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South River Miso's living food stands by tradition: a trip back in timeby Tracy Frisch This past October, on a sunny afternoon, I had the honor of spending a memorable several hours visiting South River Miso in Conway, and learning from its founders about their life's work. I was stunned by the quiet beauty surrounding everything associated with South River Miso and by the spiritual commitment of the couple who have kept it going. I am a miso eater, and mainly I use miso daily as a condiment and digestive aid on my morning oatmeal - a cereal dish which others generally consider weird, or worse. So when, at the beginning of my visit, South River Miso founder Christian Elwell told me of their porridge recipe (see box), which incubates cooked oats with miso overnight, I was thrilled. There are only three miso producers in the United States. South River is the smallest, as well as the most traditional. In 2001, the company and its six employees produced 80,000 pounds of this nourishing, artisanal, certified organic food. At that level, a full year of production at South River Miso would barely supply the needs of a Japanese village of 4,000 people-per capita consumption in Japan is 18 lbs. per year. "In Japan, no one is making miso commercially the way we are making it," noted Christian, who with his wife Gael-la started this miso-making business 23 years ago on the land they were -homesteading. Quintessential living food Miso is a naturally fermented, aged health food made from cultured grains and beans, and eaten since ancient times. The word itself first appeared in Japanese script around 800 CE. living food. The death of his father from cancer, at the age of just 51, motivated his quest for deeper meaning and healthful living. Then, while in the Peace Corps in Iran between 1969 and 1971, the wisdom of an artisanal economy impressed Christian. In Esfahan, the 17th-century capital of Persia, he saw everything-from nails, to rugs, to sesame oil-hand crafted from scratch in a way that gave the people, and their sustainable culture, a dignity and meaning that we in the United States have all but lost. Later, while traveling in India, Christian became ill with hepatitis. On his way home, he visited the Findhorn community in Scotland, where he was first introduced to the macrobiotic approach to food as medicine. Returning to Massachusetts, Christian studied with Michio Kushi, a leading macrobiotic teacher. He also met Gaella, his future wife. Together, they enrolled in a 10-day workshop in California to study traditional fermented food making with Noburo Muramoto. They stayed on as students for three months-making miso. When a start-up miso company in Ohio collapsed, the Elwells were offered the business (including 13 tons of miso) at a bargain price of $10,000. They moved everything in a tractor-trailer to their primitive homestead. For two years, they hauled miso across the South River using draft horses to meet the UPS truck. Today, the company resembles what I imagine when I hear the term "sustainable business." South River is housed in a lovely, simple, energy-efficient building that honors the Japanese design tradition, and which was constructed of local natural materials by a New England timber framer. A dual-purpose masonry stove heats the building, and cooks the grains and beans. (In the hottest part of the summer, the miso makers take a break from starting new batches of miso.) The company is value-driven and works at an almost domestic scale. Quality ingredients and adherence to the best way of making miso are integral to this business. Money is reinvested into the enterprise, which is still owned by a couple with a passion for its mission. Employees believe in their work. For instance, the production manager is a Japanese man who left a World Trade Center job seven years ago to send his children to a Waldorf School in Amherst. Traditional miso making Miso making involves a double fermentation process, the first phase of which is making koji, a Japanese term meaning "cultured grain." Through this fermentation, the starches in the grain are broken down into simple sugars. An abundance of digestive enzymes are also produced. After the koji has been prepared, the beans are washed, soaked and boiled. South River Miso cooks soybeans slowly and gently for 20 hours in a cauldron set into a wood-burning masonry stove. Christian favors wood heat over gas and electric when it comes to producing food with the utmost flavor and healing force. Next, the cooked beans are put into a stainless-steel mixing box. The miso makers don organic cotton socks and plastic leggings, and crush the beans by treading on them. At South River, they once used a meat grinder for this purpose-but when it broke down in the early 1980s, they returned to the traditional way of processing the cooked beans. Until World War II, all miso was made in this way. During this process, some mature miso of the same variety is mixed in as a starter culture, thus linking the new miso with its ancient lineage. The salted koji is then mixed in with the crushed beans, resulting in "raw" miso. At this point, the second phase of fermentation begins as the raw miso is placed into huge wooden fermentation vats, where it ages anywhere from three weeks to three years, depending on the variety of miso. South River sells one-year and three-year misos, which have been actively fermented for three months (one summer) and three summers, respectively. The company makes about a dozen varieties, each with its own recipe and special culture. These range from Sweet-Tasting Brown Rice Miso, Mello Barley Miso, Azuki Bean Miso, and Chick Pea Miso (all one year), to Three-Year Barley Miso and Hearty Brown Rice Miso . A very special limited-edition miso-made each spring with wild-crafted dandelions, wild leeks, nettle greens and Maine sea vegetables-can be served as an instant soup! Light misos are typically younger, fermenting for one year. They require less salt in their making and contain a greater amount of grain than beans. They are rich in amylase enzymes, which enable us to digest starches. Christian also recommends using these light, younger misos for marinating fish and meat. Dark misos undergo three years of active fermentation. They use relatively more beans and salt, and are high in protease enzymes for digesting proteins. The long fermentation process creates a meat-like flavor. Tamari is traditionally a byproduct of miso making. Tamari means "little puddle," and refers to the savory liquid that collects in a vat of miso. However, most soy sauce is made using a different process. My visit to South River Miso has made me a loyal customer for life. I am thankful that I can buy a food I eat daily from such a conscientious business. South River Porridge In the evening, cook 1 cup oatmeal in 2 cups of water for 5-10 min. (until water is absorbed). Don't use salt in the cooking. Let the oatmeal cool to body temperature, and then stir 2 teaspoons of light miso thoroughly into the warm cereal. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature (about 70°). Reheat in the morning (without boiling) and serve. The enzymatic power of the miso will liquefy the cereal, unlocking its essential nutrition, creating a wholesome sweet taste as it ferments overnight. Other whole, rolled, cracked, or ground cereal grains may be used, although cooking times will vary as necessary. Many pre-industrialized peoples fermented their grains to gain the most energy and nutritional strength from them. |
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