Garden of Eating
Written by Garden Inspirations 9/29/11
In today’s market sourcing out local foods is becoming more and more common. Between the Farmer’s Markets, grocery stores that have a local section, restaurants that are offering local selections, and many city dweller’s trying their own hand at backyard gardening – the market is beginning to have a more consistent selection of local goods. Often times what becomes a challenge for many shoppers from local selections is the abundance of the same product for weeks at a time, which becomes an educational experience for both the local food vendor and consumer.
There are many times in a season of any given harvest that one plant decides to flourish and mass produce that even the local grower is left scratching their head. The hope of not to discourage newcomers to the local shopping selections , most local vendors try to find ways to keep the local shopper encouraged to try the produce a new way. Some vendors give new recipes, some prepare the produce and showcase it at the market, and some continue to talk about the benefits of eating what is grown locally and in season.
There are many events around the metroplex that are occurring from locally sourced food. These are great events to discover simple ways to continue enjoying the abundance of the harvest. Some events are referred to as pop up dinners, sustainable table dinners, and local flavor dinners. A recent event that occurred this month was the Garden of Eating at Garden Inspirations. This event was designed for anyone who wanted to participate, the guests stopped by to sample over 32 different recipes. The menu was selected from a variety of magazines and was chosen to showcase what can be done three or four different ways using the same vegetable. Examples of the menu, Cheese Stuffed Jalapenos, Sweet Potato & Jalapeno Soup, Spaghetti Squash with Pesto, Eggplant Puree, Watermelon Sorbet, Mint Watermelon, Sweet Potato with orange thyme butter, Swiss Chard Cream Rolls, Swiss Chard Quiche, just to name a few. Guests were invited to come and go to the event and there was no charge. The most popular feedback was, “I never would have thought to try peppers this way” “I didn’t think I liked swiss chard until I had this recipe”. The excitement of sampling something new but with a vegetable that grows well in North Texas was the hype of the event.
There are other events in the area that are available, this write up is to encourage you to participant. Company Café off of lower Greenville in Dallas is a locally sourced restaurant, Potager Café in Arlington, Texas creates a daily menu of the available products, the local Farmer’s Markets are another source of great local food selection and ideas. The current upcoming event that will showcase a variety flavors and recipes is the Barn Aid event on October 9, 2011. According to Marie Tedei , who is hosting the event, “The chefs will be preparing heavy hors d'oeuvres "created from featured wines and cheeses and will be giving guests some recipe ideas for the upcoming holidays." You can attend this event by visiting www.edensorganicgardencenter.com Another upcoming event is the Local Flavor Dinner hosted by Garden Inspirations and Chef Jeri McGinty. Together they source local food within a 100 mile radius and prepare a menu from the food that is donated to the event. It’s an evening under the Texas Sky and an unforgettable meal, so much so that it is hard to believe you are dining on a selection of locally sourced foods. You can find out more about this event by visiting www.gardeninspirations-tx.com
When the abundance of a seasonal harvest is underway, keep in mind there are many farmers, vendors, and chefs who have found creative and simple ways to enjoy the duration of the harvest. Hopefully, you will find a new way to prepare a lovely meal for you and your guests as well.
Garden Inspirations is a Garden Education Company who specialize in teaching their clients how to garden and preserve their own food. For more information email duchess@gardeninspirations-tx.com