13
November
2008
Superb with squash, mushrooms, marinara, kale, chicken, almost any cheese, but a certain mystique surrounds the making of risotto. It’s misrepresented, I think, as being fussy and time-consuming.
I would argue that it’s fairly simple, but does require the cook’s attention for 30 minutes or so. OK, maybe that is a bit fussy. Other supper making tasks can be accomplished while the risotto bubbles away and the cook has a sip of something. In the end you have a steamy, savory blending of beautiful flavor and color. When it walks into the room people pay attention.
I stocked up on several varieties of squash at my Farmer’s Market a couple of weeks ago. Whistling Train Farm provides good selection right now and for a while longer I think. Any hefty-flavored deeply colored squash like Acorn, Red Kuri or a pie Pumpkin will work - they keep for weeks, months even, when kept in a cool dark place. Make risotto with chicken, vegetable stock or water, add a little cream and cheese at the end. Voilà.
Furthermore, risotto mixes deliciously with an array of ingredients. Once you have the basic risotto *protocol down you can embellish with herbs and all kinds of vegetables in addition to squash. Like squash, some of these need to be precooked before adding to partly cooked risotto. Mushrooms, tomato sauce, leeks, zucchini, kale, chicken, marinara sauce . . . use water or any broth you like, and finish the risotto with almost any cheese imaginable.
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Posted: Eat Local, Farmers Markets, Grains, In The Garden, Local Living, Local Meals, On the Local Table, Produce, Protein, Small Actions, Under the Table
11
November
2008
We just took the big step of installing a wood stove. I know what you’re thinking. Wood smoke does contribute to air pollution, especially if you have an older stove or don’t burn wood properly. When we bought our house 16 years ago, it had an oil furnace. Thanks to yearly maintenance and regular air filter cleaning, our furnace is still going strong. But so is our oil consumption and our oil bill. We thought about converting to gas but since our house sits so far off the street, that would have cost thousands of dollars plus a new furnace.
I’ll admit, this was not entirely a practical decision. I’ve heated with wood a couple of times during my life and have always loved having a fire to sit by and get truly warm. It is amazing to think I can sit on the couch without wearing a heavy sweater and wrapping myself in a polar fleece blanket. You have to remember, I grew up in the South. I’ve never really taken to the cold, wet winters here.
When buying a wood stove, your first decision it what kind to buy. Of course, you will want one that is EPA certified — that will help reduce air pollution. We chose to get an Enviro stove. They are manufactured on Vancouver Island, making them significantly more “local” than most. These stoves are heavy and shipping one from Scandinavia would add even more to our carbon footprint.
The next issue is what to burn. Everyone agrees you should only burn seasoned firewood — that means no household garbage, driftwood, wet or moldy wood, paper with colored inks, painted or treated wood. We are still working out where to store our wood to keep it dry. These photos of stacked wood are from my brother, Jon, who is an old pro at getting his wood in for the winter on Orcas Island. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Local Living, Small Actions
7
November
2008
I’m not inclined to make dinner with whatever’s in the fridge, though I pretend to when I know there’s something delicious lurking there, a portobello mushroom, a leek, or a fancy chunk of cheese.
It’s not that I don’t get creative with ingredients, it’s that I favor certain flavors. It’s called being in a rut. Sweet peppers recently called my name and I stepped out of the box. Late in the season, they’re ready for creative stuffing and there are many possibilities. Just yesterday Poppy cleverly disguised her post-election elation with a killer Spanish Romesco sauce made with sweet peppers.
I’ll tell you what I did, but the point is a focus on local/seasonal ingredients and how something that’s familiar, in this case a stuffed and roasted pepper, might be tweaked and made a little exotic. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Eat Local, Local Living, Local Meals, Small Actions
4
November
2008
Queen Cells in the Hives, Oh No. This recent blog posting at Sunset’s one-block diet site is about bees, but on national Election Day I’m reading between the lines. Check it out. Dontcha think this dissatisfied hive of bees sounds familiar? Anyway, I find the Sunset posting apropos. It reminds me that healthy beehives and a healthy electorate have a few things in common. You could say that our survival depends upon both.
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Posted: In The Garden, Local Living, Small Actions, Under the Table
29
October
2008
You gotta love a food that sounds like a dance, a raunchy one at that. Actually, rutabagas are pretty tame, like a potato, and they have a culinary vocabulary in common: gratins, purees and soup.
Rutabagas are in season, a reason to celebrate for those who eagerly await their return each fall. We’re growing them in our garden and they’re just now ready for harvesting; you’ll find them at farmer’s markets during the next few weeks. Traditionally they’re harvested in the fall and then waxed in order to preserve through the winter. Another Brassica, rutabagas are supposedly a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. Are they a very very close cousin to the turnip? Seems so. They’re also known as Swedish, wax or yellow turnips. (Poppy’s previous post, Getting Down to Brassicas, provides more in-depth brassica information.)
When cooked and pureed they’re silky smooth, earthy in flavor, and slightly sweet like a carrot. Comfort food. Use rutabagas in gratins along with potatoes and in soups to liven and add depth of flavor, or on their own.
This puree is simple and elegant: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Eat Local, Farmers Markets, In The Garden, Local Living, Local Meals, On the Local Table, Produce, Protein, Small Actions, Under the Table
27
October
2008
Halloween pumpkins look like the king of the mountain next to diminutive pie pumpkins, which are the ones needed to make a pumpkin pie. 
Every fall my husband, who’s a good cook and an accomplished bread baker, launches into his one dessert specialty, pumpkin pie from scratch. (Well, he did once make a cake for his own wedding party, but that’s another story.)
Pies made from a can of Libby’s are so good it’s hard to imagine that the effort of baking and pureeing the pumpkin will be worth it. But it is. If only for the experience of finding out what goes into that can, and using the actual whole food, the pumpkin itself, is a great cooking adventure with kids. (Aha. So that’s where pumpkin pies come from.) Plus, it’s made by hand in your own kitchen, baking the pumpkin is easy and the end result is delicious.
Pumpkin Pie from Scratch: 
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Posted: Desserts, Eat Local, For Kids, Local Living, Local Meals, Protein, Small Actions
23
October
2008
The concepts of political correctness and a cheeseboiga don’t seem compatible. Oxymoronish maybe. But then there’s Burgerville, a fast food joint with sustainability at its heart. Go figure. 
If you’re traveling the I-5 corridor between Centralia, Washington and Albany, Oregon (also east on I-84) you can treat yourself to fast food that’s appropriately decadent, delicious and prepared with the environment and your body’s health in mind.
On a recent trip to and from Oregon we ate our on the road meals at Burgerville: cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries and espresso-mocha shakes. Food was good and the setting fit the image of an efficient, tidy FF joint with competitive prices, fast service, and play areas for kids. The comparison with other fast food restaurants ends there.
Signs outside and inside proclaim Burgerville’s intention; straws, cups, utensils are biodegradable; meat and produce are purchased locally; fries are cooked in trans fat free canola oil; attendants whisk away trash and separate carefully for composting and recycling; tent cards on tables describe what’s on the menu that’s seasonal.
So where are other sustainably-oriented restaurants? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Field Trips, For Kids, Local Living, Small Actions
20
October
2008
Shelling beans are available right now at farmers markets. You may have noticed them, beautifully mottled and colorful with long leathery pods. Last year I bought fresh beans already shelled. This year I bought three pounds of Stregonta, with a few other varieties mixed in, from Shelley at Whistling Train Farm and removed the beans from their pods myself. The plan was to make Fresh Beans Gratin.
There’s a sweet period of time between the crisp stage, not desirable for shelling (nor possible), and before the fully dried stage, when beans are still moist, delicate and creamy once cooked. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Eat Local, Farmers Markets, In The Garden, Local Living, Local Meals, On the Local Table, Protein, Small Actions, Under the Table
16
October
2008
Can our bad economy have a silver lining? One way to look at it is that we may end up with a cleaner environment and a healthier population despite ourselves. The recent spike in the price of gas reportedly had an effect on our driving habits. Many people have considered and are using alternatives to the one-driver car. At the very least, we are consolidating our commutes and errands, trying to keep driving to a minimum. There is so much talk about alternative energy it seems very unlikely that we aren’t headed in that direction.
According to the Food Marketing Institute, ” More people are eating home-cooked meals. 83 percent do so at least three times a week “. Less fast food, growing more of your own food — these may be things that you have been doing all along, but now it appears to be going mainstream even if some people are not going there willingly. The rising price of prepared foods may be good news for Slow Food and those of us promoting local food. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: Local Living, Small Actions
16
October
2008
I wish. While apples are baking in the oven read Michael Pollan’s article from Sunday’s New York Times. I’ll say right up front that it’s long, nine pages, but it’s a doozy, an open letter to the next president, the next Farmer in Chief. 
Maybe you’ll just read part of it, or skim quickly through, or read every word. If you’re interested in food, sustainability, the politics of food, the next administration, health care, minimizing dependence on fuel, feeding the world . . . take a few minutes to read or skim this article. You’ll be moved by the depth of information and possibility that Pollan puts forth regarding global food production and security. Farmer in Chief article, NY Times Magazine, Sunday Oct. 12th (There’s a short excerpt at the end of this post.)
He says that food is about to demand our attention in a whole new way, so before you dive into the article get some apples into the oven. The wafting essence of baking apples is soothing, and when you’re done the apples will be waiting for you. You’ll have spicy baked apple to feed your body and soul, Pollen’s ideas about world food culture to feed your mind.
If it looks like my baked apples exploded, well they sort of did. I didn’t exactly follow the recipe’s recommendation for preferred apples, Gala & Golden Delicious. I know better, but decided to use what’s in my backyard and they were delicious in spite of looking a little askew on the plate. This is a new baked apple for me, inspired by a recipe at Gourmet.com. As with most baked apples, this is simple to make, with the added crunch of caramelized nuts on the side and a dollop of honeyed yogurt. 
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Posted: Desserts, Eat Local, For Kids, In The Garden, Local Living, On the Local Table, Protein, Small Actions, Under the Table
