It’s a snap to use lots of local goodies in this recipe, such as garden zucchini, farmers market onion, local yogurt and eggs. (I used Hawthorne [...]]]> These savory cakes are crisp on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside, and are superb accompanied with a salad of summer tomatoes and chopped Greek olives.

It’s a snap to use lots of local goodies in this recipe, such as garden zucchini, farmers market onion, local yogurt and eggs. (I used Hawthorne Valley Farm yogurt and North Plain Farm eggs.) You may find local feta, but there isn’t any in this neck of the woods. Next time I’m going to try this with regional cottage cheese…

Tip: For the best results cook until browned and crisp both sides, then serve immediately. Makes 3 to 4 servings

3/4 cup plain yogurt
1 pound zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped dill (or dill and parsley or dill and cilantro)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 eggs,lightly beaten
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour or more as needed
1/4 teaspoons cayenne
3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Place a unbleached coffee filter or paper towel in a colander, and spoon the yogurt inside. Sit the colander in a bowl and for 15 to 20 minutes, to allow the yogurt to drip and thicken. Remove yogurt to a small bowl.

2.Grate the zucchini in the food processor. Toss with the salt, and let sit in the colander, over a bowl, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove to a hand towel and squeeze out extra liquid. Place in a medium bowl with the herbs, feta, eggs, onions, flour, and cayenne. Stir to combine.

3. In a large non-stick pan, heat the oil to medium-high. Add the zucchini batter in tablespoons, pressing down with the back of a spoon, until 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Test one, cooking on both sides, until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes each side, then adding more flour to the batter if the zucchini is liquidy. Cook in batches. Serve with yogurt on the side or with a small dollop on top of each fritter.

The Recipe

This recipe was adapted from Ayla Algar’s Classic Turkish Cooking and was printed in my first book, One Pot Vegetarian Dishes, which is out of print but still available and crammed with tasties. Reading Algar’s book endeared me to Turkish food, so I dragged my family there in 2002. It was a memorable trip with disappointing food. One exception was a snack consumed standing at tiny bus stop atop Mt. Olympus —  warm flat bread, freshly made and rolled up with feta and parsley.

Local Food Dogma

Listen to the pros and cons of locavorism.  The New York Times weighs in with an anti-locavore piece, as does Grist with comments from all kinds of knowledgeable folks. Love to hear what you think.

Worried about your eggs?

The recent samenella scare has everyone hopped up about regulating big egg producers, and they have a good point. But rather than focusing solely on cleaning up giant egg farms, why not develop better policies that support small sustainable farmers with better conditions for animals and workers too? Locavores circumvent the system by buying from farms we know and respect. Fear not, if there are no egg farms near you, you can do some homework. Start by seeing what’s available in farmers markets, as well as locally food stores owned stores that support farms, then surf the web for regional egg producers. They’re likely to write about how they farm. And if you’re in doubt, visit them!  And as for the general safety and labeling of eggs, check out what they do in Europe.

Apologies: I sent this out unfinished last week, but here’s the polished version. These appetizers and have a fresh, bright flavor. I used local carrots, herbs and regional scallops. You can find the rice paper wrappers and dried maifun noodles [...]]]> Summer rolls. I added some of the vegetables to the dip too.

Apologies: I sent this out unfinished last week, but here’s the polished version. These appetizers and have a fresh, bright flavor. I used local carrots, herbs and regional scallops. You can find the rice paper wrappers and dried maifun noodles in most gourmet or Asian markets, as well as some supermarkets and health food stores. Makes about 12. Easily doubled or tripled

The Rolls
1.5 ounces maifun noodles
1/4 pound scallops, muscles removed, sliced
1 ear of corn, shucked and kernels removed
1 carrot, grated
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts, optional
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped mint leaves
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
l/4 teaspoon hot chili pepper flakes
l/8 teaspoon salt or to taste
about 12 triangular rice paper wrappers

The Dipping Sauce
1  tablespoon lime juice
1-1/2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
A generous pinch of hot chili pepper flakes, or to taste

Optional Garnish
Sliced scallion greens
Toasted sesame seeds

l. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and corn. Cook for 2 minutes or until the noodles are soft but not mushy. Turn off the heat. Drop in the scallops  and let them sit in the hot water until almost cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. If you are unsure, you can pull one out and look. Uncooked scallops are a touch translucent.

2. Drain the pot in a colander and run cold water over the ingredients until they are cool. Firmly shake the colander to remove the excess liquid.

3. Add the noodle mixture to a bowl with the remaining summer roll ingredients, except for the rice paper. Toss.

4. Assemble. Place a dishtowel on a work surface. Fill a medium bowl with warm water and submerge 3-4 sheets of rice paper in the water, one at a time. When soft and pliable, about l minute, pull them out and pat dry. Arrange sheets on the towel with wide end towards you. Place about 1 rounded tablespoon of the drained filling in the center of each sheet. Fold in the sides and roll away from you. Set on a plate and complete the rest of the summer rolls with the remaining ingredients. Keeps wrapped well for l day covered in the refrigerator with a moist paper towel.

5. Combine dip sauce ingredients and serve with the summer rolls, sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds, if you like.

Sustainable scallops in my summer rolls?

Sometimes being PC is exhausting, especially when I try to buy regional fish that is also sustainably raised and caught. Our oceans are a mess and issues of sustainability are complex. But the resources mentioned here, as well as the story of how I decided to buy these scallops should help you make sensible fish and seafood selections.

The easiest approach is to use FishPhone when you’re shopping. Check to see what’s regional. Then text 30644 to The Blue Ocean Institute’s sustainable seafood text messaging service with the message FISH and the name of the fish you are interested in buying. They’ll text back an assessment and better alternatives to fish that have significant environmental concerns.

I can’t get a cell phone connection at my home and like to make my decisions before I go shopping. So here is how I went about it: I wanted something regional and adore shrimp in summer rolls, but regional shrimp isn’t available here right now so I bought scallops, which have a similar enough taste and texture. Switching the kind of fish you buy is sometimes a good solution.

But I wanted to know if buying scallops was an environmentally acceptable way to go. So, I checked The Monteray Aquarium’s Seafood Watch. Their site told me that farmed scallops from China and Japan were the best choice now, but that wild regional scallops were a good alternative. Being a locavore, I bought the regional scallops, the closest sustainable selection. My reasoning?  Support local fisheries, local economies, and buy food that uses less fossil fuel. Go for the freshest fish. And finally, I prefer the flavor of wild caught fish!

Seafood choices can be complex and the Monteray Aquiriium also has a downloadable guide (just scan down on the page) that is extremely helpful.

What do Cleveland, Ohio, Acton, Massachusetts and Spencertown, New York have in common?

I’ve be visiting them all and more places in September to talk, cook and sign my book, The Locavore Way.  Come say hi and please spread the word.

Savory, sweet and salty — what more can you ask for? Crisp watermelon and flavorful heirloom tomatoes make this salad a summer classic. I used Brandywine tomatoes and peppermint from my garden. Local watermelon is now available, and there may be a local feta producer near you. Feel free to add [...]]]>

Savory, sweet and salty — what more can you ask for? Crisp watermelon and flavorful heirloom tomatoes make this salad a summer classic. I used Brandywine tomatoes and peppermint from my garden. Local watermelon is now available, and there may be a local feta producer near you. Feel free to add peeled, seeded and diced cucumber if you like. This is truly refreshing….

2-1/2 cups 3/4 to 1 inch cubes of heirloom tomatoes
About 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
About 20 mint leaves
1 small scallion, green and white, sliced
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice or 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cups 3/4 to 1 inch cubes of watermelon
About 1/3 cup crumbled feta

1-Place a colander over a bowl. Add the tomatoes and toss with the salt. Let sit 1/2 hour or for up to 2 hours.

2-Stack and tightly curl the mint leaves, then slice thinly. Add to a small bowl along with the scallion, lemon juice and olive oil.

3-Toss the tomatoes with the watermelon. Then add and toss with scallion-mint dressing. Pour off any excess liquid. Taste, adding additional salt if you like, remembering that the feta is salty. Pile the salad on a platter or individual plates, sprinkled with feta cheese.

FOOD NEWS

Good news?
Learn how the new senate bill may boost sustainable agriculture. Stay in the loop to press for support for our local farmers!

Nurture vs Nature
Because my daughter Emma is adopted, I’ve always been particularly interested in questions about nurture vs. nature. Now, I’m not insinuating Emma is lamb-like, but this sweet article on sheep is worth considering….

If you’re a beet lover, Eureka! Here’s a simple summer soup that’s beety, refreshing and pretty. If you’re not — and I’ve seen grown men cry over beets —this recipe is one of the [...]]]> Made with light-colored heirloom beets. For a super bright color, use classic red-purple beets.

If you’re a beet lover, Eureka! Here’s a simple summer soup that’s beety, refreshing and pretty. If you’re not — and I’ve seen grown men cry over beets —this recipe is one of the easiest ways to introduce beets to the unconverted.

These local beets are from Markristo Farms at The Great Barrington Farmers Market in MA, but local beets are in season and easy to find at farmers markets, farm stands and sometimes even in supermarkets (just check the label or ask). To find a farmers market near you, try the Eating Well Guide. Local yogurt, sour cream or cream isn’t tough to find either, and garden and market herbs abound.

Cooking note: I adore the taste concentrated taste of roasted beets, but they are still good steamed on the stove or in a stay-cool kitchen in the microwave. I love this soup best in shot glass or espresso cups as a snack, appetizer or first course. This recipe fills about 3 bowls, 4 wine glasses, 6 shot glasses or espresso cups

Ingredients

1 bunch beets, about 1 pound with their tops
1-1/2 cups or more buttermilk, or to reach desired consistency
1/2 teaspoon or more kosher or sea salt to taste
A pinch of cayenne or white pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
A dollop of sour cream, yogurt or a drizzle of cream
A sprinkle of chopped dill and/or chives

Procedure

1- To cook the beets: First cut off their tops, and if they are fresh, reserve to cook later.* Wash the beets to roast or steam until you can easily penetrate them with a knife.

2-To roast: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place beets on a large foil sheet. Seal the long and short sides together to make an enclosed bag. Cook for 30 minutes to 1-1/2 hours,depending on their size. To steam: To keep your kitchen cool, you can steam beets in the microwave. Place beets in a microwave proof bowl or measuring cup with about 1-2 inches of water. Cook until done, for 20 to 40 minutes, checking water once to make sure it isn’t completely evaporated. You can steam beets on top of the stove in a covered pot in the same manner.

3-When beets are cooked, let cool covered. Remove their skins, which should slip off fairly easily. Chop beets in a food processor. With the motor running, add buttermilk until mixture reaches the consistency of a soup. (The soup will thicken a little when cooled.) Add salt and pepper to taste, along with a balsamic vinegar. Chill.

4- To serve: Taste again for salt and pepper, adding it if needed. If you are using it, add dollop of sour cream, yogurt or a drizzle of cream. Sprinkle with herbs.

*Using beet tops — Beet Greens Italian Style

Plunge fresh beet greens, without their end stems, into rapidly boiling water for 1 minute (up to 3 if they are really big). Drain and run under water until cold. Chop and toss with a light coating of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Use as a side dish, part of a composed vegetable salad with each component separated, on a baguette as is or with other sandwich goodies.

Food News

Hard Labor

How we spend our food dollars is a vote for what kind of world we want to live in. Locavores like to buy from farms who don’t contaminate land, water and air and treat their animals and farm workers humanely. Farm labor is traditionally one of the most exploited workforces in America. Small and sustainable farms often, but not always, treat their labor more fairly than big agri-business. Still, it’s up to us as citizens to concern ourselves with the labor practices on farms large and small.

Local Food Ding Dongs?

Be a smart food shopper and remember that major corporations keep trying to coop the local food movement.

(To sign up now, scroll down to orange type below)

I’m a locavore extraordinaire and veteran cooking teacher who has taught home and professional cooking extensively at schools such as the Institute for Culinary Education and The Culinary Institute of [...]]]>

Join me for fabulous Locavore Way Classes

(To sign up now, scroll down to orange type below)

I’m a locavore extraordinaire and veteran cooking teacher who has taught home and professional cooking extensively at schools such as the Institute for Culinary Education and The Culinary Institute of America.

In The Locavore Way Cooking Class Series, students learn how to cook seasonally, bringing out the best in farm-fresh ingredients, seeking out and savoring delicious local foods wherever they live. This style of ingredient-focused cooking emphasizes improvisation and recipe adaptation, using fabulous food combinations with easy-to-follow techniques. The results are delicious.

August Classes

August 14, Saturday evening, 4:30 to 7:30, Local Farm Foods Cooking Class: The Locavore Way Series cooking class, Summer Bounty Candlelit Dinner, West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Amy Cotler’s teaching kitchen.

August 21, Saturday, 4:00–8:00 p.m. Local Farm Foods Cooking Class: Locavore Candlelight Peak of the Season Supper (bring your sweetie to the dinner) at Hawthorne Valley Farm.

August 29, Sunday, 10:00 to 2:00. Local farm foods cooking class: The Locavore Way Way Series Cooking Class, Tomato and Corn Extravaganza,West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Amy Cotler’s teaching kitchen.Scholarships and barter available.

Where are the classes held?

Locavore Way Series Classes, as above
West Stockbridge, MA (Amy Cotler’s teaching kitchen)
Ghent, New York (Hawthorne Valley Farm’s teaching kitchen)

Private Classes
Manhattan (Your apartment)
The Berkshires in Western Massachusetts (Your home)

In West Stockbridge, Classes are taught in the large kitchen of Amy Cotler’s charming 1810 home in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts in The Berkshires. Classes are also taught in the teaching kitchen at Hawthorne Valley Farm Private classes for 1-8 people are also available in West Stockbridge or at your home in the Berkshires or Manhattan.

More about the Classes

My Teaching Kitchen (West Stockbridge,MA): Full-participation classes in West Stockbridge, MA are  4 to 4-1/2 hours, including a full meal, either buffet-style or plated in courses. The cost for each person per class is $100, or $90 per class for 3 classes or more. Scholarships and barter available.Full menus, which are dependent on availability, will always include at least 6 dishes and a full meal with wine. (Email me at amy@freshcotler.com if you want to learn more) When weather and daylight allow, the final meal is served outdoors. When students are interested, there is a trip to a farm ($25, 80% goes to farmer) or to the farmers market ($10) before the class. The farm or market location will be announced at least 2 weeks before the classes.

Hawthorne Valley Farm (Ghent, NY): Details as above in West Stockbridge classes. Differences: Class limit of 12 people, not 8, except for the September 5th class,which we hope will be a large outdoor extravaganza.  Classes and class meals take place at the farm’s new teaching kitchen.They run a total of 4 hours, including a short harvest on the farm. Full menus, which don’t include wine, are posted on line. The cost for each person per class is $70 per person.

Signed books — The Locavore Way — will be available for $12.95 at all classes.

To sign up for classes
For West Stockbridge classes, please send a check or money order made out to Amy Cotler, with the name of the class written on it: 139 West Center Road, West Stockbridge, MA 01266. For The Hawthorne Valley Farm classes, follow directions on the link or call the farm.  Include your email address for class confirmation. Classes have limited space, so are only held with complete prepayment. Free phone consultations are available to arrange for private classes (Just email me first). Students are asked to bring a chefs knife and apron.

For more information
Feel free to contact me at amy@freshcotler.com or through Facebook (Amy Cotler) or Twitter (The Locavore Way). See “offerings” on the home page for more culinary services, such as consulting and culinary coaching. Amy is also available on a limited basis for private chef’s work in the Berkshires. Read about other upcoming events on the calendar.

Finally, local corn has arrived. The season’s painfully short, so be sure to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so it’s firmly planted in your taste memory until [...]]]>

(Photo by Caroline Alexander of Berkshire Food Journal)

Sex is good, but not as good as fresh, sweet corn. — Garrison Keillor

Finally, local corn has arrived. The season’s painfully short, so be sure to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so it’s firmly planted in your taste memory until next year.

I like to start my cornfest with the simple taste of summer — warm cobs, lathered with sweet butter, sprinkled with salt and freshly ground pepper. Then, after a week or two of all-corn-all-the-time, I concoct salads, puddings, soups, before returning to the purity of corn on the cob, this time lightly seasoned with fun compound butters like the ones here. My current favorite is Miso Butter on Grilled Corn, inspired by David Change of Momofuku fame. Let me know which one you like. This recipe will serve as many or few folks as you like.

Ingredients
Corn, 1-2 per person (3 for a meal)
Sweet butter, 1 teaspoon-1 tablespoon per cob, according to taste
Compound butter seasonings (as below)
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
1-Prepare compound butter by mixing about 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of softened sweet butter per cob — quantity will depend on your taste for butter — with any of the suggested seasonings below. As a rule of thumb, don’t go too heavily on the seasonings. Salt and pepper can be added to the butter or at the table to each person’s taste. Set aside. (I like to make extra butter to freeze for later use.)

2-Cook the corn either by steaming, boiling or grilling it. To steam or boil: Cook the husked corn by steaming it in 2 inches of water, covered, for 3 minutes, or by plunging it into boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain. To grill: Peel back but don’t remove the husks. Remove the silk as best you can and replace the attached husks. (You can tie them on with a strip of husk or string or let them hang loosely.) Soak in a sink full of water for 5 minutes to an hour. Grilling over medium heat, until done, about 10 minutes or longer. (For a stronger flavor, grill husked corn directly on the grill.)

3-Lather corn with the compound butter, adding salt and pepper to taste if it wasn’t added to the butter when it was mixed.

Compound butter to chose from —
*Chopped mint and chives
*Chipolte or chili powder and lime zest (serve with lime wedges)
*White miso paste (omit the salt)
*Chopped scallions greens and fresh grated ginger
*Cracked pepper and lemon zest (optional: lemon wedges)
*Thai curry paste (go lightly) or and chopped basil or cilantro (optional: lime wedges)
*Cumin powder (go lightly, toast briefly in a dry skillet), lemon zest, cayenne pepper (optional: lemon wedges)
*Chopped chervil, parsley, tarragon and chives
*Pesto (traditional basil or with other herbs, such as cilantro or mint)
*As you can see, you are only limited by your imagination!

A good flick: King Corn

Now that you’ve enjoyed your delicious locally grown corn, it’s time to consider the alternative. Widely available, Aaron Woolf’s thought-provoking documentary, King Corn, shows us how conventional agri-business corn is grown, seed to sale, through the insane story of one acre of corn, which is the nation’s most-grown and most-subsidized grain. Unforgettable.

Toxic sludge to grow food in San Francisco?

Some questions have been raised, but I want to give Alice Waters, the queen of organic and local food, the benefit of the doubt. Is there a good reason why she won’t  openly oppose using toxic sludge to raise food in San Francisco (or anywhere)?  If so, we want to understand why. If you’d like her to take a stand against toxic sludge, sign this petition from the Organic Consumers Association. Here are a few articles about the subject from the Center for Media and Democracy on July 13th (with a link to key July 9th article) and The New York Times on April 9th. If you find out more, please let me know. I’d love to hear what you think!

From the reading list

Harvest for Hope – In this book, Jane Goodall demonstrates a variety of ethical issues related to the sustainability of natural resources, the well-being of animals and our own health and encourages us to consider the significance of our daily food choices.

l cup [...]]]> These crisp tortillas filled with seasonal fruit and ricotta, topped with berry sauce make a romantic brunch or surprising dessert wrap. I used local peaches and blueberries here, but feel free to fool with fruit any local combination. (If you can find local ricotta  let me know where please!)

l cup blueberries (l/2 pint)
3-1/2 tablespoons sugar
l-1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
l cup whole milk ricotta cheese, room temperature
l teaspoon vanilla extract
2 small ripe nectarines or peeled peaches*, sliced
2 small taco size flour tortillas
l teaspoon unsweetened butter
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, optional

1. Combine the blueberries, 2 tablespoons sugar and l/2 teaspoon ginger in a small sauce pan with 2 tablespoons water. Heat, over medium high heat, stirring frequently, just until some of the berries burst and a sauce forms. Add up to 2 tablespoons extra water, if necessary. Reserve.

2. Mix the ricotta, vanilla, l sliced nectarine or pealed peach, l-1/2 tablespoons sugar, and l teaspoon grated ginger.

3. Place 1/2 the filling in the center of each tortilla. Carefully fold in the sides and roll, tucking in the ends carefully. (If you prefer, you may heat the tortillas to make them more pliable, but if you are careful, it isn’t essential.)

4. Heat the butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Carefully add the blintzes and cook, until well browned on both sides and warm all the way through, about 2-4 minutes on each side. Add the nuts during the last minute of cooking, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Place a blintz in the center of each plate. Spoon the blueberry sauce over. Sprinkle with the remaining nectarine slices and the toasted nuts, if you are using them. Serve immediately.

Get out and pick your own fruit in the Berkshires or anywhere you live.

Stop Monsanto from further polluting our food supply

Experts agree, if GMO alfalfa is planted, the $1.4 billion organic dairy industry will not survive due to the certain genetic contamination of organic alfalfa. Even the Supreme Court acknowledged that the threat of genetic drift is real and now the USDA must complete a full environmental review, still leaving the decision open for deregulation. Now the final decision is in Vilsack’s hands. And he needs to hear from you today!

It’s nine million degrees inside and out, and I’m awash in berries from my neighbor, Jim, who set us loose on his raspberry patch. Then there’s the black cup raspberry bush next to our bulkhead that’s laden with more berries, which I can’t leave to the birds.

So oodles of berries [...]]]>

It’s nine million degrees inside and out, and I’m awash in berries from my neighbor, Jim, who set us loose on his raspberry patch. Then there’s the black cup raspberry bush next to our bulkhead that’s laden with more berries, which I can’t leave to the birds.

So oodles of berries are fading fast in my fridge. I could make jam, but Summer Pudding’s more festive and requires 2 minutes of cooking, leaving the kitchen cool. Or at least not hotter. It’s easy to make by lining a bowl with bread, filling it with syrupy berries, then weighing them down to soak overnight. Invert and slice this essence-of-berry-dessert, which will last a week in your fridge.

Accompany with local ice cream or whipped cream. Or make your own crème fraiche by whisking together 1 cup local cream with 1 cup local sour cream, then letting it sit, covered, at room temperature until it thickens, 12 to 24 hours. (If you like, season with sugar and vanilla extras or a touch of berry liquor.) Serves about 6

16 to 18-ounces summer berries, solo or mixed**
1/2 cup sugar
butter for greasing the bowl
10 to 12 slices firm textured thin white bread, crusts removed
Whipped cream, ice cream or crème fraiche

l. Combine the berries and sugar in a small pot. Heat over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, but very gently, 3 or 4 times, just until the sugar is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. (If you are using blueberries in combination with other berries, add them first with the sugar. When they start to burst, add the other berries, such as blackberries or raspberries, and stir gently until the they are shiny, about 1 minute.)

2. Butter a 3-cup bowl. Line the bowl with the bread, overlapping generously, so that none of the bowl shows through at all. Reserve the remaining bread for the top.

3. When the berries have cooled, pour off up to 3 tablespoons of the syrup into a small bowl and chill. (You will use this to add to any area of bread that isn’t soaked with berry juice.) Pour the rest of the berries and juice into the bowl. Top with remaining bread, overlapping it generously, so that you don’t see any of the berries below and crimping the sides in to conform with the shape of the bowl.

4. Place a plate, very slightly smaller than the diameter of the bowl, directly over the top bread slices. Weight this down with 2 cans or whatever heavy items you have on hand. Refrigerate overnight.

5. To serve: Place a plate on the bottom of the bowl, then invert bowl and plate. Remove the bowl. (If it doesn’t pop right out, run a knife around the pudding, invert, pound the bowl and let gravity do its work.) Cut the into wedges and serve cold with local ice cream, whipped cream or crème fraiche.

**Any berry is good in this recipe, but my favorite combo is half raspberries and half blueberries — colorful, high in flavor, low on pits.

Summer Pudding?

Summer Pudding was invented in the 16th century England as a kind of “health food” alternative to typically rich suet pudding. I included it in The Secret Garden Cookbook, because it was easy to imagine Colin, the Victorian kid-invalid, fed tangy-sweet slices to restore his health.

Interested in Delving a Little Deeper?

The USDA just released a report on local food. This overview of local food systems explores alternative definitions of local food, estimates market size and reach, describes the characteristics of local consumers and producers, and examines early indications of the economic and health impacts of local food systems.

Join me this July!

July 10, 1:00 (Market open 9-1)  Farmers market food demonstration at the Great Barrington Farmers Market’s 20th anniversary MC. The Old Train Station in Great Barrington, MA.

July 16, Friday, 5:30 to 9:00. Local farm foods cooking class: Let the harvest Begin Buffet, The Locavore Way Series Cooking Class.West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Amy Cotler’s teaching kitchen. Scholarships and barter available.

July 23, Friday, 5:00–9:00 p.m. Local farm foods cooking class: Cook with the Season’s Bounty at Hawthrone Valley Farm.  Flexible and forgiving recipes and improvisations for your CSA (Community Supported Agriculture Farm) share.

July 30, Speaker at Canyon Ranch weekend retreat, July 29-August 1, Nourishing Your Mind, Body and Soul on the topic of including local farm foods in your everyday life.