The Local Harvest Dish

New blog address

2008-11-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

Hey folks-
If you receive blog updates automatically, please reset for our new blog site
http://thelocalharvestdish.wordpress.com/ We are super excited about the changes and all that we hope to do with the new site. We plan to bring you product reviews, more recipes, vendor profiles, and of course updates. Please check out the new site and let us know what you think.
-Maddie

Eating St. Louis

2008-10-27T18:07:00.000-07:00

Below I've included the press release for the new book by Patricia Corrigan. We're selling it at Local Harvest Grocery for $29.95. The book features Tower Grove Farmer's Market and Local Harvest Grocery store. I've been reading it and learning a ton about St. Louis' food history. There is a big event this Saturday to promote the book. The cafe will have a booth at the event which should be fun.

When: Saturday, November 1, 6-9 p.m.
Where: Moulin Events, 2017 Chouteau Ave , St. Louis , MO
Tickets: $25, includes
complimentary food and drink, samples from more than a dozen food purveyors
presentation by author Patricia Corrigan
$5 off coupon for the purchase of the book
Reservations: (314-241-7799) or www.brownpapertickets.com/event/44134

AUTHOR PATRICIA CORRIGAN SERVES UP EATING ST. LOUIS, TASTY NEW BOOK ON LOCAL FOOD HISTORY AND CULTURE

ST. LOUIS, MO—Hungry for insight into the culture of food and drink in our town? Eating St. Louis: The Gateway City’s Unique Food Culture explores why we eat what we eat—and where we eat it—serving up stories and photos (from days gone by to earlier this year) of the places, people, and comestibles that have come to define and feed our fair city.
Patricia Corrigan, book author and former Post-Dispatch restaurant critic, interviewed more than 130 individuals to learn little-known tales about local restaurants, food manufacturers, groceries and specialty food shops. Here too are tidbits about our gourmet food, “low” food, fast food, and slow food, facts about local farmers’ markets (and the sources of the bounty), and a spicy spoonful of the politics of food. Eating St. Louis also raises a glass to local breweries, wineries and iconic watering holes.
A banquet on the page, Eating St. Louis includes the story behind the story on

· Josh Allen, who opened his wholesale business at the age of twenty-three
· Sinetsidk Berhanu, a grandmother from Ethiopia who advocates eating black lentils
· Gunnar Brown, master of a farmers’ market who indulges in too many snow peas
· Jack Carl, a veteran of the Pastrami War of 1961 in Gaslight Square
· Lucian Dressel, who is breeding a new kind of wine grape for the Midwest
· Maddie Earnest, a grocer whose priority is to help support local food producers
· Tony Faust, who sold five different kinds of oysters prepared twelve different ways at his restaurant here in 1899
· Ramon Gallardo, who boldly opened a Mexican restaurant devoid of sombreros
· Jake Hafner, who named his wine bar after the year Prohibition was repealed
· Marge and Ed Imo, who started with a modest dream, a great idea, and some used pizza pans
· Mike Johnson, who opts to own several casual neighborhood places rather than one upscale restaurant
· Adolph Moll, who lured customers into his grocery in 1885 with a 2,300-pound wheel of cheese
· Lorenza Pasetti, a third-generation salumieri who sells salami all over the world
· Michael Switzer, who has resurrected his grandfather’s licorice business
· Bryan Truemper, a farmer who provides heirloom turkeys for Thanksgiving tables

Mouth-watering color photos of food—as well as historic images that recall our culinary heritage—season every page, tucked in among photos of our town’s restaurateurs, chefs, brewers and others in the food service industry. A special section includes healthy recipes from Fresh Gatherings Café at Saint Louis University’s Doisy College of Health Sciences.
Eating St. Louis: The Gateway City’s Unique Food Culture will stimulate your intellectual appetite, feed your soul, and make you proud to have a seat at the metropolitan area’s table!
Review copies, author interviews, and event information are available upon request at (314) 644-3400. Published by Reedy Press in cooperation with Doisy College of Health Sciences at Saint Louis University.

Eating St. Louis: The Gateway City’s Unique Food Culture
ISBN: 9781933370705
hardcover, 9 x 9
148 pages
$29.95

About the Author
Patricia Corrigan loves to eat—and she likes writing about food as well. As restaurant critic for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, she ate out on the paper’s nickel for five years. Prior to that, she worked for five years as a food writer at the Post, happily interviewing hundreds of chefs, home cooks, restaurant owners, food manufacturers and others in the food industry. She is the author of fifteen books, including Bringing Science to Life: A Guide from the Saint Louis Science Center; Wild Things: Untold Tales from the First Century of the Saint Louis Zoo; The Extreme Earth: Waterfalls; Chemotherapy & Radiation for Dummies (with Dr. Alan Lyss and Dr. Humberto Fagundes); six nature books for children and Convertible Dreams, a collection of her columns from the Post-Dispatch.

Ed Begley and more....

2008-10-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

That's right--Ed Begley. Well, it's been a looooong time since the last entry, but maybe it's because I've been daydreaming of Ed Begley. Okay, I haven't, but it is kind of a good excuse. This is now old news, but Local Harvest Cafe and Catering was excited to host Ed Begley Jr. when he was in town for a conference on green building. The sponsors rented out the cafe to host a private gathering for him. I must say that he was super friendly, super tall, very gracious, and he said "This is my kinda food" after seeing the menu for the evening.

So, Ed Begley was our first official celebrity diner (that we know about). We're very open to more......

Local Harvest Grocery--Best Grocery Store in St. Louis

2008-09-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

Local Harvest Grocery is the Best Grocery Store in St. Lous. Yes, it's true---well at least according to the "Best Of" edition of the Riverfront Times. Hey, we're happy to take it!!! Check it out in the newest edition.

And as great as it is to have that recognition, it was just as great to hear this from one of our regular customers-- "I hardly have to go to Schnucks or Whole Foods anymore. You guys are doing great."

Thanks for all the support. And please spread the word....
stay green and local,
Maddie

Green Homes Renewable Energy Festival

2008-09-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

Don't miss:

Green Homes Renewable Energy Festival
Saturday, September 27
10-6:00
GIANT STREET FESTIVAL, 3600 block of Grandel Square in Grand Center area

Local Harvest Cafe and Catering will have a food booth on Saturday and we'll premiere our veggie chili and roasted veggie wrap.

and

Green House Tour
Sunday, September 28
11-4:00
Starts at EarthWays Center
3617 Grandel Square
$10 or $15

www.greenhomesstl.org

Beans and chocolate???

2008-09-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

The store is again full, full, full of local produce. Don't miss it. Lots of delicious roasting peppers, fresh green beans (while they last), new potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, grapes.....don't wait.

Tonight I enjoyed the green beans sauteed in olive oil with some onion, garlic and a little bit of salt. So simple, so good and so fresh.

Oh, and of course don't forget that we now have Kakao chocolate again. That stuff is a bit addictive, but oh so good. I recently enjoyed the marshmallow pie which was unbelievable. It is nothing like the ol' moon pie you ate as a kid.

Hope to see you in the store this week.
-Maddie

Enchilada Sauce-mm, mm good

2008-09-21T17:40:00.000-07:00

The change of season almost always inspires me to do a lot of cookin'. So last week I made my one of my favorite dishes--enchiladas. Of course the beautiful anaheims in the store also helped inspire me. The key to this recipe is the sauce.

SAUCE:
5 anaheim peppers roasted and chopped
1 sweet red roasting pepper roasted and chopped
2 fresh tomatoes chopped
1 white or yellow onion chopped
2 tsps (or more) cumin
salt to taste
2-4 cloves minced of garlic
olive oil

Broil peppers in the oven on low broil. I think it took about 7 minutes on each side. You want the skin on the peppers to brown and bubble so that you can easily remove it. Once they are good and bubbly on both sides let cool to touch. You can then remove the skin and cut off the tops. I like to leave the seeds in for extra heat. Chop peppers. Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add peppers and saute about 5 minutes. Then add chopped tomatoes, salt and cumin. Simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Once it's all nice and cooked down I put it in a bowl and use my new favorite kitchen tool--the immersion blender. This thing is so great. You can also use a regular blender. Blend until smooth and pour back into pan.

FILLING:
I made two types of filling. The fillings are adapted from recipes in the cookbook The Enchanted Broccoli Forest.

Avocado/Cashew
2-3 ripe avocados
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4-1/2 cup chopped cashews (especially good if you toast them lightly in a cast iron skillet)

Mash it all together. You can adjust the sour cream/yogurt and cream cheese to meet your preferred consistency.

Squash, onion and cheese
2-3 squash and zucchini sauteed ( I used a lemon squash and a zucchini)
1 onion sauteed
1/2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
medium sharp cheddar cheese or monterrey jack cheese grated (about 1 lb)

PUT IT TOGETHER:
I used blue corn tortillas for these enchiladas. The fillings above made about two big pans of enchiladas. Before you start filling and placing them in the pan, put a light layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan. To soften the tortillas I like to lightly heat them on both sides in a pan with a little bit of oil. It makes them much easier to roll.

Once all enchiladas are rolled cover in the sauce and if desired cover in cheese for extra deliciousness. Back covered at 375 for 30 minutes. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving.
MMM good.

yours in some local eating,
Maddie

Delicious Tidbit--Pickled Beets

2008-09-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

As fall sneaks up on us, this is the time to savor the last bits of summer - and look forward to the root vegetables to come. One of my favorites is beets; hearty, delicious, and oh-so-good for you. With so many varieties to choose from - red, golden, white, and even striped - beets create a lovely color palate in any dish.

As a kid, I never liked pickled beets - but I think that is because I never had 'real' pickled beets. One evening, a couple of years ago, I walked into my friend Katie's kitchen and was immediately hit by the smell of vinegar and the deep red of freshly pickled beets. I stared at the huge glass jar and wondered kind of magic it was.She explained the process to me, something I never learned in culinary school, and I knew I had to do it myself. And I did, with fantastic results. You should too--it's easy.

What ya' need:

-6 large beets
-2c sugar
-2c white or cider vinegar (cider is tastier)

-2c water

-3T pickling spice

-1 1/2t salt

-1T black peppercorns

What to do:

-scrub the beets and remove the greens, but don't pierce the skin

-boil the beets until the flesh is tender (when you can put a fork in, with little resistance)

-drain and cool slightly

-while beets are cooling, mix all other ingredients in a pot

-heat ingredients until salt and sugar are melted, a you see a few bubbles

-peel and slice beets, place in a glass jar

-pour hot liquid over beets

-serve immediately, or place lid on jar, refrigerate, and enjoy later

Sometimes I like to add carrots, onions, or turnips to the beets. Yum! See, it ain't that hard. And just so you know, beets contain small amounts of protein, fiber, iron, calcium, phosphorus, niacin, and vitamins A and C.

(sources: motherearthnews.com)

Yours in beets,

Clara

"Knowledge has sweet savory, honeyed things which precede in value all other treasures as sovereign..." - Christine de Pisan

Trend for smaller stores

2008-09-10T17:21:00.001-07:00

Just read an interesting article in the NY Times sent to me by Clara. Curious what others might think about it. Obviously I think Local Harvest is pretty great and we're radically smaller than even the supposedly tiny 10,000 square foot stores they describe. One of the things I love about the size of LHG is that it is not overwhelming to shop. Prior to opening the store I really didn't enjoy grocery shopping. I always felt like there were too many choices and that it was so sterile. And some Farmer's Markets, while certainly full of character, can feel overwhelming when they are super big and have tons of vendors. One of the reasons I like Tower Grove Farmer's Market and the Maplewood Market is that they are manageable.

Anyway, click this link and let me know what you think.

--Maddie

Delicious Tidbit--Define Organic

2008-09-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

So instead of me just yammering away, I'm going to have some "guest" bloggers. When you see posts that start with "Delicious Tidbit" you will be treated to an entry by Clara Moore. Clara is our catering manager at the cafe and maker of the oh so famous Clara's Hummus.
So, here's the first entry.....

Hello everyone. Clara here, your local culinary artist, hummus-maker, and great believer that an informed customer is an invaluable customer. I wanted to share a little tidbit of knowledge to make your shopping and dining experience with us far more interesting.
So, what does organic really mean?
Everyone is familiar with organic food, right? – I mean, Walmart has it's own organic line now. Everyone knows that organic is better for you, right? but does anyone actually know what organic means and why it is better for you?

The official national guidelines for acquiring organic certification where set by the USDA, released in 2000 and states that produce must be grow under certain conditions:
-no use of artificial fertilizers, chemical/conventional pesticides, or sewer sludge (human waste)
-must use organically produced seeds and planting stock
-must rotate crops to retain the nutrients in the soil
-can only use chemicals from a very short list
-no use of genetically modified seeds or plant stock
-can not be exposed to irradiation or any additives
-and must be grown under sustainable growing practices (basically, practices that allow the natural ecosystem to thrive)

In turn, these guidelines produce a healthier and more tasty product. Without chemical intervention, the produce is allowed to grow under it's natural conditions and ends up with more vitamins and antioxidants. It also limits the toxicity in the bodies of those who eat it. Sustainable farming practices are better on the environment and generally use less fossil fuels.

Organic is usually more expensive, but there is much more to gain by eating it.

A short explanation of organic labeling:
100% organic – grown and/or produced under USDA organic guidelines
organic – 95% of the product has been grown and/or produced under USDA organic guidelines
made with organic ingredients – at least 70% of the product has been grown and/or produced using the USDA organic guidelines, and the remaining ingredients cannot be genetically engineered, irradiated, or fertilized with sewer sludge
Thanks for reading, and keep doing it local!"

Knowledge has sweet savory, honeyed things which precede in value all other treasures as sovereign..." - Christine de Pisan

Broiled eggplant

2008-09-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

I know some folks are afraid to cook eggplant but I'm going to give you a super easy and delicious way to fix them. You can use the Japanese eggplants (from Spikenard Farm) as pictured, or the traditional eggplants which are larger and more bulbous.

Thinly slice the eggplant. Leave the skins on. Lightly coat the slices in a marinade of olive oil, minced garlic and salt. Set oven to Hi-Broil and pre-heat. Broil for approximately five minutes on each side. For a more substantial dish, prepare zucchini in the same way. I like to also toss onion and peppers in the mix and broil those as well. The other evening I made this dish with eggplant, zucchini, onion, sweet and hot peppers and served it on a bed of quinoa which I had cooked in a vegetable broth. I also prepared a side of collard greens and served it with Parmesan bread.

You can make this dish in about thirty minutes.

Broiled eggplant is also great on an open faced sandwich with goat cheese, mushrooms, onions, and red pepper.

Vegan Muffins

2008-09-03T17:46:00.001-07:00

Hello all-
Molly, one of the new folks at our cafe, baked up some yummy vegan banana muffins. Super moist, fluffy, and just the right sweetness. Don't miss them. For an extra special treat ask for a dash of Nutella. It's a super indulgence.
-maddie

Local Harvest Cafe expands hours

2008-09-03T06:38:00.000-07:00

Big news--in case you haven't heard, our cafe, Local Harvest Cafe and Catering is now open for dinner. That's right. And not only that, but we'll even wait on you. We now offer table service for your dining experience.

Last night we offered house-made veggie lasagna (not heat and serve from Sam's), Sicilian pizza, and antipasto salad. Even though I was holding down the fort at the store, I found time to sneak over and do a little sampling. I wish I'd had my camera, but alas it was at home. The lasagna was fantastic. What made it different was that the sauce had a bit of heat. Made with local tomatoes and Mangia Pasta, it was a delicious treat.

Now we just need YOU. Please pass this information on to anyone who loves good food, loves supporting local farmers, cares about the environment, and likes to support small businesses. They will love you for it.

New Hours:
Mon-Fri 7 am - 8 pm
Sat 8 am - 8 pm
Sun 10am -3 pm

DO IT LOCAL!
Maddie

Baby oh Baby

2008-08-27T17:44:00.000-07:00

If you don't have a baby, don't want a baby, or don't like babies, I suggest you skip this post....

That is my disclaimer.

So I wanted to do at least one post on cooking for wee ones. Jason and I have a 17 month old. It has been pretty important to me to cook most or all of his food. At times it has been quite a challenge--and during those times I'm thankful that I feel really good about the prepared foods we carry at Local Harvest.

Anyway, we have lots of foods which are great for first foods for baby and for the growing toddler. The book "Super Baby Foods" is a great resource for how to prepare your own infant cereals and "super" foods for the wee one. We carry many grains which you can grind for your own infant cereals--millet, barley, oats, rice and quinoa. The author also suggests add in's like Brewer's Yeast, tahini, and almond butter. I don't agree with everything in the book, but found the authors suggestions on making "super porridge" and storage of fresh foods to be really helpful.

If you're not feeling quite so ambitious, we carry Earth's Best infant cereals, organic baby food in jars, applesauce, and one of my favorite processed foods that I give to lil' Beck--Dr. Praeger's Spinach Pancakes. I can read every ingredient and even know what they are. Yea. Other great foods for kids (who are eating dairy) Farmer's All Natural Creamery cottage cheese, Nancy's whole milk yogurt, Nancy's kefir, and the ever easy organic frozen veggies.

For any of you moms and dads who are interested in making your own baby food, I'm always happy to chat about it and give any suggestions I can. Post or come into the store. I'm constantly learning as a parent and a cook for a wee one so if I can help or commiserate I'm happy to do so.

Also, we'll soon have a kid's menu at the cafe. In the meantime, feel free to ask for mini-smoothies for your little one. So good and good for them. You won't find any syrups in our smoothies. Only real ingredients. Yum.

Summer bounty continues

2008-08-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here are ten reasons to drop by Local Harvest Grocery this week:
1. Watermelon
2. Yellow watermelons
3. Juicy cantaloupes
4. Sun gold tomatoes
5. Blackberries
6. Jasbo's salsa (very local and very yummy)
7. Peaches--perfectly ripe
8. Dumpling squash, lemon squash, delicata squash, and cute lil' pumpkins from Spikenard Farm
9. Better Bread (gluten-free banana bread--they are tasty even for us gluten-full people)
and
10. 'Cause we love to see you.......

Avocado tacos

2008-08-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

Even though the weather is so great, I still didn't want to turn on my oven or stove the other night. So, we had one of my favorite easy dishes --Avocado Tacos.
So here goes:
2 chopped avocados
4 Tbls chopped red onion (local at LHG)
1/2 can of corn (fresh if you have it--we're out right now)
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1-2tsp cumin
salt to taste
1 chopped hot pepper (some at LHG now)
juice from 1 lime
1 tomato (local at LHG)
2-3 handfuls of mixed lettuce
tortillas ( I used spinach tortillas--corn or flour will work. You can also make these as tostados. I recently realized that I can toast corn tortillas in my toaster oven to get them nice and crunchy and I don't have to turn on the oven.)

GARNISH
hot sauce (Arnie's or Happy Dogs available at LHG and both are local)
cheese
sour cream or plain yogurt

Mix all ingredients. I usually put avocados in last so that they don't get too mashed. Gently stir and then season to taste. I like to then garnish the taco or burrito with cheese (I used Morningland Medium Sharp), yogurt (Nancy's Organic Whole Milk) and hot sauce
sour cream or plain yogurt--optional

New store layout--check it out

2008-08-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

Hey folks-
We started the redesign of Local Harvest Grocery last night. Come in soon to see Phase 1. Many, many thanks to our Local Harvest volunteers--Brian Marston, Thoman Crone, Rainer Bussmann, Anita Synder, Van Pineda and Bill of Big Small Town Designs. I won't lie--it was super fun and we are really pleased with the first efforts. Of course all the "volunteers" had to take an oath not to divulge the Local Harvest secrets.

Look for Phase 2 in the next couple of months. Also we will soon be expanding the hours at the cafe.

Yours in local yummies,
maddie

Ozark Pride (lamb and mushroom pizza)

2008-08-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks ago I was talking with a customer about what she was making for dinner. She told me that she and her new hubby were whipping up a mushroom and lamb pizza. I said "Mmmm, wish you'd send me that recipe and I'll post it on the blog." Yea, so here it is. The even cooler thing is that they mad a recipe book that they gave to guests at their wedding. I say that so you understand the opening below. Here's the recipe thanks to Tony Arend (and sadly I don't have his wife's name right now. I will add it later.) The only thing you cannot purchase at our store is the Provolone cheese.

OZARK PRIDE PIZZA
In a city where pizza is gross (St. Louis no offense), this recipe will have you making pizza at home which is far superior to pizza enjoyed by snobs in Connecticut or NYC. The stank of the mushrooms, Provolone, and Lamb will have your face pressed up to the oven door wondering what the heck is going on in there. Upon surfacing this pizza masterpiece will have you doubting all assumptions you’ve previously held of reality. Its pride time baby… Ozark Pride.

The Sauce
The Shopping List:
* 1/8 Cup Olive Oil
* 2 Cloves Garlic / Minced
* 1 6oz Can Tomato Paste
* 1 4oz Can Tomato Sauce
* 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese / Finely Grated
* 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
* 3/4 teaspoon Cane Sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon Salt
* 3 Tablespoon Dried Oregano Flakes (If you like you can try finely chopping fresh Oregano.)

The Moves:
1) In a small sauce pan heat the olive oil on medium heat.
2) Add the minced Garlic and swirl a few times.
3) Stir in the Tomato Sauce and Tomato Paste and heat stirring all the while until smooth.
4) Stir in the Parm gradually and slowly.
5) Add the vinegar and continue stirring.
6) Add the sugar, salt and oregano stirring all the while.
7) Let the sauce simmer slowly. (Makes enough for 2 or 3 pies depending on your saucing preferences / Freeze what you don’t use right away)

The Dough
Shopping List:
* 1 Tablespoon Dry Active Yeast
* 3/4 Cup Wrist Warm Water
* 2 Cups All Purpose Flour + 1/4 Cup for Kneading
* 1 teaspoon Salt
* 1 teaspoon Cane Sugar
* 1 teaspoon Olive Oil

The Moves:
1) Dissolve the yeast in the water by stirring in a bowl and set to the side.
2) In a food processor combine all dry ingredients (except for the flour for kneading) and blend for a minute or two.
3) Add the water/yeast mixture and continue to blend until there is a solid dough ball clanking around in the processor.
4) Rub the oil into a mixing bowl which will accommodate at least twice the dough ball’s volume.
5) Take the dough ball out of the processor and knead moderately, adding a little flour if it is over-sticky.
6) Place the dough ball into the prepped bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
7) Let rise for about 30-45 Minutes until the ball is pressing against the plastic threatening its attachment to the bowl. In many cases the dough will actually push through the plastic. This is a case when you know your dough ball has pride… Ozark Pride.
8) Remove the ball of dough from the bowl and punch down on a floured surface and knead, adding flour until the dough becomes workable.
9) When the dough is workable, begin rolling the dough out with a rolling pin.
10) After it is somewhat flat use your hands to finish the job working the edges and interior to make a round pizza shape.

The Pizza
Shopping List:
* 1-2 Tablespoons Yellow Corn Meal
* 1/2 lb. Lamb Sausage (Brats) or Ground Lamb / Chopped (Prarie Grass Farms at LHG)
* 2 Oz Fresh Shitake Mushrooms / Chopped (Ozark Forest Mushrooms available at LHG)
* 2 Oz Fresh Shitake Mushrooms / Thinly Sliced (dried will also work)
* 4 Oz Fresh Oyster Mushrooms / Chopped (Available at LHG)
* 4 Fresh Mozzarella Balls ( 8 oz.) / Shredded (Available at LHG)
* 1 Cup Provolone Cheese / Shredded

The Moves:
1) Pre-Heat the oven to 425F.
2) Place the pizza stone in the oven and sprinkle generously with cornmeal.
3) Saute the 6 Oz Chopped Mushrooms (4 oz. oyster, 2 oz. shitake) with the Chopped Lamb Sausage.
4) After the oven comes to temp, remove the pizza stone and transfer the dough to the stone.
5) Lightly coat the dough with the pizza sauce.
6) Place the mozzarella cheese atop the sauce.
7) Place all of the sautéed mess atop the mozz cheese.
8) Place the Provolone cheese atop the sautéed mess.
9) Scatter the sliced (uncooked) mushrooms atop the second layer of Cheese.
10) Place into the oven for about 15 Minutes or until the dough slides freely on the pizza stone.
11) Cool, Cut and Serve.

On the topic of local eggs

2008-07-30T19:34:00.001-07:00

Some of you may have noticed that we have a new egg vendor. I thought I'd just share a little bit about what I've learned about the dilemma of raising eggs. So interesting.

Today I was talking with the farmer from Farrar Out Farms. We've carried their eggs off and on since we opened. With Prairie Grass probably getting out of the egg business, Farrar Out farms has become even more important to us. Anyway, he brought in only 15 dozen today. He said in a few weeks he hopes to be able to sell us around 50 dozen a week. The reason he has so few is that when it is super hot like this, the chickens just don't lay as many eggs. He said this is especially true of the older hens. He related that some farmers will keep more hens than he does so that during summer there are enough eggs to meet the demand. The downside of this he related is that the farmers have so much surplus in the spring that they actually end up dumping eggs in the fields and use them for fertilizer.

It made me think about how if we really want to eat locally it would mean being more in concert with nature. So maybe during those times it is super hot you go without eggs for a few weeks. Believe me, I hate it, 'cause I love eggs. And of course, with bigger farm operations like Good Earth (the new local supplier we're also using) it is possible to have eggs year round. So we don't have to, but......

Just something to share.

Seriously, you have to come in.

2008-07-30T18:31:00.000-07:00

Today we got two bushels of Pristine Apples from Blue Heron Orchard. These lovely "apple" green (get it?) apples are crisp, sweet, and delicious. I am so excited to have them because I will tell you that the organic apples that we have gotten from our produce distributor of late have been very bruised and not too tasty. In fact, I was just bemoaning this fact yesterday when Blue Heron called to see if we need apples. How great is that.

Also, we have blackberries, sun gold tomatoes (as addictive as candy), green beans, beautiful bell peppers, tasty peaches, delicata squash, and this weekend we'll get melons!!!!

For carnivores--today we received a side of beef from Hinkebein. Lots of ground beef and all the popular cuts such as tenderloin, sirloin, strip steak and skirt steak are available. Prairie Grass also delivered some lamb brats and sausage which are always tasty and very popular.

We look forward to seeing you soon,
Maddie Earnest
P.S. I would love to post recipes from folks. So if you have a favorite recipe using products from our store, please send me your email and I'll try to publish some of them on the blog.

Peaches and Blackberries

2008-07-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

This just in---ripe, delicious local peaches and blackberries arrived today. Hurry in because they will not last long. And I promise that they are super tasty. I think I'm dripping peach juice on the keyboard right now....

Also, we have tons of tomatoes, salsa from our cafe, corn on the cob, green beans, eggplant, basil, parsley, onions, potatoes, cucumbers....is your mouth watering yet?

This is a great time of year to experiment with eating mostly locally grown foods. The beginning is NOW.

-Maddie

Cafe Address

2008-07-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Oops, I realized after receiving a comment that I didn't include the cafe address. That is so bad. Here is the address: 3137 Morgan Ford Rd. , St. Louis, MO 63116. The cafe is across the street from the grocery store, but a little bit closer to the park.

Hope everyone can come by soon.
Tues-Fri 7 a -2 p
Sat 8 a -3 p
-maddie

Some more great produce

2008-07-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

Super excited about all the local produce we have in the store including black radishes. I'd never heard of these before yesterday. The farmers left us some recipes which you can have. We had some new farmers drop by to sell us produce which I loved. Meeting small (and I don't mean in stature) local farmers reminds me of why I wanted to be one of the founders of this store. The farm is called Spikenard Farm and is located in Carrollton, IL. Check out their site at www.spikenardfarm.org Such nice folks.

Other produce we received yesterday:
Cucumbers, cabbages, tomatoes, broccoli, parsley, chard, two little pumpkins, and these wonderful lemon squashes. The lemon squashes are literally shaped like big lemons and are really tasty. You can prepare them as you would a zucchini or yellow squash.

Hope you can come in and enjoy this bounty.
-Maddie

Cafe is OPEN!

2008-07-13T09:08:00.000-07:00

Okay folks, the moment we've been waiting for (hopefully that you've been waiting for as well) has arrived. We officially opened Local Harvest Cafe and Catering on Saturday July 12, 2008. Hooray. We had a very successful first day even though the menu was very bare bones on day 1. In the coming weeks, we'll be adding soups, smoothies, coffee drinks, iced tea, and delicious sweet treats.

Clara (of Clara's Hummus) waits on Robert--a Local Harvest Grocery regular.

Here are some photos of the inside.

The wall hangings on the brick wall are the front windows from the previous business which closed 20-30 years ago.

We hope to see you all in the coming weeks. The address is 3137 Morgan Ford Rd. Hours of operation (which will change to include either Sunday or Monday) are:

Tues-Fri 7-2

Saturday 8-3

Yours in good eating,

Maddie Earnest

July and SAUCE

2008-07-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Long time since the last post--I had my face buried in delicious tomatoes, Hinkebein brats, a tasty kidney bean salad and fresh green beans from my parents garden in Arkansas. Yum. I was celebrating my independence from chain grocery stores this July 4th. : )

Anyway, I'm excited to report that this Wednesday you'll be able to get your very own fresh green beans at LHG. We're also expecting more tomatoes (yea), blueberries, peppers, more zucchini, red and yellow potatoes and cucumbers. Tasty. A raw foodist could have a field day with all this good produce. (For raw food recipes check out this months SAUCE-- www.saucemagazine.com)

Speaking of SAUCE, the Local Harvest Grocery crew is super excited to have been selected by SAUCE readers as the Best Gourmet Market in St. Louis. The party was crazy fun with good music, great people watching and samples from some of St. Louis' best restaurants. I especially enjoyed the beet ravioli from Niche.

All for now.
-maddie