Broccoli Sprouts!

As of November, and even into early December, there were still a few local produce options at our co-op, like some lettuces, apples, pumpkins and other winter squash, brussels sprouts, bok choy, and a few herbs. However, pretty much since a week or so before the holidays, the pickings at the co-op have been slim (and by slim, I mean that they aren't carrying any local produce at the moment). The other day I was doing my shopping and discovered some containers of broccoli sprouts marked "local." I've never been a big fan of sprouts on sandwiches, and unsure of how else to use them, I hesitated to get some. Still, my rule has always been, in terms of local produce at this time of year (at least at the co-op), that I buy it no matter what it is and figure out what to do with it later. I would just like to say that my earlier hesitation was uncalled for. If you've never had broccoli sprouts before, run out and find some immediately. They are delicious. Also, sprouts are the most amazing things ever. EVER. They're still alive after they're harvested so they actually increase in nutrients rather than decrease like other vegetables after they've been picked. Sprouts are also really good for you, so eat up! We've been enjoying them in lettuce and chicken wraps, sandwiches, and just plain (well, that's only me who eats them plain)!

So, in addition to our freezer fair (and some non-local stuff we've mixed in to make sure we're eating enough fruits!), we're still enjoying produce grown right here in Ohio in the middle of January! Long live greenhouses!

January

I haven't written anything since before Christmas, mostly because, at this point, things are pretty calm. There have been some changes in the past week or so, though, that deserve some mention. Up through the first weeks of January, we were still getting fresh fruit (apples and cider) from the Winter Farmers' Market. However, the apple guy announced his last day at the market in early January and we have been eating applesauce made earlier this winter and fall, and some of our frozen berries, ever since. I expect that at some point we will either run out of those things or break down (or both) and find some reasonably acceptable substitute at the store. Still, the Winter Farmers' Market continues to be a source, albeit limited, of fresh greens, onions, and garlic (from a farmer who has a greenhouse). Every week at the co-op, we look for local produce, which I buy there when I see it no matter what it is. Since probably mid-December, there has been nothing. This time of year, the co-op is mostly carrying organic stuff from California. We have, however, discovered a company that cans diced tomatoes locally. The whole operation is right here in Columbus - Ohio-grown tomatoes canned here in town. They're not that expensive, either, so we've cracked into those a few times.

As for the freezer, we've consumed an entire 3-quart bag of broccoli, a bag of green beans, all of the tomato sauce I made at the end of the summer, about a third (maybe even half) of our berries, all of our spinach, some of the corn, and none of the frozen-solid whole tomatoes (mostly because you have to set those out to thaw in advance and I always forget... At some point I'll whip up a big batch of chili in our new crockpot and blog about that). We still have tons of green beans and corn left, some pesto I made from late-summer basil, berries, more broccoli, some containers of squash and pumpkin soups I made this fall, and probably some stuff at the bottom of the chest that I'm forgetting about. It will be a surprise for later!

Though we're still deep in the thick of winter, I'm getting excited for spring - for asparagus and then the first strawberry, the blueberries that will follow, fresh basil (mine died indoors - we don't have a grow light and I think ultimately Columbus winters just proved to cloudy for the poor plants, despite their south-facing window... Also, I think it's not warm enough in our house), tomatoes off the vine, and fresh green beans. Until then, happy winter!

Early Christmas dinner

Barbara and I celebrated a mini-Christmas last Saturday before splitting up to make the rounds to family. On the menu:

- Locally-raised, free-range chicken (right here in Columbus!)
- Salad with winter greens (spinach and arugula) from central Ohio, and hydroponic tomatoes from nearby Columbus. Fresh tomatoes in December!
- Mashed potatoes (Ingredients: locally grown potatoes, local milk, and Ohio butter. The garlic powder and salt were un-local).
- Wine from a Cleveland-area winery - made from their own Ohio-grown grapes!

Delicious.

Locavores in December

Our long, mild fall has come to an abrupt end. December has arrived and brought winter right along with it, in the form of 50-mile-an-hour winds, snow, rain and some kind of hail-like freezing rain/snow that may or may not have been described on the local news as "wintry mix" (I don't know 'cause I didn't watch the local news that day. Or most days). While our fresh local foods options are surely dwindling, I've been surprised by some of the things that were still available even this week.

Last Saturday, I headed out to the Columbus Winter Farmers' Market (at the Unitarian Church on Weisheimer) for the first time. It's a small, indoor market, mostly consisting of vendors selling baked and other prepared goods. I came away with a bag of fresh apples, a gallon of fresh cider and $3 worth of baby spinach. On my way home I stopped at the Clintonville Farmers' Market, which technically ends in October. Still, a small but hardy group of vendors showed up on Saturday and a small but hardy crowd of shoppers obliged them. There I bought arugula and some potatoes.

Also last week, I bought fresh, local brussels sprouts at our co-op, which were delicious. I didn't realize how fantastic brussels sprouts were until I cooked these up! We've also started digging into our freezer in a major way. Berry smoothies have become a favorite treat at our house (and allow us to eat summer fruits - a welcome break from apples, which themselves, just short weeks ago seemed like a novelty!). We've also eaten some of our frozen broccoli and just last night broke into the green beans. We're already almost through my tomato sauce (though we still have plenty of whole frozen tomatoes waiting to become sauce, chili or soup). It's kind of fun to go through the freezer and pick things out - like looking through a catalog of the seasons. I don't think what we have will last us all the way through next spring un-supplemented, but the experiment has been an important learning experience. I'm already looking forward to getting started on our next winter's food (and trying to figure out, logistically, how I'll do it in the midst of our impending move to D.C.). In the meantime, winter is here in full force and local eating is still open for business in our kitchen!

Alana's Restaurant

The other week, Barbara and some friends of ours ate at Alana's, a restaurant just north of OSU, for the first time. I have passed back and forth by this restaurant nearly everyday since living in Columbus and always thought it was some weird little Greek place (for some reason, the fact that there is an image of a bunch of grapes on the Alana's sign led me to believe this). Turns out, Alana's is not a Greek joint, and though it is unusual, it's pretty freakin' awesome (though a bit pricey - enough so that we'll likely only eat there once more before leaving Columbus next summer...).

Alana's specializes in local foods - as much as possible, for as much of the year as possible, they serve what can be grown in and around Columbus, OH. Our meal was fantastic. From pumpkin soup to local greens in the salads to my pasta dish (With kale! My favorite!), it was the best meal I have ever eaten in the state of Ohio. Go there. Get soup. Order dessert. Enjoy the bounty of the midwest in late fall!

Step 10: Thaw a Strawberry

Last week, I was very excited to delve into our frozen stash of berries for the very first time. We've had a really mild fall so far in Columbus, but even so, the available local fruits and vegetables have diminished sharply in the past couple of weeks. It's about time to start opening the freezer and seeing how a summer and autumn's worth of work as paid off. A week ago, I decided to make smoothies for breakfast on Barbara's birthday. I was really excited to eat berries again (after the flood of late summer fruits became a trickle and the thrill of the season's first apple started to subside, I found myself getting bored with apples and looking forward to my frozen berries).

I cracked open one of my bags of strawberries (the subject of one of my very first posts last spring!) and also, because it was a special day, I dipped into the raspberries as well (a very special treat, as we never did get around to raspberry picking, so we only have one ziploc bag of those!). As follows is the recipe I used, partly based on one in the Earthbound "Food to Live By" cookbook and partly out of my head:

1 c. frozen strawberries (local!)
1 c. frozen raspberries (local!)
1/2 c. plain or vanilla yogurt (unfortunately, not local)
1/2 c. orange juice (also not local)
Crushed ice cubes (3/4 c. or a whole cup, I can't remember. At any rate, some ice)
I would also add a bit of honey (local!) to taste

Blend! (I recommend putting the ingredients in the blender in this order: Ice, strawberries, raspberries, yogurt, honey, juice). This makes two big servings. They're more filling than you'd think!

Oink Cluck Moo

"Oink Cluck Moo" is the name of the place where my first bite of chicken in over 7 years came from. A few weeks ago, Barbara and I bought some chicken breasts at the farmers' market - from folks who grow meat and poultry not far from Columbus. It took me a while to prepare myself to abandon my vegetarianism, though I'd been thinking about it for months (see my earlier post, "The Vegetarian's Dilemma"), but finally, last Wednesday night, we cooked up some chicken and I transformed from dedicated vegetarian to devoted locavore. Though I did hesitate before taking the first bite, eating chicken wasn't as weird or difficult as I thought it would be. It was pretty tasty - and exciting because it represents a new horizon for me in terms of my local foods journey. I don't expect this to have a profound effect on the way I cook and eat, as I doubt I will ever eat beef or pork again and will probably eat very little in the way of poultry, in part because the poultry I eat will be locally and humanely raised, and is thus a little pricier than conventional stuff. Thus, I will still remain a vegetarian in much of my actual "practice," just replacing tofu from across the country with chicken from down the road.