Eating local is a phrase we hear a lot these days. But what exactly does it mean? And why is it important? Well, the distance for "local" isn't really defined, but the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act define it as being 400 miles or less and/or the same state. As for its importance, here are a few reasons to eat local:
1) It supports your local farmers
2) It tastes better. Because it is not picked before it is ripe, and does not have to be refrigerated for long times to ship it.
3) It usually has a smaller footprint. Since it is not shipped very far.
Recipe:
Anadama Bread
If the cooler weather of Fall has inspired you to start baking bread you must give this one a try. It comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special and has been my favorite homemade bread recipe for many years. If you like a little more texture to your bread try adding medium grain cornmeal, instead of the normal fine grain. It adds a wonderful mouthfeel!
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup milk or soy milk
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup warm water
1/8 cup unsulphured molasses
1 1/2 packages of dry yeast (about 1 Tbs + 1 tsp)
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup canola or other vegetable oil
1 Tbs. salt
oil for hands, bowl, and loaf pan or baking sheet
1) Bring the water and milk to a boil in a saucepan; stir in the cornmeal and brown sugar. Then transfer to a large bowl and set aside to cool. In a small bowl stir together the warm water and molasses, and dissolve the yeast in it. When the cornmeal mush has cooled to a warm-to-the-finger temperature (105 to 115 degrees), stir in the yeast mixture.
2) Stir in one cup of the flour and beat about 50 strokes. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place to rise until the mixture bubbles, about 45 minutes. This batter is called the "sponge."
3) Stir in the oil, salt, and 3 to 4 cups of the remaining flour into the sponge to make a stiff dough, mixing well. Generously dust a board with the remaining flour, and turn the dough onto the board and knead until elastic, about 10 minutes. Lightly oil your hands if the dough is sticking to them.
4) Oil the bowl, return the kneaded dough to the bowl, and flip it over to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set aside in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, 45 to 60 minutes.
5) Punch down the dough and turn it out into a lightly floured board. If you want two smaller loaves, slice it into halves and shape for a round to go on an oiled baking sheet or as a loaf to fit into your oiled bread pans. Cover the bread and let rise again in a warm place until it has doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
6) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When the dough has risen, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack.
Project:
Decorate a Pumpkin
What You Will Need:
a pumpkin
paper
markers or crayons (or both)
scissors
scotch tape or glue stick
Getting even the smallest ones into the spirit of fall doesn't take much. When you're at the grocery store pick up a small pumpkin, either the mini ones for decorating, or a sugar pumpkin (aka pie pumpkins), which are great for soup when you're done with it . Once it is home and you guys are ready to play, you and/or your child can draw eyes, nose, and a mouth on the paper using markers or crayons. Then cut the pieces out and put scotch tape or glue stick on the back side so that he or she can stick on the parts. Even if your child is too young to do this yet, he or she will no doubt have fun watching you create a face.
"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face."
~John Donne
"The one red leaf, the last of its clan,
That dances as often as dance it can,
Hanging so light, and hanging so high,
On the topmost twig that looks up at the sky."
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge
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