Stocking the local food pantry

Food from my pantry brings back memories of my visit to the San Francisco Ferry Plaza farmers' market where I found Massa Organics rice and almond butter early in the morning and carried them around all day. But once I got these delicious treats home, I'd practically forgotten how heavy my bag had been. At the Gathering Together Farm (GTF) store in Philomath, Oregon, I bought enchilada and tomato leek marinara sauces, pickled jalapenos and blueberry jam, all canned by Sweet Creek Foods, a farm neighbor and local food processor, not far from GTF.

Wherever I go, I visit farmers' markets and farm stores where I learn about other small sustainable farms and gather local foods. Mostly I just can't resist trying what farmers are growing in different parts of the country. I've carried home Texas tomatoes in the fall and Arizona grapefruit in the winter, tucked in my carry-on luggage. Thankfully airline bag inspectors only give curious looks after examining the contents. I pack salsas, jams and vinegars between jeans, sweatshirts and socks and hope they make it home safely. Nothing has ever broken or gone missing.

Over the harvest season (summer through fall) my pantry fills up, without having to can anything myself. Oh, I know home canning can save money but my kitchen is about as big as a boat kitchen, I don't even have room for the giant pots and massive numbers of jars required for canning. Besides, I have fun looking for farm made salsas and jams.

Tom can’t resist opening the Gathering Together Farm blueberry spread and I like to cook beans in their enchilada sauce. The leek marinara sauce is perfect for pasta or pizza.

From the University District farmers' market farm vendors I buy fruit spreads, pickles, hazelnut oil and butter, vinegars, dried powdered onions, garlic, dehydrated spices, and pepper flakes. You can find more dried beans and different kinds of grains each year there. Nash's Farm from Sequim sells wheat and rye. Stoney Plains and Willie Greens Organic Farm offer dried beans.

The Alvaraz Family Farm sells a variety of organic beans at affordable prices, spring through fall. This farm sells at Pike Place Market, Columbia City and the Lake City farmers’ markets. I think the Alvaraz farm also sells their produce at the Ballard and possibly Lake Forest Park summer markets.

One word of caution with beans: don’t mistake dried beans for the fresh shell beans many farmers sell in the fall. Fresh shell beans deteriorate rapidly in storage. And before buying check bags of these fresh shell beans carefully looking for mold and bad spots before purchasing any. These beans get moldy quickly. Use fresh shell beans right away or store in the refrigerator for about four days. You could also freeze these shell beans for a few months or more

Another thing I look for to stock my pantry are my favorite dehydrated onions and garlic and raspberry vinegar from Rent's Due Ranch, dried mushrooms from Found and Foraged, dried nectarines, apricots and apples from Cliffside Orchards, and honey from Tahuya River Apiaries.

A few items from my pantry:

Left to right, top row: Holmquist Hazelnuts, Texas Pecans (from the Austin farmers' market), berry wine from Rockridge Orchards. Bottom row: Woodrings Parker Pickled Green Beans, Palasades, Colorado Organic Peach jam (from my summer vacation), Alvaraz Farm garbanzos, Rama Farm peaches, El Passo salsa (from Austin), Rockridge Orchards apple cider.

What's in your panty?

The Evolution of a Recipe: Quince and Cherries Simmered in Raspberry Wine

Recipes are for sharing. So I wasn't really surprised when I got some quinces from my friends Molly and Bill, I also sampled a cooked quince recipe that Molly made. The quince half shimmered in an amber liquid and a tiny taste delivered the tart-sweet zing of quince followed by a bold ginger. Molly handed me the recipe, but since she had an appointment, I only had time to scribble the ingredients onto a scrap of paper. Here they are:

2 tablespoons butter
2 quinces
1 1/2 cups Sauternes
1/4 cup sugar
2 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece ginger
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

I’d neglected to write any instructions but how hard could it be? You could either simmer or bake the quince. I guessed she’d simmered the quince in the sweet wine and spices. I didn’t have any Sauternes, so I chose Rockridge Orchards raspberry wine from my pantry. I wavered for a moment between raspberry and tayberry, but the lighter tones of raspberry are like rays of sunshine when paired with the astringent tones of quince.

As for the herbs and spices, I couldn’t imagine bay leaf in this recipe, and I’ve learned if an ingredient doesn’t make sense, leave it out (unless you're baking). Molly hadn’t used it in her version either, although she had thought the recipe might be improved is she had added it. I wasn't convinced. In the end, with any recipe, you’re going to eat it, so go with what you know. So the bay leaf was cast off the island too. And with that, the cardamom and cinnamon were also deleted from the line-up. Nothing should compete with the flavor of raspberry wine. I left the vanilla in, but used a vanilla pod instead, and I reluctantly took the ginger out, only because I’d have to go shopping for it. As for salt-- was it even necessary? Or do we just add it to everything from habit?

With the list of ingredients whittled from 10 to 6, this is how I tweaked Molly's recipe:

Quince and Cherries Simmered in Raspberry Wine

· 2 tablespoons butter
· 2 quince, sliced
· 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar
· 1 1/2 cup Rockridge Orchards raspberry wine
· 1/4 cup dried sour cherries (from Grouse Mountain Farm)
· 1 vanilla pod, sliced down the center

Place all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then, reduce heat and simmer for an hour or until quince is very soft. Remove vanilla pod. Serve over vanilla ice cream, coconut sorbet or pound cake.

“It’s your recipe now,” Molly said when I told her about my tweaking. I never did discover where the original recipe came from, but I could seriously become addicted to this one. It’s even good first thing in the morning over steaming oatmeal.

Essential ingredients: quince, raspberry wine and coconut sorbet.

Quince and the last fruits of fall

Quince, pears, hearty kiwi, apples-- these are the backyard treasures I got from my friends Molly and Bill. I set my fruit in front of a great seasonal recipe inspiration--Local Bounty by Devra Gartenstein (2008). Then I waited for Finn to show up for the photo shoot.

The smooth-skinned, tiny hearty kiwis (red and green, left bowl) from Molly and Bill were mistaken for olives when I brought them to my writing group. Not many people have seen these tiny Northwest kiwis. Liz and Michael at Grouse Mountain Farm in Chelan, offer the green variety for sale at the University District farmers' market for a few weeks in late September or early October. Another farm vendor comes in, also for a few weeks with these hearty kiwis. These sweet-tart fruits are best eaten raw, and according to Dr. Oz "thin-skinned" fruits are best in the organic version.

As for quince, the citrus-like fragrance is so heavenly that in ancient times ripe quince perfumed rooms much like air freshener does today. But quince flavor is astringent. It's an acquired taste, if you didn't grow up with it. And I didn't.

I first tasted quince when I was at the Community Food Co-op in Bellingham a few years ago. A produce worker there enchanted me with stories about all the different kinds of quince one of their local farm vendors brought in. My lips puckered as I sampled it raw, but the store worker assured me that quince is best cooked. I can't resist a the new fruit, especially if it's local and organic.

I don't remember what recipe I made when I went home. Probably something safe like a quince-apple crisp, nothing cutting edge like quince paste for a first recipe. As I revised my cookbook this last year, I added Quince Paste by Lizz Eggers in the dessert section. Also, it occurred to me that many people don't have a clue about quince and it has such a long past.

Quince has been around for over 4,000 years and was first cultivated between the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers in what is now northern Iraq. Romans preserved quince in honey and transformed quince into wine. Some sources raise the idea that it was quince not apples that Eve picked in the Garden of Eden.

Quince is a common food in other countries and has been for centuries. It is so popular in the Middle East, people eat it like an apple. But the bright yellow, tart, apple relative enjoyed only brief popularity here, until apples pushed quince out of the spotlight. It remained in the shadows for decades.

But in the Northwest today, quince is making a come back as a respected locally-grown "heirloom" fruit. It has a small bin of it's own and a full-page sign at PCC Natural Markets. Here, curious shoppers can read a quick update on this unique fruit--its history, varieties, selection and storage. The sign at PCC also said, once the fruit is ripe, use it quickly because it doesn't keep. This is important if you're planning on cooking your fragrant fruit. When brown spots appear on the outside, they go all the way through and the flesh becomes mealy.

Will the real quince please step forward? In this photo, quince (front) with a ripe golden delicious apple from Cliffside Orchards and a Newtown Pippin' from Molly and Bill's tree. I asked Bill if quince got the dreaded coddling moth or apple maggot that apple farmers fear and he said quince trees don't have that problem. Maybe it's an easier tree fruit for beginning Northwest gardeners. Check out Raintree Nursery's quince varieties.



Finn finally showed up. He takes the photo shoot seriously, but given a choice, he'd pick the bronze beauty--the Taylor's Gold pear-a creamy fleshed, perfectly sweet pear.

Kale and Avocado Salad

I fell in love with kale in Austin, Texas. Okay, I'd liked kale before. How can you not like kale when everybody grows it in the Pacific Northwest? It's so hearty here. I love the way I can cast out seeds and it comes up easy as a weed and then sustains me all winter. I've made some good kale recipes over the years and my favorite was a kale dip in my book Local Vegetarian Cooking, but not even my favorite recipe could compare to the raw kale and avocado salad I discovered at Whole Foods in Austin.

The kale-avocado salad made me homesick for Pacific Northwest. The salad was just tender curly kale, lemon juice, olive oil and avocados were the main ingredients. So simple, yet was so mouthwatering good. I'm into minimalist recipes these days. I couldn't get enough of that salad, I went back time after time. If a salad can be a comfort food, this is it.

When I returned to Seattle, I stopped in Whole Foods in the University District and was surprised they didn't sell Kale-Avocado Salad at the Roosevelt Square store. "It's crazy," I'd remarked."Kale is the most ubiquitous crop at the farmers' market here in the winter."

I hold out some hope the store will see the value of a signature Northwest salad, but in the meantime, I created this easy recipe. Remember to remove the tough inner stem. I tried local yuzu for my first version, but Meyer lemon tastes better, so I chose an organic Meyer lemon. The avocado is a black Haas avocado and I added chopped, fresh, ripe Bosc pears. I was in heaven with every bite.

Serve this stellar salad on Thanksgiving and turn everyone into kale-lovers!


Kale-Avocado Salad
(Serves 4)
1 Meyer lemon
2 to 3 teaspoons honey
1 clove fresh garlic, pressed
Pinch of cayenne
Pinch of Sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 Bosc pear, stem and seeds removed and diced
1 bunch Tuscan kale, rinsed, tough stem removed, and sliced into ribbons

1. Zest and juice Meyer lemon. Strain seeds and in a medium mixing bowl, blend juice with honey, garlic, cayenne sea salt. Whisk in olive oil. Add avocado and pear. Stir gently.

2. Place the kale in a large serving bowl. Gently blend in dressing with avocado and pear. This salad is better, if allowed to marinate for an hour or more.

Fall Farmers' Market Transitions

Winter transition at the University District farmers' maket is bittersweet. Fall pumpkins, yellow onions, apples, pears and vibrant hearty greens decorate market tables. Bright red and gold leaves bring smiles, and cool winds feel refreshing. Crackling leaves under my feet is seasonal music for my soul. It's fun to walk around the market and see pumpkin carvings.


Some farm booths like Rockridge Orchards expand in November. Wade brings in more produce. First thing in the morning he tempts me with a pear or apple slice or an arugula leaf. I'm crazy about the spicy arugula and peppery Osaka mustard greens. I'm growing some in my own yard this year, but I didn't plant nearly enough for the huge fresh salads we like every day, and slugs started eating it early on, but that's another story.

Other farm booths are packing up for the season. Halloween was JoanE McIntyre's last day. Rent's Due Ranch is a favorite stop for spring plant starts to fall vegetables. JoanE handed me a fortune cookie. She was dressed like a fortune teller, with her hair all wrapped in a red scarf, sparkles on her sweater and shiny beads around her neck.

This is Patty saying goodbye to JoanE at the market.

Romanesco calls out to me at Willie Green's Organic Farm. Jeff Miller is excited about the restaurant he's planning on opening at Willie Green's. His chef background shines through when he tells us the best way to cook Romanesco. Jeff doles out plenty of cooking inspiration with his produce. Jeff started this winter market before the Farmers' Market Alliance took it over a few years ago. I liked the market a lot when it was small and we could park right in the lot and bring our dogs if we wanted. The casual slow pace gave the market a small town feel, if only for a few months in winter. Now it's more formal and the no dog rule applies.

On rainy days lakes seem to form in the uneven lot. A person should wear boots, but I don't so my feet often get wet and cold. Also, granny baskets and wagons come in handy because you can't set your bags down or everything is soaking wet.

The best part of winter markets for me is that people take more time to visit, you can get to know farmers, and everyone loads up on the best the season has to offer.

When my main farmers' leave the market for the season, I frequent other farm booths. "You're a loyal customer," Wade said to me last week, when I'd whined about market squeezing more farm booths in to sell, some longtime farmers don't sell near the amount that they did last year. And it's not just the lousy economy. I'd never really thought about farmer loyalty much, but I guess he's right.

This Saturday is Grouse Mountain's last day. These apples from Liz and Michael at Grouse Mountain Farm in Chelan are some of my favorites.

Growing Good Things To Eat In Texas

I was intrigued when I opened the fall issue of Edible Austin and read about Growing Good Things to Eat in Texas by Pamela Walker(2009 Texas A & M University Press). I initially thought it was a cookbook with farm profiles like mine Local Vegetarian Cooking (left), but the review said Walker's book contained 11 organic farm and ranch profiles. Curious, it didn't take me long to order a copy.

Overall, I found the book similar in scope to Fields that Dream by Jenny Kurzweil (2005 Fulcrum Publishing). Jenny gathered ideas for her farm stories from farmers who sold at the University District farmers' market in Seattle. She drove out and visited each farmer and the profile tells their stories of how they started their farms. Walker and her husband purchased a farm near Shulenburg (a hundred miles west of Houston). She was instrumental in opening a farmers' market in Schulenburg, near her own farm in Texas and said that she began wondering about other farmers' stories in the late 1990s. Walker got a list of farmers from the Texas Organic Farming and Gardening Association and had an initial list of 150 names. She eventually narrowed her choices to 24 farms and finally the 11 profiled in this book.

These are thumbnail sketches of the organic farm profiles in Walker's book:

South Texas Organics—citrus grower Dennis Holbrook in Mission, Texas, near the Gulf of Mexico discovered how harsh chemical pesticides and fertilizers damaged humans and soils and how organic techniques nurtured them. South Texas Organics wholesales their produce across the United States and Canada, Europe and Japan.

Boggy Creek Farm—urban farmers Carol Ann Sayel and Larry Butler nurture their five-acre farm on the edge of east Austin. They wholesale vegetables to Whole Foods but make about 95 percent of their income from their farm store open on Saturdays and Wednesdays. A must-see local foodie tourist destination.

Tecolate Farm—“David Pitre and Katie Kraemer grow 150 vegetables on five to six acres of their certified organic, fifty-five acre farm . . .” says Pamala Walker. Just north of Austin, this farm has one of the first CSAs in Texas and has a waiting list of 300 or more each year.

Animal Farm—sixty miles west of Houston, Gita Vanwoerden grows organic vegetables on eight acres of her land. She sells her harvest to the best chefs in Houston and at farmers’ markets.

Home Sweet Farm, Brad and Jenny Stufflebeam owned a 22-acre farm about halfway between Austin and Houson and in 2008 they signed a lease for a 112-acre farm just five miles away where they’re restoring the soil and planting more organic crops.

Permian Sea Organics—55 miles west of Odessa in west Texas, Bart Reid raises shrimp in water as salty as sea water in the middle of the desert. The Reids don’t use chemicals or fishmeal and they were organic certified until USDA secretary Ann Veneman rescinded the aquaculture certification policy in 2004. According to Walker, the Reid's are still raising shrimp with organic techniques and they plan to expand when the national organic standards of aquaculture are established.

Rehoboth Ranch and Windy Meadows Farm—two certified organic farms just south of Oklahoma and about an hour away from Dallas that sell pasture raised meat. and

Ross Farm—west-central Texas just north of Austin, near Sonora, Betsy Ross raises pasture-grazed beef steers with rotational grazing methods.

Pure Luck Dairy—25 miles west of Austin. Amelia Sweethardt is a second generation dairy farmer who runs the farm with her father and sisters. They raise goats and make chevre.


Full Quiver Farm and Diary –50 miles southeast of Dallas, Mike and Debbie Sams and their nine children maintain Holstein and Holstein-Jersey cows and make cheese that they wholesale to natural food stores and sell at the Sunset farmers’ market in Austin.

I wish both books had included some recipes, but that's my food focus. I could always use some new inspiring ideas for foods. Books like Kurzweil 's and Walker's echo a hopeful promise for small-scale organic farmers. Look for Jenny Kurzweil's book, Fields that Dream at the University District farmers' market in Seattle. Check out Paula Walker's book in Austin at BookPeople--a very cool independent bookstore, or buy either book online at your favorite online retailer.

Margie's Raw Apple Cake

This tray of fall fruit from Grouse Mountain Farm at the University District farmers' market is a rainbow of culinary possibilities that can fill fall kitchens with sweet scents of the season.

Last year at this time, I was still collecting some farm recipes and I got some great sweet apple and pear recipes for the book revision, but my favorite recipe, Margie's Raw Apple Cake, had disappeared. I'd gotten it from a friend in California decades ago. Recently I discovered a friend had not only retained the recipe but used it time and again with other fruit. Her idea was to cut the sugar in half. That works for me, but you may like your cake sweeter. Use any kind of apples or pears you have on hand. Leave the peels on or take them off, it's your call.

Margie's Raw Apple Cake


2 cups raw diced apples

1 egg

1/4 cup oil (I use Spectrum high heat safflower for baking)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon soda

1 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1 cup flour

1 cup chopped walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil and flour an 8 by 8-inch cake pan.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, blend egg with raw apples. Then add oil, cinnamon, soda, sugar and salt. Mix well. Stir in flour and nuts, leaving some out to decorate the top of the cake. Place mixture in baking pan. And bake for 35 to 45 minutes. Test with toothpick. Cool on cooling rack before slicing.