Food Security Issues hit home with youth working at the K I EcoCenter

Last Tuesday, I was invited to come to the K I EcoCenter on Capitol Ave and 28th Street to meet some youth working on a community garden project. While I was facilitating a conversation about local food, environmental vitality and human health I realized that there was a definite pattern in the conversation. These youth had a clear picture of the benefit of food security in our homes, neighborhoods, state and country.

Here are a couple quotes from the boys that stuck with me.

"Local Food is a better alternative to corporate farm crops that use chemicals. It is important to have a garden because it's another way to feed yourself."

"Why local food? Because we need to help our country and state."

"Local Food makes you healthy, it makes your strong, and it makes you smart. It is important to have a garden, so that you don't have to go out and buy food, but you already have the food in your yard."

"It's not only do you have a garden for food, you have a garden for plants and flowers."

"Have a garden, in case you can't go to the store."

"It's cheaper and makes you more independent. It you grow, you can feed more people other than yourself."

"The purpose of our garden is to teach us how important it is to know how to grow food."

Local Food Potluck Recipe #6: Kale Salad

(Super Simple) Kale Salad
Recipe from: Mystery Guest (comment if you know who brought this tasty dish=)

Kale (fresh from the Farmers Market), steamed
Toasted pine nuts
dried cranberries

dressing: add ingredients to taste
olive oil
honey
vinegar

tada! Told ya it was simple =)

Local Food Potluck Recipe #5: Foundberry Cobbler

Foundberry Cobbler
Recipe from: Mystery Guest (please comment if you know who brought this dish=)

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups mulberries/black raspberries (or what you find in season)

Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, milk and salt in bowl. Mix and pour into greased 9 x 16 x 2 inch baking dish.

Heat blackberries and 1/2 cup of sugar in saucepan until it boils. Pour over batter.

Bake at 400 degrees F about 30 minutes until golden brown.

Local Food Potluck Recipe #4: Italian Style Stawberry Tary

Italian Style Strawberry Tart

Recipe from: Kaitlyn Shaw (intern with Earth Charter Indiana, Summer 2010)

modified from www.epicurious.com

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
2 eggs
1 pint strawberries, hulled and cut in half, leave additional whole strawberries for garnish
fresh whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a spring-form pan.

2) Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.

3) In a seperate bowl, beat the butter and the sugar. Add the eggs and milk. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and stir by hand until moistened. Do not overmix.

4) Spread the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press strawberry halves deeply into the dough in a circular patters of 2 or 3 rings.

5) Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the tart comes out clean. Serve warm with whipped cream and strawberries, if desired.


Message from Kaitlyn: Look for local flour, butter, and eggs at the Farmers Markets or stores that carry locally-grown food. If you substitute local honey for the sugar, leave out the milk. Use garden fresh local strawberries or any other in season fruit.

Local Food Potluck Recipe #3: Roasted Beet Salad

Roasted Beet Salad with Beet Green

Recipe from: Erin Kelley

Ingredients:
1 bunch beets (approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons olive oil (total)
1 '' piece of ginger, minced
2 green onions, sliced thin
zest 1/2 lemon
juice 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Cut beets from stems, scrub, wrap in foil and roast at 425 degrees for 45 min.

• Discard stems, wash and chop beet greens. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in the pan. Add ginger and green onions and cook, tossing, for approximately 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and juice. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• When beets are done roasting, remove from oven, open foil packet and let cool until they can be handled. Rub between towel or using rubber gloves, slip skin off and slice beets.
• In large bowl whisk orange zest, juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon oil, and sugar. Toss in beets and season with salt and pepper.
• Arrange beets in middle of platter with beet greens surrounding. Enjoy!
  

(picture not representative of recipe)

Local Food Potluck Recipe #2: Brown Butter Pasta & Tatsoi

Brown Butter Pasta & Tatsoi (from the Butler Campus Farm!)
Recipe from: Julie Elmore

Ingredients:
Pasta of your choice
1/2 stick of butter
2 bunches Tatsoi

Boil Pasta. Melt butter until it begins to brown. Toss in pasta. Add in Tatsoi to wilt (about 3-5 min). 2 servings.

Local Food Potluck Recipe #1: Cherry Crisp

Cherry Crisp
Recipe from: Candace Glass

Filling ingredients:
5 cups fresh pitted sour cherries
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons tapioca
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup cherry juice

Topping ingredients:
3 sticks of butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
3 cups oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup almonds, chopped
1/4 cup crystalline ginger, chopped

Directions:
Mix filling ingredients and let stand while mixing topping. For topping, first cream the butter and sugar, and then add remaining ingredients.

Butter 11 x 17 inch pan. First, pour filling evenly in pan and then crumble topping over the filling.

Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes. Serves 20.

The 1st Local Food Challenge Potluck and a visit with the Green Riders!

Last Friday, June 11th was the 1st monthly Local Food Challenge Potluck of the 2010 season and don't worry, if you missed this one there will be many more to come. Since I am new to the Indy community and because this was the first potluck I have hosted in this city, I had some insane fear that we would have less than a handful of attendees and everyone would starve...of course, that didn't happen=) The Potluck went superbly and not only did we have two tables full of delicious locally-produced food to share, but there were about 50 participants! (Picture on top right taken by NUVO)

And somehow we did stay on schedule =) A group of bicyclists riding with the IndyCog Courteous Mass Critical Manners arrived at the Earth House around 7 pm. And the Green Riders, Catherine and Oliver Bock, arrived a few minutes later with thier two custom-built recumbent electric bikes. The Green Riders are a brother/sister team on a adventure biking from California to Washington DC sharing stories of sustainable communities along the way. We were happy to have them as our guests in Indianapolis Friday night!

I am personally amazed that after nearly two months on the road, the Green Riders had only one flat tire incident, never rode through a thunderstorm (until they biked down the Monon Trail in Indy that Friday=) and still managed to arrive in Indy on the day they planned for the event. That takes planning and endurance!

In an article Robert Warren wrote in NUVO this past week, Robert said, "Oliver and Catherine Bock look like string beans in their lime green colored shirts." I would have to agree! These folk are healthy and another thing, they barely trained for this ride. I was amazed by thier healthy, energized body and mood that I had to ask them, foolishly perhaps, how old they were. Both Catherine and Oliver Bock are in their 60s and going strong! As Catherine and Oliver mentioned at the potluck, I believe that Catherine and Oliver are great role-models as elders. On a personal note, for the past couple years I have been working toward the goal of being healthy and active when I am in my 60s, 70s and beyond and here are two examples of that exact dream. Kudos to them!

After the Green Riders energizing presentation (I know I have been writing energy/energized alot in this article, but it is true!), I noticed a bunch of people sticking around to chat and catch up with each other...somehow the time flew and around 10 pm some satisfied, well-fed and happy-looking folks finally made their way back home.

Thanks to everyone who came and hope to see you next time! I want to give a shout out to some key people and organizations that helped make the event. Thanks to the Green Riders, Earth House Collective, and Ed and Theresa Stites (for the much needed help with clean-up during the presentations) I couldn't have made it through the event with out you!

The next Local Food Challenge Potluck will be in mid-July. I know better than to compete with Independence Day =) If you have any ideas about where we might host a potluck, please let me know. Email me at april@indyfoodfarmfamily.org


Eat Simply and Savour-April