Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

I’ve been working on my New Year’s resolutions. One of them will be to limit my skillful use of procrastination, so it’s an encouraging sign that I’m working on resolutions a full six days early. One of the things I plan not to procrastinate about this year is choosing a CSA. I may go withContinue reading “Don't Wait: CSA Shares Already Selling Out”

We’re settling back at home after a lovely visit to The Farm to celebrate Christmas with some real farm folk. Because we didn’t get to The Farm until early evening on Christmas Day, we tried a less formal option for supper. Instead of a Christmas goose or turkey, we opted for gourmet grilled cheese. IContinue reading “Grilled Cheese Fest. New Christmas Tradition?”

Thanks to La Vida Locavore, I’m catching up on news that the antitrust division of the Justice Department has teamed up with the Department of Agriculture to learn about the impact of consolidation in agriculture. Starting in March, the DOJ and USDA, will “hold a series of joint public workshops to explore competition issues affectingContinue reading “DOJ Teams Up With USDA to Explore Food Consolidation”

This story last month by Chicago Reader reporter Mike Sula is apparently the reason that Illinois ag safety inspectors decided to spot check two of my favorite restaurants: Frontera Grill and Xoco. What I like about both restaurants is that Chef Rick Bayless is a devotee to serving up locally-produced food wherever possible. The constantContinue reading “Local Pork Curers Brag About Outlaw Practices, Prompt Food Safety Inspection”

So it’s less than two weeks until our annual holiday party and I still don’t have much of a menu planned out. Nor do I have all of my decorations up. But I do have a partial menu plan and a partial theme. Our party is on Dec. 12, which happens to be the FeastContinue reading “Three Cheers to the Virgin Mother”

I’ve been catching up on my ag news and came across a series of articles about a new report from Britain’s Soil Association. According to their 18-month study, if all UK farmland went organic, the carbon savings would be equivalent to taking nearly one million cars off the road. A Reuters report on the studyContinue reading “Organic Farming Could Help Countries Meet Climate Goals, Study Says”

What a day. A really fantastic day. I was so worried about whether I’d be able to pull off a turkey. I’m not a huge fan of turkey actually, so I really wanted to make one that I liked. Here’s what I learned…I really like butter and sage rubbed turkey. I pretty much followed theContinue reading “Yay. I Didn't Burn the Turkey”

We’ll see if we can pull this off. Notice any common underlying flavors?Butter & Sage Rubbed Turkey Cider Gravy Sourdough dressing w/sausage and apples Butternut squash and apple soup Spinach, apple and goat cheese salad Brussels sprouts slaw w/maple-glazed pecans Sweet potato mash with walnuts Green bean casserole (from The Farm) Mashed potatoes (from TheContinue reading “Today's Menu”

I’m not sure my feet could hurt any more than they do right now. I sat down exactly twice today: when I drove to and from the grocery and when I scarfed down a quick lunch. The rest of the day I was on my feet in front of the stove, sink or broom inContinue reading “New Rule: Kitchen is Off Limits For Non-Thanksgiving Fare”