Being a Locavore

I'm a little behind in sharing this. But, hey, better late than never?

I'm really proud of living in a place where eating local is possible. I can't claim to be a true-all-the-time-locavore -- but, I try as much as possible to eat things that are grown, raised or processed/packaged here in Maine. I like knowing where our food is coming from -- and, moreover, I like knowing that I'm supporting local folks and not buying food that is trucked (or flown) all over the world. All that said, I'm guilty of periodically buying strawberries in January (and, around here you don't see strawberries until late June).

At Thanksgiving I try really hard to have a totally local thanksgiving. I get a little nuts about it -- tracking down locally milled flour and all -- but when you sit down in front of a table of local food it feels totally worth it. And, man, was it all delicious.

The menu from our meal is posted in the photo above. But, thought you might enjoy a list of sources.

Turkey with Sage (from our garden) from Maine-ly Poultry
My Mother-in-law's Stuffing Made with Local Breads from Borealis Bread
Brussel Sprouts from Squire Tarbox Farm; Sauteed with Local Bacon from Cornerstone Farm
Delicata Squash and Mashed Kennebec Potatoes from Goransan's Farm
Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce Made from Cranberries from Ricker Hill Orchards
Butter and Cream from Smiling Hill Farm
Pumpkin Rolls Made from One Pie Pumpkin (I know it seems odd that I wouldn't use an actual pumpkin - since I even had one...but, well, I didn't have time.)
Celery, Onions, Carrots (for stuffing, crudite and to serve as our roasting rack) from Goransan's Farm.
Pies made by local family :)

Do-Over-Dinner: Chicken & White Bean Chili

{photo via here}

My in-laws gave me two really great cookbooks for Christmas. One is all about soups. The other is a cookbook which uses Trader's Joes products. The book is called The Cooking with Trader Joe's Cookbook: Dinner's Done! -- and I highly recommend that you snag yourself a copy. Although all the recipes have something that is purchased from Trader Joe's - I believe you can find a substitute for most of those products if you don't happen to live near a Trader Joes.

I made this recipe - called White Lightning Chili in the book - last night. It won Do-Over status - and that is really great news because it is not only super easy, but super yummy. I've adapted this a tiny bit.

Chicken & White Bean Chili

What You Need:
About a pound of diced, cooked chicken. (You can buy "Just Chicken" in this format at TJ's - but I just baked thinly sliced boneless chicken breasts and chopped myself.)
A cups of chicken broth. I am a huge fan of Better than Bouillion 
1 1-lb container of Just Chicken (or 4 cups of cooked and shredded chicken) cut into bite size chunks
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 15-oz can White Kidney Beans (Cannellini Beans), drained and rinsed
1 15-oz can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed
1 13.75-oz jar Corn and Chile Salsa
Optional: Shredded cheese and plain Greek yogurt for garnish


How to Make:
1.) Pour the broth into a medium or large pot.  Add the quinoa (make sure quinoa is rinsed and drained).  Bring to a boil.
2.) Add the remaining ingredients (making sure beans are rinsed and drained) and return to a boil.  Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
3.) Serve in bowls, topping with shredded cheese and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt, if desired.

Serves 8

Great New Blog: Supper By Six

A good friend, fellow foodie and amazing cook, just started a great new blog -- Supper By Six.

The blog focuses on recipes that she can either make ahead, freeze or make on a Monday night. In other words, the working mom's (or dad!) dream come true. If you are a regular Maine-ly Home follower, you'll know what I mean when I say that a lot of the recipes are likely to make it to the "Do-Over Dinner" list in my house.

Check it out, you'll be SO glad you did.

OooLaLa! It's National Chocolate Day!

Did you know? I didn't. But, thankfully, the Internet informed me in time. You see, I'm a huge chocolate fan.But, not just any old chocolate. Good chocolate.

Honestly, it is my biggest weakness (no comments from the peanut gallery on other weaknesses). I could do without sugar. But, eliminate dark chocolate from my life? Can't be done, I'm afraid.

I credit (blame?) my French genes. My grandfather Pierre was also a huge chocolate fan. He typically started a meal by thinking about what chocolate concoction would end his meal. Love that.

Even one of my very closest friendships has a rich chocolate history. I'm serious. A woman I met while studying in Africa shared my chocolate passion. But, chocolate wasn't easy to come by. She and I would buy chocolate (Cadbury chocolate was the only chocolate available) in Nairobi and stash it so when we were in the bush we could have small rations of chocolate goodness. The moment I knew when this lovely woman would be my friend forever? When I gave her (she stole?) my last piece of chocolate when we were camped out in Samburu -- days away from seeing chocolate.

Today, it seems, there are so many wonderful chocolates on the market. I'm a big fan of Endangered Species Chocolate which not only is delicious, but also practices sustainability and gives portions of its procees to organizations near and dear to my heart, like the African Wildlife Foundation. My current chocolate of choice? Chocolove Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt and Almonds. It is the perfect concoction of sweet, salty and dark rich chocolate. And, as an added bonus, a love poem inside!You've got to try it.

If you are in Maine, there are all sorts of chocolate wonders. Havens has been making chocolate wonderfulness since 1915. You can even tour the chocolate factory! Or, chocolate and blueberry combinations like Maine Munchies. Or a local favorite, Main Sweets -- her needhams (a Maine chocolate tradition which contains potato!) are to die for.

Whatever your favorite chocolate concoction is, I hope you enjoy some today -- it's mandatory.

eat Maine.

While standing in the checkout line at the supermarket (one of my least favorite things to do these days--and, something I try not to do too much with all the locally grown goodness around me), I spied a bright orange, slightly-larger-than-pocket-size magazine entitled eat maine. And, I'm so glad I did.

Compiled by the staff of Maine Magazine, the book is a great guide to on- and off-the-beaten-path places to eat in Maine. It includes "A Lists" for several things, including: lobster rolls, beer, burgers, ice cream, cupcakes and potatoes (Ha! to my husband who denies Maine's rich potato heritage -- he likes to think they all come from Idaho. But, it ain't so.)

Anyhow, if you are a Maine-r or coming to Maine, I highly recommend this guide. I've got some pages turned down of places I plan to hit. And, once you read it, you'll want to become a fan (Eat Maine) --and perhaps even follow these folks on twitter (@eataroundmaine).

Eating Sustainably

I'd like to think I was a bit of a locavore before being a locavore was trendy.

Honestly, though, it was anything but intentional. It was just the way life was. We grew up on a tiny hobby farm with chickens who gave us eggs, with a garden that put veggies on our tables, with pigs that became our bacon, with sheep that provided us with--well, lamb and wool--and blueberry fields that filled our muffins! :) Of course, we didn't live entirely on local food...but, a good start, for sure. (By the way, thanks Mom and Dad for doing this!)

But, like most Americans, I've become accustomed to buying whatever food I want (more or less), regardless of whether it is in season or from here or across the planet. But, I am trying to return to a more sustainable way of eating. (I have to tell you - probably deserves a post of its own -- my husband and I cooked an entirely locavore Thanksgiving 2 years ago -- and, it was SO much fun. A bit pricey, but, fun!) I personally think that even doing one or two things a little more sustainably is a HUGE step in the right direction.

In any event, despite my intentions, sometimes it's hard to sort through it all -- all the mixed messages, the contradictions, etc. But, I loved a list (gotta love lists!) I saw from a recent issue of Whole Living. I modified the list some. It was called 50 Ways to Eat Sustainably. Well, I've reduced that number...and I'd like to name it, "A Bunch of More Sustainable Choices".


A Bunch of More Sustainable Choices

1. Use the whole vegetable. That's right, don't just eat the broccoli florets, but, peel eat the stems too!
2. Get to the root. Look for loose greens (or other things) with the roots attached. You'll use less (none, actually!) packaging and can either eat or compost the stems.
3. Be a farmer's market regular. 
4. Buy heirloom. Sure, buying heirloom is trendy, but it also means the seeds have been passed down for generations and grown in small crops that restore the soil.
5. Stock up when produce is in season -- then freeze it, pickle it or preserve it. (Then, when you are craving strawberries in January, you can have them, without buying a quart that has been shipped across the country!)
6. Ask your local farmer for recipes--in all likelihood it will expose you to something new!
7. Have a farmer's market challenge -- for one week eat only that which you can buy at the local farmer's market!
8. Buy local eggs.
9. Put your basement to used as a root cellar--and keep "winter crops" like squash, sweet potatoes, turnips for four to six months.
10. Join a community supported agriculture (CSA) farm. Don't know where to look? Try www.eatwellguide.com or www.localharvest.org.
11. Be package conscious. Try to buy things with the least packaging -- or in containers that are recyclable in your community.
12. Know your milk. Until the USDA revised standards last year, 30 to 40 percent of milk sold in the U.S. that was labeled organic was actually from factory farm-raised cows. Check out your brand of milk at www.sustainable.org
13. Use unprocessed grains.
14. Soak beans and grains overnight --it cuts cooking time (and energy use!) in half.
15. Read labels. 
16. Buy local bread -- you'll eliminate packaging and a fuel-burning journey. (Chances are the bread is also made with healthier ingredients!)
17. Make breadcrumbs from stale bread instead of tossing it.
18. Read PLU codes. If the number on the produce sticker starts with a 9, it's organic.
19. Cut out processed corn -- 85 percent of corn grown in this country has been genetically modified.
20. Eat local corn! :)
21. Wash less wastefully--submerge greens in bowl of water instead of rinsing while the water is running.
22. Put that cooking water to use. Repurpose that water you used to blanch vegetables (nutrient-rich) in soups or for boiling pasta. (Or, water your plants with it if it is unsalted and oil free.)
23. Eat safer seafood. 
24. Buy whole chickens. You can more meat for your money - less waste - and a chance to make stock (see #25!)
25. Make stock. When you've used up the last of the chicken or turkey, throw the carcass in a pot with enough water to cover--add an onion, a carrot, a celery stalk, a few garlic cloves and a couple of sprigs of herbs. Simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours, occasionally skimming the foam on the top. Strain it, pour into jars, let cool an freeze!
26. Fill the oven. When you are roasting a chicken or baking a casserole, throw in some vegetables or a loaf of zucchini bread--you'll turn on your oven less!
27. Pick healthier pots and pans. Skip nonstick pans which are petroleum based.
28. Have a green BBQ. Use carbon-neutral briquettes such as Green Hearts Natural Charcoal Briquettes.
29. Be a smart carnivore. Choose antibiotic and hormone free. 
30. Sweeten with honey--it's renewable and doesn't use the massive amounts of water in production, like sugar.
31. Try growing something. A pot with an herb. Some lettuce. 
32. Compost your kitchen scraps.
33. Drink fair trade or bird-friendly coffee.
34. Use organic olive oil--most mass produced olive oil is grown with pesticides.
35. Make your own salad dressing!
36. Use glass storage containers instead of plastic. 
37. Wrap baked goods with dishcloths instead of plastic wrap.