Local food and global warming: steps we can all take

Two links relevant to our discussion on local food security.

Organic Farming and Carbon Sequestration

Organic Farming Combats Global Warming

Ben's Pilaf Recipe

from Ben:

(The pilaf I brought to the potluck is) pretty simple and variable. I use the old world pilaf mix in the bulk bins of People's Grocery. For each cup of the mix, I use another half-cup of lentils and/or peas - I prefer it a little heavier on legumes. On the veggie front, I just use whatever I have on hand. Onions, garlic, and fresh peppers are most common. Zucchini, celery, squashes, sweet potatoes, chard/kale, and more will find their way in, depending on mood and availability. The non-vegan dish on Saturday also had bison sausage.

Bring an appropriate amount of water to boil, add desired chopped vegetables, a tablespoon of oil/butter or so for each cup of mix, then season to taste.

I usually use some combination of salt, italian herb seasoning mix, a couple pinches each of ground cayenne pepper and cumin, maybe a tablespoon of hot chocolate mix on occasion. Getting the salt right is pretty important to me, but I like to experiment with variations in proportion of the others. The water can be a little on the salty side while the rices and beans are cooking, as rice/beans will absorb a good amount.

Then just boil until the rice/beans are cooked to your liking and the water has boiled off to a level you like. I find removing from heat while still a little watery is best, as the rice/beans will continue to absorb for a bit afterward, and cooling also thickens the liquid quite a bit.

Note on adding vegetables: some vegetables can use more time cooking than others. Celery, onion, peppers, and the like can go in immediately. I did a batch a couple weeks ago with sweet potatoes and butternut squash, where I cooked them diced separately in a covered pot with oil, then added to the pilaf in the final five minutes. I could have kept them separate for serving as well. The squash took a lot longer to cook than the potatoes, though, and the potatoes were falling apart too much by the time the squash was soft and cooked through. Next time, I'll cook the squash for 10 minutes first on its own and add the sweet potatoes later.

Note on flexibility: it's an extremely flexible dish. The wild rices and beans used in the mix are very resilient, and you don't have to worry about overcooking like you do with white rices. If I add too much water to begin with, I can just boil it longer to reduce. If I add to little, just add more if the water has boiled off and the rice/beans aren't done. It's a fun dish to experiment with different veggie ingredients, proportions of rices/beans/peas/other dried veggies as well as proportions of seasonings. It's a different dish every time I make it as far as these go.

Note on supplementing afterward: I like to add shredded/cubed cheddar or softer cheeses sometimes. I also like blue cheese or stilton crumbles.

Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin) Biscuits

from: Pots on the Stove

1 lb. cooked sweet potatoes (I substituted 1lb. of mashed pumpkin that I froze several weeks earlier)
1 c. light brown sugar
1/4 c. water
2 1/4 c. baking mix*

Cool and peel sweet potatoes. Mash the sweet potatoes a bit w/ a potato masher, or spoon. Mix together the potatoes, brown sugar, water and baking mix. Combine ingredients thoroughly.

Note: The mixture will be moister than regular biscuits (a lot moister). I probably added at least ½ cup more flour, maybe more, as I was trying to roll them out and keep it from sticking to my fingers and rolling pin. That’s why they had a dusting of flour on them.

Flour table/counter and roll biscuit mix to 1/2" thickness. Cut with a biscuit cutter (or cup). Place on greased cookie sheet. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes.

They do not rise much because of being so moist … keep watch so they don't overcook.

*I used an "Instant Pankake Mix" recipe from Alton Brown with K-State flour. Here is the basic recipe to mix up ahead of time and can be stored for up to 3 months.

6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (check expiration date first)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix. Use the mix within 3 months.

Freezer Pickles

by: my mom, Liz Bowman, but she probably got it from somewhere else

7 cups cucumbers, sliced (peel on or off, your choice)
1 cup onions, sliced
1 cup green onion, optional
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 cups sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon salt

Mix all ingredients together in a larger bowl, cover and put into refrigerator. Stir again daily for five days. Then, put into zipper freezer bags (laid flat) or boxes and place in freezer. I use quart bags.

First Local Food Potluck

I invited several friends and acquaintances over this evening to try our hand at a local food potluck. It was a great success with 11 adults, 4 kids, and plenty of great food. For our first gathering, I decided to keep it as simple as possible and keep the rules relaxed: focus on local foods, but it's the thought that counts. I'm hopeful that as we get more experience, the challenges of finding good local alternatives to out-of-season or out-of-state food will become easier.

If you'd like to share the recipe of what you brought this evening please post a comment and I'll get it up for everyone to see. Here's as complete a list as I can recall of what we enjoyed tonight:

• Vegan Pilaf - Ben
• Bison Sausage & Brat Pilaf - Ben
• Cinderella Squash - George & Denise
• Bison Summer Sausage - George & Denise
• Sweet Potato Pie w/ homemade Dream Whip- Melissa
• Walnut Pesto w/ whole wheat crackers - Clay
• Smoked Turkey Mornay w/ Pumpkin Muffins - Clay
• Freezer Pickles (Cuc and onions) - Clay
• Applesauce, Forsberg Reserve- Clay
• Wheat Bread & Honey - Melissa
• Pear / Apple Crisp - Dave & Reta
• Sweet Potatoes & Apples with Cranberries - Rhonda & Raad
• Whole Wheat Pasta with Cheese - Dave & Reita
• Apple Cider - Louisburg Cider Mill
• Tallgrass Beer - Wheat
• Manhattan Municipal Water
  

The consensus was to try again in two months and try to keep to a once-a-season schedule (February, May, August, November).

Finally, I read a small portion of Depletion and Abundance, by Sharon Astyk. If you'd like to read it, I can loan a copy (as soon as I'm done with it) or you can order your own from Claflin Books.

"... All of us need to share in the project of creating food security in our communities and around the world. Every bite of food we raise for ourselves cuts back on global warming in several ways -- every vegetable and fruit we raise is one that isn't grown with heavy applications of nitrogen fertilizer (which produces nitrous oxide, a gas that warms the planet far more than carbon), that isn't trucked across the country and wrapped in plastic. Every bit of compost and organic matter we add to our soil, enables us to sequester carbon in the ground. Every tree, bush and plant we raise takes up carbon. Every bit of independence we earn from the supermarket makes us richer and more secure." (Emphasis mine.)

One person at a time does it all.