16 February, 2012 15:07

Hello, this is Katie again with a bit about tomatoes from Backyard Bounty. Because I wasn’t planning on documenting any of my bountiful experiences with the produce I was remiss to record the types of tomatoes which Laura delivered last summer. When I asked her for a list of names, she reported that they had planted over 65 varieties! I am definitely going to start recording the names of these beauties this coming summer; not only for this blog but for our families own sake. Taking part in a farm that harvests so many different types of food is such an honor, and I want my children to realize that they are not getting mass produced produce from some farm in Chile. They are getting the good stuff. Heirloom seeds. Eating a tomato picked from a vine and still warm from the sun is such a privelage. Perhaps if my kids become familiar with these different varieties now, they will continue to eat local harvests and in season produce throughout their lives, keeping the cycle going!

We ate them raw. Raw with sea salt. Raw with Blasamic reductions. Raw with olive oil and basil. Caprese Salad…which makes me want to find a locally made mozzarella…Any ideas?

We grilled them and pilled them high with other grilled veggies, drizzled them with more balsamic and goat’s cheese….

And I preserved them. Now, all of you hard core canners out there will probably scoff at what we did, but let me explain that we had already canned ssssooo much at this point I need a break from the canning process and was looking for a freezer alternative to use up my many jars with screw on lids. I had begun saving all marinara jars, Motts jars, pickle jars…You know, the ones from the store that I normally recycle. Well, I saved and sterilized them all just waiting for an opportunity to use them.

I washed all of the tomatoes, cut out the little core part, and with the skins ON, I filled the largest stockpots I had to the brim with WHOLE tomatoes. I added about 3 cups of water to each and put them over a medium heat. Then I let them simmer and simmer and reduce all day long..Oh my Lord did my house smell good! Once they reduced to about half the amount, I combined them, added more water and continued to let them simmer. Once I had 2 stock pots full of this lovely, red, thick mashed up tomato loveliness I let it cool, and then pureed it all up. It became the most divine tomato soup I have ever tasted in my entire life. I did not add salt, or any herbs at this point, but filled all of my saved jars, and froze the lot of them. There is nothing better than a hot bowl of tomato soup on a cold day, and I had a freezer full of this bright, red goodness. I have one jar left. I am not sure what situation will arise that will beckon me to use up the last of this nurturing soup…All I know is that this was by far the easiest way I have ever preserved the flavor of summer bounty, and regardless of when the kids and I decide to finish it off, it will be done with great appreciation for last years noble harvest.

How did you eat last years tomatoes?
Cheers! Katie

Local Farmer Open House March 17th

Connect our community to local farmers — strengthening our local, sustainable food system.
The Urban Ecology Center began to focus on local food nine years ago when we first organized the Local Food and Farmer Open House – inviting community members to meet four farmers from southeast Wisconsin who grow food sustainably. This annual spring event has grown, and last March over 1,000 community members came to the Center to meet dozens of farmers. It is exciting to watch the local food movement grow!

Come join us this year and meet your farmers!

Urban Ecology Center 1500 E Park Place Milwaukee
www.Urbanecologycenter.org

Local Food for Global Thoought – Maywood’s Local Food Fair

When Sat, February 11, 10am – 3pm

Where Maywood Environmental Park 3615 Mueller Road Sheboygan

Join Maywood for their annual local food fair. Learn about Sheboygan County’s
local food resources, sample and purchase food from more than 20 local vendors,
hear guest speakers, and participate in local food activities.

New Chicks

Chicks 1/26/2012

Our new baby chicks arrived Thursday morning at 6:30 a.m.  The post office called to come and get them.  There were 100 buff orpington chicks and 50 silver laced wyandotte chicks

13 January, 2012 13:07

Hello again:) This is Katie with a post on Squash that Laura grew at Backyard Bounty.
It took me this long to write the post because as I was trying to compile all of my squash recipes to share with you, I came to the realization that I have none. I have ideas, but no actual recipes. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love recipes. I have my Grandma Rose’s cookbooks, with her penciled in directions and notations…It makes those recipes priceless! I have handwritten recipes from my Mom, my Mother in law, some friends…It’s a beautiful tradition and one that I fully intend to pass along to my kids. Anyway, we eat A TON of squash IN EVERYTHING…simply because it is so healthy and it’s a sneaky veggie in terms of texture. Yes the orange color is a giveaway, but at this point my kids think that everything I make has an orange tinge to it:) Backyard Bounty supplied us with Acorn, Hubbard, Spaghetti, Butternut, Buttercup, Mini Acorns called Honey Bear, and Delicatas this year. The Sweet Dumplings were also an Acorn variety… striped I believe. They were all beautiful and came in abundance. Laura told me to store what we didn’t use on the basement steps and in closets to keep them cool and dry. The last of the bushel I ordered from her came at the end of October, and we have only 3 squash left:( So this is what we did with our squash.

Cut them in half, take out the seeds and strings, rub it with olive oil and roast it in your oven facing up. Your oven can be heated to anything between 250- 400 degrees…Just watch for it to be done. I throw squash in all of the time! Alone, or with other things I am baking (except finicky breads). Baking a pie? Roast a sqaush! Roasting a chicken? Throw in a squash! It will be done within an hour…when it is soft! If it is firmer, cube it. If it got too soft, then mash it…It doesn’t matter really, I use it as an ingredient. When it is done, I peel the skin off, put it a bowl and mash it. If I dont use it right away I store it in the fridge. Then I use this puree witin just about everything!

• baby food,obviously
• add to cooked Polenta, some green chillies and top with a fried egg and some goat cheese.
• add it to whole or buckwheat pancake mix. This is the only way we eat pancakes, lots of squash,and lots of cinnamon. If we don’t have Wisconsin Maple syrup on hand I thaw out a frozen fruit puree from the summer: pear, apple, peach, plum, and any of the berries…Most of which were from Backyard Bounty!
• Add it to spaghetti sauce for all pasta dishes! The kids have no clue, nor does my husband for that matter, they are eating squash in lasagna:)) Makes things that much more healthy)
• easily added to all muffin, quick breads, cake and cookie recipes. You can just add it in as an extra ingredient, or use it as a fat free substitute for the fat. I’m not one for boxed anything, although i saw this on Pinterest…Add 8 oz. of squash puree to any chocolate cake mix instead of the eggs, water and oil and then bake as directed…It was outstanding.
• Make a squash glaze for muffins and zucchini breads. Squash puree, powdered sugar and vanilla bourbon. Just keep mixing until you get the consistency you like.
• All types of squash soups…With veggie, chicken or beef stock…I just add whatever is in my freezer. This all emulsifies quite easily and we add sour cream, goat cheese, or yogurts to these for an even smoother texture. I flavor them either with garam masala, or nutmeg and white pepper. This ends up being the best soup ever for dipping panini and grilled cheeses.
• Cumin Squash fritters with shredded zuchinni,and onion with a drizzle of lemon flavored yogurt sauce are the kids absolute fave. Falafel inspired:)
• Mashed up squash with black beans, salsa, cilantro and avocado…this taste awesome with some balsamic marinated flank steak strips on the side.
• I make a squash sage sauce by mixing together the squash puree with ground sage,applesauce and some white wine in the pan drippings after frying porkchops. Then pour it over the chops and you have a heart healthy creamy textured sauce rather than a butter based wine sauce or a Bechamel.

Get it? It’s so healthy and none of these recipes that you can find in any of your cookbooks are harmed by adding a cup or two of squash to the ingredients. It’s just a nutrients and flavor booster:) The only type of squash i treat differently is the spaghetti squash. Like many of you do, cut it lengthwise, roast it with olive oil, and with your fork shred the squash until you have a bowl full of long spaghetti like”noodles”. We eat it plain with a bit of Parmesan, or marinara. But the most delicious way we have been eating these squash noodles is with edamame and soy sauce. A far better alternative to rice noodles or ramen:)

Well, hope that this wasn’t long winded… Hopefully soon I will be adding links and pictures as well.
Thanks for reading. Cheers!
Katie

Introduction to guest writer

Hello fellow foodies and CSA supporters. My name is Katie Daffner and I was delighted when Laura of Backyard Bounty asked me to be a guest writer for this blog! I am a wife and mother of 3 beautiful children. I went to culinary school in 2005 and 2006 with the idea that I could be the next Julia Childs. Let me just say that the entire experience was disastrous! But, I ended up as an intern in the pastry kitchen of the American Club, and then they actually hired me as a full time employee!:) I spent the next 3 years in the pastry kitchen, pregnant most of the time. By the time my 3rd was born, I was at a point in my life where a major change was needed. Not enough time spent with the kids, not enough time nourishing my family and I needed to do what every mother does over and over again. I needed to prioritize, organize and focus on which direction I really wanted our family to end up going. Decisions which would make our lives simple, healthy and clean! It is still a work in progress and every day I try to make another choice that will help us continue down this path.
I bowed out of the professional culinary field, and took with me the lessons learned, applying them to my own kitchen regarding food costs, the importance of fresh organic produce, time management, flavor profiles, recipe concepts and preserving. Let me just say, my experiences in the kitchen can still be disastrous! But my focus is not perfecting French cuisine this time. Our family is focusing on whole foods, a nourishing home, lessoning our carbon footprint, and teaching ourselves how to respect the earth in this age of mass consumerism and the commercialization of childhood. This is a great challenge for me, and I am taking it one small step at a time!
Last year was our first year being members of Backyard Bounty CSA. I was thrilled with how it turned out! We did a small weekly share, a weekly supply of eggs and the fall storage box. My family was completely thrilled with our weekly drop off from Farmer Laura! The quality was fantastic..no bruises, or wilted produce. Everything was fresh and the variety was outstanding for what can grow here in Wisconsin. The only thing my husband and I will do differently this upcoming season is to sign up for the full order. What we didn’t eat up right away we canned and froze! I wish I would have taken pictures this past fall of our beautiful shelves! Full to the brim of bright jars which fed us up until the New Year! Now I only have a few jars of this and that left and I am hard pressed to open them! Well, it was a valiant first serious effort and now we know how much more work needs to be done this summer! We have yet to go to the store to buy any tomato products, applesauce, sourkraut, and strawberry jam! That’s a lot of natural goodness added to our lives!
I look forward to writing recipes and submitting them to this site! For my next post I will focus on how I used up 13 squash in 2 weeks time without my children even knowing that they were eating it! Laura, my absolute favourite was that Mother Hubbard…

Thanks For Reading Everyone.
Cheers! Katie

Save the Date for Cider Making

Saturday September 10th  from 1 to 5 p.m.

Pot Luck and apple cider making.

Bring a dish to pass and a container for cider.  Scott from Log Cabin Orchard will again bring his cider press and apples to make cider.