Category Archives: Friends and Farms

Bean Eaters

Posted on October 7, 2015 by AnnieRie

Tuscan inspired cooking. Using cannellini beans. In the fall, we crave heartier foods and a week ago, our CSA gave us one of my favorite bitter greens, broccoli rabe.

I knew that my Tuscan cook book had a great recipe using broccoli rabe and beans.

I made a few changes. Resulting in this.

I added some sweet pepper, and some scallions to the simple recipe. That called for beans to be cooked, then broccoli rabe added. A little garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Just the thing to counter the chilly weather. Stick to your ribs dinner. Served with baby back ribs from my Friends and Farms basket.

I love cooking with cannellini beans. I have done the soup thing, and made my simple tuna and bean salad countless times.

Check out the Williams-Sonoma Tuscan cook book.

And go look for broccoli rabe in the farmers markets.

2 Comments

Posted in cookbooks, CSA, Food, Friends and Farms, LFFC, Locavore and tagged CSA, farmer's markets, Food, Locavore, real food, value of CSA. Bookmark the permalink.

Opportunities and Adjustments

Posted on September 14, 2015 by AnnieRie

Fall is coming. I wore a jacket this morning when I headed up to the post office and to Jenny’s to get a few things. The tomato plants are dying off. The garden is pretty much over and done with, except for the garden salsa pepper plant that keeps on giving.

The farmer’s markets will wind down in the next 4-6 weeks. Most Community Supported Agriculture programs are coming to the end of the season.

It’s time for me to adjust what I get, in order to keep fresh fruit, vegetables, meat and cheese coming into the house.

For those looking to find a source once the markets close down, I have found my two choices work well for us. They appeal to me because I can tailor them. Adjust the sizes.

Friends and Farms is year round seasonal. They have a few promotions going right now. Like a sample “Quick and Easy” basket, as well as the choice to buy a sample of any of their other options.

We have been getting the protein and dairy option, since I love my CSA with its “off the beaten path” weird veggies. I don’t want the same eight items rotated through the house. I like the diversity. But, protein and dairy gives us the right portions and allows us to get our veggies elsewhere.

Local meats. Made here in Maryland. If you notice the absence of dairy, it’s because I don’t drink milk, so I chose the option of a “surprise me” vegetable as a substitute. We do get cheese once a month on this plan.

As for Lancaster Farm Fresh, they continue to refine their product to make it as flexible as they can. For fall, two vegetable share sizes. Options for meat, cheese, eggs, bread, chicken and fruit.

I like getting fresh fruit and vegetables before the holidays. Like our Thanksgiving basket.

Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, mushrooms, potatoes. This was a medium share. Perfect for a couple that likes vegetables, or a family with little ones. Now, that nine pound squash? If I had children or grandchildren, it would have made a huge amount of baby food. As it was, I used it in a number of ways.

This fall, I am returning to a large basket, and adding cheese, bread and fruit.

Now that I know I can get chicken and other meats from Carroll Farm to Table when I need something, I don’t need the meat share from the CSA. Right now, the CSA and Friends and Farms keep us in just about the correct amount of protein to make 5-6 meals a week.

We have adjusted here though. We were getting more ground beef than I am used to cooking. I’ve been creative. I’ve been traditional. I made meat loaf. I made lasagna. I use the crock pot at least once a week. But, we still aren’t huge ground beef eaters, so I will be eliminating one source of that.

The freezer is full. The CSA and Friends and Farms adjusted for fall. I am ready for the change in seasons.

Leave a comment

Posted in CSA, Food, Friends and Farms, LFFC, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged CSA, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, real food, value of CSA, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

The Protein and Dairy Bag

Posted on July 19, 2015 by AnnieRie

Next up on the #buylocalchallenge front. Meat. Seafood. Dairy. Eggs.

All readily available here, with just a little searching. Or, by subscribing to the weekly bag from Friends and Farms.

I get the weekly bag during the summer and fall, when I like to get much of my produce from the Community Supported Agriculture source I have used for years. I also have the garden, and I like to buy fruit from the farmer’s markets. I did customize my bag to include produce instead of the half gallon of milk a week.

The eggs are from Miller Farm in Clinton MD. The chicken is Locust Point in Elkton MD. The other meat items we get are from an independent butcher in PA. He buys from surrounding farms.

Besides using a service like this, there are many other ways to find fresh protein items in Maryland. On my Local Resources page you can find many of the ones I like. I have meat, dairy, and cheese categories on the page.

As for seafood, a wee bit more difficult, but not impossible. The seafood market in Jessup (Wild Seafood) always has something from the Bay, just not necessarily the Maryland portion of the Bay.

Whatever way you find to add some local flavor to your meals will reward you with fresh home “grown” tastes. I have not missed those grocery store packages at all. Sometime during the challenge taste the local offerings at your nearest farm to table restaurant. Many of them have local beef, lamb and pork.

When you get hooked on the taste, you can find a source that works for you.

BBQ ribs with grilled squash and potato salad

Like I did in last year’s challenge.

Leave a comment

Posted in Food, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged buy local challenge, cooking, farmer's markets, farms, Food, foodie, grilling, local businesses, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

The Big Cheese

Posted on July 15, 2015 by AnnieRie

Today let’s talk about local cheese.

Cheese like Shepherd’s Manor Creamery Ewe Cream Cheese. Which you can find in many farmer’s markets and at Friends and Farms, where we discovered it. The dairy is in New Windsor MD. I love sheep’s milk cheese, and also goat’s milk cheese as they work for us lactose intolerant people.

Olney on Sundays is the closest farmer’s market where you can get this cheese.

Let’s move to Firefly Farms and Cherry Glen. Outstanding goat’s milk creameries. Their cheeses vary. I love Firefly’s chevre more than Cherry Glen, but CG’s Monocacy Ash is awesome.

I think we discovered Firefly at a Turf Valley Home Show, and Cherry Glen, we bought at Roots Market.

Goat’s milk cheese has that tang, that slightly different taste.

As for cow’s milk cheese, lots of options around here. Bowling Green is local and available at many farmer’s markets and farmstands. I really like their “feta” to put in my watermelon salad.

From yesterday’s post you saw a picture of a fresh mozzarella from South Mountain Creamery. There is nothing like fresh mozzarella. Only thing better than buying a local one is making it yourself from local milk.

Oh, and a PA source for goat cheese. Linden Dale Farm. Their feta made from goat’s milk graced this watermelon salad.

Hey, it’s Buy Local Days. What could be better than cheese? Tomorrow, bread to go with it.

Leave a comment

Posted in Community, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Real Food and tagged buy local challenge, cooking, farms, Food, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Vampires

Posted on June 18, 2015 by AnnieRie

Or lack thereof due to the high concentration of garlic in the house.

After all, how many people do you know that are curing garlic in their laundry rooms? The garlic hanging there is destined for the Howard County Food Bank. The first of many harvests to give us about a month’s worth of garlic to donate. I took about a dozen heads of garlic out of the ground this week. The largest ones, which were already turning brown on their tops. The rest. Will get harvested as they dry out. If it ever stops raining. Garlic is easy to grow, but needs to be dried somewhere cool and dry.

Besides that garlic, I have scapes from the CSA and green garlic also. Green garlic are those immature plants that are culled out to make room for the more robust plants that will become mature garlic.

In this picture you can see green garlic on the right and scapes all curled up on the left. I made some pesto. Cut some in pieces to use in stir fry dinners. I should have left a few of them whole so I could wrap bacon around them and grill them. Too late for this batch.

If you have never had scapes, I know that Love Dove Farms sells them at the various county markets. I used to buy mine there before the CSA started inundating us with scapes.

Tonight a few ended up in this meal.

An almost completely locally sourced meal. The salad. Arugula and butter lettuce and chive blossoms from my garden. The main dish. Pappardelle’s garlic chive pasta from Secolari, served with shrimp from Friends and Farms. Pesto from my freezer (last year’s basil). Snow peas, scallions and scapes from the CSA.

With all this garlic, there will be no vampires in this part of western HoCo.

Leave a comment

Posted in CSA, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Gardening, Locavore and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, foodie, gardening, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Lovin’ Summertime

Posted on June 13, 2015 by AnnieRie

Summer has arrived. Really arrived. Hot, humid, perfect weather for the garden to flourish.

The first zucchini. Out of that 100 square ft area in my garden. I like to pick the earliest ones when they are small, and do a simple dish with them. The massive zucchini will come later when I find them hiding under the leaves.

We got some really good stuff in our Friends and Farms basket Thursday. Atlantic Bluefin and ground lamb are the stars.

We did the tuna Thursday, and made mega meatballs tonight from one of the packages of lamb.

I do a “no measure” meatball. Putting in bread crumbs, an egg, za’atar and cumin, salt and pepper, a few scallions. Baking at 350 degrees until perfectly browned.

A few meatballs. Sautéed zucchini. New potatoes from up at Jenny’s market.

Followed by one really great dessert. Strawberry rhubarb dessert bars.

Not too bad for a hot humid Saturday. Here’s to more meals from local foods. Here’s to celebrating summertime.

Leave a comment

Posted in Food, Friends and Farms, Gardening, Locavore, Weather and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, gardening, Locavore, real food, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Perfect Pork Chops

Posted on June 5, 2015 by AnnieRie

I finally figured out how to make the perfect pork chops. It’s only the third or fourth time we have gotten chops in our Friends and Farms order, or in the meat share from the CSA.

This was yesterday’s protein and dairy bag. From Wayne Nell and Sons, four large beautiful boneless pork chops, extra thick.

As for the rest of the basket, we are getting eggs again from Miller Farm in Clinton MD. A nice changeover to really farm fresh eggs instead of our regional winter supplier. We got some chicken apple sausage from Logan’s, in Baltimore. And, boneless skinless chicken breasts from Locust Point Farms in Elkton, MD. Instead of milk, as usual, I got my weekly substitute “extra produce”. An option for those who don’t drink milk. Two bunches of scallions.

As for those pork chops, I took apart the package and vacuum sealed two of them to freeze for later use. The others.

I pounded them with my mother’s old meat tenderizing mallet. Breaking them down a bit and getting them both to the same thickness so they would cook at the same rate. Nothing on them but salt and pepper. Pan fried in light olive oil. Very high heat to sear. Finished under a lid with a splash of white wine to deglaze the pan and get the centers to that perfect state of doneness.

Then, I forgot to take pictures. So there is no “after” shot. Still, my husband declared them to be the best I have ever made. They weren’t tough anywhere. They weren’t chewy. They were moist and flavorful.

I served them with the last of the cabbage from a month or so ago. I kept that whole cabbage in the fridge, and I slow cooked it in chicken stock in the oven. Falling apart. I also got a bag of apples as an add on this week, and baked two of them to use as a side for the pork chops.

These were the add ons this week.

Five pounds of apples. A pint of vanilla ice cream to use with some of those strawberries around here. Sechrist Brothers beef hot dogs. Because sometimes you really want to grill hot dogs and hamburgers and these all beef hot dogs are just awesome.

2 Comments

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

Protein and Dairy

Posted on May 31, 2015 by AnnieRie

An option from our Friends and Farms baskets. One that we enjoy during the summer, when our garden is producing the bulk of our vegetables, and Larriland becomes the source for most of our fruit.

I miss the South Mountain Creamery truck at the Glenwood Market. But, I am happy to report that you can get wonderful yogurt and ice cream and milk from Friends and Farms.

This week’s protein and dairy bag, with a couple of add ons.

The add ons. Pequea Valley plain yogurt. No sugar in it. Just plain yogurt. Thick, rich. The flavored ones are good too, in particular I love the maple yogurt. Still, plain yogurt can be used all sorts of places.

As for that ice cream. If you love hot stuff, you must try it. If you are a heat wimp, you will freak at what is in this ice cream. Trickling Springs in Chambersburg PA makes this ice cream. It contains cinnamon, chipotle powder and habanero powder. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I can’t eat it all by itself but I am thinking of one amazing milk shake.

As for this week’s protein items we received. We got two lovely rainbow trout. Cleaned. Split. We grilled them with lemon and dill.

Also, a couple of pounds of short ribs. They are in the freezer. Crock pot dinner later next week.

My typical dozen eggs. Already gone. Frittatas.

We don’t do whole milk. I choose to get a surprise veggie instead. This week. Beets with greens.

If you want really good meat and eggs and dairy, this is the way to go.

Leave a comment

Posted in Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged cooking, farmer's markets, Food, foodie, gardening, local businesses, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Posted on May 9, 2015 by AnnieRie

When it comes to food choices, we have so many options in this area that it is sometimes overwhelming. Literally. CSAs. Farmer’s Markets. Organic food stores. Specialty stores. Fresh from the farm at farm stands.

What is the best value? It has taken me years to figure out what works for me. It may not work for you. I do find it a great deal that we have moved the CSA market into one with maximum flexibility.

Community Supported Agriculture used to be “one farm” for the most part. If the farm did well, you ate well. If the season was awful, you didn’t get much. Then, they started banding together to make cooperative ventures. Buying fruit from orchards, or bread from local bakers, or cheeses and dairy.

Enter the flexibility of sizes. Small, medium, large. Half or whole shares.

Since our entrance to buying from CSAs, we have watched them adapt. Now, it is simpler to choose, but harder to manage (trust me, I think our site host is a saint to put up with all the headaches associated with dozens of options).

Enter also really innovative ideas like Friends and Farms. Where you can miss a week. Or change options at a moment’s notice.

Add our multiple farmer’s markets, like the return of Glenwood for us in west county. Where we can round out our shopping and avoid those long lines at the local Giant Food.

After four years of experimenting, I think I found my perfect match. Rotating the choices from Friends and Farms year round. Hitting farm stands like Breezy Willow in the winter. Jenny’s in the summer.

And my anchor. Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. We held our breath to see if we met our minimum to keep our site going. We did that and more. Forty one shares. Mini custom. Small. Medium. Large. Fruit. Meat. Chicken. Cheese. Flowers. Herbs. They have made it a smorgasbord of options.

Our first pick up was last Tuesday.

A large share. Most of which has already been consumed, or is planned for the next two days. Asparagus. Grilled. Spinach and chard. Frittata. Beets. Roasted. Onions. Grilled. The Jerusalem artichokes will be roasted tomorrow.

This year I tried a meat share. The heritage pork chops were awesome.

As for cheese. They continue to make me happy. We like to have a smaller dinner, with some wine. I cut off a few slices of complimenting cheese to savor. Instead of dessert.

That mozzarella. Perfect shaved over my Friends and Farms tomatoes from Hummingbird Farms.

This local source for tomatoes that taste like tomatoes, before the garden kicks in, is a welcome treat from Friends and Farms. This was my last “small” basket. We are moving to Protein and Dairy. Between the CSA and the garden, I will have enough produce.

I will miss that great bread but the local farmer’s markets will fill that void.

All in all. I found my combination that works. If you live here, with seven farmer’s markets, a dozen farm stands, almost a dozen CSAs, and Friends and Farms, you certainly can eat well on fresher than store bought food.

Leave a comment

Posted in Community, CSA, Farmer's Markets, Farms, Food, Friends and Farms, LFFC, Local Businesses, Locavore and tagged CSA, farmer's markets, Food, Locavore, value of CSA. Bookmark the permalink.

The 4F Club

Posted on May 3, 2015 by AnnieRie

Friends. Farms. Families. Foraging. The theme for today’s post. Much of today centered around these words. Like foraging.

Those wild asparagus that live out by my driveway. I harvested five of them so far this week. Just enough to add to dinner. Which began from my Friends and Farms basket.

There was a very nice brisket in the basket. As well as some Baby Bella mushrooms. Both showed up in dinner. We did slow cook the brisket on Thursday, but the leftovers became dinner tonight.

As for families. Part of the dinner came from Jennys. Subject of yesterday’s post. New red potatoes. Snap peas.

Part of dinner came from my garden.