What is in Season...Joy!

Here is a good reason for eating local. The joy of the first greens of Spring...the first asparagus. Those of us in mid life and who live in the Northeast know the seasons from our childhood foods. How we looked forward to the first yummie Spring asparagus and berries, Summer corn on the cob and Fall apples? Last night I had freshly picked asparagus it was so wonderful. It brought back memories of going to the patch on my childhood farm (my parents bought a farm house someone else planted that patch years before we arrived).

I have decided that I could be a vegetarian most days...carrots and potatoes and greens. Keeping it simple with limited sauces and added ingredients. I promise if you try food this way in a very short while you will begin to love it! Happy Spring the greens are here.

Check out the cool site I found this picture at: http://www.asparagus.org/

Great place to learn!

I have come across this woman a few times and her site is worth a look. Just remember if you ask about food you might come out feeling kind of sad...like total cereal is really not all that! But you also might find that it is worth while to keep informed.

One tip I learned from her. Do not drink skim milk...the fat is what binds the calcium for my body. She recommends the kind of milk that OHFC sells...raw milk but if you must get milk at store drink nothing less than 2%.

Check out Emily:

http://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&aIdx=4&articleID=126005127&aogid=124834865&gid=1138797&gid=1138797&srchType=nws&srchCat=WOTC&trk=news_brkout&goback=.ana_1138797_1272880393275_3_1.nvr_1138797_1

I recommend going to the Blog "Sustainable learning journey blog"

Greens, greens ...they are coming!

I am very excited to be looking at greens for the spring. Bright colored and fresh. This has been a long winter for this "newbe" to eating local. I am ready to pass by potatoes and carrots. Here come the spring crops. BUT before we leave carrots just a mention I had some wonderful carrots that were given to me in my CSA, they were purple and orange. These baby carrots stay in the ground over the winter and then are harvested. Can you say SWEET! the grandchildren got such a hoot out of the color and we made up all kinds of carrot stories from the long winter.

A key thing that I have learned is to let go of my traditional eating habits. A meal of carrots, braised greens, sliced tomatoes (hot house here in Maine) and freshly sliced cheese is really just wonderful.

Will fill you in on the new "greens" CSA experience.

VISIT YOUR LOCAL FARMS!!!!

Simple, Simple greens Eat em Hot

So the other night after a long day I had nothing to eat in my house. Well I had a few cans of vegetable stock and an onion, some mixed greens and eggs. Oh and I had some boxes of mac and cheese. I know I cannot eat that, I really should not eat that but it seemed so easy. Then I had this idea.

I used one can of stock, one onion chopped and cooked that for about ten minutes. Then I added my whole box of greens (they are like spinach when cooked a bucket becomes a cup). When the greens were pretty much cooked (I like them soft) I added one egg and stirred well for another three to four minutes. I also added pepper and a drop of hot sauce. Let me just say that this was a really tasty treat! I was full and smiled as I closed the cabinet and left those lonely boxes of mac and cheese in the dark.

Just an idea. You can cook these greens, saute in butter or oil, in soups, or scramble them with eggs it is all good and they are in season again! Enjoy.

Spring and Greens!

I am starting to love Spring for the greens that come into season. I have decided that almost all greens are tasty and braising them can be delightful. After a long winter of carrots, onions and parsnips the fresh light greens are so welcome.

Here is a real handy chart of greens complete with pictures and names (also some good recipes for greens) http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/visualguidesaladgreens

I have a simple dish that is good: Arugula and Cheese Frittata. If you have a frying pan that can go in the oven it is best but otherwise you will have to bake in baking dish.

You will need:

2 potatoes

2 garlic cloves

6 eggs

6-7 cups Arugula

1/4 of favorite cheese

salt and pepper

Take two potatoes (Maine of course) peel dice and cook. I start them in a microwave to make this quicker (I know not sure that microwaves are great but that is what I do) you could just boil them in a small amount of water. Drain well. set aside while you do the arugula.

2 gloves of garlic diced and sauteed in oil about 2 minutes. Remove garlic and add about 6-7 cups of arugula packed. Saute until tender. Add potatoes to this mixture.

Add salt and pepper to taste about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and slightly less of pepper. (I use a bit more salt and know I should not but it is good)

Pour this Arugula and potatoes into bottom of pan. Put a few pieces (less than a tablespoon of butter on top). Then poor eggs on top.

Whisk eggs and pour over mixture.

Add about 1/4 pound of your favorite cheese. I use Fontina because I read it in a recipe somewhere but really any cheese makes a good shredded topping. Again use what looks right for you and your family.

If using same pan on stove top and over. Begin to cook on stove top and finish in oven for only about ten minutes.

If baking you will need to bake until the eggs set (350 about 35 minutes) but my oven is quirky so test with a knife until the knife comes out clean. If you over bake the eggs will dry out but eggs need to be fully cooked.

You can ALSO just scramble this all together and top off with cheese which will melt due to heat of mixture...not as pretty BUT just as tasty and quicker! This is a great treat.

More arugula recipes?

http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=arugula&x=0&y=0

When mixed greens do not look so good....

Braise them! I discovered, in desperation for something hot and veggie, that you can take limp greens (make sure they are not slimy) and saute them. I was tired after work tonight and had limited foods in my little two room place. (this is my home away from home during the work week). I decided to fry some chic peas and add the greens that I had which were a bit limp. They tasted yummy sort of like spinach and I felt like I had a honest meal.

The trick here is good oil, had some great local oil and nice red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Easy and good. I am not sure what I will do with all my boxed rice mixes and mac and cheese!

Chicken soup!

Here is a confession. I have never made chicken soup without assistance of store bought chicken broth. Well last night I decided that I needed to cook my chicken (small frozen organic from my CSA share) and I had no broth and only about three spices. SO....I simmered that bird with salt and pepper and some local spice mix (it had basil, thyme, sage and marigold). I am here to tell you that the broth that came from that process was perfect! Seriously it tasted great. I am very excited to eat my soup today. I know this should not be a revelation but for this old gal it was.

I added a small amount of rice noodles and a couple carrots and like magic delicious chicken soup. All these years I have over thought or over done cooking. Less is better, local and fresh DOES make a huge difference and it can be done within a budget. That's all for now. I will report on my soup later but it tasted good at 9pm last night.

Keep it Easy when Tired!

Ok so I was tired after two longer days at work. I wanted to just buy fast food and be done with dinner. My hubby definitely wanted to "take out". But I kept thinking that I could do something really quickly and still feed the folks local and good foods. I asked Pat ( I am lucky to have an inside advantage with her) to open her collaborative and help me with dinner.

I bought a couple pounds of hamburger (local) and some pork (local) since my husband cannot eat beef. I got a small package of local carrots from Pat's root cellar, some Pineland Cheddar cheese, and some eggs. Once I got home I had little time. I decided to just scramble the meats (in two pans) and added cheese to the beef. The grandchildren loved the beef and cheese. I made some white rice (not local) and cooked the carrots. I came up with no use for the eggs on this meal. The meal was nice and the kiddos loved it. My step son (16yr old) thought the meat was great and did not miss extra veggies..carrots and rice was a great idea. It was actually really filling, very good and very simple. I was well pleased. How simple it is to feed a big family with simple local (mostly) products. It can be simple. We had Shane's Maine Ice cream with frozen blue berries to end the evening. Nice meal, done within 30 minutes and good for everyone. Simple even if you are tired!

Friday---Fish Chowder Day

Last night watching Iron Chef on the food network made me want to cook. Have decided I need to get a pasta machine because the fresh pasta looked wonderful.

But tonight I am thinking I should have fish...Fish chowder sounds good for a Friday night in Maine. I have some carrots from my CSA share, potatoes and onions. I figure I have a good start. I make mine chowder by feel so decided to review a couple of good recipes and see if I could find one that is close to mine. Two key ingredients that are absolutes: celery and thyme. So here are two recipes that I think sound good and one includes my carrots. I suggest that you try my method of cooking. Read a few and go for it with your own taste and feel. I like the first one:

http://mainiacmusings.blogspot.com/2007/09/fish-chowder.html

I am not sure about the crackers (never did this but found several recipes calling for them?)

http://www.grandparents.com/gp/content/food/recipes/article/maine-fish-chowder.html

Now for side salad. I wonder why fruit salad always seems right with Fish Chowder. I am thinking strawberries, blue cheese and baby spinach. A balsamic reduction sauce is really good..This sounds fancy but really is pretty basic but tasty. This simple recipe is fine...I add a bit of brown sugar if it does not sweeten enough.

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=381632

Lastly I have an organic corn muffin mix that will be great. I have not tried it so if it turns out good I will let you know. It is from my CSA and it is from a Maine producer.

Are chick peas local foods? Great recipe!

Well I am not sure...I did a search but was unable to discover if any farmer grows them in Maine. However on the MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association) I did find an article talking about having chick peas grown in Maine. I did find a lot of farms willing to ship them (dried) to me from all across America. I have to say that I stole this recipe from my new favorite Blog Bitten and of course I modified. I just cannot ever follow a recipe exactly. But I also will say it was absolutely wonderful!!!!

Basic you take chick peas, garbanzo beans, DRY them, if they are freshly cooked then make sure they drain well or if from can do same. Fry them in oil (I used olive oil about 1/4-1/3 cup) make sure they all get a chance to brown up...do not toss too much or they will mash up (that is a technical term)

Add some cut up sausage (this is where I varied from a Spanish sausage) I used Turkey Red Pepper and Asiago Cheese sausage chopped fairly small. Add this to beans and continue to brown.

This will all take about 15 minutes.

Remove both and use remaining oil (add more if needed) to saute spinach...I used one bag 10 oz.

This is quick. Then mix all together and put in oven baking dish...top with small amount of fine bread crumbs (I added a small amount of Parmesan cheese) and bake for about 15 minutes. Fabulous!!!! Even my 82 year old mother loved this one.

Here some nutrition facts about our little bean friend. http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/legumes-and-legume-products/4326/2

Now add spinach and wow what a healthy meal!

http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2626/2

Ah comfort foods!!!

How many of us love comfort foods? I sure do. I have decided that I am going to try and find the best recipes for comfort foods with local foods. This could require learning to make my own pasta. I LOVE pasta. I think that if I could make my own, using the local flours I can buy at my collaborative then I would be on to something really good.

I found, a few months ago, a great recipe for butter nut squash and pasta. Simple, almost fancy but definitely comfy. This recipe is so simply and it is available all winter long. Still even as spring approaches it remains fresh and light. I think it makes pasta almost guiltless!

This Blog (Bitten in the NY Times is well worth following)

http://bitten.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/recipe-of-the-day-pasta-with-butternut-squash/

So today we will have this with some greens hopeful that I can get them locally grown by a farmer using hydroponics. I found this store in Maine that sells much of the equipment which also explains the concept pretty well.

http://www.thegreenleaf.biz/?gclid=CIC0wvOWx6ACFclM5Qod5Dl9OA

There is a great tomato place in Maine that has had national attention:

http://www.backyardfarms.com/about-us/index.html

When doing a salad I recommend considering mixing cold with hot. I love to oven roast onions, peppers and mushrooms for the top. All you really need to do is take any veggies you have and chop, slightly coat with olive oil, season (I generally use pepper and salt) less is better. Put in oven at 400 until tender. Put right on top of greens. It can make a salad a meal without lots of added calories but lots of good nutrition. Check out the Internet there are lots of recipes but seriously take a stab...I did parsnips and carrots this way and they were delicious! Have fun and keep it local.

So what is quick and good for you?

Back in Maine I found myself looking forward to my CSA (community supported agriculture) share this week. I do a program for six weeks at a time where I pay 30 dollars a week and get a "share" which is a canvas bag filled with food. Each week it is filled with different local foods. My challenge is to figure out what to create for a meal with this share. Last night I had some wonderful green leafy lettuce (there is a green house project up here and they are coming up with some cool foods during the long winter months). I also had some goat cheese. I had some bread, there is a baker that sells through this collaborative that makes some seriously good all natural breads. So I made a goat cheese, lettuce and sliced apple sandwich on my yummie bread. Now at seven pm last night driving home from my day past at least ten fast food stores including some pretty good little Greek Pizza shops I was thinking.... But when I got home and opened my bag (initially thinking "darn I cannot cook a whole chicken") the end result was really tasty and left me feeling pretty good.

I find that I am learning more about using less. Less condiments and fewer ingredients. I am enjoying the foods as they are. Now I am not always thrilled with the result but in this new relationship to food it also is more about healthy living, creative thinking and learning. It is not about putting large amounts of food into my body all at once. Of course I still eat good amounts of food and I am not getting skinny. But I am finding that more often I now want the healthier stuff.

Tomorrow I will cook my all natural chicken that came in this weeks share and maybe seasoning it with the season mix. I will let you k now how that turns out.

Fast Food not so good anymore!

There comes a point, after eating local and good foods, that you no longer desire the stuff that comes from "fast food" chains. The foods taste of grease and artificial flavoring. I am finding that I need to be a bit more prepared. My fast foods these days are Boars Head sliced turkey and hummus...it goes well with a multi-grain wrap!

I am even sorry to say that Progresso soups, really a good canned soup, no longer hold my interest. Life has changed. My humus and turkey was far superior to the chicken noodle, low fat and low sodium Progresso that was dinner. I am thinking that the curve for changing eating habits is about three months...I have stuck with my new eating style with rare exceptions (like trying canned soup tonight). I steam and broil all kinds of veggies, I am eating more fish and I am staying away from too much butter, no mayo, and very little bread. Finally I am starting to crave the right stuff. Working on the fruits but do get my berries in yogurt most mornings. (Just a note: frozen blueberries are pretty darn good).

Keep faithful and stay away from things that are not grown and try to eat those that are local. It will grow on you!

Travel and Eating

So there was a day that traveling meant junk food, fast food, take out and enjoying local restaurants. I have to say in a short amount of time eating healthier foods I have become less enchanted with dining out and have less of a taste for junk food. In fact a recent attempt at a prepackaged donut left me with a mouth full of lard! Uck. I used to love those little donut holes what was I thinking?

This trip we have had fun trying the local (in season) fruits and veggies. Sought out local stands to purchase fish and meats and stuck with organic when possible. Our daily cost of foods (keep in mind we rent a house so we can cook) for six people has been well under $100 a day. We also have made it part of the trip fun. Now we are in a great spot for local foods...south west Florida with lots of great fruits, veggies and some awesome ethnic foods, Cuban and Latin American flavors, and some nice Caribbean touches. Last night we had grilled veggies with scallops. Get this because we are traveling we only have a few spices...basically we have salt, pepper, some fresh parsley and cilantro, chilies, and Janes Crazy Mixed up salt ( a staple in our home). We have olive oil, veg oil and butter. We have eaten like kings. Shrimp the night before last..fresh from the gulf, awesome mango salad with spinach and nuts, and home made corn chips with freshly made guacamole.

Making the search for foods, seeking out local farmers and fishermen/local fish shops(right off the boats) and trying new fruits and veggies has made the whole thing fun for the kiddos as well. Of course we are not all that because we have a big bag of Basmati rice for emergencies and black beans for the kiddos. Eggs and bread. However I will say that besides the wine, got to have that, I have eaten better on this trip than any before and my body feels better. Will update you after tonites stone crab and snapper!

Veggies, love the veggies!

Who could know that a potato could be so wonderful when it is really fresh. I should after all I come from Maine. But I am here to tell you that a good red potato harvested this fall and kept well is so much creamier and tasty than some of the ones I get at the local box store. I was shocked at the difference. My grandchildren love potatoes, love them! A big bowl of smashed potatoes with butter and milk is like a gift to them. They were all excited by the difference and how good these potatoes really were.

Here is a great article about potatoes : http://www.mvproduce.com/spudfacts.html

Next love of mine is the onion. I have become this raging fan of roasted veggies and onions are just too good. I wondered about the nutritional value of onions so I went to the web while there were many sites that talked about the wonder of onions this was one of my favs...and no big pop up ads!: http://www.onions-usa.org/about/nutrition.php

Next is mushrooms and I particularly like the small porta bellas (kind of pricey but yummie and no not all local this time of year but soooo good) this was harder to find a good article but I think this one was pretty good. http://www.shoprite.com/Cnt/IngredientforHealthyLivingMushrooms.html

So there are my two favorite veggies roasted. Although recently I roasted Carrots (Maine), Parsnips (Maine), Potatoes (Maine) and onions (Maine) and had a wonderful yummie dinner..Oh did I say I added Maine garlic (got to wash the dirt out)...Very delicious and good for me. Love veggies and never make me feel full. I highly recommend them.

Kids and Good Food!

My two grand girls (4 and 5) provide some interesting insight into good eating habits. First a disclaimer Lexie's favorite food in the world is box mac and cheese and that is all there is to it, she is the five year old. Skyler's a bit more diverse and she changes her food likes more often. Right now she likes English muffins and cinnamon for breakfast but just a while ago it was oatmeal. However they both love many fruits and vegetables.

Yesterday they both asked for mashed potatoes for lunch even when given the option for local fast food. Breakfast was yogurt and berries and yes a few local donut holes from Tim Horton's. It is funny Lexie tries to like the donut holes but mostly likes the way they look..and in the end all the yogurt was gone, the berries and we threw away several donut holes. Dinner was pasta...sure do love that! Sky likes the meatballs too but for Lexie it is simple butter and pasta. For a night snack we had some cut up apples and a few not so healthy gold fish. But on balance they are pretty darn good about choosing healthy alternatives.

Some quick things that make them very happy. Keep frozen berries-heating up frozen blue berries just enough to take the frost off makes them very happy and blue. Cheese is a great snack food. Skyler loves a bowl of freshly shredded cheddar cheese, it makes messy but fun finger food. She also loves mozzarella with olive oil and a bit of salt (no pepper please). Grapes are favorites and a bunch will not last more than a few days. Dried raisins and peanuts always are easy and good. Banana and peanut butter...who does not love that? What I find most amazing is that they have grown up eating simple foods and generally good foods so that is what they crave.

Thought I would share since they are here and I was surprised to see just how good they really are even in the face of fast food options.

Cooking local..Big Crowd!

Okay this is a bit outside the norm. I am cooking for over 80 people right now for a Valentines Brunch spot lighting local and seasonal foods. This is hard. We cannot use things like pineapple and orange or banana...but I am working with reality. Apples, cranberries and lots of good cold crops..Now do not get me wrong, I have help! I have a wonderful local chef who is just terrific with food combinations and using local foods helping with some amazing veggie lasagna (2 of them) and I have help from the woman who cooks local community suppers. I also have a special lady who works with me daily and still volunteered to help. (she is brave) It is very interesting what you can do with what is grown. raised and produced locally. We have some great dishes going on and some fun ideas.

Some lovely vegetarian dishes, a potato soup (what is more Maine), some great Cattle beans, delicious fritatta (at least the trial run today) and some super potato and carrot home fries for breakfast. We are going to try an apple waldorf salad with yogurt and some yummie pickled beets. We will have a great day and I am excited after cooking all day today. I have to say never would I have attempted this a year ago but today I realize that this is all about having fun and staying local. I will update on our success. Very cool. By the way: GOT TO LOVE POTATOES!

I have been ignorant but a Farmer is teaching me.

This will be a blog to share stories about local eating and one woman's journey. Like many folks I never gave much thought to the foods. I purchased the weekly groceries enjoyed cooking (family style never with recipes) and ate what tasted "good". Keeping in mind my taste had been informed by chain foods, fast foods, fatty foods and salty. Still love salty!

I always had an awareness that I like fresh vegetables, love summer farm stands and fresh apples and an appreciation for good meats. But generally, I have been driven by my sense of economics and the media "brain training" I received. I thought I needed cheap, variety, quick fixes and certainly those "healthy" easy cook meal options. Now Being CLEAR,,,I still shop at my favorite chain store (begun in New England) and buy "good" deal items. I am feeding a family, the new American economically necessary family of nine. My family consists of adult children home to save money (with grandkids), elderly mother, step child, foster care adult, son who lives across town but cannot make it financially and of course husband. I need deals and I feed lots of people.

But in the last few years this farmer friend of mine, my own organization's unique move into working with local farms and food producers in Maine, and my own LIMITED research, has brought me to a new place and way of eating. This blog will track that journey. Complete with all the realities and honest misgivings and mis-steps. I am NO expert on organic, local foods, health and/or local economies. I am however learning more everyday and hope to spark conversations and ideas regarding eating local and "real" foods (my term). I believe it will be very helpful to me for reflection and learning to keep this blog and maybe a few other folks.

The biggest single lesson I would offer is to find a local farm or cooperative or collaborative and find out if they have a CSA, community supported agriculture, program. CSA shares was a total foreign idea to me three years ago. In my "regular person words" it is a weekly program where you pay the farm or collaborative to supply you with a bag of available local foods. In my year of doing this I would get things I never had tried before which has taught me volumes about foods. It is fun, like a little journey each week. It is not expensive: my share is about 35 dollars a week. My company allows all employees to buy CSA's through payroll deduction (makes it really easy-suggest you speak to your company about this) and I am getting great local foods to use for my family. That would be my first suggestion. It has been a great help to me. Good Luck.