Meet Myrtle

I've been working on perfecting my sourdough starter poolish, which I named Myrtle. She's a bubbly midwestern girl, still struggling to find her place in the bread making world.

Our first couple of attempts at breadmaking were somewhat dismal...nonetheless, Myrtle keeps up her bubbly personality and keeps coming back for more bread-making attempts.

We'll keep you posted on her progress, and when we have something truly worthwhile to share regarding sourdough bread making...we'll check back in.

In the meanwhile, may you have a Poolish Halloween!

Something for Supper

Here's a great recipe from Kay Jensen at JenEhr Farm. What a fun way to use the fall bounty from your CSA or Farmer's Market.
1 quart turkey, chicken or vegetable stock-place in pan and turn on low to simmer
1/4 of a celeriac, skinned and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 thin slices kohlrabi, skinned and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 inches of leeks thinly sliced and washed
1/4 bunch of spinach, cut into thin ribbons
Put vegetables in a fry pan with a little oil, saute until slightly soft and bits of brown (about 5-7 minutes). Add to the simmering stock, along with the spinach. Simmer for 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the spinach is wilted. Add salt to taste. Leftover noodles or rice can also be added for the last 60 seconds of simmering.
Serve hot, nice with a grilled cheese sandwich.
Really easy and simple
Kay Jensen
JenEhr Family Farm
www.wisconsingrown.com
Printed with permission from Kay Jensen

Balsamic Maple Roasted Root Vegetable Pasta

Check out my recipe for Balsamic Maple Roasted Root Vegetable Pasta on Examiner.com--yummy!

Hotter Than Hoooey Curry

This one dish wonder is a great way to clear out your sinuses and your refrigerator at the same time. This version is vegetarian, but you could add some meat that will withstand slow cooking and still enjoy the wonderful spiciness this simple dish offers.
Ingredients:
1 lb fresh beans, trimmed and cleaned, and cut in half
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into slices about the same size as the beans
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp fresh minced ginger
3-4 Tbsp olive oil
Zest of one lime
3 Tbsp green Thai curry paste
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
2-3 Tbsp Chili Garlic or Sriracha Sauce (optional)
-for garnish: 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro; 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (optional)
Rice to accompany
Directions: Place all ingredients except for the garnishes in a crockpot and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat all day. When ready to eat, prepare rice according to directions and serve curry on top of rice, sprinkled with chopped herbs.
WARNING: This dish is very hot with the Chili Garlic or Sriracha Sauce included. It gets even hotter after sitting in the refrigerator overnight and being reheated the following day.
Delicious! One of the best eggplant dishes I've concoted yet!

Examiner.com Fall Cookbook

Check out my recipes in the Examiner.com Fall Cookbook on my post there...one more coming this week. Enjoy!

Bike The Barns

It's hard to believe that it's already been 3 weeks since Bike the Barns. It was a great day, and definitely the most challenging bike ride I've ever done. The event is a fundraiser for Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture's (MACSAC) Partner Shares Program, which helps ensure that those with limited incomes have access to fresh, organic local produce. The day was well organized, and there was awesome food at the beginning, the end, and each of the stops. And thank goodness for those stops, or the hills might have gotten the best of us! Here are some photos from the event. Many thanks to the MACSAC staff and many volunteers who made this a great day for the riders. Special thanks to the farmers at Primrose Community Farm, Garden to Be, and Snug Haven Farm for opening their farms to what must have seemed like a logistical nightmare. Also, special thanks to Underground Food Collective and the other food producers who fed us so well. We look forward to riding again next year, but hope the hills won't be so frequent!

Beastie Treats

What do you do with the chicken innerds when you buy a whole chicken? OK, now I have to veer off and tell you a funny story before I tell you what we do with our chicken innerds...
When I was a teenager, maybe 15 years old or so, one day Mom told me to start the chicken in the oven for dinner before she got home. She instructed me to turn the oven on at 325°, wash the chicken, put some salt and pepper on it and put it in the oven...sounds easy, right?
Well, that night while carving the bird, Dad found the innerds still in the package inside the chicken. Mom said, "I told you to clean the chicken!" I replied, "You told me to wash the chicken, and I did...you never told me that I had to look inside!"
Anyway, now on to Beastie Treats...as part of our CSA from JenEhr Farm we get chickens each month and they come with, you guessed it, innerds in a bag. I'm not all that into meat to begin with, but I'm really not into some of the more interesting insides, like heart, gall bladder, liver, etc. I used to throw them out, except for the neck, which always goes into the pot with the carcass to make broth. The neck bones have a good deal of gelatin, which is super healthy, so even though nobody at my house eats the neck bone, we always save it for the broth. The rest of the innerds...we boil them at a slow boil for about 40 minutes, then puree and feed it to the kitties...super healthy, good for their coats and bones and geeze, they love the stuff! So, next time you're going to toss that package of innerds, think about your babies and cook some up for them. Dogs love them too---what animal can't pass up chicken!