Twice a year, during our Eat Local Challenges, the Belfast Co-op collaborates with other community organizations to bring the importance of locally grown food to the forefront. Last November we partnered with Maine Farmland Trust whose mission is to preserve Maine’s rapidly decreasing farmland. This March we are partnering with MOFGA, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, in order to highlight the ecological benefits of small, local & organic farms. MOFGA’s mission is to “…help farmers and gardeners: grow organic food, fiber and other crops; protect the environment; recycle natural resources; increase local food production; support rural communities; and illuminate for consumers the connection between healthful food and environmentally sound farming practices.” To find out more about MOFGA visit their website at http://www.mofga.org/.

For our March Challenge, we encourage your participation in one of three ways: educate yourself on the impact of your food choices on our environment, boost the local economy by spending $15/wk on local food, and celebrate the Eat Local Challenge with local food and entertainment.

On March 9^th, Jean English will talk with us on how to get our organic gardens going for the season; her talk will encourage us to not only improve our personal food security by “growing our own” but also provide pointers on how to do so without synthetic and chemical fertilizers or pest control that can have damaging environmental and personal health consequences.

On March 23rd the “Big River Harvest Tour” will be coming to Belfast. Join us for a screening of the short version of “King Corn” and its sequel “Big River” along with a discussion led by Heather Spalding of MOFGA about the connections between agriculture and the health of our environment. Resources are also available throughout the store and on our website to provoke thoughtful contemplation on this topic.

Participants can also challenge themselves to boost our local economy by spending $15 a week on locally-grown foods. Participants of previous Challenges may notice that we’ve upped the ante on participation for this March by $5. All customers who spend $15 on 100% Maine-grown products during a shopping trip will be eligible to enter a raffle for a local foods gift basket valued at $100 and chock full of delicious offerings. In order to encourage participation in the Challenge, the Co-op will be placing a number of qualifying items on sale during the month of March; look for more info about what is local and on-sale by picking up a sales flyer at any one of the front registers. If you are stumped about what to cook with what’s available this time of year, you can visit our recipe board at the end of aisle 2 for at least 15 ideas.

And finally, join us on March 24th for our Eat Local Challenge Celebration. Since our previous late winter Challenge in March 2009, the Co-op has been working to quantify the impact that the growth of the local foods movement is making on our community. We’ve been tracking our weekly sales of 100% Maine-grown products, and, with community input, have conducted a thorough inventory of the necessary elements, both existing and needed, to support a sustainable local foods economy. The celebration will provide us with an opportunity to reflect and measure the substance of what our community has accomplished in previous challenges, and look forward to the new opportunities and avenues for participation.

In addition, along with the traditional local food potluck there will be a Locavore Variety Show. All are welcome to bring a song to share, a poem to read or some other inspiration around local food. We want to encourage you to think outside the box. Just stick with the theme, “local entertainment about locally grown food.”  The celebration will take place from 5pm to 8pm at the UU Church in Belfast and all are welcome to attend. Donations will be accepted to benefit MOFGA.

Look for more information about the Eat Local Challenge at our website as of March 1st, www.belfast.coop. You can also visit our blog for recipes, local food resources and tips and tricks, www.belfast.coop/blog/.

Belfast is the hotbed of Local Food Activity. We are doing things in isolated packets all around the State. How can we bring projects together and help to create a viable local food system. The following is a list of what we have for a local food system and what we need. It is not a complete list but is the beginning of trying to identify a just and secure local food system.

Pieces of the Food System We Have

(Participants of the session named farms and organizations that they had a connection with. Not all the pieces were named.)

Organizations

• Belfast Co-op (specializes in local food)
• Farmer’s Market
• Troy Howard Middle School Garden Project
• Crown of Maine Distributors
• Fiddler’s Green Grain Mill
• MOFGA
• Maine Farmland Trust
• Agriculture Extension Service
• Tanglewood
• Fedco
• Food For Maine’s Future
• Cooperative Maine

Grassroots Actions

• Local Foods Momentum in this Area
• Steady Supply of local food at times
• Value added
• Demand
• Pollinators
• Failure of a large corporate food structure (food recalls)
• New Farmer Generation
• Chrissy Fowler
• Belfast Co-op
• Support for Good Food Policy
• Channel 2 Belfast TV
• Belfast Free Library
• WERU
• Murray Carpenter (MPBN)
• Vermont as a Model
• Unity College

Farmers and Fisherfolk

• Meadowsweet Farm
• Teltane Farm
• Peacemeal Farm
• Chases Daily (restaurant and farm)
• Dilly Dally Farm
• Freedom Farm
• Little Garlic Girl Farm
• Village Farm
• Jan and Dean Anderson CSA
• Half Moon Farm
• Fisher Farm
• Sand Hill Farm
• Sewalls Orchard
• Gardiner’s Honey
• Heiwa Tofu
• Hope’s Edge
• After the Fall Farm
• Terra Optima
• Wee Bit Meat
• Caldwell’s meats and milk
• Oyster Creek Mushrooms
• Port Clyde Fisherman’s Co-operative
• Off’s Farm
• White’s Orchard Dairy
• Dickson’s Butter
• (There are many more)

Pieces of the Food System We Need and who we can look to for guidance:

Local Food School- Ag Vo Tech School

• Massachusetts has a model
• John Thurston at Troy Howard Middle School
• John Piotti at Maine Farmland Trust

Maple Syrup Cooperative

• Jennifer Hill of Cooperative Maine

Grains Year Round

• Mark Fulford

Another Sap Pail for local food in Belfast (The Compost Pile)

Fresh Greens Year Round

• Don White
• Elliot Coleman
• Half Moon Gardens
• Andre Bella (has a green house in Belfast that isn’t being used)

Winter Farmers

Collaborative Cooking

Community Root Cellar

Community Gardens

• Freddie La Port
• Marshall Mittnick

Home Gardens-Victory Gardens

• Jan and Dean Anderson

Community Canning/Processing

• MOFGA
• Extension Service
• Soup Kitchen could use canning and gleaning volunteers

Federal and State Support for Small Farmers

• MOFGA
• Food For Maine’s Future
• CDC

Affordable Farmland

Restaurant Support (labels for food when it is local)

• Sam Heyward

Outreach to Youth

• teachers
• MEA
• Belfast Co-op
• Other organizations

Internships & Apprenticeships Programs about local Food (Barter work for education)

• WOOFERS volunteer on farms around the world for room and board
• Farm link

Awareness about responsible consumption vs over consumption.

• Waste, climate change….the broad picture….the real cost of cheap food
• Composting City wide, Human manure
• Mark Dittrick (Waste Management Specialist)
• Vermont model

1)Evaporated milk
2)Dried milk powder
3)Dried soy powder
4)Wheat germ
5)Masa harina (for tortillas)
6)Sliced deli turkey
7)Sliced deli ham
8)Sliced deli roast beef
9)Croutons
10)English muffins
11)Apple cider vinegar
12)Pancake mix
13)Flax seeds
14)Walnuts
15)Soy or beeswax candles
16)Frozen fruit popsicles
17)Dried fruit leathers: cherry, apple, grape, raspberry, strawberry, apricot
18)Split peas
19)Buckwheat groats
20)Frozen peas
21)Frozen green beans
22)Frozen corn
23)Frozen carrots
24)Frozen broccoli
25)Frozen cauliflower
26)Frozen squash
27)Frozen blackberries
28)Frozen strawberries
29)Frozen raspberries
30)Frozen cranberries
31)Frozen wheat pie crusts
32)Frozen spelt pie crusts
33)Frozen waffles
34)Steel cut oats
35)Barley
36)Beer
37)Granola
38)Granola bars
39)Salsa
40)Kefir
41)Margarine
42)Sour cream
43)Miso
44)Oat milk
45)Soy milk
46)Tomato Juice
47)Blueberry juice
48)Cherry juice
49)Grape juice
50)Apple juice
51)Fruit flavored sodas
52)Crackers
53)Chicken sausages
54)Salami
55)Prosciutto
56)Dried apples
57)Dried blueberries
58)Dried cranberries
59)Dried cherries
60)Dried apricots
61)Applesauce
62)Goat’s milk soaps
63)Tamari
64)Shoyu
65)Pumpkin seeds
66)Wild rice
67)Sunflower seed butter
68)Walnut butter
69)Chicken stock/broth
70)Beef stock/broth
71)Vegetable stock/broth
72)Sunflower oil
73)Walnut oil
74)Corn oil
75)Soy oil
76)Canola oil
77)Alfalfa seeds, and others, for sprouting
78)Cucumber pickles
79)Cucumber relish
80)Ketchup
81)Prepared pizza crust
82)Spaghetti sauce
83)Canned beans
84)Canned peas
85)Canned carrots
86)Canned corn
87)Canned asparagus
88)Canned tomatoes
89)Dried herbs
90)Dried spices
91)Dried medicinal herbs
92)Tortilla chips
93)Winter greens (steady supply)
94)Polenta
95)Dried mashed potatoes
96)Cracked wheat
97)Bee pollen
98)Brewer’s yeast
99)Prepared canned soups
100)Popped and packaged popcorn

We are fortunate to be able to procure many of our staple foods locally, and a changing variety of fresh, seasonal, local produce as well. Bring this shopping list with you the next time you are at the Co-op to make it easy to spot local foods. Availability is subject to the seasons and market supply, so it is a good idea to ask a staff person for assistance if you can’t find the items you are looking for.

–> Click here for PRINTABLE SHOPPING LIST

Meat and Cheese Department

• Goat’s Milk Cheeses: Sunset Acres, Seal Cove, or Appleton Creamery

• Cow’s Milk Cheeses: cheddar and colby from Sonnental Dairy

• Beef: Caldwell Farms or Wee Bit Farms

• Pork: Wee Bit Farms

• Turkey: The Turkey Farm

• Chicken: Mainely Poultry

• Rabbit: Mainely Poultry

• Seafoods: haddock, shrimp, crab, and scallops

Dairy Department

• Milk: Garelick Farms (conventional), Caldwell Family Farm (organic and unpasteurized), or Organic Cow

• Butter: Kate’s Homemade, or Dickson’s

• Yogurt: White Gold (unpasteurized)

• Eggs: Bowden’s, Parent’s, Rolling Acres, Conscious Possibilities, or Tangled Oak

Bulk Department

• Flours: whole wheat, buckwheat, spelt

• Rolled Oats

• Beans: marifax, Jacob’s cattle, soldier, cranberry, and Maine Yellow Eye

Produce Department

• Winter: look for root vegetables, winter squash, apples, potatoes, onions, garlic, cabbages, cider, occasional greens (mesclun mix, chard, kales), and seeds for your own garden

• Spring: look for lingering root crops, spring dug parsnips, leeks, potatoes, onions, spinach, kales, Jerusalem artichokes, and other greens, sprouts, and high-quality seedlings for your own garden

• Summer: look for peas, asparagus, beans, summer squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes, scallions, berries, lettuce, peaches, plums, carrots, celery, corn, broccoli, cauliflower, melons, potatoes, cabbages, beets, garlic

• Fall: look for apples, pears, winter squash, onions, garlic, lettuce, greens, root vegetables, cabbages, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussell sprouts, fresh cider

Grocery Department

• Salt: Maine Sea Salt Co.

• Maple Syrup: Strawberry Hill or Unique Golden Road

• Honey: Gardiner’s, or Swans

• Popcorn: Maine Popcorn Company

• Teas: Highland Organic Blueberry Tea or Avena Botanical’s Garden Tea

• Soup Mixes: Give Peas a Chance, and various mixes from the Beanery

• Dried Seaweeds: Maine Coast Sea Vegetables

• Dilly Beans: Spruce Bush Farms

• Tinned Herring: Bar Harbor

• Canned Blueberries and Blueberry Juice: Wyman’s

• Blueberry Syrup and Jam: Fiddler’s Green

• Bread: Borealis Aroostook Wheat

• Water: Spring Valley and Mount Desert

Frozen Department

• Cottage Cheese: Nezinscot Farms

• Blueberries: Blue Barrons Farm

• Seafoods: groundfish, shrimp, and crab available seasonally

Wine Department

• Cranberry and Apple Wines: Winterport Winery

• Maine Meads (honey wines): Honeymaker

Sweeteners: To use honey in place of sugar, use 7/8 cup for every cup of sugar, and reduce the liquid in the recipe by 3 tablespoons. To use maple syrup in place of a cup of sugar in baking, use 3/4 cup, but decrease the total amount of liquid in the recipe by about 3 tablespoons for each cup of syrup you use.

Vinegar: Vinegar is another way to add interesting flavors when spices are not available. Ask around; If you haven’t made any someone in your community may have some.

Salt: It is a locally produced product.  Look for it from the Maine Sea Salt company at the Co-op.  You can also use seaweed to add salty flavors to recipes, which adds in extra nutrition as well as flavor.

Cooking fats: Can’t find a locally-produced oil that is suitable for high heat cooking?  Try ghee.  Ghee is made by clarifying butter.  Melt 1 # of butter on medium heat.  Reduce heat slightly once butter just comes to a boil.  You will notice that as the butter continues to boil, the solids will separate out from the liquid; continue to cook until the remaining liquid turns golden brown.  The ghee is done when the liquid is clear all the way to the bottom (about 15 minutes.)  Strain liquid through a cheesecloth to remove any remaining solids and store the ghee in an airtight container at room temperature indefinitely.

Cooking Stocks: Don’t throw those food scraps away!  Veggie, chicken, and beef stock can provide excellent flavor additions to a variety of food when certain spices are not available.  Stocks can be used in sauces, casseroles, soups, and as cooking liquid for grains.  To make a stock, combine veggie scraps, animal bones, and any available herbs or seasonings in a large stock pot.  Pour in enough cold water to cover the contents of your pot and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and continue cooking.  Veggies will give up most of their flavors within 45 minutes, and bones or meat scraps should boil for a couple of hours.  You can strain out all the solids and continue cooking your stock down until the flavors become as rich and concentrated as you like.  Any salt that you would like to add for flavoring shouldn’t be added until the end.  Make a big batch and store it in the freezer so you always have some on hand.

Cheese making: Cheese can be very simple and fun to make at home. Try it, you might like it!  The following is an excellent website for making simple yogurt and cheese:  http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/CHEESE.HTML.

Dry it, freeze it, can it or ferment it. There are many ways that you can “put by” or store produce when it is in season so that it will be available to you year round.  If you aren’t familiar with these techniques, maybe now is the time to learn.  Both MOFGA and the UMaine Co-operative Extension offer workshops on food preservation, or you can find how-to materials at your local library.

Stock up!: Buy an abundance of produce when it is in season.  It will save you money and make you feel rich in food security when you bring home that bushel of onions.

Consider joining a CSA. A Community Supported Agriculture program can keep you in fresh produce throughout the year.  And you get the benefit of knowing that you are directly supporting the livelihood of another member of your community.  Put a face with your food!  To find a Community Supported Agriculture program near you, pick up a handout at the Co-op or download a list of CSA’s sorted by county from MOFGA’s website:  www.mofga.org

Grow it! Imagine being able to eat your very own locally grown food this year.  You could grow a small container garden on your porch, convert some of your lawn into an edible landscape, or join or start a community garden.  A small windowsill herb garden could be kept going through the winter so you have fresh seasonings throughout the year.  Contact  Carolyn Pressley or Marshall Mittnick at 338-0842  for more information about the community garden project in Belfast.

Clean out your closet. A closet in an unheated room of your house could be the perfect area for storing an abundance of root crops during the winter.  Get ready by finding a new home for closet clutter and read up about innovative methods for winter storage.  Try Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel.

Talk to your farmers: Farmers may have other products that they don’t make available for sale at market, or might be able to sell to you in bulk quantities.  Farmers are also often in touch with other producers and growers that you don’t see at your local farmer’s market and could put you in touch with other resources for local ingredients that you are looking for.

Ask at a Food Co-op: Your local food co-op buys from many local growers. Don’t hesitate to ask about pre-ordering local foods in bulk when they are in season. Sometimes we can also special order items that are not on the shelf.

Ingredients
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup water
* 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
* Optional Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.

Method
1 Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.

2 At this point you can add all number of optional ingredients. We typically mix in a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel. You can add a cup of raisins or currants. You can add up to a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness. Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice can be added too.

3 Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Cranberry sauce base makes 2 1/4 cups.

Cranberry Relish Recipe (raw)

Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Ingredients
* 2 cups washed raw cranberries
* 2 skinned and cored apples
* 1 large, whole (peel ON) seedless orange, cut into sections
* 2 cups granulated sugar

Method
1 Set up the grinder with a medium-sized blade on the edge of a table with a large roasting pan or bowl to catch the mix as it grinds. These old fashioned grinders tend to leak some of the juice down the grinder base, so you may want to set up an additional pan on the floor under the grinder to catch the drips. If you don’t have an old-fashioned grinder you can use a grinder attachment on a KitchenAid mixer, you can chop by hand (though that will take a lot of work), or you can chop in a food processor (be very careful not to over-pulse, or you’ll end up with mush).

2 Run fruit through a grinder. Use the entire (seedless) orange, peels, pith and all.

3 Mix in the sugar. Let sit at room temperature until sugar dissolves, about 45 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 3 cups.

_____________________
From Elise Bauer’s Simply Recipes” website.

Servings: Serves 10.

20-ounces cooked lima beans (Use a local cranberry bean if it is available)
20-ounce corn kernels
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup half and half

2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
4 tablespoons chopped chives or green onions

Heat lima beans in large pot of boiling salted water. Add corn kernels and cook until both vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes longer. Drain.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in vegetables and sugar. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Add half and half to vegetables in skillet and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 2 tablespoons chives. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons chives and serve.

_________________________
Adapted to local ingredients from recipe at Epicurious .

]]> http://belfast.coop/blog/?feed=rss2&p=70 0 http://belfast.coop/blog/?p=69 http://belfast.coop/blog/?p=69#comments Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:14:02 +0000 paul http://belfast.coop/blog/?p=69 “Common crackers,” good-keeping hard wheat flour crackers akin to ship’s biscuits or hardtack, were found in early New England households and often made their way into poultry stuffing or “dressings.” In this recipe, we add leeks and large quantities of the kinds of herbs cultivated in Colonial kitchen gardens.

Servings: Serves 10.

1 16-ounce loaf firm bread (do not trim crusts), cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 leeks (white and pale green parts only), halved lengthwise, rinsed, thinly sliced

2 medium onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups coarsely crumbled crackers
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 tablespoon dried
3 tablespoons chopped fresh savory or 1 tablespoon dried

3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread bread on 2 large baking sheets. Bake until just dry but not brown, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Transfer to very large bowl.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add leeks, onions and celery and sauté until tender but not brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to bowl with bread. Mix in cracker crumbs, herbs, salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Butter 2-quart baking dish. Mix milk into dressing. Reserve about 6 cups dressing for turkey. Mix 1/2 cup broth into remaining dressing and transfer to prepared baking dish. Cover with foil. Bake dressing in covered dish alongside turkey for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until golden brown on top, about 20 minutes longer.

_________________________
Adapted to local ingredients from recipe at Epicurious .

]]> http://belfast.coop/blog/?feed=rss2&p=69 0 http://belfast.coop/blog/?p=68 http://belfast.coop/blog/?p=68#comments Sun, 26 Oct 2008 20:10:29 +0000 paul http://belfast.coop/blog/?p=68

The name Indian pudding comes from the addition of cornmeal here — early colonists called most everything made with corn “Indian.” Originally the pudding was cooked in a pot over the open hearth and was very dense. This is a lighter version baked in a modern oven, but we kept the traditional step of pouring milk or cream over the top of the pudding before cooking it.

Servings: Serves 10.

Ice cream (or Whip Cream)
1 quart vanilla ice cream or frozen vanilla yogurt, slightly softened
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Pudding
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

2 large eggs
1/2 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses (Substitute maple syrup or honey to make it local)
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar (use honey or Maple syrup)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins

For ice cream:
Stir ice cream and nutmeg in medium bowl to blend. Cover with foil and freeze. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.)

Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter 8×8x2-inch glass baking dish. Combine cornmeal and salt in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually whisk in 21/2 cups milk. Whisk over medium heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until mixture is thick and creamy, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Whisk in butter. Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs, molasses, brown sugar, ground ginger and cinnamon in large bowl. Gradually whisk in hot cornmeal mixture. Stir in raisins. Pour pudding into prepared baking dish. Pour remaining 1/2 cup milk over pudding (do not mix into pudding). Place pudding dish in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of pudding dish.

Bake pudding until just set, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Remove pudding from roasting pan. Cool until lukewarm, about 20 minutes. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cool; cover with plastic and let stand at room temperature. Rewarm covered pudding in microwave oven on low about 8 minutes.)

Spoon warm pudding into shallow bowls. Top with scoop of ice cream (or Whip Cream).

_________________________
Adapted to local ingredients from recipe at Epicurious .

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