July 2018 – Farm to Table Summer, Farm at Prophetstown, Farm Dinner

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It’s a “Farm to Table” Summer

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 We love the simple idea that it means bringing the freshest natural food directly from the farmer, grower, or rancher to serve at our dinner table or our favorite restaurant. It’s that simple!

This usually requires a direct relationship between the farmer and the person using the product. If a supermarket, sign says “Fresh from Florida,” this means it was grown in Florida, sat in boxes, traveled in trucks, and waited at road stops before ever reaching the supermarket. They might be delicious oranges, but they aren’t Farm-to-Table.

Farm-to-Table can also refer to farmer’s markets, farm stands, farm trucks, and places where people can buy food directly from growers.  The best advice here is to talk to the farmers about the produce or products they are selling. Most of them will be very enthusiastic about their meat products, vegetables and herbs they sell.

How to get the Freshest Farm to Table Food!

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Golden baby butter cookies with dark chocolate centers

Black Eyed Susan Prairie Cookies

About the Recipe: Just imagine your dessert table with trays of sparkling wildflower cookies and freshly made ice cream. The pressed cookies are easy to make, and the recipe can be doubled for group parties. Natural ingredients create the golden butter color, are sprinkled with sunshine sparkling sugar, and topped with rich dark chocolate chips in the center.

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Grilled Italian Beef Bruschetta
Summertime steak sandwich filled with surprises

Grilled Italian Beef Bruschetta

About the Recipe: This grilled hoagie sandwich is stuffed with Italian flavored grilled sirloin steak slices, covered with melting pepper cheese, and topped with fresh juicy tomatoes, zesty chives, and fresh from the vine basil.  What a wonderful way to have a picnic!

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Upside Down Fresh Peach Muffins
A perfect breakfast sweet roll with underside down flavor

Upside Down?Fresh Peach Muffins

About the Recipe:  What a wonderful way to celebrate your morning!  These muffins can double for a sweet roll or breakfast biscuit.  They are full of sweet spicy cinnamon flavor, and the juicy peach slices are covered with caramelized brown sugar, adding a delightful deliciousness.  So yummy!

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The Farm at Prophetstown

Farm at Prophetstown, Battle Ground Indiana. Photo Courtesy: Prophetstown.org

Amidst the rolling meadowlands and forests is 95 acres of Indiana prairie land in Prophetstown State Park where one can find The Farm, a flashback to a 1920 typical Indiana homestead. It was here that homesteaders grew produce in farmyard gardens, had a batch of hogs in a barnyard pen, and nurtured a few cows in the pasture.

Sears Farmhouse Reproduction at the Farm at Prophetstow

This was the perfect place for us to explore an authentic Farm-to-Table Country Dinner, one free of additives, hormones, and antibiotics. Chef Lauren Reed, the Events and Education Coordinator and a former executive chef, helps visitors to The Farm understand about animal care, homesteading crops, and gives demonstrations offering some tips from family farming of the 1920’s to meld with 21st century living.

Farm to Table Dinner Prophetstown – Photo Courtesy: Prophetstown.org

I knew that Chef Lauren Reed would be able to be able to share her knowledge about the importance of using farm fresh ingredients for our meals.

Chef Lauren Reed Grilling at Farm of Prophetstown

About 80 chickens are free to roam the farm yard

Chef Lauren Reed Interview

To learn more about The Farm and what it offers in the way of demonstrations, classes, and other events check out: prophetstown.org, or FarmatProphetstown on Facebook.
http://travelindiana.com/farm-prophetstown-local-food-1920s-style/

Planning a Farm to Table Dinner

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Heartland Chowder

About the Recipe:  This Midwestern comfort dish is filled with a medley of fresh garden vegetables, smoky lean ham chunks, and covered with a creamy campfire flavored corn broth.  It’s farm fresh and wildly delicious.

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Sweet Watermelon & Heritage Tomato Summer Salad
Enjoy a tasty twosome – juicy red watermelon and dark crimson tomatoes

https://www.gloriagoodtaste.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Sweet-Watermelon-Salad-2.pdf

About the Recipe: This salad features the most popular trending combination being featured on restaurant menus.  It’s light and fresh tasting with juicy watermelon chunks and small dark crimson tomato quarters on a bed of baby arugula coated with lemon dressing. Drizzles of sweet  balsamic glaze add a  tantalizing flavor to the watermelon and tiny crumbles of soft goat cheese produce that farm fresh taste.  Mix in a few of those fresh tiny microgreens for a perfect summer salad.

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Country Fresh Peas & Carrot Dip
A new way to serve peas and carrots

Country Fresh Peas & Carrot Dip

About the Recipe:  Do you want toknow how to get your family to eat their peas and carrots?  Try this “over the top” idea. Bursting with farm fresh goodness, garden peas turn into a creamy dip to serve with crackers or snackers, The topping, of course for this delightful duo, is diced golden sweet carrots sprinkled over the top. What fun!

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Pick-a-Peck of Pickled Pepper Corn
A jar of golden corn goodness to spark up summer suppers

Pick-a-Peck of Pickled Pepper Corn

About the Recipe:  The sweet and sour pickled corn is a delightful addition to sandwiches, salads, or even as a garnish for chili or soup. It is very easy to make and a great way to capture the sweet fresh summer corn flavor.

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Sunflower-Crusted Fresh Fish Fillets
Crispy brown crust adds a crunch to the flash fried fish

Sunflower-Crusted Fresh Fish Fillets

About the Recipe:  Fresh trout were always fish favorites in the Midwest.  The plentiful streams provided fresh fish for easy to make dinners.  Sunflower seeds blend with a touch of cornmeal and flour to add a crisp crust to the delicious fish.  Serve over a fresh salad sprinkled with lemon juice and herbs.

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Mushroom Ragu with Country Cornmeal Polenta  Woodsy mushrooms with warm peppered cheese cornbread

Mushroom Ragu with Country Cornmeal Polenta

About the Recipe:  This ragu has a delightful Italian basil flavored light sauce that covers the sautéed onions and mushrooms. Serve it warm over cooked soft polenta-like cornmeal for a comfort dish that is easy to prepare.  It’s an incredibly delicious and satisfying vegetarian-style main dish or add some thin slices of grilled steak or chicken for those meat lovers.

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Marbleized Limelight Brownies
Thin tiny squares are perfect to serve with Sun Tea

Marbleized Limelight Brownies

About the Recipe:  Perfect for that country tea time table!  They are so easy to make and don’t even need a frosting. Everyone will guess that they are swirled with cheesecake but there isn’t any cheese in the recipe. The little squares are filled with fresh lime flavor swirled with rich chocolate.
It’s a winning combination.

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Sunshine Iced Tea
The sun does all the hard work

Sunshine Iced Tea

About the Recipe: Summertime seems to bring back those golden memories of a chilled glass with ice cubes, filled with amber colored ice tea sweetened just a tad and garnished with a tart lemon slice. Just one sip and everything always seemed perfect. It’s so easy to make since the sun does all the hard work, turning those tea bags and water into a refreshing summer drink.

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“Make It Your Way” Quick Bread
Use your favorite veggie, spices, and nuts –

Version 1 – Spicy Summer Squash Pecan Bread:

“Make It Your Way” Quick Bread – Spicy Summer Squash Pecan Bread:

About the Recipes You can really have fun with this recipe. Decide what vegetable you want to use, the spices you like, and your favorite nuts. Moist vegetables may need more baking time.  Let all those creative juices flow.

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“Make It Your Way” Quick Bread

Version 2 – Italian Sweet Tomato Pesto Bread:

“Make It Your Way” Quick Bread – Italian Sweet Tomato Pesto Bread:

About the Recipes You can really have fun with this recipe. Decide what vegetable you want to use, the spices you like, and your favorite nuts. Moist vegetables may need more baking time.  Let all those creative juices flow.

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