Using Up Stores!

In the last two years I've learned a lot about 'putting food up' or storing it for use out of season.  I think this is an important skill and strategy if you are concerned about where your food comes from.  If you don't believe me, I implore you to buy some extra corn on the cob this summer and freeze it.  When you go to use it just steam it or mix with a little butter and water...I'm telling you, you'll never go back to canned corn!

The point is, my food preservation skills and strategies have increased significantly since I decided to be concerned with my food sources.  That has left me with a cupboard full of canned goods, a chest freezer full of frozen foods and even a few things dried (although doing more of that is my food goal for this year).  So right now, I am trying to use up what has been stored to make room for whats to come.  Know what goes nicely with a salad of Spring Greens?  Butternut squash ravioloi!  Butternut squash isn't in season you say...well it is in my house when it was baked, pureed and frozen.  My one regret was not cubing some and freezing it without cooking.  Oh well, there is always next year!

The Resolution List

Recall that in an earlier post I mentioned making a new years resolution to become more aware of where my food came from.  That was in January 2011.  It was an excellent idea, but I didn't follow up on it until about March.  During Spring break that month (I work in elementary education) I visited a friend in Boudler, CO.  While perusing through a used book store during some downtime I discovered the inspiration I needed to get moving on my resolution in the form of some reference material: The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter by Peter Singer and Ball's Big Blue Book of Canning.  After making a nominal purchase, I went back to my friends apartment and pulled out a piece of paper and pencil.  This is what materialized:

Goal for 2011: Become more aware of where my food comes from.

January- flour
February- bananas
March- dairy products

April- chocolate
May- sugar
June- strawberries (can jam!)
July- chicken
August- tomatoes (can sauce!)
September- beef
October- apples
November- pork
December

As you can see, there were definitely some holes with regards to variety and nutrition.  But basically, I thought about some of the most commonly used food items in my household and decided to investigate!

Cinnamon Rolls

The recipe and resources used are now posted on the Recipe page!  Thanks for your patience.

Maple Blossoms

I live in the Pacific Northwest...but not the rainy grey part.  In fact the area I live in is quite sunny (and receives significantly less rain than Portland for instance).  But alas, spring is the rainy season.  After moving north from Southern California where everything is dry and desert like for most of the year I quickly learned to appreciate the rain.  Its what makes it so green here.  A green landscape makes me happy.  It is my favorite color after all!  But more to the point, one of the things that happens in Spring that is a significant contributor to the green factor is the blooming of the big leaf maple!  They are gorgeous in fall when the leaves are changing, but in winter they stand barren for several months and the landscape is just not the same because of it.  In springtime, however, the trees spring alive and magically cascades of flowering blossoms (a yellowish green color) appear.  Then the leaves begin to unfold and suddenly the world has righted itself once more...or at least its green again.


Just before this transformation happens an internal change occurs that is very important to seasonal eaters.  As the weather warms up, the sap in the trees begins to flow at a high rate in preparation for the coming bloom.  This is when maple trees are tapped.  If you live in the north east you are probably familiar with tapping sugar maples, but the big leaf maples of the west can also be tapped.  Generally when the nights are still in the 30's and the days peak into the 50's is the time to do this.  The flow rate isn't as high as a sugar maple but you can still collect a decent amount of sap.

We are having an unusually fast spring this year so I didn't get a chance to tap any trees.  It was going to be the first time (last year I acquired the supplies and did TONS of research on the subject).  My intention was to turn some sap into maple flavoring (I had maple scones on my mind).  Even though I didn't have the opportunity to try this new venture I thought it worth saying that the flavor of MAPLE is what is in season in spring!  Click on the link and discover one way to indulge in this flavor: cinnamon rolls! 

Life's Little Splendor

Few things in life are as joyous as freshly baked cinnamon rolls.  Why else has Cinnabon done so well for itself?  I'm here to tell you that Cinnabon doesn't come close to the real deal straight from your home oven.  But wait, we are supposed to be eating seasonally here aren't we?  These cinnamon rolls are seasonally inspired...think maple!  I'd love to explain now, but I'm waiting on a photograph from my sister so, check back later on to see what's in season and get the recipe...

Spring Salad

I don't know about you, but half the reason I eat salad is to get away with eating all the good stuff you can mix with it! Since its been a few months now without salad greens (I sadly don't have a green house) I've been craving a good crunchy bowl of tasty leaves. You can only eat steamed, roasted and sauteed veggies (all frozen at the end of the summer) for so long.  Lucky for me Spring Salad is what's in season! Since there aren't many other fresh ingredients this time of the year, I like to enhance my spring salads with nuts and cheese and of course a good dressing. Click on the bold food item above to see two of my favorite spring combos.

A 'brief' history: part 2- A New Year's Resolution

In 2011 I decided to make a different kind of New Year's resolution.  I resolved to find out more about where my food came from.  I don't recall exactly what inspired this search but I remember a couple of factors that played an important part.  1- A few months before the start of 2011 I moved into a rental house with a big backyard which meant I could have a real garden, like the ones my mom tended when I was a child, for the first time on my own (instead of just a couple of pots an apartment patio).  2-  The farmer's market in my community had really taken off the summer before and I enjoyed regular visits to it.  3- My household loved making fruit smoothies and it seemed ridiculous to buy frozen fruit in the grocery store when there were so many choices in my own backyard.  The desire to preserve fruit purchased at the farmer's market (strawberries and raspberries),  picked wild (blackberries) and picked at a local farm (blueberries) resulted in the purchase of a large chest freezer.  4-  I lived (and still do) in an agricultural community in the northwest.  It would have been ignorant of me not to know where my food came from. 

Recall that I never said I was going to switch to eating local food or that my passion would become eating as seasonally as possible.  Inevitably though that's where the discovery of where my food came from led me.  It was very intriguing journey indeed.  I'll post the specifics about my resolution along with some tips for uncovering the mystique behind your food's origin in a later post.