Quote of the Day: Hal Borland
I really enjoy living in an area that has four distinct seasons. I grew up in South America where we had a dry season and a rainy season, and there wasn’t much difference between them except the amount of rain. Here in NE Ohio we have winter, spring, summer, and fall. It’s hard to pick a favorite, I really enjoy them all. Each one has it’s beauty and it’s difficulties, but it’s nice to experience them all.
What seasons do you have in your neck of the woods? Do you have a favorite?
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Local Roots Market in Wooster, OH
On Saturday I was able to head back to Local Roots Market in Wooster, OH. They closed for a few weeks over the holidays to do some improvements to their location. The cafe is finally open, serving coffee and some delicious food. They have a small kitchenette area where producers can cook samples of their products.
The most interesting change they made was to make the market more like a grocery store. The items have bar codes and you pay for all your items at a checkout lane, which is very convenient. At first I wasn’t sure if I would like this set-up, but it is very nice. They have all the meat and dairy in a few coolers. They’re on-line ordering system is up and running as well. This is a high-tech farmer’s market.
Many of the growers were attending a grower’s convention so there weren’t any fresh greens at the market, but they’ll be back next weekend. I was still able to fill 2 baskets with potatoes, onions, shallots, fresh mushrooms, whole grain flour, popcorn, dried beans, raw milk cheeses and a few baked goods. One of the things I was really happy to find was flour from organic grains grown locally. I bought a bag and I can’t wait to make something with it. But the best item I found was some organic free-trade coffee roasted by a local guy!
Year-round markets like this will encourage more people to eat locally. I think one of the main hurdles to local eating is the availability of food during the winter months, especially here in Ohio. If you don’t can or preserve food, it can be difficult to eat locally all year long. Year-round farmer’s markets will really help the local food movement.
I’m happy this market is doing so well because it will save me some time in the summer. I won’t have to can or freeze as much if I know there’s a local source for fresh vegetables during the long winter months. I will gladly support local growers and purchase fresh greens from them throughout the winter. I’m also happy to see that they offer non-food items. You can buy local wool yarn, roving, soap, lip balm, and even powdered dish washing detergent a local person makes!
Do you have any year-round farmer’s market in your area?
A big thanks to Mr Chiots for going with me and taking all these photos. And YES I wrote this post while watching the Olympics last night but ran out of time to put in photos, that’s why it’s posting later this morning :)
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Happy Valetine’s Day
Hope you have a happy Valentine’s Day filled with whatever brings you happiness.
This Zapotec Pleated tomato grew in my garden this past summer, what a lovely tomato it is!
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It’s Spring Indoors
Remember those forsythia branches I brought inside last week to force? They’re blooming and bringing a little bit of sunshine into my dining room. I thought I’d share some of that sunshine with you today.
I’ll be cutting some more branches today when I’m at my mom’s and maybe some pussy willow branches as well. It will still be a few months until these are blooming outside. Until then, I’ll be enjoying a little bit of spring inside. Who need Valentine’s Day roses when you’ve got these?
What helps bring brightness & happiness to your day?
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Make Your Own: Brown Sugar
There are lots of things you can make at home for much less than you can buy them at the store. Not only does it save money, but it saves time as well. No more quick trips to the store to get brown sugar when you start baking and realize you’re out. I’ve been making my own brown sugar for quite a while, mostly because it can be difficult to find organic brown sugar when you live in a rural area and it’s pretty expensive when you do actually find it! I definitely couldn’t get organic brown sugar for less than $1.50/lb, which is about what this costs me.
To make your own brown sugar all you need is white sugar and molasses. I use organic evaporated cane juice sugar (not Sucanat) and unsulphered organic blackstrap molasses. The general recipe is 1 cup of sugar and 2 Tablespoons of molasses. You can adjust the molasses amount or use a different kind of molasses to suit your tastes. I’m partial to blackstrap or sorghum molasses. I also like to use at least 2 Tablespoons or a bit more, since I like dark brown sugar.
After adding the molasses to the sugar all you have to do is mix. This can take a while, you can use a mixer if you’re making a large amount, the whisk attachment works very well for this task. Mixing by hand is quicker I think, that’s what I do. Using a fork seems to work best. Don’t worry if you have small lumps of molasses in the final product.
Another added benefit to making brown sugar at home, is that it’s always fresh. It smells wonderful and it’s always nice and soft. It has a much deeper flavor than store-bought brown sugar, which I really appreciate!
Now you can add this to the growing list of things you can make at home. You’ll have a constant supply of fresh brown sugar for baking all kinds of delicious goodies.
Have you ever made brown sugar at home? Any other great things you make at home you’d love to share?
