Information and resources for eating only food locally produced in Whatcom County
Category : Beverages, March, Recipes, Wildcrafting
So now you’ve gone out and foraged some stinging nettles, and you know how to handle them comfortably. How do you cook them? Easiest place to start is making tea. Nettles tea is very healthy and will give you a good opportunity to see what nettles taste like. I thought it might taste kind of “green” but it’s got a sweet note that makes it very pleasant. The color is simply spectacular. Continue Reading
Category : About Food Sources, April, Bellingham, Farmers' Markets, Main Dishes, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Most of the ingredients in this dish, except the butter, were items purchased at the Bellingham Farmers Market from Whatcom County farm vendors on opening day (April 7, 2012). Even this early in the spring, local farmers have an amazing array of vegetables and other foods from which to choose. Continue ReadingCategory : April, Condiments, Recipes
This month (April 2012), the Whatcom Farm to School program’s featured ingredient is frozen blueberries. That means participating school districts in Whatcom County will be serving at least one meal highlighting frozen blueberries. Some will also be offering students some classroom time to learn about blueberries, how they are grown, etc.
This came at a perfect time for me. When the Bellingham Farmers Market opens for the season, I know it’s time to start cleaning out fruit and vegetables from my freezer and pantry jars. I had some blueberries left from last year, so decided to make refrigerator jam with them. Continue Reading
I had an inordinate amount of eggs on hand, and was thinking about recipes which use lots of eggs. Pound cake usually has lots of eggs in it, but I had never tried making it with honey instead of sugar. Continue Reading
Today, I continued taking advantage of the abundance of locally produced eggs currently available. When I was young, one of my favorite pies was custard. During the years that eggs were getting a bad rap for causing heart disease, I quit making or eating custard pie. Now that I know better, I wanted to try making a locavore custard. Continue ReadingCategory : Appetizers, March, Recipes, Snacks
Deviled eggs remind me of my Indiana grandmother and annual family reunions on various family farms where there were more people than you could count. My mother also developed the knack for making wonderful deviled eggs. I can’t help but continue to play with the recipes, though. My results have been turning out much better since I started buying locally produced eggs laid by healthy, happy chickens. Continue ReadingCategory : March, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Whatcom Farm to School’s “Harvest of the Month” for March 2012 is kale, one of my favorite local greens. I’ve been growing, eating, and enjoying kale for years, so I was surprised to find that many people think of kale as an unusual vegetable. If that includes you, let me fill you in on what you’ve been missing. Continue ReadingCategory : Holidays, January, Main Dishes, Recipes
Sockeye salmon has a sturdy flavor and so needs very little in the way of preparation. In fact, some would say it is best eaten raw (first ensuring it is sushi quality, of course). I prefer to simply saute sockeye fillets in butter–no herbs and no sauce. At most, I might sprinkle on a little lemon juice after the fish is fully cooked. Continue ReadingCategory : January, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Winter meals in the northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest are all about warmth, stick-to-your-ribs heartiness, and flavors with substance. For locavores, winter is also about root vegetables, the kinds of things that are harvested in late fall and can be stored over the winter. Continue ReadingCategory : Breakfast, January, Main Dishes, Recipes, Vegetarian
A friend of mine enjoys the taste of squash, but she has a hard time getting past the mushy texture. Since she grows so much squash in her garden, and often shares with me, I’ve been doing some experimenting to see if I could solve her problem and come up with some variation of cooked squash that was crispy.
This recipe was not a success from the texture point of view. However, the flavor was wonderful! Continue Reading
Category : Appetizers, Holidays, Recipes, Whatcom Locavore Basics
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like potato chips, though the store-bought version is often a guilty pleasure. We all know the health hazards they present–transfats, high sodium, etc. But they’re just so…well, good!
Fortunately there are options. Making oven-baked potato chips isn’t very difficult, especially if you have a mandoline for slicing them thinly and quickly. (Be careful, those things are sharp! Use the hand guard.) The other trick for success is to watch the chips carefully in the oven. They go from done to burnt in seconds. Continue Reading
Okay, I confess. I love the old onion dip made with sour cream and dried onion soup mix. When I started eating as a locavore, I just had to come up with an alternative that tasted as good.
Here’s the recipe I concocted. I actually like it even better than the old version. Let me know what you think. Continue Reading
Category : Appetizers, Holidays, Recipes
A lot of appetizers are served cold, but sometimes it’s nice to have warmer options, especially during winter holiday entertaining. These meatballs with a creamy wine sauce make a heartier offering, but still are bite-sized to keep them easy for your guests to eat. It’s also a simple recipe to prepare. Continue Reading