It's been a couple of years since I participated in the Dark Days Eat Local Challenge and a lot has changed for me since then. Learning I have a physically-limiting condition forced me to cut back on gardening and the past two summers I didn't can, freeze, or dry anything.
Wow, seeing that in writing is a bit of a shock.
Without my usual storehouse of home-preserved local fare, this eat local challenge will be much more difficult.
Fortunately, there are many sources of local foods here in the Des Moines area, the newest of which is Tallgrass Grocery Co-op in West Des Moines. I went there without a clear menu in mind and came home with enough local foods, from cheeses and other dairy products, to fresh veggies and meats, for several mostly local meals.
This first meal is quite simple since I didn't want to spend much time in the kitchen yesterday.
I had a butternut squash, given to me several weeks ago when buying local apples. I discovered several years ago that I much prefer the flavor of roasted butternut squash to that of pie pumpkins in baked goods. A quick 40 minutes to roast, a whir in the food processor, and I had more than enough puree to make squash buns, a family favorite. I was able to use locally produced butter and milk in the buns as well.
While the buns were rising I started making a simple vegetable beef soup, in which all the ingredients (beef bones, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, and onion) were all grown locally. The soup bubbled in the crock pot all day, though I did have to cook it down a bit on the stove before serving.
The coop also had a lovely salad greens and sprouts available. We noticed right away how much more flavorful these locally-grown greens were than supermarket lettuce.
I always save room for dessert and yesterday was the perfect day, cold and gray, to make baked apples. The apples and a drizzle of cream before serving were the only local ingredients in this dessert.
I'm already planning several more locally-sourced meals and I'm sure I'll be heading to Tallgrass Grocery Co-op often.
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