LTHForum.com

Gardening, Farming and Foraging

Many culinary chat sites focus exclusively on what comes out of the restaurant. Even for LTHForum, restaurant food seems our primary point of interest and connection.

Unlike other culinary chat sites, however, we’ve also fostered a focus on cooking, because so many of us love to make food as much as we love to eat it.

Now, we’re inaugurating a new board: Gardening, Farming and Foraging. This board will furnish the third supporting leg of the food tripod, connecting producer to chef to consumer.

It may not be the case that the majority of LTHer’s enjoy gardening, and even fewer farm or forage. Many of us do, however, and these are all valuable food-related pursuits, so we felt that this forum could provide a venue and encouragement for those of us who want to share our experience growing edible crops small-scale or large-scale, or hunting down things to eat in sanctioned woodland areas. We will focus on vegetables, herbs, fungi and fruit (and only those flowers that can be eaten – we want to maintain the food focus as much as possible).

Over the next few days, we will be moving a number of existing posts to this thread, and we hope you will share your insights, ask questions, and maybe for the first time in years, stick a seed in the ground, watch it grow, and then make dinner out of what comes up.

We are in the middle of a resurgence of interest in eating local, and there ain’t no food source more local than your own back yard.

Gardening. It is truly the world’s oldest profession.

Hammond

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

Hooray for this forum!

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- Mark

Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon? Ham? Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal.

I think this is a terrific idea, and my humble thanks to those of you who came up with and implemented it.

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No guts, no glory.
http://www.chicagonow.com/quips-travails-braised-oxtails
http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

I think this is a wonderful idea!

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One Mint Julep was the cause of it all.

great ! I think I'm gonna start planning a garden for a plot in our backyard and this will make things much easier to find !

Not that I do either, but what about raising and hunting animals for food? Close enough to fit/important enough to include?

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JiLS

Jim, I'm hoping people post here about fishing, something I'm trying to learn about...I don't know if it would be more appropriate for Shopping and Cooking, but I'd also love to hear more about LTHers experiences with local farm-raised pigs, cows and dairy, eggs, venison, etc.

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No guts, no glory.
http://www.chicagonow.com/quips-travails-braised-oxtails
http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

I think it'd be great to include info about raising and hunting animals, and fishing, and such commentary would currently be appropriately housed in Gardening, Farming and Foraging.

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“We all have to stand before the kitchen gods.” Chef Jacob Sahaya Kumar Aruni

I love this forum! Although I mostly lurk, I am constantly amazed at the wealth and breadth of knowledge I've gained.

Through mention on this forum, I have discovered the Local Harvest website and am well on my way to becoming a locavore.

I have recently purchased a weekend home along the Connecticut shore and have been exploring the area one farm at a time. I now get my produce, eggs (including duck eggs!), poultry, pork and beef from local farms. I've even ordered my Thanksgiving turkey already and plan to name it Penelope. Having always been an urban dweller, I derive great fulfillment on this new farming and foraging journey!

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Hammer

I would love to meet any mushroomers out there. I do not know enough to pick on my own, and realizing these places are sacred, if there is ever anyone who wants company or willing to share their knowledge I would be glad to participate and learn.
Last spring I was buying morels from some people who were foraging in the forest preserves. I hope to get out there this spring and look for myself.

Have two huge heads of cauliflower left in my garden. Ate part of one-OMG-it is so mild. Just steamed it added salt and pepper. Yum. Brussel sprouts still hanging in getting bigger. Basil leaves are now gone-only rosemary, sage, oregano and chives left.

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What disease did cured ham actually have?

Since I'm the only one who eats it, I figure I've got three or four more side dishes worth of lacinato kale sitting out on the stalk.
It's definitely sweeter since the frost.

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang