Tangerine Cranberry Relish

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Aren’t these gorgeous? I almost want to wear them. But instead, I made my favorite winter snack, tangerine cranberry relish. I was out of town for Thanksgiving and so missed the opportunity to make this, but really, I just eat it with a spoon - no turkey/whatever required.

This is very simple: 1 pint of local cranberries (mine from the Fair Food Farmstand at Reading Terminal Market—they have both red and white!), 1 tangerine (ok, not local, but organic and also from the FFFarmstand), about 1/2c sugar (to start). Scrub the tangerine well b/c what makes this is grinding the whole fruit—peel and all. I sectioned it to remove the seeds. Wash the berries. Pulse in a food processor until minced but not mush. Add sugar to taste. That’s it! (Also nice, for obvious reasons, with an orange.)

What to do with Parsnips?

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

My favorite thing to do with parsnips is to roast them with other root vegetable and herbs, like the parsnips and carrots above. What else could you do?

1. Boil and puree them with potatoes, or in substitution of mashed potatoes.
2. Add them to a soup - either pureed with cream, or in a hearty stew.
3. Bake them like “fries” and serve them with a zesty dip.
4. Make latkes, or anything else that you would normally cook with potatoes.
5. Add them to a gratin!

I’m sure readers have even more ideas for this winter vegetable. Send them in! 

Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA Extension

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I extended my Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA though the winter season, and it’s been a pleasure. I decided to split my usual full share with friends because I just can’t get through that many root vegetables and asian greens in a week! Though I only photographed what I took from the share, I’ve listed the entire full share below.

1 green cabbage – certified organic – Green Acres Organics

1 bag Beauregard sweet potatoes – certified organic – Busy Bee Acres – 3 lbs
2 red kabocha squash – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics
1 bunch scarlet turnips – certified organic – Maple Lawn Organics
1 bunch chard – certified organic – Organic Willow Acres
1 bag Detroit red beets – certified organic – Autumn Blend Organics – 2.5 lbs
1 bag parsnips – certified organic – Elm Tree Organics – 2 lbs
1 bag spinach – certified organic – Riverview Organics
2 heads baby bok choy – certified organic – Scarecrow Hill Farm
1 bunch tatsoi – certified organic – Hillside Organics
1 bunch broccoli raab – certified organic – Riverview Organics

Winter Vegetable Gratins

Monday, December 14, 2009

Gratins are a delicious way to use winter vegetables. You can decide exactly how healthy (or unhealthy) you’d like to make this comfort food.

1. Choose any combination of starchy winter vegetables. In the gratin above I used red turnips, savoy cabbage, and what I like to call fractal cauliflower.
2. Place the chopped and sliced vegetables in a gratin dish. Salt and pepper each layer. At this point you can add cheese between layers, if you’d like. The above gratin uses cream cheese.
3. Fill the gratin dish 3/4 of the way with a cream, milk, or a combination of the two.  Add herbs to the dairy before you pour it over the vegetables.
4. Top with grated parmesan, and some sort of breadcrumbs
5. Bake in a 350 degree over for 35 - 40 minutes. For the first 20 minutes cover the dish with tin foil, and remove the foil for the second 15 - 20 minutes.
6. When the vegetables are baked through and the breadcrumbs are toasted brown, the gratin is done. Enjoy! 

December GRID hits the shelves!

Friday, December 04, 2009

Hey everyone! Our favorite magazine about sustainability in Philadelphia hits the stands today! Check out my recipe for butternut squash and mushroom lasagna (pictured below) in the print addition or online.

GRID Cover December 2009 And join us to celebrate its release:

WHERE: The Abbaye (3rd and Fairmount)
WHEN: 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9
$3 drafts and ½ price appetizers!

See you there!

Benefit Party for Mill Creek Farm

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

The holiday season gives us many opportunities to support the projects that we care about. Take some time this season to make sustainable and local food part of your giving plan - and have fun doing it! This coming Sunday come out to support Mill Creek Farm, West Philadelphia’s working farm that not only supplies the neighborhood with organic, fresh produce, but also includes children’s programs, a green roof, water recycling and a bat cave!  Tickets start at $25, and can be purchases HERE or at the door.
Please Join Us for the 3rd Annual
Benefit Party for the Mill Creek Farm

Enjoy light food, drinks, live music from Three Stories Jazz Trio
and Old Goats, silent auction and raffle featuring great gifts:
artwork, crafts, gift certificates for yoga, local restaurants,
bike repair, and more!

WHEN: Sunday, December 6, 2009, 3:00-7:00 pm
WHERE: The First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, 2125 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

* Celebrate our fourth growing season!
* Enjoy light food, drinks, live music, silent auction, raffle!
* Support Mill Creek Farm’s efforts to improve local access to fresh produce, build a healthy community and environment, and promote a just and sustainable food system.
* Learn more about our work: education programs, growing and distributing fresh produce, and demonstrating ecological technologies.
* Childcare will be available.
* Tickets are available in advance on our website and also at the door.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Thursday, November 19, 2009

I love acorn squash. It’s so cute and hardy and can be cooked in so many ways! Growing up, my parents used to make stuffed squash at least twice a month. While many people stuff squash with sausage, you’ll be happy to know that you can stuff squash with just about anything! You just need to decide if you’re looking for a savory or a sweet dish.

savory
1. A grain. Think brown rice, couscous, bulgar, barley, quinoa, even a firm polenta.
2. A crunch. Nuts or seeds, to taste!
3. Herbs and spices. For savory, think thyme, sage, oregano, hot pepper.
4. Vegetables. For savory, think peppers, garlic, tomatoes (or sauce) hot peppers, etc.

sweet
1. A grain. See above.
2. A crunch. A crunch. Nuts or seeds, or both!
3. Herbs and spices. For sweet, think cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar, ginger, cardomom,, brown sugar, honey.
4. Fruit. For sweet, think dried fruits and berries (cranberries, apricots, raisin etc.) and fresh chopped apples, celery etc.

For a recipe for the stuffed squash pictured above, go HERE. 

SustainaFood Supply Chain Seminar

Monday, November 16, 2009

SustainaFood Supply Chain Seminar
Ultimate Sustainable Resource event for the Philadelphia-area food service industry
Buying Local, Energy Conservation, Recycling & Composting

The day will kick-off with an educational seminar, including a keynote presentation and panel, discussing stand-out examples of what it takes to retool your business to be ‘green’ and ‘buy local’, a cooperative business model for sharing resources and cutting costs, proven methods to reduce your energy use and your environmental impact, expert advice on commercial reuse, recycling and composting, all tricks of the trade that lead to a more sustainable business model.  


Then the audience will break into a networking session and have the opportunity to browse through vendor tables offering solutions to the discussed challenges.

Feast your Eyes Catering
New Event Space
Front and Palmer Philadelphia PA 19103
Contact Jen Devor

Event Schedule:

Monday, November 30th 2009 2:30- 6:00 PM
2:30 – Registration
2:45 – Opening remarks by Judy Wicks
Keynote Presentation by Adam Palmer
3:00 – Panel discussion and open Q&A
4:15 – 6:00 Networking and Expo

Panelists to date include:

• Adam Palmer, the Pita Pit & Green Restaurant Association
• Ann Karlen, Executive Director of Fair Food
• Gary Giberson, Chef/Owner of Sustainable Fare/Lawrenceville School
• Jill Fink, Mugshots Coffeehouse & Café & Independents Coffee Cooperative
• Maurice Sampson, Niche Waste Reduction & Recycling Systems, Inc.

Tickets are $15-$20, and available HERE

Challenge: Awash in Squash

If your pantry is anything like mine, it’s filled with squash. I’ve extended my CSA for the next two months, and am expecting many greens, roots, and even more squash! I love squash, and my classic squash recipes, but when you’re faced with so much, it’s nice to have some new recipes to try. This month send us your favorite winter squash recipes and photos - creative, tasty and classic. We’ll all benefit from the bounty of the season! 

Fresh: A Screening

Saturday, November 14, 2009

While not specifically about cooking local food, this is about eating local food, so I deemed it relevant to Farm to Philly.  My community garden is holding a screening of the movie Fresh.  Details below:

Where: Settlement Music School (416 Queen Street, Philadelphia)
When: Sunday, November 22nd at 4pm
Running Time: 79 mins. (Refreshments and Discussion to follow)
Admission: $5
Proceeds benefit the Southwark Community Garden.

Forgotten Local Food Festival

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Did you know that Fishtown is famous for it’s shad?  Ever tried tea-berry ice cream? What about Copes Dried Corn? Reading Terminal Market is celebrating these local, forgotten foods this weekend with a Saturday afternoon festival. Stop by and learn something about Philadelphia’s food history, and try some excited and unusual dishes!

Tasty Ending to Collard Growing Failure

Monday, November 09, 2009

In September I was all excited to plant cool weather vegetables in my garden for the first time. Then a flock of caterpillars and goodness knows what it was bug settled in on the collards and avoided all my efforts to dislodge them (sharp sprays of water, Safer’s, plucking them off). I waved the white flag today and harvested what remained of my lacy green leaf patch. Combined with beautiful leeks and potatoes from the farmers market at Greensgrow, parsley and chives from the garden, and Wisconsin bratwurst (ok, local only to where I used to live), I made a pretty darn good gratin.

Being from the upper midwest, I’m aware that I should be making casseroles, not gratins. But having “freelanced” a few dreadful corningware dishes of mushy veg, way too al dente grains, and unappetizing combinations, I switched to making “gratins” and have experienced much greater success. I do not know why. Similar stuff + some cheeses (bits of leftover cheese are perfect) + broth or milk. I should stop questioning it and just hope that my grandmas are ok with the high-falutin name. 

What to do with Radicchio?

Saturday, November 07, 2009

Yet again, my CSA surprised with a green that I’m mostly unfamiliar with. What to do? I searched through cookbooks, found a few things that looked good but weren’t quite right (usually because I didn’t have all the ingredients in the house) and ended up making my own recipe. Sliced and wilted raddichio with garlic and olive oil, tossed with cooked pearl barley and sun-dried tomatoes, splashed with red wine, and sprinkled with parmesan. Served with a side of coriander carnival acorn sauce. A great hearty meal full of good vegetables and grains. I only wish I would have remembered my red carrots in the fridge, and added a side of those for more color!

CSA Report:  Blooming Glen Farm

Thursday, November 05, 2009

(Click photo to read notes at flick’r regarding names/quantities of share.)

This is it—Blooming Glen Farm’s season grand finale!  The farmers had some nice surprises for us, including purple and romanesco cauliflower and the return of Swiss Chard.  It’s hard to believe 24 weeks have passed by and oh boy, am I going to miss the readily available, fresh, local, nutritious produce bursting from my kitchen. 

Thanks for another great season, Blooming Glen farmers! 

November GRID is out

Wednesday, November 04, 2009

The new GRID magazine is hitting the shelves at local coffee-shops, co-ops and businesses near you. Check out the issue for more bicycling articles, how to cook dried beans, just what is a green roof, local fashion designers, community garden, a green event calendar, and much more. Or, read it online HERE.