Iceland review - 2015, Síða 55

ICELAND REVIEW 53
Blönduós, Northwest Iceland, didn’t pay
a higher price for organic meat—even
though production costs are higher—and
there was no support from the state for
farmers wanting to move into organic
farming. In 2010, this changed and the
slaughterhouse started paying 20 percent
more for the meat, a development which
prompted the couple to take up organic
farming. The higher price didn’t last long,
though. This autumn they stopped paying
extra, arguing that Icelandic consumers
are not interested in buying organic meat.
Instead, Halla and Guðmundur sell much
of their meat through Beint frá býli, or
Farm Food Direct; an association of farm-
ers who sell their products direct to the
consumer, as well as to restaurants and spe-
cialty stores. They also sell organic herbs
and dulse, collected from the farm and
down by the shore.
LOOKING TO OVERSEAS MARKETS
A member of the Open Farms system, the
couple have been benefiting from increased
tourism in Iceland. In addition to farming,
Halla sometimes works as a guide and takes
part in other tourism initiatives: during
a tour of the region with travel company
Guðmundur Jónasson ehf., which includes
northern lights hunting, tourists drop by the
farm to get a glimpse of life in rural Iceland.
“We don’t do anything special, nothing for
show. They just take a look in the sheep
house, they see how things really are on the
farm,” says Halla. Her multicolored sheep
are also a drawcard. “They’re not just white
sheep; they’re a blend of many different
colors so they’re quite special.”
A few weeks later, I catch up with Halla
at the artisanal food market at Harpa in
Reykjavík, a triannual event where local
food producers sell their goods. In early
October, she and 13 other Icelandic food
producers will travel to London to present
their goods at Borough Market, October
7-10. She’s optimistic that the angelica-fed
lamb will prove popular with consumers
abroad, exclaiming: “It’s exciting!”
Londoners will be treated to the fresh-
est meat possible: Halla and Guðmundur
are now preparing for the annual autumn
sheep round-up in late September where
they’ll collect the animals from their sum-
mer pastures. The angelica field and a busy
slaughtering season await. *
ICELANDIC LAMB STEW
A hearty autumn meat stew, or kjötsúpa, made from Icelandic lamb and harvest season
vegetables—yellow turnips (swedes), carrots, potatoes, celery and onion—fragranced with
angelica seeds and wild Icelandic thyme. The stew is cooked in a ceramic pot made by
Sigríður Erla Guðmundsdóttir, using clay from Ytri-Fagridalur.
FOOD