LocalrootZ Project

2011 in Review....Vineyards & Orchards

2012-02-11T20:34:00.001-05:00

Ok Ok so the blog has been simmering on the back burner as the new year has come and gone. We are enjoying our lives as a married couple and have adapted our lifestyles in various directions since this blog has started back in 2009... Seems so long ago, if your interested check out the first three posts of the initial localrootz project ( Day One * Day Two * Day Three ).

Anyhow, yes things are different, our dedication towards living car free and eating a locally based diet is still strong but we have relaxed our values for some added excitement, practicability and to be blunt occasional laziness that is much more common in the midst of these cold grey days of Maine's winter....

So what does this mean for the blog ? Is this the end... No in fact it is a new beginning, I am excited to add some much needed variety and less regimented posting. So please do not be surprised if you start noticing a smorgasbord of postings touching on music, art, food, restaurants, wine, beer, farms... I have so many ideas... but no promises.

Here is a peak into the last few months of research !

the cows at Savage Oakes Winery in Union, Me.

Check em out @ SAVAGE OAKES Vinyard & Winery !

This was one of the many amazing stops on our midcoast honeymoon. We arrived there after spending lunch time eating strawberry shortcake at Beth's Farm Market and visiting Sweetgrass Farm Winery & Distillery for a tasting. Keith at Sweetgrass gave us a personal tasting right in the barn where the all the magic happens and we had a hard time finding something we didn't want among his vast array of products... they really are all worth trying.

That being said if I had to pick a top three Sweetgrass products Id say:

#1 Apple Brandy

#2 Cranberry Gin

#3 Blueberry Wine Oaked

Ok I digress, it was a fun filled day and these three great places are all within a half hour of each other by car... daytrip by bicycle. Anyway as we pulled into Savage Oakes we were greeted by a friendly dog and a fella on a ladder who was painting the small barnshed-store.

Inside we met Holly Savage and she actually had recognized us from the Portland Press Herald article where we mentioned their wine as one of the few Maine wines that are made using Maine ingredients and in their case as you will see actual GRAPES !

After chatting with Holly, strolling through the vineyard and tasting some wonderful wines...

Top three Savage Oakes Wines !

#1 Georges White

An off-dry blend of our own, Cayuga grapes. It's fruitiness is revealed in hints of citrus and melon, while allowing the crisp acids to produce a mouth watering finish. Residual sugar .75%

Crisp citrus notes with a slight sweetness made this one the winner as it was summer time.. in fact we enjoyed this wine while dining with Cassi's family on a warm late summer evening at the Well on Jordan's Farm in Cape Elizabeth, more on that place in the summer...

#2 Barn Red

Our signature dry red wine. Blended from our own Leon Millot grapes. Aged in French and American Oak and ready for you to enjoy.

#3 Nor'easter

This port, we are proud to say, is Maine's first and only estate grown grape port. We took two years to age this port, allowing some of that time to be spent in oak. Its well balanced acids allow the sweet to linger but not be overbearing, while the 19% alcohol warms on the way down. Pairs well with a warm fire while a winter's nor'easter blows outside. A wonderful way to end any day.
Residual sugar; 6%.

WOW I think the description says it all YUM !

From there it was off to one of many fantastic mid coast eating experiences... it has been far to long since these meals that any detailed descriptions would not do these wonderful establishments justice so Ill just grade them A-F

Suzuki / Rockland (B+)

I remember we got a tasting menu... a highlight was Shime-saba, locally pickled mackerel that was bought from the fisherman live ! So fresh we had never realized how good mackerel could be !

Shepards Pie / Rockport (B+)

Great cocktails, atmosphere is casual, menu is well thought out and local !

Primo / Rockport (A)

Amazing and well worth a visit ! True farm to table experience that kept us grazing at our table for over two hours. So many highlights and so long ago... the big news was we ordered up a Farmer's Salad for an appetizer that was all home grown including the house cured Primo raised bacon. Yes the time had come after 10+ years as a vegetarian and 2+ years as pescetarians for both of us... we took the plunge. Much more on this decision in a future post.

Ok so thats the quick midcoast rundown...

Other highlights of 2011 was our visit to Raven Hill Orchard in E. Waterboro!

So many different varieties of organic apples for the picking...

searching....

We ended up with a huge variety of apples:

Vartanian Lightining, Macoun, Black Oxford, Golden Russet, Arkansas Black and many more !

the Midcoast Honeymoon !

2011-10-23T16:54:00.001-04:00

After much deliberation we decided to keep supporting our local economy and head up to midcoast Maine. After a little research and talking to some of our farmer friends we came across an amazing solar powered cabin on the top of Frye Mountain just outside of Belfast. It turned out to be even nicer than we thought it would be, including the very special amenity of a fully functional kitchen as well as a turntable for our music addiction !

Being owned by farmers... it had many special features including a small vegetable & herb garden as well as two wonderful porches; one screened and one open to fully enjoy the vast landscape of the nearby Camden Hills.

Each morning we could enjoy a little home cooked local breakfast and watch the fog lift from the nearby valleys....

a birds eye view from the loft... the cabin is perfectly laid out with a summer bedroom downstairs that stays cool on the hottest of days and a winter loft to hold the rising heat in the cold days of winter...

I wish this was our dining area at home... what a view !

We brought a good little stock of wedding gifts, as well as some of our garden delights. We also had a chance to stop in at a few local shops and get some midcoast goodies for our snacking pleasure...

More on these in the next post... as well as a few restaurant reviews of some midcoast gems !

We did it !

2011-10-11T19:51:00.000-04:00

the Happily Married Couple....

What an amazing day....

Weekend for that matter. An amazing time spent with family and close friends. The sunshine broke through the lingering clouds in perfect time for Cassi to walk the aisle to the acoustic styles of "Here Comes the Sun". Clay Hill Farm provided a perfect setting to enjoy our special day ! Everything was perfect from beginning to end and we took it as a wonderful omen to start our journey together as husband and wife.

More to come in the very near future... learn about our amazing honeymoon in midcoast Maine which will include quick reviews on such restaurants as the old & new Miyake, Suzuki, Three Tides, Sheperd's Pie, Primo, Hugo's as well as our experiences visiting some local producers such as Marshal Wharf, Sweetgrass Winery & Distillery, Savage Oaks Vineyard, Glidden Point Oyster Farm as well as an extensive review of Raven's Hill Orchard.

Keep those roots local.... LOCALROOTZ !

Taking a break to plan a wedding....

2011-06-07T19:43:00.000-04:00

LocalrootZ Project 2010 from lukaduke on Vimeo.

Thanks for stopping by....

check in a lil later in the summer to see how our gardens are growing!

Day 26 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-04-03T09:56:00.002-04:00

April 1, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs

w/ Kraut & Toast

Lunch

Blueberry Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

Homemade Pizza

w/ Pesto & Shallots

Dessert
Maple Ice Cream

Outside, although it is officially Spring, we are in the midst of a snow/ice storm that has engulfed New England in a heavy wet blanket of snow... just a humble reminder that we are never in full control !

Inside, the locally based diet is still going strong. It has been so nice to reconnect with our locavore ways... such as searching for ingredients, dreaming up recipes, and most importantly rejuvenating the Localrootz Blog ! We have been getting more feedback than ever about what we have been up to in the kitchen as well as people sharing their own great stories about local food projects and resources. It is these connections that that will help set the foundation towards a more sustainable food system as well as a more pleasant community in which we can all enjoy.

Speaking of our great community we really wanted extend an enormous thank you to all the wonderful people who have helped us spread the word about our Localrootz project. Just this week we were very excited to see "Maine's Healthy Cook" Meg Wolff feature us in her monthly newsletter. Check it out HERE ! And for more information about Meg Wolff, her amazing story and to purchase her great books... you should head over to her official website or stop by and say hello next time she is doing a book signing in your
area ! Another exciting addition to our media attention this week was the Portland Press Herald's article... check it out HERE ! We had no idea Avery Yale Kamila, aka Portland Best Foodie Reporter was going to do this for us, and it was so uplifting to see it !

With the voting segment rapidly coming to a close we are excited about how much this contest has helped us connect with our community as well as helped us grow together as a couple. Together we look toward the future and take great pride in the foundation that this great contest has helped provide. Without the extra push from Clay Hill, our family and friends, we don't think we would ever have shared our passions and shouted our green message so loudly as we we have in these past few weeks.
We have become more aware of our actions and how they can inspire other people to make a difference in the way they live their own lives... whether it be riding a bicycle to work, carpooling, planting a garden, shopping at the farmers market, asking their grocery store to supply more locally sourced produce... the list goes on and on. It is these small actions, that may seem like small drop in a very large ocean, that create long lasting ripple effects that reverberate for the whole world to hear !

So we ask you "How Green Can You Be?"

the Wonderful Oyster !

2011-04-01T21:37:00.000-04:00

lll

Ok so here goes... if you have yet to eat an oyster in your life, hold on let me rephrase that... if you have yet to eat a raw oyster in your life here is my plea to get you to try...

First step is how to shop for one... in the Portland area there are three places that we frequent for our oyster fix... Harborfish Market (best selection) Brown Trading (nice varieties) and Free Range (not much selection). When your shopping for oysters you want to remember a good rule of thumb... the colder the water the more salty, briny the oyster will be... therefore a oyster raised in the deep cold waters of the Damariscotta are going to have a higher salt content then an oyster grown near New York State. We tend to eat oysters that are from Maine being the local supporters we are.. but occasionally we will give a Rhode Island, MA or even a Canadian variety a try ! The more you eat the more you'll like to experiment with all types. Anyway all oysters will have a tag that states exactly when and where they have been harvested and if you can't see one just ask and someone will pull out the facts about the shellfish your selecting... there are a few things to look for when selecting oysters. First smell it... it should smell like an ocean breeze, fresh & salty mmmmm. Second, look at the hinge, some are easier to open then others and if you look for ones with a defined gap it will be easier on you when it is time to enjoy them... third thing to look for is sound... clap a couple together and they should sound full not hollow... another way to test this is by shaking it a bit and listening. Always ask for help if you are unsure... tell them you haven't had raw oysters before and you'd like a little help selecting some. We did exactly that and ended up getting a few on the house because he wanted us to try a few different types and come back again and again... Anyway once you have your selections it time to open them up... I was going to make a video but have been limited with available time and found a video on youtube that does a good job showing you the ropes !

Now that you have them open and ready to go... here are some ideas to serving them up.

But first I would urge you to go bottoms up and see how they taste straight up... if you find them to salty maybe add a few drops of lemon juice... too fishy maybe a dash of tabasco... wanna bring out some of the sweet creamy flavor... try a little cider vinegar or white wine. There are lots and lots of recipes all over the internet and if you wanna look more up usually they are called oyster minuet or mignonette. We have tried many different ways to enjoy them... our favorite ends up being straight up with a nice Muscat, Sauvignon Blanc Wine or a Champagne... it is very tough to say one type of wine over another. I also really enjoy a good beer to go with the salty flavors of an oyster, so it depends on your creativity and your willingness to take a chance !

As for the environmental impact of eating oysters... here is a little food for thought. Oyster farmers use many many different methods to "farm" oysters... there really are not to many wild varieties of oysters left... why, we ate them all many many years ago, in fact there are still some very prominent oyster shell piles remaining from some of these ancient oyster eating locations throughout the world ! Anyway the act of growing oysters in a farming operation is much more sustainable than any other aqua farming systems set up to farm raise fish. With fish farms tons of nutrient rich foods are dumped into feed plots over stimulating the waters with an unnatural balance of nutrients from food deposits as well as fecal matter... with oysters the main goal is to grow them in pure clean waters... where the oysters spend their days sifting up to 50 gallons of water pulling nutrients through and cleaning the waters of the nutrient resulting in cleaner waters. Why are clean water good for the ecosystem... well it allows the sunlight to penetrate deeper into the waters, creating wonderful habitats for natural grasses which create shelter for smaller fish and diversifies the environment. I could go on and on about the positive aspects related to oyster farming but one thing to also consider is the harvesting methods. Some oysters are handpicked by divers, some are grown in bags or other suspended contraptions, those are obviously the more sustainable methods of harvesting oysters... other techniques such as dredging with baskets does disrupt the beds however I have heard many oyster farmer liking it to harvesting a corn field... yes it seems very disruptive, however most oyster beds are kept to a very small scale and are always located in the same area's.. unlike much commercial dredging which disturbs miles and miles of seabed... oyster dredging is more accepted because of its limited impact. Definitely ask your local fishmonger these important questions and you will surely be on your way towards a happy oyster eating experience.

We are always looking for new varieties however my favorite Maine variety so far has been the Glidden Points !

Day 26 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-04-01T21:14:00.000-04:00

March 31, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs

w/ Kraut & Toast

Lunch

Blueberry Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

Grilled Aroostook Wheat Cheese

w/ Tofu & Greens

Dessert

Maple Ice Cream

Day 25 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-30T20:36:00.001-04:00

March 30, 2011

Breakfast

2 Eggs Scrambled

Parmesan Cheese and Buttermilk Toast

Lunch

Blueberry Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Maple Syrup

Dinner

Curry Tofu Saag

w/ Cucumber Salad

A wonderful indian inspired dinner that used up some Spinach I had piling up as well as some tofu I planned on using the evening prior... the recipe is simple... In the food processor I threw in a few cloves of garlic and a shallot... into a pan with some 2tbsp raw butter and 2tbsp maine mustard oil... cube up the tofu and toss lightly with sunflower oil and curry powder... we use the one we got from the Commonground Fair.... put that in the oven under 450˚ until it slightly browns...then, toss in skillet with about a pound of chopped fresh spinach. Let simmer on medium for 10-15minutes turning to low after 5min...
On the side we had a simple sliced cucumber salad with cucumbers that we were excited to see at the Olivia's Garden table at the Winter Farmer's Market tossed with some raw vinegar from Ricker Hill & some Maine sea salt & Maine honey- Yum!

Day 24 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-29T21:21:00.003-04:00

March 29, 2011

Breakfast

Rolled oats w/ Honey

Lunch

Blueberry Swallowtail Yogurt

Dinner

Out for Sushi Cheat

(Lots of local items though!)

Today was another one of those busy from morning to night kinda days... its started with a typical work day with bicycle commute.. then like last week it was time for another wine tasting show, this time it was over to the Holiday Inn by the Bay for Nappi's show. There was a lot of work to do... Nappi has a large book and I dont think I came very close to covering the whole thing but I found some jems that will be hitting Lois' Natural shelf in the next day or so... Anyway good times were had by all and we ran into a many familiar faces.

Dessert
Blueberry Ice Cream

Day 23 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-28T21:50:00.000-04:00

March 28, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up

w/ Kraut & Buckwheat Honey Toast

Lunch

Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Maple Syrup

Dinner

Raw Oysters

Steamed Periwinkles

Maple Glazed Trout

w/ Roasted Blue Potatoes

Mmmmm Periwinkles !

Very sustainable and yummy... more on oysters this week (I know I said that before but we are so busy !)

Day 22 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-27T21:39:00.003-04:00

March 27, 2011

Breakfast

Blueberry Swallowtail Yogurt

Lunch
Spinach Omelet
w/ Carrot & Tater Homefries
a couple of Mother Oven Bread end pieces from the freezer !

After such a big lunch we really only needed a snack for dinner.

Dinner

Sea salt Popcorn

Dessert

Blueberry Ice Cream

the Debut of "How Green Can You Be ?" by Fitzie Niceness

2011-03-27T10:15:00.081-04:00

Brand new song hitting the airwaves throughout New England...

"How Green Can You BE ?"

by Fitzie Niceness

So in case you didn't know Luke aka Lukaduke is also a reggae deejay and part of Maine's original reggae soundsystem called Cognizant Sound.

a little more info:

Cognizant Sound has been selecting tunes and chattin up the reggae scene since 2002. Representing Cognizant Sound is Geofferson, who is currently based out of Philadelphia and Lukaduke outta Portland, ME. Cognizant Sound has been supplying pure conscious vibes all along the East Coast. With a heavy emphasis on roots and culture, Cognizant Sound will take you on a musical ride through the classic riddims of yesterday all the way up to the current boom tunes running Jamaica and the rest of the world. Keep updated with all things cognizant at our blog. Keep it Cognizant !

Also please become a fan of facebook here !

Being part of a reggae soundsystem has really put me in touch with a lot of wonderfully talented people... and Fitzie is no different. Fitzroy Francis aka Fitzie Niceness was born and raised on the island of Jamaica, growing up Fitzie was inspired by such great reggae singers like alton ellis, gregory isaacs, beres hammond and dennis brown to name a few. After relocating to New York in the 80's he again found much inspiration from fellow reggae artist coming through NYC to perform , as well as various New York soundsystems like the infamous King Addies Sound with Danny Dread. It was here that Fitzie's vocal career started gaining momentum creating opportunities for Fitzie to perform alongside such great acts like Frankie Paul, Glen Washington, Screechie Dan and a whole heap of other big artists in the reggae business... slowly creeping his way north Fitzie then relocated to the city of Boston where his fame increased as he started his own record label by the name of F-Nice Productions... it was on this label that Fitzie recorded his first major hit entitled "Back to Jamaica"
It was at a dance held by Stout Style Sound in Boston that I first heard this track played... I was very impressed with the song writing as well as the sweet, soulful voice Fitzie possessed... however it wasn't until a few years later that I finally had the pleasure of meeting him in person, and to my pleasant surprise I found out he was now living in South Portland. From that day on we have shared our passion for good music and are always pushing each other towards bigger and better things...and it is not uncommon to see Fitzie grabbing the microphone whenever Cognizant Sound is holding it down!

I will surely keep you posted about Fitzie Niceness and the Soul Union Band's upcoming appearances.

In fact they will be performing at this year Sugarloaf Reggae Festival !

THANKS AGAIN FITZIE...!

Play this song "How Green Can You BE?" and share it with the world....

It has already received some airplay on WMPG 90.9/104.1 FM

here is a clip from that Danny C's Caribbean Flava show!

How Green Can You Be Media Coverage for CHF by Lukaduke

Day 21 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-26T21:28:00.000-04:00

March 26, 2011

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ honey

After a quick bite and a kitchen inspection to see what we needed it was off to the Winter Farmer's Market to pick up a few things and say hello to all my farmer friends !

Lunch

Baby Chard & Arugula Omelet

w/ Yukon Gold Potato & Bolero Carrot Homefries

w/ Commonwealth Farm basil bagel

tall glass of cider

Dessert

Maple Ice Cream w/ Blueberries

Day 20 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-25T21:12:00.001-04:00

March 25, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up

w/ Kraut and Buttermilk Toast

Lunch

Swallowtail Plain Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

Seafood Fettuccine w/ Cream Sauce

Fresh Spinach and grated Swallowtail Parmesan

Garlic Toast

Dessert

Maple Ice Cream

leftover Cornbread w/ Blueberry Compote

Oh Yeah... I was excited to see the cornbread I had wrapped in wax paper and stuck in the freezer a few days before when we had some chili for lunch.. I quickly unwrapped in split it in half slathered a little honey butter on it and hit the frying pan to brown it up and thaw it out.. on top of that a big dollop of blueberry compote and then the creamy homemade ice cream we never get enough of !

We LOVE Dessert !

Day 19 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-24T19:21:00.006-04:00

March 24, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up

w/ Kraut and Buttermilk Toast

Lunch

Swallowtail Plain Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

Seafood Fettuccine w/ Cream Sauce

and grated Swallowtail Parmesan

Bisol Jeio Crede

A quick rundown of how this came together...
Add fresh fettuccine from the fridge to a large pot of boiling water with sea salt

as that boilings to al dente...

grab a skillet and saute butter, fresh crushed garlic & red shallots

adding a small handful of lobster meat as well a a half pound of Maine shrimp

in a separate sauce pan I melted 2 tbsp butter with a half cup of goat cheese and a quarter cup of milk on a very low temperature... giving it a quick whisk.

when the pasta is the perfect consistency strain and toss with cream sauce and sauteed seafood !

Sooooo Goood !

Tossing it all together...

Topped with a heap of Swallowtail Parmesan

(so glad Swallowtail Farm decided to do a Parmesan...this is the first week they have had it...
Keep up the great work guys ! )

accompanied by Bisol Crede
another in the great line of Jeio Prossecco

So today's meal was nice and quick seeing that we made extra pasta and I am not gonna lie... its was on my mind all day while I was plugging away at Lois' where I am the produce manager. Its funny when we decided to dive back into our locavore ways during this 5 week campaign for the Green Wedding Contest, we were so confident that we could do it because we had done it before. The difference was last March when we were fresh into the LocalrootZ Project we had horded so much food and set up a little more storage food then we had this year. This year we have been sliding back into our weekly buying habits which sustains our needs from week to week but when the well runs dry... we are left with an empty bucket... for example last year we sauced up a lot of Olivia's Garden tomatoes before they ran dry (we had started the winter off with close to a dozen jars from our own tomatoes but those went really fast this winter, we also had over 50# of hearty winter squash stored in our back hallway last year... this year my bikes took over that storage space and we are left with hoping one of the farms will show up to the winter farmers market with some storage squash ! March is the gray month in between the winter crop and the fresh spring shots that are so close you can almost hear them cracking the soil reaching for the suns warmth that has seemed to escape the ground for the last 4 months ! My point is March and much of April are the hardest months for a locavore in Maine but as you can see it can be done... and it becomes especially easier when you broaden your diet to allow some sort of local protein. Cassi & I were both long term vegetarians when we met and I slowly worked small amounts of the coastal bounties onto our plate...

We feel confident about our choices pertaining to eating seafood after researching the right species and fishing methods from our local fishmongers as well as using some great online resources such as Fishwatch ! Another great reason to support your local fishing industry is to preserve the working waterfront of this great state. Year after year you see news reports about the local fishing industry struggling to stay afloat as the city of Portland tries to figure out what to do with the numerous vacant buildings along Portland's waterfront. These vacant lots are constantly being perused by condo developers who are urging the city to lax its restrictions on what can be located along the salty Casco Bay. I myself think the "working" waterfront is the heart Portland and urge people who agree to stop by one of the great fish markets located along the wharf and serve up some seafood to your friends and family next time your not sure what to make for dinner.... if you really are curious about the most sustainable protein from the ocean I would urge you to consume oysters ! Oysters are an amazing food that a lot of people are scared of... we were at first and now we consume them pretty regularly... in fact we are gonna get some this weekend and do a special post about the wonders of oysters !
Stay Tuned...

Ok sorry I digressed a bit.. where was I ? Right I was talking about how we were a little less prepared for the local eating challenge this March as we were last year... rather than get to wordy and to avoid any more passionate ramblings about food, lets take a quick glimpse at our food stock at the start of March !

in the cupboards we have lots of local goodies... whole corn, beans, seaweed, various locally foraged mushrooms, various types of hot peppers from our garden, cider vinegar, sea salt, oats, wheat berries, sunflower oil, canola oil, dried herbs, honey, popcorn and a curry blend that isn't 100% local but we got it from a pleasant woman from India who had a booth at last years Commonground Fair, she grew some of the spices in the curry on her farm but certain ingredients in the mix just cant be produced in Maine, however she grinds it all herself so we allow it... I mean in reality we will use foreign flavoring occasionally... ever heard of the spice trade.. its been going on for a longtime !

then there is the freezer.. some frozen broccoli from last falls harvest as well a some frozen blueberries and Lalibela tempeh backstock, along with those you'll see various ends of bread that we will use for breadcrumbs, stuffing or croutons. We also store a lot of our flours in the freezer...

and then we have the fridge... lots of root veggies potatoes, beets, carrots, celeriac root, all of our krauts and kimchis, yogurt, cheeses, beans, spinach, arugula, baby chard and this weeks newest addition cucumbers from Olivia's Garden... still waiting on their cherry tomatoes to ripen up in the greenhouse but the cukes should hold us over... Thanks Guys !

Alright there is a little update about our food stock as well as some interesting tidbits about our trials and tribulations about finding local foods and why we do it...

Day 18 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-23T21:44:00.004-04:00

March 23, 2011

Breakfast

2 Eggs Sunny Up

w/ kraut and toast

Lunch

Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

Porcini Ravioli

So making an all local pasta isn't something we are unfamilar with, however it is rather time consuming and we seem to wing it every time because all the "recipes" call for certain flours that are not available locally. In the state of Maine we are very lucky to have a couple old mills that processes all of our wonderful flours. Currently we have whole wheat, cornmeal, buckwheat and rye flour. Every time we make pasta I tend to explore a new combination of flour types to see how it holds up...

But before I get ahead of myself I should list the ingredients we needed for the whole recipe.

Cheese... chunks of Swallowtail Farm Parmesan, Ricotta & Mozzarella as well as some Sunset Acres Herbed Goat Cheese.1 whole bulb of Garlic and Red Shallots
Dried Porcini Mushrooms (soaked) from Oyster Creek Mushroom Company
7 Fresh Eggs from Maine-ly Poultry
Whole Wheat Flour & Buckwheat Flour

Ok with those ready to go... we start with sifting the flour...
4 cups Whole Wheat / 2 cups Buckwheat

you'll notice the "hulls" collect in the sifter... discard and continue till you
cant pull any more out of the mixture...

With the flour is ready... create a well and add your eggs into the well...

I pre-beat the eggs this time and it seemed to help with the mixing process !

After thoroughly mixing the flour and egg and a small (1/4 cup-1/2 cup) amount of water...

Need the dough into manageable balls until the mixture is of an even consistency!

Let the balls rest for 10-20 minutes

From there comes the tedious process of running small chunks of the dough through

the pasta rollers... constantly folding the sheets in half and re pressing them through the rollers.

The more you roll out your pasta the more likely it will hold its form when you boil it.

We usually pull every sheet through 6-10 times till it reaches the desired thickness.

With the pasta in sheets it was time to trim them up...

this step of trimming isn't quite as important when making things like

fettuccine or spaghetti but an even edge is what we needed for tonight's

ravioli dinner !

Now for the ravioli filling... we just combined all the cheeses in various amount... to taste, that way you get to eat a little during the cooking process...along with cheese we added half of the

hydrated porcini mushrooms as well as half of the garlic and shallots that I had previously sauteed in a little raw butter.

After the filling was complete... it was time to cut the pasta sheets into the ravioli size

we desired...

a heaping dab into the middle of each sheet...

encase it with a top and press the sides with a fork...

the meal is nearing completion... bring a big pot of water to a boil !

Not bad for our first Whole Wheat Ravioli !

Into the boiling water they go... while also sauteing a pan containing

the remaining shallots, garlic and mushrooms with a dab of butter.

I also hit it with a splash of red wine to enrich the flavor a little more...

Dinner is finally coming together after only 3 hours....

now I remember why this is such a treat !

And there is the final dish with a little more grated Parmesan to top it off

I think we were so excited to eat after such a long time preparing dinner that we never got a great picture of the final product... but I can tell you honestly that they were fantastic...

and we planned well for leftovers !

We cut the remains of the pasta sheet into a hearty Fettuccine that will

get us through the rest of the work week with a smile on our face !

Check back soon to see what we do with the fettuccine...

Day 17 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

March 22, 2011

Breakfast

Cooked Oats w/ milk n honey

Lunch

Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Maple Syrup

Dinner

Cider Scallops

w/ Spinach & Kale

Day 16 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-21T21:30:00.002-04:00

March 21, 2011

Breakfast

Sunny Up Egg

w/ Sauteed Tempeh

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

We cheated...and went out for sushi

Yes we failed at dinner tonight, however after working all morning and rushing home to attend Sopo Wine companies wine & beer tasting at Grace all afternoon and into the early evening... hey easy its part of my job description to taste all those beverages...we were in need of an indulgent and easy dinner. We thought about a few options and decided the quickest and easiest one for a Monday evening was to go have some sushi. Yes it was very very good !

Day 15 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-20T21:45:00.000-04:00

March 20, 2011

Breakfast
Cooked Oats w/ Maple Syrup
& raw milk

Lunch
Egg Sandwich w/ Spinach
on Buttermilk Toast

Dinner
Maine Shrimp
w/Mixed Greens Spinach & Baby Chard

Celebrating some of the new found greens from yesterdays farmers market. The days are getting longer and hopefully some more warmth is on it way ! Today is the first official day of Spring....

Local Eating Community Giveback Event !

2011-03-19T22:00:00.006-04:00

LocalrootZ Project @ the Portland Winter Farmer's Market !

Cassi & I were very honored to be able to use the Farmer's market as an outlet to get our message of green living out to the world. Usually the market has very strict regulations as to who can set up shop at the market, leaving the vending to farmers and farmers alone ! But since I have helped the farmer's market in the past by designing the market fliers and promoting it through every and all forms of social media, they decided to make a one time exception for us ! Not only did they allow us to come but they also made us feel so welcome with a special little sign as well as this facebook post...

"We have 2 very special guests joining us at tomorrow's Winter Farmers' Market! Lukaduke Fuller and Cassi Madison will be with us to talk to the community about eating local and living green. Come and get inspired, and enjoy your favorite Maine farmers & food... Also check out this amazing contest that Luke and Cassi are finalists in to win the green wedding of their dreams @ Clay Hill Farm ! VOTE HERE " Portland Winter Farmer's Market

the market was bustling from early on....

lots of people from young an old came to check out what the farmer's had been up to this week...

being the winter it becomes a contest to see who can preserve last falls harvest the longest...

and there is our LocalrootZ table

we had lots of info to share including a typed up handout that had our top six reasons to eat locally on one side with the other side containing a list of our favorite books, websites, farms and other local resources to help people in their search for local food. (If you missed us you can find most of these resources under the recommend tabs on the right side of this blog!)

It was so exciting to share our passion for the environment with so many new faces. It was also amazing how many people said they already check in pretty regularly to our blog...

As you can see below, we used some of my artwork and a couple of our newspaper articles to draw a little crowd over to our table as well as to stimulate some conversation !

If you still have yet to see our newspaper articles here are the links...

Portland Press Herald

the Independent

the Modern Americans

and here we are enjoying a quiet moment during a lull in the early afternoon !

and the best way to lure farmer's market patrons to the table... FREE FOOD !

We prepared a 100% local snack...we decided that a Spicy Bean Dip on Buckwheat Rye Crackers would do the trick. It seemed like the best option was to go with a finger food, that way we didn't have to worry about serving dishes, limiting the amount of waste ! Needless to say they were a big hit and so many people were asking us how we made a local cracker... stay tuned for a full recipe later this week !

In closing we wanted to thank the Winter Farmer's Market once again and also thank each and everyone who stopped by our table. In the spirit of the Community Giveback we tried to concentrate more on education and less on campaigning for votes...

Day 13 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-19T21:03:00.000-04:00

March 19, 2011

Breakfast

2 eggs Sunny Up

w/ buttermilk toast

Lunch

Spicy Bean Dip

w/ Buckwheat Rye Crackers

Dinner

Leftover Vegan Chili

w/ Cornbread

Leftovers are great especially because I knew it was going to be a busy day... we had so much fun at the Farmer's Market though ! More on that in the next post....

Local Eating Community Giveback Event !

2011-03-19T00:20:00.004-04:00

Saturday March 19th as part of our local eating community giveback project we will be getting out into the world to share some local snacks, recipes, resources and stories !

Where & When?

the Portland Winter Farmer's Market

@ the Irish Heritage Center

(corner of state st & gray st)

from 9am-1pm

So stop on by the LocalrootZ table to grab a bite of a 100% local treat, learn more about where to find local ingredients and also pick up a packet that lists some of our favorite resources online and at your local bookshop or library !

Hope to see you there...

Day 12 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-18T20:46:00.002-04:00

March 18, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up

w/ Aroostook Wheat Toast & Kraut

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ honey

Dinner

Tomato & Basil on Buckwheat Rye Pizza Crust

I love pizza and with a lot of web based work and some projects for the evening it was nice to have a quick dinner ! This was the last of our homemade tomato sauce so no more tomatoes until Olivia's Garden starts selling their Cherry tomatoes that they predict will be ripening up in the middle of April !

Stay tuned for a first hand look into the wonderful operation they have going on at Olivia's up in New Gloucester, if all goes as planned Ill be touring the greenhouses sometime next week !

Day 11 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-17T21:32:00.001-04:00

March 17, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up

w/ Aroostook Wheat Toast & Kraut

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ honey

Dinner

Golden Beets Salad w/ Arugula

Grilled Aroostook Wheat & Sonnental Cheddar

We have just been so busy with work and getting out into the town that sometimes dinner has to be quick and easy. I hope nobody is in need of a grill cheese recipe...but the thing about a grilled cheese is no matter how much of a food snob you may be your still gonna enjoy every bite !

Day 10 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-16T20:24:00.001-04:00

March 16, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up

w/ Aroostook Wheat Toast & Kraut

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ honey

Dinner

Tofu & Greens

w/ raw Damriscotta Oysters

Dessert
Maple Ice Cream

Day 09 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-15T21:55:00.004-04:00

March 15, 2011

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt w/ Honey

Lunch

Slice of Honey Buckwheat bread

w/ whipped honey

Dinner

Kabocha Squash

stuffed with Oyster Stuffing

side of blue potatoes

Day 08 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-14T21:11:00.001-04:00

March 14, 2011

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt w/ Honey

Lunch

Slice of Honey Buckwheat bread

w/ whipped honey

Dinner

Haddock & Oyster Stuffing

w/ Golden Beet & Arugula Salad

Jeio Crede Prosecco of Valdobbiadena

A wonderfully local dinner that was fairly easy on the pocket. the Beets are from the day before so that was as easy as slicing them up, tossing with cider vinegar from Ricker Hill Orchards, a spoon of honey and a couple handfuls of Olivia's Garden Arugula that cuts into the sweet with a nice spicy pepper and crisp crunch.

As for the fish, I purchased it today on my bicycle commute home. It has been really nice being back on my summer bike... mostly because of the two inch nobby tires with carbide studs that are on my winter bike. They are great when I'm in the midst of a blizzard, but not so great when the roads are clear... and now with most of it melting away from my route Im back on my Surly LongHaul trucker !

If your interested you can check out my bicycles here !

Ok I digress, so where was I, Ok, I stopped in at Free Range Fish and went with a pound of the cheapest haddock at 5.99/#... from there it was home to a smiling Cassi who was ready for a relaxing night with the kitties and some warm food. After the cupboard inspection, we found that we had a jar of dried wild foraged mushrooms (lobster, woodear, chanterelle, morel, & maitake mushrooms), and in the fridge were some Damriscotta oysters from the weekend that we never cracked open as well as some odd and ends of our favorite local breads stashed away in the freezer. We got to work with me chopping and Cassi peeling...a stuffing stock was made with shallots, garlic, leeks, re hydrated mushrooms, white wine, and raw oysters. From there we chopped the bread in tiny cubes, tossed in local sunflower oil and baked till crisp. Seafood Stuffing over haddock is a favorite of ours and once the weather warms up we don't make it often so we decided to celebrate the flavors of late winter and accompany it with a non-local beverage. A little Italian bubbly courtesy of Bisol Jeio Crede.

A wonderful Prosseco that Cassi and I had the pleasure of learning more about from Mateo Bisol himself. He is the grandson of Jeio, his family grows their grapes on is the prestigious Cartizze hill, where his families roots can be traced back to the 16th century.

After a wonderful dinner we decided the only better way to finish off this night was with dessert. Luckily Cassi had hunted down some Ricker Hill Macintosh apples at the market early that morning so it was an easy decision to make our old stand by...

Dessert

Apple Crisp

w/ Maple Ice Cream

the ice cream consist of 1cup heavy cream, 2cup raw milk, 1/3 cup maple syrup and a dash of sea salt

the apple crisp is simply sliced maine apples topped with a

crisp that is Maine Butter, Maine Grown Oats, and honey

mmmmm Im hungry lets go look in the fridge !

Day 07 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-13T19:58:00.001-04:00

March 13, 2011

Today started again with some Matt's Coffee made in my trusty two cup french press...

then it was time for

Breakfast.

Toasted Bagel

Two Eggs Over Easy

on a bed of fresh Arugula

side of sauerkraut

After breakfast we did a little tidying up in preparation for our newspaper interview. The time flew by as I realized that daylight savings happened and that was partly to blame for the quickly disappearing morning, luckily Rachel from the newspaper was also tripped up a bit by the clocks and pushed everything back an hour ! The interview went very well, she asked us many questions regarding our "green" ways as well as information about Clay Hill Farm and the green wedding contest . It is always nice when you feel like your chatting with a friend instead of being interviewed and Rachel's demeanor put Cassi and I at ease from the get go. We look forward to seeing the story and will let you know when it hits the streets!

From there Cassi needed to get ready for work and I decided we needed a little snack so she doesn't go hungry during her night shift. I was steaming the last of our Freedom Farm golden beets all morning so I decided it should be something without bread and utilizing the beets... this is what I came up with!

Dinner

Sliced Golden Beets

w/ Pesto & Ricotta & Arugula filling

spinkled sea salt

*this ones a keeper !

Day 06 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-12T21:53:00.005-05:00

March 12, 2011

Saturday morning usually starts off early with a pot of Matt's Coffee, I know the beans are not local but we lean a bit when it comes to beverages... however the practices Matt's applies to his product make it our logical choice for reasons of taste and practicability, plus its good company to NPR and the pre Farmer's Market refrigerator inspection aka scrub down ! Its always good to know exactly what your working with before heading to the market... we didn't have too much !

Off to the Winter Farmer's Market !

This weeks grabs were as follows:

64 oz Raw Milk,16 oz Raw Cream, 1/2lb Mozzarella & 1/4lb Ricotta cheese from Swallowtail Farm

2 Heads of Bibb Lettuce, Basil and a pound of Arugula from Olivia's Garden

Celeriac Root and a pound of spinach from Fishbowl Farm

64oz Wildflower Honey & 8oz Whipped Honey from Tom's

Honey Buckwheat, Stout Rye & Garlic & Basil Bagels from Commonwealth Farm

We have a weakness for bread....and the perfect box for it too !

I painted it during the holidays to sell but couldn't let it go...

Anyway, the day before, with the last of this seasons tomatoes from Olivia's Garden I decided a spicy vegan chili would heat up the house and our bellies. I actually did a recipe for this a month ago or so and you can find the recipe here !

We couldn't stop munching the fresh bread throughout the day as well. The stout rye bread with whipped honey was the overall winner !

Desert

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt w/ Maple Syrup

Day 05 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-11T18:49:00.001-05:00

March 11, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up w/ Thirty Acre Sauerkraut

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt w/ maple syrup

Dinner

Vegan Chili w/ Lalibela Tempeh

Desert

Honeyed Apple Crisp

Help us win a Green Wedding @ Clay Hill Farm ! VOTE HERE

Day 04 Local Eating Community Giveback

2011-03-10T19:53:00.004-05:00

March 10, 2011

Breakfast

Two Eggs Sunny Up w/Rubykraut from Thirty Acre Farm

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt w/ Maple Syrup

Dinner
Leftover Pollock Stir Fry w/ Bok Choy from Olivia's Garden
w/ Roasted Blue & Gold Taters from Misty Meadows Farm

Help us win a Green Wedding @ Clay Hill Farm ! VOTE HERE

Local Eating Community Giveback 2011

2011-03-09T23:20:00.003-05:00

So as you may have read in the previous post, Cassi & I are 1 of 3 finalist in Clay Hill Farms Green Wedding Giveaway. As part the contest we are to create a community giveback project. It only seems fitting for us to reignite our local food mission that engulfed most of 2009 and the whole 2010 year. To create more awareness about the wonderful foods that are available even in the tough month of March, we have decided to eat a 100% local diet from March 7th till the voting ends on April 8th.

Why do we feel eating local is such an important role in living a "green" lifestyle. Well there are some of the BIG reasons...

1. Economy. Every dollar we spend goes directly back into our community and into the pockets of people who share our same values. Statistics show that when a dollar is spent on commercially grown food, only a fraction reflects the farmers share, the rest goes into marketing, transportation and the distributors.

2. Conservation. Supporting local farms conserves land in our community from being developed creating open space that promotes wildlife and natural ecosystems.

3. Carbon Footprint. The average meal in America travels over 1500 miles from field to table...as well as the long distances most of these journeys require refrigeration adding even more of a carbon footprint. The average distance of a local meal is within 100 miles. With rising energy costs the prices of foreign unseasonal items is climbing higher and higher.

4. Farming Practices. The practices of local farms, for things such as pesticide use, treatment of animals and overall sustainable practices of the farm are much more transparent and usually just a conversation away. Alot of times an invitation to come out to tour the premises are not uncommon. With most commercial food there are broad guidelines creating two categories Organic/Conventional...neither aspect is very transparent and place of origin and farming methods used are often not available to the public.

5. Variety. Many local farms believe in diversity which helps limit the chances of total crop failure. They also love a challenge, so they are always trying new things or reviving an heirloom or heritage breed. Many commercial operations are built to produce marketable products that travel well and retain a standard shape, size and color.

6. Taste. Most important of all. Local food is picked and delivered at its perfect time, creating a product that is made for the plate rather then a product that was picked before its peak to compensate for the days spent being shipped and sitting on supermarket shelves.

With these reasons in mind... we will post some pictures of the meals we prepare as well as some of the sources of local food that we have available in the greater Portland area.

Here is what was on the menu so far... more pictures in the future, just found the battery charger !

Monday, March 7th

Breakfast

Sunny Side Up Eggs from Commonwealth Farm

w/ Thirty Acre Kraut

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Maple Syrup from Strawberry Hill Farm

Dinner

Lettuce, Tomato from Olivia's Garden & Lalibela Tempeh Sandwich

Desert

Apple Pie w/ Maple Swallowtail Yogurt

Tuesday, March 8th

Breakfast

Sunny Side Up Eggs from Commonwealth Farm

w/ Thirty Acre Kraut

Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Maple Syrup from Strawberry Hill Farm

Dinner

Fishbowl Spinach Saute with Heiwa Tofu & Wild Mushrooms

Desert

Apple Pie

Wednesday, March 9th

Breakfast/Lunch

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Maple Syrup from Strawberry Hill Farm

Dinner

Pan Fried Atlantic Pollock with Freedom Farm Golden Beet & Olivia's Garden Green Salad

the pollock was battered in egg and locally grown and ground cornmeal then fried in a pan with Swallowtail butter...the beets were roasted in the over then left to cool before being tossed with Olivia's greens,Leanne's honey from Scarborough and Ricker Hill Orchard Cider vinegar... Yum !

and we got the camera charged up....

Stay tuned for more local goodies...

2011-03-06T16:29:00.002-05:00

Awakening from hibernation....

2011-03-05T21:11:00.002-05:00

Greetings, its been awhile and I apologize. It been a tough winter as far the weather and Cassi and I have really been living the home body lifestyle and enjoying those non-local treats we had been missing last year... more on those in a bit. First, I wanted to thank all my friends and family for coming out to the June Fitzpatrick Gallery in Portland for the group painting show I displayed my work at in January. It was a big success and I got to see alot of old faces that I hadn't seen in years. I have another show coming up in a few weeks at the Belfast Co-Op and I am so happy to have the opportunity to continue showing my art in public space other than just galleries ! The more the merrier... in case you have not had the chance to visit my art website recently, it has gotten a face lift for 2011. Check it OUT !

Another exciting thing in our lives currently is that were just selected as a finalist to win a Green Wedding @ Clay Hill Farm in Cape Neddick, ME. We are super blessed to have this opportunity and will need your help for the final step of the contest... check back soon for more info on that.

(my 45rpm's are well organized)

As for what we have been up to as of late... music has been on my mind as usual and after a couple radio shows and gigs around town Im getting pretty amped for warm weather and more frequent gigs.
Ive actually been posting more frequently in the reggae music world and if your interested you should check out my other blog that I share with fellow soundman Geofferson.

Together we are Cognizant Sound

Ok what else is happening... so much news! Have you been going to the Winter Farmer's Market every week? There has been some wonderful food there... the best new addition to the market has to be Ryan & Gina of Commonwealth Farm. The breads they make and the mushrooms they cultivate are top notch. Ive actually been in communication with them about participating in their duck slaughter in June... yes we are considering adding fowl to the ingredient lists, but if that happens I will be involved in the process. Anyway more on that when the time comes...

Commonwealth Farm Shiitake Mushrooms

Some other great Winter Market selections....

Now I did mention the relaxing of of our local food restrictions...we have been thoroughly enjoying the occasional avocado, coconut, rice, chocolate, hummus and other delectable treats that we had been missing. However with spring just around the corner those treats will become less and less appealing as the farmers market blooms with tasty new local goodies !

Anyway here is my sinful approach at a 4 course Japanese style dinner at home....

(sorry bout the quality they were rushed because the batteries needed a charge)

Maine Shrimp Miso Soup

(actually almost all local maine shrimp,Atlantic seaweed, garlic, shallots and a dash of South River Miso from MA.)

Avocado Salad with Peanut Sauce

and crispy garlic.

Miso Soy Maine Shrimp with Maple Miso Delicata Squash

tossed with b/w sesame seeds

Pan Seared Scallops over Miso Mustard

with Lemon Salted Green Beans

So really it was a pretty local centric dish with the exception of a few sauces, avocados and those green beans which I were from Florida and they were the last bag on the shelf at my job. Oh and while Im plugging everything in my life... the Produce department I manage at Lois' Natural has been nominated for "Best Fresh Produce" ! Its tough competing against the farmers market but my customers enjoy the local selections our local farmers provide.

Ok ok I promise Ill get another 100% local recipe up this week and don't forget to check back soon to see how you can help us win the Grand Prize in the Green Wedding Giveaway !

LocalrootZ Recipe 001 (Vegan Chili)

2011-01-13T18:36:00.005-05:00

Ok so I've been asked more and more to post recipes.... Im gonna start with one that is good for everyone; vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, wheat free go for it !

Let's Start with the ingredients...

2 cups dried beans

(so far this season Ive found jacobs cattle red kidney & yellow eye

where do yo find them? I get mine at Lois Natural but I saw some at the last winter farmers market too!)

6 medium sized tomatoes (olivias garden)

1 Medium Yellow Onion

(I have 20# or so left from Freedom Farm but you can probably find them at the farmers market this winter too!)

1 Whole Garlic

(swallowtail had some last week at the market... I get mine from Good Dirt Farm @ Lois Natural)

1 Package Tempeh

(from Lalibela Farm if you cant find this then your beyond help... they are always at the market as well as numerous lil foodie locales throughout southern me)

2 Cayene, 1 Habenero, 1 Poblano or any Hot Peppers to taste....

(I grew a bunch and dried them this year but I think Fishbowl may have some around usually...if not substitute hot sauce and next year remember to save some or make your own hot sauce when hot peppers are in season !)

4 Tbsp Sunflower Oil

(also available in many places including Lalibela's stand at the market)

Also used... Maine Sea Salt to Taste !

Ok so step one is to soak the beans... I usually put them in a medium pot and fill it to the 3/4 mark and let it sit for 6-8 hours while Im at work....once home I strain, then rinse and put into a large pot... fill half way with water and boil hard for 30-60 minutes depending on soaking time and bean variety. Beans are like pasta... pull one out every 5 minutes and give it a try....but wait at least a half hour first !

While the beans are boiling lets saute the other ingredients...

in a frying pan add your sunflower oil, then crush and chop garlic and onions rather coarsely

add oil in hot pan...cube the tempeh and also add to the pan...

Brown on high heat for about 5-10 minutes

As the beans boil down close to your desired consistency, monitor the water level so you are

not letting them burn. add more water if needed...then when they are ready, strain off excess water but leave enough in the pot to keep the beans submerged...you may not need to strain. Now is the time to turn heat to low and add the hot peppers, crushed for HOT, whole for mild... I leave the real hot ones whole and crush the poblano for a little extra heat... your choice! Also add the browned tempeh mixture as well as your tomatoes but chop them as shown below....

Keep that pot simmering on low for an hour or so tasting it periodically...

You should get it down to a less soupy consistency and more like gravy such as below...

thats when you know the flavors all have melded together...

Enjoy !

the First Winter Farmers Market of 2011 !

2011-01-13T17:32:00.002-05:00

So it has started...

More info available by clicking HERE !

Oh and just in case you hadn't noticed I designed the flyer this year !

So enough boasting... here are the goods from week one !

A quick rundown...

Spinach from Fishbowl

Tomatoes from Olivia's Garden

Winterbore & Red Russian Kale from Goransen

Tempeh from Lalibela (Thanks Jaimie)

Zucchini Relish from Tom's Honey

Oatmeal Bread from Cornerstone (I think)

Macintosh Apples & Salad Mix from Uncles

Eggs from Summit & Maine-ly

and then from Swallowtail...

Irish Soda Bread, Machego, Mozzerella, & Ricotta Salada

as well as a big ole chunk of Camembert Cheese !

(Thanks Lauren)

Merrimac was also excited to have some greens again!

More farmer goodies to come !

But for now here is a few 100% Local breakfasts to inspire you through your week...

Scrambled Spinach Eggs with Yukon Homefries and Oatmeal Toast

And my workday starters... Sunnt Up Egg & Kraut on Oatmeal Bread
then for lunch a salad with kraut, goat cheese and a lil cider garlic dressing !

Just in Case You Missed it !

2011-01-13T17:17:00.001-05:00

Cassi and I had an article about the LocalrootZ Project featured in last weeks Portland Press Herald. It was written by Avery Yale Kamila, and we think she did a wonderful job! We wanted to thank all the people who shared the article with facebook and twitter friends... it was kinda weird being local celebrities for a few days... but now the ink has dried and we are back on the project heading into the new year ! If you missed the article here is a LINK !

LocalrootZ Project 2010 Retrospect !

2011-01-05T07:06:00.000-05:00

Please take a few minutes time and watch this highlights video...

What an amazing year !

LocalrootZ Project 2010 from lukaduke on Vimeo.

a Reggae Holiday !

2010-12-26T09:23:00.001-05:00

Come wind your waist and put a smile on your face..... BIG TUNES from early out!

Season's Greetings from the LocalrootZ Project !

2010-12-24T12:25:00.001-05:00

Another Christmas is here and I am home for the holiday....it's always a great time to get reacquainted with my old friends and relatives and am looking forward to 2011 very much ! I will be updating the format of the blog...We are thinking of dropping a 100% local and seasonal recipe every week throughout 2011. That seems like a much easier format rather than the day to day that lasted a couple hundred days this past year ! It will also leave more time for me to concentrate on my artwork as well as special events happening in the local food scene as well as highlighting some great farms and producers throughout the year.

Also stay tuned for a music video highlighting the "Best of LocalrootZ Project 2010" !

Last Week in Review...

2010-12-19T20:14:00.001-05:00

Stockin' up from the Saturday Deering Oaks Farmer's Market !

Now that we have a bunch of great local goodies....

Let's begin with Dessert.... We love Pumpkin Pie !

First you gotta roast the pumpkin....

and presto you have a pie !

Anyone want a slice ?

Ok, now an easy dinner full of shellfish...

start with alot of chopper garlic & shallots

Lightly saute with some raw butter...

add a good pour of white wine....

gather your shells...Steamers from Scarborough, Mahogany Clams from Bath and Damriscotta Oysters!

add steamers and clams.... cover, when they pop open drizzle a quarter cup or so of heavy cream and a sprinkle of sea salt !

shuck some oysters...

dress a couple with some shallots, some wine and some straight up !

serve with some garlic toast !

enjoy it with someone you love !

from classy to classic... tomato & basil grill cheese !

Goes wonderful with Local harvest Ale from Sebago !

A shrimp saag with samosa's made with leftover pie dough from the pumpkin pie !

It's the start of Maine shrimp season... buy it by the 5# for a wicked good deal...

a scrambled egg breakfast....with a glass of cider which has a waning supply this year, probably due to the late frost we got after all those warm early spring days.

a hearty breakfast !

speaking of hearty a nice whole wheat crust with butternut squash puree, goat cheese from sunset acres and ricotta salada from Swallowtail Farm and some red onions from Freedom Farm..mmmmm!

another hearty meal.... roasted potatoes for cassi, smashed for me and a big heap of haddock and stuffing, leftover from a dinner party we had the night before.

I used the Maine shrimp instead of crabmeat in this batch of stuffing, and I'm almost finally out of Mother oven bread...that's right I still had a stash in the freezer !

More and more oysters... we been knocking back a dozen a day; St. John's, Glidden Points, Winterpoint and Pemaquids...they taste so good this time of year when they are plump and fat in order to survive the winter !

My two most favorite kitchen tools... wusthof knife and oyster shank !

the last of that leftover stuffing...filled up a delicata squash from New Leaf Farm for this dinner!

and a nice local vegan chili I whipped up for a special guest... more on that coming up in January.

What Have We Been Eating ?

2010-12-11T19:18:00.000-05:00

So we have been struggling the last few weeks... time has been a major factor in the struggle with a few commisioned pieces weighing on one end and the holiday sale coming up I was strapped for time and motivation in the kitchen... the good news is we have become reacquainted with a few of our old sushi hangouts, Ohno breakfast sandwiches and various goodies from our true guilty pleasure Aurora's Provisons...but we have kept to our values for many of home cooked local dinners and snacks in between the slackness of the holiday season. As testament to the localrootz project we have an occasional photo to show how we have progressed and regressed !

cooking up some dinner !

eat local Indian Style.... curry spice from farmer @ the Commonground Fair !

the last of the eggplant and sungolds (they stored for weeks in the storage hall) from out of our garden... this looks like late October/early November to me !

Simple local breakfast Scrambled Eggs, Aroostook Wheat Toast and garlic sweet potato homefries

gotta love Snell Farms sweet potatoes !

Sunnyside down with toast and sauteed tat soi from Green Spark !

Local indian inspired dinner part two...

Pumpkin Rosemary Soup

with Pan fried Cauliflower

and spinach saag

Wild Mushroom Omelet with Sweet Potato Homefries and yummy cider !

An mid November Farmer's Market Grab !

Cider, Squash, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Fingerling taters, Jerusalem Artichokes, Cippolini Onions, Eggs, Goat Milk, Tat Soi and Brussel Sprouts... Yummm

Back on the scene....

2010-12-11T18:32:00.001-05:00

Greetings, I want to thank each and everyone who passed through the MECA holiday sale this past weekend ! It was great to see so many familiar faces and to get acquainted with a lot of new ones as well. Anyway, it was a great success and for those of you who may have missed out here is a little glimpse at the Localrootz table and some of the merchandise I had on hand !

the Localrootz Table !

Recycled Handpainted Portland Buoy Bags

some Localrootz Handpainted Cigar Boxes

and our favorite the Localrootz Breadbox !

(I priced this kinda high because we wanted to keep it)

I also had a "Portscape Series" of greeting cards that included 5 !

Those were a big hit and I will have more of those available to purchase in the next couple days...stay tuned I will post a link here when they drop !

Localrootz coming back to the internet soon come....

2010-11-17T16:45:00.004-05:00

Are you still checking in... we are still alive and well and eating better than ever. However I have been so busy with my art that getting to the coffee shop in order to drop a post is getting harder and harder as you can see... have no fear ! Ill be biting the bullet and gaining hi speed access soon come but first I must sell some art.... wanna buy some ??? Come on over to the MECA HOLIDAY SALE and see just what Lukaduke has been up to....

Hope to see you there....

Day.... I'm losing my Mind !

2010-10-14T17:01:00.000-04:00

Ok ok... so I feel I need a quick explanation (I no longer have the internet at home so I am updating via a coffee shop) as well as letting my readers know Im alive! Ive come to the conclusion that the day to day "look what I ate today" has driven this blog into the ground. It lasted 200+ days before the piles of day to day life became to cumbersome to ignore. I have decided to revamp the blog and limit my posting to an occasional update of great new local food items, recipes or happenings in and around the Portland area. I am fully engulfed in my art and will be vending at a few holiday sales in the upcoming season.... stay tuned for a fresh new approach to the LocalrootZ Project !

Thanks

Day 243-256 LocalrootZ Project (September 6-19, 2010)

2010-09-19T20:52:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful summer it has been and less than a week till autumn is officially here ! The last of the gardens bounties are being harvested and preserved; the bed have been upturned and once the tomatoes have exhuasted themselves of production it will all be tilled limed and covered with straw and leaves for next season... I have planted a few kale seedlings, with the intention of seeing just how well my coldframe will retain the heat the sun will possess as the winter looms on the horizon. Cassi and I have been enjoying cooking with the abdundant resources provided from our gardens as well as the great local farms that share their goods a few times a week at the local farmers market... below you will find some highlights of the last few weeks of the LocalrootZ Project !

Our hot pepper harvest from the rooftop garden... Cayenne, Thai hots, jalapeno and a sweet red which variety is escaping me at the moment !

With the first pie pumpkins making their way onto the scene it seemed only appropriate to whipp up a apple pumkin crisp for our local dessert of the week!

Its quite simple... just halve the pumpkin and scrape the seeds and guts into a strainer, save the seeds and roast them for a nice garnish or snack. Bake the pumpkins till flesh becomes soft enough to scoop from the skin. Scoop the flesh into a mixing bowl and beat with 2 eggs and a 1/4 cup of yogurt... sweeten to taste using honey/maple syrup or a combination of the two... pour this mixture over a casserole dish of raw peeled and sliced apples... top with a butter/oat/honey mixture and bake at 375˚ for 30-45 minutes. And there you have it... I will do a step by step photo presentation on this recipe in the future because this is a classic stand bye for a local dessert as we head into the colder months !

On a Monday Cassi and I decided with all these tomatoes and sauces that we had to make some pasta for the coming week... away we went rolling and combining Sparrow Farm eggs with Aroostook county stoneground whole wheat flour... I found sifting it helps pull out some of the grittier pieces in the flour.

We choose to roll it and cut it as fettucine because it holds its shape better under storage... spaghetti tends to crumble after a few days in the fridge.

Our first pasta dish was smothered in a roasted eggplant tomato sauce I made on Saturday and topped it with some echo ridge Romano cheese and garden herbs (basil,oregano,sage)

It was delicious with a glass of Bartlett's Coastal red wine...

the next night we stuck with the winning combination but added some fresh picked sungolds as a garnish...

with the remainder of the pasta Cassi pleaded for a homemade mac n cheese with the fettuccine being the mac and the cheese being a sauce consisting of raw goat milk, swallowtail butter with a block of manchego and some other local cheese ends kicking around the fridge... topped with some Mother oven bread crumbs...yes I still have 2 and a half loaves of that legendary bread ! It made a wonderful dish that lasted us well through the end of our week.

Tasting better every night....

After so much pasta it was time for some lean protein and some fresh veggies...

Pan Fried Cusk with Curried Cauliflower

And another tomato sauce takes shape....

As you see the poblanos pushed it int the spicy tomato spectrum...

the sauce simmers for a couple hours before completion.

the farmers market and garden harvests for this week...

so many hot peppers I had to start drying some out.

some wonderful goodies including brussel sprouts !

a little open face breakfast sandwich for breakfast...

mmm apple cider is back on the scene also !

so much corn on the cob, poblano peppers and sungold tomatoes turned into a wonderful meal. The peppers are stuffed with browned local tempeh, various local cheeses and corn.

We don't make a habit of eating swordfish but when its caught locally of the coast of Maine and the price is right we will splurge for a couple servings a year... so good with a side of brussel sprouts !

and with a bit of leftover swordfish we made another Indian inspired dish the next day....

Curried Cauliflower and swordfish with spicy poblano tomato sauce and fresh cilantro... so good !

Day 232-245 LocalrootZ Project (August 23- September 5, 2010)

2010-09-05T19:48:00.001-04:00

Im back... did you miss me? It has been a wild last couple weeks as the summer winds down with yet another heatwave... we certainly got our warm weather in this year. Anyhow, things have been rolling along with a sushi "slip-up" this past week due to such hot hot temperatures and a kitchen that was toppin of into the 100˚'s. One thing this weather is really good for is growing tomatoes !

We have been harvesting close to a quart of sungolds a day and the brandywines have really started ripening up on the vine these past couple weeks. Check it out....

and some more bounties from our garden as well as our wonderful friendly farmers from the Deering Oaks Farmer's Market !

Frying peppers, shallots, peaches and so much more !

Buttercup Squash !

Pie Pumpkin, melons, pears, apples...

HONEY !

And here is some of what we have been eating as of late...

Garlic Sauteed Shrimp
over Arugula
w/ pesto goat cheese sauce
slice of garlic Aroostook wheat

Breakfast Sandwich
(egg, manchego, asiago, lacinato kale, peppers, fresh brandywine tomato,shallots)
Herb Roasted Red Potatoes

Breakfast Sandwich Pt 2
(mustard greens, garlic, shallots, colored peppers, manchego cheese, egg)

We have been really enjoying these breakfast sandwiches as well as the bee's oatmeal bread that one of the farms...its escaping me at the moment sells at the Saturday market !

Now some of the real highlights of late...

Homemade Lobster Rolls

Ok so here are all my secrets... the biggest one is our cheating from the "local" bread by using Luna bread from Miccucci's. The things is... I wanted to make these the best they could be after shelling out $12 on lobster and there really isn't any 100% local bread available right now except for the usual sandwich bread suspects... regardless there are more local tricks I used in this recipe so I should talk more about these rather than those... you following me !

Ok so Cassi and I will not eat mayonnaise, yeah I know how to make it and thats where the problem lies... Gross. Anyway, these rolls started off with 3 chix lobsters boiled and shucked... I then sauteed the meat for a moment in a garlic butter. In the food processor I pureed two large peeled and seeded cucumbers from our garden, along with the cucumber I tossed in a small orange mohwak pepper. Then I added a 1/4 cup goat cheese and creme fraiche. Blend those ingredients to a smooth consistency while adding some salt and fresh dill to taste. Finally when the "sauce" was ready I added some coarsley chopped celery to add a little crunch and texture to the dish. From here just toss the lobster together with the sauce and serve over a bed of arugula... Trust me this is an amazing way of preparing a lobster roll ina gourmet style !

Eggplant Lasagna

the ingredients for the sauce...

with the sauce simmering it was time to prep the eggplant...
slice lengthwise, soak in egg/milk dust with cornmeal and brown in a pan of sunflower oil and butter

the eggplant slightly browned using paper towels to soak up the extra oil

now comes the assembly...
layer eggplant, layer goat/ricotta/romano mixture, layer of sauce

Repeat, repeat, repeat..

then bake it in the oven at 375˚ for half hour to an hour...

Finish the dish off with some thinly sliced swallowtail mozzarella
with some garden basil chopped and garnished...

First course...
Cold Beet & Arugula Salad
w/ pesto cider vinaigrette
and crumbled goat cheese

the pan ended up lasting us for four days... four easy meals that reheated in 15 minutes under the oven while making a little garlic toast side and some fresh sliced and salted brandywine tomatoes never hurt neither !

Welp thats all for now folks... Ill keep trying to make more regular posts as the year winds out... only 120 days to go !

Day 231 LocalrootZ Project (August 22, 2010)

2010-08-22T22:05:00.002-04:00

Breakfast/Lunch

Herb Roasted Viking Potatoes

Manchego/Capherlilli Omelet

w/ broccoli, kale, peppers, garlic & shallots

Oatmeal Toast

A wonderful breakfast/lunch after another great night of sleeping in our own bed.... slipping back into the East Coast time zone took a little longer than I thought it would ! Anyhow we are so happy to be back to Maine food. Now that summer is winding down I am gonna get a little stricter with my beer consumption...limiting myself to just a couple every Sunday (football day).
Today I was happy to choose a new Allagash Fluxus 2010

A fantastic stout brewed with cocoa nibs and aged in bourbon barrels which creates a smooth,

dry stout that leans more on the refreshing side rather than the

mouth coated creaminess of other stouts on the market !

And at 10.3% alcohol you don't need too many....

Dinner

Sliced Toast

w/ Brandywine Tomato

sea salt and manchego cheese

Dessert

Honey n Oat Cookies

Transportation Today

Errands: 3 miles walking

Day 230 LocalrootZ Project (August 21, 2010)

2010-08-21T21:27:00.002-04:00

Farmer's Market Goodies

After being away for a couple weeks we needed to stock up...

Frying peppers, tomatoes from our garden as well as Fishbowl, ground cherries, eggplant, mini watermelons, onions, shallots, lacinato and red russian kale, spinach, apples as well as some Manchego cheese and oatmeal bread !

Breakfast

Tomato Medley

w/ shallots & manchego cheese

Dinner

Curried Haddock

w/ Kale, Viking Potatoes, peppers, garlic & shallots

Glass of Coastal White Wine

Dessert

Apple Crisp

w/ Maple Ice Cream

Alright we are back and rejuvenated ! Gonna try to get back to the day to day meals and hopefully spend more time describing recipes and such ! Sorry for the laid back posts of the last month but with a hectic schedule and a vacation to plan, the blog got set on the back burner. I'm ready to finish these last four months strong though... fall is my ultimate favorite season hands down !

Transportation Today

Errands : 12 miles bicycle

4 miles walking

Day 221-229 LocalrootZ Project (August 12-20, 2010)

2010-08-20T21:02:00.001-04:00

Pacific Northwest Vacation !

What a wonderful break from the east coast. Cassi and I have not really been out of Maine for 4 years so it was nice to have some exploring to do with our eyes and mouths. We ate so much smoked salmon and enjoyed many treats as you can see above. Some highlights included Pike Brewing Company, Skagway Brewing Company, Fran's Chocolates, Rainer Cherries, Truffle Mushrooms, Escargo, Smoked Salmon, Smoked Tuna, Alaskan Butterfish, Blackberries, Piroshsky's Russian Bakery, Pacific Oysters, Local Salmon Shashimi, Rock Lobster... and more. So many highlighs to list but we really really enjoyed the Pike Market Place in Seattle, as well as downtown Victoria, British Columbia ! Important news... I proposed to Cassi on the Victoria waterfront and se said YES !

We are now engaged and will be sealing the deal sometime next summer....

Day 210-220 LocalrootZ Project (August 01-11, 2010)

2010-08-11T19:21:00.000-04:00

Gearing up for our trip to the Pacific Northwest... got a new camera and here is a photo journal of the days leading up to the trip !

Our garden and farmers market bounty....

I worked on a collaboration for Cultivating Community with another artists named Danny who created these great dinosaurs Tank & Spike... this is how I got them started....

Here is what I came up with for these soon to be Community Garden installations....

and installed at the garden...

I'll get some better pics on a sunny day soon come !

Tomato Basil Salad !

Eggplant & Tomato Bake...

Another Cognizant Dinner... this time Indian inspired!

Tofu & Garden Veggie stir fry....

I also finished up some bike projects for some friends... this was a frame swap. My old custom painted frame looked pretty good with the remaining parts from a collision frame !

Busy busy....

Day 201-209 LocalrootZ Project (July 23, 2010- July 31, 2010)

2010-07-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

Uggggh ! So Im not sure what is going on... but the last 30 pictures from this weeks meals are not loading from camera to computer....maybe my ancient 10 year old digital camera has finally tired out. Regardless this gives me a chance to spend a moment to write a bit about the pleasure of this growing season as well as the LocalrootZ Project as it stands right now and how the future is looking...

Ill start by saying that this has been the best season in my short existence as a gardener. As most of you may already know, Cassi and I have two food growing projects that include a 10' x 10' plot down on Valley st. as well as a container garden on our rooftop deck in the west end of Portland, Maine. On the rooftop we are growing about 10 different varieties of tomatoes (ida gold, burbank, black cherry, cherokee purple, san marzano, nepal, rutgers, red german, totem, silver fir) as well as about 8 or so pepper plants (marconi red, mohawk yellow, poblano, cayenne, habenero, amish fish), bright lights chard, broccoli, eggplant as well as a large variety of herbs...sage, basil, cilantro, anise hyssop, peppermint, parsley, etc. We have munched down the lettuce and salad mix and what was left has bolted due to all these warm summer days, but we plan on reseeding the salad container when we get back from vacation...more on the vacation in a moment... As for the community plot, we have a half dozen sungolds and a half dozen brandywines ripening up nicely on their 6ft + vines. I have been eating a couple handfuls of sungolds during my frequent early morning waterings that occur at least every other day on my early morning bicycle commute to work. On a side note this weather has been great for biking however the frequency of flat tires that has plagued me this past week has left me with a blistered foot (after my 8 mile bicycle commute turned into an extended hike home from work) and a pile of tubes that need to be patched up... Back to the garden plot, we also have been harvesting large amounts of marketmore cukes and green zucchini as well as their blossoms. I recently reseeded the kale bed with 2 varieties of beets as well as a few new rows of carrots for fall harvest. I plan on replanting some peas in the coming weeks but need to construct a better support as the chain link fence proved to be a bit of a hassle due to the encroachment of the surrounding weeds and debris. Im also planning on planting a new round of kale in containers with the intention of seeing how long I can keep them going into the winter months utilizing the coldframe that I constructed this past spring... freshharvested kale in January ? Maybe....

Another aspect of the LocalrootZ Project that has been occupying my time and keeping me away from my daily routine of this blog has been my art. The creative juices have really been flowing as of late and I have stepped up my marketing skills with the hopes of pursuing a self employed lifestyle in the years to come. I have recently started pedaling my prints at the Saturday farmes market in Deering Oaks Park and am very encouraged by the support and dialogue it has opened with farmers as well as the public in general. I have had somewhat steady sales and the interest in my work and this project has been very encouraging and inspiring. For example I worked out a trade with Daniel and Ginger of Freedom Farm, where I am going to make my way up to the farm at some point this summer/fall and paint a piece in which I am receiving a CSA share in return. WICKED! I also am currently designing some work with the intentions of printing a series of t-shirts, tote bags and stickers and feel the added diversity will increase my sales. I also have recently expanded my ability to sell work via the internet by setting up an Etsy store. If your not familar with Etsy it is very similar to ebay, only the goods that are sold are strictly handmade and vintage items, "the world's most vibrant handmade marketplace" I think they describe themselves as...anyway if your at all interested you can check out my store by clicking the "Buy My Art..." tab above or simply follow this link ! Other art related news includes a collaboration with Cultivating Community on a small mural with a dinosaur artist named Danny. Ill post some pics soon come....

As for the local diet...as you may have noticed the summer is proving to be very rewarding with garden delights however the steady flow of out of towner visits from old friends as well as a very hectic schedule has lead to some compromises along the way. However that being said we are still dedicated to our project and have always kept our pledge to find 100% local sources for all our ingredients. Our big cheating has come in beverages as well as an occasional luna bread or some Star East Middle Eastern bread that just goes so good with our "Curried Maine Veggies" which keeps getting better as things like fennel and eggplant become available to add to the mix! I really wanna start baking some different breads myself but am procrastinating more and more and feel this fall will be the right time. Im gonna need to start making pizza dough because Patriots season is a very guilty pleasure of mine and it is always accompanied by a pizza. Plus with that being said our kitchen on the third floor of a 1800's house is HOT... I have a hard enough time turning on the burners never mind the oven ! As for this past weeks meals... we had our first stuffed peppers of the season. Nice big green peppers from New Leaf Farm that I stuffed with a mix of browned and sauteed garlic, onions, poblano peppers, tomatoes, Lalibela Tempeh and some raw Colby I believe. Very yummy... I promise I will have pictures this week, once I get the camera situation figured out. We have also got into the routine of making mint ice cream that is to die for on a warm night. My process is simple I add a couple cups of mint/peppermint from the garden with a cup or so of raw milk and blend it for a minute or so in a food processor, from there I usually jar it for a couple hours and let it steep, the just before the ice cream maker gets ging I strain it through a wire mesh to get the plants mush out... add the mint infused milk to a cup of heavy cream, churn and EAT ! One other highlight I am recalling as I type this and dream of last weeks tastes was apples... yup thats right mid July and who got their hands on the first bushels of Organic Vista Bell apples, picked from the orchards of Ricker Hill in Turner. We did, thanks Vicki for thinking of us ! Looking forward to another season of cider and apple crisp, not to mention my all time favorite breakfast when I arrive at work on my bike is a shiny apple cut into wedges. The snap the tartness the juices....mmmm I think Im gonna go grab one right now !

Thanks for dropping by... I will be updating this daily for the next eleven days. Then Cassi and I will be going away to the other side of the country for 10 days...making stops in Seattle, Skagway & Juneau Alaska as well as Victoria, British Columbia ! Cant wait to eat SALMON !

Day 197-200 LocalrootZ Project (July 19-22, 2010)

2010-07-22T20:44:00.002-04:00

And what a week so far... a bit of cheating but only for some special Birthday dinners for Cassi...

Another typical early morning breakfast to start my day...

A wonderful combination of fresh corn from Merriweather Farm (saw it on my spin home from work, going through the monday farmers market) sungolds, chard & zucchini from our garden

and a little raw cheddar to top it off... Yum

the garden in its second stage... Huge tomatoes... they were overtaking the neighbors plot so I had to lasso them and tie them back into my "space". Tons of tomatoes to come....

Carrots and cukes are doing quite well...

I had to pull up most of the onions because the cukes were choking them out !

Here is todays take... lots of baby onions, as well as some baby carrots because I needed to thin them out a bi...t as well as good batch of chard, cukes and zucchini !

After alot of weeding I made some tasty cherry ice cream with leftover cherries from Old Ocean Farm

the rooftop peppers are doing very well...

as well as our grilled salad bowl...

our first cayenne of the season....

another view...

lots of different tomatoes are greening up with fruit

eggplant is coming in too !

We are having an early birthday celebration with Cassi's Mom and her other half Rick. Here is the ingredients I started with minus the roasting cauliflower and potatoes... our first eggplant and alot of other things from our garden !

My first homemade rieta... a combination of fennel, cukes some creme fraiche and salt

we took it outside and they brought some extra fixings to fill out the meal... samosas and naan as well as a bowl of basmati rice !

It was very very good....

on Wednesday I took Cassi out for dinner @ Caiola's in the west end to celebrate her big day... a day early, because she had to work on her birthday.... I would highly recommend Caiola's to anyone looking for a well balanced, high end dinner with alot of great selections !

We had Polenta fries with red peppers sauce and whipped cheddar

A house salad with cider vinaigrette dressing

A mussel and saffron cream sauce pasta dish

A whole fennel crusted sea bass with broccoli raab on the side

We also indulged in many of their specialty drinks at the bar !

And then her birthday lunch...

Alot of leftovers from the week with a few added surprises for the special day !

Ok back on track... lets try this again what do ya say ! Gotta start taking it one day at a time...

Day 192-196 LocalrootZ Project (July 13-18, 2010)

2010-07-18T20:15:00.002-04:00

Ok so here I am again behind a bit and trying to come up with excuses... anyhow, Im gonna give myself a break and keep with the compiled posts as the busy summer continues to roll along !

A typical 5 am weekday breakfast... Pesto Homefries w/ Sunny Up Egg

Irie always like to be involved in the cooking process....

Our quick easy hot evening dinner...

Early Summer Stir Fry

(Broccoli, Snow Peas, Zucchini, Maine Shrimp tossed in sunflower oil and seaweed flakes)

A heaping plateful fills me up for a couple hours....

A spinach omelet before my work commute...

baked Lebanese Squash stuffed with Curried Garden Veggies

Always topped with fresh cilantro....

Pan Fried Cusk with side of Broccoli Rapini and the last of our kale...

I love this meal !

Blueberry Raspberry Pancakes

Cucumber and spinach salad with Garlic scape Pesto Dressing

One of our favorites as of late... especially because Ive been harvesting 10 pounds of cukes a week out of our garden !

As I said this week was a very busy one... with it ending as busy as it started. The good news is I had alot of "firsts" on Saturday. My first time selling prints at the Deering Oaks Farmers Market, my first meal at Local Sprouts, and it was great ! Also on Saturday evening I had the pleasure of supplying Portlands newest hotspot... Bayside Bowling, with reggae music from 9-1 ! It was a very busy day but very exciting also. I will be dropping more post soon but first I need to get through another crazy week that will be highlighted by Cassi's birthday !

Day 191 LocalrootZ Project (July 12, 2010)

2010-07-12T22:04:00.000-04:00

Breakfast

Pesto Potato Homefries

w/ Sunny Up Egg

Lunch

Snap Peas

Diced Tomato w/ Sea Salt

A Cognizant Dinner

Cold Summer Salad

Baked Cusk Parm

over fresh Spinach

So the cold summer salad was a fresh raw combination of coarsely chopped fennel, gold & marketmore cukes, gold carrots, celery, kholrabi a bit of cider vinegar follow by some shredded asiago.

Another wonderful dinner with Geofferson & Hannah... on the eve before they made the ardous journey back to the land of cheesesteaks and landlocked city stickiness, we got them over for another cognizant dinner. After learning they were occasional fish eaters I got the go ahead for this trusty dish that always pleases. At least Im 2 for 2 with it thus far... The dish is easy and only requires boiling down a quick tomato sauce...then while waiting simply cornmeal dust and pan fry some fish as the sauce reduces. In this case I chose cusk @ 3.99/# and nobody noticed till I told them 1/2 way through dinner... In this dish the fish serves mainly as a texture and the browner you can get the cornmeal the better chance you have of getting a better texture to your final dish... a little hint for you cooks out there. Im slowly learning new tricks and techniques but the best advice is if you keep it simple and use top notch ingredients ehhhem ehhem FARMERS MARKET... you really cant go wrong ! Ok anyhow I digress, it was a wonderful dinner with great company and we will await the return of Geoff & Hannah to Portland in a couple weeks. But before we let them go we twisted their arm and convinced them to stay for dessert...

Dessert

Raspberry & BlackBerries

over blueberry cornbread

topped with

Blueberry Ice Cream

DAMN we be spoiled !

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 22 miles bicycle

Day 176-190 LocalrootZ Project (June 26-July 11, 2010)

2010-07-11T21:02:00.003-04:00

Oh Boy...what a couple weeks its been. Sorry I got derailed from my task at hand. I will try not to let the blog slide between the cracks in the final couple months of summer. I think Im going to lump the last couple weeks in one long post.... are you ready? Ok hear is what Ive been eating and doing while I was away....

A nice farmers market breakfast....

some local grown flowers for Cassi....

Maple Ice Cream w/ Saskatoon Cherry Crisp

Broccoli, Snap Pea, Tofu and Spicy Bean Dip Stir Fry

sooo hot outside and our 3rd floor attic apartment is a scorcher... hence a quick stir fry night after night... So good to have local New Leaf Farm Broccoli and Heiwa Tofu mmmmm !

Maine Shrimp, Green Spark Farm Cauliflower and snap peas soooo good!

and did I mention our good friends Geofferson and Hannah are in town for a bit from Philly. Geofferson is also the other half of Cognizant Sound. If you haven't been paying attention, Cognizant Sound is a reggae soundsystem that started in Portland back around 2003...? Anyway, I always enjoy getting a chance to feed friends and with them staying just blocks away we have plans to eat dinner together frequently while they are still around ! On this night we enjoyed a Garden Plot salad with a tasty honey garlicscape pesto dressing followed by yet another broccoli, snap pea and tofu stir fry, and since it was a special occasion I also whipped up some pan fried goat cheese stuffed Zucchini blossoms that I had scooped out of the garden plot that morning ! Yum

Cheers !

An excellent Indian inspired stir fry that incorporated our curry powder from the cupboard ! The inclusion of curried cauliflower and roasted potatoes as well as some fennel created a complex dish the blew me away... NEED MORE CAULIFLOWER ! Thanks to Green Spark Farm.

then it was off to Pierce Pond for a long weekend at my friend Brian's camp.

Cassi and I needed a break from the city...

I was hard to get away from the fire pit and the rocker swing for most of the weekend!

Our fabulous 4th of July Host Brian !

As the sun goes down the fire awakes....

as well as the loons and alcoholic beverages....

a wonderfully relaxing weekend where the camera was always packed away and i was in no rush to do much of anything but chill.... I don't really stop much these days and was glad to have the opportunity to do so. We also had great company from with Brian having his fiancee Melissa as well as her brother Brian and his buddy Matt. Good Company and good times. We ate very locally but did cheat with a few items to make life a little easier...

I also took some time to paint a couple afternoons away while the rest of the crew went on kayak excursion and afternoon siestas.

none of which are done but I wanted to show you that the whole weekend wasn't completely unproductive !

and then we returned to the fine city rejuvenated and off to Geno's to sell some goods.... didn't go so well but Im sure Ill start moving some prints when i finally set up shop at the Deering Oaks Farmers Market !

Another thing waiting for our return was the garden plot... First Snow Pea and Zucchini harvest !

The garden is looking wicked... I also grabbed some young onions because the cukes are choking them out !

Now we had leftover pasta from the camping trip as well as my own homemade tomato sauce made with Olivias Tomatoe's so we decided with the heat and our newly acquired zucchini that we should go ahead and use what we had ... 100% local with the addition of a bag of bio-nature organic rotini... we will make our own pasta again soon but we were not about to make our own pasta in a tent. Anyway enough explaining it was sooooo good, with the combination of garlic scape pesto and zucchini, some fresh Olivia's cherry tomatoes.

the next night we had the leftovers with the addition of some yellow zucchini from New Leaf Farm as well as some baby swiss chard from our rooftop deck!

July 10th Farmers Market

Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, New Potatoes, Lebanese Squash, Patty Pan, Cauliflower, Eggs, Cherokee Purple Tomatoes, Fava beans, Cabbage, Green Garlic, Carrots, Broccolini Rapini , Golden Cuke, Green Onions and Cherry Tomatoes

Thanks so much to Green Spark, Freedom, Fishbowl, South Paw, Good Start and Ocean House Farm

for all the wonderful produce !

Tomato & Zuke Omelet

w/ Pesto Potatoes

& Aroostook Wheat Toast

Still working on the beer consumption... hot days and many visitors make it very hard !

A bit salty and smug Ive been told....

and what have Merrimac & Irie been up to... well they've been real real busy.

LocalrootZ Update....

2010-07-02T14:42:00.000-04:00

So its friday fourth of july weekend and Im trying to edit the past weeks meals and such and it is just not happening. Cassi and I are headed up North to a place simply described as heaven. A pond in the Tr- districts of Maine where not eough people live to even give the town a name... I will be at a camp that you must boat across a lake in order to arrive...middle of no where and just the way i like it.As for the project...I have been slacking as of recent on the blog and this weekend is hopefully going to be the reset button that Ive been waiting for. We have stayed very true to an all local based food but have strayed quite a bit from the beverage side of things... mainly a beer here a coffee there... its been a challenge but I feel our message is still clear and intentional. I have vowed after this weekend away to ease off the coffee and beer for awhile and to really concentrate on my goals with this project. It has proven a difficult task as we enter the summer season with daily visit from out of town friends and trips of our own that throw speed bumps in our roads towards local living !

Happy Independence Day !

Please visit the Saturday Farmers Market and treat your friends and family with a local meal on this beautiful July weekend. The greatest independence is food independence !

Day 175 LocalrootZ Project (June 26, 2010)

2010-06-26T21:27:00.002-04:00

Breakfast

Strawberries & Plain Swallowtail

Yogurt w/ Honey

Early morning farmer's market run... WOW what a fruit day. Its started with a large bowl from Snell Farm that was marked as second for $15, seeing as my plan was 2 Quarts at $6 a piece... that looked like a bargain that may not last till I came back ! So I started my shopping by adding a heaping 5+ Quarts of strawberries and continued through the maze of farmers and belly growling consumers. For fruit I also picked up a container of Saskatoon Berries and Pie Cherries at Ocean House Farm. Over at Fishbowl I snagged beautiful Endive, Broccoli, Fennel & Kholrabi. Garlic Scapes, Snap Peas and Snow Peas from Rippling Waters as well as some Cauliflower from Green Spark !

Yum Yum

Lunch

STRAWBERRIES LOTS OF STRAWBERRIES

Breakfast Sandwich

with Garlic Scapes and Bean Dip

(All local except the rolls are from standard bakery)

I forgot to take out a loaf of mother oven bread from the freezer and when we were pinched for time in order for me tom get down to assists with the setting up we had to resort to other measures by running over to Aurora's and finding a suitable replacement... hence the rolls!

(Major Slacking)

I had a busy morning preparing my records and gathering all my newly acquired prints in order to head down to Lincoln Park for the 4th Annual Radiance Festival. I will be selling prints on a street corner near you this summer just keep your eyes peeled for the LocalrootZ Banner !

Day 174 LocalrootZ Project (June 25, 2010)

2010-06-25T21:11:00.001-04:00

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Lunch

Sliced Tomato and Basil

Dinner

Garlic Scape, Broccoli

Snow Peas & Heiwa Tofu Stir Fry

w/ Middle East Bread

So Friday has come and we strayed a bit with the bread... but its fresh and delivered just as I leave work... it made fresh locally and delivered in a pickup truck. Anyway this meal is so good and quick and easy...cant wait for our own snow peas to come in so we can do this meal from the garden ! Soon Come. Hint on cooking this awesome local tofu... toss it in one of the three wonderful Maine Oils Canola, Mustard or Sunflower... put it n a pan under 425˚ for about 15 minutes flipping a few time in the process... then add it to your steaming stir fry with a tablespoon of butter some sea salt and a dash of seaweed powder to add a rounder saltiness...mmmmm

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 18 miles bicycle

Errands : 3 miles walking

Day 173 LocalrootZ Project (June 24, 2010)

2010-06-24T21:20:00.000-04:00

Breakfast

Sunny Side Up Egg

w/ Garlic Roasted Taters

& Kraut

Lunch

Plain Smith Farm Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

Broccoli & Snap Pea Saute

w/ Garlic scapes & Shrimp

side of

Pan fried Zucchini Blossoms

stuffed with goat cheese

Dessert

Strawberry Ice Cream

Yum, what a night ! Dinner was just what summer is all about. Quick is the most important thing when the temps soar into the 90˚'s in our attic apartment. This meal took about 10 minutes to prep and serve.

Here's how it went down... crack an beat 1 egg into a bowl...put a quarter cup of cormeal in another bowl...wash zucchini blossoms an pat dry, then add a small spoon full of goat cheese...after that you drop them in the egg and coat then dust with cornmeal... set aside. Get two frying pans out (8" and 12") and coat with 1tbls of butter, 1tbls of sunflower oil) In the large pan add broccoli, peas and shrimp and toss... sprinkle with sea salt cover and let sit on medium heat for 2-4 minutes. In the small pan heat butter/oil mixture to a hot bubble... lay the coated squash blossoms into the pan browning on each side for 2-3 minutes...and serve !

On a side note the squash blossoms were from the garden and it is doing very well... here's a visual update !

Assorted Lettuce and Salad Mix

I harvested the three bok choys after we had been eating the side shoots for the last couple weeks. Not will be sowing the bland spots with radishes and salad mix this weekend.

I waited to long to put cages on the tomatoes but I got them on 8 of the 11 plants in that jungle !

The Zucchini, Cucumber and Onion bed is getting a little out of control !

Our peas are having a hardtime finding the fence but are on there way to popping some tender pods and the row of carrots seems to be doing quite well.

Give Thanks for such a wonderful season thus far !

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 22 miles bicycle

Errands : 3 miles walking

Day 172 LocalrootZ Project (June 23, 2010)

2010-06-23T21:14:00.000-04:00

Breakfast

Sunny Side Up Egg

w/ Garlic Roasted Taters

& Kraut

Lunch

Plain Smith Farm Yogurt

w/ Honey

Dinner

Grilled Aroostook Cheese

w/ Sliced Tomato & Fresh Basil

Dessert

Strawberry Ice Cream

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 22 miles bicycle

Errands : 3 miles walking

Day 171 LocalrootZ Project (June 22, 2010)

2010-06-22T22:00:00.000-04:00

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Lunch

Sliced Tomato and Basil

Dinner

Spicy Poblano Bean Dip

w/ Saute Radish Garlic & Kale

Side of Cornbread

Glasses of Wine

We had a few friends over for dinner and ate out on the rooftop deck. It was a great night with lots of talk about reggae music and growing food. A perfect evening to brighten the week. However in all the comotion to go outside we forgot the pictures ! Woops.

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 18 miles bicycle

Errands : 3 miles walking

Day 170 LocalrootZ Project (June 21,2010)

2010-06-21T20:59:00.000-04:00

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Lunch

Sliced Tomato and Basil

Dinner

Garlic Curried Pollock

w/ Lacinato Kale, Collards & Fingerling Taters

A nice garden fresh dinner to start off the week. The collards and kale taste so good freshly harvested...I didn't really think there would be much of a difference from my greens and the ones I get from the local farms but there is... however its probably all in my head ! Anyhow its very rewarding to be using our garden as a major source of kitchen ingredients.

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 22 miles bicycle

Errands : 3 miles walking

Day 167-169 LocalrootZ Project (June 18-20, 2010)

2010-06-20T14:06:00.004-04:00

I had another partial break from the local diet for this extended weekend. I went home to MA this weekend for a large family gathering, as well as having my brother and his family home for a visit from Tennessee. He is a college football coach and with such a busy schedule I was excited to finally have a little time to see him his wife Hope and my wonderful nephews Aidan & Jack. Anyhow enough about the family... I did bring home quite a bit of local food from our garden to share and consume... but I also found myself nibbling on unlocal items such as whoopie pies and pretzels. However my giant bowl of spicy asian greens and local tempeh was a hit and my main staple for my weekend visit... Im sitting here in MA as I type this and getting myself ready for the return trip via the Downeaster back to Maine. I can't wait to get back to our food as well as my bed ! I NEED SLEEP AND I MISS CASSI....

Day 166 LocalrootZ Project (June 17, 2010)

2010-06-17T13:59:00.000-04:00

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Lunch

Sliced Tomato

w/ sea salt and basil

Dinner

Whole Wheat Tomato & Basil Pizza

Way too much beer !

Dessert

Strawberry Ice Cream

In order to fully experience game 7 of the NBA Finals I decided pizza and beer would fit the bill. Although it was a great game we were very upset that the C's couldn't finish off the game the same way they played for the first three quarters... the good news is that i can finally start catching up on some sleep this week. Staying up till 12-12:30 and waking up at 4:45am every morning has certainly taken its toll on my brain and my body !

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 22 miles bicycle

Day 165 LocalrootZ Project (June 16, 2010)

2010-06-16T13:49:00.000-04:00

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Lunch

Maine Sea Biscuits

Dinner

Garden Salad

Lasagna w/ Red Sauce

and Aroostook Wheat

Glass of Coastal Red

Dessert

Strawberry Ice Cream

We were very happy to have a small pan of frozen lasagna from our last pasta making marathon. It will be standard after this dinner. So quick and easy to just throw it in the oven for 30-45min and presto we have dinner... I had also harvested a 1# bag of assorted salad greens from the plot and rooftop early in the morning. It is so satisfying to enjoy the bounties of all that hardwork we did in the early spring months and it is paying off tremendously!

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 22 miles bicycle

Day 164 LocalrootZ Project (June 15, 2010)

2010-06-15T13:41:00.002-04:00

Breakfast

Plain Swallowtail Yogurt

w/ Honey

Lunch

New Leaf Salad Mix

w/ Pepperjack Cheese

Dinner

Curried Haddock & Collards

w/ Fresh Tomatoes

We have been utilizing the curry powder that we have had in the cupboard since the start of the project alot more as of late... not really sure why it took this long but it really adds a nice zing to an otherwise very familiar dish. Its funny... even though I started the project explaining that we would use up alot of the ingredients we had in the cupboards, we really have yet to touch any of them with the exception of the cinnamon, baking soda and now the curry powder. Maybe Ill start integrating some of those old bags of rice and such in the coming weeks.... we shall see !

Transportation Today

Work Commute : 22 miles bicycle