You might think that such a thing doesn't exist. Truthfully, I didn't either. I am disappointed by watery, slightly bitter squash every time I roast a pie pumpkin. I honestly usually enjoy the roasted seeds more than the pumpkin.

That is, until my farm friend Al from Stonefield Naturals gave me four heirloom winter squash to compare. Four deeply autumnal colored skins, four textures of flesh, four sizes of seed.

I took the variety to a potluck dinner. We scooped the oven-roasted squash plain to taste all the nuances of the flavors.

Long Island Cheese, the biggest squash, won every person's vote. The dusky sunset-colored skin yields fully cooked, deep orange flesh after a fourty-five minute roast in a medium oven. Buttery in texture and mildly sweet, the Long Island Cheese flavor embodies everything great about fall - warmth, richness, settling earthiness.

I shared cold puree with friends who couldn't believe I'd added no sugar, no fat, or seasoning. The Long Island Cheese is scrumptious all on its own. I couldn't help myself but lick my fingers as I pressed the roasted squash into jars for storage and I keep coming back to the fridge for spoonfuls.

You can bet I'll buy some more of these beauties from Al at the Worthington Indoor Farmers' Market before the season ends. They're going in my garden plan for next year too - Baker Creek caries the variety if you can't get your hands on seeds to save.

What's your favorite flavor these days?

Printing & the Hand-Made Ethic #MoveOurIgloo

March 29, 2015 Rachel

I have a new tradition. On Sunday mornings instead of giving to a church plate, I give to a Kickstarter project. Not every Sunday, and not always Kickstarter, but over the last few years I've shifted from charitable giving to funding small businesses. Why this is would be an interesting post in itself, but I don't have time for those mental gymnastics today. I want to tell you about who I'm backing this Sunday.

Igloo Letterpress is a small print shop in downtown Worthington. I first met the owner Allison when she taught a workshop at Wild Goose Creative about book making. I have made hundreds of her simple folded paper books for Lil over the years. When I need a special card or want to feel connected to a different time, I head to Igloo.

The presses in Allison's shop are historical pieces that allow her and a small staff to continue the letterpress tradition of setting type by hand. Their products, cards, posters, and books, all elevate the act of letter writing, record-keeping, and promotion.

In this digital world, I find myself drawn to giving and receiving hand-written notes. All the better if the paper used has already passed through hands that carefully cut, fold, and imprint.

Igloo Letterpress has always been an open and welcoming place to learn and experiment with letterpress. Lil and I have attended walk-in printing activities and on Thursday Allison, Beth, and other staff allowed a group of bloggers including myself to print a set of notecards and make hand-bound books. They're great teachers and clearly passionate about the hand-made ethic of printing, even in tight quarters as it was with so many people and machines at the event I attended this week.

Today I pledged to Igloo's Kickstarter campaign to outfit a teaching space in their new location. This will be where groups can comfortably learn to carry on the tradition of letterpress. It's where Beth can say yes to Scout troops and friend groups who want to gather and share in a hand-made experience. The new studio will include a new (to Igloo) press dedicated to educational and community work. If you can, contribute to the #MoveOurIgloo - there are great rewards!

Wisdom & News from OEFFA Conference 2015

February 20, 2015 Rachel

I'm still riding high on the "agricultural intoxication"* of the 2015 Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association annual conference. My heart is warmed by so many great talks, both prepared presentations and side conversations, with friends new and old. My head spins with the possibilities of this coming year.

I bounced around a lot this year, staying in only one session for the entire period - my own! There were just too many enticing presentations to choose from. Here's some of the wisdom I heard:

"Introduce wild edibles to your diet one at a time." - Kate Hodges of Foraged & Sown, speaking on foraging. Since wild edibles are often more potent than farmed vegetables, it's a good idea to give your digestive system a chance to adapt. Later, when talking about plantain, she shared our canning disaster story.
"No one else can be you." Jill Moorhead spoke about telling your food story. When marketing your farm or food business, she advised consistent branding, offering education like recipes and samples, and team up with others to tell your shared story.
But avoid trendy terms. Jill said "I have so many pet peeves about meaningless words." Natural, family farm, free range, heirloom, etc. are undefined and overused. Instead, choose defined terms like organic and/or meaningful descriptive phrases.
"Appreciate your pork farmer." That's my quote after stepping into Lyndsey Teter's talk about pastured pigs when she was discussing breeding. I'm glad she's willing to spend "days of her life" (her words) staring at porcine nether-regions doing pregnancy checks while I just get the benefit of delicious Six Buckets Farm pork.
"Our deal with our livestock is that we'll give them a great life where they won't want for anything. In exchange, we're going to eat them." Chelsea Gandy shared this farming principle when talking about raising livestock with Jesse Rickard of Fox Hollow Farm Naturally. I'm planning a farm tour this spring to check out their amazing pasture rotation system and exciting livestock varieties.
"Turkeys are awesome." This tidbit started off Meredith's session on raising Thanksgiving turkeys, based on her experience running The Gray Fox Farm. Her presentation restarted our poultry plans for this year. I'm not certain that we'll try turkey but we are definitely going to raise our own meat again this summer.

And now for the news!

Joseph Swain and I debuted the Columbus Agrarian Society at the OEFFA conference by hosting a booth and talking to hundreds of folks. We've been working on the CAS for months, envisioning a group that offers technical and material support for intensive growers in central Ohio. We have a full slate of hands-on classes and social events coming up. We would love for you to join us as a member! I'll share much more about CAS soon.
Finally, during the business meeting on Saturday night, I was elected to the OEFFA Board. I'm excited to serve this body that gives me so much inspiration and support.

*Alex coined the term "agriculturally intoxicated" while listening to me gush about the conference on Saturday night.