What's Fresh Now

Take a Stand, Take the Pledge & Eat Local for Thanksgiving!

Soon we will share our Thanksgiving tradition, honoring the abundance of the harvest and bringing family and friends together in celebration and community. As we give thanks for the bounty on our tables, let's give thanks for local farms throughout our region and the food they put on our tables.

This year, individuals throughout Washington are joining with Cascade Harvest Coalition and taking a stand for local farms by signing the pledge to Eat Local for Thanksgiving.

Your pledge is a promise to add at least one locally grown, produced or harvested item to your Thanksgiving meal. You can take the pledge right now at http://www.eatlocalforthanksgiving.org.

While it may seem a simple act, signing the pledge holds the power of change. Every pledge we gather helps preserve farmland, promote environmental quality and resilient communities. You're adding your voice to those of thousands of people throughout the region in saying how important local farms and food are to our communities, which is central to having a dependable, regional food supply.

Every pledge is a vote that says yes to local farms, 365 days a year.

Eat Local for Thanksgiving is a program of Cascade Harvest Coalition and sponsored by Puget Sound Fresh, King County, King Conservation District, PCC Natural Markets, Seattle's Child, Foodista.com, Organic Valley, Sur La Table, edibleSeattle, KCTS 9, Taylor Shellfish, and Klesick Family Farm.

Your 15 seconds of fame is calling!
Tap into your inner on-camera persona (or hidden carrot costume) and get creative with your pledge with this year's Eat Local for Thanksgiving Video Contest. Submit your entry no later than noon on November 20, and have "Take the Pledge to Eat Local for Thanksgiving" audibly or visually recognizable. Additional contest rules can be found at http://www.YouTube.com/user/CascadeHarvest. All eligible contestants will be entered to win 6-months of premium seafood from Taylor Shellfish, a 2-year subscription to edibleSeattle, Sur La Table cooking classes and cookbooks.

FARM SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Stokesberry Sustainable Farms and local chef Lynne Vea

Farmer Spotlight: Podcast Interview with Stokesberry Sustainable Farms
A free ranging conversation with Jerry and Janelle Stokesberry, about raising free range turkeys, chickens, and grass-fed beef on their farm near Olympia. Catch the interview here.

At the Table: A Conversation with Lynne Vea, PCC Cooks
Born and raised in a food obsessed Southern family just off the Chesapeake Bay, PCC Cooks Chef Lynne Vea has been gleefully pursuing the culinary arts and celebrating the joys of food as a career for almost three decades.

CHC: From the looks of your background, you're a culinary adventuress.

LV: After college and culinary school, I traveled the restaurant circuit and worked in a number of memorable places across the country from Alaska to North Carolina, and also in France and Japan. It's always been my passion to learn as much of the world's food cultures as I could. I eventually settled in San Francisco; my husband and my career brought me back to Seattle about 12 years ago. Shortly after that I attended the Executive Chef Program at the Cordon Bleu in Paris and then began teaching and consulting when I returned to Seattle.

CHC: How long have you been at PCC Natural Markets?

LV: I've been working and loving PCC for almost 10 years now. My roles include Culinary Instructor, Food Stylist and Media Chef — you catch me on KING 5 TV's Gardening with Ciscoe every Saturday.

CHC: What's life like when you're not professionally wielding a sharp knife and large wire whisk?

LV: We live on an acre of property in a tucked-away corner of Maple Valley. I grow and cultivate heirloom and contemporary herbs, tomatoes and vegetables in my various gardens along with currant and blueberry bushes, grape vines, fruit trees and hops. Being a small time gardener only increases my respect for those who make their living from the land. I love to travel, entertain, and forage seasonally for whatever mysteries the waters, forests and fields of the region offer. I read voraciously, and quite frequently get extremely gussied up and go into Seattle to have another chef feed me.

CHC: You've taken the Pledge to Eat Local for Thanksgiving, right? What locally grown items are you planning to add to your meal?

LV: Of course! This is a brilliant program and I am thrilled to be a part, it's set at a perfect time of year. I'll be preparing most of the meal with local ingredients. I think my favorite dish will be the Organic Winter Greens Parisienne. It's a decadent combination of spicy braised local greens with local cheeses in a gratin topping. I also love making a steamy little starter bisque from local wild mushrooms, pan searing local clams with winter herbs and I always roast local Sugar Pie pumpkins for my Pumpkin Silk Toffee Pie or Pumpkin Crème Brûlée.

CHC: Why did you take the pledge?

LV: The original Thanksgiving meal came from the local land; it's a time to celebrate both family and community. One of my passions as a chef has always been to pursue the local, regional cuisine of the area; and economically, environmentally and esthetically, it just makes sense. I love that we are sending our support to the folks who work the land, those who depend daily on the fickle whims of Mother Nature to provide them with a living. I love that we are becoming more aware of the fragility of our earth, and of course I love the variety and diversity that buying locally enables.

CHC: How would you respond to people who say "I already eat local — I don't need to take the pledge."

LV: Why not take the pledge? It just says you're proud to be a part of a larger community who really care about what we eat, how it's grown or produced and by whom and, frankly, it's fun. It's a party, folks, with a heart! C'mon along!

CHC: Time to dish — what do you love to eat?

LV: I could sum it up by saying I like sensual foods. Simple and succulent offerings that make you close your eyes to taste all of the elements. Fire pit roasted yams drizzled with wild honey; oysters poached in white wine, shallots and cream; roasted figs with Mt. Townsend rind-ripened cheeses; and my own homemade Red Wine, Sour Cherry and Fennel Seed Italian Sausages, sizzling hot.

CHC: What's on the menu for Thanksgiving at your house?

LV: There will be local smoked salmon, wild mushroom crostini and razor clams for appetizers. There is always a bisque course; it could be chanterelle and pear this year. And then we'll have Smashed Fingerling Potatoes with Local Cultured Butter and Crispy Leeks, Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dried Cherries, Pancetta and Caramelized Shallots, Winter Greens Parisienne and the two desserts I mentioned earlier.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Where to Buy Local for Thanksgiving

You've done your part and taken the pledge, (http://www.eatlocalforthanksgiving.org) so now it's our turn to help with the shopping. Home grocery delivery is another way to fulfill your pledge to Eat Local for Thanksgiving. We've listed several locally owned businesses that either buy from local farms or supply food from their own farm (such as Full Circle). For those of us with too much on our plates, there's the added bonus of one less errand to run and a bin of beautiful, farm fresh produce (and recipes) delivered to your front door.

Home Grocery Delivery

Full Circle Farm
Direct delivery in Washington, service depends upon location.

Klesick Family Farm
Delivery to Snohomish County.

Mother Nature's Organic Delivery
Delivery service includes Seattle and most of King & Snohomish County.

New Roots Organics
Delivery throughout Seattle.

Terra Organics
Delivery to King & Pierce County

Wildly Organic
Home delivery to the Central Kitsap area and group drops throughout the Kitsap Peninsula.

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Lynn Vea's Spice Scented Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque with Apple—Coriander Chutney

The combination of golden butternut squash and tart apples is at its finest when infused with warm spices. Serves 6-8 people.

For the soup:

1 butternut squash, about 1.5 pounds

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 apples, such as Honeycrisp or Pink Lady, cut into small dice

1 medium shallot, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon PCC curry powder blend (or your favorite warm spice blend)

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup cream

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Apple-Coriander Chutney (recipe follows)

For the squash:
Cut the squash into several sections and roast in a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, or until a knife inserts easily into the flesh. Cool it slightly, scoop out the soft flesh removing any seeds and chop it into small chunks. You may make the soup right away or refrigerate the cooked squash for up to 3 days.

For the soup:
In a heavy pot, heat the oil and sauté the apples and shallot until the onions are soft. Stir in the curry blend and cook for about a minute. Add the squash, the broth and cream and season with salt and pepper. For a more elegant presentation, cool the bisque slightly and puree it in batches in a food processor until smooth.

To serve:
Ladle the soup into serving bowls, drizzle with coconut milk and top with the chutney.

For the chutney:

1/2 cup finely chopped apple

1 teaspoon toasted coriander seeds

2 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries

1 tablespoon each honey and red wine vinegar

Pinch cayenne

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.

For more of Lynn Vea's recipes, like Sugar Pie Pumpkin Crème Brûlée, Apple Dumplings with Cider Caramel or Winter Greens in Puff pastry, visit her at PCC Cooks