One Local Supper: Not Omelettes

The farm stand we visited all of last summer really doesn't have much going in the way of dinner ingredients yet. I was getting a little desperate, but then I remembered the big farm stands in Concord and Lexington. Wow. One of them even had a coupon for a free pint of strawberries, so that's where I headed after work on Wednesday. (Sorry, 5:30 am work schedules and 11 pm hockey games kind of get in the way of posting. This supper was actually served on Wednesday, not tonight.)

Before we get started, this is what the thermometer read when I took it out of the kitchen drawer:

That should explain the sultry lighting. We actually had a glorious thunderstorm during all of this. "This" being the making of yogurt, strawberry jam, and then supper.

First, the farm stand finds!

Milk: Shaw Farm, Dracut, MA
Garlic herbed goat cheese: Westfield Farm, Hubbardston, MA
Spinach, broccoli, golden zucchini, two cousa squash, and Romanesco zucchini: Verrill Farm, Concord, MA
Tomatoes: a hoophouse somewhere in MA
French bread (not pictured): Nashoba Brook Bakery, Concord, MA

Strawberries (for snacking): Verrill Farm

This had to be a quick and easy and light dinner, because (1) I'd been up since 4:45 am, (2) did I mention it was 100 degrees F in the kitchen drawers? (3) we had a hockey game at 11 pm and didn't want to be ill. So I pretty much grabbed whatever looked delicious and wouldn't heat up the kitchen. We had goat cheese on toast:

Tim grilled the squash after I brushed them with a little olive oil and black pepper (neither local). I liked the Romanesco the best -- it had an almost nutty flavor. I'll definitely be making zucchini bread with it.

We also had a simple salad of spinach and tomato, with Italian dressing (Good Seasons, definitely not local). (It seemed best to use the one in the fridge before buying anew.) And of course, there were strawberries!

The yogurt I made from MA milk, but not the Shaw Farm stuff. I wanted to use up the milk we had. The first time I made the yogurt it was very runny -- this time I tried 3 tbsp of starter instead of 2. We'll see how it is tomorrow morning; just haven't had a chance to try it yet.

The strawberry jam is more like strawberries preserved in syrup, as I only had 4 cups of sugar and knew there wouldn't be time to get to the store before the strawberries spoiled. It went in the freezer just the same and will be delicious with yogurt all winter long.

So, anyway, I noticed a few interesting things about the super-local, super-fresh produce. First of all, both the strawberries and the tomatoes had thinner skins than what we get at Stop n Shop. We've been eating Backyard Beauties for the last couple of months, but the hoophouse ones were more flavorful. When I hulled the strawberries, I didn't have to dig, and the flesh was much sweeter (not that I mind tartness). That being said, they didn't take long to get mushy, even in the fridge.

Oh, and I also picked up some Shaw Farm ice cream! We'll have to try that tonight. It's been an extremely long week, the jury's still out on the field test results (the reason I got no sleep), and we're about to go on vacation with my parents and sister for a few days. Ice cream will really ease the slide into the weekend!

Comments

[ccr in MA]

Boy, good on you for trying! When it's that hot, I have to make myself eat anything in the way of "real food". I can understand the wanting to use up things you have open before starting local ones; kind of wasteful otherwise, right? Good luck with the project.

Oh, by the way, consider this an if-you-want-to meme tag. Visit my blog and check out the details. No rush, no pressure, whatever. Have fun on your vacation!

[Adie]

Fresh local strawberries do spoil faster, but there is no comparison when it comes to taste. I've pretty much stopped buying strawberries at the grocery store because I never feel like it is money well spent. They don't come close in flavor. Same goes for peaches. They are now my special summertime treats at the farmers' market and our CSA.

[Liz]

Isn't it cool to see the difference in the quality of produce? Many of the varieties of produce that come from California (or further) are bred for shipping, which is why they have those icky thick skins. They're also picked before they're fully ripe so they ship better (hence the less sweet flavor of the CA berries).

Anyway, you did great for such a hot day! :)

[K. Kay]

Oh I envy you! (Well, not the heat or the hockey...) The fresh produce! The luscious strawberries! I bought my fruit yesterday from California -- and I'm in Tokyo, so it's been a pretty long trip, and a pretty damp trip, too, so we have to eat it fast!