|
|
|
|
Local farmer prepares Food Network star for fair competition |
|
|
|
Front Page -
Front Page Story
|
|
Written by Mike Ishman
|
|
Wednesday, 15 July 2009 |
Lucinda Hart-Gonzalez of Paradise Gardens & Farm is shown with the 40 goats that welcomed Food Network personality Bob Blumer to the area last week. Blumer learned to milk goats from Hart-Gonzalez and placed sixth out of 13 in a competition at the Mason-Dixon Fair in Delta last week. (Photo by Mike Ishman)
STUMP CREEK — Are you a "glutton for punishment?"
Food Network personality Bob Blumer, a Montreal native, stars in "Glutton for Punishment," a television show which chronicles Blumer's attempts to go from a novice to expert in five days in various events, including solar fried-egg cooking, oyster shucking, watermelon seed spitting and corn husking.
Last week, Blumer learned how to milk goats from Lucinda Hart-Gonzalez, an organic farmer, cheese maker and owner of Paradise Gardens & Farm, near Stump Creek in Henderson Township.
Blumer's two-minute goat-milking competition took place this past Friday at the Mason-Dixon Fair in Delta.
After finding the farm through several databases and examining its Web site — www.paradisegardensandfarm.com — the show's producers contacted Hart-Gonzalez about a month ago to get a feel for her and the farm's capabilities.
The show was looking for a specific type of person for the show, who was comfortable in front of a camera, able to teach and break down the process of goat milking and finally, able to get on Blumer's case.
"For the comedic drama of the show, they needed someone to hound the guy. Someone to give Bob a hard time," Hart-Gonzalez said. "Most farmers are genuinely really nice people, so when the show's people talked to others, they didn't really get ‘it.'"
Blumer, a former teacher who also dabbled in acting, fit the profile and the show was ready to be filmed.
Hart-Gonzalez, who moved to the area in 2005 and runs the farm with Steve Cleghorn, was up to the challenge of teaching Blumer the fine art of goat milking.
"Our milking is mechanical now, so we don't hand milk," she said. "That is how we started, though."
After the producer and a cameraman arrived July 5 for area scouting, the rest of the five-man crew — including Blumer — arrived July 6 and dove right into Hart-Gonzalez's lessons.
That's not to say it was a smooth start.
"The first day, he was barely able to get a few drops without the goat kicking over the pail," she said.
Blumer eventually caught on, able to collect 1.5 pounds of milk in a two-minute period.
"The contestants at the competition usually produce four pounds in the same time," Hart-Gonzalez said. "(Blumer) was determined to win the competition; not just going, but winning."
Blumer eventually placed sixth out of 13 competitors at the Mason-Dixon Fair.
"We thought that was pretty respectable," Hart-Gonzalez said.
At the beginning of the week, Blumer learned the ideal conditions for milking, which include the goat being restrained and given grain.
"The producer asked how we could make it hard for Bob," Hart-Gonzalez said. "Do we have any particularly ornery goats? I said, ‘No, they are all well-behaved ... unless you take away their grain.' So that's what we did."
By the end of the week, Hart-Gonzalez was teaching Blumer, while the goat was tied to a fence and receiving no grain.
The week was not just dedicated to goat-milking.
Blumer, a chef by trade, used the vegetables and cheeses on-site to treat Hart-Gonzalez and the crew to a gourmet dinner.
"His first love is cooking, so halfway through the shoot, he took over the kitchen and went to our gardens for vegetables," she said. "He made a dinner that was risotto with asparagus and peas, along with a green onion pesto. It was topped with squash blossoms with shrimp and a mousse made with our Chevre'. On the side was a beet salad, with cooked beet greens, beets and our goat feta cheese with candied pecans around it."
The crew also participated in cheese-tasting and a visit to an Indiana restaurant.
The week did not include cheese-making with the milk Blumer produced.
"Chef Bob did not get to make cheese with the milk that he milked," Hart-Gonzalez said. "It was a bit messy, with dirty hooves going into the bucket."
Blumer has not closed his connection to the farm. Paradise Gardens & Farms has a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, in which subscribers buy shares of the farm's output (produce and dairy) and receive fresh goods each week.
When subscribers pick up their share, Hart-Gonzalez includes recipes for the specific produce grown in season, which caught Blumer's attention.
"Bob was really interested in what's going on around here, so he offered to give us recipes when we e-mail him what we are growing and picking at the particular time," she said.
Hart-Gonzalez said the whole experience was fun.
"When I was in Washington D.C., I was a bilingual actor, so I had experience in front of a camera," she said.
"I moved up here to get away from all that and focus on farming. So it was kind of funny how it came about. This experience was less about the camera and more about getting local exposure for the area, farmers and restaurants."
IS IT ON IN THIS COUNTRY?
Don't expect Chef Bob Blumer's goat-milking experience at Paradise Gardens & Farm on "Glutton for Punishment" to be aired anytime in the near future. Not in the United States, at least.
Food Network Canada produces the show, which will air exclusively in Canada. Food Network America is currently airing episodes from Seasons 1 and 2, while Canada is currently showing Season 3.
The goat-milking episode is part of Season 4, which will begin airing in Canada next winter. The episode won't air in the United States for at least
a year and half.
"Luckily, they are sending us the episode on DVD," Paradise Gardens & Farm owner Lucinda Hart-Gonzalez said.
|
|
Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 July 2009 )
|
|
Click to Compare Cards online for special deals on the business credit cards that meet your needs. |
|
|
|
