I first tasted milkweed a few years ago. I was at Ceraldi in Wellfleet—a restaurant known for its focus on hyper local ingredients— and I tried the plants’ shoots. They were bright and snappy and so gloriously green-tasting that I wanted to learn more. Co-owner and chef Michael Ceraldi explains what Asclepias syriaca, or Common Milkweed is. The post Cooking with a Little-Known Wild Edible first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Local Food Report

Cooking with a Little-Known Wild Edible

 The post Edible Gastropods first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Edible Gastropods

 The post Lettuce Varieties first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Lettuce Varieties

This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay talks with Peter Fossel of Swan River Farm in Dennisport about how to grow leeks with long, white stems. The post How to Grow Perfect Leeks first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

How to Grow Perfect Leeks

In 2009, Eric Glasgow and his wife retired from city life and bought a defunct dairy farm on Martha’s Vineyard. Ever since, they’ve been learning how to make dairy farming as low waste and low impact as possible. The post Grey Barn Farm first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Grey Barn Farm

In many local gardens, rhubarb is the first plant ready to harvest. This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth talks with her mother, Liz Pierson, about their favorite family rhubarb recipes. Favorites include spicy rhubarb chutney to serve with Indian food, a rhubarb custard pie similar to lemon meringue, and a sweet, tender rhubarb cake. You can find a complete list of the recipes mentioned in this piece on Elspeth's blog, Diary of a Locavore. The post Spring Brings Rhubarb Back into the Kitchen: 12 Recipes from Chutney to Pie first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Spring Brings Rhubarb Back into the Kitchen: 12 Recipes from Chutney to Pie

In the mid 1800s, Cayuga ducks were one of the most popular meat birds in New England. This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay talks with Rebecca Gilbert of Native Earth Teaching Farm in Chilmark about why the breed fell out of favor, and why she thinks it's worth bringing back. You can learn more about Cayuga ducks on the Slow Food website, as part of their "Ark of Taste." The post Vineyard Farmer Revives Rare Duck Breed first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Vineyard Farmer Revives Rare Duck Breed

Have you ever had a wintergreen berry? This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay goes on a hunt for the native edible with Donna Eaton of Cedar Spring Herb farm in Harwich. The ivy green leaves and bright, cherry red berries are all over the Cape, and the fruit is especially tasty this time of year. You can read more on Elspeth's blog, Diary of a Locavore. The post Wild Wintergreen Berries Make Tasty Spring Treat first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Wild Wintergreen Berries Make Tasty Spring Treat

Selective breeding is not a new thing in the food world; humans have been selecting for desirable traits in plants and animals for thousands of years. But it is getting more sophisticated. This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay talks with a Wellfleet oysterman who's growing oysters with three sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two. You can read more about "triploid" oysters on Elspeth's blog, Diary of a Locavore. The post Selective Breeding Moves into Local Oyster Industry first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Selective Breeding Moves into Local Oyster Industry

n Europe, scallop roe is a delicacy. But Americans haven't developed a taste for it—yet. In The Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay examines scallop roe, which is packed with omega-3s—good for everyone, and especially important for mamas and babies. See a video of How to Open a Scallop and find out more about scallop roe on Elspeth's Blog, Diary of a Locavore. The post Local Scallop Enthusiast Says “Eat the Roe!” first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Local Scallop Enthusiast Says “Eat the Roe!”

 The post Ordering Seeds? Start Here first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Ordering Seeds? Start Here

 The post Sandwich Nutritionist Keeps Local Winter Eating Exciting first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Sandwich Nutritionist Keeps Local Winter Eating Exciting

Fish is important for good health, but it can be expensive. This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay talks with the fishermen and organizers behind a new program called Fish for Families that's working to get high quality local seafood to Cape Cod families in need. You can read more about Fish for Families and find out about the groups behind it on their websites: Cape Cod Commercial Fishermen's Alliance The Family Pantry of Cape Cod And you can see pictures of a dogfish distribution at the Family Pantry on Elspeth's blog, Diary of a Locavore. The post Local Organizations Get Seafood to Families in Need first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Local Organizations Get Seafood to Families in Need

Many local farmers have a greenhouse to help extend the growing season. This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay talks with a young Brewster farmer who got a grant from the state to build a mobile greenhouse. The structure itself is 25 feet long by 12 feet wide, but it can slide back and forth over two fields 12 feet wide by 50 field long. Lucas Dinwiddie of Halcyon farm will use this system to cover different crops at different times of the year. You can find plans to build a mobile greenhouse here, and see more pictures of the mobile greenhouse Lucas Dinwiddie built on Elspeth's blog, Diary of a Locavore. This piece is a rebroadcast. It aired originally on January 9, 2014. The post Mobile Greenhouse Extends the Season—Twice first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Mobile Greenhouse Extends the Season—Twice

According to the EPA, Americans throw out 14 percent of the food we buy. And all but 2 percent of that goes into landfills. This week on the Local Food Report, Elspeth Hay talks with Falmouth resident Mary Ryther about her new composting business that's working to change that. You can learn more about Mary's operation and other efforts to cut down on local food waste on Elspeth's blog, Diary of a Locavore. The post Falmouth Resident Aims to Keep Food Waste in the Foodshed first appeared on Atlantic Public Media.

Falmouth Resident Aims to Keep Food Waste in the Foodshed

The Local Food Report, with Elspeth Hay, is constantly exploring the Cape, Islands, the south Coast and all our farmer’s markets to find out what’s good, what’s growing and what to do with it.

hubhopper

Local Food Report

hubhopper