This site is an archive of ChiotsRun.com. For the latest information about Susy and her adventrures, visit the Cultivate Simple site.
Thank you for all your support over the years!

There’s Still Some Color

November 25th, 2009

There’s still a little color left in the garden. We’re having unseasonably warm weather this November, after an very cold September ruined most of my fall crops. I still have a few things blooming in the gardens, providing some much needed color.
black_eyed_susan
I have a few black-eyed susan’s blooming in one area of the garden (actually they’re growing out of the driveway).
purple_petunia
My hanging baskets are hanging on, still providing some bloom and some food for bees. I keep watching them, if I see bees and small pollinators I leave them.
bacopa_blooming
The bacopa is also blooming well and the bees are still enjoying it as well.
purple_nicotiana_bloom
I have a few nicotianas that are still blooming as well.

Do you still have anything blooming if you live in a cold area? If you live in a more temperate climate, what blooms for you this time of year?

Fresh Produce from Local Roots Market

November 24th, 2009

I love my local farmer’s market, it’s fantastic. I enjoy chatting with the vendors and seeing all the things they grow. If I want endive or arugula I have to grow it myself or do without, none of the vendors at my local market carry the more exotic vegetables. If I want regular potatoes I can find them, fingerlings – not a chance. If I wanted anything but apples past September I was out of luck. I thought I hit the exotic vegetable jackpot this summer when I spotted one savoy cabbage.
buying_at_the_farmers_market
Not so with the Local Roots Market. I spotted lots of arugula, endive, fingerling potatoes, bitter winter greens and lots of other interesting things. I mentioned yesterday that I was impressed with the variety of produce I spotted on Saturday. It was a hard choice deciding what to buy, but I finally settled on these things.
brussels_sprouts_on_stalk
Four stalks of brussles sprouts and a big celeriac root. The sprouts we’ll roast or saute with bacon and onions. The celeriac is most likely going to be made into this soup.
fingerling_potatoes
These fingerlings were roasted in the oven last night. We ate half last night and the other half will be eaten with eggs tonight.
mushrooms_and_winter_greens
These oyster mushrooms will be sauteed in olive oil and tossed with some soy sauce. The winter greens don’t have a plan yet, I think perhaps they’ll end up being paired with a warm mustard bacon vinaigrette and topped with those mushrooms and some caramelized onions.
Onions_from_local_roots_market
I scored a huge bag full of red onions and a few cipollini onions. The red ones will be caramelize and made into caramelized red onion soup to be enjoyed with a crusty bread. Some of them will make their way into braised red cabbage and others will most likely top potatoes and grace other savory dishes.
tri_colored_carrots_from_local_roots_market
These carrots were roasted in the oven whole and we enjoyed them with a side of fingerling potatoes, brussels sprouts, and mushrooms. I also bought a few more balls of hand spun yarn from Trinity Woolen Mill, I forgot to take a photo of them until too late last night.
sage_in_window
I also scored a few bunches of sage which will come in handy for our Thanksgiving feast on Thursday and for savory soups throughout the winter. I didn’t buy any endive, I forgot actually. I have arugula growing in the garden so I didn’t buy any of that either.

What’s your favorite exotic vegetable?

And the Winner is: MAYBELLINE

November 23rd, 2009

Mr Chiots made a random number generator to pick the winner of the calendar. Who did it choose? Maybelline, is the winner of the large 2010 Chiot’s Run calendar.
calendar_outside
I must say, I’m very impressed with the quality of the calendar, the paper is heavy, the photos look great and it’s way bigger than I thought it would be (although I knew the dimensions, it seems bigger in real life). It’s quite amazing to see my photos this BIG. I never print them off and usually just looking at them on my computer or on the blog!
lulu_calendar
If you’d like to buy one use the links at the top in the sidebar, there’s a big one and small one. A big thanks to all of you who buy a calendar, I get a few dollars from each sale (helps me pay for the one I gave away and perhaps I’ll be able to buy a miniature Meyer lemon tree with the rest). Remember, calendars make a great Christmas gift, everyone needs one! Even if you don’t buy a calendar head on over to Lulu and rate my calendar (you can use the links in the sidebar)!

A big thanks to all of you who read my blog and take the time to comment, I always appreciate reading what you have to say. I wish I could give you all a calendar.

Local Roots Market in Wooster, OH

November 23rd, 2009

This past Saturday I went to the Local Roots Market in Wooster, Ohio. I heard about it this summer while at the local fair and I’ve been watching their website for news and updates. They opened recently and since I had Saturday off, I headed over to Wooster to see what the market was like.
local_roots_market_wooster
Their plan is to have an year-round indoor farmer’s market to connect the community with local sources of meat, dairy, vegetables, honey, and other locally produced products.
shopping_at_the_farmers_market
I was given a tour and told all about the future plans of the Local Roots Market. They plan on opening up a cafe that uses local food. A local butcher would like to open a shop in the back of the building selling locally raised meat. They want to install a commercial kitchen the farmers can use to add value to their produce. It’s a wonderful plan that I can get behind. I’m very excited to have a source for produce all winter long. I plan on attending several times a month (when I have a Sat off) and supporting this great initiative.
beef_farmer_at_market
There were a variety of farmers/artisans there on Saturday because they were holding their annual Holiday Market. Generally they don’t have vendors selling crafts. This is a nice change. I’ve heard that some farmer’s markets are more craft markets than produce markets.
note_cards_for_sale
The variety and quality of produce available was wonderful. I do love my local farmer’s market (which ended yesterday morning), but because it’s a very rural area the variety of produce is at times lacking. I’ve never seen arugula, endive, bitter greens, fingerling potatoes and other interesting items at my local market. This market featured many of the items I love to eat. I saw endive, arugula, purple and white carrots, all kinds of herbs, ground cherries, brussels sprouts on the stalk, spelt artisan bread, raw milk cheese, grass-fed beef, celery roots and much more.
grass_fed_cheese_at_market
carrots_at_local_roots_marketcauliflower_broccoli_at_market
cauliflower_for_sale
osage_oranged_at_marketfamers_market_produce_sign
potatoes_at_market
All the vendors have signs with their farm name, the type of farming they do: organic, conventional, integrated pest management, etc. This is great because you can look at the sign and know right away if the use chemicals or practice organic methods.
vendor_profile
shoppers_at_local_roots_market
The market was packed, which is always good to see. It’s clear that there are a lot of community members that are interesting in eating locally and strengthening the local food system and the local economy. I’ll show you all the delicious things I got tomorrow.

Have you found that the local food movement is growing in your area?

Last Chance

November 22nd, 2009

The calendars arrived yesterday, so I’ll be drawing a winner tomorrow. Make sure you comment on the calendar post for your chance to win. Maybelline is the winner but you can still buy a calendar. See the top of the sidebar for details.
calendar_front

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

Admin