Challenge

Challenge updates… we have challenge updates…

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Wow, time has a way of just running off on me. If we do this again next year, I’m going to need a co-blogger for sure. Okay, so it’s been a few (coughfourcough) weeks, what’s everyone been up to? Delicious, mouth-watering stuff, that’s what! Read on: In week five, Pat at Cooking from the Market gave us the recipe that’s going to the top of my list for next year’s strawberry season — deep fried strawberries. No, really. They sound like heaven wrapped in egg batter. She also let us in on how creating meals really works and shares one of her improvised dishes. Week six found Pat waxing poetic about raspberries and she also posted some great information about local craft beers. In week seven, local fruit continued to be in the limelight in the form of cherry salsa. And finally, in week eight, the blueberries make an...

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Week 4 Roundup: June 15-21

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Hi all — sorry for the delay in the roundup and the weekly recipe. Life… busy… well, I’m sure you know how it is. Both will be up before the end of the night! I may check out all the blogs and post the week 5 (June 22-28 ) roundup too, maybe tomorrow, if most everyone has written something. I can always edit and add to the roundups if needed. My timing is all wonky. ANYway… on to the week 4 roundup! Strawberries are mentioned once or twice… Pat at Cooking From the Market gets into late spring with sugar-snap peas and baby turnips. Eugenia at Culinaria Eugenius had a lot for us in week 4. First, some info about meadowfoam honey. Then, strawberry goodness. Finally, some inspiration for All. Those. GREENS. Potstickers! Over at Greenscraps, there were a few homegrown strawberries! (Very pretty. Strawberries in sunlight look like precious...

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Week 3 Roundup: June 8-14

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Our recipe from last week, for old-fashioned strawberry preserves, has been a popular post… did anyone try it? We’d welcome comments on how it turned out. On to the roundup! Pat at Cooking from the Market was out of town at the beginning of week three and missed the farmers’ market, so she turned to her pantry and freezer for inspiration. Utilizing local, canned crab meat, Pat made some TASTY looking crab cakes… and she is oh, so kind to share her recipe. A side dish of Kohlrabi slaw rounded out the meal. Eugenia at Culinaria Eugenius has some great ideas for fava beans and provides a recipe for Couscous Topped with Favas and Caramelized Fennel and Onion. (Yum.) Over at Greenscraps, they took some inspiration from Michael Pollan and are enjoying the community. Jen at Jen’s Page reminds me that she’s been breastfeeding… and it doesn’t get much...

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Week 2 Roundup: June 1-7

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What lovely things did the first week of June bring us? Eugenia at Culinaria Eugenius started to see some signs of life in her garden, despite the slow start to warm weather we’ve had here. She also had a bbq in week two that was quite rich in local products. (And congratulations, Eugenia, on graduating from your Master Food Preservation class! Woot!) Over at Greenscraps there is talk of local fish… in a can. It went into a casserole, complimented by farmers’ market zucchini and herbs from the garden. Rich MOMents made a spring quiche trio. Writing this post makes me hungry. I adore quiche, and am definitely going to try that recipe. The Lucky Ruggieros had some fabulous local chicken (from Afton Field Farm — I’ve sent them an e-mail to ask when the farm stand is open… this link doesn’t list the schedule. I’ll post when I...

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Week 1 Roundup!

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It is finally time to have our first roundup. Okay, here’s how this is going to work! Each week, I will gather up posts and e-mails about what our participants have done the prior week, from Sunday to Saturday. Week 1 is therefore May 25 through May 31. If you’re signed up but didn’t make it last week (or if you are ME), we’ll catch up with you next time. Ready? As I knew she would, Pat at Cooking from the Market set a high bar in the first week. She kicked off Memorial Day with a barbecue featuring baby-back pork ribs from Wood Family Farms, along with a coleslaw with ingredients picked up from Heavenly Harvest. Rhubarb chutney made an appearance mid-week, and finally, with lovely bing cherries from Rick Steffens farm, Pat made a cherry clafouti. (UPDATE! My bad.) Not to be outdone, Eugenia at Culinaria Eugenius...

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Slow Food in Corvallis proving popular

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Well! Congratulations to the organizers of Slow Food Corvallis — their first event this Sunday, June 1, is sold out! … However, we have experienced such heavy demand for participation in our kickoff event June 1 that, in order to ensure a good experience for all, and avoid overburdening our generous chefs and producers, we’ve had to close ticket sales. If you would like to participate in the non-food part of the event, during which we’ll learn about the Slow Food movement and gather input and ideas for future events and projects, you are welcome to come along to the UCC at 5:30 for the discussion. No ticket is required for this. If you’d like to be put on the e-mail list to receive notice of future events, send an e-mail to slowfoodcorvallis at comcast dot net. (I’m not going to link that e-mail because I wouldn’t wish the...

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Checking in with the early birds…

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Whoops… please excuse my little unscheduled absence. Caught a killer cold! Did anyone go to the Corvallis Buy Local First Breakfast? I skipped out so as not to spread my germs too far and wide. A few of our challenge participants have enthusiastically started sharing their finds from the markets and their recipes using local ingredients. Let’s check in: Pat at Cooking from the Market found the first strawberries of the season this weekend at the Albany market. These beautiful little red gems were from Rick Steffens Farm in Silverton and Pat gives us two lovely recipes: spinach salad with strawberries & balsamic vinegar, and panna cotta with caramel & strawberries… if you can keep yourself from just tearing into the plain berries. Good luck with that. The prior week, Pat came home with fresh spinach, eggs from Turpen Farms and thick-sliced smoked bacon from Wood Family Farm. These...

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Prizes for our challenge and another market to mention

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Good news! I received confirmation that the Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Markets will give us prizes to use in our challenge! So… Everyone who participates in the MWV Challenge from Memorial Day to Labor Day will be entered into a drawing to win one of two $15-value tokens to the Corvallis-Albany Farmers’ Markets. Since the markets run until November, you will have plenty of time after Labor Day to pick up some late summer or fall goodies! (I’m working on other prizes, folks, so if you aren’t near Corvallis or Albany, please stay tuned. I will try to have something for ya!) For those out near Brownsville, there is a market there that also opened on April 19th. The Brownsville Co-op Farmers’ Market runs Saturdays from 9AM to 1PM. The market is located in the vacant lot across the street from City Hall.

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Starting simple

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While our challenge doesn’t officially start until Memorial Day weekend, some folks may choose to get a jump start. Pat Kight at Cooking from the Market is one such person… she got over to the Albany market yesterday, even with the funky weather, and picked up some eggs, salad greens and some garlic. And then went home had a simple salad made from those greens. Sometimes, a simple dish like that is all it takes before you’re planning how to get your hands on another batch of fresh produce… There are new photos from Pat up at the Flickr group, Market Friends, and I must say a big thanks to her as well, for talking about this challenge at the market, as she notes in her blog post. She gave me a great idea via e-mail to print up some fliers. I love that there is word-of-mouth about this...

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Just got linked on ORBlogs

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Welcome new visitors! We just got linked on OR Blogs last night (thanks PB!), which is a really great source of blog traffic. If you’re wondering what this is all about, please see the first post here: The Challenge. In the next couple of weeks, I’ll outline a few more details and give more ideas about how to participate. The rest of the site is all being built up, too. Meanwhile, take a look around and if you have any suggestions for the site, or resources and recipes to share, please leave comments!

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