Category Archives: Friends and Farms

My Take on Cassoulet

Posted on February 24, 2014 by AnnieRie

A favorite one pot meal. Cassoulet. With all sorts of options and the ability to use what you have hanging around in your fridge.

Served with an excellent local Big Cork Chardonnay. The last one, so it must be time to head up to Frederick for a few more bottles.

This dish came together because I had leftover chicken breast and garlic sausage. About 6 ounces of chicken breast and the same amount of a fresh kielbasa. They were both main elements of last weekend’s meals.

Start with the base.

Olive oil heated in the pan. Added one sliced yellow onion and a handful of scallions sliced. Half of a green pepper. Three roma tomatoes, sliced. Half dozen cremini mushrooms. Other than the scallions, the rest of this dish was in last week’s delivery from Friends and Farms.

When the vegetables are soft and the onions translucent, add the sausage and chicken. Deglaze it all with a splash of white wine and some stock. Empty a drained can, or two if you like beans, of either cannellini or Great Northern beans. Some fresh basil, slivered. A couple of cloves of roasted garlic, smashed, or a teaspoon of garlic powder. A teaspoon of herbs de Provence. A little salt and white pepper. A teaspoon of tomato paste.

Put everything in a low setting in the oven. I use the slow cook setting, which is 250 degrees. For about an hour for all the flavors to meld.

This picture is the before the oven photo. The plate up top is the “brown” version. It may not be the prettiest dish out there, but it definitely tastes wonderful.

You don’t need duck to make cassoulet. It works just fine with chicken. Not a bad mostly locally sourced meal.

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Posted in Food, Friends and Farms, Locavore, Real Food, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, Locavore, MD Wine, real food, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

A Picture Perfect Weekend

Posted on February 23, 2014 by AnnieRie

I think spring is teasing us. Saturday and Sunday. Both days where you could just imagine the trees starting to bloom, and look for the crocuses and tulips to start poking their tips out of the thawing ground.

Solomons Island was hopping Saturday. We took a drive down there to sightsee since the sun was shining and it was warm out.

Unfortunately we do know we will have a few more snow and sleet events, at least in the forecast, and that it will be chillingly cold again late this week.

Today I did get to Lowe’s (along with about half of Howard County, it seemed – and the other half looked like they were in the Costco gasoline line). We picked up some potting soil for my spinach, arugula, kale and mesclun seeds. A trellis for this Malabar spinach, once I get to transfer it outdoors.

I am heavily into garden planning. There will be new herbs, and lots less tomatoes. I will fill in my needs for freezing and canning using the pick your own option at Larriland.

I used up more of my pesto from the freezer in recent dinners. Like last night.

Pesto is on the chicken and in the rice. Those split chicken breasts I got in my basket Friday were excellent. I used a simple method of baking them.

I placed a few basil leaves under the skin. Added some defrosted pesto cubes rubbed into the surface. A little salt, pepper and olive oil. Split a couple of the roma tomatoes from the Friends and Farms basket, which by the way, actually taste like tomatoes in the middle of winter. Imagine that! Some scallions. A small splash of white wine. Baked at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes until they registered 185 degrees on the meat thermometer.

The jasmine rice was steamed and then a cube of pesto melted into it. A bed of spring mix with a Caesar dressing.

Frozen strawberry ice cubes. Back when I was talking about my CSA essentials I showed my simple method to preserve those less than perfect berries. Cut out the bad spots. Put the good parts in a blender with a little sugar and puree. Freeze in ice cube trays. In the middle of winter, this is your reward.

Particularly when it is nice and warm outside and you are kicking yourself for not defrosting a few steaks. We did at least clean out the grill (something, either field mouse or chipmunk decided storing seeds in the side unit was a good plan). Fired it up and cleaned the surface. I will be ready when it warms up again. Maybe next week?

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Posted in Adventures, CSA, Day Trips, Food, Friends and Farms, Gardening, Weather and tagged cooking, day trips, Food, gardening, local businesses, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Flexibility

Posted on February 21, 2014 by AnnieRie

I think I may be stretching the limits of flexibility this week. I went in today to pick up my basket of goodies at Friends and Farms, over in Columbia.

First, my pick up day is Thursday but we had an unexpected event yesterday where we would be out of the area for the day. No problem. Make a phone call and switch days.

Earlier I saw mussels on the anticipated weekly list, and even though I used to love mussels, a restaurant in Newport Rhode Island served me some bad ones. They are the one shellfish I can’t get near anymore. No problem. For those who prefer no shellfish at all, and those who don’t enjoy certain ones, you can choose the alternative protein. This week it was a couple of pounds of split boneless chicken breast.

I have already substituted eggs for the weekly milk, and yogurt for the biweekly eggs.

The flexibility is what is unique about this program.

So, what did we get?

The perfect makings for pasta. Seriously. Basil. Fresh angel hair pasta. Tomatoes. Green peppers. Sweet Italian sausage.

Also, an option to purchase some cremini mushrooms to supplement your basket.

The rest of the basket included apples and Asian pears. Individual quick frozen butternut squash and corn. A pound and a half of spinach. Oh, and bread from the Breadery. I chose Montana white this week to use with some egg salad I made with the leftover eggs last week.

Almost forgot. I saw they had Trickling Springs salted caramel ice cream in the market this week. Every week on the black board they list ice cream flavors, and meat options, for those who want to supplement their baskets with extras from the suppliers. There are always cheeses, cider, yogurt, eggs, and other goodies in the fridge by the door, in case your family wants something not scheduled for the week.

I have to admit. I do enjoy the winter baskets with all the creative regional items. When we aren’t drowning in the summer with boatloads of vegetables, these little specialties like the LaPasta fresh angel hair can inspire you for dinner.

My house also smells of basil. I am tempted to make pesto for the pasta, but I do have a few Meyer lemons left so we may have to make Meyer lemon basil fizzes tomorrow while it is still warm out there.

The living basil is already ensconced in a small glass with an inch of water keeping the root ball moist.

Hmmm, tomatoes and basil. Have to find a good mozzarella and I could make Caprese. Somehow this house full of summery scents will hopefully give us incentive to make it through the projected crummy week ahead.

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Posted in CSA, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Weather and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Really. Great. Pasta.

Posted on February 16, 2014 by AnnieRie

I have written before about finding Pappardelle’s pasta at Secolari, in Columbia Mall, and at Casual Gourmet, in Glenwood.

This pasta is such a delight to make and eat. The flavors just jump out at you. And, today, the aroma of cooking lemon ginger fettuccini. Amazing.

An interesting pairing tonight. I found a unique pasta sauce at Costco. A Tuscany pumpkin sauce. From Cucina Antica.

This combination was light, but creamy. I added the leftovers from last night’s dinner. Country style ribs with Korean BBQ sauce.

These ribs came from my Friends and Farms basket a few weeks back. Slow cooked in the oven, under foil with salt and pepper and in a bath of white wine. Finished with a glaze of Korean dipping sauce mixed with honey mustard.

Today the half we didn’t eat Saturday was shredded and added to the pumpkin sauce. A dash of cumin. A handful of scallions. Some garlic powder to taste.

Boil the pasta. Simmer the sauce. Eat a wonderful simple meal after my husband finished his radio contesting marathon.

Then sit around and watch the Olympics while sipping a spritzer. A little white wine, some Limonata, and a few frozen cubes of strawberries, from our strawberry picking trip to Larriland last May. Love using those “ice cubes” in drinks.

And, I did forget to take a picture of the pasta dish. What can I say?

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Posted in Food, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Winter Eat Local and tagged amateur radio, cooking, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Holding It Close

Posted on February 15, 2014 by AnnieRie

As in closely sourced items for a stellar Valentine’s Day dinner.

When you look at this dinner plate, you can’t tell initially that it reflects a commitment to local, seasonal and small business sourced items for a meal.

Filet Mignon. Green bean casserole. Baked potato.

What is local about all this?

The Filets. England Acres.

Pan seared and coated with a mushroom gravy.

Potatoes. From our Friends and Farms basket. Baked. Then sprinkled with truffle salt, and doused in white balsamic. A couple of specialty items from Secolari.

A simple green bean casserole.

Mixed together and baked.

Really. Why go to restaurants when at a fraction of the cost you can make a simple meal with better items.

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Posted in Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Real Food and tagged cooking, farms, Food, foodie, local businesses, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Really Great Customer Service …

Posted on February 12, 2014 by AnnieRie

… begins and ends with communication. And, accommodation. And, great products.

With crazy weather approaching, we wondered “How will Friends and Farms get our weekly items to us?”

We shouldn’t have worried. We got emails this morning, linking us to the updated page about inclement weather. Followed a few hours later with more information.

Do you want to come in tonight to pick up? Extended warehouse hours. Facebook pictures of staff filling extra baskets for those of us who pick up tomorrow.

We got there at 4:15. Lots of people there. Efficient drop off of bags and name taking. Extra staff shuttling baskets out from the warehouse.

Communication that bread wasn’t available as The Breadery delivers the morning of pick up. Do you would to come in over the weekend, or get two loaves next week?

I got home and noticed, in the insulated bag, my quick frozen green beans were missing. Popped off an email.

Got a response back in ten minutes from Tim, one of the founders. Apologies and choices. Did I want to pick up this weekend with the bread, or have it held until next week?

Since I want the bread for Sunday breakfast and for the egg salad I want to make for the weekend, I am popping over to pick up.

What did we get though? A winter “CSA style” basket is definitely regional, and definitely seasonal.

Hydroponic Bibb lettuce. Grown in high tunnels in the winter. Hamlin oranges from Florida. These juicy oranges are perfect for making salads. Like my fennel and orange salad. One humongous cabbage. There will be “blind pigeons” next week. My MIL’s recipe, using some sausage and ground beef mixed, with rice and some of that really flavorful tomato puree we got.

We also got two large red onions. Again, my go-to onion for salads. These are firm and fresh. So much nicer than what I find in the grocery stores.

Grape tomatoes to make a Bibb and tomato salad. Eggs (which I now get weekly instead of milk). My favorite Amish yogurt, which I now get biweekly (substituted this instead of the biweekly eggs others get).

I love the customization flexibility. I really enjoy the variety of the meats.

This week there was a “breakfast” meat. Fresh turkey sausage. The main source for beef, pork, and lamb we have been getting is Wayne Nell and Sons near York PA. We also got two rib eye steaks, perfect for a Valentine Dinner. And, chicken.

This week, boneless/skinless chicken thighs. I am thinking of all sorts of things to make with this chicken. Freebird is just awesome. You can enter your package code and “meat” the farmer who raised this chicken.

Really happy with Friends and Farms, enough to write about them often. We just renewed our subscription for 13 weeks.

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Posted in Community, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food and tagged community, cooking, CSA, farms, Food, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Just A Small Basket

Posted on February 6, 2014 by AnnieRie

That’s all it is supposed to be. But, it is filled with large flavor. And some really fun surprises.

There are the usual winter veggies and fruit. Like potatoes, apples, Swiss chard. There is an interesting cheese, a Weissa Kase, from an Amish farm.

Breadery Bread. This week we chose Montana white.

This wasn’t an egg week, but I just modified my basket to make eggs an item instead of milk. The biweekly eggs will become that luscious rich yogurt. I love the flexibility to customize what we get.

Protein this week. A sirloin steak and a couple of beautiful tuna filets.

I already made them for dinner tonight, along with some of the green beans from a few weeks back.

It was pretty simple. Pan fry the steaks with some sesame seeds and salt and pepper, in olive oil. Steam the green beans. Add a few sauces.

My favorites this week, though, are the edamame. And, the peanuts.

The Virginia raw peanuts. Ready to be roasted. I am torn between making peanut butter, saving them for making granola, and being really bad and making “Peanut-tella” aka a Smitten Kitchen recipe. Using cocoa and powdered sugar. The only other thing I need to make this is peanut oil, which I can easily find.

Who knows what I will do with the peanuts?

We also got egg noodles, and some frozen corn. Not a bad haul for the middle of winter.

Meal planning is dynamic and fun, thanks to Friends and Farms.

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Posted in CSA, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Winter Eat Local and tagged cooking, CSA, farms, Food, local businesses, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

Posted on February 4, 2014 by AnnieRie

Ordinarily I am not a big fan of chicken breast. Usually too dry and without the taste that legs, thighs and wings have (at least to my taste preferences).

I tried a new technique for me, and made a very satisfying dinner tonight. Half the chicken in dinner, and the rest will become a chicken corn chowder base in a day or two.

Made in a stir fry pan. Here is what I did.

I had a pound of boneless chicken breast from our first Friends and Farms basket. I wanted chicken pieces that were moist. So, I started out with the chicken fat that had been skimmed off the stock I made with a whole chicken last week. I heated it up in the pan and added the chicken in strips and cubes. Let it cook slowly in the “schmaltz”. Pulled out the chicken and removed all the fat from the pan.

Put in my base.

Remember that jam jar dressing recipe from last week? Made with maple yogurt and Dijon mustard. Well, over the weekend I made another batch right in the mustard container, using equal amounts of mustard and yogurt and adding the cider vinegar and oil in the appropriate ratio. I put some coconut milk in the pan, about six ounces, added two teaspoons of flour, salt, pepper, and a healthy squirt of the mustard dressing. Made a white sauce. Added about four ounces of my oven roasted cherry tomatoes, taken from my freezer. Put the chicken back after adding another couple of ounces of milk to get the consistency I wanted.

A little sprinkle of tarragon, and of paprika. Kept on a low simmer while I made some of the Pappardelle’s pasta from Secolari.

I used about four ounces of the pasta that made two servings of pasta. Added about half the chicken mixture. That leaves me with half a pound of chicken to make the soup later this week.

The finished dish. I was considering adding cheese, but it was fine all by itself.

Served with a Maryland Chardonnay from Big Cork. The 2012 vintage. Perfect match to the creaminess of the sauce, this big chardonnay balanced the meal. The salad. Made with the Bibb lettuce from last week’s basket.

I have to admit. It is easy around here to eat locally, even in the dead of winter. The chicken. The tomatoes from the freezer. The schmaltz from a local roasting chicken bought last fall. The yogurt in the dressing. The lettuce. The wine.

I am glad we signed up with Friends and Farms for the winter. Gets me into making new dishes, and expanding my recipe collection.

Now I need to pull the frozen corn from the freezer and make that soup soon.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Wine, Winter Eat Local and tagged cooking, CSA, farms, Food, foodie, heirloom tomatoes, local businesses, Locavore, MD Wine, value of CSA, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Decisions. Decisions.

Posted on February 3, 2014 by AnnieRie

CSA decisions, that is. Community Supported Agriculture. Something I believe in and preach to all who will listen.

There are so many excellent choices for fresh produce here in Howard County. Finding the best fit, and using it wisely, is the challenge.

We first joined a CSA, with Sandy Spring, when they offered pick up where we volunteered. They used an Amish cooperative. We loved them. Organic. Veggies mostly. Reasonably priced. Convenient.

They didn’t get enough people to continue beyond the first year. We switched to a Columbia pickup.

I have tried and liked two other CSAs in the area. But, I love Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, because I love the challenge. The really exotic veggies. Veggies outside that narrow box we used to work in.

When life gives you bitter melon, you learn. Celeriac. Chayote. Salsify. Jerusalem artichokes. Kohlrabi.

I stay with them because I like that challenge.

This spring and summer I will be doing a bit different mix. A half share from Lancaster Farm Fresh.

Plus, an individual basket from Friends and Farms. Because I like their meat, eggs, dairy, bread and staple items mixed in the basket. A rotation of items that works for a couple.

Who needs grocery stores if you can get fresh seasonal items from regional farmers, fishermen, butchers, and entrepreneurs.

How things have changed for us. Buying from local farms and using these locally based suppliers for the freshest, natural, seasonal foods.

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Easy Pea-sy

Posted on January 31, 2014 by AnnieRie

Pea Shoot Pesto.

I wanted something interesting to do with the pea shoots we received from our weekly pickup at Friends and Farms.

After a bit of searching around the internet, and knowing that I am a sucker for pestos, I found numerous recipes for a pesto made using pea shoots.

I messed around with them, as usual. And, reverted to my standard formula for pesto. I harvested almost all of the pea shoots. Got around three cups of them.

Toasted a mix of almonds, pecans and walnuts.