Karen & Thom E's Feast
Most food lovers can relate to "Babette's Feast," the tale of an impoverished woman who spent a large sum of money on a single meal. Of her guests, only one truly appreciated the cost of her generosity.
Sometimes we forget the true cost of living in a country that promotes and sustains industrial agriculture. It's easy to overlook the cleverly concealed costs of cleaning up contaminated water supplies from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations' (CAFO's) waste run-off, declining health from nutrient poor/sugar and chemical laden/genetically modified foods, and the amount of our tax dollars used to subsidize the very corn that is making us obese, ill and (ironically) malnourished. Time magazine recently published an excellent piece that highlighted what
America's "cheap" food is really costing us.
Reading this article and another one about
CAFO's in Indiana inspired us to (yet again) contact our elected officials to express our utter disgust about the prevalence of industrial agriculture in our own state. It's particularly disappointing to share with you that the number of Hoosier CAFO's has SUBSTANTIALLY increased under the Mitch Daniels administration.
So, what's a concerned Hoosier to do?
First, take a moment send an electronic letter to these folks. It's as simple as saying, "I do not support CAFO's and will not vote for you if you continue to do so. I do support investing in sustainable agriculture that produces good, clean, fair food."
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Governor Mitch Daniels:
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Lt. Governor Becky Skillman:
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Indiana State Department of Agriculture:
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Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM):
Second, support Going Local week September 6-12, 2009, by eating one Indiana local food at each meal. You can do this by purchasing food from the farmers' market, eating at a locally owned restaurant that uses local ingredients (such as R Bistro, Goose the Market, City Cafe, The Meridian or Cobblestone Grill), or even spending your happy hour at a locally owned and operated establishment (like the Mass Avenue Wine Shop, which also serves local foods).
You may wonder if this even makes a difference. As a reminder, "if half the families in Indiana shifted $6.25 of their current weekly food budget to the purchase of Indiana grown or produced local food that this effort would provide an annual contribution of $300M into the local Indiana economy. Impressive? Yes, but that's not the final number. Studies consistently show a that a dollar spent locally will multiply itself by three to five times making the actual economic impact of that one dollar in the local community where it was spent far greater than a buck," (per www.goinglocal-info.com).
Third, consider replicating our local food feast using the recipes below!
Pesto Vegetables in Puff Pastry
1 sheet puff pastry
1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
4 T. olive oil
1 medium yellow squash, sliced 1/4" thick
2 petite pan squash, sliced 1/4" thick
1 zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, small diced
1 c. firmly packed basil leaves
4 T. olive oil
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. soft white cheese, such as fromage blanc or fresh mozzarella
1/4 c. flour
1 egg, beaten
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 4 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When it is shimmering, add vegetables. Sauté until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place basil and olive oil in a blender or food processor on high speed for one to two minutes. Add pine nuts and Parmesan cheese. Process on high speed again, until it forms a chunky paste. This is Pesto.
Place garlic cloves and kosher salt in mortar. Use pestle to grind until a paste forms. (You may also remove the pesto from your blender or food processor and make garlic paste in there if you prefer).
Lightly flour a bread board or counter. Roll out puff pastry to a large rectangle. Spread rectangle with pesto, starting the center. Then, top with garlic paste. Next add vegetables in a think layer to within 1" of the pastry border. Finally, sprinkle with cheese. Roll jelly roll style and place on a sheet pan. Brush with beaten egg.
Bake until puffy and golden brown. Serve hot or room temperature.
Watermelon Jicama Salad
One medium watermelon, peeled, seeded and cubed
2 red onions, thinly sliced
1 medium jicama, julienne
2 c. feta cheese, small dice
Leaves from three sprigs of mint, chiffonade
Small handful of cilantro, minced
2 limes, juiced
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic or tarragon vinegar
Salt and pepper
Place first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then, whisk together lime juice, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss dressing with salad. Chill. Serve.
Celebrate Indiana's GOING LOCAL WEEK 2009 by eating one Indiana local food at each meal. By consciously choosing locally grown and produced foods you'll enjoy fresher and more varieties of food, get in touch with the seasonality of the Indiana food shed, protect the environment, and help support the local Indiana economy.
There's no one central event for GOING LOCAL WEEK 2009. The event supporters are asking participants to celebrate the event on a local and personal level. Here are some ideas for activities during that week:
Visit a restaurant using local ingredients, farm, farm market, or farmers' market in your area.
When dining out, choose restaurants who support our local producers by offering local food items on their menus or in their dishes. Find these restaurants at www.indyethnicfoods.com
Host a local foods pitch-in and ask everyone to bring a dish made primarily with local foods.
Bring in fresh Indiana melons for the staff instead of doughnuts during the week.
Have an in-office potluck lunch where everyone brings in something they’ve made with a local ingredient.
Go out to an after-work “happy hour” at a local winery if there is one close by.
Get together with your friends at work and take turns that week bringing a local food dish to share at lunch.
Choose to switch one of your pantry or refrigerator staples such as dairy products or eggs to one from a local producer.
Go to a U-pick.
Preserve some fruits or vegetables for winter use.
Invite some friends over for a local food cooking activity--make a pie with apples you picked from a local orchard, make bread or muffins with Indiana flour or cornmeal, or make tomato sauce with the last of the season Indiana tomatoes.
We hope you'll take the time to tell us what you're doing and how you're planning to "discover, celebrate, and savor the abundance of Indiana's fresh, in-season, and local foods."
Indiana Local Food Stimulus Package noting that if half the families in Indiana shifted $6.25 of their current weekly food budget to the purchase of Indiana grown or produced local food that this effort would provide an annual contribution of 300 million dollars into the local Indiana economy. Impressive? Yes, but that's not the final number. Studies consistently show that a dollar spent locally will multiply itself by 3 to 5 times making the actual economic impact of that one dollar in the local community where it was spent far greater than a buck.
