local feasts

Since reading Barbara Kingsolver's book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" last fall, I have become even more fascinated by food. This is not to say that I haven't always been an admirer of food. Especially when the time came that I was the one making everything for myself. The joy of waking up early on a Saturday, reading the Baltimore Sun in bed, and heading over to the Waverly farmer's market with the sounds of Click and Clack emanating from the car radio. Eating the morning's pastries taken from large cardboard boxes that were shielded from the elements with cheesecloth, not quite opaque so to allow passersby a peak at the goods. Drinking half and half (iced tea and lemonade to the uninitiated) while cruising for fruits and veggies. Freshly shelled peas scooped from coolers in spring, heirloom tomatoes of summer, and countless apple varieties were the staple of autumn.

In Kingsolver's account of her family's year of eating only what they can grow, raise, or purchase locally (with a few minor exceptions) she speaks about the especially lean months of late winter, before the early harvests of the new season. And while times may be tight until the final chances of frost have passed in late April (or Dogwood Winter as my grandfather calls it), I have found that as cold warms to spring I enjoy and take pride in my locavore status even more. Last summer I joined my first CSA or community supported agriculture group. Fair Shares is a little bit different than your typical farm share in that it's a "combined" CSA, meaning that I get locally raised meat, cheese, butter, eggs, pasta, breads, grains, salsa, honey, roasted coffee, etc. in addition to produce. It is absolutely fantastic and I can't rave about it enough. So rather than go on and on, I thought I would share some photos and descriptions of meals I've made during these lean times.

Beet Pasta with Sauteed Garlic and Kale in a Walnut Cream Sauce

Beet pasta? What do you do with beet pasta? Luckily I found some kale at Local Harvest. I had cream leftover from making sherbet for my birthday and a bag of chopped MO black walnuts. I sauteed the kale with garlic in some olive oil. Then added the cream and the walnuts and reduced it to a sauce. Over the pasta and done! Ta dah... instant deliciousness.

Goat Cheese and Spinach Lasagna with Mushroom Marinara

Homemade marinara in winter? Really? With the help of some jarred, pealed local tomatoes and local mushrooms, I made a yummy sauce that tasted just like summer. This was poured over layers of Mangia pasta sheets schmeered with fresh goat cheese and spinach. Topped with more local cheese (Heartland Creamery's Legacy, a personal fave) and baked until bubbling. I may not be Italian, but this was a hearty, local lasagna to die for.