The Bel Air Farmer's Market on Saturday was a success and I was able to come home with lettuce, green onions, cookies, potatoes and asparagus. Yum! I cooked some of the potatoes and the asparagus last night with steak on the grill. An easy local meal. I sauteed the asparagus in olive oil and garlic for a quick, simple way to serve the stalks. I will whip up cream of asparagus soup later in the week. I don't know if you can preserve asparagus by freezing or canning but the thought of squishy asparagus is not appetizing so I will just enjoy it while it is here.
Brad's Produce opens this week (April 14) with the following hours:
Daily Hours:
Mon - Sat 8am - 6pm
Sunday 10am - 4pm
Sunny Hill is already open 10-6 and the Farmer's Market will be going again on Saturday.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Friday, April 9, 2010
It's Time
Tomorrow, the Bel Air Farmer's Market opens for the season. You can find out more at this website BelAirFarmersMarket.com. So check it out! We'll be there perusing the chickens, plants and whatever fresh fruits and veggies we can find (asparagus, anyone?).
We stopped in to Wilson's Farm Market today and picked up ice cream from Keyes Creamery and a handful of fresh baked cookies. Yum!
Yesterday's meal great for the spring season and a staple in our house. Broccoli, Sausage and Shells I purchased the sausage from Broom's Bloom and the remaining ingredients I had on hand. I served the sausage dish with TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein) instead of sausage for my sister, who is vegetarian. Along with the main course, I also served a spinach salad with mango (not local), chopped pecans, fresh homemade mozzarella (Thanks, Dad!) and homemade poppy seed dressing. It was truly gourmet! Typically, I use spinach, pecans and strawberries in the salad but I was feeling creative and used what I had on hand.
What's cooking in your kitchen?
We stopped in to Wilson's Farm Market today and picked up ice cream from Keyes Creamery and a handful of fresh baked cookies. Yum!
Yesterday's meal great for the spring season and a staple in our house. Broccoli, Sausage and Shells I purchased the sausage from Broom's Bloom and the remaining ingredients I had on hand. I served the sausage dish with TVP (Texturized Vegetable Protein) instead of sausage for my sister, who is vegetarian. Along with the main course, I also served a spinach salad with mango (not local), chopped pecans, fresh homemade mozzarella (Thanks, Dad!) and homemade poppy seed dressing. It was truly gourmet! Typically, I use spinach, pecans and strawberries in the salad but I was feeling creative and used what I had on hand.
What's cooking in your kitchen?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Where to get your grub
Spring is well upon us now and with all the warm weather we have been having the blossoms are out, plants are sprouting through the earth and fresh food is just around the corner. But, where are you supposed to find it? I can tell you about several farms local to Harford County, Maryland but if you are looking for something closer to your neck of the woods there are several websites to check out. The first place I look for farm information is localharvest.org. On this website you can search nationwide for farms in your area by the specific things you are looking for. The drawback is that not every farm is listed. This is the problem with all of the sites, none are comprehensive. If you are in Maryland you can also try MarylandsBest.net and in Harford County HarfordFarms.com. One more website to check out for additional information, links, recipes, etc is BelAirFarmersMarket.com.
There are other ways to find the local source for your foods. Just driving down the road you may catch a farm stand or sign. Try doing a Google search for local foods in your area. Check out your state and county department of agriculture. Talk to friends and see where they shop. Even Facebook has listings for local farming groups. Post your finds here and share what you have found. I have a list on the right hand side of this page for my favorite farms.
There are other ways to find the local source for your foods. Just driving down the road you may catch a farm stand or sign. Try doing a Google search for local foods in your area. Check out your state and county department of agriculture. Talk to friends and see where they shop. Even Facebook has listings for local farming groups. Post your finds here and share what you have found. I have a list on the right hand side of this page for my favorite farms.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Carrot Soup
Tonight's dinner would have been perfect on a cold fall evening when the sun set early in the day and the air was damp. But I chose to serve it on the hottest day of the year, so far, revving up my oven in the near 90 temp and forcing us into the cool of the basement to eat. I chose carrot soup and corn bread with cheese and orange slices. What's that you say? Not a local, seasonal meal! You are correct. The carrots were organic but from California. I just desired this meal. It will be the last time I serve carrot soup until carrots are in season again. The upside is that tonight was another clean plate dinner with little J finishing his portion and asking for more cornbread, M eating at least some of the meal and gobbling up the oranges and E devouring the soup, signing "more" after some of the bites.
The cornbread is a staple in our house and the recipe comes from Fanny Farm
. The edition I have of this cookbook is from 1940. Thankfully my edition is new enough to have oven temperatures. This is my 'go to' cookbook for all basic food recipes. Here is the cornbread recipe with my own modifications:
Mix 3/4 c. corn meal, 1/2 c. white flour, 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, 1/3 c. sugar, 1 T baking powder, 3/4 t salt. In a separate bowl beat with a wisk: 1 c. milk, 1 egg, 2 T fat (oil, butter, etc). Pour liquid into flour mixture and mix. Bake in shallow buttered pan (I use 8x8 glass dish) in a hot oven (425) for 20 min.
As for the soup, I found that recipe here on Easy-French-Food.com It is simple and delicious although the season really dictates that asparagus soup would be more appropriate. I will make that soon, I am sure and post the recipe as well.
The cornbread is a staple in our house and the recipe comes from Fanny Farm
. The edition I have of this cookbook is from 1940. Thankfully my edition is new enough to have oven temperatures. This is my 'go to' cookbook for all basic food recipes. Here is the cornbread recipe with my own modifications:Mix 3/4 c. corn meal, 1/2 c. white flour, 1/2 c. whole wheat flour, 1/3 c. sugar, 1 T baking powder, 3/4 t salt. In a separate bowl beat with a wisk: 1 c. milk, 1 egg, 2 T fat (oil, butter, etc). Pour liquid into flour mixture and mix. Bake in shallow buttered pan (I use 8x8 glass dish) in a hot oven (425) for 20 min.
As for the soup, I found that recipe here on Easy-French-Food.com It is simple and delicious although the season really dictates that asparagus soup would be more appropriate. I will make that soon, I am sure and post the recipe as well.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Meatballs
My kids are picky eaters. I never thought bc (before children) that I would succumb to meatballs, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, pb&j on a daily basis. But, here I am five years into the parenting thing and my children eat pb&j almost daily. There were bags of meatballs and chicken nuggets from the big box store in the freezer until recently. The battle for what to feed the children is constant. On one hand, I want my kids to clean their plates. On the other hand, I want them to eat what I put on the table. Tonight was a blessing, I made sloppy joes and carrot sticks and to my great surprise little J ate it with a smile on his face. He always surprises me.
The bags of meatballs and chicken nuggets are gone. I would like to feed the wee ones what they want and crave but I don't want to feed them a lot of salt, spare meat parts, factory farmed animals and preservatives. The solution that I have is making my own. I can get pastured beef and poultry and the reminder of the ingredients is a short list. Tonight, I made two pounds of meatballs. The recipe was a simple one that I found online here All Recipes Meatballs. I replaced the turkey with the beef that I had in the freezer. I added minced onion. I didn't have Italian seasoned breadcrumbs but I did have bread crumbs so I just threw in a bit of spices and called it a day. They are done and cooling on the stove now. I will freeze them tonight and have them ready to pull out for lunch whenever they are called for.
As for the big what to feed the kids dilemma our family has solved it this way. Breakfast is a big meal that the kids tend to love with oatmeal, eggs, cereal and bacon being top on the list. Lunch is whatever the kids want, within reason. Dinner is whatever I am serving and we all eat the same. The kids actually do eat vegetables, maybe not as many as some children, but they do it them. It is a good feeling.
The bags of meatballs and chicken nuggets are gone. I would like to feed the wee ones what they want and crave but I don't want to feed them a lot of salt, spare meat parts, factory farmed animals and preservatives. The solution that I have is making my own. I can get pastured beef and poultry and the reminder of the ingredients is a short list. Tonight, I made two pounds of meatballs. The recipe was a simple one that I found online here All Recipes Meatballs. I replaced the turkey with the beef that I had in the freezer. I added minced onion. I didn't have Italian seasoned breadcrumbs but I did have bread crumbs so I just threw in a bit of spices and called it a day. They are done and cooling on the stove now. I will freeze them tonight and have them ready to pull out for lunch whenever they are called for.
As for the big what to feed the kids dilemma our family has solved it this way. Breakfast is a big meal that the kids tend to love with oatmeal, eggs, cereal and bacon being top on the list. Lunch is whatever the kids want, within reason. Dinner is whatever I am serving and we all eat the same. The kids actually do eat vegetables, maybe not as many as some children, but they do it them. It is a good feeling.
Thoughts
The foods that are widely available today provide the calories that may sustain us but these foods do not nourish us. I am finding that I am approaching food with an near religious devotion. There are so many philosophical, ethical, evironmental and other issues to consider before we even get to the taste and texture departments. I am reminded of the biblical concept that we are God's stewards of the earth. I need to look up this passage but I am sure to my bones that being a good steward does not involve excess and convenience to the detriment of those around us or our own bodies.
In the garden, my spinach, mesclun and onions are all sprouting. I hope that they continue!
Sunny Hill Farm is now open 10-6pm and is taking orders for 1/4 and 1/2 sides of beef. Brad's Produce opens April 14. Bring on the food!
In the garden, my spinach, mesclun and onions are all sprouting. I hope that they continue!
Sunny Hill Farm is now open 10-6pm and is taking orders for 1/4 and 1/2 sides of beef. Brad's Produce opens April 14. Bring on the food!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Fresh
I was searching for what specific topic to post on tonight and it arrived in my facebook message box. The topic is, Fresh, a documentary on food. As you may know already there are several documentaries on food already exposing the ugly underbelly that seems to run our food systems these days. I have not actually watched this documentary, yet. However, there is a trailer on the website and what I took away from that brief screening was that Fresh is a hopeful movie about change. It seems to take up where Food, Inc
left off and provide information about changes that are taking place and what we individually can do. If I can find 100 people here locally that would like to see this movie, we can set up a screening. Anyone interested?
Speaking of fresh, I have the gardening bug. Little J and I spent 5 minutes this afternoon putting spinach, mesclun and peas in the pots we have on the back porch. I also picked up purple basil and nasturtium seeds while I was out shopping. I know now that my best growing spots still only get part sun but I am hopeful. I'll move the pots around to find the best growing conditions. How about you? Can you plant $1 worth of seeds tomorrow?
Since this is a blog about cooking, it would not be right to miss and opportunity to share a few recipes. I mentioned beans in a recent post. I cook beans by the pound. It is a healthy and inexpensive way to have beans ready when you need them. In the morning, I soak the beans. This is an easy process you place the rinsed beans in a big pot with enough water to cover them by a couple of inches. Bring them to a boil for 2 minutes then turn off and let sit for several hours. When you are ready to cook them you drain them, place them in a pressure cooker (you could have used this for soaking, too) and cover with enough water to cover. Bring to pressure and cook according to your pressure cooker book usually 1-9 minutes depending on the beans. If I need the beans for a recipe that day I will separate that amount off and then freeze the rest in 2 c. batches. The pressure cooker I use is Presto 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker
although you could also cook the beans the traditional way that takes many hours. I freeze many foods using a FoodSaver V2040 Vacuum-Packaging System
that I received as a wedding present. The vacuum sealer keeps the foods fresher for much longer than just using zip lock bags.
left off and provide information about changes that are taking place and what we individually can do. If I can find 100 people here locally that would like to see this movie, we can set up a screening. Anyone interested?Speaking of fresh, I have the gardening bug. Little J and I spent 5 minutes this afternoon putting spinach, mesclun and peas in the pots we have on the back porch. I also picked up purple basil and nasturtium seeds while I was out shopping. I know now that my best growing spots still only get part sun but I am hopeful. I'll move the pots around to find the best growing conditions. How about you? Can you plant $1 worth of seeds tomorrow?
Since this is a blog about cooking, it would not be right to miss and opportunity to share a few recipes. I mentioned beans in a recent post. I cook beans by the pound. It is a healthy and inexpensive way to have beans ready when you need them. In the morning, I soak the beans. This is an easy process you place the rinsed beans in a big pot with enough water to cover them by a couple of inches. Bring them to a boil for 2 minutes then turn off and let sit for several hours. When you are ready to cook them you drain them, place them in a pressure cooker (you could have used this for soaking, too) and cover with enough water to cover. Bring to pressure and cook according to your pressure cooker book usually 1-9 minutes depending on the beans. If I need the beans for a recipe that day I will separate that amount off and then freeze the rest in 2 c. batches. The pressure cooker I use is Presto 6-Quart Stainless Steel Pressure Cooker
although you could also cook the beans the traditional way that takes many hours. I freeze many foods using a FoodSaver V2040 Vacuum-Packaging System that I received as a wedding present. The vacuum sealer keeps the foods fresher for much longer than just using zip lock bags.
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