Winter Newsletter.

A couple years ago our incredibly intelligent doggy, Dio, taught himself to sniff out, dig up and eat all our carrots we had left in the ground to store over the winter. He was the only one to enjoy our carrots that year.  We did not mind though, it makes for a great story.

Winter Newsletter

January 18, 2012

The winter months are by far the most challenging when it comes to eating locally. The problem is that a lot of preparation needs to be done during the summer and fall months when people are more preoccupied with going to the beach and other summer activities. The good news is with a bit of organization you can increase the amount of local foods you eat during the winter months. It may be a bit of work in the fall to harvest and store vegetables properly, however it is all more than worth it when you are eating your own veggies through the winter months. If your summers are so busy that growing your own food is not even an option there are lots of storage vegetables available to purchase that were grown close to home. Look for local squashes, cabbages, beets, radishes, carrots and parsnips, rutabagas, celeriac, sweet potatoes and white, yellow and red potatoes. Turnip usually refers to the white fleshed, rounded globe, summer grown vegetables and rutabaga usually refers to the yellow fleshed, purplish skinned storage vegetables with a tapered end. Rutabaga is usually grown as a storage crop since they store extremely well.

The fall and winter months are the only time of year we eat frozen vegetables and fruits. During every other season we can grow at least 75% of the produce we’re eating, and I am sure we usually grow more. In the summer we blanch, if required, and freeze extra tomatoes, peas, pepper slices, spinach and swiss chard, asparagus, green and yellow beans, blueberries, cranberries and strawberries. The frozen veggies make great additions to soups, stews, casseroles and pizza toppings. An experienced gardener recently informed me on my blog that you can chop and freeze leeks to toss into soups and other culinary projects. We were able to use all of our leeks this year, however next year I would love to have some frozen on hand to use.

Foods can also be dehydrated in the oven, sun or using a food dehydrator. As with freezing some nutrients are lost during dehydrating and some are retained. The main benefit of removing the water from foods by dehydrating them is that they last almost indefinitely. Some great candidates for drying include tomatoes, squash like zucchini, carrots and root vegetables and leafy greens like kale. Dehydrated foods can be used as is or reconstituted in soup or other dishes. Store dehydrated foods in air tight containers.

We leave our carrots and parsnips in the ground over the winter months and dig up fresh ones as we need them. You simply cover the plants with a really good layer of straw or another mulch to prevent the ground from freezing around them and dig them up as you need them. Storing carrots in this manner presents a problem if carrot rust fly is an issue. In the case of carrot rust fly you will want to dig up all of your carrots and parsnips and store them another way to reduce damage and waste. Many people have great success with storing carrots, rutabaga, beets and other root crops layered with clean, dry sand in a bucket or container of some sort. I enjoy leaving them in the ground as the cold weather just makes them taste sweeter as the winter plugs along. Mother Nature provides some great energy efficient, storage solutions over the winter months. If you do not have room for a root cellar, dig a hole in the ground and lower a metal garbage can down into it. You can then layer storage vegetables like beets, carrots and rutabagas with straw for outdoor refrigeration.

I sit on the fence when it comes to canning. Canning in theory seems like a great process for storing vegetables. Canning destroys some nutrients in certain foods due to the high heat processing required; however certain nutrients remain unaffected in certain vegetables. The problem with canning is that the lids from non-reusable two part canning systems contain a ‘small’ amount of the suspected endocrine disrupter known as BPA, which was added by the federal government to Canada’s toxic substance list in October of 2010. BPA is used in the lining of commercially canned goods, although you will see CLEAR labeling on some brands now claiming that no BPA is used in their canned products, and on the lids of home canning jars. There are some canning lids available that do not contain BPA and that are reusable, making them easier on the environment. Non-reusable two part canning lids are one time use only, to ensure that a proper seal is obtained for safety and health reasons. The major drawback is that these reusable canning lids are very expensive, although you are able to reuse them, to buy initially and as far as I am aware at this moment, only available in the states. I tried to order some from the states this summer and cancelled my order when I was going to be charged close to forty dollars for shipping alone, although I still feel it would be well worth it. I’m including this information in hopes that the general public will be aware of the problems with home canning lids and start to demand a better product. Supply is almost always driven by demand. I highly doubt that the general public is aware of what their canning lids consist of, as the type of people who can at home are typically either environmentally or health conscious.  That being said, I do some canning, usually relish, salsa and jam, but would rather freeze extra veggies until I either make the plunge to invest in reusable lids or a better product is offered.

Free range eggs may be hard to come by this time of year. Hens usually slow down their laying process during the winter months to conserve protein so they may molt and keep warm, keeping warm requires energy! When a hen molts, she loses her oldest feathers and grows new ones. Typically they usually do one or the other, either molt or lay eggs. I have been reading a lot this year about increasing their egg production during the winter months by increasing the protein and green foods they eat, not by using artificial light. Hens are not vegetarians. If there was a mouse in the hen house chances are they would eat it. Shocking to some, Hens love protein foods. We save any extra bits of sour cream, yogurt, cheeses and even meat for our girls. The girls are still laying well this year, only slowing down slightly, however I cannot really say if it has anything to do with their diet, it may just be the weather.

The winter months may be somewhat tricky to maintain a local food diet, however if you know what to look for it is a possibility. Asparagus and rhubarb will be poking up soon enough. Wild strawberries, dandelion greens and fiddleheads are some of my favorite spring treats. Grow extra veggies this spring and summer, start planning for next winter now!

Maple Mashed Turnips

4 large turnips or rutabagas                                     1 tsp. garlic grated

3 tbsp. local maple syrup                             2 tbsp. butter or oil

1/2 tsp. salt                                                     dash nutmeg or cinnamon

Peel and chop turnips into small pieces. Place in a saucepan and almost cover with water and boil until tender. Drain, saving the water for soup stock if ambitious. Mash with the maple syrup, salt, butter and then sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon. Serve nice and warm.

                                  

Homemade Mayo Coleslaw

Homemade Mayo

1 egg yolk        1 tbsp. lemon juice     1 tbsp. garlic minced

pinch sea salt             1 cup extra virgin olive oil     fresh herbs, chopped (optional)

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients except oil for about 1 minute then very slowly add the oil in a stream and process until creamy and smooth. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Coleslaw

½-1 whole head of cabbage, depending on size, grated.               3 large carrots, grated

Extras: Grated radish, sweet potato, kohlrabi or brussel sprouts.

Toss together lightly in a bowl and add Homemade mayo, apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, a drizzle of maple syrup or honey if desired and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until thoroughly coated, adjust to taste and chill before serving. Top with parsley or cilantro if desired.

Winter Thyme Roasted Free Range Chicken

Winter Thyme grows under the snow. If there isn't too much snow you should be able to dig some up. If it is an impossible task you can use dried.

1 Free range chicken

Several bunches of winter thyme, lightly rubbed in your hands to release fragrance and flavour.

1 storage onion        2-3 cloves garlic        dried or fresh rosemary

Carrots and Parsnips

Cut the carrots and parsnips into same size pieces either coins, sticks or on a bias. You just want to make sure they are similar in size and shape so they will cook properly.

Line the bottom of your roasting pan with the parsnips and carrots. Place the chicken breast up in the roasting pan. Stuff with the onion, garlic and most of the thyme. Season the top of the chicken with salt and pepper, the remainder of the thyme, the dried or fresh rosemary and extra onions and garlic if desired. Roast at 300 degrees keeping the lid on the entire time until chicken is well done using a meat thermometer to gage it's progress.

Allow the chicken to rest about 10-15 minutes before carving to redistribute the juices. Serve with the carrots and *parsnips that were cooked around the chicken.

*Eating parsnips cooked in this manner was a great introduction for both my boyfriend and I, neither of us really enjoyed them prior to trying them in this manner. We have both grown very fond of them since then; parsnip soup is a real treat in this house.