Taking Up the Thanksgiving Challenge

I arrived too late at last night's Slow Supper to capture a photographic record of the food, but not too late to enjoy the array of dishes featuring local, sustainable ingredients, many of them from home gardens or local farmers markets. Slow Food members and friends also met the heritage turkeys the Leizermans are raising; quite a few area Thanksgiving tables will feature both!

The group also was inspired by viewing Fridays at the Farm, a beautiful short film about a CSA outside Philadelphia.

Here are a couple of recipes to help us meet the challenge recently issued by the Consumers Union and the Eat Well Guide:

Red Cabbage, Dutch Style from Kris Johnson

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

1 medium red cabbage, shredded

1 small beet, julienne (optional)
1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon raw honey
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup water

2 apples, peeled and quartered
1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar

Sauté onion in butter in a heavy pan. Add cabbage and sauté briefly. Add bay leaf, cloves, salt, honey, cinnamon and water and cook gently about 15 minutes. Add the apple and cook another 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and serve. (Serves 6)

Marinated Butternut Squash (Scapece de Zucca) from Mario Batali via Paula Ross

2 medium butternut squash, seeded and cut into 1-inch slices
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons plus 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 medium red onion, sliced paper thin
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 clove garlic, sliced paper-thin
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Season the squash with salt and pepper, drizzle with 4 tablespoons olive oil, and place in a single layer on 1 or 2 cookie sheets.
Bake in the oven until just tender, about 18 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, stir together the remaining oil, vinegar, onion, chile flakes, oregano, and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Remove the squash from the oven and pour the marinade over. Allow to cool for 20 minutes in the marinade, sprinkle with fresh mint leaves, and serve. This dish can be made earlier in the day but should not be refrigerated.

If you have recipes to share, please send them to us: slowfoodmaumeevalley@gmail.com .

November Slow Supper: Talking Turkey

Slow Food Maumee Valley will hold its November meeting at 6pm on Friday, November 14th at the home of Julie and Michael Leizerman in Swanton.

Julie and Michael have been raising three breeds of heritage turkeys since April, and the birds are reaching their mature stage just in time for the holidays.

Bring a dish to share - maybe a new recipe your are thinking of trying for Thanksgiving? Come talk turkey with Michael and visit the other animals too - kids are welcome!

WHAT: Slow Foods Maumee Valley November Potluck

WHEN: Friday, November 14th, 6pm

WHERE: One Hundred Breaths Farm, the home of the Leizerman family

4728 County Road 3 in Swanton

6 miles west of Toledo Express, then 2.2 miles south on County Road 3

(419)826-7667

Your rsvp is welcome but not required. E-mail us: slowfoodmaumeevalley@gmail.com or call Paula at 419.536.0807 or Julie at 419.826.7667.

SFMV at the Toledo Farmers Market

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and hundreds of area shoppers jammed the market. It seemed like most of them stopped by the Slow Food Maumee Valley table, where they enjoyed apple pancakes expertly cooked by SFMV members John Ross, Mary Weiss, and Deb Boardley. Member Amelia Contreras, who has launched her own food business, arranged a tasting of apples from Witt's Orchard. We tasted five varieties: Elstar, Ginger Gold, Gravenstein, Honey Crisp, and Ozark Gold. The winners? Honey Crisp and Elstar tied as favorites, Witts sold out early, and we all enjoyed the market scene, including music by Ten Mile Creek.

Apple Tasting / Samples at Toledo Farmers Market

Although you'd never know it from selection offered at the the average grocery store, thousands of varieties of apples are grown in the US. Protecting this biodiversity is one of the goals of Slow Food, and Slow Food Maumee Valley friends and members have a chance to follow Poppy Tooker's advice and "eat it to save it."

Every Saturday morning throughout the winter, Witts Orchards offers dozens of delicious varieties at the Toledo Farmers Market (the orchards, located in Oak Harbor, include more than five dozen varieties).

On Saturday September 20th from 9 AM to 12 PM, Slow Food Maumee Valley members will prepare apple-based treats for market shoppers as well as a tasting of several varieties that are at their peak this month. We'll talk to market shoppers about Slow Food and our mission to make food that is good, clean, and fair available to everyone.

If you'd like to help, call Paula at 419.536.0807 or send an e-mail: slowfoodmaumeevalley@gmail.com.

Perennial Exchange Coming Up Soon

On Saturday October 4th from 10am- to 1:30am, local gardeners are invited to exchange plant and garden supplies at the Original Sub Shop, 402 Broadway (near the Amtrak station) . Here's the schedule:

9:00 Plant Drop-off
9:15 Workshop:Native Plants for the Home Garden.
10:00 Plant Re-distribution

Please bring: Plants (perennials/house plants) - Garden Tools -Garden Books

Need more info? Call the Sub Shop at 419-243-4857.

The challenge of Slow Food Nation

The speeches were inspirational, the market was irresistible, and the food was delicious. It was a privilege to be at Slow Food Nation. Over and over, I was reminded that Northwest Ohio has the ingredients for a great food system, and that Slow Food Maumee Valley can help create it.
Slow Food USA took a huge step forward at Slow Food Nation, and as members we have the opportunity to be a part of new programs and help to grow a stronger, more focused organization. Are you ready?

Tomato Tasting - Results are Clear

The two dozen members and friends of Slow Food Maumee Valley have made their decision: we tasted more than a dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes from area farms and gardens, and the winner by a landslide is the Cherokee Purple.

Pam Weirauch of Pam's Corner also produced some winners - mixed heirloom gazpacho, heirloom tomato tartlets, and goat-cheese stuffed tomatoes were popular, as was the caponata made with eggplants from Andy Keil's farm from a recipe by Mario Batali.

If you missed our first annual heirloom tomato tasting, you don't have to wait until next year's tomato season. Send a message to slowfoodmaumeevalley@gmail.com to be added to our regular e-mail messages, or visit the Slow Food USA website to join.

Unless you have dozens of tomato varieties in your garden, check out your local farmers market. The Toledo Farmers Market is hosting its first annual Salsa Fest on August 30th.