Posts filed under 'Eat locally'
December 21st, 2009
Fraiche Cafe in Winnebago is forming an organic buying club.
You can get clean, fresh, ready-to-use produce and locally raised meat delivered to your door for $5 each time (weekly, monthly or quarterly).
Suppliers are Timber Creek Farms and UNFI, plus farmers from Pecatonica and Dixon.
“It’s like a work of art when you open the box,” says Chris Wave of TCF, which she has used for 17 years.
There are no fees to join the club, which offers you discounts on your orders.
Questions? Call Wave at 815-335-1064.
December 3rd, 2009
Do you like to eat? Think back on your last few meals. Where did you eat? At home? At a restaurant? In a car? What did you eat? Where was it grown? Were the people who grew it treated fairly? How could you know that?
The average American eats more and more meals on the run, consuming many of our calories in paper-wrapped, chain restaurant meals, indistinguishable from one town to the next. At one time, this was the exception not the rule. There is an international organization (a movement, really) to counteract some of this… Slow Food. The name is, obviously, a response to the term, “fast food” but the concepts of the movement are much farther-reaching.
According to its website, Slow Food is a “non-profit, eco-gastronomic, member-supported, organization… founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life; the disappearance of local food traditions; and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where if comes from, how it tastes, and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.” With over 100,000 members in 132 countries, Slow Food unites pleasure and responsibility and makes them inseparable. Critics point out that creating quality foods from fresh local ingredients can take great time and effort but it doesn’t have to. There is no reason we can’t have slow food fast with a little planning and preparation – even in restaurants and cafeterias!
This organization is trying to help ordinary people make a connection between their plate and their planet, their community and their world. The idea is that food should meet three criteria: good, clean, and fair. Food should taste good; be produced without damage to the environment, the welfare of animals, or our health; and the producers (at all levels) should receive fair compensation for their work. Once we are informed and actively supporting those who produce our food, we are transcending the role of mere consumers and becoming “co-producers,” partners in the process of the production of our food. Slow Food approaches these goals in several ways, Taste Education, Defense of Biodiversity, and Linking Producers and Co-Producers (that’s us!).
Taste education programs work to protect endangered food products. Slow Food proponents want us to recognize and seek out our regional tastes, our food heritage and culture, so they persist and can be passed to future generations. Many of these nearly-forgotten foods have viable commercial possibilities to explore.
Food biodiversity is important to protect because the variety and diversity of everything around us is diminishing, especially in terms of food. Individual food items tend to taste the same (often flavorless) anywhere you go. By demanding uniform, blemish-free, long-distance-traveling produce in our grocery stores, we’ve encouraged large-scale producers to select for these traits instead of other characteristics like taste and texture. There is actually less diversity among our vegetables today than there was just a generation or two ago. So Slow Food works to safeguard the land and endorse sustainable agriculture, protect small producers and their communities, and promote regional food traditions to the world.
These important steps would be for naught if there were no venues to link producers with co-producers (remember, that’s us). Slow Food recognizes the connection between quality of life (for eaters and producers) and a sustainable lifestyle on earth.
On Thursday, December 10th, Rockford will host an event as part of Terra Madre Day, a day of international participation to promote Slow Food tenets and foster community discussion of and consideration for good, clean, and fair food. Come out to the Discovery Center Theater at Rockford’s Museum Campus (711 N. Main St.) at 7:00 pm for our area’s first screening of “Fresh,” a new documentary about our food systems and how they could be positively impacted. Contact the University of Illinois Winnebago County Extension office at 815-986-4357 to reserve your spot (it’s free!).
November 25th, 2009
Got the winter off? Yeah, right!
A grower is never done. We’ll take a break from the fields for 4 months, but just not quite yet. Even though our pickers are done for the season, we have still been taking out wonderful veggies. Spinach and lettuce are still growing, slowly. More trays of lettuce are under grow lights in the basement for greens all winter. Broccoli has run out although had we planted more, there would still be some tasty florets. Carrots, parsnips, Brussels sprouts, and small cabbages were just picked. They just keep getting better and sweeter.
We’re actually waiting for the garden to freeze. That means we can finally put the strawberries to bed. The straw bale stack will dwindle as we spread seven bales per row. This prevents the continual freeze/thaw cycle from pushing the crowns out of the ground to dry and die. The golden straw will be raked off and into the “ditches” come next May. This provides weed kill and gives our pickers a firm clean path since they’re on hands-and-knees for the easiest harvest. It really gives a nice look to the strawberry field. The big question? When to trash a row that was prolific last season, but appears to be “sodding in”. Grass is the enemy. We’ll be starting several new rows again this next season and take out those no longer productive at the end of June when they’ve had their last chance.
The extended fall weather has given us incentive to finish the hoop house. It’s a project that has dragged on longer than we thought. But working in the fall muck would not have been fun. The hoops are up and ready, plastic is still shrink wrapped in the garage. We’re finally framing in the ends. Since it will be too late to use to extend the season, we’ll save the plastic until next spring and extend its life another year.
Notes have been taken, planting and harvest dates recorded, favorite varieties noted, shortages and excesses accounted for, and already we’re checking out the seed catalogs and beginning our crop lists.
Now is a good time to research your local food source possibilities for the next season. An excellent guide to local entrepreneurs is the Local Foods directory published at the
University of
Illinois Extension –
Winnebago
County. It will be updated and republished this spring but is still accessible at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago/downloads/16715.pdf . Be patient, as it could be a slow download. Check out possible CSA’s and U-Picks as we will all soon be deciding seed varieties and quantities determined by our customer base.
Meanwhile, a reading assignment! Try Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma – a natural history of four meals. This might help you make your decision to begin supporting your local food providers.
November 16th, 2009
I wrote this fall that I was saddened by the closing of the cafe at the N Center, just a block away from the News Tower.
But I managed to track down Michael Wasserman, who is still doing the same good food at the downtown YMCA. The location is called the Y Cafe; the business is called Juice Energy Cafe (JUICE is an acronym for Jesus Unleashed is Creations Energy) and has been there since December 2008.
You can find soups, sandwiches and more there; Wasserman said pairing with the Y makes sense because both he and the organization support a healthy lifestyle, and he and the fitness instructors have developed a good relationship. Since this is a green blog, not a food blog, I asked about the eco-friendly aspects of his business:
You use greenware to-go containers and cups? ”They are made from a corn-based plastic and are biodegradable. Our forks, spoons and knives are made from potatoes…. It is good stewardship. I believe these choices make a difference to the members at the YMCA, and the young people coming through really think it’s cool. The greenware costs a little more going in but will probably save in cost later. It is good to use less petroleum in our products.”
What about the menu? “We buy organic foods where possible, we use low-sodium turkey and we choose good, quality meats. We try to buy everything fresh, not processed. Our soups are low sodium and made fresh daily. We offer a traditional and vegetarian soup.”
And drinks? “We use fresh fruit in our smoothies and sweeten with honey when possible. We juice using organic carrots and other fresh vegetables. Our Italian roast coffee is organic and fair trade.”
What else is popular? ”We just added a sushi choice for the week that has been received well. Our organic oatmeal and fresh fruit and yogurt parfaits topped with our homemade granola are going strong.”
What’s next? “We are working with a local company to refurbish vending machines to offer our fresh foods at other locations.” He adds that he continues to work on making his menu healthier and better, too.
Cafe hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. It is open to Y members and their friends (who must sign in at the front desk). Call 815-489-1272.
November 12th, 2009
While the hard freeze may have wiped out a lot of veggies, the activities of the Local Foods Work Group continue apace. In October I went to the national conference of the Community Food Security Coalition in Des Moines with Margaret Larson, director of our county’s Extension office. Over 600 people attended, all with an interest in local foods, but from so many different angles, including food policy, agriculture policy, just treatment of farm workers, academics, nutritionists, economists, farmers, food pantries, farm-to-cafeteria programs, and neighborhood revitalization. One highlight was the speech by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, about exciting changes that are afoot at the U.S.D.A. We returned to Rockford with our heads full of ideas for new projects that we’ll start to tackle over the winter.On December 10, 2009, our group will host a showing of the movie Fresh as part of Terra Madre Day. First, the movie: it’s a new documentary that celebrates farmers, consumers, and business people nationwide who are reimagining and transforming our country’s food system. “Forging healthier, sustainable alternatives, they offer a practical vision for a future of our food and our planet.” (www.FreshTheMovie.com) It’s been shown in Chicago and Madison, as well as at numerous film festivals, and now it will finally be coming to our area. For details on the showing, check the Extension’s website at web.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago.Terra Madre Day is being organized by Slow Food International to promote access to good, clean, and fair food; agricultural biodiversity; small-scale food production; environmentally responsible food production; and fair and sustainable trade. Groups around the world will be hosting events including communal meals, excursions to producers, and film and cultural events. While we’ll enjoy the movie in our own community, we’ll also be part of something much larger. Think globally, act locally, as they say.In response to a desire in the community to learn more about local foods, our Local Foods Work Group will host a symposium on Saturday, March 20, 2010 in Rockford. The keynote speaker will be Terra Brockman, founder of The Land Connection (a group that promotes community-based food systems in the Midwest) and author of a new book, The Seasons on Henry’s Farm. Several breakout sessions will also be offered. Things are still in the planning stages, but mark your calendar and check the Extension’s website for updates.Speaking of updates, winter is also the time when we review the northern Illinois local foods directory to be sure that all the information is current. If you or a local producer you know would like to be included, contact the Extension office or visit the website. There is no charge to be listed, as the aim is to support local growers and producers, as well as to help folks find local sources for a wide variety of foods. Whether you’re looking for veggies, fruit, meat, eggs, honey, maple syrup, or grains, you won’t have to go far for local goodness.
November 9th, 2009
To celebrate 60 years of gardening and its focus on nature, the Seedlings gardening club is extending an invitation to its private party at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 16 at Octane, 124 N. Main, Rockford. Cost is $25 for the meal, prizes and program, which features this blog’s own contributor, Andrea Hazzard.
To make a reservation by Friday, send your check to Kathy Crandall, 7775 Eddie Road, Winnebago, IL 61088. Questions? Call Sue Lacerra at 815-243-0093.
Seedlings is part of the Council of Rockford Gardeners.
This is the local-foods menu:
· Appetizer/Salad – Roasted Beet Salad: Roasted beets with the flavors of citrus, mint, shallots, and peppered goat cheese
· Soup – Harvest Bisque: A blend of butternut and acorn squash, pumpkin, fresh herbs and pumpkin seed pesto
· Entree – Beef and Bison Meat Loaf: Traditional meat loaf with a twist—baked then grilled–served with a duo of roasted mashed Yukon and sweet potatoes and a vegetable side
· Dessert – Fall Apple and Cranberry Crumble: Apple and cranberry crumble with a cranberry wine reduction and fresh whipped cream
October 27th, 2009
That’s the title of the University of Illinois Extension presentation by Lenae Weichel and her husband, Kevin Holdmann from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, at the Extension office, 1925 S. Meridian Road, Rockford.
Lenae and Kevin will share their locavore experience (eating locally for a year): the what, why and how, the successes and challenges. If you’re interested in making “small changes,” RSVP at 815-986-4357 or online at http://winnebago.extension.uiuc.edu.
We’ve written about this before, in case you want to dig around the old links.
October 13th, 2009
The farmers markets are starting to wind down this time of the year however, you can still find an abundance of winter squash in many colorful shapes and sizes. There are many available and some of my favorites are Hubbard, Acorn and Spaghetti.
Selection
Winter squash unlike summer squash has a hard skin, which is inedible. They are harvested at a mature age and can be stored for 3 months or longer.Look for firm squash that feels heavy for its size. For a quality squash, choose one that has a smooth, dry rind and is free of cracks or soft spots. Look for rind that has a dull appearance. A shiny rind indicates that it has been picked too early or has a wax coating. Slight variations in color are not important.
Winter Squash is Good for You
An excellent source of beta-carotene (converted to Vitamin A in the body). A good source of fiber and vitamin C, as well as antioxidants. Low in calories
How to Use Winter Squash
There are many varieties of winter squash and most of them are eaten cooked. Their hard shells and seeds are not eaten. All winter squash bakes well and steaming works well for cut pieces.
Butternut
Winter squash, such as butternut, is at its best in the fall. Not only is it sweet and richly flavored, this vegetable is packed with powerful antioxidants. I like it because of its nutty flavor and it can be skinned with a vegetable peeler, which makes it easier to cut and prepare than some of the other varieties. A butternut has an elongated bell-shaped and usually measures about a foot long. Baking enhances its sweet, moist and nutty flavors. You will find it in local markets from now through March.
Spiced Roasted Squash
This technique—roasting cubes of peeled squash until they are lightly caramelized—makes a simple but stellar side dish.
Note: peeling and cutting hard squash can be a chore, but don’t let that dissuade you. You can purchase ready-peeled squash, packaged as halves or cubes, in most large supermarkets.
2 cups cubed (1-inched pieces) peeled butternut squash (9 oz.)
4 boiler onions (1 ½ inch diameter) , peeled and quartered
2 tsp. olive oil
¾ tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground coriander
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan with cooking spray.Combine squash, onions, oil, cumin, coriander, cayenne and salt in a medium bowl; toss to coat. Spread vegetables in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Roast, uncovered, turning several times, until vegetables are tender and browned in spots, 25 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl, sprinkle with lime juice and cilantro, and toss gently to coat.
Yield: 2 (3/4-cup) servings
October 9th, 2009
When my family embarked on our year-long local eating challenge, we were frequently asked, “What will you do in winter?” There are many options if you don’t want to give up great food and community support when the growing season ends. To feed a family of four with entirely local food all winter long takes some planning and a season of preparation (from asparagus in spring to the last harvest of cold-hardy crops as snow falls). But what can the rest of us do, without the time or inclination for that commitment?
Even now there are foods you can buy (check the Winnebago County Local Foods Directory) that will last you well into the winter and even to spring. I need not state the obvious: frozen meats, local cheeses and eggs, and local grains will be available to some extent year-round. But there are “fresh” food options that will store for many months.
Hard-shelled, winter squash will keep in a cool, dark place; as will storage onions (not sweet onions which are intended to be eaten within a few weeks), garlic, apples, and potatoes (stored separately as apples cause potatoes to sprout). Beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, and other root vegetables will keep very well for months in your refrigerator (remove greens – chop and eat these right away in quiche or omelets, sautéed with butter and garlic, or added to salads; or freeze them for later use) and store the roots in open plastic bags. Cabbage will also store in the fridge or cellar (remove any dried, ugly leaves from the outside before preparing).
Just be sure that you mouse-proof your stored bounty with wire mesh or you might end up like us last year… we found holes in some of our squash and a ski boot full of seeds!
Although pie pumpkins will keep well with the other winter squash, their higher sugar content reduces their shelf-life. Keep them longer by scooping the seeds, cutting the pumpkins into large pieces, and steaming them. Then just separate the flesh from the skin, puree the flesh, and freeze it in one-pound portions (perfect for one pumpkin pie or bread recipe). Zucchini can be shredded and frozen in two-cup amounts for making bread throughout the winter.
Dehydrating is another easy way to preserve. Local pears and apples are obvious candidates that make for great snacking or additions to oatmeal but don’t rule out more savory options. Onions of all types can be sliced or chopped, well dried, and kept in an air-tight container. Then just use what you need for flavorful soups and stews. Dried green peppers and tomatoes make great additions to winter chili. When using any dried foods, be sure to add a little more liquid than usual.
Even non-gardeners can grow herbs indoors. Check locally for close-outs on plants; if you find none, plant seeds (available online year-round). Keep them well-watered and in your sunniest windows and you’ll have fresh flavor and a little bit of green in the dead of winter and on into spring!
With a little planning and preparation, you can enjoy local foods year-round… and it’s not too late to start until the ground is white with snow.
October 3rd, 2009
As the University of Illinois Extension plans the Fall Openfields Farm Tour, I thought I’d take a look at the topic of Agritourism. The Agri-Tourism Partners of Illinois just announced that a pumpkin farm in Arthur has won their Agritourism business of the year award. My friend Anne Dougherty of Learn Great Foods, a food touring company based in Mt. Carroll won this award last year and I was happy to celebrate her success with her. So what is Agritourism, why is important, and what does it mean for our area?
A quick glance at a U of I Extension website supporting agritourism tells me that this is a growing segment of our economy and that there is a diversity of businesses that fall into this category. These businesses market a wide variety of produce, products, services and “agri-tainment” to a variety of consumers of all ages and demographics. Technically, we define agritourism as “any business activity that brings the public to a farm or rural setting in an effort to market farm raised or produced products or the enjoyment of related outdoor activities.” I have to take it a step further and suggest that our many local farmers markets provide a form of informal agritourism, providing consumers with the opportunity to learn from local farmers, delight in an assortment of fruits, vegetables and other products, and interact with other customers.
The most known form of agritourism is the good old-fashioned farm visit. Fall is the time when pumpkin patches are filled with schoolchildren; orchards are busy with visitors of all ages searching for that fresh apple cider donut or the perfect sauce apple, and soon we’ll be thinking Christmas trees and all that come with the season. Next time you make a visit, take a minute to think about the economic impact that the agritourism site may have. Are there many employees, products for sale that are grown and produced locally (more than the obvious) and are there partnerships evident, such as local non-profits providing booths and staff? All benefit us directly and indirectly, and are a value added bonus of our enjoyment of the visit.
The Fall Openfields Farm Tour will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2009. Participating farms will be open for visitors between noon and 5:oo pm. For more details, check the Extension website at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/winnebago/ or call the office at 815-986-4357.
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