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Robin Timm Just Getting Started The last Saturday of October is our final Farmers Market for the season. Thanks to everyone who helped make this our best market year. I really enjoyed bringing our garden bounty to City Park and spending time with everyone on Saturday mornings. Although we have had a wonderfully mild fall, the early mornings are dark and chilly and remind me that it is time for a break. Yet just like other aspects of farming, to ensure a successful Farmers Market means behind the scenes work throughout the winter months. Some of that work starts way before we even start looking at seed catalogs. For the past three years the Platteville Farmers Market and the Platteville Main Street program have sponsored a Senior Nutrition Program. Eligible seniors are awarded $30 in vouchers to be used at the Platteville Farmers Market. This program gives local seniors an opportunity to purchase the freshest produce available while participating in a community event. Many seniors convey their joy at tasting a vine-ripened tomato or just-dug potato. They remember having gardens that filled their tables with fresh produce. I enjoy hearing stories of battling the same weeds and pests that terrorize my own garden. The Senior Nutrition Program has been very successful. And now, as government funding is decreasing, basic needs are increasing. Members of the Farmers Market see an expanded nutrition program as one way to meet the needs of our community. The expanded Farmers Market Nutrition Program will go beyond the senior community to serve other families facing financial struggles. Expanding the Farmers Market Nutrition Program will require a lot of promotion and fundraising. This is new territory for me. It has taken many years to get over my fear of public speaking. I’ve had some good coaches on the way, like my favorite DJ Brent Johnson who guides me through my weekly radio spot. Asking for money is another feat that I am trying to tackle. Fundraising is much more pleasant when a donor makes the first move. Last Friday, while waiting for my final Farmers Market spot on WPVL’s Mornings on Main, I was delighted to have one of our loyal market customers approach me with an offer to sponsor the Farmers Market Nutrition Program in their special holiday promotion. Suzanne Buchert, co-owner of Taco Johns, explained that every year Taco Johns offers a fund raiser with Nachos Navidad. A percentage of the sales of the red and green nachos go to the store’s choice agency. Suzanne is a member of the Main Street Program and an avid market customer. She has watched the Senior Nutrition Program grow and appreciates the need to make healthy local foods available to everyone in our community. Supporting each other is what makes a community thrive. The best part of the holidays for me is sharing foods. As you know, we freeze and can and dry much of our produce so we can share it all year long. Take a look in your freezer or root cellar and see what you have from the Farmers Market that you can put on your holiday table. Be sure to look for your favorite vendors in the Platteville Hometown Holiday Festival on December 1. Join us at the gazebo in City Park for the lighting of the holiday tree. Santa Claus will be available in the City Hall auditorium to listen to Christmas wishes. Now for your holiday vegetarian guests, here are a few high protein dishes. And don’t forget those Nachos Navidads. They even have vegetarian nachos.
Tofu Turkey 2 pound medium firm fresh style tofu and 1 pound firm Japanese style (like Morni-Nu) 1/4 cup sesame oil 1/4 cup Kikoman soy sauce 2 Tbsp orange juice 1 tsp mustard
Mash tofus together. Line a colander with a single layer of cheesecloth or thin cotton cloth. Transfer tofu to colander, press tofu to flatten and fold edges of cloth over it. Place a cake tin over tofu and weigh it down with a heavy object (about 5 pounds) to press the liquid from the tofu. Set the colander over a plate in the fridge and let the tofu drain at least one hour. After the tofu has drained, hollow out to within 1 inch of the colander. Fill the cavity with your favorite stuffing. Pack in stuffing and cover with the remaining tofu. Pat down so the surface is flat and firm. Oil a roast pan, place pan over colander and flip over so that the flat surface of filled tofu faces down. Remove cloth. Mix remaining ingredients to use as a basting liquid. Baste tofu with liquid. Bake covered at 400° F for 1 hour. Remove cover, baste and return to oven and bake uncovered until top becomes golden brown, about one hour more. Baste again at least once during remaining cooking time. Try spicing up your tofu with 1 Tbsp garlic granules, 1 tsp salt, and 1/8 cup nutritional yeast. Lentil Nut Loaf 2/3 cup lentils 2 cups chopped walnuts 1 large carrot, chopped 1 medium celeriac, chopped or 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 large onion, chopped 4 oz mushrooms, chopped 1/2 cup canola oil 1 Tbsp curry powder 2 Tbsp ketchup 2 Tbsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce 4 Tbsp parsley, chopped Rinse the lentils with cold water, drain. Cover lentils with cold water and soak for 1 hour, then drain. Meanwhile, grind the nuts in a food processor until very fine and set aside. Add carrot, celeriac, onion and mushrooms to the food processor and chop very fine. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add the chopped vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook for a minute. Cool. Mix in the lentils with the nuts, vegetables and remaining ingredients. Grease a 2-pound loaf pan. Press mixture into the pan and bake in a 375° oven for 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Let loaf stand about 15 minutes before you serve. It will be fairly soft as it is a moist loaf. Winter Squash and Spicy Beans Any variety of dry beans will suit this recipe. Black-eyed peas add a subtle sweetness that really makes this dish special.
Winter squash: acorn, delicata, butternut, Hubbard, or pie-pumpkin 2 cups dry beans: Vermont cranberry, Brown Dutch, calypso, Peregion, or Black-eyed peas 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 Bay leaves 1-2 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning (This is a spicy seasoning famous in Maryland steamed crabs. It goes great with beans too. Look in the spice or seafood section of your local grocery store.) 1 cup brown rice Cut squash in half and remove seeds*. Place cut side down in a baking dish with an inch of water. Bake at 350º for 20 to 30 minutes, until soft. Scrape the flesh and put it into a serving dish. While squash is cooking, rinse beans with cold water to remove dust and grit. In a large saucepan, cover beans with cold water. Add garlic, bay leaves and Old Bay. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes (black-eyed peas simmer for 20 minutes). Add 1 cup of water and return to a boil. Add rice. Again bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until rice is cooked. Serve bean and rice mixture with the squash and a green salad. You may also stuff the squash. To do this, cut off the top of the squash, as if you were carving a pumpkin. Scrape out the seeds. Replace the top and bake squash until just tender, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the size. Remove from oven and fill with the bean/rice mixture. *Any squash seeds can be baked, like pumpkin seeds. Simply soak the seeds in salt water to remove the flesh. Then spread the seeds in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 350º for 15-20 minutes.
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