Emily Fudakowski is a consultant for Grace.  Photos courtesy of Heather Heagney.

The season for eating outdoors is nearing an end in this neck of the woods. Folks living north of the 42^nd parallel are scrambling to soak up all the warmth, sunlight and outdoor gastronomical indulgences we can get to last through winter. Aside from the common corn roast barbecue, with friends, guitars and garden-fresh veggies galore, I can’t think of a better way to spend a waning summer evening or crisp fall day celebrating the harvest season than at the annual Feast of Fields.

With 25 teams of chefs and farmers from the Ottawa region, Canadian Organic Growers’ 5^th annual Feast of Fields hosted this tremendous gastronomical delight along the Rideau River in Vincent Massey Park.  In two quick hours of meeting farmer and chef teams from the region and sampling their creations, guests tasted some of the best the Ottawa Valley has to offer.

When the delectable temptations passing by became too much to endure, I left my post at the National Farmers Union and Food Secure Canada table and dashed across to The Piggy Market for a sausage. All by itself on my plate it looked delicious but lonely, so I waited in the fast-moving queue to get a grilled papadum filled with white bean mousse from the fantastic chefs from Ballygiblins in Carleton Place. My neighbors at the Whalesbone Oyster House and Catering table saved me a plate of organic chicken chowder that I paired with Mariposa Farms beet salad. For dessert I had a familiar treat: a chili-chocolate cookie, the best cookie known to cookie-lovers in Ottawa from the B Goods Mobile Bakery.  See some of the exquisite dishes and read about extraordinary chef/farmer teams at fellow foodie Heather’s blog After the Harvest.

Lucky foodies in Vancouver got their summer food on last Sunday at  Providence Farm on Vancouver Island’s 12th  annual Feast of Fields organized by Farm Folk/City Folk.  It may be too late to get to a Feast of Fields near you, but there are still harvest festivals aplenty yet to come. In the golden triangle of Southwestern Ontario, the Niagara Food Festival is not to be missed. A must for Maritimers is Prince Edward Island’s Fall Flavours festival. An equally scrumptious alternative is to get inspired with locally grown food and host your own outdoor feast this harvest season.

Beets were in the news last year when results of an Associated Press survey of primary candidates revealed Barack Obama avoids eating beets. Is it possible that President Obama just has not tried a good beet recipe?

The president would do well to reconsider — beets are very nutrient dense, rich in folate, potassium, iron, vitamin C, and many antioxidants, boasting a wide range of health promoting and protecting benefits. One cup of beets contains over one-third of the daily-recommended amount of folate, a B vitamin necessary for healthy fetal development. Betacyanin, a pigment in beets, has powerful cancer-fighting properties.

The effectiveness of beets in reducing colon cancer and skin and lung cancer has been documented in many clinical trials. Betaine, another compound found in beets, is associated with decreased markers of inflammation – a condition linked to heart disease, cognitive decline, and type II diabetes.

With their scruffy-looking hard exterior and copious amounts of leaves, beets can be intimidating to those who have not cooked with them, but actually they are quite simple to prepare. Choose small or medium beets with firm roots and deep color. Trim the green leaves immediately upon getting them home, but save them — beet greens can be added raw to any green salad, and they stand in for nearly any other leafy green (they’re especially good done simply, sauteed with garlic and olive oil).

Beets can be roasted at 425° F for 30-45 minutes in a pan covered with foil or boil for 20-30 minutes. It is not necessary to peel beets, once cooked the outside skin will easily slip off in cool water. You can also coat them in a little olive oil prior to roasting, and leave the skins on. Finally, slice or chop beets and add them to a salad, a beet carpaccio appetizer, a roasted root vegetable dish, or a hearty soup.

Fresh Beet and Apple Salad

Ingredients

2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 beets, boiled, peeled
1 Fuji apple
1⁄4 cup gorgonzola cheese
Preparation

1. Make dressing by whisking honey, vinegar, and olive oil together. Salt and Pepper optional.

2. Slice beets and apple into 1⁄4 inch thick pieces.

3. Toss beet and apple slices with dressing. Add gorgonzola cheese.

Serves 2

Justin Rothboeck told the paper that while sticking to the regimen, he’d felt he was violating the very ideals that locavores espouse, spewing carbon by driving all over the region to find items grown close to home. Until he abandoned the quest, Rothboeck had been so scrupulous that he even refrained from buying jam if it contained pectin that hadn’t been locally sourced.

During the past few years there have been a number of popular books documenting undertakings like Rothboeck’s, most notably Barbara Kingsolver’s “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle,” and Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon’s “Plenty.” These accounts always start with definitions of what the authors have decided to call “local”, and also include lists of caveats. Each member of Kingsolver’s family chooses one food for which they’ll make exceptions: Kingsolver picks olive oil, while her husband refuses to live without coffee. Smith and McKinnon decide that anything already in their cupboards is fair game, regardless of where it was produced, and they resolve to be gracious and accept what’s offered to them when dining with friends.

The fact is, we’ve strayed so far from simple, common sense diets based on the foods that grow closest to where we live that it’s less convenient to find sustenance from our immediate environment than it is to shop at the local supermarket. The very fact that aspiring locavores need to create definitions and rules is a symptom of just how awkward such a quest can be.

But the intention to eat locally can be much simpler and more straightforward if we stay away from all-or-nothing terms. This is an instance of the proverbial perfect acting as an enemy of the good. If you decide to be so scrupulous that you won’t eat jam that contains pectin produced outside of your bioregion, then it’s understandable that you’d give up and go buy a banana. These quests make great stories, but they’re not particularly practical for most of us on a daily basis.

Here are some guidelines for a more modest, attainable style of local eating: Pay attention to what grows in your area, and look for opportunities to base meals on these foods. Learn to enjoy seasonal ingredients. They make sense: beets and potatoes need to be cooked for a while, and that process makes your house a little warmer during the cold, winter months. Read signs at the supermarket that tell you where their fruits and vegetables are grown. It’s still better to buy something produced a few hundred rather than a few thousand mile from home. And, of course, support your local farmers’ market.

local food, seasonal food, Justin Rothboeck, Devra Gartenstein

Turkey shot What was Sarah Palin doing shooting that interview in front of a turkey slaughter? Kerry Trueman asks what it all means about her and our own connection to the food we eat.

Watering down organic standards Sigh. The integrity of the organic label takes a big hit in the fish department as farmed fish, even when raised on decidedly un-organic feed and by methods that pollute our oceans, are one step closer to being labeled organic anyway.

Little Wins Big November 10, Chef Andrew Little of Sheppard Mansion in Hanover, PA, won the National Pork Board’s Mid-Atlantic Taste of Elegance, which gathered 10 regional chefs for a pork cook-off. Little forwent the pork Cargill provided for the event and brought locally-sourced heritage pork (and the farmer who raised it) to the competition. I covered it for Edible Chesapeake’s Winter issue out next month — look for a link then and in the meantime, check out Chef Little’s blog.

A Digestive aid We are happy to report that the Ethicurean’s digests are back, in full force! There is a lot going on in food news today, and thankfully, not much gets by these guys. Welcome back — we missed you!

Hard times call for old-timey measures Worried about the financial crisis? Our good friend (and Eat Well consultant) Kerry Trueman predicts that Jimmy Carter cardigans will make a come back, while Plenty Mag thinks you should drop the bottled water and search our Eat Well Guide. Tom Philpott urges us to invest in our foodsheds over at Grist.

Avast, fishermen Or at least slow down. That’s the gist of a new report from the Food and Agiculture Organization and the World Bank, which estimates that the fishing industry is losing up to $50 million a year, an effect of too many boats in the water and too few fish.

Ahoy, ITQ’s? Food & Water Watch’s Ben Bowman explains industry’s answer to the dwindling stock problem at the Ethicurean, squashing any yo-ho-hos you might have heard from conscientious seafood lovers over a recent study that suggests that catch shares will save the day. Nothing softens a blow like that one like some pirate speak — thanks for inspiring these last two headers, Ben.

Here is the recipe I used for the tomatillos from my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture):

Tomatillo Salsa Verde Recipe (From Simply Recipes)
Makes 3 cups.

To cook the tomatillos, you can either roast them in the oven, or boil them. Roasting will deliver more flavor; boiling may be faster and use less energy. Either way works, though boiling is a more common way to cook the tomatillos.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb tomatillos
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 Jalapeño peppers OR 2 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
Salt to taste

1. Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well.

2a. Roasting method: Cut in half and place cut side down on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for about 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin.

2b. Boiling method: Place tomatillos in a saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove tomatillos with a slotted spoon.

3. Place tomatillos, lime juice, onions, cilantro, chili peppers, sugar in a food processor (or blender) and pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed. Season to taste with salt. Cool in refrigerator.

Serve with chips or as a salsa accompaniment to Mexican dishes.

Try these other recipes: Tomatillo and Black Bean Salsa Chicken Enchiladas Verdes

Additional information about Tomatillos:

Alternative Names: Husk tomato, jamberry, husk cherry, mexican tomato, or ground cherry.

History: Dating back to at least 800 B.C., the Aztecs first domesticated the tomatillo.

Growing Season: May through October

Cultivation: Since tomatillo plants are self-incompatible, two plants are needed for pollination.

Selection: Seek out tomatillos that are firm, green, shiny with green, fresh husks. Avoid those that have become yellowed.

Storage: Tomatillos can keep for about one week stored in a paper bag in the fridge, but if you husk, wash and store them in a plastic bag they can keep for a whole month. Left with an abundance from your garden? Freeze them for winter either whole or sliced.

Preparation: Eat raw or to cook, remove and discard husk, wash and dry. Boil for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Broil for 5-7 minutes or until soft. They can be stewed or grilled as well.

Dishes: Green Salsa for Enchiladas or as a side dip, added raw to guacamole or salads.

For more information about what’s in season in your local area, visit our Seasonal Food Guides page on the Eat Well Guide or search for farmers markets in your area!

Well, it can feed San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome is working on a food policy that would put local fruits and veggies on every plate served by the city.

BPA bad for your brain We all know those plastic bottles are bad for the environment, but a new study out of Yale reconfirms earlier draft reports that bisphenol A (BPA), the chemical found in plastic bottles, has been linked to brain dysfunction. According to the Washington Post, “the Yale team exposed monkeys to levels of bisphenol A deemed safe for humans by the Environmental Protection Agency and found that the chemical interfered with brain cell connections vital to memory, learning and mood.”

Sarah Palin’s Salmongate In spite of a state law prohibiting her, as Governor, from lobbying for or against the state’s Clean Water Initiative, Palin let reporters know how she stood — against restricting the amount of arsenic and other toxic chemicals that regional mining operations could dump into the state’s waterways. Her stumping worked — the initiative didn’t pass, allowing Pebble Beach mine, located upstream from Bristol Bay, the state’s largest and most sustainable wild salmon fisherie, to dump as much as they want. (Gourmet Magazine)

I’ve heard about using edible flowers as a decoration on wedding cakes and as a garnish, but was intrigued by the sign nearby suggesting a recipe involving stuffing, battering, and frying these beautiful blooms. Even with the helpful hints describing how to cook them, I was a bit bewildered about how to prepare this unfamiliar food; but after a few minutes talking to the farmer, who had cooked up some blossoms for her own lunch that day, I was excited to get home and give it a try. Here’s the recipe I used:

Ricotta-Stuffed Squash Blossoms
(adapted from http://sarahmeyerwalsh.wordpress.com)
makes 12-16

12-16 fresh squash blossoms
12 oz ricotta cheese
3 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp fresh thyme
sea salt
1 cup light beer
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
oil for frying

I first prepared the squash blossoms by slicing open one side of the flower and taking out the stamen (male organ of flower) and any little bugs hiding inside. You can also leave your flower intact and gently open up the petals to do a check for critters and remove the stamen–this will help keep the stuffing from oozing out of the blossom when frying them.

Next, I combined the ricotta, pine nuts, honey and thyme and added a pinch of salt for taste.

To fill the blossoms I used a small spoon, but you can also fill them using a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with a small hole cut in one corner. After filling (about 2 tbsp), I twisted the ends of the flower to close the ricotta inside.

Once all the blossoms were filled, I mixed the beer, flour and salt in a medium bowl. This is also a good time to start heating the oil.

When the oil was hot, I covered the blossoms in the batter mixture and immediately placed them in the pan, frying until golden in color (about 30 seconds on each side).

To serve, I placed the blossoms on a bed of greens, but you can also arrange them on a platter as an appetizer.

The fried blossoms were delicious and burst in your mouth. I’m definitely going to make this dish again–it was so fun and easy!

Additional information about Squash Blossoms:

Growing Season: Summer squash can be grown during the warm, frost-free season, whereas winter squash are available in the late summer, fall and winter. Flowers (male or female) from any summer or winter squash variety are edible.

Cultivation: Since the female blossoms are the ones that bear fruit (squash), harvesting the male blossoms is more favorable, leaving you with more squash. If you’re picking the blossoms yourself, make sure to leave a few male blossoms on the plant for pollination purposes. How do you tell the difference between male and female blossoms? Male blossoms grow directly from the branches.

Storage: Since squash blossoms are extremely perishable, they are best prepared right away, but if picked at their peak, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Preparation: Make sure to remove the stamen (male organ of flower) inside the petals and any little bugs hiding inside.

Dishes: Battered and Fried, Soups, Quesadillas, Frittatas

For more information about what’s in season in your local area, visit our Seasonal Food Guides page on the Eat Well Guide or search for farmers markets in your area!

Ahoy! If you are in NYC this weekend, head down to Croton Point Park and check out the Clearwater Festival. It’s going on from 10am until dusk both Saturday and Sunday on the shores of the Hudson River, and highlights will include live music and singalongs, camping, boat rides, and the Clearwater Environmental Short Film Competition (check out the ten finalists and vote for the winners). WBAI/Pacifica Radio will be broadcasting live from the event.

Our friend Chris Hunt, a Clearwater board member and factory farm fighter, has this to say about the festival:

In addition to boasting an outstanding lineup of musicians in a beautiful park with striking river views, Revival affords attendees the opportunity to celebrate and support Clearwater, a pioneering grassroots environmental organization that has worked tirelessly to protect the Hudson River through advocacy and environmental education for more than 30 years. Having sailed on the Clearwater as a fourth-grade student, I can personally attest to the importance of the organization’s efforts; I’m proud to continue to support Clearwater as a volunteer and as a member of its board of directors.

But that’s not all! Eat Well Captain Director Destin Lane (forgive me, it’s all I can do to stem back the tide of nautical/pirate puns) and a few of our fabulous interns will be manning a table in the activist area, where over 50 groups will represent a broad range of vital grassroots issues. To see who else will be there, click here, and don’t be a stranger–stop by and say hello!

How could we eat an animal as (sort of) cute as the one in that photo? As our good friend Kerry explained in her post about it, the groundhog needed to go–it’d been helping itself to the veggies Erin and her co-workers had so lovingly planted and tended for their CSA members. In fact, Erin said the groundhog (or woodchuck, whichever suits you–they’re synonyms) had laid waste to nine entire pea plants.

To my understanding (most of which comes from Joan Gussow’s This Organic Life) gardeners and farmers have limited options when it comes to pest removal in upstate New York. If one chooses to trap a pesky critter alive, as the squeamish may understandably prefer, it is against the law to relocate it. I have no idea how strictly this law is enforced, or what kind of punishment breaking it might carry, but it’s enough of a deterrent that most who do keep it pretty hush-hush.

If you can’t move it and you can’t let it stay and keep eating up all your CSA shares, it seems to make sense to kill it but more importantly, if you are going to kill it, it surely makes sense to eat it. Even more than staying on the right side of the law, such a waste-not-want-not mentality seems to answer to a higher moral code, one that seeks to ensure that lives, even animal ones, even pesky animal ones at that, are not taken lightly, and that resources in whatever form (compost, flesh, etc) are used and not squandered. Some people argue that if a person is willing to eat the flesh of an animal, that they should be willing to take an active role in its death, and Destin has voiced her interest in learning to hunt and slaughter a range of animals. I too hope to test myself on that point one day soon, as Destin and Chelsea both did at a chicken-slaughter workshop at this year’s PASA conference, but in the meantime, I’ll keep holding those who do up on a pedestal.

Including Erin, who served up an amazing meal that evening, which included rice, fresh asparagus, parsnips and potatoes, salad greens and a deliciously tart rhubarb compote in addition to the aforementioned groundhog stew, and we ate it around a big table on the screened-in front porch. The stew was tasty, once I made peace with the fact I was eating a groundhog (why it should be so different than eating a cow or a deer or a chicken, I don’t know), though ever so slightly chewy. She’d also cooked its liver with onions, which tasted about like any liver and onions I ever had (a little rich for my taste). In case you have a pesky varmint you’d like to trap, stew and eat, here’s her (albeit slightly vague) recipe, in her words: