Preserving Food Traditions: January Table

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

January's table is soft and subdued, fitting for post-holiday, quiet winter evenings.

The dish pattern is, appropriately, "Ice Flower".

Preserving Food Traditions: I was introduced to seasonal cooking and canning as a young girl visiting my grandparents' country home. My quiet observance of grandmother filling canning jars with produce from their garden and orchard set me on a lifelong journey of using and storing local food. Once on my own, I never lost the reap-and-store instinct that comes with seasonal eating and always put up some amount of seasonal produce to supplement winter meals. From 1998 to 2004, I owned and operated Rebekah's Coffeehouse Cafe in Plainview, MN, using food products from local farmers to create made-from-scratch meals. Kitchen fellowship was a backdrop to the family of relatives, farmers and employees who shared in this experience. After closing the restaurant, my devotion to using local products continued; and I began in earnest to learn all methods possible for food processing and preservation using only locally-produced products.

Powered by Blogger.