Guess I’ve always been an unconventional American patriot. No red, white and blue holiday t-shirts for yours truly. I haven’t seen a parade in years. But I do put a lot of thought into the picnic menu. The Fourth of July reminds me to remember and rekindle Thomas Jefferson’s vision of our democracy as citizens’ everyday participation in the political system – in my case, through conscious food choices.

Make a democratic statement with your food choices this weekend. Here are the criteria that resulted in my patriotic choices:

* Protect the Homeland through Homegrown Fare
Everything needs to be as local as possible, showcasing in my case the flavors of Wisconsin. The Leopold Center now estimates average American food travels over 1,700 miles, the majority shipped by airplane, producing ten to thirty times the carbon per mile. Ain’t nothing American in decorating the picnic table with fossil fuel dependencies.

Why the brat? If you’re going to eat meat, choose wisely and eat in moderation. Grass-fed, pasture raised livestock do not eat grain and, low and behold, require significantly less oil over their lifetime than needed for feedlot animals.

I’m a flexitarian when it comes to eating. Ninety-five percent of my diet is vegetarian, eager to eat lower on the food chain and mostly from my own gardens. On the Fourth of July, though, I splurge on brats, which I just picked up from Carrie and Eric at Jordandal Farm, a few miles north from our farm.

* Deliver Nutritional Fireworks
Make sure the food delivers a nutritional punch, bringing high doses of quality nutrients to the (non-Styrofoam) picnic plate. In July you can’t beat a homegrown mixed green salad for fresh nutrition, focusing on dark green and red leaf lettuce leaves with a hefty dose of spinach greens mixed in.

* Build Community
In his book, Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World from New Society Publishers, Chris O’Brien shares how local breweries increasingly embrace ecologically sustainable production and use of local ingredients, prompting a renaissance of thoughtful discussion and debate over a shared pint. Benjamin Franklin would be proud.

My community of Monroe, Wisconsin, is home to the Midwest’s oldest brewery, Minhas Craft Brewery. On a good day you can smell the spent grains wafting over Monroe’s downtown square.

* “Give Me Flavor, or Give me Death”
If it doesn’t taste great, the above three criteria wash away. Brats need a dose of preparation to truly bring out their taste potential. Especially if you, like me, eat meat in extreme moderation – make sure you do it right.

In Wisconsin, you’ll find various schools of cooking thought on how to cook up brats. Fortunately, my neighbor farmer, Anna Zettle, tutored me in the art of brat preparation when I established Wisconsin roots a dozen years ago:

Authentic Wisconsin Brats Recipe

1. Slowly simmer defrosted, uncooked brats for several hours in beer with some chunks of onions, garlic and a dash of lemon juice. This time of year, consider adding chopped garlic scapes. An energy-efficient crock-pot works well for the simmering.

2. When cooked through, throw brat on a hot grill till nicely brown.

3. Here’s the secret step: After grilling, throw brats back into the hot beer mixture for a couple minutes before serving. This vital last step adds a dose of juicy flavor.

Related Posts:

Firing Up the Grill? Think Honey

Seven Tips for Greening Your Barbecue This Summer

How to Green Your Summer Camping and BBQ

Like other mainstay international dishes, this Greek dish has various versions — and spellings: “Spanakopita” for “spinach pie” and “spanakotyropita” for the more detailed “spinach and cheese pie.” But the short gist is an abundant bowl of cooked spinach and herbs mixed with feta and eggs, nestled in between buttered layers of phyllo. By accident once, we bought puff pastry sheets instead of phylo dough which worked surprisingly well. Combinations of spinach and Swiss chard work equally well.

Harvest those local greens and enjoy!

Recipe after the jump.

Spanakopita

Ingredients:
2 lbs. fresh spinach (about 5 c. frozen)
1 large onion, finely chopped
¼ c. olive oil
1 lb. finely crumbled feta cheese
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 t. dried dill
½ lb. phyllo pastry dough sheets
(defrosted)
½ c. butter, melted (1 stick)

Directions:
* Wash fresh spinach, pat dry and chop fine.
* Sauté onion in olive oil until soft and slightly browned. Add spinach and simmer to remove excess moisture.
* Crumble cheese and mix in eggs and dill. Combine with spinach mixture until well blended.
* Line a 9-in. x 13-in. pan with 10 buttered sheets of phyllo. Pour in spinach-cheese mixture. Top with 8 buttered sheets of phyllo.
* Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Serves 8.

From Edible Earth: Savoring the Good Life with Vegetarian Recipes from Inn Serendipity

All of a sudden, I came to the edge of a cliff, staring down into the deep canyon below. ‘Hmmm, this canyon wasn’t here yesterday,” I noted, as the tiger quickly caught up to me. As I looked down, at the bottom of the canyon stood a second tiger, ready for dinner. I saw a small branch growing out of the edge of the cliff, and I quickly jumped and grabbed the branch, dangling precipitously over the cliff drop off, but hey, I figured I’m still alive.

I look up to see not only tiger number one snarling down at me, but two voracious mice, chewing away on my branch. But as the branch started to crack and my life flashed before me, my eye catches a strawberry, dangling from its vine. Not just any strawberry, but a perfectly ruby red ripe beauty, moist with morning dew. And I reach out, picked it and ate that strawberry.

You can probably figure out my fate in this fable, a Midwestern version inspired by a Buddhist tale. But the lesson is that each one of us is symbolically hanging from that dangling branch. The tiger represents death – which will happen to all of us eventually. The mice represent time – we all receive a finite amount in our lifetime. We don’t know the ultimate path our life’s journey will take or when it will end. This story reminds us to embrace the moment, live fully in the present and leave no sweet seasonal strawberry behind.

With strawberry season in full gear,make strawberry eating a symbolic, spiritual act with every berry you pop in our mouth. Take full advantage of whatever life offers on your plate today, from crunchy late spring pea pods to fresh strawberry pina coladas, from an e-mail from an old friend to a creative late-night energy burst. Live, eat and love in the here and now – the strawberry season, as well as my six-year old begging me to help him dip some in chocolate, will be over all too soon.

If you need any more promoting to celebrate the strawberry, here’s my favorite strawberry dessert, which only works well with peak ripe berries:

Strawberry Whip Cream Roll

Cake Ingredients:
6 eggs, separated
¾ c. sugar, divided
1 c. ground walnuts
¼ c. dry bread crumbs
¼ c. all-purpose flour
1/8 t. salt
Powdered sugar

Filling Ingredients:
4 c. fresh strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
1 c. heavy whipping cream
2 T. sugar
1 t. vanilla extract
Powdered sugar

Directions:
* In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add ¼ c. sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.
* In a separate mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and remaining sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Combine walnuts, bread crumbs, flour and salt. Add to yolk mixture. Mix well. Gently fold in egg white mixture.
* Line a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. jelly roll baking pan with wax paper. Grease the wax paper with butter. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Cool for 5 minutes. Invert cake onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar. Gently peel off waxed paper. Roll up cake in the towel jelly-roll style, starting with a short side. Cool on a wire rack.
* In a mixing bowl, bean cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until stiff peaks form.
* Unroll cake; spread with filling to within ½-in. of edges. Top with sliced berries. Roll up again. Place seam side down on serving plate. Chill until serving. Dust each slice with powdered sugar before serving.

Serves 12.

From Edible Earth: Savoring the Good Life with Vegetarian Recipes from Inn Serendipity

This baked omelet role (recipe after the jump) ranks a classic example of easy, versatile breakfast dishes. This recipe, baked in a 13-inch by 9-inch pan, provides a “base” for various creative breakfast dishes, from slicing the roll into “noodles” to cutting out flat rectangular slices and serving in a layered “breakfast lasagna” style. My favorite version is the “egg roll” twist presentation as described below and in the photo, elegant and simple.

The veggies inside the “egg roll” add the seasonal flavor. Anything goes inside these babies; right now I’m doing fresh asparagus and spinach, with a few frozen green peppers from last year’s garden. If you’re up for a gourmet touch, try the homemade Hollandaise Sauce, otherwise salsa also adds a nice complimentary kick. Enjoy!

Inn Serendipity Omelet Egg Roll
Ingredients:
6 eggs
½ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. milk
½ t. salt
About 1 c. cooked & seasoned veggies
About 1 c. cheese (cheddar, havarti, mozerella), shredded

Directions:
* To prepare seasoned veggies, start off with some sautéed onions and garlic and add spinach, peppers, zucchini, and other vegetables of choice. Steamed asaparagus works great. Season with salt, pepper and dill.
* In a large bowl, beat eggs with electric mixer until frothy.
* Beat in flour until smooth.
* Add milk and salt and beat until blended.
* Pour into greased 13-in. x 9-in. pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until eggs are set and top is puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven. Don’t panic when the puffed egg dish quickly settles and flattens out—that’s normal.
* Cut into approximately three 3-in. x 9-in. slices. “Flip” slice onto temporary plate (not final serving plate) so top of slice that is nicely browned is facing the plate and will eventually show on the outside of the egg roll.
* Place cooked veggie evenly down center of roll. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Roll up from narrow end and place seam-side down on the same temporary plate. Microwave until cheese melts.
* Move roll to serving plate and top with Hollandaise sauce.
Serves: 4.

Hollandaise Sauce

Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
¼ water, simmering
1 T. lemon juice
¼ c. butter (½ stick)

Directions:
* Whisk egg yolks in a double boiler over low heat. Make sure water isn’t too hot or eggs will curdle. Stir 1 minute.
* Add water, 1 T. at a time. Stir 1-2 minutes until thick.
* Add 1 ½ T. lemon juice.
* Take off heat and stir in butter.
Serves: 4

“I believe if we could reverence food and animals with respect, we would start treating people differently,” explains Caroline. “I truly believe this act can bring about peace and change the tides of global warming. It’s all about balance and giving more than you take.”

Caroline, a Dominican Sister of Sinsinawa, brings these values to the plate through her work at The Bridge-Between Retreat Center located south east of Green Bay, Wisconsin, a restored turn of the century farm and educational center she founded that stimulates people of all faiths and backgrounds to reflect on their connection to our food system and all of creation.

How can we, in our 24/7 caffeine-pulsating world, get back to the simple basics of eating with intent? How do we rekindle an appreciation for the abundance in our lives? Caroline offers some
tips you can serve up at dinner tonight:

• Dial Up the Awareness
“It is easy to eat a sandwich and never truly taste it,” Caroline comments. “Choose your ingredients carefully. Tenderly cut the lettuce and cheese and be aware of the flavor. Sit down and eat off a plate.” Be forewarned: being conscious of daily meals will spill over into the rest of your life. “When people start eating with awareness, they can’t help but live life differently. They are more conscious, more reflective and more gentle with both themselves and the world
around them.”

• Eat Around the Pits
Slow down when you eat cherry pie at The Bridge-Between Retreat Center: it’s tradition to leave in the pits. “Not only does this increase the cherry flavor, it forces people to take their time and
eat carefully and consciously,” explains Sullivan. “There are pits in cherry pie just as there are pits in life. Eating slowly helps us make that important connection.”

• Choose Well, Eat Less
“Eating organically doesn’t need to cost more if you eat with intention and awareness,” advises Caroline. “If you truly taste the flavors, you will be fuller. Healthy food feeds both the mind and
soul.”

• Indulge with Intention
Indulging with intention is different than being greedy. “If life gifts you with a dinner of sticky ribs, then by all means jump in, enjoy and get sticky,” Caroline advises with a smile. “Indulging with intent is a wonderful image for all of life: Either dig in and make a difference or don’t bother.”

• Waste Not
Caroline credits her upbringing in Scotland and England after World War II with gifting her with tenacity to not waste food. “We lived on ration books till 1956, and that’s how I learned the art of doing a lot with a little and making sure no food went to waste,” reminisces Caroline. “I pick everything from the garden and always find a purpose for it, be it for sale, the table, the soup pot or the compost pile.”

The summer season of fresh produce gifts us all with ample opportunity to practice eating with intention. Here’s Caroline’s favorite simple way to relish her daily greens:

Swiss Chard & Beet Top Delight
Cut the stems off a bunch of clean, raw Swiss chard and beet tops. “I like Ruby Red Swiss Chard for the pretty color, “offers Caroline.

Place about six leaves on top of each other, mixing the Swiss chard and beet tops together. Tightly roll up the leaves like a cigar.

Slice very thinly. You will end up with long, thin strands resembling spaghetti.

Put green strands in a bowl and work in olive oil, and salt with your hands. Taste. Adjust seasoning: “This tastes amazing and is best when it is fresh. So try to make enough for just that meal,” suggests Caroline. If you do happen to have leftovers, mix them in a food
processor with, yogurt, garlic and salt for an easy, creamy dressing. These greens also make a nice green bed for potato salad.

The stems can be sautéed with a little olive oil and salt. Serve separately as they have a totally different, yet complimentary, flavor to the greens. Any leftovers toss into a pot of soup. “Life’s banquet table awaits our presence. Let us brake bread and share what we’ve been given,” sums up Caroline.

Too bad Popeye didn’t know Angie Tagtow, an environmental nutritionist based in Iowa and a leading advocate championing public access to fresh, affordable, sustainably raised food. “Local food is a dream team blend of nutrients and health benefits,” explains Tagtow. “Food’s nutrient value starts to decrease right after it is harvested. Local food is picked and then quickly eaten at the peak of ripeness. It’s thereby fresh, tastes great and packs a more nutritious punch than what might be shipped and processed 1,500 miles away.”

Local, fresh spinach would have also gifted Popeye with a decent long-term health insurance plan. “Increasing access to and consumption of fresh foods decreases the risk of diet-related, chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” adds Tagtow. “Local food offers tremendous long-term public health benefits. The challenge is for policymakers, public health agencies and nutrition professionals to recognize and initiate programs that support local, fresh food access for all.” Tagtow works toward such awareness through her business, Environmental Nutrition Solutions, which takes an ecological approach to food and health by focusing on the public health benefits of sustainable food systems, and through her work as a Food and Society Policy Fellow.

Growing up in rural Wisconsin where her father worked in the medical field, Tagtow saw the connection between diet and health early on. “There’s so much emphasis today on treating disease with drugs, and yet there’s so much potential for using our food choices as a preventive approach to disease,” comments Tagtow. “Realizing the connection between what we eat and the state of both public and planetary health will hopefully lead to a more holistic approach to disease prevention.”

As we enter the season of fresh food abundance, Tagtow offers some tips and ideas to get more fresh, local fare on your plate:

• Connect with a Local Food Source
Local Harvest provides a national database that links you to area farmers’ markets, U-picks, CSAs (Community Support Agriculture), food co-ops or retailers that sell local food. Plug in your zip code and you may very well surprise yourself with the number of options available in your area.

• Embrace your Culinary Limitations
“Know your skill and comfort level in the kitchen and start with food items you are familiar with, slowly learning how to handle fresh food,” advises Tagtow. “Pick a couple of items that you know you like and then experiment as your palette widens. Ask farmers questions on how they recommend preparing different items and for recipe and storage tips.”

• Choose a Rainbow of Color
“Anything that has a vibrant color is generally a robust source of vitamins and nutrients, such as dark green Swiss Chard or bright orange sweet potatoes,” Tagtow recommends.

• Buy Seasonally in Bulk and Preserve
“Right now I’m buying asparagus at the Des Moines Farmers’ Market and freezing it for the winter,” Tagtow adds. “You can’t beat the price, nutrient value and flavor of stocking up locally in-season.”

Tagtow relies on her easy “Garden Fresh Greens Salad” when she needs a simple meal that’s quick on prep and high on flavor and nutrients. Poor Popeye. If only he had ventured out of the can, he and Olive Oyl would have been savoring something like this:

Garden Fresh Greens Salad

Step 1: Start with a bowl of fresh greens, such as spinach mixed with baby salad greens. Tagtow likes to add in some zestier greens for a peppery bite such as red kale, arugula or endive. Sprinkle with a few chopped chives.

Step 2: Add in some fruit, such as a chopped apple or pear or handful of dried cranberries.

Step 3: Crumble 1-2 Tablespoons of flavorful cheese on top. Tagtow picks up blue cheese from Maytag Dairy Farm or goat cheese from Northern Prairie Chevre on her weekly jaunts to the Des Moines Farmers’ Market.

Step 4: Sprinkle on 1-2 Tablespoons of nuts or seeds, such as sunflower seeds, walnuts or pine nuts.

Step 5: Drizzle with aged balsamic syrup. Balsamic syrup is thicker and sweeter, which makes a great tasting, healthy dressing.

You can purchase balsamic syrup, or here is a recipe to make it:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
2 scant tablespoons sugar

Stir vinegar and sugar in heavy small saucepan and boil slowly until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Mix in 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme. Store in a small pitcher in the fridge.

“Women farmers today are reinventing the face of organic agriculture,” explains Denise O’Brien, executive director of the Women in Food and Agriculture Network. “They’re focused on raising healthy food for their community and often sell their products through farmers’ markets or community supported agriculture initiatives.” Young women, such as Zoë Bradbury in Oregon, are ditching traditional career paths early on to go for their dreams of being a farmer and contributing to creating a local, healthy food system. Or these women may run diversified farm-based businesses, such as Marguerite Ramlow who runs Artha Sustainable Living Center from her farm in Wisconsin, conducting organic gardening, yoga, renewable energy and sustainable living workshops on-site.

Why this trend of women launching farm and food based businesses? A couple perspectives to chew on:

• No Glass Ceiling — Just Open Fields of Possibility

No matter how you slice it, various barriers and glass ceilings still exist for women in today’s traditional, corporate structure. That explains why women have been starting businesses at twice the national average rate for years. The growth of farming and farm-based businesses takes this independent, entrepreneurial idea to an even larger playing field as one can control even more of the business inputs and outputs by being in a rural setting. Don’t like being dependent on foreign oil? Put up a wind turbine and other renewable energy systems, like we did on our Wisconsin farm and B&B, Inn Serendipity.

• Bring the Kids Along

Farm businesses blend opportunity to involve kids in daily activities and responsibilities. From helping with animal and barn chores to getting ready for the farmers’ market, farms provides various ways to integrate and spend time with one’s children in an engaging, educational setting. Making change for customers at your market stand blows away any math text book when it comes to real-life experience. Our six-year old son, Liam, is in charge of gathering wood and prepping the evening campfire site we share with our B&B guests.

• Soul-Satisfying Work

Contributing to a healthier food system, fostering a healthier planet, leaving a better world for our children. Farms offers women a creative palette to bring one’s values to life on a daily basis, harvesting a satisfaction I know my former career life stranded in a cubicle working for someone else would never bring.

No, this isn’t a pipe dream prompted by the current era of high fuel and food costs. “These statistics rang true in 1943 during World War II during the peak of the Victory Garden era,” explains Rose Hayden-Smith, a garden historian and leading expert on this amazing period of self-sufficiency over sixty years ago. “Victory Gardens provided multiple benefits back then, including improving American health and showcasing the nation’s stability and high morale.”

But Hayden-Smith isn’t a historian stuck in the past – she’s an advocate championing bringing the Victory Garden concept back to create a sustainable food system for future generations. Historically, World War II Victory Gardens were kitchen gardens planted to help relieve wartime food shortages. Hayden-Smith defines Victory Gardens more broadly: “A Victory Garden today can be any garden with a purpose that you define personally. That purpose can be a family project to raise food for your household or a community effort to grow produce for a local food bank or whatever else you see as a need.” Such mission based gardening moves our food choices beyond our own personal plate and into the political realm: Make a statement with your garden, vote by example for self-sufficiency and independence.

Why rekindle the Victory Garden concept today? “Victory Gardens showcase patriotism in its truest sense, with each of us taking personal responsibility for doing our individual part to create a healthy, fair and affordable food system,” Hayden-Smith sums up. Additional reasons for recreating Victory Gardens today include:

• Foster skill base among young people
“Victory Gardens provide an inspiring historic model for how we can reintegrate garden-based curriculum into our schools,” Hayden-Smith adds. “Our skills as a nation to be self-sufficient, especially amongst the younger generation, have declined considerably. Additionally, various studies prove that kids who garden eat healthier, which then leads to improved academic performance.” Additionally, a garden can be a base for teaching anything from literature to science to art, all with an appreciation for a healthy food system.

• Build community
Gardening connects people and can bridge cultural barriers. “When we gardened during World War II, we improved our cultural understanding and appreciation of diversity,” explains Hayden-Smith. “Historically, every culture gardens, even though they may be growing different things. During the Victory Garden era, people from diverse backgrounds connected through raising their own food, sharing harvest abundance, food traditions and, most importantly, building community.”

• Support national security
“With rising fuel and food prices, home gardens assure better access for all people, particularly those of lower income levels, to healthy, fresh food,” Harden-Smith concludes.

A University of California Cooperative Extension Advisor and Food and Society Policy Fellow, Hayden-Smith passionately gardens in her own home plot in Ventura, California and blogs on Victory Growers. She focuses on simple, fast recipes that showcase the fresh produce flavors. Her family’s favorite, “Garden Fresh Pasta Sauce,” can be made just with zucchini if tomatoes are not available.

Spaghetti with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Basil

1.5 pounds small or medium zucchini
4-6 Roma tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ cup olive oil
Handful of basil leaves, torn into small pieces
½ cup mixed grated or shredded Parmesan and Romano cheeses
½ cup half-and-half or milk
1 lb. whole grain spaghetti
Salt and pepper

Heat a large pot of water for the pasta. Quarter the zucchini and tomatoes lengthwise, then cut into ½ inch chunks. Warm the olive oil and garlic in a wide skillet. Add the zucchini and tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Cook gently over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is soft and browned in places (about 15 minutes). Add the half-and-half and cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, add salt to the boiling water and cook the pasta. Drain and toss the pasta with the zucchini, tomatoes, cheese and basil. Season to taste.

If tomatoes aren’t available, simply omit. This recipe works will with yellow squash, too!

But today I wasn’t drawn to this recipe for my menu plan. With all things maternal on all our radars this week, I realized if my mom and I had a theme dish showcasing the heart of our relationship, it would have to be the meringue.

Let me first confess that my mom is still a dash dazed and confused over the fact that my livelihood today roots in food. I farm and grow organic food, write about food and sustainable agriculture, cook our B&B breakfasts, lust over cookbooks like romance novels. She’s perplexed not because of my love for food, but over the fact that I never showed one iota of interest in cooking growing up.

You’d always find my mom in the kitchen during my childhood years — cooking dinner for my dad and I, testing new concoctions, graciously spoiling guests with her culinary prowess. As for me, you’d find me anywhere but the kitchen. While my mother tried tactics ranging from warm invitations to outings to pick-your-own strawberry farms, I showed no interest in anything culinary.

Flash forward a few decades, and she’s grinning in that motherly “I told you so” sort of way as we share cooking tidbits, recipes and ingredient booty. While I readily admit to eating my words and now embrace a daily routine with the kitchen and garden as my base camp, I also give due credit to those early experiences observing my mom cooking. While I may not have realized - nor appreciated it — at the time, those early years rooted a love and appreciation for the power of good food that just needed some time on my life journey to bloom.

So how does making meringue serve up insights into the mother-daughter relationship dance?

• Beat till you blend.

Quite simply, a meringue is a mixture of stiff egg whites beaten into granulated sugar. For anyone who ever attempted to mix a meringue by hand, this takes a lot of arm muscle. Basically you just keep at it, beating until the meringue thickens up shiny and white.

And so it goes with mothers and daughters. While sometimes we may feel like we’re on opposite of the ingredient list, if we keep beating and mixing together, eventually we’ll blend. The key is sticking with each other until common ground is reached — which probably just like the meringue — results in a new, different, tastier entity.

• Cook low and long.

Like mother-daughter relationships, meringues are in it for the long haul. Meringues usually bake at a very low 200 degree oven for as long as two hours and then are left in a half-opened oven until completely dried out. Meringues - and relationships — take time to slowly strengthen and evolve. Hot and fast quickly burns out. Slow and steady builds a lifetime bond.

• Embrace the current season.

Meringues often serve as a base for showcasing seasonal, fresh fruit. Early summer strawberries, for example, make the perfect meringue topping. Relish and take advantage of the moment, enjoy and embrace what’s in season.

That enjoy the here and now philosophy applies to the mother-daughter dance. Embrace the connections we have today — we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. Maybe I’m catching up on my anti-culinary early years, but I call my mom almost daily with a cooking question. Mom turns 80 this year, entering a time of life when the future reigns unpredictable. Even when I already know how to blanch broccoli or carve a turkey, I’ll call for her opinion and give us both a reason to connect.

Celebrate these bonds between moms and daughters with a meringue at your table this Mother’s Day — and please share your thoughts on the role food plays in your connections with your mom. Here’s a family classic meringue recipe from my mom:

CHERRY BERRY ON A CLOUD
Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1/2 t. cream of tartar
1/4 t. salt
2 1/2 c. sugar, divided
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 t. vanilla
2 c. whipped cream, whipped

2 c. miniature marshmallows
1 can cherry pie filling

1 t. lemon juice
2 c. sliced, fresh strawberries

Directions:
• Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until frothy; gradually add 1 3/4 c. sugar, about a tablespoon at a time.

• Continue beating until stiff and glossy, at least five minutes till sugar is dissolved.

• Spread mixture evenly in a greased 9 x 13 glass pan and bake at 275 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven, leave meringue in oven with door closed for another hour or overnight if the oven has a pilot light.

• Mix softened cream cheese, 3/4 c. sugar and vanilla.

• Spread over meringue and chill (best if chilled 12 hours). Stir lemon juice into cherry pie filling and add strawberries.

• Cut into squares and spoon cherry/berry sauce over square before serving. (If strawberries are out of season, you can use two cans of pie filling).

Cook, along with her husband, Wayne, currently milk a herd of 25 cows, selling their milk to Organic Valley Family of Farms, the largest farmer-owned organic cooperative in the country. She represents the rural renaissance of farming women today: smart, sassy, steadfastly committed to educating about the importance of sustainable agriculture — and still the kind of gal who would warmly welcome you into her farmhouse kitchen for coffee, cheesecake and conversation.

Farming organically for over twenty-five years, the Cooks represent a small but dedicated group of farmers who have operated under these principles for their entire agriculture career. “Wayne’s family always farmed organically, thanks to his independent grandparents who didn’t want any part in what they saw as the government pushing chemicals,” says Cook with a smile. “I grew up an army brat in Germany and never experienced conventional American agriculture. When you’re never exposed to chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the concept logically doesn’t make sense. We ourselves didn’t want to eat food laced with that stuff; why would we ever sell it to anyone else?”

For over ten years, the Cooks ran a 120 member CSA (community supported agriculture), Lost Creek Organics, raising a diversified produce mix on 66 acres. “We did a little bit of everything back then, even harvested and ground our own wheat for our members,” reminisces Cook.

Cook remembers when they first tasted organic milk back in 1999 at their local food cooperative. “The milk tasted great and I finally knew what real milk is supposed to taste like. After that we couldn’t go back to conventional milk.” Cook’s husband always had a dream of dairy farming, so when the opportunity landed to buy a nearby existing dairy farm and convert it to organic, the Cooks jumped at the chance in 2004, launching Due North Organic Dairy Farm.

The next time you need to buy milk or another dairy product, think of Cook’s reasons why you should consider organic:

• Keep the Chemicals Out
“If you can buy only one organic product, buy organic milk,” expounds Cook. “The amount of chemicals in conventional milk defies anyone’s intelligence.” Only organic milk ensures that your milk does not contain rBGH (Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone), a milk-produced hormone manufactured by Monsanto linked to human health hazards and banned in Europe and Canada.

• Support Family Farms
By paying a fair price for milk that is consciously produced, you directly help support the economic vitality of family farms today. “These huge factory farms with seven thousand cows aren’t sustainable without outside inputs from the government,” Cook adds. “I’m convinced organic shoppers are what’s saving and sustaining family farms today.”

• Promote Udder Diversity
“The majority of Holsteins today, the main breed of cows used for milk production, come from two genetic sires,” Cook explains. “That means nearly all of our conventional milk comes from just two types of cows that we’ve manipulated genetically to basically be giant udders. The bulls are full of bull. They’re not even cows anymore.”

This focus on genetics and disconnect from the animals both frightens and frustrates Cook. “These places can’t be called farms anymore, they’re just milk producing corporate facilities,” sums up Cook. Organic cows represent healthy diversity, letting animals breed naturally and raising animals in settings where they have healthy access to the outdoors, grass and healthy food sources.

Between farm duties and her writing responsibilities (Cook is an assistant editor at Countryside Magazine and author of “The Scarecrow Chronicles,” a popular gardening column that ran for three years in The Country Today), Cook has mastered the traditional art of “farmhouse cooking”: making food that’s wholesome, hearty, tasty and fast. Hence the ease of her Farmhouse Cheesecake Recipe below, quickly made in the blender and showcasing the rich flavor of organic heavy cream and cream cheese. “This cheesecake may not rise very high, but considering you can have it in the oven in three minutes, I recommend just spreading some fruit preserves on top, calling it even and getting it on the table,” Cook adds with a laugh.

Jerri’s Farmhouse Cheesecake — Featuring Organic Valley Family of Farms Dairy

Ingredients:

1 c. heavy cream
4 eggs
1 t. vanilla
1 lb. cream cheese (two 8 oz. packages)
1/4 t. salt
2 T. flour

Directions:
• Blend all ingredients in blender till frothy (about 3 minutes).
• Pour into a greased 9-inch pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

See also:

Green Options: Avoiding the Dirty Dozen — How to Afford Organic Produce

Eat.Drink.Better: Farmer Fast Food: Quick Spring Meal Tips from Busy Growers

But I’m forever reformed and now proudly flaunt my Midwest roots after bonding with The Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook: Local Food, Local Restaurants, Local Recipes. A new release from Renewing the Countryside, a Minnesota-based non-profit organization that champions the positive stories of rural revitalization, this photography rich book is a love song for local food. Through narrating the stories of 31 of Minnesota’s chefs and restaurants, the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook offers 100 recipes that celebrate locally grown, organic and sustainable cookery.

The passion these chefs - and the farmers they work with - sings throughout the pages of this book. I want to hang out with these people, share some Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler over a lingering pot of coffee. We’re part of the same tribe, share the same love for fresh food and go nuts over the first greens of spring. There’s no celebrity aura of cheekiness in these pages, just smiling faces next to fresh food prepared with real ingredients by people who love what they do.

“The chefs and growers featured in the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook support local agriculture because its the right thing to do for both flavor and future generations, ” explains Jan Joannides, founder and executive director of Renewing the Countryside and one of the visionaries behind this book. “They’re not jumping on some hip, green marketing bandwagon. These are the principles and values by which they have always led their lives and businesses. We hope these stories, along with the delicious recipes, help inspire others to follow these Minnesota culinary leaders.”

The leaders portrayed in the Minnesota Homegrown Cookbook may span the state geographically, yet they share common values that can serve as mantras in our own kitchens and approach to food:

• Don’t be fanatical — explore your options.

No one is suggesting you give up your morning coffee or daily chocolate fix and go hardcore local. But as lauded in the book’s introduction, do “protest a little when someone tries to sell you an apple from New Zealand in October. French and California wines are great, but try one of the new Minnesota wines . . . this isn’t about being fanatical but rather about using common sense - the sense that tells you when something tastes good and is good for you and your community.”

• Embrace authentic specials

In our 24/7 world where we can eat just about anything anytime, too often we give up flavor and taste for bland, average food. In reality, the food chain runs on its own schedule, not ours. When foods are in season and available, relish and savor the experience. The owners of the Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, Minnesota, dedicate the restaurant to sustainable operations, while showcasing local fish, produce and even microbrews. Fresh whitefish only comes from members of the Grand Portage Band of Ojibwe, the only commercial fishermen who can fish for whitefish in Lake Superior. “If you ever see fresh whitefish on the specials board, order it right away because it won’t be there very long,” owner George Wilkes advises.

• Share the local love

Passionate about food, these chefs want customers to cook with local ingredients in their own homes. If a customer likes a certain menu item, the restaurants can help direct them to finding their own local products. This happens all the time at Chez Jude, a restaurant also in Grand Marais. “Last week I made a pumpkin and apple soup that used maple syrup,” writes chef Judi Barsness in the book. “I was able to tell people where to find the sugar pumpkins, Haralson apples and Caribou Cream maple syrup.”

In celebration of spring fruits, here’s a tasty treat that’s a menu favorite at the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis, showcasing the flavors of local strawberries, rhubarb, cornmeal and butter:

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Filling

3 pints strawberries, quartered

2 1/4 lb. rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 big pinch nutmeg

Toss fruit into cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pout into 9×13-inch greased pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly around the edges and juices are thickened and clear. Prepare topping while fruit is baking.

Topping

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup yellow ground cornmeal

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup heavy cream

Combine dry ingredients. Add butter and cut in until the mixture has the consistency of coarse sand. Gradually add cream until dough pulls together. Break off pieces and spread evenly over fruit. Return to oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown.

Serves 8 - 10

The farmers’ market season may not yet be in full swing so we don’t see — nor appreciate — the flurry of farm activity going on across the country as growers get ready to keep us freshly stocked all summer. But Bradbury, a fledgling Oregon farmer starting her growing venture this season, along with thousands of small-scale, family farmers across the country, have been putting in long work days for weeks.

At busy times like these, a farmer needs fast food. “After a twelve hour day in the field, my body needs good food fast to refuel,” Bradbury says with a smile. Twenty-eight year old Bradbury exemplifies the vibrant spirit of a new generation of young farmers leading the sustainable agriculture movement nationwide. “Yes, farming is a physically exhausting profession, but it’s also incredibly satisfying. After a twelve hour day in the fields, I still usually come into the house with a grin on my face.”

Replanting roots on the family farm where she grew up, Bradbury now farms in cooperative partnership with her mother and sister, each responsible for different crops that they sell to restaurants and loyal customers in the local area. “At the end of the day my body may feel tired, but my soul is satisfied and nourished. I draw enormous energy from being surrounded by these hills, the rush of Floras Creek cutting through the valley, the fresh coastal air,” adds Bradbury.

Bradbury and her family especially prioritize eating well during the spring season. “It’s important to take good care of your body this time of year,” adds Bradbury. “If we start letting our bodies get run down now, we’re never going to have the energy to make it through the season ahead.” In addition to farming duties, Bradbury also serves as a Food and Society Policy Fellow through which she writes and advocates for healthy food systems and provides a voice for young farmers. Share her farming journey through her “Diary of a Young Farmer” blog through Edible Portland.

Here’s some tips from Bradbury for quick healthy menu staples when time is short and appetites run high:

• Create a hearty quesadilla

“We live on quesadillas this time of year,” confesses Bradbury. To make a filling meal between two grilled tortillas, Bradbury adds scrambled eggs for protein and shredded cabbage for a cowl slaw inspired crunch.

• Super-size your salad

Bradbury’s sister Abby specializes in greenhouse salad greens, so there’s an abundance of lettuce mixes to eat. “Sometimes we need a bit more bulk in our salad so we’ll jazz it up with feta cheese, nuts or local dried cranberries,” notes Bradbury. The self-appointed family salad dressing queen, Bradbury keeps the pantry stocked with the basic staples to make a daily batch of fresh dressing: olive oil, sesame oil, rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, tahini, tamari and ginger (either fresh or powdered). “I generally use a three to one oil to vinegar ratio as a base, then add a splash of something else for flavor, depending on what I’m in the mood for. Maple syrup will add a sweet touch and mayonnaise gives dressings a creamy base.”

• Freeze single portions

Think convenience food without the packaging and processing. “My mom makes a big batch of homemade refried beans, then freezes them in individual servings,” Bradbury explains. “Each tin makes one burrito-sized serving, which we can quickly defrost whenever we need fast fuel.”

• Cook in bulk

“When we do cook more of a main dish this time of year, we make sure leftovers can last for several days,” sums up Bradbury. Chicken Tamale Pie ranks a farm favorite in this category, something Bradbury might cook for a Sunday dinner and have hearty leftovers for the week.

Groundswell Farm’s Chicken Tamale Pie

Ingredients
4 cups (1 quart) chopped fresh ripe tomatoes, or 1 can (28 oz)
Italian style plum tomatoes, with their juices
1 can (16 ounces) cream-style corn
3 to 4 teaspoons salt
1 medium sized onion, chopped
½ cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons chili powder, or to taste
1 cup milk
½ cup yellow cornmeal
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup pitted ripe olives
2 cups coarsely chopped cooked chicken
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
Olive oil for drizzling

Directions
• Combine tomatoes, corn, salt, onion, olive oil and chili powder in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes.

• In a mixing bowl, stir together the milk, cornmeal, and eggs; add the tomato mixture and cook, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until thick, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the olives and chicken.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased shallow oven-proof dish. Top with the cheeses. Drizzle with oil, and bake at 350 degrees until the pie is firm and the cheese is crusty, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve piping hot. Serves 6

However you slice it, we Americans love the convenience and ease of someone else cooking for us — and cleaning up afterwards. But just think about the potential economic and social impact if part of those dining dollars went to restaurants whose mission went beyond bottom line profit, offering a sustainability message along with daily specials?

Welcome to Kavarna, a coffeehouse my family and I discovered last weekend in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Kavarna (the Czech word for cafe) subtly yet poignantly exudes what conscious dining is all about, from securing used furniture to serving up locally grown sprouts year-round on the menu. Over the last decade, owners Alex and Linda Galt have cultivated a thriving business by creatively blending running a restaurant with leaving this world a better place. “It’s all about relationships, connections with both the environment and community,” explains the Galts. “Our customers and staff feel like stakeholders in this place, which shows in the loyalty that has grown over the years.”

Here’s some ways Kavarna serves up sustainable value-laden fare, providing a tip sheet for any restaurant looking to go greener and attract the conscious eater: (list after the jump)

• Admit You’re an Energy Hog. Then Do Something About It.

It’s right on Kavarna’s website: “We are acutely self-conscious about our use of energy (all restaurants are energy hogs) . . . ” Unfortunately, Kavarna is right on the money. In fact, restaurants consume more electricity than any other retail outlet, according to the National Restaurant Association.

If admitting your problem is the first step, Kavarna leads the road to recovery. Not only does the business itself participate in their local utility’s green energy program (Wisconsin Public Service’s NatureWise), the Galts take it up a notch and encourage customers to do the same by offering a free beverage every month you’re enrolled in the green energy program. Buy green energy, get a free sustainable caffeine buzz. That’s my idea of renewable energy.

• Creatively Cook Up Community

Kavarna proves that the Field of Dreams theory applies to green business: “Build a promotion around a political statement, and they will come.” In this case, Alex and Linda shared the belief that many feel that educators are underpaid in our current system. But again, they put marketing where their mouth is: “Since K - 12 teachers should be paid 15% more than they are, we charge them 15% less on salads, wraps, pitas, pizzas, and sandwiches,” state the Galts on their website. Make a statement and stand behind it. That’s how you grow a loyal community. Changing the educational system one pita at a time; I’m all for that.

• Love Your Veggies

While Kavarna is a vegetarian coffeehouse — offering an eclectic menu of veggie fare — any restaurant that offers even a handful of vegetarian entrees gives customers options to at least spend some of their $2,434 lower on the food chain. Do the math: For every calorie of vegetables we eat, about ten calories of hydrocarbons (oil) are needed. For every calorie of beef? Add in fifty calories of energy, maybe more if the beef comes from South America. With restaurants offering more vegetarian options, we can collectively make conscious menu choices.

For those who wistfully drooled over Kavarna’s menu and started contemplating a Green Bay road trip, here’s a gift from Kavarna to tide you over: the house recipe for their Black Beans and Rice Salad, both vegan and gluten free:

Kavarna Black Beans and Rice Salad
Ingredients:

2 c. uncooked brown rice

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup grape seed oil (or olive oil)
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

2 cups cooked black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 bunch green onions, diced
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped