Strawberries

Let's talk strawberries for a moment, shall we?

I'm rather smitten with berries of all sorts lately, but most especially strawberries.

I'm not the only one in the house who's smitten. In fact, given the choice, Little Man would eat only berries all day every day. I'm quite sure of it. Can't say I blame the kid.

So we've been eating a lot of berries, not only strawberries but also blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Yet the strawberries have taken a particularly important place in our diet lately.

Mostly, we've been nibbling on the strawberries picked from our front-yard patch. Or buying strawberries from the grocery store.

But this past Saturday at the farmer's market, there were plenty of local strawberries for sale, so I brought some home. And promptly set to eating them plain, making strawberry and cream biscuits (more on those later), and whipping up buckwheat pancakes with roasted strawberries (more on that coming, too).

I had a few store-bought strawberries lingering in the fridge when I brought home the fresh local ones, so I cut the last of those up too. Here's a bowl with a few of each. Bet you'll never guess which is which.

Can you believe the difference? The store-bought berries, probably shipped from California and sitting in the store for close to a week before I bought them, are on the left. They're firm, almost a bit dry, mostly white on the inside. The ones on the right are the fresh local berries. They're a bit soft, incredibly juicy, and bright red all the way through.

Bet you'll never guess which ones taste better, either.

And this is why, whenever I can, I try to buy local. Because whether it's just-picked strawberries or fresh-from-the-vine tomatoes, it doesn't get any better than something grown right here near home.

A Farm-Fresh Dinner

Last month, Conservative Hubby was a real trooper. He devoted an entire Saturday to doing activities that he probably wouldn't have otherwise had any interest in doing.

The first: a daylong Lamaze class. (On the bright side, by taking the one-day class, Conservative Hubby got out of taking four evening classes.)

More on that later. Or maybe not, because odds are you've been there yourself or don't care to learn that many details about childbirth. (Conservative Hubby certainly didn't want to know some of what he learned, and he has to be there in person in a few short months!)

So maybe we'll leave that one well enough alone.

The second: a Farm to Fork Dinner at Oak Tree Organic Farm in Ashland, which was put on by the Community Learning department at Lincoln Land and sponsored by a local food grant I manage.


With the second activity of the day, it wasn't so much that Conservative Hubby wasn't interested in going as it might not have been something he would have picked to do. But he decided he was game and, after the event, said he'd love to go back to another Farm to Fork Dinner given the opportunity. You probably will want to come along too once you see what it was like.

The evening began at the tent under which we would dine, which was located near a lovely pond on the farm. Nearby stood another tent where Chef Denise and her culinary team from Lincoln Land whipped up our dinner--sans electricity, mind you. This is what a gourmet might call "roughing it."

I should just say it now so I don't have to keep repeating it with everything I mention: Pretty much all the ingredients, aside from the olive oil and a few things of that nature, were sourced from local farms and producers. That began with the first course, which involved some amazing sausage on little toasts. The wines served with each course were local, too.

Conservative Hubby tried them all. I, however, did not get to indulge. Maybe next time.

After enjoying an appetizer and chatting for a few minutes, we took a quick tour of the nearby fields where Farmer Chad and his family are raising their organic produce, which is sold at local farmer's markets and through a CSA and an online market they've set up.


Farmer Chad is a great, down-to-earth guy, filled with passion for the plants he grows and the animals he raises. His parents (who were there too) are long-time farmers, and he decided to move part of their farm in a different direction a few years ago, hence the emphasis on organic produce rather than the fields of corn otherwise surrounding us.

After we got the scoop on what they grow, production methods, challenges, and such, we headed back to the tent to sit down for dinner.


The culinary team took care all of the details, from the menus tucked under the plates to the Mason jars from which we enjoyed our beverages.


For the first course, we started out with a lovely salad featuring heirloom tomatoes and burrata (little balls of mozzarella) over crusty bread from Incredibly Delicious, a local bakery that makes to-die-for loaves.


Then we moved on to a salad featuring green beans, squash, grains, greens, and an anchovy sauce. I'm missing a few ingredients, I'm sure. But just take my word for it: It was delicious. Even Conservative Hubby thought so.


Then came the main course: grilled chicken with a tomatillo-cilantro cream, accompanied by fresh-picked potatoes, carrots, and squash from the farm. The tomatillo sauce was a recipe one of the chefs from Lincoln Land picked up while training with Rick Bayless. Talk about a fellow that knows what he's doing ...

You might think that the dinner couldn't possibly get any better at this point but, alas, you'd be wrong. Because, of course, we had dessert.


For those who could indulge, it started with a little jar of sweet dessert wine.


And it ended with a taste of heaven: homemade sweet corn ice cream on a (still-warm) waffle, drizzled with fresh honey and topped with a piece of honeycomb.

All I can say is: Wow. I never in a million years would have thought to try sweet corn ice cream, but I sure am glad I did. And fresh honeycomb? And a waffle? It doesn't get any better.

So there you have it. A day that filled Conservative Hubby with dread ended up being pretty darn good. We drove home to L-Town totally satisfied and happy and agreed that if our schedules allow we will be at the next Farm to Fork dinner.

Who's with us?

Canning: Peach Jam

I don't think I can call myself the Queen of Canning, since before this weekend I had never canned a thing before.

But I do think I will give myself the title of Canning Lady in Waiting.

That's because I went from zero to 12 jars of preserved food in a short weekend that was also filled with pie-in-a-jar making and thesisizing.

I started out my canning exploits with a countertop of peaches I purchased at the downtown farmer's market in Springfield. For some reason, those peaches gave me the urge to make some jam.

So I found a terrific recipe (read: easy!) for just that.

And so I started heating my jars


and my lids.


Then I took my peaches and removed their skins and cut them up.

I mashed the peaches


and partnered them with sugar and lemon juice and let them do their thing on the stovetop.


Then, when the peaches were ready, I filled the heated jars with the jam.


Next I proceeded to follow the canning steps required to finish the process, including working out the air bubbles (full disclosure: I may have forgotten to do this with a few, oops!) and wiping the rims and putting on the lids.

And then the happy little jars were processed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.


Now they are ready to eat. I have decided to call them Jams by Julie and, if the spills I cleaned up off the countertop are any indication, I think they're pretty darn good.

Who's ready to try some?

(As for the other canning I did over the weekend ... you'll just have to wait for the next posts to learn about what went into them. Come on, I know you live for the suspense.)

Farmer's Markets and Farm Tours

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job? Because I do.

But then again, what's not to love, when I spent a portion of work last week going to farmer's markets and taking farm tours. Tough assignments, but someone had to do them, and it turns out now that someone is me.

You see, one of the projects I am working on as Green Center manager at LLCC is promoting local foods on campus and in the community. So that, of course, involves farmer's markets and local farms.


On Wednesday morning, I headed downtown to the Old Capitol Farmer's Market in Springfield. It was an insanely hot day, but my trip was worth it, as I came back to the office with peaches, blackberries, homemade soap, a loaf of bread from Sweet Kneads, a cilantro plant, and even freshly ground flour from Illinois wheat.


Then, on Thursday, I joined the Illinois Stewardship Alliance for a tour of Jubilee Farm. It is run by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield and, although it is not certified organic (an expensive and difficult designation to get), it is maintained using organic farming methods.


The farm is lovely and productive and the sisters in charge are passionate about their land and incredibly sweet.

One of the coolest things about Jubilee Farm is that some of their produce goes to feed the Dominican Sisters in Springfield and the rest goes to a Community Supported Agriculture program (in other words, people pay money at the beginning of the season to subscribe, and then receive a bountiful box of whatever produce is ready each week throughout the growing season). Here, they were getting ready for a CSA pickup.


After touring the farm, I also got to stop by the Illinois State Fairgrounds to see the big 100-plus plot community garden there. And I stopped at the Illinois Products Farmer's Market, located right on the state fairgrounds on Thursday afternoons (except, of course, during the state fair). It was another great market, where I picked up some terrific locally made pasta, local cheese that makes the stuff I usually buy at the store taste like yuck, and of course a bit of fresh produce.

If you are ever in the Springfield area, I highly recommend a stop at one or both of these markets. They're bustling, they're full of camaraderie, and best of all they offer the freshest local food you can get (aside from when you pick it from your own garden, of course).

An Almost Local Dinner

I have a confession to make. Lately I've been thinking to myself: Self, are you really going to be able to do this whole "eating local" thing on a regular basis, or is it something you are just proselytizing about until some other shiny food trend glitters in the light and you run after it squealing "Ooh, pretty!"?

And then tonight when I cooked dinner for myself (it's a Butter and Julie night again, but tonight we'll be dancing to Fleetwood Mac), I was able to honestly answer myself: Yes. You'll be able to do it. Sometimes. And somewhat.

You know what? I'll take whatever I can get.

I reached this very well-formulated conclusion as I ate tonight's meal:

• Pasta with homemade pesto (whipped up this morning with basil I picked from the pot out front)
• A salad consisting of lettuce and green pepper from the farmer's market and a cherry tomato picked from my plant out front (someone can't seem to keep her hands off the cherry tomatoes long enough for there to be more than one for her salad ... I wonder who that could be?)
• Zucchini and summer squash (both from the farmer's market) sauteed with a bit of onion, garlic, and olive oil

The verdict? Dee-licious. And, as you can see, it was a mostly local affair, minus a few supporting characters. Now perhaps you understand why I told myself "Sometimes. And somewhat."

I think it's a pretty good showing though. Because you know what? I ain't no miracle worker, folks. I am doing what I can with what I have here and trying not to let the concept of "eating local" rule my life, while at the same time being more conscientious when I'm in charge of the menu. And that's all you can do.

(On a side note, I sure do wish I had five more basil plants now. Because the one I do have isn't going to produce enough leaves to keep up with my recently developed pesto habit. How did I ever think that envelope of pesto mix you can buy at the store was good?)

Eating Less Meat (Part II)

Now, about this whole "eating less meat" thing. I feel the need to clarify. I am not saying I am going to stop eating meat. I have no plans to become a vegetarian. I was raised in Wyoming, in ranching country. I eat meat.

What I am saying is that a lot of the meat that's available in the store is ... well, questionable, to say the least. What with meat recalls and that fuzzy gray cast certain steaks take well before they should, with the nasty conditions chickens and cattle are raised in when they spend their short lives at a CAFO (if you can all it "raised," since they don't exactly live long happy lives), it just makes sense to me to stop eating so much factory-produced meat. Instead? How about more tasty vegetables, fruits, grains, what have you—so that when I do eat meat I can begin working to ensure that it is quality meat, good meat? (Which often means forking over more money; yes, I know.)

Let's be realistic here. I'm not saying that I want my piggies or cattle to have manicures and pedicures and lots of time to bask in the sun without a care in the world. But I do think it's reasonable to expect that they won't live their lives confined, basking in their own excrement, with zero exposure to real grass or fresh air. (Gross, but a realistic scenario.)

Despite the fact it's inhumane, it also affects the quality of meat we eat—and by extension, our own health. Those animals that spend time outside, that get to move around, that eat food such animals are meant to eat (also known as grass, folks), produce healthier, tastier meat. Animals that are raised in large-scale factory farming operations aren't healthy in the least bit (unless you call feeding cows tons of corn mixed with a hearty dose of drugs so they can stomach said corn, when their bodies aren't made to consume corn in the first place, healthy).

I want to know where my meat comes from, perhaps if I'm lucky to even meet the fellow (or lady, if you will) who was responsible for it.

Is that too much to ask?

Now the trick is finding these local sources. Anyone know where I can get great local meat around L-Town? I haven't seen much (or, rather, any) in the local grocery stores, so fill me in on where I should be looking. Am I just missing it? Hook a girl up.

A Milk Delivery

It's the day of deliveries around here. It all began when Conservative Boy took Butter out for a little morning run and yelled back into the house: "What the heck is this cooler doing here?" Hmm. Guess I forgot to warn him about that. Probably because I—correctly—predicted his next question: "How much does this [expletive here] cost?"

The [expletive] he was referring to happens to be my new weekly delivery: farm-fresh, hormone-free milk and eggs from Oberweis Dairy. (And, surprise surprise, for our first week they threw in a couple of cute little containers of juice too!)

Why am I purchasing milk and eggs from Oberweis Dairy instead of the grocery store? Because Oberweis is family owned and operated. Because the milk is purchased from family-owned dairy farms that don't treat their cows with synthetic rBGH hormones—and the farmers are paid a premium for their high-quality milk. Because the milk is fresh. Because it's bottled in glass bottles (old school—I like it) that are reused by the company to keep waste out of the landfills. And the eggs they sell are hormone and cage free.

Plus, I know my eggs and milk are coming every week, which means I don't even have to think about it.

After the first sip this morning, C.B. says: "Huh. Tastes like milk." But then he takes another drink and wonders what kind of milk it is. "Skim," I say, which is true. I wouldn't lie to sweet C.B. Except he doesn't believe me, because he says the milk is thick. "Hmm. Perhaps that's because of its rich farm-freshness?" I say. He still isn't sold, so I tell him to shut up, because I am helping to ensure he doesn't start growing man boobs from all the hormones in his milk. The jury is still out on whether that is the most scientific explanation, but hey, it shut him up.

And Oberweis sells whole milk that isn't ultra-pasteurized–something I have yet to find around these here parts—which means next week round two of mozzarella making is on. (And I can finally share the results with you.)

Oh, and as for the other deliveries? The king-size bed is coming today! Stay tuned for an update on what will hopefully be a wonderful night's sleep on the new mattress.