Grass Fed vs. Grocery Store

Here is the comparison: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/forkintheroad/2009/11/battle_of_the_d_18.php

Luckily there are plenty of choices if you live here in Harford (or Cecil) County for great grass fed beef. Check out my favorite farms in the side bar. If you are looking for grass fed beef in your neck of the woods try EatWild.com.

Don't be put off by the price either. For the past five years we have been purchasing meat locally in bulk. We buy a quarter of a cow and a half of a pig. The price is much less than buying cuts individually as needed and we make it last for a year eating each meat type only once a week.

Drying Out

I think it is appropriate that amidst all this rain I would test drive the Nesco Professional Food Dehydrator. It is my little 'rage against the moisture' :-) The dehydrator was a birthday gift from my sister in law and although I had been itching for one for a long time, the 'busy'ness of every day just kept me from opening the box.

This morning was definitely one of those, 'Why didn't I do this sooner!?' moments. There was nothing to put together, I simply had to wash the trays in warm soapy water and then the machine was ready to go. Loading it up was equally simple. I decided to try apples for this first go round. I simply cut them into a bowl of orange juice, let them soak for 5 minutes and then lined them up on the trays. The whole process took about 10 minutes. I did it all before walking my son down to the bus stop. Drying took the whole day. Most of the apples were finished after 10 hours with a couple pieces taking twelve.

When I do this again, I am going to use a corer to make the job even simpler and then slice the apples in rings.

I am looking forward to trying watermelon, tomatoes, sage and cranberries next. Oh the possibilities are endless!

Blueberries

It was a perfect day to venture out blueberry picking and the blueberry bushes were heavy with berries at Spring Valley Farm in Cecil County. The berries are $2.65 a pound. We managed to pick 11 lbs in no time with the three little ones 'helping.' Little J was an expert picker whereas we had to guard our bowls from little E's sticky fingers.

The farm also has ripe yellow and white peaches. After picking I made healthy blueberry muffins for snacks later this week and a fresh open face blueberry pie. My favorite!

I will likely freeze the remaining berries and make some jam. I'll probably need to pick one more time to have enough to last us through the winter.

CSA Season in Full Swing: Radishes and Kale

I guess because of the heat, this growing season seems to have started off with a bang. Already our CSA basket from Sunny Hill Farm is chock full of great veggies. Two that I am not as used to preparing are Kale and radishes.

For the kale, I tend to saute it in olive oil with a bit of red pepper flakes. I add dry white wine after a few minutes of cooking and put a lid on it to steam the kale a bit. There is a great green bean and kale recipe on Giada's Food Network website. You'll even get non-kale fans eating the stuff with that recipe.

As for the radishes they seem to be the 'it' food this season. We received them every week in our early spring share from Brad's Produce. And now that our summer share has started we have received them every week as well. Let's just say I was needing another way to eat them other than with dip and in our salads. They just haven't been disappearing fast enough! So I food this steak recipe from EatingWell.com Which pairs a rare beef with a light radish and carrot salad, yummy! When the radishes came in again this week I sought recipes to use them up even faster and found this one for radish dip. Let's just say the bowl is almost empty and I won't be kissing anyone anytime soon! Jean at Sunny Hill suggested that the radish dip be paired with Kale chips. Sounds good to me! Here is her recipe:

Kale Chips

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 bunches kale, rinsed with stems removed

Directions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

1 Cut kale into 2 to 3 inch pieces.
2 Mix vinegar, oil, and salt in a large bowl then add kale and mix by hand.
3 Try to get all the leaves covered.
4 Place on baking sheets (I like to use parchment paper for easy clean up) and bake at 350 F until they are crispy.
5 After about 20 minutes, if it looks like they are not sizzling a bit or getting a little crispy, turn up the heat

You can also experiment with adding other spices or flavorings of your choice like garlic powder, old bay, poppy or sesame seeds. Pair with your favorite dip or salsa for a great guilt free snack.

Just a note: We just picked Sour Cherries yesterday but they are coming to an end. I hear that blueberries are ripe now. I have picked every year at Spring Valley Farm. Sweet Cherries are coming in, too. I haven't been to this farm yet, but it looks like a lot of fun!

Strawberry Season Flying By

There are seasons I can recall in recent history where I was still picking strawberries at the end of June. This apparently is not going to be one of them. Harmans still has some pre-picked strawberries but their picking season is coming to an end. If you are planning to pick strawberries to make jam or to freeze, make pies and strawberry ice cream, you better head out this week to do so.

Locally, I know that these farms have strawberries:
Brad's Produce (410) 734-GROW
Harman's Farm Market (410) 734-7400
Wilson's Farm Market 410-836-8980
Lohrs Orchard 410-836-2783
Sunny Hill 410-382-0856

Mother's Day

Mother's Day may have been last weekend but we celebrated a week late with our annual family Mother's Day Tea. This is one of my favorite meals to make and I am pleased that each year the food is more local and more seasonal than the last. This year I was able to use local milk, cream and butter which I didn't have available last year. What a joy! Just to make your mouth water...I made dried apricot and fresh sage scones from the cream and butter we receive from Kilby Cream. I only make these scones once a year and I use the sage from my garden, which is a purple/silver variety. So tastey!

I highly recommend my guests do not have their cholesterol checked in the week after this annual tea. The rest of the menu was: Lemon Squares (from my dad), Asparagus Soup, Spring Potato Salad, Clotted Cream, Rhubarb Bread, Salted Butter, Curry Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Dill Egg Salad Sandwiches, Avocado Salad Sandwiches and PB&J for the kids.

I think the biggest items that were not local were the flour and avocados. I helped myself to tasting along the way of cooking and stuffed myself to the gills at the party. I think I am still feeling the effects.

I just love this time of year when all the fresh food is just starting to become available. It is like we have an awaking to veggies and fruits once again and every week there is something new that his available.

If you are local to Harford County, please stop by to the farms that I have listed on the right. If not, check out your state's Department of Agriculture or Local Harvest.

Farmer's Markets opening soon!

After all the cold, it is finally time for the Farmer's Markets to open again. Bel Air Farmer's Market will open on April 9. You can find out more here http://www.belairfarmersmarket.com/

Aside from that many farms are still taking applications for CSA's this summer. Sunny Hill in Whiteford still has openings if you go to http://www.sunnyhillfarmmd.com/ You can request an application.

Also, Kilby Cream is expanding their milk delivery locations and I bet there is one nearby you (if you live in Harford or Cecil County). You can check at there website http://www.kilbycream.com/.

Lastly, in an unrelated food note (but very green note!) Clear Your Clutter Day is on the way to Harford County. Find out more about the day and check out our new sponsors at ClearYourClutterDay.org