Life's little securities...............

When economic times are tough, its hard to feel safe and secure. And I know they say we are coming out of the recession...... but Honey's salary has not gone back to 2008 levels (let alone, 2003 levels!!!) And gas prices are continuing to rise and who knows what the winter might bring.

So I give thanks for the little things that mean so much in my life. And one of those things is the availability of having great locally produced food.

For those of you who don't live on the east coast of Iowa or the west coast of Illinois, you might want to catch a glimpse of one of Buy Fresh-Buy Local's newest local projects. This is our newsletter. I am really proud of this project. It has given our organization a better public presences. It is connecting farmers to consumers. It is giving our members the publicity and the recognition they so deserve.

Phil (our director) has done an awesome job of writing this and putting it together every month. And note that wonderful recipe ........ courtesy of adopted daughter and hopefully, future Miss Effie's intern, Emily.

And to top all of this off, Gwen is the grower of the month! Talk about cool beans!!! I'm feeling the love here!!!!! If you have a chance, sign up for the newsletter online. We may be considered the "fly-over-zone" by some but we still know how to farm!

Another really great thing for all you Quad-Citians --- the Freight House Farmers Market is open year round both on Tuesday and Saturday. So get your sweet little behinds down to that market and pick up those potatoes, squash and baked goods!!! And its all inside -- so you will be toasty warm as you select your steaks and cheese!!!

And then .... there is my own little food factory. Yep!! We grew potatoes! Most of these are Kennebecs. There are currently 90 pounds in the house with at least that many pounds in the garden still. We will finish digging this weekend.




I hope to freeze some for hash browns. USDA recommends letting them cure for 30 days before freezing them .... we will see how that goes. But I am going to dry some for scalloped potatoes and for soups. There has been some mention in recipes about the potatoes turning black. They recommend blanching the 1/4" potato slices for 8 minutes and then plunge into ice water for 15 minutes. I am going to use citric acid in the water............ any comments on that??? What do you think? Does anyone else dry potatoes? Any tips?




And finally, the girls....................... no post about food security would be complete without my girls. (Even if it is one of glamour girls........ ZsaZsa!) They seem to be happy campers in the new upscale chicken complex. I am still filling the runs with leaves and still need more. The windfalls from the apple trees have made the chickens happy ...... but I am certain they are waiting for the pumpkins to reach them.

Local food systems are huge for a community. But an even bigger step is taking personal responsibility for your own food security. Grow your own -- buy from your neighbors -- and preserve the harvest so you can eat local ....... because you can.

Yea ......... life on the farm is good.