Butternut Risotto Two Ways, Potato Latkes, Connie’s Apple Coffee Cake and tons of butternut squash ideas in the article Winter’s Gold, which is below. [...]]]>

Potato Pancakes AKA Latkes

What’s in this issue?

-December Recipes
-Holiday Locavore Cooking Class
-Winter’s Gold — Butternut
-Local Food News

December Recipe (links in green)

Butternut Risotto Two Ways, Potato Latkes, Connie’s Apple Coffee Cake and tons of butternut squash ideas in the article Winter’s Gold, which is below.

Holiday Locavore Cooking Class in NYC (link in green)

Sign up now, as it’s almost full! I look forward to teaching you the secrets of great cooking for the holidays, the locavore way: using open, flexible recipes to make dishes with the best seasonal food available. This class also covers how to find fabulous farm-fresh foods wherever you live. Maine Shrimp Dumplings; Warm Greens with Chèvre Croûtons; Thyme-Roasted Shiitake Mushrooms with Balsamic Syrup; The Best Russian Beef Ragout with Winter Roots; Local Apple Galette; Cranberry Apple Kuchen; and Dark Chocolate Truffles with Local Cream and Butter.

Important Food News  (links in green)

Marion Nestle’s December 5th Food Politics blog covers Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign. Has she given up up on healthy diets for kids? If so, might this have to do with lobbying pressures?  And that ain’t all for food system insanity, a push back against the “good food” movement gains momentum and Lobbying classifies pizza as a vegetable. Meanwhile, agriculture is under direct attack through hydrofracking. Learn more. And if you are a culinary professional visit this: Chefs join fight against fracking.

Here are a few things you can do — Sign up for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Action Alerts.  Check out theAmerican Farmland Trust’s Action Center.

Winter’s Gold — Cooking with Butternut Squash, no recipes needed

I came late to winter squash. But like all new converts, I’m a zealot, especially about butternut, which is winter’s gold — endlessly versatile, packed with good flavor and nutrition. In my household, it’s a seasonal staple for soups, stews and more.

Butternut is widely available right now, from fall harvest until early spring. It keeps well at cool temperatures and, unlike most vegetables, actually improves over time as its moisture evaporates concentrating its sugars.

Inexpensive and easy to spot, butternut is shaped like an elongated pear with beige skin and orange flesh. For the best buttternut — and to support your regional farmers — be sure to ferret out fresh locally grown crop, rather than whole or cut and plastic-sealed squash from afar. That shouldn’t be tough; I’m thrilled to see the surge in winter farmers markets and CSAs, where butternut abounds. And, sometimes supermarkets stock regional butternut as well. (Just be sure check the label or ask where it comes from.)  it’s impressive to grow, but bear in mind that it takes up lots of space in an urban garden!

I’m dazzled by butternut’s culinary possibilities. And by following simple techniques and flavoring suggestions, you’re ready to cook it up numerous ways with and without recipes.

Let’s begin. I especially enjoy roasting it whole to avoid peeling and cutting, then scooping out its aromatic orange flesh to cook into a variety of dishes, including the soup here. Just puree it in a food processor or mash before using. It’s fabulous simply mashed like potatoes, with butter and a touch of ginger, cayenne or cinnamon or as a vegetarian pate, blended with plenty of butter and a touch of fresh sage.

Pureed butternut is also the locavore’s substitute for canned pumpkin puree in baked dishes.. Adapt any pumpkin recipe using the puree. My two favorites are Butternut -Cranberry Squares, pictured above,and Squash Pie with Ginger Snap Crust. (Butternut may vary in texture, so if your puree is not thick, just drain a bit in a colander before using, or use the necks, which yield a thicker puree.)

Cubed butternut is just as versatile as roasted puree. To cube: peel and half or quarter the squash, preferably with a large shape knife, and scrape out the seeds and fibrous innards using a spoon. Voila, you’re ready to dice the butternut into long strips and then across them into cubes.

I also like cheering up chili or stew with bright orange butternut cubes. Just drop them in to simmer until soft but not mushy. Or stir little cubes into a half cooked risotto, then finish it up. (I like regional shiitake mushrooms and leeks in this too.)

Or roast cubes by tossing them lightly with olive oil with a touch of cayenne pepper and minced garlic, adding herbs or onion if you like. Roast them in a single layer, either solo or with winter vegetables, at 400 degrees until cooked through.

And there’s sweetened squash— an American classic. While working on a farm to school project, I found that kids had no trouble eating their vegetables with this sweet butternut recipe. Just toss local butternut cubes in melted butter, maple syrup and pumpkin pie spices to coat, and roasted them as above. What a hit!

For a nutty snack or garnish you don’t want to forget butternut’s seeds. After scraping them out, make sure to remove any squash fiber from the seeds. Rinse and dry them, then roast in a skillet, dry or with a touch of oil, stirring occasionally until crunchy, then add salt to taste.

After feasting on summer and fall bounty, Mother Nature sent us a bonus  — butternut — something to look forward to.

Tropical Butternut Squash Soup (above)

 Came across a butternut squash soup recipe with pears and Stilton that I’m going to try it with local butternut, storage pears and blue cheese.  Looks like it might be tasty!

My mom, daughter and me on Thanksgiving day.

Let’s Cook! *My December Holiday Cooking Class *Thanksgiving Recipes, Tips and Free Meals

Local and Regional Food News *Food to Compost, a Green Harvest Festival *”It Takes a Region” Conference *Farm to School for Tots *Berkshire Grown Holiday Farmers Markets [...]]]>  

My mom, daughter and me on Thanksgiving day.

What’s in the issue?

Let’s Cook!
*My December Holiday Cooking Class
*Thanksgiving Recipes, Tips and Free Meals

Local and Regional Food News
*Food to Compost, a Green Harvest Festival
*”It Takes a Region” Conference
*Farm to School for Tots
*Berkshire Grown Holiday Farmers Markets
*Locavore Award

More Food For Fun
*3 Local Food Improvisations

Scroll down for LOADS of fabulous links!

************************

*December Holiday Cooking Class

Join me on December 17th for my Locavore Holiday Cooking Class at The Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. It’s a fun, informative and empowering class. Sign up early as my Manhattan classes usually fill!

*Links to Thanksgiving Menu and Recipes, Tips and Free Meals

Country Thanksgiving Table at My House in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts

*Food to Compost, a Green Harvest Festival

Last month 1,600 pounds of garbage was converted to compost at the 77th annual Harvest Festival at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens in Stockbridge, MA. 

As the festival’s new producer, and in keeping with the Garden’s mission, I piloted this Zero Waste Program headed up by the fabulous Devi Sharp. Together with 8 volunteers, Devi helped ferret out the 2 tons of compostable garbage that would otherwise have gone into the local landfill. Tom Touponce, composter from Meadow Farm in Lee, Massachusetts, picked up the waste to convert into farm and garden compost. (Garden waste to garden gold.)

Thanks to Juliette Haas and Jamie Cahillane, from the Center for EcoTechnology for steering us in the right direction. 

Postscript: This was my first year producing the festival, and I gave it a locavore flavor by adding a farmers market, local artisan food producer’s section and more. Hope you’ll join us next year.

In this picture, the festival’s”green team” is performing the glamorous task of re-sorting garbage that was put in the wrong bin. All disposables — cups,plates, etc —were compostable and bins were labeled clearly.  Nevertheless, separating garbage in a new way wasn’t easy for the 10,000 festival attendees gobbling up food at the festival, so sorting it again was essential. Educating the public is part of the zero waste process….

*”It Takes a Region” Conference

This is Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group’s 19th annual meeting and working conference for people seriously committed to food system change. (November 11-12 in Albany, New York.) By taking a regional approach, we can grow our thinking and our work to develop a truly sustainable and resilient food system. Come prepared to roll up your sleeves for in-depth working sessions, provocative debates, and hands-on exercises, as the conference tackles important questions about regional food systems and how we can achieve our shared goals.

*Farm to School for Tots

I met fellow delegate Sara Teece two years ago at Slow Food’s Terra Madre in Italy, but she’s Food Director of Square One, Early Childhood Centers of Greater Springfield, only an hour away from my home.

We both have an interest in feeding school kids farm-fresh foods. And, she had used my MA Farm to Table Cookbook in her efforts to feed 100′s of pre-schoolers in Springfield, many of whom live below the poverty level. We reconnected again last month in Springfiield, where I did a training session for pre-school cooks on using the local harvest.

Square One is now in their 3rd full season of ordering food from local farmers. With the aid of Farm to Preschool they receive produce from “our farmer” Joe Czajkowski, who brings his and other local farms products to their schools.  Sara tells me that through “local purchasing we’ve been able to save money, improve our menus nutritionally, offer a better quality product, and support the local economy.”

The kids at Square One, many of whom have little access to fresh food, savored local strawberries, blueberries and melons this summer. And now, they have tons of butternut, sweet potatoes and locally grown apples to look forward to.

*Berkshire Grown’s 3rd Annual Holiday Farmers Markets

I was fortunate help initiate the Holiday Farmers Markets here in the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts. Cold winter markets give local farmers a chance to extend their selling season and consumers the opportunity to buy farm fresh foods for the holidays. What available? Winter roots, value added foods, like maple syrup and other farm crops, as well as hand-made crafts, which all make meaningful holiday meals and gifts. Better yet, the markets are all smiles, a place of joy, where community members come together before we all hold up for the winter.

So mark your calendars for November’s Holday Markets: In Great Barrington go to Muddy Brook Elementary School Gymnasium, 318 Monument Valley Road,. on Saturday, November 19i1.  In Williamstown go to the Williams College Towne Field House, 82 Latham Street, on Saturday December 17.

I can’t wait!

*Winner of the Victoria A. Simons Locavore Award

This fall, I was honored to receive this award along with a generous $1500 check for my farm to table work over the last 2 decades.

The red haired winner (me) along with the nominees, who all do stellar farm to table work in the region.

The Nominees, not in any particular order —

Liz Beals, Stuyvesant Falls, NY, for her creative efforts to raise awareness and use of local foods at Beth’s Farm Kitchen. She has worked with nearly a dozen farms and restaurants to create value-added products featuring local ingredients.

Columbia County Backpack Program, Hudson, NY, for providing weekend food for children who lack predictable access to meals outside of school.

Anna Dawson, Kinderhook, NY, a long-time family farmer. who in her commercial kitchen, the Harvest Kitchen, prepares and freezes ready-made meals and meal components and shares her skills and knowledge on handling and preparing local foods via public classes.

Amy Lawton, Wild Hive Farm Store & Café, Clinton Corners, NY, known for its grain production, which is micro-milled into fresh flours for their own baked goods, and also distributed through a CSA program to local bakers and restaurants.

Nassau Cooperative Community Food Compact, Nassau, NY,  an all-volunteer organization devoted to bringing nutritious, locally produced foods to a community that does not have a grocery store.

Ellen Poggi, Hand Hollow Farm, East Chatham, NY, offering organically grown vegetables, chicken and flowers and herbs to area residents.

David Robinson, Bezalel Gables Productions, Chatham, co-founder of Columbia County Bounty and originator of the Bounty of the County dinner event, who also created the Speed-Networking event that allowed farmers and chefs to connect quickly and simply.

Lori J. Selden, CEO, Mexican Radio Restaurant Group, Hudson, well respected restaurateur and co-founder of Columbia County Bounty, where she helped develop strong culinary and agritourism branding, as well as cementing farming partnerships with both local and neighboring communities.

Staron’s Farm Stand, Chatham, a community gathering place as well as a source for farm fresh products produced by the Staron family, who have been farming locally for 30+ years.The farm also donates produce to local food pantries and other non-profit organizations.

*3 Local Food Improvisations

These impromptu dishes use whatever is around the house.  Join me on The Locavore Way Facebook Page where they’re posted irregularly before they’re gathered up for these Locavore-of-the-Month blog posts.

Cricket Creek Farm Short Ribs with Sauerkraut, Leeks and Beer.

Rinse 3 grass fed beef short ribs (attached) and rub w/ some kosher salt. Lay on large sheet of heavy foil inside a baking pan. Top with 3/4 cup sauerkraut, preferably locally make, and whites of 3 freshly harvested leeks, thickly sliced and rinsed. Add ¾ cup locally brewed beer. Generously grind pepper on top. Seal well, leaving some room inside the bundle. Cook at 350 degrees until fork-tender, about 3 hours. Remove any visible fat and enjoy. (I liked this with mashed potatoes and kale.)

Postscript: Picked up these ribs in the summer, the day I spent on the farm making cheese, but they seemed too so wintery to eat, so I kept them frozen. But on this snowy day the challenge was to cook up a tasty low-labor short dish using what was around. The result was fabulous!

Locavore Caldo Verde (Portugeuse Kale Soup)

Local spicy sausages, flat leaf kale and little potatoes from McEnroe’s Farm in New York make this satisfying Portuguese-style soup. Simmer whole sausages in water or broth to cover. Cool, skim off fat, remove and slice. Simmer diced potatoes with chopped whites of leeks until done. Add chopped Kale and sausages to water/broth. Season to taste. You can add lots more, like other veggies, garlic, herbs. Or saute the leek and sausage in olive oil for a richer soup. Up to you!  Postscript: I first fell in love with this soup on the dock in Cape Cod warming up before a memorable whale watch. Later I adapted it for Joy of Cooking. This is the Locavore version.

Indian Butternut Squash

Throw a butternut squash into a 350 oven. Roast until soft all the way through, 45-1 hr. Split, remove and discard seeds, skin and fiber. Puree the meat with spices cooked for 30 seconds in a touch of butter: coriander, cumin, cayenne. Mix with salt and grainy mustard to taste. Serve hot as a side dish.

**Thanks to Judith Lerner and The Berkshire Food Journal

I’m producing this wild and wonderful festival!

I added a farmers market (freshly made grilled sausages, crisp local apples, farmstead cheese), tasty local food vendors (grilled sour dough pizza, Thai [...]]]> Please join me this weekend for a dynamic community event like no other…

I’m producing this wild and wonderful festival!

Learn more

I added a farmers market (freshly made grilled sausages, crisp local apples, farmstead cheese), tasty local food vendors (grilled sour dough pizza, Thai pulled pork, mini-cupcakes, Bola Granola Bar, and lots of carny food), local artisan foods (handmade chocolates, local honey and maple syrup), as well as a magician, garden fairies, a puppet show, 50/50 raffle, acrobatics on horseback, make your own jump rope, a balloon man and MUCH more.

Don’t forget more local goodies at the Botanical Bakery and Cafe, including Red Lion Inn Butternut Bisque and lots of homemade cookies and pies.

And of course there are 100 fabulous vendors of all kinds, especially crafts, as well as a silent auction, giant book, clothing and giant tag sale, continuous live music (including early swing), hula hooping galore, a haunted house, hay jump and maze, pony rides, gardening classes and on and on!!

That’s what I’ve been  up to….and all to benefit the fabulous Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA.

Join us on Facebook

- Two recipes using September’s crop, one sweet and one savory

-Lots of culinary improvisations for the season (These appear irregularly on my facebook page)

-An invitation to The Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival  (with a call for volunteers and donated pies)

-Upcoming Calendar Events in Cape [...]]]>

What’s in this month’s post?

- Two recipes using September’s crop, one sweet and one savory

-Lots of culinary improvisations for the season (These appear irregularly on my facebook page)

-An invitation to The Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival  (with a call for volunteers and donated pies)

-Upcoming Calendar Events in Cape May, Worthington and Stockbridge

-Articles you might enjoy on local food topics

*****

Two recipes, sweet and savory

Baked Peaches or Pears with Ginger Snaps and Chocolate

End of The Day September Ratatouille

-Lots of culinary improvisations for the season

 Warm Tomato-Plum Chutney (eaten with lamb)

Cut up tomatoes and plums in all colors and varieties. (About 2 handfuls.) Throw in a small pot with 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 hot chili paper & some olive oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes to warm. Pull out garlic and chili. Throw in strips of fresh basil. Add salt and a splash of white balsamic. Colorful, sweet and tart, great with lamb.

Italian Flat Beans with Garden Tarragon

Last night I picked a TON of Italian Flat Beans (Romano) from my garden. Love their meaty flavor steamed and tossed with garlic oil and fresh garden tarragon. Mmm

Grilled Sweet and Sour Pork Loin

2 loins. Marinate 3-6 hrs:1/4 cup molasses,1/4 cup honey,3 Tbsp apple vinegar,1/4 cup Dijon mustard,3 Tbsp mustard seeds,1 Tbsp cumin, 2 tsp coriander,1 Tbsp chopped pickled ginger. After marinating: Rub GENEROUSLY w/ sea salt & cracked pepper. Grill over medium high heat, about 20 minutes. (Should be slightly pink.) Rest 5 Min. Boil marinade w/ 1 Tbsp of mustard, 1 Tbsp honey, 3 Tbsp of pickled ginger juice. Brush loin,slice thinly,drizzle over slices.

Simple August Tomato Salsa

Chop garden or farmers market tomatoes. (About 4 cups) Add a minced garlic clove, about 1/4 cup chopped onions and 1-2 chopped chili peppers. Stir in chopped cilantro and salt to taste. This blows the jarred stuff out of the water!]

Corn on the Cob with Miso Butter

Grill or steam corn and rub it with sweet butter mixed with white miso to taste.

Last of Summer Risotto with Cherry Tomatoes, Fresh Corn and a Little Kick

Make a plain risotto. To the sautéed onion or leek, add 1/4 diced poblano chili, ½ diced fresh hot chili pepper. Proceed with making the risotto. Then, 5 minutes before serving, add a good handful of fresh corn kernels, & slivered basil. (Stack the leaves, then roll and slice.) Stir in a fresh goat cheese or local hard grating cheese to taste. Top with quartered cherry tomatoes tossed in a little bit minced garlic and olive oil.

 Flamed Peaches with Yogurt (or ice cream)

Plunge a few ripe peaches into boiling water for a few seconds. Drain and run under cold water. Slip the peals off. Cut up the flesh, removing the pit. Warm very briefly, shaking the pan, over medium heat with a little sugar in a tiny bit of butter. Add a few grates of nutmeg and splash of liquor (your favorite). Tip the pan away from you and ignite with a match or lighter to burn off the alcohol. Serve over local yogurt.

Grilled Flat Bread Pizza with August Tomatoes and Fresh Goat Cheese

Dice local tomatoes.Put them in a colander with chopped kalamata olives, garlic and a little salt. (Catch juices in a bowl.) Grill store-bought flat bread (Pocketless pita) that’s been lightly brushed with olive oil. Turn over and spread w/ local goat cheese & sprinkle with tomato mixture. Grill until pipping hot. Sprinkle w/ slivered basil. Variation, add diced hot chili peppers.

Naomi’s Parsley Pesto with Fresh Savory

Make a pesto with parsley instead of basil. (Pesto is basil, olive oil, pine nuts or walnuts, garlic & a hard cheese in the Parmesan family). Instead of basil, add 3/4 parsley & 1/4 summer savory. You can also substitute a spring of rosemary leaves for the savory or try cilantro pesto with 50/50 parsley and cilantro. (Use on the pizza above too!)

-An invitation to the Berkshire Botanical Garden Harvest Festival

There is nothing like it! This year I’ll be producing the 77th annual Harvest Festival in Stockbridge, Massachusetts on Oct 1-2 at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. It’s The Garden’s major fundraising event with 10-15,000 attendees.

I’m adding a new farmers market and artisan food producer section. (Think local grass fed local beef hot dogs, grilled pizza made with local goodies and much more.)
Please join us on Facebook for updates, check out all the vendors, music and activities on our webpage.

Want to help? Please contact me to volunteer for a 4 hour shifts (free entrance) or to donate pies (time to cut up your local apples!)

Join us on Facebook for updates!

Hope to see you there!

-Upcoming Calendar Events

August 31, 7 pm, Worthington, MA Library. Talk and book signing. For advanced locavores: Where do we go from here?

September 17, Cape May Forum, Key Note Speaker. Guess Who’s Coming For Dinner, The Politics of Food in the 21^st Century. Come for the whole forum! Sept 16-18 & 23-25.

October 1-2, I’m producing the spectacular Berkshire Harvest Festival at the Berkshire Botanical Garden in Stockbridge, MA. Gardens. Please join us on Facebook.

-Articles that you might enjoy on local food topics

Can big Food Regulate Itself?

Findings:  Fresh and Direct From the Garden an Ocean Away

Local Food Has Been No Easy Sell in Appalachia

Talk and Book Signing — August 31, 7 [...]]]>

What’s up in August?

Weekend Locavore Way Workshop — August 26-28. I’m teaching a Kripalu Retreat weekend workshop in Lenox Massachusetts in the Berkshires. Cooking lessons, farm visit, tastings and more. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or call Kripalu at 1-800-741-7353

Talk and Book Signing — August 31, 7 pm, Worthington, Massachusetts Library. For advanced locavores: Where do we go from here? Join me!

2 August Recipes that will knock you out….

The harvest bounty of a New England August is a locavore’s dream. For fabulous corn, tomato and watermelon recipes see below. Or search this home page for recipes using your favorite summer crops .  Consider sharing your summer recipes on my facebook page, where I also post links to articles, etc.

Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Feta

Celebration Corn-Tomato Soup

August Article

Locavore Frugality: What to do with carrot tops, watermelon rinds

and more….

Search the 100 locavore recipes on my blog by ingredient, season and [...]]]>

Trio of Spring Bruschette

Rhubarb Parfait with Minted Yogurt

Spinach Salad Wrap with Shiitake Mushrooms

Search the 100 locavore recipes on my blog by ingredient, season and more…

Spring Toss: Hot green watercress is back in the rapidly running icy cold stream behind my house.

Ramp it Up Today I saw wild leeks, called ramps, in the woods around the corner. Stay vigilant, as they’ll be up soon and ready to blend into a [...]]]> Wild Watercress

Here’s 3 for April….

Spring Toss:
Hot green watercress is back in the rapidly running icy cold stream behind my house.

Ramp it Up
Today I saw wild leeks, called ramps, in the woods around the corner. Stay vigilant, as they’ll be up soon and ready to blend into a fabulous pesto.

Fresh Chive Noodles with Early Spring Things
The chives are up too and superb in homemade noodles made with with freshly laid eggs.

Not forgotten

I know I’ve been gone awhile, but I haven’t forgotten you. It’s just that I’m knee deep in two exciting projects, both of which are in keeping with The Locavore Way. One involves developing farm fresh recipes in a school kitchen for a state-wide cookbook. (Last time it was Massachusetts; now it’s Missouri.)

You’ll hear more about both projects on this blog, although postings are likely to be more infrequent for at least several months. But I promise to keep you abreast and deliver delicious local recipes and news tidbits when I can….