Delicious Tidbit--Pickled Beets

As fall sneaks up on us, this is the time to savor the last bits of summer - and look forward to the root vegetables to come. One of my favorites is beets; hearty, delicious, and oh-so-good for you. With so many varieties to choose from - red, golden, white, and even striped - beets create a lovely color palate in any dish.

As a kid, I never liked pickled beets - but I think that is because I never had 'real' pickled beets. One evening, a couple of years ago, I walked into my friend Katie's kitchen and was immediately hit by the smell of vinegar and the deep red of freshly pickled beets. I stared at the huge glass jar and wondered kind of magic it was.She explained the process to me, something I never learned in culinary school, and I knew I had to do it myself. And I did, with fantastic results. You should too--it's easy.

What ya' need:

-6 large beets
-2c sugar
-2c white or cider vinegar (cider is tastier)

-2c water

-3T pickling spice

-1 1/2t salt

-1T black peppercorns

What to do:

-scrub the beets and remove the greens, but don't pierce the skin

-boil the beets until the flesh is tender (when you can put a fork in, with little resistance)

-drain and cool slightly

-while beets are cooling, mix all other ingredients in a pot

-heat ingredients until salt and sugar are melted, a you see a few bubbles

-peel and slice beets, place in a glass jar

-pour hot liquid over beets

-serve immediately, or place lid on jar, refrigerate, and enjoy later

Sometimes I like to add carrots, onions, or turnips to the beets. Yum! See, it ain't that hard. And just so you know, beets contain small amounts of protein, fiber, iron, calcium, phosphorus, niacin, and vitamins A and C.

(sources: motherearthnews.com)

Yours in beets,

Clara

"Knowledge has sweet savory, honeyed things which precede in value all other treasures as sovereign..." - Christine de Pisan

Trend for smaller stores

Just read an interesting article in the NY Times sent to me by Clara. Curious what others might think about it. Obviously I think Local Harvest is pretty great and we're radically smaller than even the supposedly tiny 10,000 square foot stores they describe. One of the things I love about the size of LHG is that it is not overwhelming to shop. Prior to opening the store I really didn't enjoy grocery shopping. I always felt like there were too many choices and that it was so sterile. And some Farmer's Markets, while certainly full of character, can feel overwhelming when they are super big and have tons of vendors. One of the reasons I like Tower Grove Farmer's Market and the Maplewood Market is that they are manageable.

Anyway, click this link and let me know what you think.

--Maddie

Delicious Tidbit--Define Organic

So instead of me just yammering away, I'm going to have some "guest" bloggers. When you see posts that start with "Delicious Tidbit" you will be treated to an entry by Clara Moore. Clara is our catering manager at the cafe and maker of the oh so famous Clara's Hummus.
So, here's the first entry.....


Hello everyone. Clara here, your local culinary artist, hummus-maker, and great believer that an informed customer is an invaluable customer. I wanted to share a little tidbit of knowledge to make your shopping and dining experience with us far more interesting.
So, what does organic really mean?
Everyone is familiar with organic food, right? – I mean, Walmart has it's own organic line now. Everyone knows that organic is better for you, right? but does anyone actually know what organic means and why it is better for you?

The official national guidelines for acquiring organic certification where set by the USDA, released in 2000 and states that produce must be grow under certain conditions:
-no use of artificial fertilizers, chemical/conventional pesticides, or sewer sludge (human waste)
-must use organically produced seeds and planting stock
-must rotate crops to retain the nutrients in the soil
-can only use chemicals from a very short list
-no use of genetically modified seeds or plant stock
-can not be exposed to irradiation or any additives
-and must be grown under sustainable growing practices (basically, practices that allow the natural ecosystem to thrive)

In turn, these guidelines produce a healthier and more tasty product. Without chemical intervention, the produce is allowed to grow under it's natural conditions and ends up with more vitamins and antioxidants. It also limits the toxicity in the bodies of those who eat it. Sustainable farming practices are better on the environment and generally use less fossil fuels.

Organic is usually more expensive, but there is much more to gain by eating it.

A short explanation of organic labeling:
100% organic – grown and/or produced under USDA organic guidelines
organic – 95% of the product has been grown and/or produced under USDA organic guidelines
made with organic ingredients – at least 70% of the product has been grown and/or produced using the USDA organic guidelines, and the remaining ingredients cannot be genetically engineered, irradiated, or fertilized with sewer sludge
Thanks for reading, and keep doing it local!"

Knowledge has sweet savory, honeyed things which precede in value all other treasures as sovereign..." - Christine de Pisan

Broiled eggplant

I know some folks are afraid to cook eggplant but I'm going to give you a super easy and delicious way to fix them. You can use the Japanese eggplants (from Spikenard Farm) as pictured, or the traditional eggplants which are larger and more bulbous.

Thinly slice the eggplant. Leave the skins on. Lightly coat the slices in a marinade of olive oil, minced garlic and salt. Set oven to Hi-Broil and pre-heat. Broil for approximately five minutes on each side. For a more substantial dish, prepare zucchini in the same way. I like to also toss onion and peppers in the mix and broil those as well. The other evening I made this dish with eggplant, zucchini, onion, sweet and hot peppers and served it on a bed of quinoa which I had cooked in a vegetable broth. I also prepared a side of collard greens and served it with Parmesan bread.

You can make this dish in about thirty minutes.

Broiled eggplant is also great on an open faced sandwich with goat cheese, mushrooms, onions, and red pepper.

Vegan Muffins

Hello all-
Molly, one of the new folks at our cafe, baked up some yummy vegan banana muffins. Super moist, fluffy, and just the right sweetness. Don't miss them. For an extra special treat ask for a dash of Nutella. It's a super indulgence.
-maddie

Local Harvest Cafe expands hours

Big news--in case you haven't heard, our cafe, Local Harvest Cafe and Catering is now open for dinner. That's right. And not only that, but we'll even wait on you. We now offer table service for your dining experience.

Last night we offered house-made veggie lasagna (not heat and serve from Sam's), Sicilian pizza, and antipasto salad. Even though I was holding down the fort at the store, I found time to sneak over and do a little sampling. I wish I'd had my camera, but alas it was at home. The lasagna was fantastic. What made it different was that the sauce had a bit of heat. Made with local tomatoes and Mangia Pasta, it was a delicious treat.

Now we just need YOU. Please pass this information on to anyone who loves good food, loves supporting local farmers, cares about the environment, and likes to support small businesses. They will love you for it.

New Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 8 pm
Sat 8 am - 8 pm
Sun 10am -3 pm

DO IT LOCAL!
Maddie

Baby oh Baby

If you don't have a baby, don't want a baby, or don't like babies, I suggest you skip this post....

That is my disclaimer.

So I wanted to do at least one post on cooking for wee ones. Jason and I have a 17 month old. It has been pretty important to me to cook most or all of his food. At times it has been quite a challenge--and during those times I'm thankful that I feel really good about the prepared foods we carry at Local Harvest.

Anyway, we have lots of foods which are great for first foods for baby and for the growing toddler. The book "Super Baby Foods" is a great resource for how to prepare your own infant cereals and "super" foods for the wee one. We carry many grains which you can grind for your own infant cereals--millet, barley, oats, rice and quinoa. The author also suggests add in's like Brewer's Yeast, tahini, and almond butter. I don't agree with everything in the book, but found the authors suggestions on making "super porridge" and storage of fresh foods to be really helpful.

If you're not feeling quite so ambitious, we carry Earth's Best infant cereals, organic baby food in jars, applesauce, and one of my favorite processed foods that I give to lil' Beck--Dr. Praeger's Spinach Pancakes. I can read every ingredient and even know what they are. Yea. Other great foods for kids (who are eating dairy) Farmer's All Natural Creamery cottage cheese, Nancy's whole milk yogurt, Nancy's kefir, and the ever easy organic frozen veggies.

For any of you moms and dads who are interested in making your own baby food, I'm always happy to chat about it and give any suggestions I can. Post or come into the store. I'm constantly learning as a parent and a cook for a wee one so if I can help or commiserate I'm happy to do so.

Also, we'll soon have a kid's menu at the cafe. In the meantime, feel free to ask for mini-smoothies for your little one. So good and good for them. You won't find any syrups in our smoothies. Only real ingredients. Yum.