I am planning out my 2012 education season and I am looking for new opportunities. I currently perform at the Siouxland Renaissance Festivals in Sioux Falls, SD and the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, MN. In past years, I have also performed in Wisconsin and Iowa, and have provided various lectures to college and high schools as well a history enthusiasts.
If you know an organization that would like to hiring me to come out do perform shows or education, please let me know. You can send me a message by contacting me or my web designer through this site.
When cooking at home or at a show, I pride myself in using local ingredients when ever possible. Locavore, is a movement best described as people who are interested in eating food that is locally produced through family gardens, farmer’s markets, CSAs, etc.
I’ve previously written about Farm Girl at Large, a farm owned by a friend of
Lamb from Funky Little Farm
mine, but today I wanted to let you know of another local food provider – Funky Little Farm. I’ve had the pleasure of acquiring beef, lamb, chicken and duck eggs, fresh herbs, and a chicken or two from this farm located in Winthrop, Minnesota. The owner, Barb Everson describes her farm, “Most of the work on this farm is done by hand and by one person. We own very little machinery. We raise heritage breeds of poultry and sheep and lean heavily toward heirloom vegetables, antique fruits and herbs, and a wide variety of soay sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, and guinea fowl.”
What makes Funky Little Farm unique from other farms is the fact that the own, Barb, used to be a cook historian (like me). She understands that by using quality ingredients can provide a higher quality product. I like utilizing local ingredients from Funky Little Farm and Farm Girl at Large as I know they take great care with their animals; they know how they lived, what they ate, and were treated well.
As a meat eater/omnivore, I feel a little better knowing that the animals I eat were not penned up and enjoyed a life in the sunshine, eating sweetgrass, and doing what animals do.
Some of my readers are vegetarian, vegan, while others are not, but I ask you do you buy your groceries from a large supermarket which requires more fuel from the trucks that deliver the stock from out of state and, in some cases, out of the country, or do you buy your ingredients locally, reduce your carbon footprint, and help the economy in your community?
The products I get from these local, independent farms, have a higher quality than those I find at a local supermarket. The vegetables and fruits are fresher and the ingredients as a whole are tastier. If you haven’t already, check out Funky Little Farm at http://www.localharvest.org/funky-little-farm-M21667 of Farm Girl at Large – http://www.farmgirlatlarge.com and taste the difference.
An interesting article on cultural food taboos. I thought I would share. Read it here
It’s an interesting article. Over the years, I’ve tried various foods in my travels. Early on, I tried somethings I enjoyed like rattlesnake, venison, and elk, but more over I found things I didn’t like: squirrel, raccoon, and bear. I benefited that my former father-in-law, was, at one time, the head of DNR for Northern Wisconsin. Through him, I was able to try some of the more exotic meats.
Later, I’ve had the experience of trying other dishes: locusts, ants, dog, horse, etc. All the while, learning about other cultures. What did the dishes mean, why were certain spices used with dishes and not others.
Recently, I learned about my family’s internal cultures and associations. Despite my interests in a lot of Middle Eastern flavors and dishes, my husband, who is a paramedic, associates some of the smells with various injuries and infections he has encountered while being on the job. Despite being married nearly 8 years, I never knew this about him. Being sympathetic, I now understand his aversion to certain foods and dishes. I also have my own food taboos such as not eating internal organs, which includes casings for hot dogs and other sausages. It’s rather humorous watching me eat a bratwurst when I have to skin it before eating.
In the future, I work very hard at making items that won’t cause him to associate dishes with his own work experiences.
Cast Iron has been used for several centuries in providing meals to others. Ideally, they were to be used and handed down to the offspring, who would hand it down to their offspring. If “hand me down” cast iron is not available, finding used well-seasoned cast iron at garage sales and/or estate sales are the best way to go. Cast Iron pots include fry pans, griddles, dutch ovens, cauldrons, sauce pots, and grills in all different sizes.
Cast iron cookware, in my humble opinion, is great. Once seasoned, cooks can use less oil and they are easy to clean and maintain. Sometimes, it is difficult to buy used cast iron and it becomes necessary to buy new (pre-seasoned) cookware. Pre-seasoned does not mean it is seasoned as it should be. Things will still stick to the “pre-seasoned” new cookware. Below are some steps I can offer on how to season your own cast iron cookware. Remember: Pot lids need to be seasoned as well.
1. If you have a fire pit or barbecue pit, that is ideal. The heat is intense, but it will get the job done efficiently without smoking up your house.
A. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, use olive oil. This will take longer (about 10 times) as the fats will take longer to caramelize.
B. If you eat meat, use lard. Three seasonings should do the trick.
2. Using the fire pit or barbecue, coat the interior and exterior of the pot with oil/lard and put onto the fire. The oils may catch fire and this is expected. After 10 minutes, turn the pot over so the inside may be done as well; after 10 minutes, pull off of the heat.
3. Coat again and repeat (3 times for lard or 10 times for olive oil)
4. Once cool after the final firing, wash with water and cloth only. Do not scrub your pot and do not use soap. After you use it for cooking, only light scrubbing with a cloth or natural fiber scrubber with water should be used. You don’t want to remove the carbons that have been used to season your pot.
If you are one of the unfortunate people who do not have access to fire and can only use a stove, I will warn you that this can be a smelling and messy project.
Preheat the oven for 450 degrees. Once hot, coat your pot in the oil of your choice (olive oil or lard). Keep in the oven for 45 minutes and pull out to re-coat the pot. Repeat for steps 3 and 4, skipping steps 1 and 2.
If you are one of the unfortunate people who do not have access to fire and can only use a stove, I will warn you that this can be a smelling and messy project.