As the weather turns colder and harvests slow down, we'd like to take the opportunity to offer some tips on preparing local food, not just locating it. In this issue, you'll find some advice on beets and a recipe for pumpkin marmalade.
At the same time, we're inaugurating a recipes section on our website www.realpeopleeatlocal.com. (Find it under the "Seasonal Foods" heading.) Friends and neighbors have asked us what, exactly, we do with all our local delicacies. We'll tell you first in the newsletter, and then archive recipes and more details on our website.
Garden Mountain Farm Delivering Meat!
Garden Mountain Farm, of Burke’s Garden, Virginia, will be delivering meat to the Washington, DC, area on Dec. 16. On their last trip to the capital, farmer Mike Hubbard was able to drop off meat in the University Park, MD, neighborhood, so there is a chance he may do so again, depending on the quantity of orders. In Virginia, Garden Mountain Farm will also be at the Blacksburg Farmers’ Market on Dec. 2; the Roanoke Farmers’ Market on Dec. 9; and the Abingdon Farmers’ Market on Dec. 23.
Garden Mountain beef is 100% grass-fed, and it is free of hormones and antibiotics. The Hubbards also offer many cuts of lamb and pork, as well as chickens, although they are not allowed to sell their chickens out of state. For more information on cuts and prices, go to www.gardenmountain.com or email farmers Mike and Rebecca Hubbard at RHUBBARD1@peoplepc.com. Orders are due by Dec. 8.
Lots of folks know beets are available from local farmers but wonder what they can do with them. This root vegetable is surprisingly easy to prepare and delicious to eat. Rather an ugly duckling raw, beets become a gorgeous addition to any meal when cooked.
Typically grown in spring and fall, beets are easy to store and tolerant of cold, so you can probably find them fresh even as winter begins. While we are most familiar with the deep dark red variety, many types exist, including yellow and pinkish white. Beet greens, especially the smaller, younger, more tender leaves, are also tasty and nutritious, and can either be sautéed or steamed.
Beets can be roasted, pickled, or puréed into soup (borscht), but boiled may be the easiest and best way to prepare them. To find out how to make Kristi's boiled beet salad, check out the new recipes section of our website, under the Seasonal Food heading, at www.realpeopleeatlocal.com.
Wait! Don't throw out those leftover Halloween and Thanksgiving pumpkins! Renee's got some great suggestions on making Caribbean shrimp and pumpkin stew, and pumpkin marmalade.
If you celebrate Christmas, don’t forget to look for a local tree to go along with your local holiday goodies. Locally-grown and cut-your-own trees offer the same support to small-scale farmers that pick-your-own fruit and vegetable operations do. Sourcing Christmas trees and wreaths locally also helps reduce fuel usage for transport.
One easy option in the Washington, DC, metropolitan region is Butler’s Orchard in Germantown, MD. A family farm for more than fifty years, Butler’s is far enough to make you feel like you’re on a real outing, but close enough to allow a half-day affair. The farm is attractively nestled in a hilly area so you feel isolated from the developments that surround it. For more information, go to www.butlersor chard.com.
To find other Christmas tree farms in Maryland, Virginia, and elsewhere, check out the extensive listings at www.pickyourownchristmastree.org.
Grass-Fed Steak Comes Out On Top in Slate Taste Test
In a taste test conducted by online magazine Slate, editors determined that 100% grass-fed beef steak was both tastier and cheaper than other steaks. Mark Schatzker, a Toronto-based journalist, said the clear winner was “beef from cows that have never ingested anything other than mother's milk and pasture." The article, published earlier in the month, is entitled, "Raising the Steaks: If You Feed Cows Grass, Does the Beef Taste Better?.”
For all you carnivores out there, let this be a reminder that now is a good time to order beef in bulk. Also note that buying local beef is probably the easiest way, if not the only way, to find grass-fed meat, as most beef in stores has been grain-finished.
With the holidays coming, don't forget you can turn local food into a gift. You could give anything from an entire share in a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm to a quarter of beef, to homemade pie, apple sauce, or some pumpkin marmalade.
Until next time,
Renee and Kristi
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All content of the Real People Eat Local website and the Local Mix email newsletter is original and the property of Renee Brooks Catacalos and Kristi Bahrenburg Janzen. We welcome your comments at feedback@realpeopleeatlocal.com.
