As part of a webinar Local Foods: Part of Your Plan for Health, here are some recipes used in the presentation to represent a few different ways to utilize local produce in your kitchen.
Modified Recipes
Have a favorite recipe that you would like to modify? This factsheet offers suggestions on ways to decrease fat, calories, sugar and salt and increase fiber.
New Recipes
My mom makes the best rhubarb crunch with fresh rhubarb from her yard. She’s made it every spring for as long as I can remember. As much as I love it, desserts shouldn’t be the only way I eat this spring vegetable. A new way for me to prepare the tart stalk was in Red Lentil and Rhubarb Soup. Guess what? It’s May and tonight for dinner and dessert I had Rhubarb Soup and Rhubarb Crunch.
New and Modified Recipes
Years ago, I had a recipe from Fruits and Veggies, More Matters. Although the original recipe is not on the website, there are many other tasty recipes for produce. The recipe was called Tomatillo and Mango Salsa. It tastes great with mango but we discovered that peaches are a wonderful, local substitute. This salsa can be eaten plain with tortilla chips or use it to top a grilled chicken or fish. (Note: if you are a gardener and you can grow tomatoes, you can probably grow tomatillos)
Tomatillo and Peach Salsa
Ingredients:
1 can of peaches, diced (or 2 large, fresh peaches, peeled)
10 tomatillos, husked and sliced
1 small pepper, seeded and sliced
¼ cup lime or lemon juice
¼ cup diced onion
¼ cup chopped cilantro
½ cup diced tomatoes
Instructions:
Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl
Cover and chill for 2 hours before serving (optional)
The following three recipes were part of a fall salsa recipe sample at the Toledo Farmers’ Market.
Apple & Peach Salsa
2 large peaches, washed and diced
1 tart apple, washed, cored and diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 Tablespoons honey
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Mix ingredients. Cover and chill.
Apple & Pear Salsa
3 pears, washed, cored and diced
3 sweet apples, washed, cored and diced
¼ cup pineapple juice
2 small peppers (hot or sweet), washed, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, washed and diced
Mix ingredients. Cover and chill.
Apple & Tomatillo Salsa
12 fresh tomatillos, husked, washed and diced
2 tart apples, washed, cored, and diced
1 sweet pepper, washed, seeded and diced
1 hot pepper washed, seeded and minced
1 small onion, peeled, washed and diced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, washed and minced
1 T honey
Mix ingredients. Cover and chill
Although this recipe for Roasted Root Vegetables can be made any time of the year, I love making it in the early fall and winter. This is one way to meet the recommendations of “vary your veggies”.
Roasted Root Vegetables
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds of different root vegetables (like carrots, beets, turnips, potatoes, parsnips, onions, etc.)
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (like rosemary, oregano and sage)
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Scrub vegetables under running water, cut off tops and root ends. Cut into 1-inch cubes.
- Toss vegetables with oil and spread on a baking sheet.
- Roast for 15 minutes.
- Stir vegetables, turn heat down to 375 degrees and continue to roast another 10 minutes.
- Add herbs and garlic, stir again and cook until vegetables are soft when pierced with a knife. (about 15 – 30 minutes)
Adapted From Asparagus to Zucchini
Home Food Preservation
Find updated, researched recipes at the National Center for Home Food Preservation
Information on home food preservation resources and classes in Ohio