Tag Archives: cooking

Eating Locally: Zuppa!

Posted on October 21, 2012 by AnnieRie

Accidental soup. That is what happened. It started out as sausage and cabbage. A little too much liquid in the crock pot. It ended up a lovely local soup served with a Maryland wine. The summer local challenge is in its next to last week. The ten of us are still using market and CSA veggies, plus what we grew, to make local meals.

Here is mine. TLV Farm sage sausage. Cabbage, turnips, purple potatoes from the CSA. Apples from Lewis Orchards. Cider from Lewis Orchards. Chicken stock from the freezer, made from TLV chicken. Canela bread with South Mountain Creamery butter. Most of the ingredients can be sourced by following my local resources page.

sausage and cabbage soup

The spices and seasonings were the only non local items in the soup. The wine. A Viognier Gruner Veltliner from Black Ankle, a MD winery.

The crispness of the wine cut the sweetness of the soup. I did add caraway, nutmeg, seasoned salt and pepper to the soup, but the cider really kicked it into more of a sweet zone. VGV, from Black Ankle is an interesting blend. The Gruner tones down that tartness of the Viognier.

This dinner is my weekly contribution to the Southern SOLE (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) Food Challenge with my cyber “sisters” that I talked about in a recent post.

One week to go in this current challenge. I believe we decided to continue working together to show how we source and cook from local ingredients all winter long. For me, come January, I have no winter CSA. It is freezer, farmstands and the two local year round markets.

I will be able to pick up things at our winter market fest at the Conservancy in January, and at the couple of farms that will be open on Saturdays. One or two trips to Silver Spring should round it all out. Eating locally is so much easier in this area than it was a few years back. Add to that, I will be doing the Early Bird spring CSA with Breezy Willow. Local cold storage veggies and green house lettuces, citrus from FL and all I need to do is survive January and February without a CSA delivery.

I have become so used to weekly boxes of fresh organic veggies, those two months will be an experience. But, I can still eat the rainbow. Use those frozen goodies like my pesto and my tomato sauce, and plow through my massive amount of potatoes sitting out in the cooler part of the mud room. Who says we have to suffer with processed foods in the winter? I remember getting root veggies like these last December.

Here’s to local eating!

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Posted in CSA, Food, Locavore, Real Food, SSFC, Wine and tagged cooking, crockpot soups, CSA, Food, foodie, local businesses, Locavore, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Woo Hoo! Black Walnuts

Posted on October 21, 2012 by AnnieRie

Without the hassle of shelling them myself. I know I could forage them, as they are everywhere in this area. But, Baugher’s does the hard work and I get the walnuts.

Baugher’s black walnuts

They have a very different taste. They make wonderful cookies. I will be putting these away in the freezer for a few weeks until I do the Christmas cookies. If you have seen black walnuts on roadsides or in fields, you know how hard they are to crack. Plus, the stain on the outer parts of the nut will take weeks to fade from your skin. They are all over the conservancy. I am amazed at how the squirrels manage to get into them.

Here are some of the walnuts from the conservancy, that the squirrels have been working open. There is a large tree on the entrance walkway where the staff does occasionally pick them up and take them. The ones all over the fields are left for the animals. The ones on that pathway become a hazard if you step on them. They are like big marbles and you slide over them. Not fun when covered with leaves.

We saw a huge pile of them on the side of Rte. 340 in Virginia last week. If we weren’t heading for the wine tasting at L’Auberge, we would have stopped and gathered them. Any of them on the right of ways along the highways are perfect for foraging. Like we do in the area when we find wild asparagus in the spring.

Besides the walnuts, today I got the box full of feed corn at Baugher’s. This box is a bargain, and I will be using some of it at an event next month at the conservancy. Right now though, it needs to stay out in the garage. Protected from the squirrels but allowing all the tiny moths to leave and find their way elsewhere.

feed corn to use for a craft project

It was a lovely fall day in Westminster. We headed out early to catch an amateur radio hamfest at the Agricultural Center. It was mostly local radio amateurs tailgating. Sort of a “vintage electronics” flea market. Just so you know, if you ever need tubes for old electronics, these hamfests are the place to find them. Oh, and lots of military surplus stuff. We met numerous friends from local clubs, had breakfast and coffee there and picked up the last of the cable needed to bring all the feeds back from the permanent and the crank up towers that are being assembled on our back meadow.

“hard line”

It was pretty popular there today. Lots of people browsing the tables on a sunny cool morning. With beautiful views of the countryside, and the adjoining farm museum.

All in all, a good day. I found walnuts. They also have chestnuts for those who love to cook with them. I picked up some mutsu apples, a variety that isn’t all that common around here. Got a few small spaghetti squash, as we are having them with dinner often, and I did pick up this winter’s supply of roasted corn meal. The walnuts and corn meal are available in the produce market by the restaurant and not out at the farm. The corn meal showed up last year in one of my “Eat Local” challenges. It makes a killer polenta. Plus, I used it in making scrapple.

roasted corn meal polenta with bison

If you want a day trip about 30 miles north of Columbia, Baugher’s is worth the drive. If only for their homemade ice creams. I was looking for their holiday ice creams, but they still have peach and berry ones in the case. Have to get closer to Thanksgiving before you see peppermint.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Dark Days, Day Trips, Food, Foraging, Local Businesses, Locavore, Nature, Restaurants and tagged amateur radio, cooking, day trips, Food, foodie, foraging, howard county conservancy, Locavore. Bookmark the permalink.

Week 24 of the CSA with Alien Potatoes

Posted on October 18, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yes, last week the potatoes were cute. This week a few of them were strange, and one was downright alien looking. The potatoes this week are purple majesty, one of my favorites. They make great chips, and with red and white potatoes make a very patriotic potato salad.

We can certainly eat the rainbow this week. If I add nuts, beans and grain to the menu, I have all the other colors represented here.

The list:
1 Bag Mixed Sweet Peppers – Maple Lawn Organics
1 Head Green Escarole – Windy Hollow Organics
1 Bag Purple Majesty Potatoes – Transitional – Family Cow Farm
1 Bunch Baby Hakurei Turnips – Echo Valley Organics
1 Head Bok Choy – Bellview Organics
1 Head Broccoli – Soaring Eagle Organics
1 Green Acorn Squash – Railroad Organics
1 Bunch Red Radishes – Soaring Eagle Organics
1 Bunch Leeks – Rolling Ridge Organics
1 Bag White Hamon Sweet Potatoes – Sunrise Ridge Organics
1 Bunch Red Scallions – Sweetarie Farm
1 Bunch Gold Beets – Windy Hollow Organics

As we get into fall, the box gets heavier, with squash and potatoes adding most of the weight. Loving all the peppers. I need to make chili with them. Plus, all the greens. Getting the turnips, beets, radishes and the escarole makes me think I need to make a soup. I love using the greens on these organic root veggies, as I know they haven’t been sprayed.

My other veggie here that I find interesting and quite delicious is the baby hakurei turnip. It is sweet, and can be eaten raw. A little seasoned salt is all they need.

Heading over now to link up with In Her Chucks, and get inspiration for what to do with my veggies.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Food, Locavore, Real Food and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, Locavore, real food. Bookmark the permalink.

Another Busy Weekend Around The Area

Posted on October 18, 2012 by AnnieRie

I am prioritizing where we will go, as again, there are multiple events that interest us this weekend. I have a definite commitment to host the Family Hike this weekend at the Conservancy. Spring and Fall, we have a special hike, with naturalists leading groups, through the trails and the property. The fall colors are just beginning to paint the hillsides. Who wouldn’t want to follow this trail down to the creek on a lovely fall Saturday morning?

grasslands trail at Howard County Conservancy

The Family hike begins at 10 am on the 20th of October. The conservancy is on Rt. 99 a few miles east of Marriottsville Rd. After the hike, the Woodstock snowball stand is open, and with temperatures in the high 60s, not a bad choice for a treat.

Now, us? After the hike, we will be heading back towards home to catch the pig roast at Bistro Blanc. Marc is roasting a whole pig. They have a wine tasting and wine sale as well. 11-2 on the 20th. Bistro Blanc is our favorite local hangout for a great meal. Marc does incredibly good dishes, using many local foods. This pig roast should be a fun event.

Sunday, I will be tagging along as my better half is off to the Westminster Carroll County hamfest, with his amateur radio buddies. After the event, we are heading for Baugher’s to pick apples, and to get the supplies I need for an event in November at the Conservancy. I need corn cobs for the children to use to make bird feeding stations. Baugher’s sells large boxes and bags of feed corn, which works perfectly without great expense. And, one of my all time favorite roasted corn meals. I use this to make cornbread, and a killer polenta.

roasted corn meal

There are corn mazes and fall festivals again, all over the area, if you haven’t yet picked up your pumpkins for cooking or decorating. If you get the chance, head out to one of the local farms and get into that spirit. If pumpkins aren’t your thing, apple cider, heated and spiced, is a perfect choice to eat locally. Or, pick up some fall squash to make soups.

hocoblogs@@@

Eating the Rainbow

Posted on October 17, 2012 by AnnieRie

Eating by Color. An interesting book we discovered at Costco years ago. I use it all the time to find recipes from the CSA box.

Eating by Color, A Williams Sonoma Book

We first started paying attention to the types of fruits and veggies we should be eating, in order to control cholesterol, and get other health benefits. This book divides fruits and veggies into five color groups, and also includes a sixth group. That group is legumes, grains and nuts. Here is a link to a pdf file that includes the fruits and veggies only.

Today our lunch was a perfect example of eating most of the rainbow. Later in the post, I complete the rainbow at dinner.

Purple/blue, the first color, includes the blueberries in the dessert bread. Green shows up more than once, but is really present in the mixed greens in the soup. Because the apple was a green skinned apple, it is also included. White/tan, one of the choices that slows the absorption of cholesterol, shows up in the garlic and ginger in the soup. Red checks in via the chunky tomato sauce that I had made this summer and used in the soup. My chunky sauce also includes carrots, but not much, and onions, so orange and white make a tiny appearance in the soup via the sauce.

The black beans and the pistachios round out the legumes and nut category that the book includes. Again, nuts, legumes and whole grains help in our fight to avoid cancer.

Dinner completed the list. I tweaked my pumpkin hummus recipe to make it have a bit more zing, and made it again this afternoon. It includes the orange/yellow category with the pumpkin, and more legumes with the chickpeas, plus white/tan from the garlic.

pumpkin hummus

I happen to like the way the book assists me in using my CSA veggies and buying fruits to round out our diet. There are lots of other publications available on the web that outline good choices too. Like this one. Who doesn’t want to boost their immune system?

Oh yeah, the apple cider counts too. And, that glass of wine. Interesting, isn’t it?

Tomorrow is CSA day. I wonder what colors we will get this week.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in cookbooks, CSA, Food, Locavore, Real Food and tagged cooking, crockpot soups, CSA, Food, Locavore, real food, tomatoes. Bookmark the permalink.

Savoring That Killer Dill

Posted on October 11, 2012 by AnnieRie

Yep, the monster stealth cucumbers. Two of the last. I tried an experiment with them, and it seems to have worked. The one from July and another from August, both started out in the crock, but I moved them into their own large container with a fresh batch of dill pickling spices.

monster dill pickle

This one, found in August, was hard and white, so it really crisped up in the pickling spices. The other one, pictured in my July post about the garden, had higher moisture and developed differently. Lots of taste but no real crunch.

sliced open dill pickle

The rest of the little pickles were taken out of the crock a while back, and put into jars sealed with a hot water bath. They are in the fridge, three of them, to use in the next few months. I keep them in the fridge because they seem to remain crisp that way.

I bought two crocks this summer in Ohio at Zanesville Pottery. One for sauerkraut and one for pickles.

my bluebird crock looks like this

They are put away waiting for my first cabbage in the CSA, which according to the email that just arrived, will be today. Talk about timing. I need to unpack and set up the kraut crock, which is a two gallon crock. There will be posts in the near future to see how I make this year’s kraut. I want to do a few batches so I can bring homemade kraut to Thanksgiving dinner.

making sauerkraut

Now, I need to find recipes for the delicata squash and the daikons coming today. The CSA post with pictures will be up later today. Off to pick it up soon.

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

Cooking With Gas

Posted on October 9, 2012 by AnnieRie

The grill kind. I wish we had gas for heat and cooking, but we don’t. So, I insisted. A really good grill. Besides, when the power goes out, I have the grill with a side burner.

the gas grill, in all its glory

It was cheaper to get me a good grill, than to run a gas line over a hundred yards to our house, then do the massive renovations to get gas heat and a gas stovetop. We grill mostly in spring and fall. Summer it gets just too hot and humid to stand over the grill. Today I wanted to check out the grill and make some sausage. I first had to clean out the inside as the field mice (or chipmunks) keep bringing things into the side burner.

Today it was peanuts and bird seed. Thankfully, the leaf blower cleans it out quickly. In winter, if we don’t use the grill, the mice build nests in it. We now know to use it often when the weather warms up a bit. Tonight I had some PA market Berkshire hog sausage.

I also made corn on the cob, and grilled up some naan to serve with pumpkin hummus.

Yes, you heard it correctly. Pumpkin hummus. Simple recipe. Roast a cheese pumpkin.

Blend the pumpkin (about a pound of it) with a can of chickpeas and two garlic cloves. Add lemon juice, 2 tbsp. A neutral oil like grapeseed, 2 tbsp. Spices like garam masala, or cumin, about 1 tbsp. A pinch of nutmeg and of cinnamon. I used sriracha to add some heat. A few dots of it. It came out really smooth, yet with a hint of heat. If you want it hotter, add more garlic and more pepper.

It ended up a bit too cold to eat outside, so we brought our picnic indoors. Sausage, naan, hummus and corn. And, a lovely VGV from Black Ankle. The pan holds some melted butter with garam masala, for the corn. VGV is a Viognier and Gruner Veltliner blend.

Eating mostly locally, as usual. And, loving the fall weather.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Food, Wine and tagged cooking, Food, foodie, grilling, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Foodie, Meet Locavore

Posted on October 4, 2012 by AnnieRie

I have written before about how my two different “worlds” collide. The locavore in me who eats as much fresh local items as I can, and that inquisitive foodie that loves ethnic foods from all around the world, and searches for exotic spices, fruits and veggies.

Last night’s dinner reflected that conflict. It turned out to be extremely tasty. Italian whole grain flatbread with ajvar, pesto, chicken and parmesan on it.

I used the last of my pesto and the ajvar I made a week ago. We had been noshing on it and there was just enough left to spread over the flatbread. I had leftover roast chicken from a visit to Bistro Blanc Tuesday night, which I shredded and added on top.

pesto and ajvar

A little Parmesan from Roots. Some herbs, salt and white pepper. Simple, served with a side salad of arugula, grapes and almonds. And, we opened a very nice Verdejo from Paso a Paso. We found a number of inexpensive bottles of Spanish and Portuguese wines at Pine Orchards a few weeks back.

Thanks to my locavore friends in our food challenge, I discovered ajvar. I also found jars of it at Roots. VaVa Ajvar, and they also sell something called Lutenica. I bought one of the ajvar to compare to my homemade version. My husband agreed. My version is better. We will have to try the Lutenica though. To see how it is made.

According to the tag, this is a Macedonian version of the spread. My original recipe was Serbian. My recipe used vinegar and garlic. This one is milder due to the lack of those ingredients.

As for the flatbread, bought at Roots, I really like this quick and easy way to make dinner. There will be many more dinners made using my frozen pestos and ovendried tomatoes spread over flatbread.

hocofood@@@

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

Sweater Weather

Posted on September 29, 2012 by AnnieRie

It definitely feels like October out there. While picking mint, what’s left of it, I had on my fleece vest. Tonight I may indulge in hot cider, since we picked up some at Larriland the other day.

fresh apple cider

I should title this post, Rocking the Crock Pot, since I have put it into overdrive the past few days. I made onion soup, greens twice, and chicken soup, all in the past week. There’s lots of good stuff in the fridge to make quick meals all of next week.

I have gotten where I don’t even measure much anymore when it comes to greens. Just cut them up, add onions and garlic, some broth, balsamic and salt and pepper. If I feel adventurous, I will put in some bacon, but not always. The first batch the other day had bacon.

greens ready to go

Yesterday, I just put in all the greens I had, with a container of black bean soup. Didn’t look that great, but cooked down beautifully. It will be a side dish tonight. Today I am slow cooking lamb in the oven, and roasting beets at the same time. This is the baker’s dozen of the beets I got Thursday. The big ones for a salad or two, and I am going to quick pickle the little ones with a couple of hard boiled eggs.

beets on a bed of kosher salt

I spent time yesterday and today cooking, so that tonight through Tuesday, it will be heat and serve. Tomorrow we are heading out to Sharp’s Farm to get my Halloween decorations. A hay bale, some corn stalks, some gourds and a pumpkin or two.

But, even though it is sweater weather, I found this late blooming lovely gladiolus in the side garden. Summer’s last hurrah?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Locavore, Weather, West HoCo and tagged community, cooking, crock pot cooking, crockpot soups, Food, foodie, hoco loco, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, real food, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Week 21 CSA, with Twelve Deliveries Left in 2012

Posted on September 27, 2012 by AnnieRie

Four more weeks of the summer CSA. Eight weeks of the fall extension. Have I processed and frozen enough goodness to weather the winter. Let’s see what the box held today.

Sandy Spring CSA Week 21 2012

The list:

1 Bunch French Breakfast Radishes
1 Head Bok Choy
1 Bag Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Head Green Curly Endive
1 Head Green Butterhead Lettuce
1 Bunch Yellow Chard
1 Spaghetti Squash
1 Bag Green Bell Peppers
1 Head Green Leaf Lettuce
1 Bunch Collards
1 Bag Red Beets
1 Bunch Dill (which I just had to swap to get that lovely acorn squash)

We got a baker’s dozen of the beets. And, the greens were phenomenal as usual. There will be greens in many meals the next week.

this week’s greens

The butterhead lettuce is so sweet. The green leaf is huge. Then, looking at the bok choy, which is really humongous, I need to get some ingredients to make chicken chow mein.

Dinner tonight is in the oven. I wanted something that used up last week’s items. I made a dent in them but still have lots of potatoes left. This is a simple one pot meal. Start out with greens and scallions.

There is chard, green leaf lettuce, endive and scallions with olive oil in the base here. Add tomato sauce. I used a pint jar of my homemade chunky sauce.

Put some parboiled potatoes, sliced in half, on top.

Add some local Berkshire hogs kielbasa on top. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil over the top. Put in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. This kielbasa was bought at a farmer’s market in Gettysburg.