Mid-Atlantic Week #10

The Mid-Atlantic went out in a flourish this week with great meals and important testimonials to how this wonderful idea of Liz’s has changed their behavior.

Nicole from New Jersey is in Maine this week vacationing with her family. He post this week proves that you CAN dine locally when away from home. Anticipating their family meal of local lobster she reflects …“We are happy locavores this week.”

Naomi from Philadelphia’s made a hearty quiche filled with veggies from her co-op share.

Mac in Philadelphia provided a link to the Farm to Philly website. Please check it out. It is filled with wonderful meals that I may have missed these past weeks.

Mikaela from PA featured a Week #9 Meal brought to us by the letter “S” - scrumptious squashed and stuffed spicy seitan! Then this week she made her own pizza dough and her finale LOOKS scrumptious. She sums it up when she reflects:

“As much as I love to cook, and love local foods, I can truly say that never would've made a pizza from scratch had it not been for the challenge of OLS. Nor would I have considered using corn as a topping. But! These were all good decisions!

Thank you, Liz! You are amazing and inspiring and fun.”

You may recall that Seedling in NJ became a new mom this OLS season. A special congrats to her for posting when she could. Her meal this week was a simple frittata and her reflections on the 10 weeks are worth sharing here.

“More than material for blogging, we've enjoyed getting to know our local foodshed. Though the challenge may end here, we've got the know-how we need to keep eating locally, at least on some level. And the incentive, too, because meals made from mostly local ingredients are by far the tastiest.”

Christy in Delaware made a delicious looking potato-corn chowder and homemade crescent rolls. She reflected on how her habits for buying and for preserving local food have changed as a result of the challenge.

Rabi from NY had a meal of stuffed patty pan squash with roasted tomatoes, okra and potatoes. Hats off to Rabi for some of the finest food photography in the Mid-Atlantic. It has been a real treat!

Steph from PA made another frittata this week only THIS time with sweet peppers. Yum!

Thanks to everyone who participated and shared the bounty of the Mid-Atlantic region. It has been a pleasure to look over your shoulder in your kitchens and in your gardens. Have a great fall. And don't forget that September is this year's Eat Local Challenge month.

Mid Atlantic Week #9

I want to thank the four stalwarts who posted this week in One Local Summer. This week before school starts is about as busy as the winter holidays, so I understand that people are being pulled in other directions.

Nicole in New Jersey used local sausage and peppers for her main meal and then made a berry tart for dessert

Bezzie from New Jersey drew on local potatoes and Philly knockwurst for her local meal this week.

Over at Farm Dreams Christy in Delaware made pasta with her Mom and since Mom had never tasted pesto before, she made a pesto sauce for the homemade pasta.

Rabi from New York came through with two offerings. The first was a roasted eggplant pesto with green beans and squash sauce. And the second was a dinner of corn beet greens and mashed potatoes.

You guys rock. Stay with it for one more week.

The Mid-Atlantic OLS Week #8

With just a bit if a chill in the air this weekend, we offer the meals of the Mid-Atlantic rich in tomatoes and the garden's bounty

Jasmin NY (just outside Manhattan) posted a Week #7 meal that I missed because it was posted after six last week. It was a carrot, ginger and beet soup complete with recipe. Doesn’t it look scrumptious?

Naomi from Philadelphia’s contribution this week was a beef stir fry with tomatillos as the star ingredient.

Nicole channeled Grandma Aurora this week for a squash blossom recipe and added a zucchini basil cream sauce to pasta.

Bezzie from New Jersey made a black bean and corn salsa

Peg from New York posted our first ratatouille of the season. WE ought to have an award for the first person to put together a ratatouille.

Mikaela from PA made this impressive tortilla tower out of veggies from her CSA share and tempeh. A salad side and a slice of watermelon rounded out the plate.

Seedling in NJ’s dinner this week featured her own vine ripened tomatoes over a locally made pasta.

Using Bob’s Red Mill recipe Christy in Delaware made tortillas from scratch and then used them for yummy looking quesadillas

Rabi from NY used her left over veggies, some tofu and local buckwheat to make a tempting summer salad.

Great work everybody. Let's keep the good news coming her ein the last two weeks.

Week #7 Mid-Atlantic

Naomi from Philadelphia made this lovely seitan and onion and pepper sauté.

Meredith in Pennsylvania made her favorite pasta sauce with loads of sweet peppers from her garden including a “sheepnose pimento.”

Seedling in NJ has reason for celebration! An hour after eating her Week #6 Meal she went into labor and delivered a healthy baby daughter! She has submitted that meal of local pork chop, potatoes and patty pan squash as her this week’s offering. Golly I feel like a grandmother ;-)

Christy in Delaware made a meal of maple glazed pork chops, royal purple beans and corn. Makes your mouth water.

The most colorful meal of Week #7 was had by Linda from New York . She complemented her home grown frozen chicken with beets and peaches and blueberries and corn

Nicole is upping the ante. She posts two meals this week. One a meal inspired by other OLS posters Tortilla Espanola with Swiss chard and the other meal a gazpacho with cornbread.

Rabi from NY used local peaches to make two different all local desserts. Don’t they look great?

While I imagine the drop off in participation is directly related to summer travels, I am sure that all of us are enjoying the rich local bounty that is available in August. Thanks to everyone who made time to post this week. Only three more to go … keep them coming!

Mid-Atlantic Week Six

This was the “week of the frittata” in the Mid-Atlantic. Lots of local eggs went into this week’s meals.

Nicole reported in with a Chard Tart with a side of huge cherry tomatoes and melon and blueberries for dessert

Naomi from Philadelphia was able to put together a tofu stir fry from local ingredients over a bed of greens.

Bezzie from New Jersey made a chicken quesadilla with salsa. Her salsa photo is fun.

Peg from New York made a mouth watering Potato, Onion and Tomato Frittata with Goat Cheese.

Jasmin adapted a Deborah Madison recipe and made Potato and Pesto Croquettes this week. Doesn’t that look good?

Christy in Delaware made her first ever frittata featuring blue potatoes from he garden.

Rabi from NY missed her Week Five posting due to an emergency room visit … but please check it out here. She also did a bonus meal for Week#5 brought to you by the letter B

Linda from New York has returned from her family travels and welcomed the chance to eat local again. Her meal consisted of barbequed pork chops (from the “eternal pig”) a potato and bean salad and fried green tomatoes.

Mikaela made some whole wheat tortillas and filled them with local veggies and tofu scrambler. The bean salad and corn sides and the strawberry dessert made for a very attractive plate.

Great job everybody!!!! Look forward to next week !

The Mid-Atlantic OLS Week #5

We had some participants drop out and some drop in this week in the Mid-Atlantic.

After a two week hiatus, Naomi made a saute of local tofu, peppers squash and mushrooms and served it over local greens.

Peg put together a BLT made with homemade bread. And although the bacon was not local, the other items like corn on the cob, summer squash and peaches were. Boy, a BLT … what a great idea.

Nicole now has a blog up and running! Congrats, Nicole. In fact she did TWO meals this week! A Corn, Tomato and Potato Salad followed by a Peach Tart. A Nicoise Salad minus the tuna and a Cantaloupe Granita. Recipes are included!

Mikaela has found a wealth of vegan protein sources in Pennsylvania. This week’s meal was a barbeque of summer squash, onion, and tempeh. A chilled salad of orange and red tomatoes with green beans rounded out the plate and peaches and strawberries were for dessert. Just in case you think tempeh can’t make your mouth water, take a look at THIS.

Though she wasn’t able to snap a picture of it, Meredith grilled a local portabella mushroom and put it on a grass fed burger … had a side of sweet corn and a dessert of fresh white peaches.

Seedling got her husband to make this week’s menu … Eggplant mozzarella, salad, local rolls and corn.

Christy, who btw has done a great job tracking the Farm Bill for us, made her own pasta this week from local ingredients and tossed it with local pesto. Her son loved cutting the noodles.

Steph G made a meal with a southwestern flair this week. Using hot peppers, green peppers, scallions, tomatoes and local free range chicken, she put together a Southwestern Chicken and Veggie Sautee. But the REAL event was the cornbread that she put together with locally ground corn meal.

Mid-Atlantic Week #4

The dishes this week show some of the variety that is showing up in mid-Atlantic markets this week

Mikaela made a monster salad from her CSA share this week that included shredded beets and turnips, cukes, banana peppers, carrots and radishes topped with a cherry tomato from the garden. On the side she had corn and artichokes (yes local artichokes!) as well as tofu on sautéed Swiss chard.

Mac in Philadelphia had a juicy local Delmonico steak with local mashed potatoes and green beans

Bezzie made a delicious salad of local tomatoes and cucumbers. She says these are baby steps, but it sure looks tasty to me.

Managing the harvest has become a challenge for Peg. But she did manage to put a topping of green bean puree on a locally grown potato this week. I think that counts!

Seedling broke out the pasture fed beef from the freezer and added locally made pasta and a CSA salad to round out her meal this week

Jasmin made a dessert this week from local ingredients and added to my culinary knowledge bank with a “Dutch Baby.” Her Dutch Baby was topped with local apples and peaches. Yum

Because her husband is out of town this week, Christy and her kids decided to have breakfast for dinner with Whimsical Farm scrambled eggs and Rumbleway Farm bacon.

Rabi proved that even when you are on the road you can put together “fruits and leaves.” Check out her apricot and cucumber salad.

While the rest of us are still struggling to meet this challenge, Linda has taken it up a notch. She is building her OLS meal around a different cuisine each week … This week it was Spain where the Torta Espanola was the centerpiece. The slide show she has put together of this meal is not to be missed.

Congratulations to everyone who participated this week.

Mid-Atlantic Week #3

As I sit here in New England, keeping vigil over green tomatoes, my mouth is watering as the Mid-Atlantic entries feature the tomato and even PEACHES in their local meals this week.

Nicole from New Jersey, an emailer, got out her pasta machine again only this time made an Herbed Pasta with Tomatoes, Broccoli and Feta

She ended the meal with a bowl of ripe blueberries

In “the city” Elisabeth made a squash frittata with local eggs and squash.

Peg from New York is lucky enough to live near a farm stand that offers local food for lunch. She ate a grilled panini with zucchini cheese and greens made at her local Blooming Hill farm stand. What a convenient way to eat local.

Mikaela from PA made a wonderful veggie sandwich on a baguette, a salad of beets and beans, some local cherries and washed it all down with a Yeungling lager.

A local chicken was on Seedling in NJ’s plate this week. Her CSA share provided abundant greens for the salad.

Using a whole wheat penne pasta from Harrisburg, PA Christy in Delaware shares the secret of a spicy sauce recipe she learned from an Italian chef while on a cruise. Check it out.

Once again Rabi from NY created the most adventurous offering of cherry-rhubarb glazed tofu & peas in a turnip nest.

Linda from New York gives thanks to the pig that keeps on giving. She made ribs from her fall pig and had potatoes and squash on the side. She even made a and made a Cherry Clafouti for dessert. I also encourage you to look at her Week #2 meal that I missed last week … a delicious stew.

Steph from PA joined the ranks this week posting an egg pie, red potatoes and green beans with PEACHES for dessert …. Wow peaches!

ETA: Meredith from PA was planning on including what she thought were local canned mushrooms in her omelet, but a look at the can told her that those Pennsylvania Dutchman 'shrooms had a Chinese accent. It just shows that it does pay to read the labels, folks.

Great job everybody!!!! I am looking forward to next week !

Week Two in the Mid-Atlantic

We had a bigger turnout this week in the Mid-Atlantic. Everyone is going at this with gusto and it is fun to read about all your meals.

In “the city” Elisabeth found some Swiss chard from Troy, NY and spiced it up with red pepper flakes and an herbed goat cheese from Coach Farms.

My mouth was watering when I saw pictures of Naomi from Philadelphia’s whole wheat linguine with ground beef, kale, zucchini, yellow squash, garlic scapes, fresh mozzarella, and lemon basil.

Mac in Philadelphia celebrated the Fourth of July by grilling a Natural Acres Farm Porterhouse and dressing it with zucchini ribbons form the garden.

Bezzie from New Jersey found a locally made cheddarwurst that she says rivals Johnsonville Brats in flavor and put it on a Chambersburg, PA bun. And the side was locally grown Jersey corn.

Peg from New York took a recipe from Lauren in CA's Week #1 entry and made up a zucchini, chard and blue potato casserole. And on the side she had some roasted potatoes with her famous garlic scape pesto. It is a reminder to all of us to browse the OLS site for ideas for our own table

Angela in PA proved that the rich offerings of Lancaster County can provide not only local chickena and hamburger, but also local pretzels and potato chips. (I, for one, was amazed in Hanover County, PA to find an entire aisle dedicated to pretzels. It is its own food group I think.)

Mikaela from PA was INSPIRED this week to make pesto from garlic scapes, basil and CHERRIES and lather it on a local Foccacia and top with squash. But that’s not all! Check it out … it’s a great read.

At the center of Seedling in NJ’s plate this week was a local pork chop. It was surrounded by local steamed greens and beets and topped with baby onions from their CSA share.

This week Christy in Delaware made a barbeque chicken and added local broccoli and roasted potatoes. The names of her food sources roll off the tongue like locations in a Beatrix Potter story … Rumbleway and Lockbriar Farms.

What do you get when you put summer squash, kasha and kale togther? Well Rabi from NY likes to call it Squasha Skale. The presentation is top notch, Rabi!

Linda from New York had a hankering for dandelion green, mushroom, garlic linguine and it got her musing about the food pendulum and how it swings.

And last but not least, Meredith in Pennsylvania made a small concession for her picky eater husband, but more than made up for it with homemade black raspberry sorbet.

I heard from two emailers this week: Laura from PA had a hot summer's night veggie meal of corn on the cob with grilled green peppers, sweet onions, zucchini and garlic

Nicole from New Jersey emailed in her report and it was an enthusiastic account of how she has resurrected her old pasta machine and baked her first pie form scratch. Once again she chose a recipe from Epicurious : Pasta with Pesto Broccoli and Potatoes

Here is her ingredients list

-red-skinned potatoes: purchased at Terhune Orchards (appx 30 miles), but of unknown origins
-broccoli: from Honey Brook CSA (appx 30 miles)
-linguine: homemade of long distance King Arthur flour and local eggs
-pesto: homemade of Honey Brook and home garden basil and (really)
-long distance olive oil and Parmesan

She ended the meal with a Berry Tart with Berries that her girls had picked at Terhune Orchards

Great job everybody!!!! Look forward to next week !

The Mid-Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA, DE)

The first week in the Mid-Atlantic region was rich in variety and innovation. I was impressed with the number of entries that are exploring new sources for things like flour and dairy for NEXT week.

Naomi from Philadelphia was able to fit a local meal into her busy week that even turned into lunch the next day. She made an Indian stir-fry of local seitan and local eggplant.

Mac in Philadelphia put together a meal of local organic chicken,Yukon gold mashed potatoes and sautéed garlic scapes.

Peg from New York learned how to make whole wheat noodles with a garlic scape pesto. She’s still “noodling” a local source for Parmesean cheese.

Mikaela from PA used veggies from her local CSA and a local source of tofu and blueberry wine to make a yummy local meal.

Meredith in PA used her own raspberries and radishes in a meal of squash, local burgers, salad and raspberry dessert

Seedling in NJ grilled up some local chicken, gnocchi made in the Bronx, veggies from her CSA, and some PA mushrooms.

Christy in Delaware made a sweet potato bread, sautéed up some asparagus and purple green beans and put a local grass fed steak on the grill.

Rabi in NYC pulled together a colorful meal of roasted beets, black eyed peas and a turnip scallion mash with a jerk seitan.

Linda from New York had a grilled round steak with mashed potatoes and a salad with local greens and eggs from her hens.

And now for the emailers. Several in the region have chosen to participate by email, but this week I heard only from Nicole from New Jersey. She made a meal of Summer Squash Fritters with Feta accompanied by Greek yogurt and a red leaf salad. Here's a link to the original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/238266

Summer Squash Fritters with Feta and Yogurt

Zucchini and summer squash from Honeybrook Organic farm (my CSA - 30 miles away)

Italian parsley & scallions from Honeybrook

2 eggs from from Running Free Organic Farm

Dried dill - not local but purchased in bulk from Basil Bandwagon, the local health food store

Salt, olive oil & corn oil from far, far away

All purpose flour from far far away (though I'll be ordering some

(almost) locally milled organic flour in the next few weeks)

Feta cheese - bit of a mystery - the package says Delaware, but I can't find any info about the company online.

Plain Greek yogurt - homemade with non-local milk (though I've since found one source of local(ish) milk)

Red leaf salad from Honeybrook with homemade dressing (made of non-local stuff).

Cherry Pie (recipe courtesy of Baking Illustrated).

Cherries from Terhune Orchards

Ok, so the pie crust isn't exactly local - but it was such fun picking the cherries and making a real homemade pie :)

Congratulations to everyone! And if I missed you, please leave a comment so I can be sure to include you next week.