Locally Grown - Availability for February 13th, 2013

Hey Local Food Lovers,

Wow! This past week was my very first experience with Hakurei Turnips from Mill Gap Farm and I’m in love. I like turnips anyway, but these are so unique. The last two years I’ve grown purple top turnips and discovered that I loved the tops as much as the roots, especially as a pesto (go figure). Since I totally failed to plant turnips this year and we’re deep into turnip season, I finally got around to trying this unusual, some might say gourmet turnip.

I prepared these pearl sized ones in a simple and traditional way. In a large skillet I added the turnips (2 orders worth) and enough water to come up halfway, 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1/4 stick of butter, and some salt, and then brought the water up to a soft boil. Rather than cut the greens off I just left them on, and partially covered to steam the greens. You are supposed to reduce the liquid until syrupy and remove the turnips if needed so you don’t overcook them. Then add the greens back to the syrupy buttery liquid to rewarm. Hoila!

My wife liked these so much that two nights later she took the leftover ones and …..put them on our pizza! I have to admit they were delicious but I kidded her pretty hard saying that we’re probably the first two people who have ever eaten a turnip pizza!

That’s the thing I love about this whole local food movement. It’s unpredictable and allows each and every one of us to be creative in the kitchen and in the dirt. I’m gonna be a bit busy this year for my usual gardening habit so I’ve started cultivating herbs and other things in my windowsill to keep my gardening fever at bay. I recently transplanted a butterfly bush cutting and it’s bigger everyday and I love it.

Having been involved in environmental conservation my entire adult life it occurs to me more and more that the best single thing we could do as a society is re-establish a deeper relationship with our food. What I mean by that is learn what’s in season, and learn to enjoy things that are in season. Learn to can during the days of plenty, to enjoy during these colder days of want. Supporting local farms doesn’t just support sustainable land based businesses (meaning people who derive some income from treating the land with a nurturing hand), it supports your brain’s interaction with the natural world.

I think that most people who simply began to eat local food every week of the year, would also begin to do other things. I think they would start to dabble in growing food. I think they would start composting their kitchen scraps. I think they would begin to get interested in plants, and the animals and insects that visit or depend on those plants. I think they would start to share food with their friends and family members. I think they would begin to have farmers as friends, and would likely go to visit their farms, and likely lend a hand with their farms if they can. I think that the earth would feel like a good friend, as the simple result of eating local food every week.

Eating local food is the single best thing! It’s my single best thing anyway. You have to eat right so I figure you might as well…..

EAT WELL,

Justin in Habersham
and
Chuck in Rabun

PS – I also highly recommend Sylvan Falls Sticky Buns. I opened the bag the second I laid hands on it, and boy are they yummy!