All posts by Gary Huber

Beans and Franks

March 31, 2010
by Gary Huber
Beans and Franks
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: Timber Ridge Cattle Company
Cook time: 4 hours
Total time: 4 hours
This has cookout written all over it!
Ingredients
  • 2 large cans pork-and-beans
  • 1 cup ketchup, more or less to taste
  • 1 cup brown sugar, more or less to taste
  • 4 teaspoons molasses
  • 1 cup chopped onions
  • 1/2 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 1 package no-nitrite franks, cut into bite-size pieces
Instructions
  1. Combine all ingredients and bake at 300 degrees F for 3-4 hours, removing from oven occasionally during baking time and stirring.

White Bean-Garlic Dip

March 31, 2010
by Gary Huber
  • 1 cup dried white beans
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 bunch rosemary
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Crusty bread

Rinse and pick over the beans. Soak in water to cover by 2 inches for at least 6 hours, or up to 24 hours. Drain.

Put beans in a stockpot or large saucepan and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a rapid simmer. Skim any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 1½ hours or until beans are tender but not mushy.

Drain beans in a colander set over a bowl. Reserve cooking liquid. Transfer beans to a blender or food processor. Add garlic cloves and puree until smooth, adding as much of the cooking liquid as necessary to make a thick, spreadable or dippable consistency.

Gently stir dip with the rosemary bunch for about 3 minutes or until the dip is fragrant with the scent of rosemary. Discard rosemary. Season dip with salt and pepper and serve with bread.

Open House at Des Moines Social Club

March 27, 2010
by Gary Huber

The Iowa Food Cooperative would like to invite you to a gathering to learn how you can get healthy, local food from local farmers. We’ll have delicious samples prepared by members of the IFC, local chef, Jason Kapela and his wife Cynthia. Come visit local producers and Iowa Food Cooperative members eager to share their stories and answer questions.

Cynthia has posted more details on her Posterous Blog.

A Word About Winter

March 21, 2010
by Gary Huber

This last month I exchanged some e-mails with our producers regarding the toll this winter had on them and their operations. Michelle Heater was able to get some, but not all of the responses in the March Newsletter. So I thought what a perfect item for the first blog post on the new website for the Iowa Food Cooperative!

Sophie Ryan sent word from Horsefeather Farm:

With all the snow we had this winter we did as much indoor activities as possible like catching up with paperwork (still not done, will I ever be ?), going to workshops (PFI and Moses Organic Conference in WI), enjoying ‘webinars’ and movies (thanks to Netflix!) and doing some french folk-dancing with friends, making cheese (great Camembert , cream cheese and cheddar), homemade summer sausage….

We worked a little more on our part time job with the post office and had to enjoy plowing through snowy roads with a little 4WD. We got drifted in quite a few times but who needs to go to the store to get milk when you have your own cow at home!

Draft horses doing some logging.

Draft horses doing some logging.

Kevin did take the time to enjoy his team of draft horses and hitched them to go on sleigh rides and do some logging. He was pretty excited to try a different way to hitch the horses, one in front of the other instead of side by side (requires special attachments with pulleys) and the horses had to learn to stay in line instead of being side by side. Worked a little better when they got tired!! So that way he was able to drag out logs from places hard to get to with a wagon, bring them by the house and then cut them up and stack them. Nice Job.

Now all the snow is melted and we are waiting for the warm weather to uncover our potted peonies and then back to serious work.

Sophie.
www.horsefeatherorganicfarm.com

I also heard from Jean Weisshaar of  Weisshaar Family Farm:

This winter was definitely a hard one. With so much snow and the fact that it came early really challenged us with feeding all the cows & calves. Usually you put them out on the corn stock field after harvest, and this will feed them for quite some time. The snow covered all the food and we had to start feeding them with hay and corn stock bales. We have had to purchase quite a few of both to keep the heard fed & healthy.

The mud is always a bummer as it is difficult to get around on foot and in the tractor. Pregnant cows have an especially hard time negotiating the mud. Most cattle producers calve from mid February through the end of march, but fortunately we pushed our calving season back to May & June, so hopefully it will not be as wet.
It is hard to tell what planting season will be like, it is much too early.

Jean Weisshaar
Weisshaar Family Farm

Apple Crisp

March 20, 2010
by Gary Huber
Apple Crisp
Recipe Type: Dessert
Author: David and Linda Gobberdiel
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 5 cups peeled and sliced apples
  • 2-4 Tblsp. Granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup regular rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (can use whole wheat)
  • 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg and cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine
Instructions
  1. Place fruit in 2-quart baking dish.
  2. Stir in granulated sugar.
  3. For topping, combine rest of ingredients in a medium bowl except butter/margarine. Then cut in butter/margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  4. Sprinkle topping over fruit.
  5. Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until fruit is tender and topping is golden.

Brussels Sprouts with Cauliflower and Mustard-Caper Butter

March 20, 2010
by Gary Huber

This recipe is from the book Local Flavors by Deborah Madison.

Brussels Sprouts with Cauliflower and Mustard-Caper Butter
Recipe Type: entree
Author: adapted from Local Flavors by Deborah Madison
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 8 mins
Total time: 28 mins
Serves: 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Sea salt
  • 6 tblsp unsalted butter, at room temperature (may substitute olive oil)
  • 2 tsp Dijon-style mustard
  • 1/4 cup drained small capers, rinsed
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 3 tblsp chopped marjoram
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 lb Brussels sprouts
  • 1 small head white cauliflower
  • 1 small head broccoli Romanesco
Instructions
  1. To make the butter: Pound the garlic with ½ tsp. salt in a mortar until smooth, and then stir it into the butter with the mustard, capers, lemon zest, and marjoram. Season with pepper. The butter can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. Bring back to room temperature before serving. (I use olive oil instead of butter.)
  2. To prepare the vegetables: Trim the base off the sprouts, then slice them in half or, if large, into quarters. Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into bite-sized pieces.
  3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the other vegetables and continue to cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, shake off any excess water, then toss with the Mustard-caper Butter.
  4. Taste for salt, season with pepper, and toss again.

Beet Salad

March 20, 2010
by Gary Huber
Beet Salad
Recipe Type: side dish, entree
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Each ingredient in this recipe can be adjusted to your taste or the number of servings you desire. You can make this with two beets and a spoonfull each of cheese and walnuts to serve one person or two pounds of beets for a potluck!
Ingredients
  • Beets, tops removed and scrubbed well
  • Olive oil
  • Goat cheese
  • Walnuts
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Salt
  • Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Place beets on a sheet of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Wrap foil up to make a tight package and roast beets for one hour. You should be able to easily pierce them with a knife when they are done.
  3. Let beets cool, then peel. Slice and arrange on plate with goat cheese and walnuts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Roasted Butternut Squash over Pasta

March 20, 2010
by Gary Huber
Roasted Butternut Squash over Pasta
Recipe Type: Entree
Author: David and Linda Gobberdiel
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 3 ½ – 4 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into bite-size chunks
  • 1 medium onion cut into 1 inch chunks
  • 2 handfuls of washed and dried escarole, torn
  • 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
  • 16 fresh sage leaves, torn
  • 5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • tsp. hot red pepper flakes
  • 1 Tblsp. Brown sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • cup half and half
  • 1 pound bow tie pasta, cooked and drained
  • 1 – 1 ½ cups shredded Asiago cheese
Instructions
  1. Set oven to 450.
  2. Heat one large sheet pan in oven.
  3. Prep the ingredients. In a big bowl, toss together all the ingredients except half and half, pasta, and cheese.
  4. Turn the squash blend onto the heated pan in the oven. Spread the mixture and bake 25 minutes, turning twice, or until squash is tender.
  5. Once the squash is tender, place pan under broiler for about 5 minutes until the squash has crusty brown edges and the greens and wilted and slightly crisp.
  6. Scrape everything into a serving bowl. Add the half and half, the hot pasta, and 1 cup of cheese. Toss to blend, adjust salt and pepper.
  7. Use remaining cheese as a topping when served.