Dec. 7, 2010 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- At Marian Farms, the introduction to biodynamic farming comes in the form of orange-blossom eau de vie.
In one glass, the scent is almost like inhaling the blossoms themselves. In the other glass, the liquid still is fragrant, but not nearly as aromatic.The difference? "We picked one set of blossoms on one day and then picked another set on a different day when there were different constellations," says Gena Nonini, owner of Marian Farms. "With the positions of the moon, the flavor profiles change."
For Marian Farms, the first company in the country to produce distilled spirits from its own certified biodynamic grapes, astral influences are paramount. In addition to adhering to organic rules, biodynamic farmers study the rhythms of the zodiac, then time special compost applications and sprays accordingly. These treatments are meant to improve the quality of the farms' products.
"You start looking at planetary influences and the cosmic world," Nonini says. "It's even more fluid and alive than organics."
In the 1920s, Austrian scientist and philosopher Rudolf Steiner pioneered biodynamic techniques to boost crop fertility and address pest and disease issues. The practice is growing in the wine industry, but it's not catching on as quickly in the spirits industry.
"It's more just people getting the process growing," says Sally Lammers of the Demeter Association, which certifies biodynamic products.
As a result, Marian Farms is a leader in biodynamic spirits -- and restaurants have noticed.
Marian Farms' California-style pisco and oak-aged brandies have been served at restaurants such as The Hungry Cat in Hollywood, Gather in Berkeley and Bar Agricole in San Francisco, Nonini says.
Gather singled out Marian Farms because of "sustainability and farming practices," says its bar manager, Sarah Bondick. "They're local and biodynamic and they make quality product."
The restaurant serves cocktails such as the East India, which pairs Marian Farms' oak-aged brandy with orange liquor, pineapple gum and lime.
The Hungry Cat likes the subtle and elegant flavor of Marian Farms' California-style pisco in cocktails such as the pisco sour. "It's much more similar in style to Peruvian piscos," says Hungry Cat general manager Tim Staehling.
These spirits aren't yet used in local restaurants, but they're sold at Marian Farms, Nonini says.
Saturday, a Slow Food Madera event offered local guests a rare tour of Marian Farms and tastes of its spirits and other products. The farm, at McKinley and Dickenson avenues, is one of the largest diversified biodynamic farms in the country.
Nonini showed how she creates compost treatments by burying cow's horns stuffed with manure. She also makes "festival sprays" by mixing up ingredients such as frankincense and stinging nettle, then sprays the mixtures on plants during the Epiphany, the Ascension, Michaelmas and other important Christian dates.
In the distillery, Doug Wakida, Marian Farms' chef, answered questions about the spirits. The pisco is made of muscat grapes; it's distilled twice and not aged. The brandy is made of palomino grapes; it's distilled twice and aged in oak barrels.
Future products include a Curaçao with certified biodynamic orange peel and sugar, as well as a vodka made with Selma Pete grapes, he says.
Guests sampled these liquors and drank cocktails made from recipes of Bar Agricole and Gather restaurant. And they ate a meal of Marian Farms' products cooked by Wakida and Sharon Alexander, former owner of the old Upstairs Downtown.
All of the produce, except for herbs, onions and garlic, came from the farm, Wakida says. Dishes included marinated beet-and-arugula salad with red-wine vinaigrette, winter squash soup with spiced pepitas, chard-and-ricotta cannelloni, raisin bread pudding and almond biscotti with lemon curd.
"It's one of the most biodynamic meals in the United States," Nonini says.
The columnist can be reached at jobra@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6365. Read her blog at fresnobeehive.com/author/ joan_obra
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