By Jennette Turner

With the publication of Michael Pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma (reviewed last issue) and Jessica Prentice's new book Full Moon Feast, there has been some buzz lately about "locavores"- people trying to eat food grown and produced within 100 miles of where they live. Prior to the industrialization of food production, everyone ate local food, but these days to do so requires a little more effort. In the U.S., food travels an average of 1,500 miles before it reaches the consumer's plate. Most of our produce comes from California-even foods that we are able to grow here in Minnesota. We have become used to eating broccoli and lettuce year-round. To eat locally, we must alter our menus to reflect the changing Midwestern seasons.

The reasons for becoming a locavore are many and varied.

Food from local farmers that you know is different from food that comes from an anonymous producer in a far away place. It is more than just a commodity; its quality is determined by more than market regulations. It reflects the land and community in which it was raised and it reflects the values of the farmer. Relationships develop between the growers and consumers, and these relationships provide accountability, trust, and satisfaction.

Quality is another main reason for eating locally grown food. Produce will be fresher and taste better if it hasn't been on a truck for a week. Fruit picked when ripe is better than hard fruit "ripened" on a truck.

Further, the impact shipping our food all over the country has on the environment concerns many people, as fossil fuels used in transport contribute to global warming. Others may have more political reasons for becoming a locavore - industrial food manufacturing depends on cheap oil, so the food one buys can be connected to U.S. foreign policy.

Just Food Co-op in Northfield put out a challenge to their members to try and buy 80% of their food from local sources from last August 15th through September 23rd. Well, you might be thinking, all fine and good in August and September when Minnesota's summer's bounty arrives, but what about fall and winter?

Spring is heralded by ramps, fiddleheads and asparagus as summer dazzles us with an array of fruits, lettuces, green beans and peppers. Yet fall and winter have their own pleasures: sweet and earthy root vegetables and winter squashes, winter greens such as kale and collards, mushrooms, apples... the list goes on. These are the seasons of simmering stews made of dried beans and hearty grain dishes. The Wedge carries locally grown kidney and black beans, and a variety of local grains, including barley, millet and oats.

We are also fortunate to have a wealth of local organic animal products available at the Wedge: Eichten's bison, Thousand Hills' grass-fed beef, Beeler's pork, and Larry Schultz and Kadejan's poultry. We have wonderful local dairy products, too - cheeses, eggs, yogurt, kefir and milk. The locavore need not go hungry!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner - what if we challenged ourselves to be thankful for our local farmers and celebrate with a meal made of local foods? It would be in keeping with the real spirit of Thanksgiving: communities sharing food together, enjoying the abundance of our land.

Some dishes at your table might be:

• Roast Turkey**
• Cranberry Sauce**
• Wild Rice Pilaf
• Garlic Mashed Squash
• Buttery Kale with Gruyere and Roasted Walnuts
• Roasted Chestnuts**
• Parsnip and Potato Gratin
• Baked Apples with Wine Sauce
• Sweet Corn Pudding

**Recipes not printed in the newsletter can be found at www.wedge.coop. Click on "Food Information" for "Holiday Recipes."

Almost all of the foods used in Jennette's Healthy Holiday Cooking in Today's Fast and Crazy World on November 9th are locally grown.

And a few books to inspire you:

This Organic Life, Confessions of a Suburban Homesteader, by Joan Dye Gussow, Chelsea Green Publishing © 2001. Written by a renowned nutritionist, this book explores the issues of our current food system in the first person. Part gardening book, part cookbook, part memoir, Gussow is able to discuss the "Big Picture" in a way that makes you feel as though you're talking with a friend, not getting a lecture.

Savoring the Seasons of the Northern Heartland, by Lucia Watson and Beth Dooley, Knopf © 1995. This book celebrates the culinary history and food culture of the Upper Midwest. Primarily a cookbook, it also provides a rich look at a diverse group of people, including Native Americans, Scandinavians, and Hmong.

Full Moon Feast, Food and the Hunger for Connection, by Jessica Prentice, Chelsea Green Publishing © 2006. Following the thirteen lunar cycles of the agrarian year, this book delves into the relationships between food, community, culture, nutrition and cooking.

Farmer John's Cookbook: the Real Dirt on Vegetables, by John Peterson and Anjelic Organics, Gibbs Smith Publishing © 2006. This cookbook is organized for the local eater by season. The recipes are relatively simple, and the essays and stories about life on a CSA farm are really fun.

QUICK GARLIC MASHED SQUASH

Don't have time to bake squash? This is a fast and delicious way to prepare it. Use a peeled butternut squash (easy to peel with a peeler), or a kabocha or red kuri squash (neither of which need peeling).

• 1 large butternut squash (peeled) OR
• 1 large kabocha or red kuri squash, chopped into bite-size chunks
• 4-8 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 T. butter
• salt
• water OR chicken stock

1. Place squash chunks in a medium-large saucepan. Add water OR stock to reach about 1/3 of the way to the top of the squash.
2. Add the garlic and a few pinches of salt and bring to boil.
3. Cook squash, stirring often, around 15 minutes. The squash will be tender and there will be liquid left in the pot.
4. Add butter and puree the squash with an immersion blender or electric mixer until smooth. Serve with butter and salt.

Makes 4-6 servings

NUTTY WILD RICE PILAF

Sage, walnuts and celery make this earthy side dish a savory treat.

• 1 c. wild rice
• 4 c. water
• pinch of salt
• 1 tsp. dried sage
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 2-3 shallots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 c. roasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• 2 T. butter OR olive oil
• OPTION: 1/3 c. dried cranberries

1. Bring rice, sage, 1 T. butter OR olive oil, and cranberries, IF using, to boil in the water with a pinch of salt. Cover the pot, but crack the lid, and cook at a low boil for around 50 minutes. *Don't stir while cooking.
2. While the rice cooks, saute the celery and shallots in 1 T. butter OR olive oil until the shallots are translucent and the celery is tender, around 10 minutes.
3. Add the shallots and celery to the cooking rice. Stir once.
4. When the rice is done, gently stir in the roasted walnuts.

Makes 4 servings

CORN PUDDING

Summer's sweet corn baked in a comforting fall and winter pudding - it works as a side dish or dessert.

• 1 10 oz. package "Sno-Pac" frozen sweet corn
• 4 eggs
• 2 T. butter
• 1 T. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 T. arrowroot powder OR cornstarch
• 1/2 c. milk OR non-dairy milk substitute
• 2-4 T. maple syrup
• pinch of salt

1. In a blender, puree everything but the corn until smooth.
2. Add half the corn and puree until smooth.
3. Add the other half of the corn and pulse the blender a few times to stir. ( You can puree it all for creamier, smoother pudding.)
4. Pour the mixture into a buttered glass baking dish (around 8 X 8) and bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour.

Makes 4 servings