Homegrown Happy Valley

While I was away all week (and, yes, sticking to my goal of purchasing vegetables and meat from farmer’s markets only), Katie and Michele were hard at work at home preparing for the Food Inc. movie and panel at the State Theatre and reception at Webster’s Cafe. When the busy day arrived, they were rewarded with a sampling of local goodies that basically doubled as dinner. Check out Day 1 for a quick glance at what the panelists and guests sampled at the reception.

HOT ITEMS OF THE WEEK:

• peaches
• raspberries
• corn
• tomatoes

ON THE MENU:

Day 1

Homegrown Happy Valley’s Food Inc. Post-Panel Reception:

• Webster’s dips served with vegetables and Gemelli bread
• Webster’s lemon mango iced tea
• Herwig’s Bratwurst
• Tait Farm Shrub, Ginger Peach Chutney and Harrison’s Fig & Olive Relish with local cheese
• Cuizoo’s Goat Cheese/Kale tart
• Eden View Organics Sprouted Wheat Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars and Sprouted Wheat Chocolate Almond scones
• Kristy Cyone’s State College Farmer’s Market Bruschetta
• Irving’s bagels, brownies, and chocolate chip cookies
• Brian Snyder’s (executive director of PASA) garden fresh tomatoes

Day 2

We’ve posted a few different ratatouille recipes this summer–it’s such a versatile dish! This week, Michele made Tait Farm Ratatouille.

Day 3

Katie made Sungold Pesto Pizza. Next time she makes this, I hope she invites me over for dinner. This sounds divine (and simple).

Rustic Crust Organic pizza crust, topped with simple pesto mixture (see below), provolone cheese and yellow tomatoes.  Bake for 10 minutes and place under the broiler for 3 minutes.

Simple Sungold Pesto:

2 cups sungold tomatoes (Village Acres and Katie’s garden)
1 cup basil leaves
two garlic cloves
2 tbsp olive oil

Chop in the food processor.  Pour mixture through strainer to remove excess water.

Day 4

Family celebrations are a great time to use local food and encourage others to do the same without being preachy. This past week, Michele honored her mom with a birthday menu that featured a local twist on some of her favorite things: Beef Hot Dogs from Over the Moon, String Bean and Tomato Salad with Tait veggies, grilled Tait baby eggplants that melt in your mouth, and chocolate mousse cake with Meyer Dairy cream made by Sweet Indulgences, owned by Clare Traynor in Pleasant Gap.

Day 5

Great vacation dinner after a busy day of mountain biking and hiking in Whistler, BC! Artichokes (steamed then dipped in butter) were from from Ice Cap Organics, Pemberton, BC. In addition, we made quesadillas with roasted purple potatoes (from Helmer’s Organic Farm, Pemberton, BC), cheese (store bought - no local cheese at the Whistler market), black beans, onions, and zucchini. My husband and I enjoyed take-out beer from the Whistler Brewhouse with this meal.  Dessert was a walk to Whistler Village for locally made gelato.

Day 6

Blue Rooster Farm ground beef burgers, Gemelli buns, French beans (from Katie’s garden - her daughter Ava ate them all because she planted and picked them!) and summer squash sauteed in olive oil and garlic and baked potatoes.  Plus, colorful tomato salad with provolone cheese and basil.

Day 7

Pasta with sauteed purple cauliflower, zucchini, green onion, garlic, heirloom tomatoes, and local ground beef (I can’t find my receipt, otherwise I would list the vendor for the beef). I served this with a delicious lettuce mix from Ice Cap Organics from Pemberton, BC. Dessert was a few chunks of Whistler Pocket Chocolate - Dark.

DESSERT OR BREAKFAST OF THE WEEK:

Gluten-free Summer Fruit Cobbler

I love when recipes travel. Sarah Sherry of Flagstaff, AZ made this cobbler for a large group of hungry distance runners, including Michele’s friend Erin. Erin then made it for Michele’s family while they were all staying at her lake house in Pennsylvania last weekend. She used peaches from her local farmer’s market. This recipe fits in the square Pyrex bakeware dish, but you can double it for a bigger crowd.

Crust Ingredients:

1 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1 cup dry almonds
Half teaspoon sea salt
Half cup soft, pitted dates

Syrup Ingredients:

1 cup fruit of choice (Erin used 1 peach, 1 nectarine, 3 large strawberries)
Half cup soft, pitted dates
Half cup water as needed

Topping Ingredients:

Combination of peaches and nectarines, sliced to cover the crust completely
1.5 cups of berries

Crust Directions:

In a food precessor, pulse pumpkins seeds, almonds, and salt until the mixture becomes dough-like. Slowly add the dates to the mixture. Cover the bottom of the dish with the crust, pressing crumbs firmly into the dish.

Syrup Directions:

In the food processor, blend the fruit and dates. Erin added just a splash of water at a time–you probably won’t need the entire half cup of water. You want the syrup to be a thick sauce. Pour half of the syrup over the crust (set aside the other half).

Slice peaches and nectarines over the top of the syrupy crust. Add the extra syrup mixture on top of the fruit. Top with berries.

The recipe keeps in the fridge for a few days and also makes and excellent breakfast.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 9:58 pm and is filed under Eat Local Challenge, Farm, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.