Thursday, September 20, 2012

Fall Is Here

It's the cozy time of the year!


This is my all- time favorite time of the year. I look forward to the chill in the air, wearing fleeces and sweatshirts, the cool rains, and the leaves changing. It also means pumpkin spice lattes, beautiful pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, and eating acorn squash with (lots of) butter and brown sugar. The last of the canning projects are well underway and the gardens are getting ready for their long rest.

Growing up on our family farm, we were very busy with the corn and soybean harvest. I would sleep with my windows open and could hear the constant hum of the combines and elevators, as the farmers were processing grain into the late hours of the night. Sometimes even a harvest moon would be out- very helpful to the farmers who welcome any and all extra light. Occasionally there was the Friday night football home game. Sometimes I miss those days. And nights.



The other day was a cold, rainy day.
It was the perfect day to get carrots and celery from the gardens for a homemade chicken noodle soup. I've never grown celery before, I had no idea what I was doing but it turned out alright. The carrots were delicious. There is a huge difference between homegrown carrots and store carrots that have to travel many, many miles before they make it in a soup.

Here's my recipe for 'Purple Ribbon Chicken Soup'.
This is actually the recipe from one of my first postings. 


4-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
4-6 celery stalks, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole chicken, chopped into smaller pieces
3 quarts chicken broth
2 Tbsp. butter
About 3 cups of egg noodles (we usually did homemade noodles)
Flat leaf parsley, chopped 
Salt and pepper to season (and you could be in trouble if you are like me today, and can barely breathe!)

Season and saute the vegetables in extra virgin olive oil, until soft. Then add broth, butter, chicken, and egg noodles. Cook for at least 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Then, find a cozy place to take a break (like Luca). Maybe enjoy some hot chocolate or a pumpkin spice latte!




Thursday, September 13, 2012

Heirloom Tomato Success

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the annual Seed Savers Exchange Tomato Festival in Decorah, Iowa. This is an event that I look forward to every year, especially since I've realized the importance of eating fresh and locally. The heirloom flavors are unsurpassed and the folklore of some of these variety names sure keeps things interesting.

There is really nothing like having a number of home gardeners, foodies, and chefs uniting to talk tomatoes and other heirloom vegetables. Some people may call the heirlooms a trend or fad, but I believe they are here for the long haul.

Heirlooms from my garden 
Sampling of 70+ heirloom tomatoes
We tasted over 70 varieties of tomatoes. Each variety seemed to have a slightly different flavor and a rich history. Some tomato varieties were from generations of family farmers across the country who eventually donated seeds to Seed Savers Exchange for preservation. Other seeds came from overseas in war torn areas, and were smuggled out as owners were fleeing for safety. These seeds were important enough to be saved year after year, unlike today's seeds which can be the result of laboratory experiments. These genetically modified organisms (GMO's), sometimes have their exact gene sequences patented and are resistant to any chemical under the sun. And, if you're a farmer in the next field over to a patented GMO crop, minding your own business looking after your own crops and some cross pollination happens- look out. This has happened and some farmers have lost everything because of legal action from some large seed companies, just because the patented gene shows up in the crop unintentially. Enough of my rant, but I'm am very opposed to GMO's (and in full disclosure actually married to a patent examiner, who really is interested in the gardens as much as I am).  I just want to go back to a simpler time- where you could trust where your food came from, care less about pushing the limits on yields per acre, or the latest salmonella or listeria outbreak, and actually have a healthier, flavorful meal. Maybe some of my childhood memories of gardening with my great- grandma and grandma play into this... but it is just the link I need with the heirlooms. These are all reasons I caught the heirloom bug.

Here are some other pics of the event:

Beautiful Iowa barn at Heritage Farm
Benary's Giant Zinnia 
Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean