Ingredients
500g Jerusalem artichokes or 250g each artichokes and potatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
½ stick celery, chopped
125g butter
2 rashers unsmoked bacon or 60g ham
1 litre light chicken or vegetable stock
250ml milk (optional)
salt, pepper
6 tbsp cream
chopped parsley and chives

Method
Scrub, parboil and then peel the artichokes as suggested above. Cut up the artichokes and, if you are using potatoes, peel and slice them. Put them with the onion, garlic and celery in a large pan with half the butter. Cover tightly and stew over a low heat for 10 minutes, giving the pan an occasional shake or stir. Now add the bacon or ham and cook a moment or two longer. Pour in the stock and leave to simmer until all the vegetables are soft. Liquidise or sieve, Reheat, adding water or the milk to dilute to taste. Correct the seasoning. Finally stir in the last of the butter, the cream and herbs. Serve with croutons of bread fried in butter.