Evergreen Station (Ferndale) at the Bellingham Farmers Market often has really beautiful organic vegetables–not just high quality but also visually lovely. Last weekend I was particularly delighted by their large rutabagas. The skins were perfectly smooth, the color varied from pale gold to purple, and the size was enormous. I bought a single 2-pound root, not sure how I would use it. Continue ReadingCategory : Breakfast, December, Main Dishes, Menu Ideas, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Evergreen Station (Ferndale) at the Bellingham Farmers Market often has really beautiful organic vegetables–not just high quality but also visually lovely. Last weekend I was particularly delighted by their large rutabagas. The skins were perfectly smooth, the color varied from pale gold to purple, and the size was enormous. I bought a single 2-pound root, not sure how I would use it. Continue ReadingCategory : Holidays, November, Recipes, Soups, Vegetarian
Here’s a simple, yet unique, tomato soup that I guarantee you will enjoy! It has a rich smokey flavor with just a hint of peppery heat. Continue Reading
This omelet recipe is a perfect example of incredible local flavors. Cascadia Farms shiitake mushrooms are the highlight–they make nonlocal shiitakes seem like tasteless paste. I’m certain you’ll savor this dish.
We’re fortunate to have a diverse variety of locally made cheese from which to choose. I use local goudas a lot because they often come flavored with herbs or spices. For this recipe, though, I used a plain gouda made from goat milk. The goat milk flavor was all that was needed to balance the eggs. Continue Reading
Category : Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Frizzles are a fun way to prepare winter root vegetables. While this recipe uses carrots and beets, just about any root vegetable can be used–potatoes, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, celeriac (celery root), and so on.
I like to include carrots to add a touch of sweetness to any root combination. Some roots have a slightly bitter taste, and carrots will help balance the flavor.
The crispy texture and whimsical appearance are delightful. They also offer a simple way to make any menu seem a little fancier for entertaining. Continue Reading
Category : Recipes, Soups, Vegetarian
Squash can be a little scary to work with in the kitchen. Getting through the tough outer shell can be a formidable challenge, to say the least, and the solutions often veer toward the dramatic. People use heavy meat cleavers, small hatchets, serrated electric knives, or they may drop squash from stairs or ladders onto concrete decks. I finally opted for safety, eating only smaller squash varieties with thinner skins, such as delicata.
This year, though, my friend Nancy Simmerman came up with a less drastic solution for almost any kind of squash. It still requires one cut to divide the squash in half along its “equator”–halfway between the stem end and the end where the blossom used to be, but then it gets easier. Continue Reading
Category : Make It Yourself, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian
Potatoes are one of my favorite foods to substitute for commercially prepared convenience versions, especially for health reasons. For example, commercially frozen french fries typically contain all kinds of unhealthy trans-fats and preservatives. By spending just a little time in the fall, I can have delicious–and healthy–frozen french fries throughout the winter. When I take them from the freezer to fix for dinner, I cook them exactly the same way as the commercial variety. In other words, it’s just as convenient. Continue ReadingCategory : Condiments, December, Make It Yourself, Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetarian, Whatcom Locavore Basics
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. Continue Reading
Fresh picked produce is beautiful to look at, which is one of the things I enjoy so much about cooking with locally grown food. However, some vegetables are so visually striking that they stand out on the produce racks. Broccoli romanesco (also called Roman cauliflower or coral broccoli) is one of those vegetables with a remarkable–even bizarre–appearance. Continue ReadingCategory : Recipes, Sauces and Dips, September, Snacks, Vegetarian
For the 2011 Whatcom County Farm Tour, I went to BelleWood Acres to do cooking demonstrations featuring dishes made with their stellar apples. I chose recipes that would allow me to show some locavore techniques which could be used for many purposes, and this recipe was perfect. Continue Reading
Category : Breakfast, Grilling, Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Side Dishes, Snacks, Soups, Vegetarian
Recently a friend called me and asked if I’d like a big batch of broccoli stems. She was freezing broccoli from her garden, and usually purees the stems to use for soups, but didn’t have room this year in her freezer. “Sure!” I said, and the next morning a big bag of stalks was on my doorstep.
For some people it’s weird, I know. Broccoli stems are often seen as trimmings, and discarded. I really like the flavor, though. I think stems taste sweeter and less bitter than the florets. They also don’t have the grainy floret texture that children and others sometimes find objectionable. Continue Reading
