Roots

Fall brings forth the stuff of the earth, the cold-hardy vegetables that grow below ground to develop earthy and fragrant flavors - potatoes, leeks, onions, garlic.

Craving something warm and having a bounty of leeks and potatoes from my CSA share, I decided to make a huge pot of creamy potato and leek soup.

As I started to prep the ingredients, I started thinking about the roots of these roots... that is, where it all came from...

I started with garlic and red onion, both from Sippel Family Farm in Mount Gilead, Ohio...

then leeks and celery, also from Sippel Family Farm...

potatoes from Sippel Family Farm...

herbs from my garden...

and whipping cream and skim milk from Snowville Creamery in Pomeroy, Ohio.

The only ingredient that wasn't local was the chicken broth.

A salad of lettuces and arugula from Sippel Family Farm and a big bowl of soup makes the perfect fall meal - a meal fit for a locavore!

For more information on CSAs and the local food movement, I encourage you to visit Local Harvest, visit farmer's markets and local co-ops, and ask questions about the origin and production methods of your food.

Interested in trying more of our local fall bounty? Sign up for Dine & Learn: Fall Harvest on Tuesday, October 27th by emailing me. Hurry, there are only four spots left!

You Say "Tomatoes"… I Say "MORE TOMATOES?!"

It’s August in Ohio, and that means bountiful summer produce – corn, melons, zucchini, peppers, and TOMATOES!

Yesterday I was helping out my friends Ben & Lisa at their farm, The Sippel Family Farm, and I picked tomatoes for several hours! I can’t take credit for much of it, (they had been picking all week long), but at days end we had hundreds and hundreds of pounds of tomatoes packed up. The best/worst part (it depends on how long you’ve been hunched over picking in the fields) was looking up and seeing rows of tomatoes, still untouched, the vines weighed down with bright red, yellow, and green globes of ripe fruit!

As a CSA member (more on that at another time), I go up to their farm in Mount Gilead and help out every other Friday throughout the spring, summer, and fall. I primarily help pick the produce that they deliver to their CSA members and sell at the Clintonville Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.

This morning I came home from the market with 4.5 pounds of tomatoes. Our CSA share this week also included a watermelon, 1 pound of edamame, 4 zucchini, 2 yellow squash, 2 cucumbers, 2 eggplants, 1.5 pounds of tomatillos, 2 hot peppers, and 2 huge red onions…

Add those tomatoes to the 4.5 pounds that we got in our share last week (along with a bunch of other yummy things!)…

and the tomatoes we picked from our own garden the past couple of weekends…

and the 10 pounds of tomatoes I bought from the Sippels for a party on Monday…

and we’re up to eyeballs in tomatoes!

But no worries, we have plans for them – tomato and mozzarella salads, salsa, and fresh pasta sauce! I’m using the 10 pounds of Roman Candle heirloom tomatoes to make southern-style tomato tea sandwiches with Duke’s Mayonnaise for an upcoming party.

I might even buy some more from the Sippels and try canning for the first time… we’ll see…