ORGANIC NEWS

GROWING ORGANIC
Monday, June 23
Want to cut your food bill and become more self sufficient, but unsure how to start? The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, a nonprofit association of farmers, gardeners and consumers, is offering a series of organic gardening workshops throughout Vermont this summer. Each workshop will cover: an introduction to soil science, composting methods, nutrient management, cover cropping, weed control, insect and pest management, and more. Workshop dates and locations are:

June 28; Camp Merrishko, East Randolph. Workshop leader: Marlys Eddy, experienced organic gardener and assistant professor of horticulture at Vermont Technical College.

July 13; Sterling College Gardens, Craftsbury. Workshop leader: Marlys Eddy.

Aug. 2; Community Teaching Garden, Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington. Workshop leader: Jim Flint, executive director of Friends of Burlington Gardens.

Aug. 16; Maplewood Natural Organics, 3550 Gore Road, Highgate. Workshop leader: experienced organic gardener and farmer Hannah Noel, who grows over 40 vegetables and fruits.

Aug. 23; Bromley Farm, Peru. Workshop leader: Jessica Klick, owner of Bromley Farm, a diversified operation in Peru.

All workshops begin at 9 a.m. and cost $20 for NOFA members, $30 for non members. Preregistration is required; contact NOFA VT at 434 4122; info@nofavt.org.

Each summer, gardeners and homesteaders participate in various workshops offered as part of NOFA-Vermont's summer series. These workshops provide the tools for farmers, gardeners, cooks, homesteaders, localvores, and eaters to continue to grow Vermont's food future. All are invited to attend these workshops, whether geared for the commercial dairy farmer or the backyard gardener. Topics cover various aspects of organic gardening, food processing and storage, and sustainable living. For a complete list of workshops being offered this summer, visit the NOFA Web site, www.nofavt.org.

By rutlandherald.com

THE LATEST ORGANIC GARDEN NEWS, FROM THE ORGANIC HOME

ORGANIC IN CALIFORNIA
It's only natural that South Bay diners would think they know Italian food. Not only is there a long history of Italian fishermen, bakers and restaurateurs in the Bay Area, but a new generation of ambitious chefs have introduced us to the joys of the country's artisanal ingredients, from aged balsamic vinegar to hand crafted salumi and creamy centered burrata cheese.

Then along comes a restaurant like Tigelleria Ristorante in downtown Campbell and we get a whole new perspective on the Italian way of eating. Antipasti, usually little more than the prelude to a meal, are the main event at this charming little spot. Owners Mirco Caramori and Elisabetta Benetollo have organized their menu around the little flat breads they grew up with near Mantua.

Hot from the baking stone, the fairly bland tigelle are served with platters of flavorful cured meat, cheese or grilled vegetables for a convivial meal focused as much on the company as the food. Split the puffy little breads in half, tuck in a bit of meat, a chunk of cheese and perhaps some hummus, olive tapanade or fava and mint spread and you're on your way to an enjoyable evening.

Opened in December

Caramori and Benetollo, husband and wife, opened Tigelleria in December in a former florist's shop that they remodeled from the ground up. It's an inviting rust colored stucco building with a tile roof, wood trellises over the windows and cobalt blue pots planted with bougainvillea.

Inside, the 40 seat dining room gets points for style with its tile floors, halogen lights and dramatic red glass Artemide chandelier hanging below a reproduction of a 16th-century ceiling fresco. Bare wood tables and rush-seated chairs were made to order in the style of a typical osteria. Fellini films flicker on the wall behind the bar.

'We wanted to be 100 percent Italian,' says Benetollo, who runs the front of the house and makes the desserts.'We wanted to serve real Italian food. We want to teach people to try the real Italian experience.'

The wine list is dominated by Italian wines, too. Among them is a very nice 2005 Chianti classico from Castello d'Albola ($9/glass) and a pleasant, dry 2006 Bardolino Chiaretto rosé from Cavalchina in the Veneto region ($8/glass).

Benetollo's cheerful personality makes the dining room a warm and friendly place. She obviously enjoys stopping by tables to chat with diners about Tigelleria's concept or explain dishes. Service is attentive.

Although the menu includes the usual soups, salads and some exceptional pastas, the emphasis is on the bread paired with imported meats hand sliced by Caramori, a software engineer turned restaurateur.

Beautiful, tissue thin layers of prosciutto di Parma, speck ham, roast pork, mortadella, air dried beef or salami are arranged in varying combinations ($14 to $18) on large, round cutting boards. Some combos may include pecorino, buffalo mozzarella, Gorgonzola, provolone or fontina cheese.

Alternatively, there are platters devoted to grilled vegetables ($16) or cheese ($12 to $20).

The meats are excellent, the speck smoky and rich, the prosciutto sweet with a melting texture. I particularly liked the porchetta, roast pork with a whisper of fennel, on the 'Etrusco' platter, called a palette on the menu ($15). Sharp pecorino Romano cheese was a nice counterpoint.

Still, so much unrelieved meat and cheese quickly becomes tiresome. My companion and I fared better on the first visit when we ordered the grilled vegetables, including meaty porcini mushrooms, to pair with the basic salumi palette ($18). It was way too much food for two, but the vegetables brought balance to the meal.

Salads are generous and made with very fresh greens. Soggy peas undermined an otherwise pleasant spinach salad with pesto ($12), however. The same peas were tough and unappealing in the delicate broth of the Stracciatella alla Romana ($7), an egg drop soup.

Finocchio, a large tangle of shaved fennel, Parmesan and pine nuts drizzled with 15 year old balsamic vinegar ($11) was too much of a good thing: A smaller serving would have piqued the appetite rather than overwhelm it.

Memorable pastas

By far, the most memorable dishes we ate at Tigelleria were pastas. The mellow, well-seasoned Bolognese sauce on tender ribbons of pappardelle ($14) was pure comfort food. Bucatini all'Amatriciana ($13) was chewy and wonderful with a bright and chile spiked sauce cloaking long strands of tubular pasta similar to thick spaghetti, but better.

Desserts are Benetollo's specialty, and her tiramisu ($6) is a classic, light and airy with a soft undercurrent of Marsala. The sweet chocolate salame ($6), a fudgy roll of dark chocolate and crunchy almond cookie crumbs, is quite good, and the meringue cake ($7) of meringue blended with zabaglione, whipped cream and white and dark chocolate is irresistible.

Yet I just couldn't get my taste buds past the medicinal flavor of the Alchermes liqueur floating atop the zuppa Inglese ($7), a sort of trifle. Like many Italians, Benetollo loves the heavily spiced liqueur. Others may wish it weren't quite so authentic.

Tigelleria Ristorante
75 E. Campbell Ave., at Fourth Street,
Campbell. (408) 884 3808,
www.tigelleria.com.

By Aleta Watson

THE LATEST ORGANIC RESTAURANT NEWS, FROM THE ORGANIC HOME

ORGANIC IN TAIPEI
Due to the hike in upstream raw material costs, the prices of chemical fertilizers have risen recently. As it is currently the time for fertilizing crops such as rice and vegetables, chemical fertilizer price hikes have drawn an outpouring of complaints from farmers. Yet, from another perspective, now is an opportunity for government agricultural departments to review policies concerning the production, sale and use of chemical fertilizers, to address their uninformed use.

Domestically, the use of chemical fertilizers to increase crop output has been in place since the early days of Japanese rule. After the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government took over, it implemented policies of trading grain for fertilizer to increase food production. Administered through local farmers' associations, this policy used bartering and control of fertilizers to indirectly affect grain supply. Soil acidification, which reduces productivity, is often caused by the use of chemical fertilizers.

This is frequently dealt with through crop rotation, the burning of straw, the cultivation of green fertilizers such as sesbania or the importing of more fertile soil, in order to improve yield.

However, within domestic agriculture the acidification of soil due to chemical fertilizer use is severe even though most farmers are unaware of the extent of the problem.

Government agriculture departments have conducted studies and tests on the use of chemical fertilizer on arable land, and have attempted to educate farmers, but with limited results. The situation is so bad that while some agricultural land desperately needs carbamide, farmers use ammonium sulphate; others have too high concentrations of phosphorous, yet farmers continue to use phosphoric fertilizers. This only makes things worse.

Many farmers are convinced that the use of chemical fertilizers can make crops grow faster and increase yield, and thus apply large amounts. Statistics show the domestic use of chemical fertilizers is, on average, twice that in Japan, so the proportion of production costs arising out of chemical fertilizers is high. For instance, the cost of fertilizers accounts for about 9 percent of the production cost of rice, 16 percent of sweet corn and 15.7 percent of citrus fruits. Hence, increasing fertilizer costs affect production costs.

In recent years, organic produce has gradually won favor with consumers. Countries such as Germany and Japan have created an expanding trend of organic farming. Domestically, there are also a small number of farmers who are willing to abandon chemical fertilizers and pesticides, for organic fertilizer. Although the connection between health and organic produce has attracted the attention of consumers, and various civil organizations, such as the Taiwan Organic Production Association, work in conjunction with the government to certify organic produce, the relatively late and slow development of the industry, combined with the degree of damage already caused by chemical fertilizer and pesticides, are factors that have caused consumers to be wary of organic produce.

I recommend that government agricultural departments seize the opportunity offered by fertilizer price hikes, to review the management and production efficiency of Taiwan Fertilizer Co, which has about 70 percent of the domestic fertilizer market, and to reconsider fallow and crop rotation policies and the future development of organic agriculture.

The government should reorganize policies on the use of arable land suitable for organic production, so that soil can rest and the health of the nation's population be safeguarded.

By Huang Wan tran

THE LATEST ORGANIC FARMING NEWS, FROM THE ORGANIC HOME

ORGANIC SOLAR CELLS
Friday, June 20
Cheap and efficient conversion of solar energy into electricity could help combat global warming and the shortage of fossil fuels. However, the high production cost of electricity from silicon based solar cells has limited the use of the technology. Low cost solar cells with high cell performance are highly desirable and organic solar cells could be the answer. They are easy to make from inexpensive organic materials and, unlike inorganic solar cells, are lightweight, flexible and colourful.

'Organic solar cells easy to make from inexpensive organic materials and, unlike inorganic solar cells, are lightweight, flexible and colourful'. Light absorption by organic solar cells leads to an excitation state known as an exciton or electron hole pair. The electrons and holes are separated from each other and carried through donor and acceptor molecules to the electrodes, generating a photocurrent. This process of converting light directly into electricity is known as photovoltaics and it must be optimised for organic solar cells to be efficient. Much effort has been devoted to finding suitable donor and acceptor molecules and organising them on an electrode surface at the nanometre scale.

Fullerenes and their derivatives have been widely used as excellent acceptor molecules. More recently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which have a similar carbon-based structure, have attracted much attention. In contrast to the spherical shape of fullerenes, CNTs have a one dimensional, wire like structure, which make them better at forming electron or hole transporting highways in the cell. Their large surface area enhances the separation of the electron hole pair and they show conductivity several times greater than that of conducting polymers. Also, CNTs can act as both electron donors and acceptors depending on the redox properties of the other component in the cell. All of these features make CNTs promising candidates for charge separation and transport in organic solar cells.

'A fascinating approach is to use CNTs as nanoscaffolds for donor or acceptor molecules to construct charge transporting highways'. A number of scientists have made photoelectrochemical devices or photovoltaic cells with CNT modified electrodes. They have used a variety of methods, including layer by layer deposition and spray coating, to organise the CNTs with suitable donor or acceptor molecules on electrode surfaces. At present, however, the energy conversion efficiency of CNT modified electrodes has yet to reach the levels of high performance dye sensitised solar cells, which use porous, nanocrystalline titanium dioxide electrodes sensitised with ruthenium dyes, or bulk heterojunction solar cells, which use conjugated polymers and functionalised fullerenes.

At present, it is difficult to synthesise pure CNTs with a consistent structure. To improve CNT based solar cells, scientists may have to purify or sort out the CNTs with the best structure for charge transport. Alternatively, a fascinating approach is to use CNTs as nanoscaffolds for donor or acceptor molecules to construct charge transporting highways.

The history of CNT based organic solar cells is less than 10 years old. A great deal of work still has to be done to bring out their full potential for solar energy conversion.

By Hiroshi Imahori and Tomokazu Umeyama

THE LATEST SOLAR ENERGY NEWS, FROM THE ORGANIC HOME