Eat Local this fall!

Last weekend, I found some great photos apple picking and pumpkin picking with my family and my classmates from when I was little. I started researching places to pick apples and pumpkins in Western Mass...and realized there are tons of great opportunities to shop at farmers markets and even pick your own locally grown fruits and veggies around here!



There are so many benefits to eating local food. When you choose locally grown, you are guarunteed freshness, you help stimulate the local economy, you reduce your carbon footprint, and you stay in touch with the change of seasons that make New England so unique! Eating locally has also helped me try new foods and experiment with food preparation. My first spoonful of pumpkin soup last year was absolute heaven...and it never would have happened if I hadn't decided to go for the locally grown pumpkin at the grocery store instead of the usual summer squash and zucchini! Below are a few links to help you navigate the local food scene in Massachusetts!



Here are links to...



Places to pick your own fruits and veggies in Western Mass
http://www.pickyourown.org/massveg.htm


Farmers' markets in Western Mass
http://www.farmfresh.org/food/farmersmarkets.php?zip=01002




And, for after you pick those fruits and veggies, here a couple of my favorite healthy fall recipes:



Curried Pumpkin Soup Recipe
2 cloves garlic, peeled1 med onion, peeled and quartered1 lg. jalapeno pepper, seeded and -coarsely chopped
2 Stalks celery, cut into -2-inch lengths
3 lg. Carrots, peeled and sliced -1/4 inch thick
2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 3/4 lb. pumpkin, peeled, -seeded, and cut -into 1-inch dice
3 c Low-salt chicken stock
1 Bay leaf
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. Turmericpinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. saltfreshly ground pepper
1/4 c shelled raw pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. sour cream (optional)
Place garlic in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add onion and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside. Place jalapeno in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add celery and pulse until finely chopped. Set aside. Place carrots in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Heat 1 tbsp. of the olive oil in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add jalapeno, celery, and carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the pumpkin, chicken stock, bay leaf, curry, turmeric, cayenne, 1 tsp. of the salt, and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, heat remaining tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pumpkin seeds and remaining 1/2 t salt and cook for about 30 seconds, shaking pan constantly to prevent burning, until all the seeds have popped. Remove from heat and add parsley.
Place 2 cups of the cooked vegetables and about 1/2 cups of the liquid in the bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Stir puree back into the soup. Adjust seasonings, and stir in the sour cream, if desired. Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds.
From http://www.mom-mom.com/

Gluten Free Apple Crisp
FILLING
3-4 Braeburn (or similar) apples, peeled, sliced into 1/4″ thick slices
2 teaspoons cinnamon or 3 tsp apple pie spice
2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoons to 1/4 c. white sugar or turbinado sugar (to taste); or ¼ cup maple syrup
2 Tablespoons to 1/4 c. brown sugar (to taste); or, 2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tablespoons (more or less) GF Flour mix – depending on juiciness of the apples
CRISP TOPPING
6 Tablespoons yogurt or fat free sour cream
1/3 c. GF quick oats, roughly ground almonds & walnuts, or quinoa flakes
1/4 c. GF Flour mix
2-3 Tablespoons white sugar (to taste)
1-2 Tablespoons brown sugar (to taste)
optional: ground cinnamon (1 tsp) and freshly ground nutmeg (1 tsp)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 375*F.
Peel and slice apples into thin slices (1/4″).
Put into a medium bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Mix.
Add sugars, flour and spice.
Mix together very well.
Pour into medium (for thin) or small (for deep) baking dish.
Combine oats (or other option), flour and sugars, along with yogurt and “squish” together well until crumbly.
Pour and crumble over apples in baking dish evenly.
Bake for 23-30 minutes.
Cool slightly before serving (5-10 minutes).Serve over all natural GF vanilla ice cream.

Altered from original recipe at
http://glutenfree.wordpress.com/2007/07/10/gluten-free-apple-crisp/




Happy Fall!