Get Fresh Blog

A Little Back Story

I grew up with Hippie Parents… no really, my dad was at Woodstock 69, my mom met Sonny + Cher, Andy Warhol and saw James Brown live on stage in New York City in the 70s. Our family had the granola-eating, checkered shirt wearing Green Thumb. As a child, while I was busy playing with friends on the giant tire swing hung between two evergreens, Dad had built a greenhouse, a gazebo and even a covered picnic table over an old well. We had a big garden plot in the sunny south-facing backyard. I remember 10ft tall tomato plants, fresh peas in the pod, zucchinis, strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, plums, blackberries.

I grew up, moved out and moved on with life. Truth be told I have shopped at the mass grocery stores most of my adult life, having the splendor of the modern supermarket at my disposal, with which to learn to cook. I would buy organic (when I could afford it), read labels, anaylize ingredients. I would teach myself to cook vegetarian, dabble in vegan cooking even, from a variety of cookbooks and, of course, the internet.

All the while, the family home was built as my parents could afford it, an endeavour that after 30 years is still Under Construction, only slowed by Dad getting Parkinsons and come to a crashing halt last November with the diagnosis of Colon Cancer. And so his journey through cancer has been our family’s journey through cancer. Coming home again, it is now more important than ever to eat healthy, eat fresh and – adding a new one – eat local.

So this is my challenge: given that I run my own business and care for aging parents, I need to cook meals that are simple, quick, healthy and local. I invite you on my journey.

The Challenge Begins

I checked out the local Sooke Farmers Market on Saturday.  Honestly, I was disappointed, finding only seedlings and flowers, but no produce. Duck eggs – that was the gem. Bought a half dozen for $3, a good deal since they’re twice as large as regular eggs. Rained out and on the way home, we stopped at the local grocery store. Again with the splendor: a produce section full!

“What a difference a little gasoline makes,” I think aloud, pondering over the oil in takes to grow and transport this food to Sooke. (This as the busted well in the Gulf pumps more and more of its crude into the ocean.) We buy organic hemp granola and drive home.

To Cook an Egg

So all I have is egg, with which I am to cook…  I feel like I am somehow adulterating the “local meal” if I add non-local ingredients, but hard boiling an egg by itself is not much of a lunch, let alone a dinner. I feel like I have let you down…

I am beginning to realize what this Local Food Challenge blog series is gonna take… and that if it was easy, it wouldn’t be a challenge. Falling flat this week just makes me recommit to the mission. Nevertheless, when cooked up as follows, the duck eggs did turn out pretty darn tasty…

Duck Egg Scramble & Crepes

Crepe Batter: In a Dry bowl, mix 3/4 cup rice flour and a pinch of salt. In a Wet bowl, whisk together 2 duck eggs (or 3 large chicken eggs), 3/4 cup milk and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Pour wet into dry, whisk together until un-lumpified and let stand.

Prep:
6 mushrooms, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 leek, cut into rounds and rinsed

Heat two pans on medium, as well as a warming plate or put your oven on low (to keep the crepes warm as you cook them)

Cook: On medium, pour a table spoon of oil and spread around the pan. Cook leeks until they just start to soften, add garlic for 1 minute until fragrant. Add mushrooms and cook until they soften and become fragrant. Remove mixture from pan and set aside, cover to keep warm.  Rinse pan, return to burner.

With two pans now hot, cook the Crepes on one, spooning out a soup ladle full of batter, allowing to spread and flip when edges set/cook and bubbles form in the center, about 1-2 minutes per side. Stack cooked crepes with layers of wax paper in between and tea towel over top on the warming plate, or if in the oven, put aluminum foil over top instead of the tea towel.

While cooking crepes, scrambled the eggs in the other pan. When just about set, mix in the reserved mushroom & leek mixture and heat through.

Serve by placing a crepe on the plate, spoon scramble on one half and fold over the other half.  You can get adventurous and fold the scramble right inside of the crepe if you want too.

Serves 3-4.

Photography and article by Caprina Valentine