tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51414661125543840612012-02-16T10:17:20.770-07:00<b>• <a href="http://simplylocalidaho.blogspot.com">HOME</a></b>           <b>• <a href="http://simplylocalidaho.blogspot.com/search/label/books"> BOOKS</a></b>           <b>• <a href="http://simplylocalidaho.blogspot.com/search/label/recipes"> RECIPES</a></b>Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.comBlogger381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-28739723650741432172010-02-09T09:50:00.000-07:002010-02-09T09:51:26.090-07:00

The farmer's markets are a great deal, but around here they only operate a couple of days a week during the summer and fall months. But, thanks to Craigslist, we've found that there are many more resources for local foods here that we never knew existed.For instance, pick your own places. We now know of several within a 15-20 minute drive from our house that we can use to augment our own garden

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-19544875146598791652008-05-29T08:37:00.006-06:002008-05-29T09:18:58.127-06:00

Our little guy's elementary school class had an outing this week to help the local weed sheriff knock back a patch of invasive species plants. The plant they chose to cut down happened to be dyers woad, a natural dye plant I have been longing to work with for ages! It was apparently brought to this area many decades ago by pioneer families and has since spread all over the place to the point

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-29141895274370282762008-05-25T22:06:00.010-06:002008-05-25T22:25:48.221-06:00

First are the Aronia berry bushes in bloom. We planted these last year and got about five berries from three bushes. Well, actually, the pups got them! This year the Aronias are literally covered with blossoms. And they are all on the upper parts of the bushes, so unless the dogs can figure out how to get a footstool out there (mind you, I'm not discounting that possibility entirely - they

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-70537139463872190432008-05-25T13:17:00.005-06:002008-05-25T16:59:27.612-06:00

Well, we finally had to admit that our much-loved raspberry patch was out of control today. It was in the mint, it was in the oregano, it was in the pathway, it was in the veggie garden...so we bit the bullet, got out the loppers and started cutting it all back. I couldn't believe how much still needed to be taken down - and I even gave away at least 50 starter canes this spring to other

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-20482924471410140622008-05-22T20:11:00.010-06:002008-05-22T20:46:41.240-06:00

As promised, here are a few more garden pictures from last week. We basically had ONE week of spring - it went from three inches of snow and freezing temps overnight to the 40s and 70s, then to the 50s and 90s - in about ten days time! So, we took the opportunity to put out most of the garden. What a job! But, most of it is in now, so all that's left is mulching, watering and weeding for a

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-76442612364533538682008-05-22T19:07:00.006-06:002008-05-27T11:48:03.144-06:00

Whew, what a busy last couple of months. I've still been cooking and living as local as I can, but I just haven't had time to blog about it. Around the time we had a death in the family (early March) I was also looking for full time work because my husband's job that's sustained us for the past four years and allowed me to very nearly complete my own degree, ended with little fanfare.

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-21137869245553576072008-03-22T20:55:00.003-06:002008-03-22T20:59:17.721-06:00

I spent most of the day out working in the yard, so I didn't have the time to do much "documentation" on dinner, but tonight we're having a local pot roast meal, complete with a local hunka grass fed beef from Lau Family Farm, some of the local carrots I scored a while back, local potatoes and onions, and some more homemade no-knead bread. And, since I'm in charge of getting the bread into the

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-47112518170526253262008-03-22T19:35:00.007-06:002008-03-22T21:01:17.903-06:00

Well, to say it's been stressful around here this past month doesn't even come close to telling it like it is. But things are looking up.The winter seems to have finally decided to "take a hike" - at least for a little while! We found our first snow crocus blooms today, and it was a real boost to our mood. The yard is a mess from not cleaning things up properly last year, but I think we're all

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-66814602179742004822008-03-07T00:41:00.002-07:002008-03-07T00:43:03.520-07:00

We've had a death in the family, and I'm also in the middle of a job search, so my time to work on blogging has been somewhat limited this past couple of weeks. But I should be back up and running with recipes and such again this weekend.

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-80176491638543486942008-02-24T15:09:00.006-07:002008-02-24T15:43:09.445-07:00

Well, it's been a busy week over here, so while we've been eating locally as much as possible, I haven't had the time to document anything with pictures or write out recipes. Some of what I've been doing is the last of the planning and seed buying for this year's garden and starting our early transplants. We're concentrating on low upkeep and on growing things that will keep well in the storage

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-73781220488525221472008-02-19T22:09:00.005-07:002008-02-19T22:34:34.521-07:00

I really would like to have more variety in our stored dried beans this year, so I'm going to pick out a few new beans to try. I'm particularly interested in pole varieties - pole beans do well here and we can fit more into the space we have because of the trellising. The thing is, a lot of dry beans are bush types. I have had some good luck finding pole dry beans by looking at heirloom seeds,

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-30926873686765567112008-02-17T19:58:00.005-07:002008-02-17T20:09:20.508-07:00

When I went to the storeroom yesterday to check on the cheeses, I noticed the Cambozola clone seemed to be pretty well ripened and was giving off a really delicious cheesy smell. So we decided to try it, even though it really probably needed another couple of weeks to age. Here's what it looked like cut open. The taste - how to describe it? It's a very interesting mixture of creamy and sharp.

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-38577476319313654792008-02-15T16:20:00.008-07:002008-02-15T19:17:42.975-07:00

It was a typical busy mid-week evening here, so I didn't have time to do a whole recipe blog entry, but here's what we had for Valentine's Day. Clockwise from high noon: Salad (yes, from the salad table!!!!!!) with marinaded mozzarella balls (homemade from local milk) and sundried tomatoes from last year's garden, rosemary olive oil bread from local wheat (No Knead recipe, homemade), local

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-63699566499816187612008-02-09T19:08:00.000-07:002008-02-09T21:42:37.473-07:00

MOROCCAN LEMON LENTIL SOUP WITH RICEServes 3-41 cup dried lentils1/2 cup wild or brown rice1-6 cloves of garlic (I used 6!)2-4 pieces of Moroccan Preserved Lemon, seeds removedSalt to taste1/2 cup of yogurt or sour creamThis makes a very simple, meatless meal. It looks kind of funny, but it tastes really good. At least, we thought it did. For a full meal, add some fresh bread and a salad and

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-62195371656135508382008-02-09T13:40:00.000-07:002008-02-09T15:10:30.478-07:00

This weekend, for my Dark Days Challenge, I made homemade Trout Caviar on Idaho Potato Blinis with Sour Cream. I had no idea a couple of weeks ago that I'd be making caviar, but the opportunity presented itself, and it seemed an interesting project. Here's the story behind my venture into the fru-fru side of local food... While researching some ideas for preparing home-smoked trout from the

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-30350084329273920712008-02-08T18:38:00.000-07:002008-02-08T19:00:33.597-07:00

You might be asking yourself as you look at the picture above - what the heck is all that mess? Well, that's a picture of about a gazillion (give or take a few thousand) swarming Golden Trout. And yes, they really are that color - when we pulled up to the Idaho Trout Company near Filer, Idaho today I caught sight of this milling mass of golden fish and told my husband that it looked like they

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-6788938256581121782008-02-07T09:34:00.000-07:002008-02-07T10:04:04.637-07:00

Well, as you can see, the fuzz on the (hopefully) Cambozola cheese clone has totally taken over the outside of the cheeses and is covering them to a depth of about 1/8 inch or so. This means it's time to wrap the little boogers in cheese wrap and then wait with baited breath for another couple of weeks to see how they turned out. But, because I just can't ever seem to leave well enough alone, I

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-90759085373753163072008-02-03T11:21:00.000-07:002008-02-09T19:43:34.389-07:00

Don't ask me what I was thinking when I bought this monster last October.It was a lovely fall day. I was running around one of the the last Farmer's Markets of the year with my little hand-truck piled high with boxes of Idaho Russett potatoes, pumpkins, and squash of all types. All the normal-size squash I bought that day have already been used up. Not this one. After I lugged it home, I

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-14969857228127120132008-02-02T11:18:00.000-07:002008-02-02T11:55:26.079-07:00

When I opened up the cheese aging box this morning to check on the progress of the Cambozola I started last weekend, I caught a lovely whiff of "mushroom" - and if you look closely, within the red circle, along the edge of the cheese, you can see the beginnings of penicillin candidum fuzz! Looks like even if the "-ozola" part doesn't work out, the "camb" part should be fine. That's a relief,

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-25520378124201017962008-02-01T23:19:00.000-07:002008-02-01T23:37:35.496-07:00

Well, the first of the transplants for the salad table are doing very, very well. I think it's looking quite likely that I will be able to harvest a small Valentine's Day salad for my sweetie and me. I changed the setup I had planned (again) by recycling some foam peanuts into a draining medium and water reservoir for the grow bags I actually planted the salad greens in. I was trying to keep

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-85591414470401304032008-02-01T14:40:00.001-07:002008-02-01T23:32:55.875-07:00

Culturing your own KefirKefir, also called the "champaign" of dairy drinks, is cultured using both a yeast and a lactic bacteria group like that used for making yogurt. Because of the symbiotic yeasts, Kefir can be a little fizzy but it mostly just tastes a lot like yogurt to me. I like Kefir because it cultures at room temperatures and it has a wide range of tolerance for culturing times (mine

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-9097729837087534422008-01-28T14:56:00.000-07:002008-02-01T15:39:16.197-07:00

How to make cambozola is apparently a bit of a trade secret, so while I did a fair bit of online research on the steps, all I was able to find were other home cheesemakers like myself trying to figure it out! So it will be interesting to see if this works or not. Even if it doesn't, I should still end up with an interesting cheese. (Btw, the dark stuff on the insides of my "high-tech empty

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-76028159288717918192008-01-27T10:16:00.000-07:002008-02-01T15:38:59.578-07:00

Maybe it's all the white stuff flying around here today, or maybe it's because my son graciously stopped by Reed's Dairy Store on his way back from teaching lab at the ISU campus late last week and bought me some more of their lovely milk and cream, but today just seemed like a Dairy Day to me. I already make Kefir nearly every week - I like it because it's got all the goodness of yogurt in a

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-65602510001447903912008-01-26T19:53:00.002-07:002008-01-27T10:12:23.203-07:00

CHICKEN UDON SOUPServes 6-8Soup Base:1 large stewing chicken1 Tbsp fresh minced ginger root, or equivalent driedsalt to tastechopped green onion for garnishWater to coverNoodles:4 cups flour1 Tbsp. salt2 eggsWaterI was a bit rushed today, so I didn't get a picture of all the ingredients before I started. I wish that I had - the chicken we used was HUMONGOUS. It was an eight pound plus stewing

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-32603625073433592312008-01-26T09:00:00.000-07:002008-02-01T23:35:23.063-07:00

Homebrewing: I have two fruit wines and a simple sweet mead that need to be bottled. I have another bottle of concord grape wine in the storage room that may also be ready to bottle, but if I can get the three I have upstairs racked and into the little single serving size bottles I bought, then I'll be doing well! (Update: the plum wine apparently isn't ready to bottle yet, once I brought it

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-53258150462824093072008-01-21T00:57:00.000-07:002008-01-21T01:09:44.733-07:00

Well, we opened it tonight, and about a third of the two pound wheel is already gone. I think that means it passed muster with the crew, so I'll be making some more in the next couple of days. Hooray for us, we actually made some pretty decent hard cheese!The color was an almost startlingly bright white, the flavor was a nice semi-sharp with perhaps a little too much acid but not seriously out

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-26894912919988789872008-01-20T12:55:00.000-07:002008-02-09T19:43:12.886-07:00

HEARTY IDAHO ONION SOUP (with ELK)serves 4 - 52 lbs. elk (or buffalo, or beef) "osso bucco" (shank or leg steak)2 large or 3-4 medium or small onions1 large or two small carrots, chopped into largish chunks1 cup diced celery, or 1/2 tsp celery seed, or 1/4 cup dried celery1-6 cloves garlic (I used 6, we like garlic)1-2 bay leavesfresh herb sprigs - thyme, rosemary, etc.6-8 whole peppercorns,

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-1778975047811383842008-01-16T11:33:00.001-07:002008-01-16T11:34:11.632-07:00

... and want a link on my site under Locavore Blogs, drop me a comment and let me know!

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-16659154386317976112008-01-13T13:25:00.000-07:002008-02-09T14:32:48.255-07:00

HUCKLEBERRY AND VANILLA BEAN POTS DE CREMEserves 4 - 54 egg yolks (use 5 if any of the eggs are small)3/4 cup whipping cream or heavy cream3/4 cup half-and-half (make your own if necessary)1/4 cup sugar (white or turbinado)1/2 of a 5-6" vanilla bean, splitpinch of salt6 Tbsp. sweetened Huckleberry jam, preserves or puree4 - 5 four ounce ceramic ramekins or other oven safe small bowls or

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-38368832139319101332008-01-10T14:01:00.001-07:002008-02-09T21:08:00.371-07:00

Finally, here is a full recipe, pictures and all!BAKED NAVY BEANS WITH ELK SHORT RIBSServes 4-5.2.5-3 lbs short ribs - elk, buffalo or beef should all work fine1 Tbsp. cooking oil4 cups soaked Navy beans (approx 2 cups dry, soaked over night if possible)2 small or 1 large onion, diced3 -4 cloves of garlic, chopped2-4 pieces of sliced bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces2 Tbsp. deli mustard1/3 cup

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-87739687156771755672008-01-07T12:04:00.000-07:002008-02-01T23:35:03.820-07:00

Things are moving along pretty well with the (hopefully) future salad patch. Nearly all the seeds have sprouted, and most are getting their first true leaves. Some of the sprouts were getting a bit tall, so I took the cover off both seedling starters and moved the lights down to just about 2 inches above the tops of the leaves. I also set up some simple reflectors with aluminum foil to make

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-83495568442973058652008-01-05T11:43:00.000-07:002008-02-09T19:42:50.691-07:00

Now that I've found some good local sources for elk and buffalo meat, I've started thinking about all the things I could do with it. One of the areas of cooking that I've been experimenting with is making our own deli-type sandwich meats. Corned Beef is one of the deli meats I've been making for years. It's very, very easy, and much tastier than the corned beef in the store. So, I wonder -

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-29592197348034339462008-01-03T12:46:00.000-07:002008-02-01T23:34:47.839-07:00

It's been just three days since I started some cold-season greens for the salad table I"m working on, and already sprouts are poking up out of the seed starting cells! The lettuces and the chinese cabbage seem to be the first out of the gate, followed closely by the Bright Lights Chard. For onions, I dug through our very last of the shallots from Fall 2006, and found many that were still firm

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-61893661313135195612008-01-01T16:40:00.000-07:002008-01-01T17:12:04.410-07:00

After taking on the "Dark Days Eat Local Challenge" I realized, too late, that we'd mostly eaten all the local meats I'd bought this fall. Ooops. So, yesterday and today I got on the phone to some of the folks I'd bought from earlier in the year and asked them if they still had any meats for sale. I also went to work online, trying to dig up some new suppliers. Long story short - I scored!

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-27903200074682744472007-12-31T11:21:00.000-07:002007-12-31T14:56:46.053-07:00

Here is a list of some local items on the menu in various guises this week:Russet Potatoes (duh, of course!)Spanish OnionsWhite Wheat Breads (flour ground at home, breads baked at home)Sunshine Kabocha SquashPlum Vinegar (made from home grown plums)Farm Fresh EggsBacon (cured at home from local pork)Mint Tea (home garden)Dried Plums (home garden)MilkMozzarella cheese (local dairy milk, cheesed at

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-54098701844771993412007-12-30T11:57:00.000-07:002007-12-30T19:24:33.442-07:00

Our garden this past season was a mess. Every adult in the house was suffering from a serious lack of free time this year, so we didn't do a lot of the gardening things we normally do. One of those gardening things was to plant winter salad and braising greens under a cloche in the back yard in early fall. When we do that, despite our seriously cold and long Idaho winters, we generally have

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-66064687075648255482007-12-26T11:34:00.001-07:002007-12-26T12:05:53.127-07:00

Idaho apparently produces one-sixth of the nation's sugar beet crop. The Snake River Valley is home to Amalgamated Sugar/Snake River Sugar, which takes the many tons of sugar beets grown in this region and refines them into several finished sugar products. In case anyone besides me has been wondering where all our huge crop of local beet sugar has gone, it turns out it's retailed at Albertson's

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5141466112554384061.post-65713496544446073452007-12-24T18:15:00.000-07:002008-01-07T14:19:15.939-07:00

Well, in case you missed the announcement, "locavore" is the Oxford American Dictionary's 2007 Word of the Year. Here is a blurb on it from their blog:"The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an

Idaho Locavorenoreply@blogger.com0