I find Sundays to be the best day to do the Dark Days Challenge as I am home watching football, and dinner can be made around games and halftime. I promised the OM (old man) in amateur radio lingo (as an aside I am the XYL or X young lady, single women are YLs) that he wouldn’t suffer with bad meals because I am doing this challenge. So far I think I am delivering really good food while staying within the parameters of the challenge. All of my sources are now being listed on my local resources page.
It all started with sauerkraut. I made my first batch of sauerkraut two weeks ago. This is the last of it.
I put a new batch together in the pail and will have more for meals over the holidays. Probably taking some to my brother’s house for Christmas Eve. The cabbage is from our CSA.
The sausage I bought Saturday at the Silver Spring year round farmer’s market.
Sausage, sauerkraut, and a honeycrisp apple from Quaker Valley. Ready to bake.
I made a spinach salad. Spinach from Our House Farm, rest of the veggies from the CSA, and cheese from Bowling Green Farm in Howard County. Vinaigrette from Catoctin Mountain Orchards. Spelt bread from Atwater’s. Butter from South Mountain Creamery. The wine is a 2000 Linden Hardscrabble Cabernet Blend from VA from the cellar. Virginia has some phenomenal wineries, and Linden’s wines are some of the best here. This wine is still a baby after 11 years.
The finished dinner, including a side of roasted root veggies left over from earlier in the week. The veggies were all from the Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market or the CSA, and all were local and organic, including the huge roasted black radish which was wonderful after slow roasting. It also included plum tomatoes, celery, carrots, onions and greens. After roasting the veggies earlier this week I strained and saved the veggie stock to use later for other meals.
Who says Dark Days have to be dull? We can cook great meals with local ingredients, with a little planning.
AnnieRie Unplugged 
This looks great…I love my sausages and kraut! I’m a dark days challenger too, and it appears we’re (almost) neighbors. If you want any local venison for the challenge, let me know…I’ve got a freezer full it and a hubby who enjoys sitting in trees at the edge of NoVA parks. I’ll check out your list of local sources too; it’s always great to have other places to find food.
Susan, we are close, aren’t we? I have two possible sources of venison besides my neighbor, who gives us some when we swap veggies. They did not put their garden in last summer, so I swapped tomatoes, potatoes, onions and squash to get stew meat, chops, and spiced ground venison.
Another friend is thinning herds on a local farm, and another is defending his own farm, and we are on both of their lists to get some. I need to buy a freezer now, for the garage, since the fridges inside are both at capacity.
I am off to the Common Market today to see what is there. I have to finish Christmas shopping so decided to do the Frederick thing today, and maybe Gettysburg Outlets for books.
Annie
I think we are sort of neighbors…I live in Reston. Glad you’ve got a venison source. I never knew there were so many urban hunters until I married one!
Hope you had fun at the market. I’m doing some shopping at MOM’s tonight.
Not that far. Cross the river at Brunswick and head northeast a bit. Frederick and Columbia are the nearest big cities to us. I lived in Columbia for 30 years, and then, interestingly enough, got tired of planned communities. Even though I loved it in the 70s when I moved there.
We looked to get as far away from developments and rules, and to have freedom to put up towers, wires, garden, possibly raise chickens in the not too distant future. I have fenced gardening right now. Too many deer.
The meadow is natural. I may be planting a part of it soon, to expand what we grow of our own.
Annie
Sausage & sauerkraut is so delicious–love your local take on it!
I have plans to make my first sauerkraut when the cabbage in my garden matures. It is nice to see how you used it in your baked dish with the sausage and apples. That is a great combination. I picture leeks and fennel with mine somehow and pork. What a very nice meal you have made. Sincerely, Emily
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