Statistics I Like to Hear
Today in America there is soaring demand for local and regional food; farmers’ markets, of which the U.S.D.A. estimates there are now 4,700, have become one of the fastest-growing segments of the food market. Community-supported agriculture is booming as well: there are now nearly 1,500 community-supported farms, to which consumers pay an annual fee in exchange for a weekly box of produce through the season.
I’m doing my part to increase demand for local food. This year Mr Chiots and I started buying 80% of our food locally. We’re hoping to buy even more, some things like grains are difficult to find locally, but we do purchase them from small local bulk food stores so they’re fresher. We buy our chicken, eggs, beef and milk from Robert’s Farm (they also sell potatoes in the fall). We buy all of our produce at the farmer’s market and we try to preserve as much as we can to limit the need for buying from the grocery.
We grow some of our own veggies to further cut down on the traveling miles and environmental impact of our food. In future years we hope to grow even more of our own food as we add more and more edible plants & trees into our landscape.
What are you going to strengthen you local food supply?
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Algonquin Mill Festival – Take 2
On Sunday I went back to the Algonquin Mill Festival with Mr Chiots and a some friends.
On Sunday all the vintage cars are there. It’s always fun to see the old cars, I never see any old MINI’s though (Mr Chiot’s and I are saving up to buy one). 
They also have little antique booths with some interesting things. It’s always hard to leave without buying something old. (I wonder what people will sell from now in 100 years? i-pods????)
Every year there’s a dulcimer group there. It’s very interesting music. Mr Chiot’s and I collect Christmas music, so I got a CD for our collection. It will be perfect for relaxing with some hot cocoa to the light of the Christmas tree.
One thing I always buy at the festival is some sorghum syrup. My grandpa always tells stories of eating sorghum on biscuits. I use it in place of corn syrup in my pecan pies, you just can’t beat that flavor. They have a horse that is actually pressing the sorghum and they cook it down in big kettles over the fire.
On Sunday we once again ate pancakes (and I can’t believe I didn’t take a photo). They are that delicious. I’m sure all the other food is good, they have beans & cornbread, chili, sauerkraut, and a few of the more typical fair foods. We’ve never made it past the pancakes though. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make rag rugs like this. HM, perhaps that will be a good winter hobby. 
The sights and sounds of this little festival are just great. I love going back each and every year.
I’ve never bought any of the flour that they grind at the mill until this year, I decided to buy some blue cornmeal.
I’m trying to decide what to make with it, blue cornbread perhaps. Any suggestions?
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Algonquin Mill Festival
This weekend I attending the Algonquin Mill Festival, twice. On Friday I went with my parents, my sister and my 2 nieces and nephew, and on Sunday I want with Mr Chiots and some friends.
I had a great time both times, it’s definitely different when you go with kids. The girls love the Little House on the Prairie books so they kept saying, “Oh that’s just like Laura’s”. They had a great time seeing all the old stuff.
There were also thingsfor our little nephew to enjoy. He was fascinated by all the steam engines and the model trains. He’s also a big fan of tractors, and there were a bunch of those there as well.
We had some delicious pancakes made with flour ground at the mill – yum yum. We also enjoyed some ice cream churned by a steam engine, my dad can’t pass up ice cream any way it’s made.
The highlight of the kids day was the pony rides. They loved the ponies, by the end of the ride they knew the names of all the ponies.
I think the ponies liked having their pictures taken. This one, named Shorty, kept wanting to lick or eat my camera.
All-in-all we had a great day (both days). The kids were tired when we got back to my house, it looks like grandpa was pretty tired as well.
Anyone else like little festivals?
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A New Farmer’s Market: Orrville, Ohio
For the past 2 Thursdays I have visited the Orrville Farmer’s Market in Orrville, Ohio, I just happened to be in the area visiting my mom. It’s a small market, winding down for the season, but there’s still a treasure of stuff there. I found things that the Carrollton Farmer’s Market doesn’t have. It seems like a lot of the booths were offering specialty veggies like blue & cranberry potatoes, mini cabbages, heirloom garlic, and arugula.
I filled my bags will all kinds of goodies including: grass fed beef steaks, zucchini, a few pints of cherry tomatoes, garlic, apples (eating & cooking), grapes, decorative squash, beets, turnips, sweet potatoes, baby cabbage, and a few delicious baked goods (granola, peach gingerbread, peanut butter cookies). Too bad last week was the last market for the year (I’m glad the Carrollton one goes through Nov) or I’d head back over to buy some more goodies, especially some grapes.
Anyone else have a farmer’s market they love?
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Early Run to the Farmer’s Market
I know, I know, I’m always writing about the farmer’s market, so just don’t read on if you’re sick of it. One reason I started this blog was to have a sort of journal of things that go on around here. I write about what I get at the farmer’s market so that next summer I can check back and know what will appear at what time so I can plan my canning & preservation efforts.
I got up early Saturday morning to head off to the market. Mr Chiots and I had a wedding to film (that’s our profession check it out at 2nd Mile Productions), so I couldn’t take my normal leisurely trip. The alarm rang at 7:30 and by 8:15 I was out the door with coffee in hand. I ran to the market first and found fewer vendors that normal since it was raining.
But I was greeted with friendly smiling faces and a few, “Where were you last week, we didn’t see you?”. You never hear that at the grocery store.
I was delighted by all the winter squash that are appearing. I’ve been waiting to stock up so that we can continue eating locally this winter.
I picked up 3 butternuts and one HUGE* squash (I forget the name if anyone knows feel free to let me know, it’s that big pale orange one right behind the bag of corn). The lady at the booth said it was the best for pumpkin pie, and if you know me you know much I love pumpkin pie so I immediately said, “I’ll take it”. *when I got home I weighed it and it’s 20lbs.
A dozen ears of the last sweet corn of the season also made it into my shopping bags. I would have bought more, but since we had a wedding to film that day and I only had an hour to get ready to leave after I got home, I figured I wouldn’t have time to cook and cut it all.
I was also able to score a bushel of romas for canning and 5 quarts of poblano peppers for grilling & freezing, MMMMMM I can taste the smoky chili now, 2 quarts of fire roasted tomatoes, 3 grilled poblanos, 2 grilled onions, some pastured beef and spices, that’ll be warming on a cold winter day!
Mr Chiots is super excited that it’s finally apple season here in Ohio. Every week at the market they have new varieties. This week I picked up a peck of Gala apples for eating. I’m also hoping to make a batch of apple butter from all the varieties of cooking apples I’ve been buying at the market all summer (they’re all waiting in the crisper). I like to buy 4-5 different varieties of apples for making applesauce & apple butter, makes for more depth in flavor than if you have all one variety.
I also picked up bunch of organic carrots, a bunch of beets, and some green peppers. I haven’t decided what to do with these yet, maybe roasted root veggies (I’ll add some of those potatoes I bought last time). The green peppers will be grilled & frozen for winter pizzas & soups.
So what are you doing to continue eating locally this winter? We’re buying long-keeping squashes and doing some canning, trying to do our part for the Harvest Keepers Challenge.
