Going Local

Indiana Chef Prefers Local Food

Carol Silkes' impressive professional resume encompasses everything from conducting research in culinary tourism, developing programs for international five star restaurants, creating Camp Culinary--a cooking camp for children and young adults, and teaching at the university level. Currently an Assistant Professor in hospitality and tourism management at Purdue University, Dr. Silkes' culinary adventures have taken her around the world but when it comes to preparing great food, she says "go local".

According to Carol, "The secret to a great recipe is to start with great ingredients. The fresher the better! When you start with fresh locally grown ingredients, making food tasty is easy. It takes all the work out of being a chef...okay, maybe not ALL the work..."

For GOING LOCAL WEEK 2008, Carol created three recipes featuring fresh, local, and in-season produce: Herb Marinated Grilled Vegetables with a Balsamic Sauce, Tomato Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing, and Cool Breeze Cucumber Salad. Her recipes, which can be found in the Summer Recipes Section of the site, are easy and healthy.

Few of us will ever have the the training and experience required to be recognized as a Certified Executive Chef like Carol is, but with the bounty of Indiana produce and her delicious recipes, we can all cook like one! 

Photos: Grape tomatoes ripening in the Dirtpatch Gardens
            Certified Executive Chef Carol Silkes

GOING LOCAL Like It's 1877

If you're invited to or hosting a barbecue this month, you may want to offer a beverage that will have your friends and family going local like it's 1877 by serving "shrubs". Made with in-season crushed berries, sugar or honey, vinegar, cold water, and sometimes laced with rum, a shrub was the go-to drink of our forefathers when they wanted to relax and refresh after a day's hard work in the hot fields. I know the drink sounds a bit harsh with the vinegar in it, but the slightly sweet/almost imperceptibly tart drink will be a pleasant surprise to your taste buds and provide a perfect counterpoint to your meal's spicy BBQ sauce.

To give the drink a little more sweetness and some fizz I like to use ginger ale in place of the water. If you want a less sweet drink, you can use club soda.

Shrub syrup can also be used to glaze grilled pork or chicken (brush it on the meat during the last few minutes of grilling) or to make a vinaigrette (whisk one tablespoon of shrub syrup with 3 tablespoons of olive oil).

The recipe for blackberry shrub syrup and directions for making the shrub drink can be found in the Summer Recipes Section of this site.

Terre Foods Co-op Begins Membership Drive

Memberships are now available for the Terre Foods Cooperative.

You can find out more about becoming a member and/or download a membership application here. Or stop by the Terre Haute Downtown Farmers' Market table and pick up some information about this new and exciting member-owned market that will be coming soon to our Indiana local food scene.

80 Years of Apples

Tuttle Orchards began as Tuttle Fruit Farm in 1928 when founder Roy Tuttle planted ten acres of apples on the Tuttle homestead in Greenfield, Indiana. The business was originally a fruit wholesaler but over the years it has transitioned to a public venue with 22 varieties of apples growing on 4750 trees. In addition to nationally award winning apples and cider, the orchard sells produce, flowers, and homemade caramel apples in the farm store which is open year round. The orchard is still owned and operated by the 3rd and 4th generations of the Tuttle family. A popular destination for families and apple lovers, the orchard hosted over 80,000 visitors last year.

On September 6 the orchard will host their Anniversary Orchard Festival celebrating 80 years of business. The event will feature an apple u-pick, corn maze, tours of the farm, and antique tractors.The Anniversary Orchard Festival falls on the last day of GOING LOCAL WEEK 2008--what a great place to take the family or a group of friends to celebrate Indiana local food!   

Tuttle Orchards
5717 North 300 West
Greenfield, Indiana 46140
www.tuttleorchards.com
info@tuttleorchards.com
Phone: 317-326-8488

Photo: Courtesy of Tuttle Orchards
Front Row: Helen Roney, Mike Roney, Ruth Ann Roney, Tom Roney
Back Row: Elizabeth Roney, Frank Roney, Sarah Roney, Thoma Roney

GOING LOCAL WEEK WEAR

Seventeen days to GOING LOCAL WEEK 2008 and counting!

Give a shout-out to local food and perk up your end of the summer wardrobe with a GOING LOCAL tee or tote.

You'll find lots of GOING LOCAL wear and other fun items in the GOING LOCAL Cafepress Store.