Category Archives: challenge

challenge, Connecticut, Eat Local Challenge, locavore, rules

5th Annual Dark Days Eat Local Challenge

Leave a comment

Laura over at (not so) Urban Hennery is continuing the Dark Days Eat Local Challenge tradition. The rules are to cook one meal each week featuring SOLE (sustainable, organic, local, ethical) ingredients and write about it on your blog. We set our own food zones and exceptions.Weekly recaps by group are posted over at (not so) Urban Hennery or maybe at Not Dabbling in Normal (I’ll have to get back to you on that).

The challenge starts today and is on until Saturday, March 31st, 2012.

My local food zone is about 100 miles. For a few ingredients, I may reach beyond the local and tap the regional food shed (the rest of New England and upstate NY). My general rule all the time is if it grows in my food shed, I’ll get it in my food shed. If it doesn’t grow here, I’ll get it from the nearest, most responsible source. My specific exceptions are oils, coffee, chocolate, spices, baking ingredients like baking powder, baking soda, and yeast, and tropical and citrus fruits.

I am really looking forward to this year. After all these years of eating locally all the time, finding the food is not the most challenging aspect. There are far more winter farmers markets and open farm stands than there used to be. (I like to think it’s thanks to us!) My biggest challenge is time. My favorite winter meals require hours of slow and low cooking. When that can’t happen, I default to frittatas. In the end, local is local!

After all these years, it is still fun and interesting. I like learning from other folks and their ideas help me avoid repetitive food syndrome. I’m excited about the new people. As people give this a try, they realize that putting together one local meal a week is supremely achievable.

Good luck to all the participants!

If you’re still thinking about it, you have until December 4 to join!

books, challenge, farms, recipes

Zucchini Fritters

2 Comments

Patti (my CSA farmer) is on a zucchini roll lately. She made zucchini brownies (which I heard were fabulous) and went on to share this link to Zucchini Five Ways.

Now is the time to ferret out the zucchini recipes since it’s just the beginning of what’s looking like a long and prosperous zucchini season. Here’s a recipe for zucchini fritters to the collection.

This recipe is based liberally on another one from a kindred spirit.

  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 cup corn meal
  • 8 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini

Beat the eggs, then mix all of the remaining ingredients together with the eggs. Drop in quarter-cupfuls onto a medium hot greased griddle or skillet and cook until browned.

Top with sour cream or a yogurt dip. I “Greeked” some yogurt and dolloped it as-is. Nice. Different.

Sources:

I’m also sharing this for the Weekend Blog Carnival at Hartke Is Online.

challenge, Eat Local Challenge, farms, locavore

Fried Squash Blossoms

2 Comments

It was a fairly unexciting food week with most of the greens getting sautéed with garlic scapes and olive oil and stored away for the dark days.

However, I did make fried squash blossoms and that’s something you don’t see every day.

Before

.

After

I made a batter using:

  • one egg (Woodbury Laid)
  • 2 Tbsp of milk (Stone Wall Dairy)
  • enough of corn meal (Wild Hive Farm and Micro Mill) to make it dippable
  • a pinch of salt

I dipped the flowers (Maple Bank Farm) into the batter and fried them in a pan with olive oil and butter (Ronnybrook Farm Dairy).

If you’ve never had this fun treat, you owe to yourself to try it at least once.

challenge, locavore, nutrition, recipes

Bone broth Stracciatella

Leave a comment

Bone broth is making a come-back. It used to be quite ordinary but with inexpensive and convenient broths and stocks available in cans and boxes, few take the time to make this delicious, nutritious food. And that’s a shame because you could be getting chondroitin, glucosamine, and collagen for free! The boxed and canned broths aren’t made from bones, so they don’t have the same nutrient profile. It turns out that bone broth also helps you lose cellulite!

I first started hearing about bone broth this past winter and went for it with a passion.  As soon as my bone collection (in the freezer) reaches critical mass, I’m making bone broth.

To raise awareness and encourage people to consume this helthful yet forgotten food, CheeseSlave is hosting a Bone Broth Challenge for the month of July. Earn points, get healthy, win prizes! (How lucky am I that I just made a big pot of it this week!)

So, I hereby kick off Bone Broth Month with this dish: Stracciatella, an Italian egg drop soup.

There are a number of recipes out there; I used Giada‘s, mostly (without the basil).

Sources:

Great idea, CheeseSlave!

Stracciatella