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Recipes

Chile Rellenos With Lamb

These traditional New Mexican stuffed chiles are unlike any chile rellenos you’ll find in a Mexican restaurant around Athens. They’re much, much better! These are one of my favorite foods, and were a payday treat when I lived as a frugal student in Socorro, New Mexico.

Serves 4

1 lb ground lamb
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 cup carrots, finely diced
4 eggs
3/4 t baking powder
4 T flour
1/4 t salt
12 whole peeled poblano chiles
1/2 lb shredded Mexican cheeses
oil for frying

1. To peel chiles, heat under a broiler until skin is blistered, turning several times. Place together in a paper bag for a few minutes to steam. The skins will peel right off.
2. Brown lamb, onion, and carrot together. Salt & pepper well. Add some fresh herbs of your choice if you have some at hand. Set aside.
3. Beat eggs until foamy, add baking powder, flour, salt. Set aside.
4. Mix cheese together with lamb mixture.
5. Slit each pepper lengthwise, add lamb & cheese mixture.
6. Dip in batter and fry until golden brown.

Market News

Last week, I told you about several upcoming conferences and events coming up in the next few months. Turns out there’s one organization I’d only vaguely heard of that’s having a great event just next weekend. The Georgia Mountains Foodways Alliance is an organization dedicated to “supporting local foodways through education, outreach and sharing delicious food”. That is to say, they’re a group that suppors exactly the same things we do right here at Athens Locally Grown with the added bonus that their events give you another excuse to go spend a day in the mountains of North Georgia.

Here are the details for their 2nd annual Grow, Cook, Eat: A Mountain Harvest Celebration Saturday, September 26 2009 in Clayton, Georgia, off their website, http://www.georgiafoodways.org :

Regional farmers and other producers of local foodstuffs will collaborate with chefs from area restaurants to create a cornucopia of dishes featuring the season’s freshest ingredients. This community event celebrates locally grown foods and encourages everyone to choose foods produced within 100 miles of where you live for better flavor, more seasonal variety, and to reduce the negative environmental impact of transporting and packaging food for thousands of miles. And best of all, when you purchase locally grown and produced foodstuffs, more of your money stays in your community and supports your neighbors.

Local ingredients to be featured in gourmet dishes at this year’s celebration include corn, summer and winter squash, cabbage, tomatoes, greens, chutney, jam, jelly, honey, goat cheese, fish, aromatic herbs and much more. Many ingredients to be used are from certified organic and sustainable farms. Several local wineries will be pouring prize-winning Georgia wines, and local cider will be served. Live toe-tapping music will be provided by the popular duo, “Mountain Hoodoo,” from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. A farmer’s market offering local produce will also featured.

Local businesses participating in the celebration include the Barn Inn, Beechwood Inn, BotanoLogos School for Herbal Studies, Coleman River Farms, Crescent Moon Bakery, David Taylor Farm, Green to Bean Coffee Roasters, Glen Ella Springs Inn, Grapes and Beans, La Gracia Farm, Lake Rabun Hotel, Persimmon Creek Vineyards, Sylvan Falls Mill Bed and Breakfast, The Vines Restaurant at Edelweiss German Inn, Tallulah Grill, Tiger Mountain Vineyards, Yati’s and many others.

This year’s event will be held at the Center on Warwoman, 2368 Pinnacle Drive, (corner of Warwoman Road and Pinnacle Drive) in Clayton, Georgia on Saturday, September 26th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20.00 each for adults, children under 12 years admitted free. Tickets go on sale August 1st. All tickets must be purchased in advance and no tickets will be available the day of the event.

Tickets are available in Rabun County and in Helen. Ticket locations in Rabun County include the Simply Homegrown Market, Rabun County Visitor’s Center, Butler’s I & II, and Persimmon Creek Winery Tasting Room, and in Helen at the Vines at Edelweiss German Inn. For more information call (706) 782-5485 or e-mail info@georgiafoodways.org.





One food note this week: Black Cow Coffeehouse has gotten out of the baking business altogether. I know this is sad news for those of you who were regular purchasers of their cookies and sweet rolls. Fred’s Bread is on vacation, but is expected to return soon. Fred & Black Cow shared the same kitchen, so I’m sure there is some arrangements being made regarding that.

Just a reminder: the Georgia Organics “Field of Greens” party is coming up at Whippoorwill Hollow Farm right down the road from Athens in Walnut Grove. This year’s event is shaping up to be the best ever. Participating restaurants, who will be providing free tastings to participants include Rosebud, Leon’s, 5 Seasons, Retaurant Eugene,Woodfire Grill, Parish, Rathbun’s, Valencia, Food 101, 4th & Swift, farm 255, Living Foods Institute — with more pending. A new event this year, the heritage pork cookoff pits Ron Eyester of Rosebud, Dave Larkworthy of 5 Seasons Brewing, and Kevin Gillespie of Woodfire Grill, working with heritage pork raised by three different farms. They’ll also have an organic market onsite where attendees can learn about sustainable living options, and purchase farm products, from 50 vendors. The event is being held on October 4 from 11am – 6pm. Yes, that’s the day after Athens Locally Grown’s “Hunter’s Moon Feast” at my farm, but what better way to spend a weekend? You can find more info about Field of Greens at their special website, http://www.fieldofgreensfestival.com/

Thanks so much for your support of Athens Locally Grown, all of our growers, and local food in general. You all are part of what makes Athens such a great area in which to live. We’ll see you on Thursday at the old state market on Broad Street from 4:30 to 8pm!

Coming Events

We still have one more event on the schedule, up at my place: our annual Hunter’s Moon Feast on October 3rd. Spaces are limited, so be sure to make your free reservations along with your order! Take a look in the “Event Reservations” category for full details on this event.

The Athens Farmers Market is held every Saturday morning at Bishop Park from 8am to noon. It’s a totally separate entity from Athens Locally Grown, but you’ll find many of the same growers at both. And of course, you can learn more about that market on their website.

Also, Watkinsville has a thriving farmers market every Saturday morning, behind the Eagle Tavern. And further east, Comer has a nice little market Saturday mornings as well. Several of our growers also sell at the Hocshton
farmers market, also on Saturday mornings. Please support your local farmers and food producers, where ever you’re able to do so!

We thank you for your interest and support of our efforts to bring you the healthiest, the freshest and the most delicious locally-produced foods possible!