Updates from Living Well in Soulard

Those on the lookout for locally grown produce at the Soulard Farmers’ Market should check out the Wholesome Gardens Produce booth, located next to the booth of Baetje Farms, in the northeast wing. A spectrum of hydro lettuce and fresh herbs is offered. Fresh cut basil, arugula, and wildfire, butterhead and romaine lettuce are available now. Eggplant, squash and peppers will be offered in the season. All produce is grown by Gardell Strite on the farm, located in Bluford, Il.

For additional information, contact Gardell at the farm at 618-732-8552.

Also, while we are on the subject, Veronica Baetje has introduced a new cheese she is calling "Fleur de la Vallee." It is made using the same techniques as the French use to produce their famous reblochon cheese. She cannot use the reblochon name, which is copyrighted.

If you google the word "reblochon," you can research the history of that product. Of course, the French cheese is made with milk from cows, while Veronica is using goat milk. But the steps and procedures she uses copy of French techniques. It is a very interesting product, and Baetje Farms fans should take note.

Veronica learns about making different cheese products by attending a school in Vermont and from consulting with specialists in her field. She is an artist. She is constantly learning, improving, updating and experimenting, always seeking to achieve perfection and to express herself through her cheese. Madame Chouteau is so proud that Veronica and husband Steve - also an artist - have chosen Soulard Farmers’ Market as one of the outlets for their products. Watching the evolution of the booth is a wonder. Watching them aspire to be the best that they can be is inspirational.

As an aside, it is reported that Globe Drug has restocked Georges Deboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, vintage 2008, as discussed in a posting on this blog on May 11. This French wine is perfect with Baetje Farms cheeses, as well as with many other foods. The review of the wine was posted, too.

Crime Alert: Report of Soulard Robbery

A resident sent the following information by e-mail on Friday:

"Last night (05/14) another Soulard resident was robbed at gunpoint at 9th and Geyer at around 2:30 A.M. According to the police (who were congregated and talking very loudly about the incident over their intercom outside my window), three black males jumped out of a newer model silver Pontiac and pointed guns at a man walking home from a friend's house and demanded his money. Apparently they only got away with his keys and cellphone and he was not assaulted.

"However, it appears that this is a trend developing in this area and is worth keeping an eye on - its actually kind of similar to the one [...previously reported]. That's all I can provide because that is all I could hear from the cops talking, but if you wanted to post more about it I'm sure the police would be happy to fill you in. Since part of my name is in my email address, I ask that you please keep this information anonymous. Let me know if you have any questions."

We thank this person for providing the information, and we suggest that all residents and visitors take care, especially after hours. Hopefully, we can obtain additional information, which we will post.

Foodies Pay Attention: Living Well, Soulard Version

On Saturday, after doing our shopping at the Soulard Farmers' Market, Madame Chouteau purchased several bottles of Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau, vintage 2008 at Globe Drug, 1900 South Broadway. We always enjoy French red wine. It is so smooth, compared with the red wines from California, which often seem to have a bite to them, no matter what the price. Of course, Globe offers a spectrum of wines from Australia, Spain, Italy, Chile, the United States and from other wine producing countries, all reasonably priced.

The beaujolais nouveau we added to our shopping cart was a close-out at Globe, priced at $2.98 per bottle, plus tax, of course. It perfectly complemented a meal which included other locally produced and purchased products including fresh asparagus from Scharf Farm, available at the Scharf booth at Soulard Farmers’ Market, along with a small package of Coeur de la Creme goat cheese from Baetje Farms, also at the Market. The portion that we purchased was flavored with lemon curd, another Baetje Farms innovation. It was perfectly delicious.

Any nominations for other outstanding food purchases in or near Soulard?

Additional information (added May 12): We thank Lyn deMoss for forwarding to us the review of the beaujolais nouveau from Globe Drug. The following review is reprinted from a blog titled drinkhacker.com, self-described as "The essential blog for the discriminating drinker."

Review: 2008 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

"On Thursday, November 20, the new 2008 vintage of Beaujolais Nouveau goes on sale, and every wine lover should make a point to try at least one bottle before ‘08 is history.

"I got an early peek at Georges Duboeuf’s Nouveau and found it one of the most charming Nouveaus in recent memory.

"The Gamay’s traditional, lightly bitter and strongly fruity character is here, with all sorts of green herbs on the palate. A kind of sage and dried oregano tone laces its way through the very dark crimson vino, and the finish is moderately quick and dry, with notes of cassis.

"As always, it’s nothing complex (sometimes that’s a good thing, after all), and at $12 a bottle, you can’t really go wrong. As always, Nouveau stands best as a wonderful way to welcome the first wines from the 2008 vintage… even though it will be years before most of them hit the market."

The reviewer gives the wine a B+ rating.

Lyn deMoss, who forwarded the wine review information to Madame Chouteau, is a resident and homeowner in the Lafayette Square neighborhood who enjoys good food and good wine. Interestingly enough, she is a seamstress specializing in home interior sewing, including custom pillows, cushions, draperies and slipcovers. Exotic jobs include engineering and fabricating sound control panels for home theater/home entertainment installations. A fashion design background, coupled with work with ballet and theater customers, has sharpened her skills in clothing fabrication, alteration and repair, and she has constructed Victorian costumes and handled wedding dress alterations, among other projects. She can be reached at 314-865-5388 or by e-mail at lyndemoss@sbcglobal.net.

Robbed at Gun Point (soulard)

We ran across the following posting on Craigslist - St. Louis, dated May 3 - Sunday - in the Lost and Found category and titled "Robbed at Gun Point (soulard):

"So, me and my friends where, yes robbed at freaking gun point last night. My purse was stolen and I'm hoping they just took the cash and threw out the window. It's a white purse with a brown strap. If any one finds it, can I please have it back!" Location: Soulard.

Madame Chouteau sure hopes this person gets her purse back. Remember, these are hard times, and wandering around the Soulard neighborhood after dark can be risky, especially if you have been drinking. Of course, this is just common sense.

Update (added on Monday): Wishing to obtain more detail than that on the Craigslist posting, Madame Chouteau had a friend contact the Craigslist poster seeking additional information. The friend truthfully identified himself as a resident of the Soulard neighborhood. Following is the exact reply (the name of the victim has been left out):

"I actually work at Johnny's and after work I went to McGurks to visit with my friends from Dublin. After last call we were gathered at the front bar. My girlfriend was parked on 12th St across from where the cop sits. She wanted to walk by herself but I insisted that we all walk her. All being myself, my 2 girlfriends and a guy friend from Dublin. We walked her to her Jeep and were just talking about plans for Sunday. The time was approx 1:30-1:40ish, our 1st call to 911 was 1:50 a.m. or so. Just then a Silver late 90's Monte Carlo swerved toward us and then wiped around and another car facing the other way, stopped. 3 black men jumped out, I could only see out of the corner of my eye, since I was facing the Jeep. One of the guys about 5 foot 8, wearing jeans and a held a very shiny hand gun to my head. He said to give him all of our money. The other men were pointing guns towards my friends. They hit one of my girlfriends in the face.

"My guy friend from Dublin, told them that they didn't want to do this. They pushed him and hit him. My back was to them...I dropped to my knees and laid my purse down and placed my hands in the air. One of them grabbed it and they hopped into the cars and turned west on Russell. The police came after being put on hold twice, thank God no one got shot or we'd be dead. Needless to say that is the 3rd time I've been robbed in this city. My purse was stolen from work during Mardi Gras, last summer my car was broken into and now this. Each time before I was thankful I wasn't robbed by gun point or hurt.

"Next time I'm sure someone is going to kill me. Thankfully for me I'm only working 5 more days in Soulard and then I don't think I'll ever go back without a gun. It's getting worse in the city and the police just care. No one is safe. I have countless of stories from friends that this type of stuff has happened all in your backyard.

"My boyfriend was home during a home invasion and those assholes were never caught. I'll never get any of my stuff back and I can deal with that. Since this is my 3rd time around, you start getting numb. The police suggested that we arm our selves. I'll probably be caring a gun from now on down there. If this dosen't get under control you're going to have not only the thugs with guns but everyone else with them. I'm not a radical about firearms but if we had guns this would have defanity ended in a blood bath. Needless to say, I'll have a gun on me from now on and suggest to friends not to go down there without one. I hope this helps. Good Luck!"

Madame Chouteau thanks the victim for her willingness to share the unfortunate details, and we hope she soon recovers her composure.

Update 2 (added on Tuesday): Following is an official version of what happened in Soulard relating to the incident on Sunday, May 3, from information compiled by Lisa, Linda and Terry, who operate Soulard neighborhood blasters meant to keep neighborhood residents and others informed:

The following information provided from a St. Louis police officer:
Incident: Robbery 1st
Location: 2018 S. 12th Street
Suspect #1: B/M, early 20's, 5'06", short hair, light t-shirt, shorts, silver handgun
Suspect #2: B/M, early 20's, 6'01", short twisties, slim build, light t-shirt, black blue jeans, black handgun
Suspect #3: B/M, driver in Chevy Malibu
Suspect #4: B/M, passenger in Chevy Monte Carlo
Precinct/Beat: 311/321
Dates/Times: 05/03/09 0150hrs

Terry was also told (by a SLPD officer) that this robbery, and 5 others, occurred throughout the city this same evening, committed by the same suspects. They were driving a stolen car, boxed the victims in, assaulted and robbed them at gun point.

The following information was received by a resident who contacted the Craigslist poster: (Please note, the following are details from the victim's email and not a copy of the reply.) The victim met friends at McGurks after work at another Soulard business. After last call the victim and friends walked one of the friends to her car on 12th Street. (Victims: 3 females and 1 male) A silver late model 90's Monte Carlo swerved toward them and whipped around and another car facing the other way, stopped. 3 suspects (see description above) jumped out with guns and demanded all of their money. 2 of the victims were pushed and/or hit.

Our Most Sophisticated Mardi Gras Parade

We must admit that we missed the 2009 Grand Parade of the Soulard Mardi Gras on Saturday, February 21. The temps were freezing and a wicked wind pushed the wind chill into the 20's.

Missing the 2009 version of the parade might be perceived as a tragedy, since it is promoted as the crown jewel of the Soulard Mardi Gras and as an extremely sophisticated parade, second only to the public displays associated with a royal coronation. To be honest, those officers and members of Mardi Gras, Inc., and the Soulard Restoration Group carry themselves as though they are royalty. We know that the rest of the world wishes they were one with this in-crowd, with The Swells of Soulard. But you aren’t, so eat your heart out.

In fact, Madame Chouteau missed the parade not because of the weather but because the parade is so pathetic.

Here are some pictures from the 2008 parade. You could park your rosin chair next to the pumps at any truck stop in Pevely or Fenton and see a better parade of trucks, and without the drunken crowds. Bring your own beads and have a ball. And the booze would be cheaper, so you could get a good buzz on and have money left over to buy a six-pack or two to drink on your drive home.

It should be mentioned that the photos were taken at the beginning of the parade and do not advantageously display the parade setting: a stretch of road whimsically and romantically titled South Broadway, a post-industrial urban boulevard, complete with potholes and eroding curbs, embroidered with a surly spectrum of gas stations, worn at the edges fast food outlets, liquor stores, vacant buildings and trash strewn lots. To hear The Swells of Soulard talk, Mardi Gras turns South Broadway into some kind of Rodeo Drive. The Grand Parade does lend a certain flavor to South Broadway. The old computer saw about garbage in, garbage out comes to mind.

Thus, it is puzzling to witness the hubbub made over the Grand Parade and Grand Parade Day.

For example, why would Loonyness Place, the newest gambling venue here in St. Louis and a source of great civic pride to people starved for signs of municipal health, associate itself with this debacle by sponsoring it? Why would a supposed sophisticated business want to stand cheek by jowl with Mardi Gras Inc. and its child, the Grand Parade, a lame come-on for a faux festival trying mightily to disguise the fact that selling over-priced booze (and as much as possible to anybody) is its reason for existence?

Is this a cool branding move? Madame Chouteau has found that one way to determine whether somebody has a semblance of good sense and effectively evaluates reality is to bring up the subject of the Grand Parade Day. Those with a life say they wouldn’t get anywhere near the event. They accurately appraise it as "just a bunch of drunks."

So here is Your Sponsorship, LP, the entertainment venue whose unique contribution to St. Louis is a tunnel from the underutilized domed football stadium (which soon will be really underutilized) to their new digs in Laclede’s Landing. A tunnel from nowhere to nothing. Why does it associate with MG Inc? Maybe it helps management feel superior. Scientists aren’t sure.

In a city insecure about its identity and direction and hosting a leadership trumpeting self-serving answers and solutions, the Soulard Mardi Gras Grand Parade Day is a symptom of the continuing malaise confronting Soulard and St. Louis. Is a Grand Drunk - enthusiastically boosted as an answer by those who know better - the preview of things to come?

More Recognition of Steve and Veronica Baetje

Steve and Veronica Baetje, who make Soulard Farmers’ Market shoppers so happy with their outstanding goat milk products, were recently recognized by the Southeast Missouri University for their entrepreneurial skills. In late February it was announced that Baetje Farms LLC was one of the recipients of the 2009 SPARK Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence from the Southeast Innovation Center.

The Baetje’s are goat farmers and artisan cheese makers. The goats are hand raised on their farm, located in Bloomsdale, MO. Steve and Veronica rely on the assistance of friends and family members to tend the goats and to produce their award-winning cheeses. Their cheeses are sold at four farmers’ markets, including at Soulard, in several restaurants and wineries and at 17 grocery stores.

The business was one of six small businesses in the tri-state region that were recognized by the Southeast University Innovation Center for growth and economic impact in the region. Each of the SPARK Award winners were graduates from a nationally recognized and high successful small business training program, titled Operation Jump-Start, created and conducted by the Innovation Center. Objective of the program is to teach entrepreneurs essential business planning and preparation skills in a non-academic setting. For additional information about the Innovation Center, visit their site at http://www.semo.edu/innovation.

Madame Chouteau wishes to add that Steve and Veronica and those who help them at the Soulard booth are just wonderful people. Shoppers are encouraged to stop and chat with them at the market, and to sample and purchase their products.

New Market Vendor offers Heart-Healthy Beef

Grass-fed, heart-healthy beef is brought to Soulard Farmers’ Market shoppers by Bob and Sue Eckenfels and partner Robert Hoye from Hoye Brothers Farm (HBF), located in Ste. Genevieve.

HBF occupies 114 acres of the rolling countryside which characterizes the typography of the Ste. Genevieve area. The pastures provide cool and warm season grasses, red and white clover and annual forage plots of rye and mullet, according to by Bob and Sue.

They explain that the pastures are divided into 14 individual paddocks and each is supplied with abundant well water. The cattle herds are rotated from paddock to paddock, allowing them to graze on high-quality, nutrient-rich grasses. The resulting beef is a tasty alternative to factory farmed, store-bought beef, Sue explains.

The HBF herds consist of Murray Grey and Angus cattle, known for the rich flavor of their beef. All are 100 per cent grass fed and are never given grain, antibiotics, hormones, anabolic steroids or growth stimulants, Sue notes.

She adds that beef from grass-fed animals is much lower in calories and fat than grain-fed animals, is high in healthful omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamin E, and is a rich source of cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The meat is flash frozen and shrink-wrapped.

At present, Bob and Sue can be found at the booth usually occupied by Steve and Veronica Baetje, who sell that outstanding goat cheese. Steve and Veronica will be back at their stand after the kidding season, of course, at which time Bob and Sue will move to a more permanent location at the Market.

For information about cuts of meat available and prices, contact Bob and Sue by phone at 573-883-0337, by e-mail at mailto:bseckenfels@yahoo.com. Best, visit them at the Soulard Market on Saturday. We welcome them as new vendors to the famous Soulard Farmers' Market.