NW Farms & Food

Are insects bugging the plants in your garden? If so, chances are your garden doesn’t have enough insects. Although, gardeners worry about the destruction these tiny foragers can do to plants, most of the insects you find in cultivated spaces are either helpful to the garden, or do no harm.
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The humble beet (Beta vulgaris) is not the most glamorous of foods. More popular vegetables like cucumbers, peppers, beans, and carrots easily outshine it. Yet, the beet has a storied past, and according to recent research, holds promise as a natural cardiovascular medicine.
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RECIPE

Roasting brings out the intensity of the beets in this tangy side dish. Choose baby beets for sweetest flavor. Roasted sweet-and-sour beets are good as an appetizer or as an accompaniment for meat or chicken. You can roast (and freeze) the beets ahead to save time, and prepare the rest in a quick 2 minutes!

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In the 1980s while visiting Banff in Canada, Bellingham entrepreneur Kevin Buck bought a chocolate bar and had a revelation. As he took a bite, he was amazed that the quality was so vastly different from the chocolate available in the U.S. That was his first taste of fine imported Belgian chocolate.

Buck prided himself “on looking for the best things in life,” and this remarkable chocolate intrigued him. Over the next couple of years, he tasted many different brands of chocolate, saved wrappers, and asked questions. It was the start of a search for “the really good chocolate” that would lead Buck to become an artisan chocolatier and to found Chocolate Necessities in Bellingham.
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You could call him an engineer who loves chocolate. His approach to foods he likes is to learn how to make them, then see if he can improve the process. In 2003, a Lynden, Washington engineer named Rob decided to invent a “tabletop” chocolate making machine. He quickly discovered two things: 1) Making chocolate involved too many steps for a single machine. 2) It was an art he wanted to learn. As he uncovered more about the process, he evolved a plan. He would use his engineering skills to control each step of the chocolate making process in order to extract the widest possible range of flavors. He would produce chocolates as subtle as fine wines. With that, Fresco Chocolate (Italian for “fresh”) was born.
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The pleasure of eating dark chocolate occurs swiftly. As you taste it, the tempered chocolate melts and releases dozens of compounds on your tongue. Caffeine and theobromine, mild stimulants in the chocolate, give you an immediate energy lift.

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Christos and Anna Adams have a long-range goal. They want to create one of the finest delicatessens in Washington state. At the Old World Deli, their spacious storefront in downtown Bellingham, notable for its authentic atmosphere and menu, they are doing just that.
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In recent years, food lovers around the world have been gathering to prepare, savor and preserve traditional and regional cuisines. They are part of the international grassroots Slow Food Movement, which began in Italy as an alternative to fast food and now encompasses more than 100,000 members and 800 local chapters worldwide.


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RECIPE
This authentic pork sausage recipe from the Piedmont region of Italy uses cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and cloves to impart a pleasing and unique flavor. Serve as a simple meat entree for meals, or use this sausage as a filling ingredient for ravioli.

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RECIPE
Infused with the flavors of rosemary and virgin olive oil, these delicious oven-baked beans are a hearty, warming meal for a cold winter’s day.

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