Notes From Nan: Back Home Again, Culinarily Speaking
BY HF Contributing Writer, Nan Parati

Gentle Readers,

After dining out on the windy steppes of Foodlandia with menus from all around the world and beyond, we now return to our comforting senses with:

Friday Menu (10/19/07)

• Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes with gravy. Doesn’t it just make you feel well-loved already?
• With roasted root vegetables
• And Organic Mixed Green Salad
• With Chocolate Mousse for dessert

And for the vegetarians:

• Walnut-Lentil Loaf
• With mashed potatoes
• Roasted root vegetables
• Organic mixed green salad
• and Chocolate Mousse for dessert

So if your husband bas been growling, “Dang it Gladys! I ain’t going ‘til they have good old fashioned American food!” Then here we are, back to the comfort of good old fashioned American food.

If you, however still wish you were a Cajun, we DO HAVE limited portions of Crawfish Sauce in our To-Go-Frozen section of the store.

Also in our to-go section of the cooler (not frozen) is a new batch of Susanne’s Indian Pudding (if you were wishing to be Indian.)

Speaking of Susanne, do you know what is in our bakery case right now that she just made?

• Banana Nut Bread
• Lemon Poppy Muffins
• Chocolate-Peanut Butter cupcakes
• Crumbly Apple Oatley
• Pumpkin Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Birds Nest Cookies (they keep you regular!)
• Coconut Macaroons

That’s just right now! Tomorrow it will all be different things—but that’s the type of stuff and variety that she’s making for us every day these days! For those who don’t eat gluten, she’s working on some ideas for Desserts Without Gluten (as recommended by four out of five Doctors Without Borders.) The Indian Pudding has no gluten, and she’s thinking of other recipes, as well.

The Local Farm Report

This week’s LOCAL produce listed by grower:

• PATTY FLAT FARM Joan and Joel Arsenault: broccoli, red and green cabbage, eggplant, red and yellow onions, green and yellow peppers, tomatoes, red kuri winter squash.
• SPRING WATER GARDENS Will and Donna Elwell: flower bouquets, herbs (basil), garlic, Concord grapes, long cayenne peppers.
• DONOVAN FARM Ivan and Cinni Donovan: Red potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes
• SIDEHILL FARM Amy Klippenstein and Paul Lacinski: carrots, garlic (and their yogurt!)
• SANGHA FARM MaryBeth and Derek Richie: green beans, beets (Heirloom and Red Ace) herbs (thyme, parsley, sage, savory), acorn
• BROOK FARM ORCHARD Alan Surprenant: 23 varieties of apples: Liberty, Yellow Delicious, etc.
• SCOTT’S ORCHARD: many varieties of apples: Macoun, Macintosh, etc. Also peaches and pears.
• SQUASH, Produce Distributor: organic garlic, organic mesclun, avocados, alfalfa sprouts, lemons, portabella mushrooms, and tomatoes.

Coming up at Elmer’s in Ashfield:

• Don’t forget to come and knit (or craft otherwise) this Saturday at 2.
• October 27th 7 – 9 pm Ray Mason! Live! Here at Elmer’s!
• Halloween Night! Pumpkin Soup (from our own pumpkins!) and bread! Come on in and eat hearty before the parade!
• And have you seen our Halloween Cookies? So cute! Special cookies for your favorite scary kid!

See you Friday!

Big E