Our Year of Eating Locally

Empire Apples Arrive!

2009-09-21T18:42:00.001-07:00

In 2009, we leased a tree from Earth First Farms in Berrien Center, Michigan for $50. The tree lease program is like a CSA for apples. As harvest time hit this week, they picked our apples & brought them to Chicago for us to a nearby famer's market . They provided us with the entire harvest of apples from our tree, freshly picked! Our Empire apples are organic, crispy and sweet!

We leased an Empire apple tree this year because the Empire variety (the offspring of Red Delicious and McIntosh) is said to be good for eating, salads, baking, sauce, pies and freezing. Its an excellent blend of sweet and tart and has a very crispy flesh. We've already cooked up a batch of homemade applesauce and there's lots more to come.

If you're interested, contact the good folks at Earth First Farms. They're a certified organic farm about 100 miles from Chicago. You can have apples delivered to a drop off point in the city or pick them yourselves.

Photos/layouts by Ann Hetzel Gunkel; digital supplies by Digital Design Essentials

Polish Carrot Salad

2009-05-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

POLISH CARROT SALAD

This is one of our all-time, everyday basic Polish salads. A staple in our family - always refreshing and tasty, an almost universally suitable side dish. We almost hate to give away how simple it is, since it never fails to impress! Smacznego!

Surowka Marchewkowa -

GunkelHaus Polish Carrot Salad

INGREDIENTS:

8 carrots [peeled & grated]

1 can crushed pineapple

1 apple [peeled & chopped]

juice of 1 lemon

2- 3 T. sugar

In large bowl, grate carrots, chop apple & add pineapple + juice.

Add sugar and lemon juice. Mix and chill in fridge.

KOHLRABI SLAW

2008-10-29T18:18:00.001-07:00

There's lots of great, hearty and healthy organic produce in this super-tasty slaw. Includes yummy kohlrabi, broccoli stems, carrots, radishes, peppers, and more from Angelic Organics CSA in Caledonia, Illinois.

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound kohlrabi (about 4 medium bulbs) peeled and grated
OR combination of kohlrabi, radishes and broccoli stems, all grated
2 med-large carrots, grated
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small onion, chopped (app 1/2 cup)
2 teasp. chopped fresh thyme
1 lg clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 wine vinegar
1 1/2 teasp. chili powder
1/2 teasp. salt
black pepper

1. Toss the Kohlrabi (or mixture), carrots, pepper, onion, thyme and garlic in a large bowl.

2. Whisk the yogurt, oil, vinegar, chili powder, salt and pepper in a medium bowl.

3. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

This is David’s variation on a slaw from Farmer John’s Cookbook using organic produce from John’s farm, Angelic Organics CSA

Photo & Design (c) 2008 Ann Hetzel Gunkel
Digital Supplies by Scrap Girls

LOCAVORE PIZZA ART

2008-08-20T21:44:00.001-07:00

GOAT CHEESE, Prairie Fruits Farm, Champaign, Illinois
GREENS, PEPPERS & LEEKS, Angelic Organics, Caledonia, Illinois

Late August is a time of absolute plenty for local produce. We have so much great food that David can create art on a daily basis. Here is a weeknight locavore pizza, lovely to behold and eat!

(By the way, not to diss the superb culinary skills of Dave, but after reflection, we've decided that leeks are not best spent on pizza. They are infinitely more splendid in soups and terrines. Goat cheese, ever so joyous to ingest, is, however, fab on pizza or any other context.)

CHLODNIK: COLD BEET SOUP

2008-08-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

BEETS from Genesis Growers, St. Anne, Illinois
CUCUMBER from Angelic Organics Farm, Caledonia, Illinois
Local RADISHES from Happy Foods
DILL from the Gunkel garden, Chicago

Chlodnik (hwod-neek) is the ultimate Polish summer soup. It is beautiful, healthful and splendid. David demonstrated this recipe several years back in his appearance on WTTW-TV's Your Chicago Kitchen. It is a cold soup that tastes MUCH better if left in the fridge overnight for the flavors to meld and intensify. It is incredibly simply to make and the only heat needed in the kitchen is baking the beets.

Ingredients:
4 cups buttermilk
1 medium cucumber, quartered and diced
1 bunch radishes, sliced
4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 bunch of fresh dill, chopped
3 -4 red beets, roasted, peeled & diced
salt for roasting beets
sour cream or plain yogurt for garnish

Roast beets in foil (Wrap each individually drizzled with olive oil and salt) at 450 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool, peel and dice beets. Mix all ingredients in a crock or large bowl. Refrigerate over night. As a meal, its great with a side of boiled, dilled potatoes and an added hard-boiled egg for protein. For serving, add a last-minute dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.

Graphics Notes:
Photo & Design (c) 2008 Ann Hetzel Gunkel.
Digital Supplies by Thao Cosgrove courtesy of Scrap Girls.

THE JOY OF PLUOTS

2008-08-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

Ann's new obsession: the pluot. As shareholders in Angelic Organics CSA, we also purchase a Fruit Share. This is a bi-weekly box of organic produce supplied by farms which partner with Angelic. Not all are grown locally, but all are organic suppliers. In this week's box o' fun are plouts. As the Angelic newsletter notes, "Flavor King Pluots are from Frog Hollow in California. Pluots are a hybrid of a plum and an apricot and mainly retain the characteristics of a plum. The Flavor King gets its delicate heart shape from its plum parent -the Santa Rosa Plum. It is one of the highest flavor pluots available, with a unique spicy aroma and a mild vanilla finish." As a lifelong plum maniac I say to you, "Dude--get thee a pluot!"

THE CSA BOUNTY ARRIVES

2008-08-15T22:27:00.000-07:00

As shareholders in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), we pick up a weekly bounty of locally grown organic produce delivered fresh to our city neighborhood from Angelic Organics farm. Our pick up site is only 2 blocks from our house, easy enough to reach with our 40 year old red wagon. If you are in Chicago looking for a CSA to join, please check out the justly famous Angelic or put the documentary The Real Dirt About Farmer John (its founder) in your Netflix Queue. Another great resources is Farmer John's cookbook, which arranges the produce by season with recipes and lots of great tips for cooking, storing and serving. Its a good thing!

DAVID'S KALE, WHITE BEANS & ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA

2008-08-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Finally, the recipe we promised is here. Some of you are getting kale and/or swiss chard right about now. This is a great way to use them.

The original Dave recipe is for Swiss Chard & Gnocchi. His Kale variation is for Pasta with Kale, White Beans & Italian Sausage. Enjoy! An image of this tasty dish as made with Kale is found below in the blog.

Dave's Swiss Chard & Gnocchi OR
Pasta with Kale, White Beans & Italian Sausage

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. Italian sausage (out of casing)
5 - 6 lg leaves of swiss chard or kale, chopped
4 - 5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 t. fennel seeds
1/8 t. crushed red pepper flakes
Gnocchi (whole wheat or regular) (May substitute any preferred pasta)
1 can white beans (northern or cannellini) rinsed & drained
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Brown sausage. (At same time, boil water for pasta.) Remove from pan. Saute garlic, red pepper flakes and fennel in pan. Add the leaves; continue saute until they wilt ( 4 -5 min.). While pasta
is cooking, remove 1/2 cup cooking water. Add chicken broth and return sausage to saute pan. Simmer for 6 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup of pasta cooking water to the saute pan. Add cooked pasta to the saute pan, cook for another minute or so. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup grated
Pecorino-Romano. Serve immediately.

Note: If you want more heat, increase crushed red peppers to
1/4 teaspoon.

TOFU & ZUCCHINI SHISH-KA-BOB

2008-07-15T18:49:00.000-07:00

ZUCCHINI from
Green Acres Farm, North Jusdon, Indiana

ORGANIC TOFU made by
Mu Tofu in Chicago

TOFU & ZUCCHINI SHISH-KA-BOB
This is an easy, fast and healthy dinner. Just slice large chunks of zucchini, tofu and any veggies you have on hand (cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, etc.) Marinate in your favorite dressing, some soy sauce or as David did: olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and herbs from our garden (today it was thyme & oregano.) Skewer them up, toss on the grill, and go to town. We served them with a side of rice.

By the way, our Tofu Kabob concept is a complete rip-off of a great dinner we had at the Licis Family home. Thanks to Alda, Maris, Zig & Nick!

GIVE ME VENTI OR GIVE ME DEATH

2008-07-14T11:26:00.001-07:00

For lots of us, eating locally is also part of a larger body of everyday practices meant to interrogate the instant, supersized culture of consumption that rules the roost. (On a related note, this critique of consumption is what makes Pixar's Wall-E such a delightfully seering bit of children's culture.)

Take a listen to this humorous piece on Chicago coffee vendor Intelligentsia's decision to retire the 20- oz. coffee. It will entertain and amuse...

Give Me Venti or Give Me Death...Commentator John P. Glynn on Chicago Public Radio's 848 July 14, 2008

N.B. By the way, Intelligentsia operates on a principle they call Direct Trade, aimed at sustainability.

SOFT RIND GOAT'S CHEESE

2008-07-13T23:57:00.001-07:00

GOAT'S CHEESE (Camembert Style) from
Prairie Fruits Farm in Champaign, Illinois

A real treat on whole grain Italian bread! Another bonus: our son decides goat cheese is awesome. (He's right of course, although prior to this shipment from Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks, mom couldn't convince him.)

WHY LOCAL?

2008-07-13T23:51:00.000-07:00

Why Local?

Most food is grown on large corporate farms that use GMOs, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones. CAFO livestock is raised in inhumane and unhealthy conditions. Produce is picked before it is ripe and travels an average of 1500 miles to sale, using significant fossil fuel. Eating locally means less pollution, healthier, high nutrient food, and a fair-trade, local economy.

The Products

We obtain delicious fresh, primarily seasonal food from local farms that use sustainable and organic practices. We then get to eat the most antibiotic-free, hormone-free, GMO-free, and chemical-free food available. We know which farms our food comes from. We eat better, support local farms instead of agri-business and raise our son with a connection to the source of his nourishment. Our food tastes great and we repair the contemporary disconnect between food & its origins.

Some of this post is adopted from the Fresh Picks Brochure

OUR FOOD SOURCES

2008-07-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

There are LOTS of ways to find local & organic foods. Living on the northwest side of Chicago, our primary sources are: Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks, Angelic Organics (a Community Supported Agriculture operation), and the Park Ridge Farmer's Market. We also grow a modest garden in our Chicago backyard using organic matter. In addition, we respect and enjoy our local butcher, Schmeiser's Meats in Niles, the excellent local Polish bakeries such as Forest View for no-preservative breads and pastries, and Trader Joe's.

RED KALE

2008-07-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

RED KALE from

Genesis Growers in St. Anne, Illinois
July 2008

We enjoyed the beautiful red kale in a recipe created by head chef/dad David, Red Kale with White Beans, Italian Sausage and Pasta. Delicious. (Recipe coming soon!)

Bonus: Our 6 year old decides its cool to eat Kale because he doesn't want to disrespect the farmers of Gensis Growers who've worked so hard to grow this food that will make him strong.