Local Thanksgiving Turkeys & CSAs 2011

Are you planning turkey day already? You can bet I am! I know friends are too because the questions about 'where can I order a turkey?' are pouring in. Here are the best local options I am aware of:

Turkey

Bowman and Landes - I grew up visiting my grandmother who worked at Bowman and Landes farm in Springfield, OH. The turkeys have ample room to roam and the meat is free from hormones and antibiotics. There's even a family legend that my parents fell in love the summer they slaughtered and plucked turkeys at B&L. Locally-owned grocers Hills Market, North Market Poultry and Game, Huffman's and Weilands offer these toms for pre-order around $3 a pound.

Speckled Hen Farm - Turkeys from Speckled Hen are fed locally grown grains and allowed to free range. Order via the web for $2.79/pound and pick up in Worthington.

Tea Hills Pastured Organic Turkeys - Hills Market carries these top of the line heritage breed birds at $5.19/pound or you can order directly from the farm.

OSU Poultry Science Club - Ohio State University sells free range, antibiotic free turkeys as a fundraiser. Order your bird online for $2.59/pound and pick up on the Columbus campus.

CSAs

Wayward Seed - Need something more than a bird on the table? Wayward Seed organic farm offers a box of vegetables, herbs, and fruit to feed a crowd. With a turkey, the cost is $160; with a winter squash, the cost is $130. Read the details and ordering info on their blog.

OSU Student Farm - Support Ohio State University students in their sustainable farm efforts by purchasing a $35 share of sweet potatoes, herbs, squash, garlic and more. Quantities are limited.

Clintonville and Worthington Farmer's Markets will host pre-Thanksgiving markets on November 19. Pick up mushrooms from Swainway, root vegetables, greens, herbs, apples eggs, and more to fill your menu with local treats.

Did I miss your local favorites? Let me know in the comments!

PS. Alex's mom Deb made the apple pie with the turkey. Isn't it cute? She'll be sharing fiber artistry at next weekend's Clintonville Arts Guild Holiday Show & Sale at Whetstone Recreation Center.

PPS. I am closing the Hounds in the Kitchen annual reader's survey on Sunday. I would really appreciate you sharing your opinion before then if you have a few minutes.

The Coop {Food Truck Review}

A food truck with a name dear to our chicken-loving hearts opened recently in close proximity to our house. Alex visited first, took pictures, and wrote this review:

Clintonville is seeing an influx of food trucks recently.  Despite the objections of various stick-in-the-mud types, the diversity is only growing.

The Coop is the latest truck to arrive on the Clintonville scene.  As the name suggests, it is a poultry-themed establishment and happens to have thrown out a shingle on the corner of Indianola and Cliffside.  As this is only a few blocks from our house we had their fare (one of each thing on the menu) for our Wednesday family dinner.

The dishes were:

French Omelet BLT sandwich -  Delicious folded omelet with thick-cut bacon and fresh veggies on white bread.  The whole thing melted in your mouth and was done exceptionally well.

Udon noodles with duck - This was probably the standout dish of the evening.  The noodles were well cooked, the duck was delicious and it was all complimented wonderfully with a hot and sour broth.  This was a fabulous dish that I could eat every day.  Of course, as with their other dishes, it was topped with an over-easy egg.

Chorizo Hash - Exactly what the name describes.  Very nicely done with chopped up bits of corn tortilla incorporated into the mix.  The over-easy egg made for a delicious sauce over the hash after the yolk was broken open.

Roasted Chicken Quarter (thigh/leg) over Corn with Parsley and Parmesan -  This was a very simple presentation that pleased the ever-picky Lillian.  The chicken was cooked very well and the corn mixture was creative and delicious.

Overall, we left full, satisfied and with a very favorable impression of Coop.  It's not the cheapest food truck out there, but come on, you can order duck on the side of the street.  Give it a try, you definitely won't be disappointed.

I couldn't resist Alex's raving and took our family on the short walk to the vintage cart on October 13. Here's my take:

Alex wrote 'delicious' four times in his review. While it is the most over-used adjective describing food, The Coop might be deserving of the quadruple praise.

The chef/owner of Coop, Angela Theado, is a restaurant veteran. She features local ingredients including Ohio eggs, meat, greens and fruit in from-scratch recipes.

The menu changes often to reflect what is seasonally appropriate and available. Beverage options are Clintonville-roasted Thunderkiss coffee, Coke, and San Pellegrino. The Coop uses Eartha Limited eco-friendly serving dishes and offers recycling bins for patrons. Two picnic tables are available for seating and there is parking for at least four cars in the lot.

We tried the duck leg ($10, a steal) for Lillian. Cooked in fat as confit first and finished in the oven, the meat was fall off the bone delectable. Lil gobbled it up while I savored the kale. Dressed lightly when raw, the tender leaves wilted slightly under the heat of the duck. Not wanting to upset the picky kid, I ate the pepper giardiniera on the side. This was the right choice for our family - Lil would have balked at the heat - though I can taste how well it would pair with the succulent duck meat.

I ordered the Omelet BLT ($7) after hearing about it from Alex and several friends. This high stacked sandwich layers bacon, arugula, tomato, and a gently cooked egg and cheese omelet between two slices of grilled Texas toast. It is saucy but manages to hold together for eating. Some don't enjoy the intrusion of soft egg in a BLT but I liked how The Coop transformed a summer tradition into a more filling meal.

My sister Megan has become a regular at The Coop. By happenstance, she pulled up just after our food was served. She ordered the Chorizo Hash ($8) and ran off to work before I could taste it. I snapped a few pictures to capture the sweet potatoes covered in Ohio bison chorizo sauce, egg, and cheese.

Angela told me that The Coop will continue operating until the water lines freeze. Water lines for a food truck? Yep. One difference between The Coop and many other food carts is that it has a full dish station to handle the skillets in which Angela prepares each dish to order. While having to hook up to water makes this truck less mobile than some, a fresh skillet for each patron means that The Coop can accommodate food allergies and play with a wider range of ala minute cooking styles than those carts with a grill top alone.

More than the local sourcing, delectable dishes, and sustainable practices, what diners will like enjoy most about The Coop is the care with which the menu is planned. Rich duck confit needs a zesty accompaniment like citrus dressed kale. Sweet potato hash begs for a balance like spicy chorizo sauce to come off as a pleasant savory dish. Dishes include vegetables as thoughtful components. And everything IS better with an egg on top.

The Coop Current location: Cliffside and Indianola, 43202, look for the sweet blue pickup or yellow lights after dark Cash or credit accepted Website Facebook

Waste Not, Want Not Squirrel Rillettes {Charcutepalooza}

When you think of squirrel, what comes to mind? Do you picture a cute fluffy tailed animal, some backyard wildlife? Or  is your vision something more sinister? Are your squirrels tomato thieves, bird feeder destroyers, and dog taunters?

Is anyone thinking savory and delectable? I am.

About Squirrel Meat

While squirrels are ubiquitous in most American neighborhoods, they are almost never on the dinner table. Why? It has nothing to do with the outstanding dark meat, smooth textured, rich taste.

Squirrels are tiny animals when skinned, about 3/4 of a pound including bones. Though 'tree rats' are more numerous than HRC stickers in my liberal neighborhood, harvesting and processing enough to feed a crowd would be arduous.

Speaking of the bones, they are numerous. Wine braised squirrel is every bit as tasty as duck (I swear) but eating around the needle thin skeleton is a royal pain.

Then there's the concern about safety. Could something that runs around alleys, tree lines, and lawns be good to eat? I myself wouldn't touch the first few squirrel Alex made.

After a whole summer witnessing the beasts steal my garden produce and hang off bird feeders, it hit me: squirrels eat very well. They are not rats eating trash at all - they scavenge abundant wild nuts, seeds, and veggies. Most of what they eat is as untouched from chemicals as the pasture ranged meats I pay so much for at local markets.

Stretching

The October Charcutepalooza challenge was to make an appetizer of rillette, confit, gallentine or roulade, to stretch a single cut of meat into a dish that would feed many. I extended the stretching theme to include my food budget. What delicious small bite could I create without purchasing ingredients?

I immediately thought of squirrel because 1) we had one in the freezer and 2) making it into confit and then rillette would be the perfect way to enjoy the meat without the annoyance of the bones.

Alex flavored a backyard harvested squirrel overnight with garden herbs and garlic. Next, I put the squirrel in goose lard from last year's Xmas Eve roast with a few end bits of pork belly leftover from making bacon for a long warm bath. Alex picked the meat, pulsed it quickly in a food processor, and packed it into containers. He capped the rillette with excess goose fat.

To serve the rillette,  I continued with the waste not, want not theme. I made homemade crackers with the amount of sourdough starter I would have discarded when feeding the fermented goodstuff this morning. Home grown, home canned cornichons and homemade cranberry sauce completed the platter.

Would you try a bite?

Apple Crisp {Ratio Recipe}

Apples are abundant in our house after our trip to Lawrence Orchards. When the oven was on for family dinner roasted potatoes last night, I couldn't help but whip up an apple crisp. I use a simple crumble topping ratio that is adaptable to the ingredients I have on hand and needs of my guests. I can use white flour, white sugar and butter for a traditional crisp. More often I choose oats, whole wheat flour and unrefined sugar for a healthier crunch. Coconut oil or vegetable shortening work when you are out of butter or want to avoid dairy.

I spice unsweetened apples (a variety of types works best) with freshly ground nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. You could use pears or plums if you have them and change up the spices to your taste. The topping is intentionally un-spiced because I like to let the fruit flavors shine through the crisp.

For the pictured pie pan of eight medium sized sliced apples, I used one cup flour and oats as my measure. For a 13x9 inch pan, I would use twice that amount.

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Apple Crisp Ratio Recipe

1 part flour, oats, or a mix 1/2 part sugar (white, brown, or turbinado) 1/2 tsp salt per cup flour 1/3 part solid fat (butter, coconut oil, or vegetable shortening)

1. Stir together flour, sweetener, and salt in a mixing bowl.

2. Cut fat into mix until no distinct pieces remain.

3. Spread evenly over a pan of sliced and spiced baking fruit.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until fruit is soft and topping browned.

[/print_this]

  Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

What's Brewing {Wordless Wednesday}

Top left: kefir,  top right: beer, bottom left: sourdough starter, bottom middle: chamomile and hop flowers in honey, bottom right: vanilla

Want to learn harness the power of yeast and bacteria at home? Come to my Fermented Foods class Sunday at Franklin Park Conservatory from 4-6 pm. $35 per person, register by calling 614.645.5923.

Sad Apples

They say it was too cold or windy to warm the little bees' wings.

Or the apple flowers blossomed just before a storm and their white petals marbled the ground before they could attract pollinators.

Perhaps it was Colony Collapse, A frightening name for the frightening idea that we humans or weather or something mysterious is killing the bees on which we depend.

The only certainty is that apples are few this year.

Then last night the news came that Steve Jobs, curator of a technology company named after the simple fruit, died.

Jobs did not stop living in the face of cancer, or economic difficulty, or poor seasons, but his body still succumbed to the inevitable.

Those of us who love apples and Apples are sad.

We will grieve for a time. Then we will think with the creativity of Jobs. We will find ways to grow new fruit, to protect species known and unknown, to communicate and connect.

It is the way of the apple.

Pictured is the last of the apples I picked at Charlie's last season. It is ugly but I will cut into it and savor the gold rush. With no planning, this post is the first I have composed entirely on an apple product, our ipad.

Celebrate Local Pop-up Shop {Profile}

Combine interest in the inaugural Easton Farmer's Market, an empty store front, and a community of local producers and what do you have? Celebrate Local, a pop-up holiday shop of all-Ohio goods.

Celebrate Local opens October 1 and will continue sales through the winter holidays at Easton where Harry & David's previously resided. The shop offers frozen, refrigerated and fresh local foods, handmade pantry items, and locally made crafts. Customers can select items from around the store to build a personalized custom gift basket.

A project of the Economic and Community Development Institute (ECDI), Global Gallery, and the Easton Community Foundation, Celebrate Local seeks to showcase Ohio food producers and artisans to shoppers searching for local gifts. A generous vendor agreement will feed the economy by returning much of the sales to the small businesses and entrepreneurs of central Ohio.

I spotted Hound favorites Snowville Creamery milk, Stinky Bomb soaps, Ohio Bison Farm, and Made by AmyD aprons in the shop. More vendors are coming; several fresh produce vendors from the Easton Farmer's Market will house their wares at Celebrate Local and Jenny from Purely Simple Raw told me she will stock healthy snacks like kale chips and caramel apples. When the liquor license is issued (permit inspection happened this week), the store will also carry Brother's Drake mead and Ohio wines.

Stop in to shop for daily meal ingredients or gifts for the holiday season. Celebrate Local has the best of Ohio waiting for you.

Celebrate Local Store October 1, 2011 - January 2012 4030 The Strand, Easton Columbus OH 43219 614-596-1303

Johnny Marzetti {Ratio Recipe}

Like many central Ohioans, I grew up with a pan of Johnny Marzetti on every church potluck spread. The concoction of elbow pasta, meaty tomato sauce, and cheese held little appeal to me but I do recall it being a favorite of many others. When John of Jarsloth approached a group of Columbus bloggers to write about this cowtown classic, I aimed to create a homegrown and local version. That mine happens to contain far less fat and more vitamins than the original is a bonus to the exciting flavors.

My backyard Johnny Marzetti contains everything I could harvest from the backyard garden today: peppers, pattypan squash, chard, parsley and thyme. Precooked elbow macaroni (not at all local because I do like the Barilla brand and do not have a pasta extruder) and the vegetables are smothered in home canned tomato sauce and topped with cheddar cheese. After a quick bake, my local 'zetti, or one you make with the following ratio recipe, would be right at home on a modern potluck table.

[print_this]Johnny Marzetti Ratio Recipe feeds four

1/2 # elbow macaroni, cooked to al dente and drained 3 cups diced vegetables and/or ground meat, seasoned and cooked 2.5 cups tomato sauce 1 cup shredded cheese

1. Combine macaroni, vegetables, meat, and tomato sauce in an oven-proof pan, such as a 8x8 glass pan or 12 inch slope-sided cast iron skillet. 2. Top with shredded cheese. 3. Place in a cool oven (if using a glass pan) and turn on to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top browns. [/print_this]

Post Script: As our dog-who-eats-everything is wont to do, Devie scaled the counter and mawed on the Marzetti before it went in the oven. Bad dog! Like a good homesteader with limited time and a family to feed, I simply topped with more cheese and baked a bit longer than usual. You might notice the missing volume in the pre- vs post- baked pictures.

For more reflections on Johnny Marzetti according to local food bloggers, check out John's post Respect the Marzetti, Andreas's flavor packed update and Debra's South Texas style. Marzetti with locally sourced ingredients is planned for the menu at the 2012 OEFFA conference and the subject of an article in an upcoming Columbus Crave magazine.