Southwest Ohio is Doing its Best to Make Me Fat

I am one of those obnoxious people who are simply unable to gain weight. However, I was warned at my old job at a Community Action Agency, that "this place will make you fat." It certainly was impossible to avoid eating a lot, with lots of food events (birthdays, holidays, etc.) and over 20 co-workers who are amazingly talented cooks. My favorite foods were the more southern-style dishes which have crept into SW Ohio along with a slightly twangy accent. Mac and cheese, greens cooked with bacon and sweet potato crunch...mmm!

Lately I have been obsessed with Southern cooking which continually amazes me with its delicious flavors and innate ability to drain our household butter supply. As a health-conscious vegetarian for many years, I experimented with cooking iron-rich greens like kale and collards. It wasn't until I tried some greens at an office cook-in that I realized what those bitter-flavored veggies needed was a little meat! Actually, kale sauteed with garlic is pretty tasty, but for a different flavor I use Mr. Wiley's greens seasoning. I've also experimented with a mac and cheese recipe from the Food Network site, which I often modify to include veggies that are in season. Buttermilk biscuits are another favorite (I make the cream from our herdshare milk into butter and use the buttermilk from that, but you can also purchase buttermilk at the store.)

One of my favorite food experiences in Southwest Ohio is Waffle House. The restaurant that I can think to compare it to is Denny's, but it is oh so much cheaper and more delicious. Its a great meal to catch on the way back from the airport and an excellent destination after a night of drinking.

Me taking a picture of my favorite Waffle House meal: eggs with american cheese, hash browns and raisin toast with apple butter.

Garlic Scape Pesto

I've recently been discovering many delicious variations on standard basil pesto. Garlic Scape Pesto is a great way to use garlic scapes and can be easily frozen. This and similar recipes can be found all over the internet - this one comes from maryjanesfarm.org.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 lb. scapes
1/2-cup olive oil
Salt to taste

Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.

I substituted Romano cheese for Parmesan and also added a few tablespoons of finely chopped fresh basil. Since I was making the pesto in a blender, not a food processor, I substituted some of the oil out for water, which makes the mixture easier to blend. I don't know yet how this will affect the frozen pesto, but it does use up less of your oil!

Busy, Busy

I've been terrible about posting because I've been too busy doing the things I said I was going to write about! It's June and HOT here in SW Ohio and I've been spending a lot of time in the last few weeks getting my garden all planted and cooking with all the new produce that's becoming available. I am hoping my garden comes through and provides us with some food, assuming the woodchucks and baby bunnies that live in our yard don't get to it first.

I've also started to look into some projects that have happened and are happening in the area to get fresh local food to food pantries. Everyone is feeling the pinch with rising prices this summer, and many people in Butler County were struggling to feed themselves and their families before prices started to rise. Last month ended my old job at the Community Action Agency and I'm now working on an organic farm. I'm hoping that this kind of project can keep me in touch with the type of work that I was doing before. I don't really know where things are going at this point, only that there are some people in the area working on these projects and I hope to find some way to get involved.

Some projects that I've been busy with around the house include making garlic scape pesto, putting saucers of cheap beer around the garden to drown slugs and breaking lots of jars trying to find an efficient way to pasteurize milk. Pasteurization is going better, and the plants seem to be winning over the slugs, although I am half expecting to find college kids slithering across the yard in search of beer. Expect pictures to come of the garden experiment in all it's glory!