In some parts of the country, we're still in the throes of winter, so planning now for summer fare may seem far-fetched. But if you want to enjoy the full bounty of summertime, this is the time to start thinking about where your food will be coming from. (As an added bonus, you have an excuse to start dreaming about peaches, strawberries, basil and corn.)
Research and find a CSA
If you're not familiar with this increasingly popular concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Participants buy shares in the yield from a local farm. All summer long, as crops are harvested, shareholders receive weekly deliveries of a wide variety of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables. Having fresh produce delivered weekly is a definite inspiration to eat locally and healthfully. This is the time to sign up for a CSA, as the number of shares is limited, and some CSAs sell out quickly.
Plant a garden
Even if you don't have a lot of outdoor space, you'd be amazed at how much you can grow in just a few square feet, or even some pots. We've found that you get the most bang for your gardening buck by planting high-yield crops like mixed leafy greens, tomatoes, zucchini and herbs. Get a seed catalogue and start planning now, and you'll be ready to hit the ground running by springtime.
Get a community garden plot
If you don't have any outdoor space, find out if there are any community gardens in your area. Like CSAs, community garden plots are in high demand in some areas, so again, this is the time to do your research.
Consider yardsharing
If there aren't any community gardens in your neighbourhood, or if they're already full up, consider yardsharing. The organization Sharing Backyards links people with unused yard space with those looking for a place to grow food. The program has chapters around the world. Having done this ourselves, we can tell you that this is a fun way to meet new people and learn alongside each other.
Start a community garden
If you're up to a project that will more than pay off the hard work involved, consider starting up a community garden yourself. This article provides a step-by-step tutorial in how to make at happen.
Plan some foraging expeditions
And if you're feeling really adventurous, start researching what you can forage in your area. You might be amazed at what you can find just by donning boots and work gloves and doing some bushwhacking. Fiddleheads and morels in the spring. Wild greens and berries in the summer. Mushrooms in the fall. Even dandelions! If you're unsure of yourself, team up with an experienced forager for your inaugural expeditions.
Hearty root veggies such as carrots, rutabagas, beets, and parsnips are especially good during the colder months when we tend crave food that is more substantial.
Root vegetables are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre. In general, they are low in calories and virtually no fat. The deeper the root vegetable's colour, the more antioxidants it contains. Carrots are well known for their beta carotene (which forms vitamin A); beets are known to deliver phytochemicals that are good for liver health and purple potatoes are loaded with anthocyanins, pigments that act as antioxidants.
Beets
Beets are sweet tasting and have the highest sugar content of any vegetable. Usually beets are deep red, but less common varieties yellow, pink-striped or white flesh are available. Young beet greens are tasty in salads or stir-fries.
Carrots
Carrots are sweet treats loaded with nutrients. One 8 oz. glass of carrot juice contains about 20,000 mg (45,000 IU) of vitamin A. Besides the recognizable orange types, there are yellow and purple carrots.
Parsnips
Parsnips look like cream coloured carrots, and though they are sweet, they have a spicy element. Unlike carrots, parsnips contain no beta-carotene but they are a good source of vitamin C and folate. Parsnips add a complex flavour to stews, soups and mashed potatoes. Parsnips can be substituted for carrots in carrot cake for an interesting change.
Potatoes
Few vegetables are as nutritious and versatile as the potato. Not only does a potato give you an excellent supply of carbohydrates, but it also provides important vitamins and minerals, including potassium, niacin, vitamins B6 and C, and manganese. For optimum fibre, eat potatoes with the skin on. Avoid potatoes with a green tinge. They are high in the alkaloid solanine, which can be toxic if eaten in large quantities.
Rutabagas
The rutabaga is a member of the cabbage family and resembles a large turnip. They contain good amounts of Vitamins A and excellent amounts of vitamin C. Typically 7.5 to 12.5 cm (3 to 5 inches) in diameter, rutabagas have a thin, pale yellow skin and a slightly sweet, firm light orange flesh.
Buying and Storing
All root vegetables are good keepers. Store them in a cool, dark, dry place around 0 to 4° C (32 to 38°F). If vegetables start to grow, the temperature is too high. If vegetables start to shrivel, the air around them is too dry.
Availability
Root vegetables are available year round. Locally they are at their best from October to March.
Preparation
Wash root vegetables well with a vegetable brush to remove dirt.
Easy ways to prepare root veggies:
Try Root Vegetables Today
Written by Veronica Sliva. Article reprinted courtesy of Food Network Canada.
Use our Local Foods Locator to find locally grown root vegetables in your area.
Browse our Community Recipes for more great recipes featuring local ingredients. Got a recipe you'd like to share? Send it in!
When it comes to quick, nourishing meals, you know how much we love soups. But sometimes (dare we suggest it), we need something heartier. Here's a handful of cold-weather meals that are as satisfying as they are easy to prepare.
Browse our Community Recipes for more great recipes featuring local ingredients. Got a recipe you'd like to contribute? Send it in!
Do you have a case of the midwinter cooking doldrums? It's easy to fall into the meat-and-potatoes trap at this time of year. This is where our online meal-planning tool comes in. It lets you drag and drop a week's worth of local recipes into one easy-to-read calendar.
Using the 100-Mile Challenge Meal Planner is easy:
We've created our own Midwinter Meal Plan for you to start with. It features a week's worth of hearty dishes starring seasonal ingredients such as apples, pears, squash, beets, and of course, potatoes.
And don't forget: you can always add your own recipes to our recipe collection. After you've submitted your recipe, scroll to the bottom of the recipe page to search for local food producers for all your listed ingredients.
We wish we could tell you about some exciting new fruit or vegetable that only arrives with the start of the new year, but alas, this isn't the case. But there's no need to despair. Almost all the items you've grown to expect over the past couple of months should still be available locally. These include:
This month, why not make it your challenge to find new varieties of these wintry staples? Instead of regular beets, seek out festively striped choggia beets (pictured above). Pick up a kobacha squash instead of your standby acorn or butternut. See if you can scout out purple potatoes at your farmers' market.
Looking for new recipes to experiment with? Browse our Local Recipes section for menu ideas.
Photo: Flickr member Shava Nerad, via Creative Commons
When James and Alisa documented their year of local eating in The 100-Mile Diet, at right about this point of the year they found themselves relying heavily on the humble potato for sustenance. It was a challenge to keep mealtimes interesting.
To help you, here's a bushelful of recipes featuring this amazingly versatile root vegetable in myriad ways, from savoury soups to pizza dough, pasta and perogies. Roasted, caramelized, fried, mashed, and au gratin... and, of course, a few variations on the ever-popular potato cake.
Soups
Chicken-Based Turnip and Potato Soup
Potato and Leek Soup
Broccoli Potato Soup
Pizza, Pasta and Perogies
Pizza with Apple and Gorgonzola
Gnocchi with Toasted Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Leek and Aged Cheddar Perogies
Potato Cakes
Potato Salmon Cakes
Potato Bacon Cakes
Poached Eggs, Scallion and Potato Pancake with Smoked Salmon and Wilted Spinach
Goat Cheese Potato Cake with Tenderloin Steak
Au Gratin
Potato, Prosciutto and Egg Gratin
Chef Jennifer Peters's Potatoes au Gratin
The Old Standbys: Mashed, Roasted and Fried
White Cheddar Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Basil Mashed Potatoes
Caramelized Potatoes
Roasted Nugget Potatoes
Herbed Oven Fries
Try Something New
Pommes de Terre a la Boulangere
Stuffed Potato Skins from Chef Ben Niemann
Potato, Leek and Mushroom Saute
Find hundreds more local recipes right here on our site!
This holiday season, we've got you covered with a handful of appetizer ideas. Not only are these savoury morsels local, they're also incredibly easy to either whip up beforehand or at the last minute.
Mini Steak Sandwiches
Sear skirt steak to medium-rare, not more than 8 minutes. Cut into chunks 1/2-inch to 1 inch thick. Spread bread with mustard and/or butter. Top with steak and salt.
Crab Spread
Toss high-quality crab meat with minced shallots, a little tarragon or a lot of parsley and/or basil, and enough mayonnaise to bind. Serve on bread or, for a little something different, on lettuce leaves.
Baked Goat Cheese
Slice soft goat cheese and brush with oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and chopped herbs, then with bread crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees until soft, about 10 minutes, and serve hot.
Sauteed Mushrooms on Toast Points
Chop fresh mushrooms. Cook slowly in oil with salt and pepper until very soft. Stir in minced garlic and parsley. Cook a few more minutes until garlic mellows. Serve on toast points.
Cocktail Chorizo Chunks
Cut chorizo into chunks. Cook in a lightly oiled skillet until nicely browned. Serve with cocktail forks or those old standbys, toothpicks. (You can also use kielbasa for this.)
Classic Creamy Dip
Mix four parts drained yogurt, farmer cheese or cream cheese with one part sour cream, until thoroughly blended. Add thyme and chopped parsley (or whatever fresh herbs you prefer), minced garlic, Salt and pepper.
Check out more scrumptious appetizer recipes from our archives:
Here you have it, fellow parents: tried and true kid-tested recipes that have all gotten the thumbs up from 100 Mile Challenge participants and staffers.
This roundup includes everything from breakfast to dessert. Not surprisingly, potatoes figure large, but we've also included other veggies that even children will love. We've also got you covered with snacks like crackers, flatbread, and of course, dips aplenty.
(Note to kid-free folks: These recipes are seriously scrumptious for all ages.)
Breakfast
Angela's Egg Bowls
Apple-Stuffed Crepes with Blueberry Sauce
Blackberry Smoothies
Crustless Mini Quiches
Easy 100-Mile Jam
Easy Breakfast Smoothies
Fig and Pear Jam
French Style Omelette
French Style Scrambled Eggs
Fruit Compote with Yogurt
Lunch and Dinner
Baked Zucchini Strata
Broccoli and Potato Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Goat Cheese Potato Cake and Tenderloin Steak
Italian Greens and Beans
Italian Meat Loaf
Maple-Glazed Peameal Bacon with Potato Rosti
Roast Beef Tenderloin with Yorkshire Pudding
Roast Chicken with Apples and Rosemary
Sizzling Garlic Shrimp
Steve Peters's Throwdown Pizza
Side Dishes
Caramelized Potatoes
Cauliflower Puree
Herbed Oven Fries
Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Honey Roasted Carrots
Potato Patties
Roast Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Broccoli
Squash Gratin
White Cheddar Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Snacks
100-Mile Flatbread
Angela's Veggies and Dip
Cheese Crackers
Easy Applesauce
Vegetable Chips
Desserts
100-Mile Caramel Sauce
Blackberry Frozen Yogurt
Cream Puffs
Hazelnut Gooseberry Pie
Photo: Bruce Tuten, via Creative Commons
Winter is almost officially upon us, and now it's time to hunker down with hearty stick-to-your ribs fare.
Root vegetables abound, of course, and apples and pears are still fresh and crunchy. But you can (and should!) also get your greens in the form of spinach, kale, cabbage, escarole, and other hardy winter greens. Nuts are also plentiful and make wonderfully satisfying -- and easily portable -- snacks.
Watch for these items, and more, in your local market:
Looking for ways to prepare these wintry items? Browse our Local Recipes section for menu ideas.
The pomegranate is native to an area from Iran to the Himalayas in Northern India and has been cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. The pomegranate's botanical name, punica granatum, translates as "apple with many seeds" and is sometimes referred to as Chinese apple.
Today, pomegranates are grown for decorative purposes as well as for their delicious edible fruit. Pomegranates are about the size of an apple. They have leathery, deep red to purplish-red skins. When you split the hard fruit open, a mass of red seeds between spongy, white membrane is revealed. Only the seeds and juice are edible.
Keep reading for recipes and nutritional information, plus tips on buying, storing and preparing this sensual fruit...
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