update: the first six months on the Temme farm

[Virge]

Ok, it's not actually a farm...but it is beginning to feel like one!
The past several years, since I started the garden, I've been
reconnecting with my farming roots: memories of picking beans and
strawberries with Grandma, the plastic containers of corn in the big
chest freezer, and the jars and jars of veggies, applesauce and meats
in her basement pantry.

This year I feel like I officially took up Grandma's mantle. In July
I picked and froze berries, and then practically lived in the kitchen
from August through September: putting up nearly 400 jars of and
steam- and pressure- canned goodies. By the end of September I
thought I'd never want to cook ever, ever again, so I was grateful for
the quart jars of ready-to-eat marinara, pulled pork, roast beef, and
soups I'd included in the mix.

The Challenge I made to myself was to grow most of our vegetables and
obtain meat from friends/neighbors, so that 90% of our food calories
were from local sources. The exceptions I allowed us were: coffee,
white flour, and cooking oils. And I admit that when we visit friends/
family or when we go to restaurants I eat what's served and am
grateful for it, whether it's local or not. But nearly all our meals
are made from the foods we have grown or gathered.

It's been surprisingly easy....much more so than I thought it would
be. We've had really great meals, and I find that I'm getting much
more engaged in my relationship with foods. Making meals from what is
fresh and local has a rather romantic appeal. So old-world. So
"European". So sane!! (that being said...I must confess I bought a
bag of Oreo cookies two days ago....I'm pleading temporary insanity on
that one...I haven't had an Oreo in over ten years...don't know what
came over me!!)

Relying on awareness of growing seasons has taught me a lot this
year. I thought I knew so much. But this year I put down the
reference books and started working one-on-one with Mother Nature, and
she taught me different lessons. I found that the peas and greens
came in much later than I remembered. And tomatoes lasted almost too
long...almost got tired of them. And green beans: again...a lengthy
producer. Pears seemed very, very late, as did peaches. Cantelopes
and watermelon in late October were an interesting twist.

The new treats this year were: Kale... Leeks... and Chard. And
right up into December! Wow...they are a whole different world:
those early-winter fresh foods are truly the best-kept culinary
secret. They're AWESOME!! Grilled leeks in winter are exquisite...so
much sweeter than in August. And Swiss chard sauteed with globe
onions and drizzled with fresh honey/mustard dressing is a great
winter salad! And don't even get me started on kale wilted with bacon
drippings and balsamic vinegar....yummmeeeee!! Oh, Oh, Oh...and the
things you can do with pumpkin...it's definitely not just for pies any
more!! And Cornish pasties: my new-found food friend -- great for
using up all the turnips and rhutabega: I froze dozens of them, and
they're a wonderful winter meal.

I have been surprised at the amount of flour we consume. I've been
using half-and-half home-ground wheat and purchased white flour. With
homemade noodles, ravioli, gnocchi, breads, tortillas, we go through
about 5 pounds of flour per month. When you grind it yourself, that's
a lot of flour!! I would love to see a local flour mill start
grinding white flour...there are none in Wisconsin. Of course, with
global wheat shortages being what they are, we could probably just
consume less, too!

I've also been researching other foods that we commonly think we can't
get here, and found that, well: we can! Almonds, blueberries and
cranberries can all be grown here, although they take a lot more
attention. There is a variety of almonds developed for Zone 4/
Canada. I plan to plant three of them next spring to see how they
do. Likewise, I've learned you don't have to have a bog for
cranberries...the bog is a man-made device to make cranberry-
harvesting easier. For small quantities (like your own back yard) you
can grow a cranberry hedge, and then just pick them from the bush.
And blueberries do grow in Door County. I had two large handsful from
the 2-year-old bushes in the backyard the summer. Patriot: good
berry!

I also stumbled onto a precious little jewel: Rick and Stella Rogers
of Sturgeon Bay have a hothouse with lemons and limes. Mind you,
there aren't bagsful. But that one little lime I bought really jazzed
up the burritos ...and we still had a couple of slices for G&T's
later.

That's one of the really unexpected lessons I'm learning through
this: not everything is available all the time, so you learn to
prepare for possible shortages (like eggs..because sometimes the
chickens simply get stressed and won't lay!), and you celebrate
abundance when you have it. You learn to be flexible and inventive in
your food selections: a bit of cheese with jalapeno jelly on homemade
crostini can be almost as satisfying as a cookie...except in those
moments of insanity, perhaps!!

I find that I'm becoming so much more passionate and excited about
cooking, too, because every day is a different opportunity, depending
on what's popping up in the garden -- or what's available in the
pantry.

I think it would be fun to create a 100-Mile Cookbook for Door
County. Anyone up for it?

-Virge