What's In Season Sunday: Eggs

I don't have chickens, but I will someday.

Then I could eat fresh eggs all the time. Instead of eating meat, sometimes I opt for eggs instead. Eggs are a familiar breakfast food, but they can be used in many ways for lunch and dinner too. Eggs are delicious in egg salad sandwiches, in egg burritos, in home made mayonnaise, salad dressings, salads, with roasted asparagus, in custards, bread pudding, and other baked goods. There are so many uses for eggs. I guess that is where the slogan comes in, "the incredible edible egg".

Yesterday I visited a friend's farm near Royal City, WA. His family gave me almost two dozen farm fresh eggs. Thanks Brett! I was in the hen house when they were collected and saw the chickens. Any farmer would probably laugh and say, "big deal". It is a big a deal. Us city folks, those of us who don't have urban chickens wandering our backyards anyway, consider this an adventure. We simply don't get to see the chickens that lay the eggs we eat. It is as simple as that. I think about it often. Having the story behind the food I eat, makes me enjoy it so much more. Breakfast isn't just breakfast, it's an experience.

Farm fresh eggs have good health benefits over their grocery store counterparts. They have a third less cholesterol, a fourth less saturated fat, two thrids more vitamin A, two times more omego -3 fatty acids, three times more vitamin E, four to six more times vitamin D, and seven times more beta carotene. That is fantastic! Read more about it here.

Farm fresh eggs are becoming available at some grocery stores. Make sure you ask your grocer where they came from (so you are aware of how the chickens were raised) and when they arrived. Farm fresh eggs can also be found at your farmer's market or from bartering with an urban farmer in your neighborhood. It is becoming increasingly popular to raise backyard chickens. Seattle and Portland both have annual chicken coop tours. Plan ahead and go to Seattle's here!

So, who's with me? Let's go buy ourselves some chickens!

What's in Season Sunday: Oysters

Awe, beautiful Willapa Bay. Driving along Highway 101 on a sunny Winter day feels like a deep exhale. The blue water and sky split the horizon and the breezy, salty air let's you know you are near the Pacific Ocean. Until about five years ago, Willapa Bay was never really a part of my mental map. After all, the bay is off the beaten path of the main north and south thoroughfare that is Interstate 5, and I had never ventured west of the freeway through Pacific County in lovely southwest Washington State. What a shame! This area is a testament to some of Washington State's most valued resources, including timber and shellfish. Willapa Bay is one of the cleanest bays in the United States and produces an abundance of mighty fine delicious oysters.

Did you know Washington leads all US states in oyster production? There are a lot of oysters out there for us to enjoy. It wasn't until recently, however, that I came around to eating and enjoying them. Most people either love them and think they are a wonderful local delicacy, or they think they are slimy and taste like salt water. Well, I'd like to say we are all right. Freshly shucked oysters taste like the ocean, have a creamy texture, and sweet tasting liquor (the liquid inside the shell that the oyster is happily living in). I love eating oysters raw (oyster shooters) with a little lemon squeeze and a small dollop of cocktail sauce. They are also tasty fried or smoked.

Not only are oysters delicious to eat, they do a great service to places like Willapa Bay. They are filter feeders. They filter an average of 25 gallons of water per day in search of food. They also filter out nutrients and toxins in the water that flow off the land and into the sea making them a very sustainable food choice! I wanted to see an oyster production facility first hand, so I looked one up online, and on my travels stopped at Ekone Oyster Company in Willapa Bay.

It was a small place. We walked inside through a hallway to a window where you place your orders. Above the window, a big white board listed their prices. You could buy oysters in the shell, shucked oysters in various sizes, and smoked oysters. A friendly man welcomed us, told us some history about oyster production in the Bay, and let us go in the back room where a line of workers were working at lightning speeds shucking oysters as they moved slowly toward them on a small conveyor belt. They packed a quart size container of shucked oysters out of the ocean that morning for us, put them on ice, and we were on our way. If you ever get a chance, I highly recommend visiting the Ekone Oyster Company, or any other local oyster producer for that manner. It is a wonderful experience meeting the producer of the food you eat as well as eating shellfish fresh from the sea!

What's in Season Sunday: Potatoes

Of course, I choose a time to get back into my blog writing about local food when it's winter. I've been traveling all over the world, but now it is time to settle in and stay closer to home. Time to appreciate the bounty that is growing here in the Pacific Northwest. Well, ok, not much is growing. Last week, however, I went to the farmer's market. I hadn't been in such a long time! I was expecting to see very few food stands there, but to my surprise I saw grain, cheese, fish, greens, and many varieties of potatoes for sale! Spring is definitely coming.

I decided to buy a handful of potatoes, but I almost didn't know where to start because there were so many varieties. When traveling in Peru, I heard at certain food markets you can choose between hundreds of varieties of potatoes to buy! More varieties of potatoes mean more food security. Different microclimates and soils over time throughout the Andes meant that if one type of potato wasn't successful, (because of pests or disease), there wouldn't be a food shortage. What a great lesson for us all still! Potatoes originally came from the Andes region of South America and have been cultivated outside of the Andes region for about four centuries. So, as you can imagine, no one should be short on recipes! Also, my Grandpa use to grow potatoes in his garden, so I have a special memory of him whenever I cook with them.

I decided to buy a yellow skin/yellow flesh potato called a Binjte. I also decided to buy something totally different, something you wouldn't find at the local QFC, a blue skinned/blue flesh potato called an All Blue (even though it looks purple). I bought these potatoes from Olsen Farms, located in the northeast region of the state by Colville. They grow 23 varieties of potatoes, all of which have different colors, textures, and culinary purposes. The man I talked to told me the varieties I purchased were perfect for frying. That is exactly what I wanted to do with them.

This recipe is very simple and is inspired by my boyfriend, mainly because he makes it all the time. He is a graduate student and wakes up every morning and the first thing out of his mouth is usually, "I'm hungry". This breakfast makes a nice Sunday brunch, or an easy weekday breakfast (you know, like on one of those mornings you have extra time). It's a very hearty meal and will keep you full for hours, which is perfect for those of us who use our wits all day long. It also makes good left overs. I always fry up an egg to go on top. Enjoy!

Chorizo Potato Scramble for Studious Minds

• Olive Oil
• 6-8oz of Chorizo Sausage
• 6 Potatoes from a local farmer, cube into sugar cube-sized pieces
• 1/2 - 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
• 2 Tbsp Parsley, Finely Chopped
• Eggs
• Salt/Pepper

In a medium sized frying pan, heat up 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add chorizo sausage and cook until brown, or about 10 minutes on medium to high heat (chorizo has a lot of spices in it, so it may be difficult to tell when it is done). Remove the chorizo from the pan. Add the potatoes. Cook until tender, but not falling apart. It may help to add a little water and add a lid to the pan, if the potatoes are still crunchy or they are sticking to the pan. Just before potatoes are cooked through (and all water has evaporated, if any was added to the pan), add the onion and cooked sausage. In another frying pan, fry an egg, or two, or three. I like to fry my eggs over easy. Serve bowls with the chorizo potato scramble and place fried eggs on top. Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper.

What's In Season Sunday: Beets

I have had the weekend to settle back into my life in Seattle and to settle into cool, Autumn days. I am always sad to see the warm, long days of Summer slip by, but Fall is a special time. I love wearing sweaters, eating pumpkin pie, noticing the trees turning bright colors, and sipping on hot beverages. Fall is also the last chance to savor the end of harvest abundance. I was just at the farmers market today and there is a lot of produce still in season including corn, carrots, apples, pears, peppers, potatoes, mushrooms, and beets. Last year, I purchased four bunches of red beets to pickle the way my Grandma taught me. I know not everyone has a liking to pickled beets, but I think they are absolutely delicious. Beets are also delicious baked or boiled and drizzled with a little bit of olive oil and salt and pepper. They are also wonderfully paired with an assortment of cheese. Beets are the best!

With my four bunches of beets (which was only $8), I plan on pickling all of them. I only have half a mason jar in my fridge from the beets I pickled last year so it is time to replenish my stock. I chose to keep my beets in the refridgerator to preserve them rather than canning them, but you could do either. Once the beets are pickled, I eat them out of the jar or I add them to salads. I made the most delicious salad this week using my pickled beets. I tossed spinach, toasted nuts, thinly sliced red onion, and feta in a bowl. I added my pickled beets last because the red coloring will turn your salad pink if you toss them as well. I garnished the salad with crispy bacon bits and drizzled it with a dijon, maple syrup, and horseradish dressing (that I made from scratch by using olive oil as the binder and adding salt and pepper to taste).

Keep an eye out at your farmers market or local grocery store for beets and don't just buy one bunch buy a few!

Pickled Beets

First, make a syrup for the beets by heating 2 cups water with 2 cups sugar, 2 cups cider vinegar, 1 tsp cloves, 1 tsp allspice, and 1 Tbsp cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Boil gently for 10 minutes and then turn off heat.

In a separate pot, cook beets until tender. Cut the leafy tops off the beets before boiling. Once tender, dip beets into cold water and peel off the skins. Slice or cut into cubes and place in a mason jar. Pour syrup over beets to cover. If you plan to can the beets, follow standard canning instructions (including making sure you sterilize your jars). Refrigerated pickled beets don't need to be canned and sealed. They can simply be put in the fridge and will last for some time there. Mine have been in there for a year and they are still delicious! My new batch, however, is about to replace them. Enjoy!

What's In Season Sunday: Peaches

As you may or may not have noticed, I've taken a small break from my blog. But I am back and I will try to be more consistent in my writing. One thing you might find interesting is that I am about to embark on my first ever international trip to a new continent, South America! I leave on Saturday and I will be flying to Santiago, Chile, for work. I will only be there for about ten days, but I plan to sample as much food as possible. I will write about my food and travel adventures on my blog. But I don't want to get ahead of myself. Today is What's in Season Sunday and I have a new recipe to tell you about.

I've been listening to the radio a lot lately. There is a commercial for Metropolitan Market, a swanky grocery store in the Seattle area, about in season ripe and wonderful peaches. In fact the peaches are so fantastic, the grocery store has named this time of year their Peach-O-Rama event. I'd like to say that advertising doesn't work, but in this case, it certainly did. Ripe, sweet, succulent peaches are such a part of summer, I couldn't let my summer escape without trying one. So I hopped on my bike for a very enjoyable Saturday morning bike ride to Metropolitan Market and partook in some urban yuppie fun. First yuppie activity, grab a latte. Second yuppie activity, browse the grocery store shelves with latte in hand and gawk at the local wines, cheeses, fresh produce, and wonderfully baked bread and pastries. It isn't everyday I visit Metropolitan Market, so I had to revel. I purchased a bottle of wine, gingersnap cookies, and four perfectly ripe peaches.

The peaches I bought were grown at Pence Farms in Wapato, Washington. It is a 4th generation family farm in the lower Yakima Valley. I love fruit crisps, perhaps better than I love pie. The best thing about a crisp is that it is super easy to put together. You don't have to spend hours perfecting a perfect crust, you just create a crumble topping with your favorite ingredients and place over your favorite fruit and bake. Easy! Usually crumble toppings for crisps consist of oats, nuts, sugar, spices, and butter. I choose to use gingersnap cookies (the small crunchy cookies you can buy in a bag in the cookie aisle at the grocery store). You could probably bake your own cookies, but they need to be hard because they break up better in the food processor. They've got to have some snap! Homemade or store bought, it should work. Below you will find my peach crisp recipe. Enjoy!

Peach Crisp with Gingersnaps and Pecans

4 ripe peaches
20 small gingersnap cookies
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp chilled butter

Set oven to 350 degrees. Slice peaches and place in a baking dish. Cut butter into small cubes. In a food processor, pulse gingersnap cookies, pecans, sugar, and cinnamon. Add butter and pulse until crumbles form. Top over fruit and bake for 30-40 minutes. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

What's In Season Sunday: Raspberries

As I am writing this, I am sitting by my kitchen window feeling the sweet summer breeze fill my room and my soul! Can you tell we have been a bit summer deprived in the beautiful Pacific Northwest this year? To celebrate the warm 80 degree day, I've decided to whip up a refreshing drink recipe to share with you. Today is What's in Season Sunday where I attempt to find local produce, prepare it is some way, and share some insight into where it was grown. This Sunday I am focusing on my favorite fruit, raspberries.

The minute I bite into a raspberry I am instantly brought back to being a child at my grandparent's house in eastern Washington. My grandpa was a hard working man and when us grandkids showed up he gave us a big a hug and a big coffee can to pick raspberries in. As a city kid, I didn't think of this as work believe it or not. There were so many ripe raspberries growing on the plants, the can filled up in no time. And, it was always fun sneaking a few. We also didn't complain much because I knew Grandma's raspberry jam would appear soon after.

This week while wondering Pike Place Market, I bought a half flat (6 pints) of freshly picked, local organic raspberries from Hayton Farms in the Skagit Valley near lovely Fir Island. This is a wonderful area of our state which has very productive farm lands. Farmers in Skagit County produce 300 million worth of crops, livestock, and dairy products. Over 90 different crops are planted in just this one county. The county also grows more tulips, daffodils, and iris than other county in the U.S. A very impressive brag sheet if you ask me! Since Skagit County maintains one of the largest and most diverse agricultural communities west of the Cascade mountain range, it is imperative that we preserve this treasure.

Have you been able to find local raspberries growing in your area? If so, buy them in bulk. Consider buying enough to last you a few months or even through the year. Buying berries in bulk is such a good way to go. If I would of purchased each of my pints separately this week my half flat would of amounted to $24! Instead it was $15. That is just $2.50 a pint for local, organic berries. A heck of a deal better than any grocery store could offer you. Eat them fresh, freeze them, make jam, or bake delightful treats. Whatever you do, get them fast. They'll only be in season for a couple more weeks! The following is the drink recipe I promised you. Agua frescas are drinks typically made with fruit, water, and sugar. They are popular in latin American countries and are delicious and refreshing on hot days. Enjoy!

Raspberry Agua Frescas

1 cup fresh/frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Mint leaves
2 Lemon balm leaves
1 cup cold water

In a food processor or blender, pulse mint, lemon balm, and sugar together. Add cold water and blend until sugar dissolves (about a minute). Add the raspberries (I prefer to add frozen raspberries because it makes my drink that much colder if drinking right away). Add the cold water. Blend well. Strain through a fine sieve or cheese cloth to remove seeds if desired. Garnish with mint leaves and a raspberry. Serves 1-2.

What's in Season Sunday: Baby Summer Squash

This week I came across the loveliest summer squash. Just look at the bright colors of the beautiful blossoms growing off these guys! Many people use the blossoms to cook with. I've heard of stuffing them with goat cheese and herbs and sauteing them. I must try this next time. You need to use the blossoms right away, they don't last long. You could also coarsely chop the blossoms and add them to a salad. Squash is so versatile. It can be used in so many ways including in bread, cookies, soup, stir fry, or grilled with pasta and parmesan cheese. The petite size of the baby summer squash makes them really fun to cook with because they add so much to the presentation of a dish. Because they are so small, their sugars are especially concentrated so they are also uniquely sweet.

So what to do with summer squash? Let me rephrase this, what can't you do with summer squash? The possibilities are endless! I am sure towards August I will post again on how I've used squash in my kitchen. This time around, I have decided to try my hand at making homemade pizza dough and top my pizza with grilled sliced squash and red onions. For my pizza sauce, I choose to use pesto I had stored in the freezer from last year (I am keeping my eyes out for bunches of basil at the farmer's market so I can make a big batch again like last year). I also purchased fresh mozzarella cheese. I didn't have tomatoes on hand, but they would be delicious layered atop the pizza as well.

Homemade Pizza Dough - Easy!

1 package active dry yeast
I cup warm water (hot to touch under faucet)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour (I mixed 1 cup wheat flour into my dough)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients. Beat 20 strokes and let rest for five minutes. Roll out dough or separate into thirds and make personal pizzas. You can also freeze the dough. If you freeze the dough, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a Ziploc bag or airtight container. For sauce, either use a traditional tomato based sauce or try pesto. For toppings, grill or saute sliced onions and squash. Be creative and add your toppings of choice. I chose to keep it simple this time so I could appreciate the squash. Layer with slices of fresh mozarella and bake in the oven at 425 degrees until the cheese is bubbly and the crust is light brown. Enjoy!

What's In Season Sunday: Strawberries

I am always surprised with the diversity of local food that shows up at my farmer's market. I consider it a treasure hunt because I marvel at the familiar and not so familiar food. Sometimes I am even more surprised that I just have no idea what can be grown in the Pacific Northwest or when it's in season. And this is my most favorite part of cooking, using what is locally available and fresh. After visiting my farmers market webpage, here are a few things I found that are in season for July: tayberries, loganberries, apricots, apriums, red Russian kale, Chinese mustard, squash blossoms, garlic tops, hazelnuts, oysters, honey, and sunchokes. I bet you've heard of a few of these. What about the rest?

Summer is certainly here in the Pacific Northwest! This is the best time of year to take an adventure either to a local farm, a fruit stand, or a farmers market to buy delicious seasonal produce. Each week on Sundays, I am going to make it a tradition to pick one seasonal ingredient to write about. Not only will I let you know what I found, I will also post a recipe so you can see first hand how to take an ingredient from farm to table.

This Sunday I bought 12 pounds of fresh strawberries from a produce stand down the street from me. They came freshly picked from a farm in Mount Vernon, WA. Oh, they smelled so sweet and the minute I bought my flat I ate one. It was perfectly ripe and full of strawberry sweetness. Nothing compares to an in season strawberry. When I got home and put the flat of strawberries on my counter, I anticipated I would freeze them all to later use on hot cereal, in pies, to make strawberry sauce for waffles, or to use in smoothies. I decided to freeze half of them (6 pints). I washed them, let them dry, and placed them on a cookie sheet to freeze individually before putting them in Ziploc bags. I used the remaining to make freezer jam and a simple strawberry balsamic vinaigrette for a salad with my dinner. Below you will find the recipe to my salad dressing.

If you can, get out of the grocery store aisles and find yourself some local strawberries! They won't be in season for much longer.

Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 cup fresh local strawberries
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs sugar
pinch salt/pepper

Mash or puree (in a food processor) the strawberries. Add the balsamic vinegar and sugar. When dressing is well combined, taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Serve with a salad of fresh greens/spinach, toasted almonds, feta cheese, cucumber, red onion, and fresh strawberries (or whatever you think sounds good). This salad would also be delicious with grilled salmon. Enjoy!