Dark Days Week #3

Well, like everyone else, it seems, I’ve had a crazy week.  On top of three days of Halloween-candy-induced craziness at school, I’ve found myself in food crisis mode.

I’m out of onions.

Now, I saw this coming, so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think this was going to happen sooner or later.  But, it’s sooner.  And I thought I could find a good amount of keeper onions (and potatoes, for that matter) somewhere around here, but as of now, I’m not sure what I’m going to do.  Obviously I have to venture out of my regular area, and since I need to be in Concord on Sunday, I hope to have a few spots to check between here and there.  I’m worried!

In the meantime, we ate lots of local foods this week, like beef stew with beef from Rock Farm beef and Moulton Farm veggies and potatoes.  But there were three notable events in the local eating adventure that kind of soothe my panic over the onions.

#1. I have a local source for brick-oven baked bread!  A teacher at our sister elementary school is organizing a weekly bread delivery from Sunnyfield Brick Oven Bakery!  This paved the way for our Dark Days meal, of raisin-bread french toast (see end of post).

#2. I made cheese!  This Sunday, using this kit from Ricki at New England Cheesemaking Supply, I made myself a ball of mozzarella, from NH milk.  Quite good, I must say, although being my first batch, I learned some things that I’ll do differently next time.  Damn, though, I’m impressed with myself!  If you want to try making cheese, I highly recommend this kit.  It makes mozzarella or ricotta (I haven’t tried the ricotta yet).  Additionally, I think it makes a great, unique gift.

#3. We enjoyed our first pork chops from our Rock Farm pork.  They were delicious!  We enjoyed them with fresh veggies from Moulton’s and some homemade rice pilaf (non-local rice and pine nuts).

So, for our Dark Days Challenge meal, I’ve chosen breakfast this week.

Raisin Bread French Toast 

• Many Raisin Bread from Sunnyfield Brick Oven Bakery (12 miles)
• Eggs from Sandwich, NH (8 miles)
• Sherman Farm Milk (50 miles)
• Cabot butter (within 100 miles)
• Maple Syrup from our own maple trees (0 miles)
• Cinnamon, nutmeg (non-local)

It was delicious!  And in writing this post, I realize I have other posts I can write: cheesemaking, my two chest freezers and my husband’s maple syrup-making – can’t wait until I have a little time!