Where has everyone gone? There are 3 weeks left in the challenge (it ends March 31) and hopefully we’ll finish strong and not just dwindle off until no one is left…
I apologize for the lateness of the recaps this week. Anita was traveling and Mike and I have been working hard on the bathroom the past few nights. I’ll get East and Midwest up tomorrow night.
  
The West:
In the midst of an uninspired week and a farmer’s market with a seasonal identity crisis, Kristen (Arugulove) decided to write about her delicious dinner out at Gather in Berkeley. They not only focus on local, seasonal ingredients, they also have an entirely local wine list and organic bar. Their meal included a vegan charcuterie plate, a small plate of squid and rice and a goat meat pizza. Now she’s feeling refreshed and ready to finish out the last few weeks of the challenge. Yay!
With their favorite meat eating vegetarian visiting for her book tour, Anita and Cameron (Married …with Dinner) decided to make pork pie inspired by a Roald Dahl story. They chopped up three kinds of cold pork for filling, added hard boiled eggs and made a hot water crust. The only bummer was that you have to wait until the next day to enjoy your hard work.
While it’s not really the end of the challenge, Kathleen (Our Life in the Country) made a simple meal of brined and bar-b-que pork chops, oven roasted potatoes with leeks and broccolini. Hopefully she’ll join us for the last 3 weeks as well.
Even with everyone in the house sick, Sara (Prepping 4 28) managed to not only make burritos, but to make her own refried beans and tortillas. The beans turned out wonderfully, but the tortillas, not so much. Ah well, there’s always next time.
The South:
HST (Life is Like a Box of Chocolates) loves Indian cooking and so last week made fragrant chicken with creamy almond sauce. She served it with a zucchini and yellow squash gratin made wtih organic flax seed bread.
It seems only a few hardy Pacific Northwest souls are making it into the Dark Days Challenge’s home stretch, leaving me with fewer and fewer posts to recap (and lots of puzzling “this is my last Dark Days post” posts), even though we’ve got a few weeks left to go. Don’t forget that Dark Days runs through March 31, with a final recap of that 4-day week posted in early April.
I was visiting Seattle this week, and I’m happy to report that Pacific Northwest winter markets are chock-full of some great springtime options already, courtesy of some warmer-than-usual weather. If the winter-time monotony of pale roots and hardy greens proved overwhelming last month, it’s worth a check of your increasing options. We saw plenty of signs of spring: fiddlehead ferns, new tender cabbages, and lots of eggs — at both the University District and Ballard farmers markets. If you’re a lapsed challenge participant watching from the sidelines, we’d love to have you back. And your local farmers could sure use your business to help them with planting costs for summer crops.
    
In The Herald’s Eco-Geek e-column, Sarah argues that parsnips deserve a place at the table. Despite their bland appearance, they make “an extremely welcome break from carrots and potatoes”. She offers her readers a recipe for parsnip soup with a bevvy of warm spices.
Eugenia of Culinaria Eugenius splurged on a lamb-butchering demo this week, and came home with grass-fed lamb loin and shoulder chops to show for her efforts. Her fella grilled the chops with olive oil and rosemary, paired with a mesclun salad from the winter market.
Laura at (not so) Urban Hennery feels a little sheepish about her meal of hash on mashers, but it sounds like the best kind of comfort food. She reheated leftover mashed spuds and topped them with spiced-up ground beef, frozen corn, and shredded cheese.
Farming Mom Beth has been inspired by everyone’s tales of Dark Days pasta-making. She found the process simple enough, whipping up a breakfast pasta — yup, you read that right — with sausage, eggs, chives, and cheese, and a side of plum and apple sauce.
This week at Sustainable Eats, Annette let her kids help with meal planning. They picked plenty of good stuff: french toast, minestrone, aebelskiver pancakes, both maple and buttermilk-oatmeal scones, and a steak supper with homemade cavatelli pasta.
 Delancey :: bar and kitchen Yesterday wasn’t a big birthday, but it was my birthday nonetheless and sometimes you have to celebrate even the unexciting years in a BIG way. Hence the fun fest that was the last 4 days… 
On Friday, while I was finishing up a paper at work, Jen, Jeanne and Anita arrived from San Francisco and checked into a seriously cute apartment in Seattle. They’re here for a swirl of activity this week and luckily some of it coincided with me!
When I was done working I headed down to join them for the night. First, we hit Latona Pub for a beer and then we headed over to Delancey for pizza. A confluence of factors and poor planning on our part resulted in us being the last table seated for the night, but you never would have guessed based on how fantastic the salad and 3 pies were.
The nettle pesto special was amazing and I would order both the pepperoni and the sausage again in a heartbeat. Unfortunately we missed out on the gray salt cookies, but since I know I’ll be back with Mike it gives me something to look forward to rather than regret.
The laughing and hilarity of the evening was just what I needed after a long day writing at work. And our weekend was just getting started…
 farmer's market haul On Saturday, after a very productive trip (above) to the U District market, Jen, Anita, and I headed over to Lara’s gorgeous house and studio, where we were joined by Kimberly, for a private photo class. We started the morning shooting blueberry muffins, styled dahl to look beautiful, broke for a brief lunch at Cafe Presse and coffee at Stumptown, and finished by styling fried potatoes.
 Muffins :: made by Lara, image courtesy of Married ...with Dinner It was a fantastic day spent observing a master craftswoman at work, absorbing as much insight as possible, and wishing for a studio of my own. I can’t wait to apply what I learned, even if it is at just the most basic level for now. Of course, the only pictures I took that day were with my phone (crappy) or Lara’s camera (beautiful) and I have none to share but Anita’s shot at left.
We finished Saturday with more delicious pizza at Pagliacci where we were joined by Kate, Kim and Anita’s friend Judy. Kate brought us blueberry pie (divine) to finish the full circle of our day.
 Pagliacci :: special pie As if that wasn’t enough celebrating and food, Sunday (my actual birthday) was filled with even more. Mike made me blueberry pancakes with bacon and coffee after friends Mia, Ron and Sierra dropped by with gifts and to see the chickens that will be in their freezer later this spring. We visited and laughed and wished we could join them on their day trip out to Whidbey Island (it was a beautiful day) and then we got started prepping for the extravaganza that was my birthday dinner shared with the San Francisco girls.
First there was cheese from Mt Townsend and Beechers with my homemade flatbread crackers (recipe later). Then we headed out to visit the highly entertaining hens, chicks and horses. Unfortunately George (barn cat) decided to hide - of course he came out to find me as soon as the girls pulled out of the driveway at the end of the night.
Animal visits out of the way, we settle in to do some serious eating. First up? Local Dungeness crab with Golden Glen butter melted with our homegrown garlic and Anita’s lemons. We helped it down with Rock Ridge hard cider courtesy of Jeanne.
 and the crabs go marching... Then Jeanne treated us to a dish of oh-my-god-melt-in-your-mouth-this-is-so-good Wooly Pig Mangalitsa ravioli from La Pasta at the market. She topped it with a bit more Golden Glen butter and minced local shallots.
 Mangalitsa ravioli :: image courtesy of Married ...with Dinner After that we finally sat down to dinner - skewers of red wine, garlic, rosemary and thyme marinated grass fed sirloin and mushrooms grilled by Mike, homegrown mashed potatoes and spring salads of greens, Asian pears and shallot vinaigrette.
 salads on the table :: image courtesy Married ...with Dinner We topped it all off with “Mom’s chocolate cake” from Macrina bakery in Seattle. Seriously good.
 Macrina chocolate cake And then, because I wasn’t ready for it to end, I took the day off of work to hang out with Mike today. We began with his famous bacon, cheddar and scallion omelets. Afterwards we spent a few hours working on the bathroom - grouting the back splash and priming it all. Late this afternoon, after a snack of Fromage and hand delivered avocado on flatbread, we headed over to the tree farm for a short trail ride in the fading sun. Finally, we finished up with leftovers from last night. Wow.
And really, it’s not over yet. There’s Fatted Calf pepperoni, Boccalone pork ragu, avocados, and homegrown lemons in the fridge to keep us going for a while yet.
*****
This meal could count as a Dark Days dinner, but I already posted this week. We’ll just consider it a bonus!
If I were a real foodie blogger I would never in a million years tell you what we had for dinner tonight. Luckily, I’m a farm blogger that happens to like good simple food and so I will share the one dish meal we made tonight. There’s no name for it, let’s just call it hash on mashers.
I got home late and when I got here we decided to set the tile for the backsplash in that bathroom we’ve been forced to rehab. When we were done it was 8:30 and we were HUNGRY. Luckily we had leftover mashed potatoes in the fridge (the pork shoulder became BBQ pork sandwiches with coleslaw the last two nights) and a thawed pound of ground beef in the fridge.
I browned the beef in a bit of bacon grease with local onion and homegrown garlic. I added a touch of fresh thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper. At the end we tossed in some of last summer’s corn.
With mashed potatoes and a touch of Beecher’s Flagship cheese on top this was seriously not glamorous, but it was seriously good.
  
The Midwest:
Kids! are the center of the action at El’s (Fast Grow the Weeds) house. Well, that and a cabbage dinner featuring bubble and squeak, round steak, pumpkin bread and a bitter greenhouse salad with foraged walnuts. She’s wondering if the end of the Dark Days Challenge on March 31 will really be the end of the dark days of winter. I’m not sure, but I do know that it’s after the spring equinox, so they must end around there somewhere!
Last week was roast chicken at Wendy’s house (Midwest Green) and so this week is chicken soup. Also into the pot went potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic. On the side were pan-fried potato sticks and a green salad. Yum, I love fried potatoes.
My mom (Nordic Walking Queen) planned ahead and browned some ground beef to use later. Gettig home from a late night walk, she combined it with a tortilla, cheese, sour cream, my aunt Betsy’s salsa and lettuce to make a taco. Wow - I was just telling Mike the other night about the tacos my mom made when I was a kid - this is the new local version!
In the midst of a busy week, Angela (Notes from a Country Girl…) still found time to pick up the fixings for buffalo burgers with homemade pickle chips, lettuce and homemade fries. Looks good to me!
Sara (Put Your Shovel…) might feel like she’s slacking, but I think that every local meal counts. Her simple lunch of homemade focaccia with local potatoes and homegrown sage and sundried tomates with Gouda enjoyed with a backyard hard-boiled egg and homegrown canned pears sounds delicious to me!
The West:
Kristen (Arugulove) cooked another piece of meat from her CSA, a boneless leg of pork. After marinating it with spices and fresh herbs, she roasted it in the oven with cute little potatoes tossed in more herbs and olive oil. A salad of radicchio, walnuts and blood orange infused olive oil rounded out the plate. A California Zinfindel was the perfect glass to go with it.
Anita (Married …with Dinner) doesn’t usually find herself making and eating the same thing over and over, but last week she got stuck on warm escarole salad. You can make much of it ahead of time and it can make a meal by itself or happily share a plate with roast chicken. On the list for us.
She did a lot of cooking, but nothing seemed photo worthy until Kathleen (Our Life in the Country) got to the red cabbage (my favorite). Meals last week included flank steak, beef short ribs smothered in BBQ sauce, butternut squash soup and pork roast in white wine. Wow.
Sara (Prepping 4 28) made a meatless chili with wheat berries and black beans. She combined them with tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, onion, bell peppers, avocado and cilantro to make a delicious, if HOT, meal.
The farmers market in SF is spectacular right now, and Jen (Eat Local Challenge) is showing off with meals including avocados, asparagus, greens, radishes, green garlic and spinach. I’m trying not to hate her. Her featured meal was Sunday breakfast of roasted potatoes and asparagus, poached eggs and ham slices. Oh yum.
The East
Daftly Smitten is another blogger who says why not have breakfast for dinner. She defrosted some polenta pancakes and served them with strawberry syrup. She also made a tasty omelet with cheese, mushrooms, bison sausage and some non local spinach. A hearty meal for a famished eater.
Stacey at Fessenden Farmstead has started getting vegetables delivered from her dairy. This week she made her favorite beet buttermilk soup with beets from PA and thick buttermilk from her dairy. She was going to have a baked sweet potato to go with the soup but was too lazy to do that.
 Beet Buttermilk Soup Marisa at Food in Jars made the tried and true roasted sweet potatoes with sauteed brussels sprouts. The twist to this meal started out as the concept of turkey meatballs but ended up as mini burgers due to a shortage of time. Turns out, Marisa prefers the mini burgers. Next week we may see Beet Halwa from her.
Late Bloomer’s Farm is amazed that it’s week 15 already and is pining for aspargus (me too!). The dish contained local dried beans over wheat berries and with a side of spinach. I’m jealous over the dried beans, I’ve yet to find a local source in the DC area. The Peregion beans could be used in place of pintos or black beans or black-eyed peas.
 peregion beans over wheatberries Annika at Northeast Kingdom made braised lamb shanks with parsnips, onion, garlic and carrots. This was served with a side of cabbage sauteed in butter. A very hearty meal for an evening in Vermont.
Amber at Unstuffed sadly broke open the last jar of tomato sauce from her summer harvest. She didn’t want to serve it with plain run of the mill pasta so she made her own with some local buckwheat flour. The gnocchi was made with squash and all buckwheat flour so they turned out a little dense yet almost meaty tasting. To the last jar of sacred sauce some really wonderful oyster mushrooms were added. A filling and delicious meal.
Over at What Did She Do Today, more gnocchi was in order. The sauce was made with local vegetables and the dumplings were made with ricotta cheese and some non local flour. Even though the meal turned out lovely, she just didn’t feel like taking any pictures!
Local Kitchen made an absolutely delicious looking Roasted Leek Confit Pizza. It was a perfect ending to a day of sledding and was the basis for an impromptu gathering of friends. I think I’ll have to try this recipe myself!
 Leek Confit Pizza The South
Jennelle at Delicious Potager has decided that it’s easier to make breakfast the Challenge meal. This week she made a new favorite biscuits and tomato gravy. Even though she’s from Appalachia, Jennelle had never eaten tomato gravy. A roux was made with bacon grease and flour, add diced tomatoes and simmer and then add some milk. Pour over fresh from the oven biscuits. Yummy!
It’s been awhile since her last SOLE meal but this week Life is Like a Box of Chocolate made some tasty almond crusted trout with maple syrup cream sauce. It was served with a side of mashed potatoes and lemon buttered kale. This recipe is a keeper!
 Almond Crusted Trout The Tennessee Locavore grilled up chicken thighs and basted them with some fiery local marinade. Squash preserved from the summer was cooked with fresh from the garden potato onion (what is this?), tomatoes and cilantro. Everything but the spices was local in this meal.
 At the (not so) Urban Hennery, Laura thawed a pork shoulder from her freezer stash, but couldn’t decide what to do with it. She ended up making gorgeous barbecue pork in the Crock-pot, with mashed homegrown potatoes and a leafy green salad with dried cranberries and hazelnuts on the side.
Annette at Sustainable Eats realizes she doesn’t know when Dark Days officially ends (psst: the answer is here), but doesn’t care: She’s on a roll with cheesy burgers, pulled-pork sandwiches, egg sandwiches, and another of her signature pizzas, this time with leftover taco meat and home-canned jalapeños.
 A satisfying one-skillet supper of greens and beans was Kimberly’s local meal of the week over at Music and Cats. She cooked bacon, then sauteed onions and Swiss chard in the rendered fat until tender; chickpeas added protein, and cider vinegar brightened up all of the flavors. In a word: Yum.
This is a crew after my own heart: Rock Solid’s Brittney and her pals “decided that November’s Thanksgiving meal is just too good to enjoy only once a year”, so they have a quarterly turkey feast! She also enjoyed an Italian ravioli-fest, and a simpler meal of parsnips and kale in a beef-cranberry sauce.
 I believe Eugenia is feeling the touch of early spring: She pairs her recent penchant for locally made fresh pasta with a bumper crop of arugula, adding some frozen local peas to create an homage to a classic French peas-and-lettuce dish for this week’s Culinaria Eugenius locavore entry.
Lauren at Dropstone Farms takes the brunchy route to local eating with a batch of huevos rancheros. She stacks locally-made tortillas with black beans, home-raised eggs, and home-made sour cream (um, drool!) and salsa — her only exemption was tomatoes… pretty impressive in February!
Sarah, the Herald’s resident Eco Geek, works up a delicious trade: She swapped her extra strawberry plants for one of Laura’s farm-raised chickens! She turned to the Dark Days Challenge email group for suggestions on how to prepare it, and ended up with a beautifully roasted bird and a side of sunchokes.
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