Quack, Quack, Quack

That's the sound my phone makes when it rings. It's also the sound this duck made when it was swimming in the organic brown rice field near Hamilton City, CA . Greg Massa, owner of Massa Organics, uses ducks each year for weed control in his rice field. It's just one of many clever ways he keeps weeds under control without resorting to nasty sprays. This is his second year he's raised ducks. Ducks sold out very fast the first year so last spring he got even more baby ducks. Those went fast too. Psst, his neighbor thinks he nuts; I like crazy people.

So you have ducks living on organic food in a natural environment. No stress in their little lives. He rounded them up to take to the processor; they got out during the night so he had to do it all over again. These are smart ducks too.

We got the last two; the rest were bought by Alice Waters to serve at her Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley. She has ducks just like mine. I never thought I would have anything in common with the patron saint of fresh, local food. She cooked one of Greg's ducks and pronounced it the best she had ever had. Check out both Alice and Greg at http://www.chezpanisse.com and http://www.massaorganics.com Greg is also on Facebook and Twitter.

I've never cooked a duck so I got out Julia's first cookbook; the one of "Julie and Julia" fame. And sure enough she has everything I need to know about duck preparation and lots of yummy recipes. Haven't decided which one to make but I think tomorrow is the day.

Greg's organic brown rice is delicious as are all of his products. You can order them from his web site. His rice is served in the Berkeley school district. Kids get healthy foods there.