If you think only snowbirds can get fresh, local produce in the winter, think again.
Sustainable greenhouse systems, year-round farmers markets and winter CSA programs are cropping up all over cold, cloudy northern Michigan, extending the short growing season and making it possible for locavores to get their greens -- and other veggies -- all year long.
One of the first in the region to go year-round, the Frankfort Farmers Market is offering fresh produce, along with honey, maple syrup, meat, eggs and other products, from its new winter site at the city-owned Recreation Center.
Market Master Cindy Lannin said the market at the east end of the waterfront Open Space Park will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday through April before moving back outdoors in May.
"We've had very loyal vendors and very loyal customers," Lannin said. "They just begged us to continue and we started seeing it as a viable option."
Grace Phillips is one of three farmers who will provide fresh produce at the market. Phillips harvests about 25 pounds of greens a week from the two wood-stove-heated greenhouses on her Loving Dove Farm in Bear Lake. Like others in the area, she's happy to see a year-round market for her products.
"We've got so many people who grow things in greenhouses and they have to take them downstate because there's no demand up here," said Phillips, who home-schools five children around caring for the farm.
Mike Hulbert and Anne Sangemino will join Phillips with produce grown all winter in their solar greenhouse, part of a Michigan State University Hoop House Research Project that began in the spring of 2007. Nearly half of the greenhouse is dedicated to herbs grown for their herbal soaps and other products. The rest is devoted to arugula -- the spicy green -- kale, chard, mixed salad greens, and nasturtiums and calendula for edible flowers.
"This is our first winter, so long-range effects aren't comprehendible yet," said Hulbert, who cut 14 pounds of greens from the greenhouse Dec. 11 to donate to a Traverse City festival. "I just know it's great to cut salad greens whenever you want."
The couple's Creation Farm in Frankfort is one of three northern Michigan farms participating in the hoop house project, along with Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay and Pond Hill Farm in Harbor Springs, said Project Director David Conner.
The houses, which use space-age plastic technology over a steel framework, "can extend anything you can normally grow by a month or two on either end," Conner said. "Plus cold-hardy or cold weather crops like greens, kale, chard and Asian greens can grow all winter."
In Traverse City, the outdoor City Market at the Depot will go year-round in 2009, according to founder Ella Cooper-Froehlich. The city's newest farmers and artisan market showcases locally grown and created products and is working on ideas for providing more warmth to vendors during the coldest periods.
Meanwhile the new Wellington Street Market is catering to customers with local and sustainable produce and other products used in menus at The Cooks' House restaurant. Chef-owner Eric Patterson and partner Jennifer Blakeslee introduced the corner store-style market Dec. 15 in the former House of Doggs building and plan to be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day this winter.
"We're starting small, with take-out foods and staple items like cream, sugar, flour, apples, greens and root vegetables," Patterson said. "Within six to eight months, we hope to have the shelves packed" with foods from local farmers, food producers and food processors.
While the couple hopes to carry products like pancake mix, granola and flour milled in a 175-year-old stone millhouse near Flint, a big part of their plan is local produce. This winter may see greens from Black Star Farms; garlic, fingerling potatoes and shallots from Forest Garden Organic Farm in Maple City; onions and carrots from local food distributor Cherry Capital Foods; celery root and rutabagas from Meadowlark Farm in Cedar; and greens, herbs, Jerusalem artichokes and radishes from Werp Farm in Buckley.
"Our vision is to be the place where people are able to come if they're really interested in serving local," Patterson said. "We want to be the hub of what's available locally."
Carol Wentzel and husband Richard nibble fresh microgreens -- vegetables harvested soon after sprouting for intense flavor -- all winter through a CSA program offered by Spring Hollow Dairy of Buckley. The couple pays a "commitment fee" of $25 in advance, then gets $1.25 off their bill each week they place and pick up an order.
"They send an e-mail and tell us what's available, then we pick up the order every Saturday at City Market," Wentzel said. "We do it in the summer, too, but I really like the winter because they grow microcrops and I believe microcrops are more nutritious. They cut them the night before and bring them to you. How fresh can you get?"
Spring Hollow owner Diana Jelenek said she started the winter program because her summer customers gave her a hard time.
"They'd say, 'Great, you got us hooked on these microgreens. Now what are we going to do?'" said Jelenek, who partners with six other local farms to offer a variety of products including maple syrup, honey, peanut butter, eggs and meat. Besides arugula and lettuce, she said her hoop house-grown carrots, turnips and radishes are the most popular.
Shawn O'Brien loves to cook with basil and other fresh herbs and grows them all winter in his AeroGarden, a "smart garden" that fits on the kitchen counter. The appliance with built-in grow light produces herbs, cherry tomatoes, salad greens, and even snow peas and green beans from pre-seeded pods. All that's needed is water and nutrient tablets containing nitrogen, phosphate and soluble potash.
"Having the fresh herbs and having them on hand are the biggest advantages for me," said O'Brien, manager of three Ace Hardware stores in Traverse City, where the appliance has been a popular seller two years in a row. "I've always done the Italian herbs and basil and you're able to harvest in a month. It's a little more expensive than an (outdoor) herb garden, but for someone who loves to cook, it almost replenishes itself every few days.
"And for the kids to watch the plants grow from seeds on up is kind of fun."
Recipes from Chef Eric Patterson of The Cooks' House
Classic French Onion Soup Gratinee
"I have made hundreds of gallons of this soup and still cannot get enough of it. It's really very easy to make and requires only a few ingredients, some patience and a hot oven," Patterson said.
3 yellow onions, sliced with the grain of the onion into about 1-inch-long slices. (The reason for the 1-inch slices is to make it easier to eat with a spoon)
7 c. chicken stock
1/3 lb. butter
1 c. red wine
1/2 handful flour
2 sprigs thyme
Olive oil
8 slices day-old baguette cut to about 1/2-inch thick
8 slices cheese (The traditional cheese is a French cheese called comte. You can also use Gruyere, emmental or Swiss cheese.)
Salt
Pepper
4 8-oz. ovenproof cups
For the soup:
Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a 4-quart pan. When the butter is melted, add the onions and season with salt and pepper.
For the next 30 minutes or so, let the onions cook slowly. If you cook them too quickly, the sweetness of the onions will not come out. If done correctly and slowly, the natural sweetness of the onion will be brought out and no sugar needs to be added. When all the liquid has evaporated, pay attention to the process, as the onions will burn to the bottom of the pan if they are not stirred. Golden brown is the color you are looking for.
After the right color has been reached, sprinkle in a half-handful of flour while mixing. (What you basically are making here is a roux, which is a thickening agent made by combining flour and butter.) Sprinkle only enough flour to lightly coat the onions. They will thicken a bit because of the flour.
Next stir in the red wine, add the sprig of thyme and, lastly, the chicken stock. Turn up the heat to bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes, then adjust the seasoning.
For the croutons:
In the meantime, make the croutons using the slices of baguette. In an 8-inch frying pan, pour enough olive oil to fill the bottom with 1/4 inch oil. Turn the heat to medium-high. When the oil is hot enough -- check this by dipping a corner of the bread in the oil and see if it fries -- fry 4 pieces of bread at a time until it is golden brown. Turn over the croutons and fry until golden brown also. Do this for all the bread. Drain them a paper towel.
To finish the soup:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Ladle the soup into the cups to a 1/4 inch from the top of the cup. Put two croutons on top of the soup. (You may have to get creative to fit the croutons in the bowl; you may need to break one up. Just make sure there is crouton all over the top of the soup and don't break them up so small that you end up with crumbs.) Put two slices of cheese on top, making sure to criss-cross them so there are 8 corners showing and not 4.
Put the cups into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is nice and brown and bubbly. Serve the hot cups on a napkin-covered plate. The napkin keeps the cup from moving around on the plate. The best way to transfer the cups is to fold a towel into a long strip and use it like an oven mitt with each end for each hand. Sometimes the cheese may drip down and stick the bowl to the pan; a gentle twist of the cup will loosen it if this happens.
Roast Duck with Apples and Turnips
1 whole duck, excess fat and innards removed
1 onion
3 fresh sage leaves
2 apples
2 turnips
1 sprig of thyme: chopped
21/4 c. chicken stock
1/4 c. Madeira wine
Sugar
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the duck. Stuff onion and sage inside the duck and truss the legs; season all over with salt and pepper.
Place the duck into a skillet or pan big enough to hold it. Put into the oven and roast for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn oven down to 350 degrees and cook for 1 hour. Keep an eye on the solids that form on the bottom of the pan. If they look like they are going to burn, pour a small amount of water into the pan to moisten them.
After duck is finished roasting, take it out of the pan to rest on a serving platter. Put the pan on the stove burner and turn heat to medium-low, deglaze pan with Madeira and 2 cups of the chicken stock, scraping all the solids off the bottom of the pan. Pour all the juices into a 2-quart saucepan. Reduce on high heat until it measures 1 cup. Adjust seasoning.
For the apples and turnips
Put a square of foil into a pan and put the turnip on the foil. Drizzle some olive oil on the turnip and put a sprig of thyme on top. Form a package out of the foil and put into the oven when you turn it down to 350 degrees for the duck. Roast until done, about 45 minutes to an hour. Take out, uncover and allow it to cool. As soon as it is cooled, cut into eight pieces.
Cut the apple into eight pieces, toss in some sugar, add the chopped thyme and saute in butter over medium-high heat until golden brown. One minute before apples are finished, toss in the turnip pieces and saute for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock and let cook for about 45 seconds. Put apples and turnips into a serving dish.
Carve the duck and serve with apples and turnips; pour sauce over duck.
Wild Rice with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Pancetta
1 c. wild rice
3 strips pancetta, 1/8 inch thick, cut into pieces
1/2 onion, diced small
15 or so small Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Fill a 3-quart saucepan with 3 cups water; add 2 t. salt. Bring to a boil. When water boils, add the wild rice. Turn down the heat to a simmer and let cook for 50-60 minutes. Keep an eye on the water level. You may have to add more if it starts getting to dry. Cook until the kernels pop. Drain in colander.
While the rice is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the halved Brussels sprouts in some olive oil and a bit of salt. Put on a pan large enough to hold them and roast in the oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Take them out and reserve.
In a 12-inch frying pan put some olive oil in and heat over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook until pancetta is brown and a little crispy. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes longer. Add the Brussels sprouts and the rice, mix well, and cook for 2 minutes more. Adjust the seasoning. Put the rice in a serving bowl.
Root Vegetable Ragout
1/3 lb. Parmesan cheese rind. (This is optional. Fresh parmesan cheese comes with fantastic hard rind. It is a shame to throw it away. If you buy your parmesan fresh I suggest you save the rinds to make a broth. If you don't have a rind on hand, don't worry about it.)
4 c. chicken stock
2 peeled garlic cloves
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
2 sprigs of thyme
2 c. mixed root vegetables of your choice; baby root vegetables are also good
2 c. wild mushrooms, if available or whatever you can find
1 T. mixed herbs, chopped
4 pieces of bread, cut into 3-inch rounds
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Place the parmesan rind, garlic cloves and chicken stock into a 2-quart pot. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and allow to cook for 30 minutes. Strain broth into a 1-quart pan. Bring to a rapid simmer and reduce to 1 cup.
If you are using baby vegetables, keep them in the state they are in. The only thing you might have to do is trim the tops off and remove any roots present. Wash well. Take a square of foil and put it into a frying pan. Place the vegetables, but not the mushrooms, on the foil and put a couple sprigs of thyme on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle well with olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold the foil to form a package. Roast in a 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes.
Put vegetables onto a plate, discard foil. Using the same pan, cook the shallot over medium-low heat until soft and translucent. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and cook for 11/2 minutes. Add vegetables, parmesan broth and a hazelnut-size piece of butter. Bring to a boil and cook until broth is reduced and a nice sauce has formed. Be careful about cooking too far, as it will cause the sauce to break and become greasy. Not cooking it far enough will cause the sauce to be to watery. What you are looking for is for the sauce to cling to the vegetables and mushrooms. Add herbs, mix and adjust the seasoning.
Put a quarter-inch of olive oil in a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, fry one piece of bread at a time on both sides until golden brown. Drain on a towel.
To serve, place a crouton in the middle of a plate. Spoon some of the ragout on top of the crouton and garnish with sprig of an herb.
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