"You were once wild here. Don't let them tame you."
— Isadora Duncan
|
|
|
|
Teri enjoying spring
|
|
|
I love the magic of the changing seasons and celebrating it in every form. One of my favorite activities is going to the farmers markets, talking to farmers, and seeing what they have in store for me. Farmers are some of my favorite foodies.
|
|
|
|
Teri choosing her favorite basil
|
|
|
Produce is the freshest, most delicious, and easiest to prepare in season. I believe it’s better for us and for our communities to eat locally and seasonally, and it creates a wonderful sense of expectation to usher in the emerging produce and say goodbye to what’s peaked.
|
|
|
The asparagus post from December 2014
and the exchange that followed
|
|
|
It’s kind of a funny story: about four years ago, when I began food blogging, I posted a lovely asparagus breakfast I had made for my daughter. A prominent cookbook author and follower, Sami Tamimi (who is releasing his new cookbook, Falastin, June 16), called me out for serving asparagus in December. It was certainly jarring and initially hurt my feelings, but it opened my mind to a new concept. (You can see the interaction above.) I immediately became aware of where December’s asparagus actually comes from--it is certainly not coming from American farmers at that time of year.
|
|
|
|
Fresh and juicy strawberries
|
|
|
I learned that when food is shipped across oceans, it loses its freshness and likely some of the vitamins during the extra shipping, storing, and handling—plus, that’s a lot of fuel and refrigeration just so I can serve asparagus year ‘round. I realized the alternative would be to eat what is in season locally and then extend the life of that produce through canning, freezing, or preserving it. I had always shopped at the farmers market, but Sami’s comment pushed me to take that a step further and update my cooking philosophy, and I am forever grateful.
|
|
|
|
Teri and Roy shopping at their farmers market
|
|
|
So, if there’s one idea I’d love everyone to consider, it is finding a way to support your local farmers. There is no greater privilege, no better way to make a difference for the people who grow the food we love and enjoy. Start by finding your local farmers market, or the closest family farm to see if you can buy direct. I hope my farmers markets will be open all summer, but if not, I will order a weekly Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) box or buy direct from my local farmer, and I hope you’ll consider signing up for the CSA program in your area too.
|
|
|
|
Farmers market fruit
|
|
|
Let’s support our local farmers throughout their growing seasons—and beyond, if possible. Many are offering pickup or delivery options, and you can use Local Harvest to find your local CSAs.
|
|
|
This issue is dedicated to sustainable, local, in-season produce, and to foraging and beekeeping and discovering what all of this means to our communities and to our health.
|
|
|
We are so fortunate to work with brands that we absolutely love and truly believe in. If you are interested in joining the nocrumbsleft family as a brand partner, including sponsorship opportunities in the newsletter, weekly giveaways, or Table Talks podcast, contact us here to find out more.
|
|
|
Inspiration From This Week's Contributors
|
|
Beginnings at Froggy Meadow Farms
|
|
|
|
Froggy at his farm
|
|
On the farm, May is a time of beginnings. The first harbingers of the summer's bounty arrive. Spinach, Komatsuna, Mizuna, and other greens become abundant. Unique produce like asparagus, green garlic, morel mushrooms, rhubarb, and ramps become available. Chickens begin egg production in earnest, and young animals run around the meadows. On the farm, we are planting this season's crops, and excitement is rising. Near month's end, snow peas and garlic scapes will begin to make their appearance. Maple syrup harvested in February is at its best in May. It's still early, but there are plenty of great items to enjoy.
Jerry Boone aka Froggy, Owner, Froggy Meadow Farms
@froggymeadow
|
|
|
|
Terryn Hall
|
|
After working on a presidential campaign, I returned to food gardening to process life. In campaigns, everything is urgent, all the time. In the garden, I'm forced to slow down and pay attention to what each plant needs. My grandmother was raised on a Mississippi farm and enlisted me and my siblings in all the hard labor that goes into growing things--and I hated it. Now I won't leave the garden! It's humbling yet rewarding. In the end you eat what you grow, and it tastes better than anything you can buy.
Terryn Hall, Writer, Gardener, and Political Consultant
@terryngrams
terryngrams.substack.com
|
|
|
Benefits of Buying Local Honey
|
|
|
|
Jimmy Wilkie
|
|
Honeybees are responsible for a third of every bite we eat. When working with bees in college, I noticed how therapeutic it was to be out in the bee yard. The constant low humming sound from their vibrating wings calmed me and allowed me to step out of reality and become one with nature, immersing myself in the bees’ needs. Helping them flourish is all I cared about. Today, giving back to the very creature that allows us to live and eat what we want to eat is my responsibility and what I will always want to do with my life.
Fun fact: eating local honey helps jumpstart your system into developing resistance against local pollens, so it’s great for allergies.
Jimmy Wilkie, Master Beekeeper, Owner and Operator, Broadusbees
@broadusbees
www.broadusbees.com
|
|
|
|
Chef Frank working in the kitchen
|
|
|
I am a big advocate of eating a seasonally based diet by sourcing ingredients from my local landscape. Foraging allows me to tap into the seasons of Maine and harvest much of the food I consume throughout the year. With such a short growing seasoning here, each ingredient I set out to find serves as a marker of time. My days off work usually consist of looking for something delicious with my sons: fiddleheads in the spring, berries in the summer, acorns in the fall, and fish in the winter. Through these excursions, I learn more about my surrounding environment and truly eat from place of gratitude.
|
|
|
|
Frank fishing with his boys
|
|
|
Seasonal Equals Sustainable
|
|
|
|
Dana Zucker at her farm
|
|
|
Since my kids were little, we have been eating seasonally when possible. It is sustainable for the planet to plant seeds when both the ground and the seeds are ready. As a farm mom, I provide my family and community with the freshest, most nutritious and best tasting food. Seasonal produce at its peak needs minimal seasoning and often does not need to be cooked--like corn and asparagus. A staple on our table right now is pasta with kale, asparagus, peas, and a fried duck egg from our chicken coop on top.
|
|
|
|
Dana working in her garden
|
|
Dana Zucker, Owner, Life Done Well and Sugar Water Manor, Farmerish
@MomsGoodEats
lifedonewell.today/DanaZucker
|
|
|
Foraging: The Ultimate Scavenger Hunt
|
|
|
|
Colleen's basket of weeds
|
|
Foraging for your own food is the ultimate in seasonal eating. There are probably wild plants right in your own backyard that you can forage for and eat right now! Harvesting wild food is important for a few reasons: wild plants are far more nourishing and naturally higher in nutrients and medicinal compounds. Second, the mere act of getting outside is good for your health. It’s grounding and calms the mind and nervous system. Third, foraging deeply connects you to the Earth. Knowing the seasonal rhythm of when plants are available attunes you to your own bioregion--seasonal eating at its best!
Colleen Codekas, Blogger
@growforagecookferment
www.growforagecookferment.com/what-to-forage-in-spring/
|
|
|
|
Central Oregon Locavore sourcing milk locally
|
|
Our nonprofit co-op, Central Oregon Locavore, celebrates our local farmers and ranchers. Now more than ever, a strong local economy with direct access to meat, eggs, produce, and dry goods is critical. Locally based economies are more flexible and responsive to the needs of their communities. Sourcing from local farmers, ranchers, and makers means getting their goods with minimal hands in the middle, increasing the amount each producer gets back from each sale. And proceeds are reinvested into their operations, staff, and other local businesses. More than 70 percent of the revenue brought in at our marketplace goes directly back to our farmers, ranchers, and makers.
Amanda Long, Social Media Director, Central Oregon Locavore
@centraloregonlocavore
www.centraloregonlocavore.org
|
|
|
|
Lemon Drop Skyr Cakes
|
|
|
These Lemon Drop Skyr Cakes, made with Icelandic Provisions Lemon Krimi Skyr, are the perfect sweet treat, and I’m delighted to say that they're gluten-free. They are somewhere between a cake and pudding: cake on the outside, gooey on the inside. Delicious! If you haven't made them, run don't walk. Click here for the recipe.
Product Information: So many of you are wanting to make the Lemon Drop Skyr Cake, but are having a challenging time trying to find the Lemon Krími Skyr. This fabulous product is new and still rolling out. It’s carried in stores at Meijer, Hannaford, and Shaw’s. To find stores in your area, click here for the store locator. You can also order it online from Instacart, or Peapod. If you check these online stores and they don’t have the Lemon Krimi in stock, make sure to check back again as inventory changes throughout the day.
|
|
|
We're so proud of our partner Icelandic Provisions, who is teaming up with Frontline Foods to match donations made to help thank frontline heroes with a meal that helps local, independent restaurants get back on their feet. Click here to donate.
|
|
|
|
The Moondust Collection
|
|
|
People are loving the Moondust pottery! It's a fantastic glaze that's available in Marinated Onion Bowls, Patty Bowls, Pitchers, Nesting Bundles, Platters, and Bigger Bowls. Click here to view the shop and check out this gorgeous color.
Be sure to check your email on Sunday morning! We'll be sending all subscribers a special promotion to celebrate Memorial Day!
|
|
|
This Week's Table Talks Podcasts
S1 E7: More than Just Tomatoes
S1 E31: Dirt Magic
|
|
|
This week, I'm sharing both podcast episodes I recorded with local farmer and contributor to this week's newsletter, Jerry Boone of Froggy Meadow Farms.
|
|
|
S1 E7: More than Just Tomatoes
In this episode, Froggy teaches us the truth about GMOs, hybrids pros and cons, real shallots, and life on an off-grid farm. We talk about today's challenges to farming, and the importance of supporting farmers and farmers markets. We share our mutual love of onions and Froggy's love of Japanese farming and culture. Although we come from very different places, we have had such a positive influence on each other and what we do.
Listen on:
  
S1 E31: Dirt Magic
In this episode, Froggy and I talk about how gardening feeds your soul. Putting your hands in the soil is magic! We discuss what to plant (hint: sugar snap peas), leaf v. head lettuce (hint: leaf), foraging, Red Candy Apple onions, and curing, drying and storing your harvest. This is his second episode with me, and I suspect we’ll do it again, because he’s fascinating.
Listen on:
|
|
|
We're giving away three SURF Spa Kits from HHPLIFT. The Kit contains a Soy Candle, Pacific Bath Salts and two Aloe Glycerin Soaps in tins. Enter below.
|
|
|
At 111°, candle wax begins to transform. HHPLIFT’s 1eleven Program in Chicago believes in transformation, helping unemployed individuals create new pathways through hand crafting bath and spa products in small batches using the best ingredients.
www.HHPLIFT.com
@HHPLIFT
|
|
|
|
|
