Eating to improve your mood isn’t always a bad thing! Healthy local foods can actually give your mood a lift and boost your energy, too. Continue Reading
Category : Appetizers, July, Recipes, Snacks
Eating to improve your mood isn’t always a bad thing! Healthy local foods can actually give your mood a lift and boost your energy, too. Continue Reading
Pesky weed? Edible landscaping plant? Medicinal herb? Gourmet greens? Purslane is all of the above.Purslane (Portulaca olearacea–also called “pigweed”) is a determined and adaptive plant. According to a Whatcom County Noxious Weed Control Board* handout, a single plant can produce 240,000 seeds which can remain viable in the soil for up to 40 years. A small part of the plant can sprout into a whole new plant. If you pull it up, the plant can still go on to produce seeds, and if it’s anywhere near dirt it will root and grow again. It’s even a succulent (meaning it stores water), so can withstand a certain amount of drought conditions. (That means it’s also not an herb or vegetable.) Purslane takes hardiness to a whole new level. Continue ReadingCategory : Grow Your Own, July
Long and creamy white, daikon radishes are most often thought of as an ingredient in Japanese cuisine. However, they are easy to grow and exceptionally versatile to use. Daikon stores well, too, making them a superb locavore ingredient. (A locavore is a person who eats only locally grown food as much as possible.) Continue Reading
Category : July, Menu Ideas
(Guest article by Joan Ging)–What is it about a summertime Sunday brunch that feels so spectacularly indulgent? Is it the relaxed morning, waking slowly in a sun-warmed bed, knowing there is nothing pressing you to start your day quickly? Is it the collection of loved ones, squeezing into a seat at your table of bounty, expressing delight over the smells and good company? Or is it the food itself, rich and flavorful, savory and sweet, featuring the ripeness of the season? Of course, we know it is all these things. Continue Reading
Category : July, Recipes, Salads, Sauces and Dips
Here’s a refreshing dressing made with the delicious ripe strawberries of early summer. The texture is creamy and the color is gorgeous. Continue Reading
Category : July, Side Dishes
As I was preparing my menu for this week, I found myself reminiscing about the experiences which led to me having the main ingredients. I realized that many of my locavore recipes have had stories behind them. It’s yet another unexpected pleasure discovered as I continue to transition toward eating only locally grown foods.
Today’s vegetable dish began several days ago with a visit to my friend Nancy Simmerman at Gude Erth Farm here on Lummi Island. Nancy spins and knits natural fibers, and has a studio near her home where she sells the clothing she designs and constructs (call 758-2489 for an appointment). I stopped by to talk with her about a project we’re working on together. While we were visiting, another mutual friend dropped in and we all enjoyed a nice cup of tea while catching up on our latest summer travels and visitors. Continue Reading
Category : July, Snacks, Whatcom Locavore Basics
This Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers recipe is a special favorite for kids. It’s a local (and healthier) version of the little fish-shaped cheese crackers kids love. Continue Reading
Everything was ready. I’d spent nearly two weeks tracking down and gathering ingredients from my gardening friends. The mixture had been simmering all night in crockpots and the wonderful fragrance in the morning held promise.
It was the day of the 2010 Chili Cook-off, an annual event sponsored by the Heritage Trust* on Lummi Island. I was entering for the first time with my recipe for Locavore Chili. Continue Reading
Anyone who lives in Whatcom County has probably eaten some food produced by the dedicated people at Cloud Mountain Farm near Everson. Have you eaten at Nimbus, Prospect Street Cafe, or Boundary Bay? Enjoyed some of the exotic fruit flavors in Mallard’s ice cream? Some of the ingredients you ate were almost certainly grown at Cloud Mountain Farm. Continue Reading
Category : July, Menu Ideas
Baby bok choy, snow pea pods, zucchini, broccoli–it was time. Everything was ready for making my first summer stir-fry of the year!
I love this time of the growing season when a wide variety of local vegetables are available. It’s easy to assemble a stir-fry with enough hearty flavors to be called a one-dish meal. Continue Reading
Category : Farm Stands, July, Menu Ideas, U-Pick Farms
On Thursdays or Fridays I do my locavore shopping, looking for ingredients to inspire these weekly recipes. I usually start at Terra Organica, because all their produce is organic. Next I go to the Community Food Co-op. Both stores label produce sources prominently so local food is easy to find.
Inspiration didn’t strike, though, until I got to Boxx Berry Farm. I stopped there last because it was a warm afternoon, my daughter and grandson were with me, and I had strawberry shortcake in mind. Boxx has outdoor picnic tables and a Shortcake Shack in their farm store where you can get Edaleen ice cream, strawberry sundaes, and strawberry shortcake–delicious! Continue Reading
