Tuesday, June 30, 2009

corner view:: staple foods, wisconsin


This week the corner view is "staple foods". For me, that means ingredients. We try to eat local or organic foods as much as we can, and eat with the seasons. I know that our kitchen and staple foods is by no means average American, but it is good!


Staples for me means local maple syrup, milk picked up weekly from a farm, and aged cheddar from Wisconsin (my 6 year old cannot live without 4 year aged cheddar, he said!). I also always have kombu, miso, vanilla beans, sea salt, coconut milk, rice, olive oil, turbinado sugar, oats (to make homemade granola to go with freshly made yogurt!!! yum!!!), good vinegars, soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, whey and rennet to make our own soft cheeses. If we have these things around, I can make just about anything with the fresh produce, meat and dairy we get each week!


I used dried beans a lot in the winter, but now that summer has arrived and our garden and CSA are in full swing, we will eat what is freshly picked each week instead! :)


A sprouter is a must have too, of course.


We love that we can find local wheat berries we grind into flour to make bread.


And it is so great to be able to buy honey from a friend who keeps bees. Most of the year we pick up eggs from a friend too - the yolks are so golden - like the sun!


A staple for me is home made kombucha. Yum. Some in the fridge, and some on the counter bubbling away!


We know we are lucky to live in a place with so much available within just a few miles of our city - fruit, vegetables, grains, honey, maple syrup, eggs, meat, milk, cheese...and supporting those farmers who sustain us is important to us. Not only for our health, our local economy, and our environment, but also for our sons...and making a few friends and getting some fresh farm air along the way is an extra bonus.

The boys also took their own picture - they said that we definitely must have honey, cheese, maple syrup, flour, and all that good stuff to make things like pancakes, waffles, bread, grilled cheese sandwiches and ice cream...but they also have a few staples of their own:


It is a tad blurry - it is a challenge for two boys to take a picture with one camera at the same time!

To visit more staple foods from around the world::

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad, caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, a day that is dessert, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, schanett, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, dianna, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, audrey, allison, lise, cate, mon, victoria, crescent moon, erin, otli, amy, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, virgina, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, dorit, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, desiree, di, travelingmama, aimee, sunnymama, amanda, ali, jenell, guusje, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, susi, jodi, lily, gillian, jeanette, athena, pienduzz, latisha, clairette, satsuki

22 comments:

Joyce said...

Great photos! I love all the veggies and beans. Enjoy xoxo

Cate said...

nice kombucha. a friend gave me a kombucha when i was pregnant with my daughter. unfortunately, i've never made my own. what lovely live ingredients all around. love this post.

Sam said...

Fascinating! Many of your staples are my "extras", so now I'm very curious about what you eat ;-)

How lucky to be able to get so much of your food, locally and direct. That's my long term goal.

And the last photo is just right :-)

(Weird - the word verification is foode!)

Marie said...

More lovely inspiration! This looks alot like my staples with a few good additions for me to consider. I'm wondering how did you start your kombucha? I've been interested in starting to brew our own...but don't know about ordering online for a mushroom.

Lovely sunny pictures. Thanks for the post.

jane said...

now i want to move to wisconsin! everything looks wonderful. and you even make your own flour-wow! love the last shot!

Daan said...

It all looks so so nice and yummie!

Happy summerday!

caitlin said...

It all looks super tasty.

Crescent Moon said...

I love that your boys did their own staple foods picture and list. The cheese version of those bunny crackers are very popular in my home.

Jenell said...

Denise, hopefully this way of eating is moving more towards normal.

That's funny that your 6 year old likes cheese that's almost as old as he is!

And I thought their staple foods picture is fantastic!

denise said...

cate - I stopped making my own for years (but loved a locally made brand from the co-op)...but just started again recently. It is SO GOOD! :)

marie - I got a mother from a friend! It has mothered many more batches since. I believe she got it via trade with someone online (mothering forums?).

jane - we don't *always* make our own flour (there is a great stone ground flour from WI we love) but we do very often. So much more fresh flavor from home ground!

jenell - He would prefer cheese that is OLDER than him...he loves the 12 year aged cheddar too. The sharper the better! But it doesn't melt as well for sandwiches and things like that, so he saves that for special occasions!

Francesca said...

That is two good brothers! You eat very well in your house, and I know it's not just luck, and that all that healthy, fresh and local food requires quite a bit of work. Well done!

Ana Cristina Abreu said...

wow

i love the colors of the beans!!!

Erin said...

We have very similar things in our pantries. Although you have a few extras I will have to add to my grocery list. :) Who knew beans could look so beautiful!

Palmer and Co said...

Looks like I'd be right at home in your kitchen!

Happy Eating!

Sam said...

Annie's Sour Cream and Onion!!!!
We need a bigger selection of Annie's around here I guess.

Elizabeth @claritychaos said...

You're making me hungry!

steph said...

that looks complete to me!

I like the grinder, in particular. What kind is it? How pleased have you been with it? There's a local grower of wheat berries who I'd love to buy from...

Bonnie said...

wow ! looks amazing !

i've never heard of turbinado sugar. what is it ?

and i'm dying to know ... how do yo make your own soft cheeses ???

Heather said...

I just started my first batch of kombucha yesterday, a friend gave me an offspring of her first mushroom. I've only tasted it once (served to me chilled and in a wineglass before being shown the mushroom) ;-) and was surprised by how delicious and refreshing it was.

All your goodies look lovely.

mamaraby said...

Love the photos! And I adore the very same apiary.

Jennifer @ Fruit of My Hands said...

Fun post! We have been eating homemade bread from fresh ground wheat and food from the garden lately as well. Now I'm hungry...

mari said...

i need to try kombucha, one of these days. but about that grinder... is it attached to your kitchenaid/mix master?! could you tell us what kind it is - breathless with excitement!
btw- we're trying the tea lite holder this w/e!

mari