Polenta 2 Ways, 3 Ways
One of my favorite eat local finds has been the water driven Bonneyville Mill in Elkhart County, Indiana. We are still working our way through bags of stone-ground corn meal. And of course to foodies like you and me, stone ground corn meal has a sexier name, polenta. We were saying at dinner the other night, that's a bit odd, with all the corn around these parts, that polenta, however you wanna call it, is not more a part of the local cuisine. For now.
Monday, my wife made some of our local cornmeal into polenta. The key to good polenta, we have learned, is to follow Alice Waters directions. Cook the stuff a long time, an hour. The corn gets so fluffy you could sleep on it. Monday the polenta made a nice bed for the leftover beef carbonade my wife had made over the weekend (chuck roast from our cow, local onions, Leine's Big Butt Doppelbock). The rest of the polenta went on a sheet pan for the next day.
Next day, my wife cut well shaped triangles of polenta. She offered the polenta with three toppings: leftover Wisconsin cultivated mushrooms (sauteed); Farmer Vicki's kale (boiled, dressed with olive oil and a splash of Dane County chili vinegar), and the horribly non-local but awfully delicious burrata we picked up the other day at Freddy's in Cicero.
Showing posts with label Grains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grains. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Monday, June 04, 2007
Ask VI
Where Can I Find Local Wheat?
Via e-mail, someone passed me on a question about local wheat. The same query was also posted at the Chicago Localvores.org site.
A running gag for the 100 Mile Diet couple in Plenty is their quest for wheat in their area. Peanut butter and jelly on turnips only works so many times. Can a localvore have better luck in the upper Midwest? Yes. When I visited Henry's Farm in a hilly nook of Central Illinois a few years ago, I was surprised that the farm next door grew organic wheat (commercially, alas). Illinois may be the corn capital and the soy sovereign, but there are wheat farmers too. I found several at this listing (ignore the occasional hit on wheatgrass). The question, however is where to buy locally grown wheat.
I know of two sources. First, Scotch Hill Farms from Wisconsin sold 2 pound bags of ground red wheat at the Oak Park Farmers Market last year. I assume they will do so again this year. Second, and the most reliable source that I know, is the Dane County Farmer's Market. It may be a schlep but oh what a worthwhile schlep if you are an eat local devotee. There are a few farmers each week selling wheat and other grains. See this listing.
Unfortunately, at present, eating locally takes some effort. You cannot just stroll into the supermarket and get what you need. The 100 Mile couple joked about how much fossil fuel they burnt up tracking down their meals. Still, as they say, getting there's half the fun.
Via e-mail, someone passed me on a question about local wheat. The same query was also posted at the Chicago Localvores.org site.
A running gag for the 100 Mile Diet couple in Plenty is their quest for wheat in their area. Peanut butter and jelly on turnips only works so many times. Can a localvore have better luck in the upper Midwest? Yes. When I visited Henry's Farm in a hilly nook of Central Illinois a few years ago, I was surprised that the farm next door grew organic wheat (commercially, alas). Illinois may be the corn capital and the soy sovereign, but there are wheat farmers too. I found several at this listing (ignore the occasional hit on wheatgrass). The question, however is where to buy locally grown wheat.
I know of two sources. First, Scotch Hill Farms from Wisconsin sold 2 pound bags of ground red wheat at the Oak Park Farmers Market last year. I assume they will do so again this year. Second, and the most reliable source that I know, is the Dane County Farmer's Market. It may be a schlep but oh what a worthwhile schlep if you are an eat local devotee. There are a few farmers each week selling wheat and other grains. See this listing.
Unfortunately, at present, eating locally takes some effort. You cannot just stroll into the supermarket and get what you need. The 100 Mile couple joked about how much fossil fuel they burnt up tracking down their meals. Still, as they say, getting there's half the fun.
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