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
A couple of months ago when I was harvesting the last produce from my home garden, I brought in a cabbage which weighed ten pounds after I had removed the outer leaves and cleaned it up. Since this was about the third head of cabbage that size I’d had to deal with, not to mention a half dozen heads of more normal size, I decided it was time to learn to make sauerkraut. That way I could spread out eating the cabbage over several months. As it turned out, making sauerkraut is pretty simple. 
Home canning involves a sequence of steps which may seem complicated at first. In reality, each step is simple, and once you’ve been through the process a couple of times, it will quickly become routine. If you begin with tested recipes and follow the instructions carefully, I think you’ll find the results will be worth the effort–and delicious! 
Fast and flavorful, this dill salad dressing combines well with nearly any salad ingredients. It’s smooth enough to go with spicier ones such as arugula, mesclun salad mixes, etc., but also adds enough flavor to perk up blander ingredients, such as hard-boiled eggs or plain lettuce.
I love Broadleaf Farms’ napa cabbage–have I mentioned that yet today? Probably. It’s so perfectly crisp and delicate at the same time. Simply marvelous!
This dressing is so simple that the incredible flavor is almost shocking. If you have any doubts that local farm fresh food tastes better than food that’s been harvested elsewhere and shipped long distances, try this dressing. You’ll never go back.
I’m discovering that when I can’t find a locally produced version of a common ingredient, making it myself is sometimes easier than you’d think. For example, I’ve already posted a simple technique I learned for 
Last week I didn’t see locally produced butter in the dairy cooler at the Community Food Co-op, which usually stocks some. Since I don’t know of any locally produced cooking oils, I’m using butter instead, and was concerned when I couldn’t find any.