Winter squash soup

We made our first winter squash soup of the year with the Sibley Squash that I picked up at the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market this morning .  Our main purpose of going to the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market was to procure some Ayers Creek Farm heirloom beans but I couldn’t resist when I saw this beautiful squash [...]

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Bolognese sauce

We were looking for an easy meal afterreturning from a long weekend in Bandon.  And I didn’t want to go to the grocery store, so pasta with bolognese sauce it was.  Typically bolognese sauce simmers for several hours, but I found a recipe in Cooks Illustrated last year that cuts the time way back (to [...]

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Organic cranberries in Bandon, Oregon – Brush Prairie Bogs

The holidays are over, but I still wanted some local cranberries.  Every time I am in the produce section at the grocery store, I look at the box in hopes to see Oregon cranberries.  Instead I walk away disgusted that a grocery store in Eugene buys cranberries from Wisconsin.  What the heck?
We did manage to [...]

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Beans and grains in the Willamette Valley revisited – Ayers Creek Farm

Beans and grains have become a bit of an obsession around here.  We are headed to the Hillsdale Farmer’s Market next weekend in search of some beans.   A helpful reader turned me on to Ayers Creek Farm (thank you!), owned by Anthony and Carol Boutard.  I have exchanged a few emails with Anthony and read [...]

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Pot beans

When we decided that we would eat as much locally grown food as possible, we started using mostly dried beans.  There are sources for some dried beans (mostly black beans) in the Willamette Valley, but that will hopefully be increasing with the Southern Willamette Valley Bean and Grain Project that is focused on converting grass [...]

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Borscht

I have never thought that borscht looked like a soup that I would like to eat, let alone make.  But our visit to Belly changed my opinion of borscht.  Brian ordered borscht for dinner and kindly let us all taste it and it was delicious.  I think the color is what turned me off.  Its [...]

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Baked eggs with dungeness crab

Baked eggs, or eggs en cocotte, are a new dish for us.  For some reason, I avoided French egg dishes because I thought they would be overly complex or fussy.  Nothing could farther from reality with eggs en cocotte.  They also make an attractive presentation, so would be a great breakfast/brunch to serve to company.  [...]

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Dark Days Challenge Recap, Week 4

A very exciting living local week indeed.  We received our second order from Eugene Local Foods, went to a holiday party at a restaurant that features many local ingredients, made a yummy crab dip for our annual cookie decorating party, and I attended a class by the Master Food Preservers.  What a week!

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Amy’s crab dip

Another awesome recipe from my awesome sister-in-law, Amy.  It is week 2 of dungeness crab season and I returned to Newman’s to pick up 2 crabs for this delicious recipe.  Instead of shelling them by myself, I recruited Matt to help me after work on Friday.  He is a champion crab sheller (see exhibit below).  [...]

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Roasted beet salad

Unlike our President Elect, I love beets.  And this is my all-time favorite beet recipe.  I have tried others and always wish that I had just made this one.  If you haven’t tried beets in years or only know beets from salad bars – this is your recipe.
The beets are roasted, which is the easiest, [...]

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