Gold Beet Borscht

This is an quirky borscht, using a quirky beet. You can leave the veggies in big chunks because they'll be pureed.


1 pound gold beets
2 quarts water, divided
1 parsnip, trimmed and cut in chunks
1 carrot, trimmed and cut in chunks
1 leek, cleaned, trimmed, and cut in chunks
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
juice of half an orange
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Bring one quart of water to a boil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the beets, lower the heat, and cook for about 45 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, bring the other quart of water to a boil in another medium-sized saucepan, then add the parsnip, carrot, leek, garlic, salt, pepper and rosemary. Lower the heat and cook on a medium-low flame for about 45 minutes.

3. Take a beet out of the pot with a pair of tongs, run it under cold water, and test it to see if you can easily rub off the skin. If you can, peel all of the beets this way, then cut them into chunks. If you can't return it to the pot, cook it for another 5-10 minutes, then try again.

4. Add the peeled, chunked beets to the remaining veggies, along with the orange juice and balsamic vinegar.

5. Drain the veggies and set aside the broth. Puree them in batches, adding liquid as needed. combine the remaining stock with the pureed veggies and serve.

Expensive Meat

These customers are lined up in front of the Sea Breeze Farm booth at the Ballard Farmers' Market, waiting for the day's sales to begin. The line is there every week, rain or shine, because Sea Breeze usually runs out of their most popular meat and dairy products early in the day. The customers line up and wait even though Sea Breeze's meats cost two or three times as much as the meat at the grocery store.

We've come a long way since the 1970's, when angry housewives picketed and boycotted supermarkets over the rising cost of meat. In response to these angry consumers, the USDA implemented a program of subsidizing farmers to grow corn and soy, much of which ends up as cattle feed. This has ensured that the price of meat has stayed relatively low and relatively stable. At the same time, many American households discovered that they didn't need to use meat in every meal, every day of the week.

When you compare meat and dairy prices at the farmers' market with meat and dairy prices at the grocery store, you'll find a much bigger difference than when you compare fruit and vegetable prices at the farmers' market with fruit and vegetable prices at the grocery store. That's because it takes more resources to produce meat and dairy than it does to grow fruit and vegetables.

Bizarre federal policies can bring down the price of meat and dairy at the supermarket, but cows aren't adapted to eating corn and soy. The animals who eat these foods are unhealthy, and their meat is inferior. Low meat prices can't fool these consumers, who line up and wait for Sea Breeze to start selling their meat and dairy, week after week, in every kind of weather.

Anitas Crepes

This is my friend Anita, making crepes. She makes wonderful crepes, using plenty of locally produced ingredients like cheese from Estrella Family Creamery and spinach from Willie Greens Farm.

She'll be opening a cafe in Ballard this spring, on Leary Way in the spot that used to be the Vacuum Shack. In the meantime, you can enjoy her crepes at the U District Market on Saturdays and at the Fremont and Ballard markets on Sundays.

A Glimmer of Spring

Locally grown flowers are not something you often see this time of year, at least not in the Pacific Northwest. These tulips were grown up near the Canadian border by Alm Hill Gardens, in the greenhouses where they grow their berries and tomatoes over the summer. They've actually got some growing out in the fields now as well, but they're not quite ready yet. This is the first year they've grown winter flowers. They certainly fill me with anticipation and hope.

The Bleakest Time of Year

This is the bleakest time of year for us aspiring locavores. Even the winter squash has mostly come and gone, and we haven't really seen anything new popping its head out of the ground in months. Spring is still a month out.

Some encouraging thoughts:

Brussels sprouts are wonderful if you quarter them, toss them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then roast them. I usually roast some garlic at the same time, then I smash it up and mix it with oil and vinegar, and toss it with the Brussels sprouts once they're ready.

Savoy cabbage is consistently good this time of year.

There are many varieties of beets.

There are many varieties of kale.

Carrots are sweetest this time of year.

Our ancestors ate root vegetables out of necessity. We eat them by choice.

And yet, for all that, I can't wait to see the first spring asparagus, or the first summer tomato.

Food Science

An engineer friend of mine stumbled on this gem. It's a device that tests the structural integrity of peas by poking them and measuring their resistance. Ouch!

The company that makes it also makes a spaghetti stretcher.

Organic Dogma

"Is it all organic?"

I hear this question nearly every day as I cook my vegetables at the farmers' market. I used to answer, "Anyone who tells you their stuff is all organic is lying." (I mean, really, organic salt?) Lately I've been saying, "I think organic certification is a racket."

The fact is, I do use a lot of organic ingredients, and I truly care about cooking and serving good, clean, food. But I also feel a need to shift the terms of the discussion. The food I eat doesn't have to be 100% organic or even certified organic, though I do like to know that the people preparing it are giving some thought to the ingredients they choose. Sure, I'd rather eat food with fewer pesticides, but that's not the only issue that matters to me.

I'd rather buy something directly from a small-scale farmer whose stuff isn't organically certified, than something organic that was grown in another state and handled by a series of middlemen. This isn't just about food miles: it's also about supporting independent farmers.

Practicing agriculture on a small scale rather than on an industrial scale in itself lessens the need for pesticides: you don't need to spray a couple of rows of beets or cabbage nearly as intensively as you would an entire field of a single crop. Insects tend to be narrowly adapted to eat single varieties of plants, so the critter who eats beets will usually run into the cabbage before he can do too much damage.

I've been to stores that have separate bowls for the scoops they use in their organic spices and those they use in the "conventional" ones. Does anyone honestly believe they're going to be harmed by the pesticide residue on the spice residue on the scoop?

I've had people cross examine me about the purity of my ingredients, and then walk by eating hot dogs.

I've been to certified organic farms that had no running water in their bathrooms for employees to wash their hands (apparently the state certification agencies don't require it.)

Anyway, I'm hoping we can all just lighten up a bit and enjoy our food. In the end, that's what matters most.