July Blog
It's that time of year again. If you have a garden of your own, a neighbor, family member, or friend who gardens, or a CSA membership, the likelihood that a couple of zucchini or other summer squash are hanging out on your counter is high. Why should we eat zucchini?
Let's start with the blossoms. Yes, your zucchini plant's beautiful large yellow flowers are edible. Not only are they safe to eat but they are nutritious and delicious. Much like the fruit itself, Zucchini blossoms contain high amounts of Vitamins A and C, which can help aid in a healthy immune system, skin, and eyesight. Zucchini is part of the Cucurbitaceae family which is known for having antiinflammatory properties. The fruit is high in magnesium and contains more potassium than a banana.
Now that we know some of the health benefits of zucchini how do we prepare them? Zucchini blossoms are often battered and deep-fried. You can even stuff them with delicious cheeses like ricotta, goat cheese, and mozzarella prior to deep frying served with a sauce of choice like marinara or honey.
There are millions of recipes out there to use up all that zucchini such as pizza boats, fries, fritters, zoodles, and zucchini bread but my personal favorite is zucchini parmesan. I even use the leftovers for zucchini parmesan paninis the following day. Here is the recipe I follow:
Zucchini Parmesan
-Two medium-sized zucchini cut lengthwise or in coins about 1/4 inch thick
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 cup oil
- Jar of sauce of choice
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil for garnish
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Combine your grated parmesan and Italian breadcrumbs into a dish your zucchini can fit laying flat.
2. Salt and pepper your zucchini.
3. Scramble your eggs and place your eggs and flour into two separate dishes that are a similar size as the one that the breadcrumb mixture is in.
4. Preheat your oil in a skillet on medium heat. Place your zucchini one at a time first in the flour, then the egg, and last your breadcrumb mixture fully coating each piece. Set aside.
5. Once the oil is hot, fry both sides of the zucchini until golden brown and place the zucchini on a parchment paper lined sheet tray to go into the oven.
6. Top each piece of zucchini with sauce and shredded cheese. Place into the oven until the cheese has melted.
7. Garnish each piece with fresh torn basil.
Typically I enjoy this dish paired with a side of pasta or roasted potatoes. I hope this inspires you to use up that zucchini on the counter and that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!
Cheers!
Allyssa McAley, Farm to Chef Coordinator
Year 2 Update
Take a look at what we achieved in year two, and where we are headed in year three of Region Roots Local Farm and Food Hub operations! All of this is only possible with the support of all of you!
June Blog
This is my second year to witness the way June rolls into Region Roots. Our winter and spring months always have everyone busy working on projects, visualizing the way we will handle the bounty of the coming seasons. And then June comes in and shakes things up, offering us, our families, communities, and environment all its glory. We get to see the hard work of these lands and all of its offerings. I am a big fan of our seasonal weather and love to take the time to give thanks as I stand in front of Lake Michigan, steering out at what looks like the endless waters. Taking the time to thank the sun, clouds in the sky, birds, sand and anything else I lay eyes on.
But, this month, this June, I take the time to look at the new growth of this season on my plate, on its way to nourish my body as well as those that I love and I give thanks. I give thanks to the land, the microbes, the sun and water, the farmers' hands who tended to and plucked when ready all of the food that we are honored to eat.
My hope for you is that you take a moment to take in the beauty wherever that is
Anna Martinez, Food Hub Coordinator
Spring Salad
Ingredients
-Bunch Spring Salad Greens
-Asparagus (raw or cooked)
-Walnuts (or any nut of choice)
-Fresh Strawberries
-Goat Cheese
Balsamic Vinaigrette
-½ C Olive Oil
-¼ C Balsamic Vinegar
-1 garlic clove (or as much as you like)
-1 tsp Mustard
-Salt and Pepper
Put all ingredients in a mason jar and shake until well combined.
Place salad greens and all ingredients in a large bowl and toss with vinaigrette when ready to serve.
May Blog
The days that most midwesterners look forward to are here! When the sun shines brighter, hotter, and a few hours later than just a few months before. When the grass grows long enough to need to be mowed and we start planting all of those gardens that we dreamed up when the sky grew dark early and there was still frost in the air.
Asparagus is one of the vegetables that first makes its way to our table. And of course there are endless ways that we can take full advantage of this beautiful green vegetable. If you choose to keep it raw and use it to top a salad for a little crunch, saute it in olive oil, salt and pepper, or cook it in a pasta dish or quiche, you can’t go wrong. I personally have and will do all of these things with the asparagus I have picked up so far!
I wanted to share a quick and easy recipe that looks lovely and tastes even better! As always, I use a recipe loosely and am always open to getting creative when I am in the kitchen. Buying puff pastry is a personal time saver for me. But, feel free to make your own if that is something you like to do.
Preheat the oven to 400
Ingredients:
2 sheets of thawed puff pastry
1 Bunch thawed asparagus
6 oz Parmesan cheese
7 eggs (1 for egg wash)
Chives for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out and slice Puff Pastry into 6 rectangles. Brush with egg wash and cook in oven for 10-13 minutes or until toasty brown.
After Pastry Puff is cool in about 10 minutes cut out rectangle in middle leaving a border around and a layer of puff on bottom. Sprinkle half of the cheese into the middle of each rectangle. Next, decide if you would like to use the remaining 6 eggs scrambled or crack each in the middle keeping yoke in tact, arrange asparagus around inner boarder, sprinkle with salt and pepper plus remaining cheese.
Place back in the oven for approximately 10 minutes or until cooked through.
Remove from the oven and garnish with chives and enjoy!
Anna Martinez, Farm to Chef Coordinator
April Blog
Since becoming a farmer, Spring has definitely improved its ranking with me as a favorable season. Growing up, I always found it to be rainy and cold without the whimsy of winter snow or the lush color of summer. But now I find so much excitement in it with each new bud and the slow creep of fresh flavors making their way back onto my family’s dinner table.
Asparagus season feels extra special! We have several farms in the hub, (Garwood, Mick Klug and Zandstras) who grow incredible asparagus and offer tender and thin selections for delicate platings and heftier stalks for pickling and grilling. Purple asparagus will be available at the end of April, too! Whenever a certain fruit or vegetable comes into season, our family loads up on it to the point of tiring out our taste buds and being perfectly content to wait until the season returns again next year. Nothing compares to locally grown and, for me, there’s always been a heightened sense of joy anticipating and savoring the short-termed availability of these flavors.
Delightful spring radishes are ready, along with ramps and herbs and strawberries are not far behind. One of my absolute favorite recipes that celebrates Spring, is from Mrs. Dornberg’s Culinary Experience (and fellow board member, Cheryl Dornberg!) – Strawberry Asparagus Salad with Tahini Dressing. This salad makes everyone smile, I promise. It gives you the crunch you’ve been waiting for all winter; it’s savory, tangy and just sweet enough to keep you coming back for more.
Load your kitchens, pockets and freezers with all the asparagus you can! The high season is just getting started!
Anne Massie, Co-Executive Director
(and diversified vegetable farmer in Crown Point, IN)
P.S. We’ve been getting some questions lately - what IS Region Roots? For those of you following along who aren’t quite sure yet, we’d love to tell you!
Region Roots is a program of the NWI Food Council and is a mission-driven, non-profit food hub. The hub provides new market opportunities to farmers throughout NW Indiana to reach restaurants, institutions, schools and wholesale buyers. We ensure farmers receive 100% of the price they set for their products–no extractive big biz price haggling here! The hub adds a small markup to cover the cost of pick up from farms and delivery to buyers, getting fresh, locally grown products to buyers within days of harvesting. Region Roots is farmer-founded and farmer-led and continues to grow by supporting NWI Food Council programming that purchases food at fair market prices from farmers to be distributed to those who need it most. Farmers that join Region Roots have full control over their listings and get to build their relationships and capacity with the support of a growing network and team of committed coordinators. Know a farmer or wholesale buyer who might be interested? Send them our way! Our two Farm-to-Chef Coordinators, Anna and Allyssa are here for you. anna@nwifoodcouncil.org / allyssa@nwifoodcouncil.org
March Blog
Hello Region,
I hope everyone is gearing up for the spring season and all that it can come to offer. Although our Winter’s do not seem to pack that same punch as they did when I was growing up in the 80’s, it's still one of my favorite seasons in the midwest. Taking a walk on a trail or in your neighborhood, between a day of snow and a day of warm sunshine, is always exciting to look around and find green patches of earth emerging. This year I have already been able to find flower buds making their way out for the season.
For those of us who like to garden or take the time to feed our community through farming as a business, seed planting is in full swing. Baby chicks are being tenderly acquired and cared for, chickens are starting to lay, piglets and calves are being born, it's truly a beautiful time just to sit and observe. The dynamics between the winter thaw and spring’s emergence offers us a time to think of and observe the cycle of life on this planet.
In honor of planting season and our earth, I thought I would include a few seed starting hacks that may help you get your garden started.. A few years ago I was taught how to start seeds in milk jugs, plastic rotisserie containers and other common household one and done containers. Community gardens usually have seed swapping events or extra seeds to get you started. If you take a look around your local community. It’s a great way to meet like minded people as well!
Since my own chickens are in full swing again and I am finding all the ways to use the wonderful eggs, I have included a Hash Brown Crust Bacon and Cheddar Quiche. Because the one thing that is true for me is that anytime I can incorporate potatoes into my breakfast, I am that much happier!
I hope to see you walking around our local farmers markets, or at one of The Collectives events, a local restaurant or anywhere else we like to gather in the Region! And, don't forget to say hello if you see me.
Anna Martinez, Farm to Chef Coordinator
February Blog
It’s hard to believe it’s February with all of the warmer weather we’ve been having, but here we are. At the start of the month, we observed the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox (also known as Imbolc in Celtic traditions). The days are getting longer, and thanks to the warmer days, we’re starting to see some of the early harbingers of spring. As the days get longer, our farmers are looking ahead to the spring planting season. Most have already done their crop planning for the year, sorted their seeds, and are starting to plant seeds indoors to transplant later this year. The tempo might be slower in the winter months, but farming is a year round job!
What spring and summer fruits and vegetables are you most looking forward to this year? For me, it’s usually around this time of year that I start to look forward to the fresh crunch of raw asparagus. It just tastes like spring– and how I imagine the color green to taste. :) Until then, I’m still relishing the abundance of winter storage crops like root vegetables, winter squash, and evercrisp apples, alongside plenty of fresh greens. Lately, I’ve been enjoying lots of soups and salads- which allow winter veggies to shine. Check out this potato soup recipe from Perkins’ Good Earth Farm this weekend, and serve it alongside a green salad with winter sweet carrots, hakurei turnips, microgreens, and some thinly sliced apples. You’re in for a simple and satisfying meal, with ingredients that can all be sourced locally- even in February!
Cheers to eating seasonally in the thick of winter!
Virginia Pleasant, Co-Executive Director
January Blog
Eggs, has anyone been able to escape this topic as of late? Suddenly, that neighbor with those backyard chickens doesn’t seem so extreme anymore. Full disclosure, I am one of those neighbors with the chickens in the backyard. There may also be a stray cat or two I feed as well.
Ok, on a more serious note, so what is up with the eggs and what is our solution to this problem? What about all the other issues we are seeing within our food chain?
If there is one thing the pandemic has taught us, it is that most of us had no idea how much we rely on planes, trains, and automobiles to bring in most everything we use. Refer back to the toilet paper debacle. How do we stop this from happening again? I can hear our collective voice screaming “Stop relying so much on other countries and California for everything!” And to that I say GREAT START! How do we do this? Can this be done? Is there really a way? And to THAT I say, There's a start!
Some quick facts on why the price of eggs has went up:
The U.S. Dept of Agriculture has stated that the bird flu affected more than million birds in both commercial and backyard flocks. Resulting in a depopulation of around 44 million egg laying hens.
The cost of bird feed and other supplies have went up in price significantly
Soaring gas prices affect transportation
This is where I come in to preach the gospel of supporting our local farmers of course. Did you know that Indiana is one of the top 10 states in Agriculture in the U.S.? We have some of the best land to farm on right here, often literally in our backyards. So, unless you want to throw your hat in the ring and become a local farmer, (statistics on that for another day) the next best thing to do is buy from them. And, thanks to social media, farmers markets, and small or locally owned grocery stores, have become easier and easier to find. South Shore Indiana is also a great resource that helps our region connect with local markets and happenings, as is the NWI Food Council.
I would also encourage you to support our local establishments who invest in our community by purchasing local. In whatever capacity makes sense for them. Change happens when we modify our habits in small and in big ways.
One last statistic for you that I found eye opening.
Hoosiers spend roughly 14 billion annually on food expenses and spend an additional 10.5 billion eating at restaurants. Shifting just 10% of the household food expenses to local purchases would translate to a 2.5 billion infusion for Indiana's farm and food economy. —Jodee Smith, Indiana University
If you have any questions or are interested in local food procurement for your business, please reach out to me anytime.
I have included a recipe you can eat for breakfast or any other time of the day. When I make this dish I like to use Howe Farms bacon, Janie's Mills grits and eggs from my backyard. I invite you to try the same. Howe Farms is a great place to visit for local meat pick up in Winfield, Indiana.
Cheers,
Anna Martinez, Farm to Chef Coordinator
