In This Issue
• So Much Gratitude for So Much Help
• A Maxi-strone Recipe for You
• Register for Women’s Leadership Network Webinar Tonight
So Much Gratitude for So Much Help
Yesterday, I posted that I would qualify to apply for a Substack fellowship if I had 500 subscribers. I was 48 short, but I figured I could muster that support in the three weeks before the application deadline.
I was a little off. Thanks to the wonderful people who rallied to the cause, we cleared the 500 bar… in 12 hours. And kept going, so at this writing, Local Food Forum now has 509 subscribers!
But hey, don’t let that stop you if are contemplating. The idea for launching Local Food Forum last spring was to build community and share information about building vibrant local food communities, which is important for a variety of reasons.
For our Chicago region subscribers — many of whom I know personally — I try to elevate people and organizations across the spectrum who are working every day to build a better food system. For friends outside the region who have been so kind to subscribe, I hope you find insights and inspiration from their stories… and I’d love to publish your perspectives on local food, wherever local is to you.
In response to the support you have shown, I make two promises:
I will do my very best on the fellowship application, because the mentorship and connections it would provide would surely make Local Food Forum better and better. I’m not throwing away my shot.
I will reach out more to find out what kinds of content all subscribers want more of, and what exclusive content would give even more value to paid subscriptions. I’ll be sending out my first subscriber survey soon to get your ideas.
Yesterday was what I call a George Bailey moment. If you’ve seen It’s a Wonderful Life (has anyone not?), you know the final scene: George is rescued from a desperate situation when everyone whose life he’s touched comes to his home to support him. Birthday greetings on Facebook are kind of that way. And to see new subscriptions yesterday from people I know from Chicago and from Michigan State and from Congressional Quarterly and from other walks of life makes me feel like I must have done something right.
Thanks so much for making me feel like the richest man in Bedford Falls.
— Bob
A Maxi-strone Recipe for You
One thing I’m going to try to do is present more healthy, as local as possible, dollar-stretching recipes. My problem with recipes is that, as a scratch cook, I have a long-time habit of just pulling stuff out of the fridge and pantry that plays well together and cooking it… then I have to try to remember what I did. So I’m trying to discipline myself to write things down.
The rhythms of our kitchen usually go like this: I roast a chicken or two, throw the bones into the slow cooker and make broth. A lot of broth. So I make a lot of soup.
This Sunday, I got a bit carried away and made a mega-minestrone that filled a large pot almost to the rim. There are so many different vegetables in this soup, so it’s super-healthy. Of course you can use vegetable broth or water if you avoid meat. And if you like minestrone but not that much, cut the ingredient amounts in half.
Please note three things.
Most recipes call for sautéing all the veggies, but that can make getting the timing difficult. My shortcut is to first steam the harder vegetables (carrots, celery, potatoes, etc.) until they started to soften, while you are cooking softer veggies (garlic, onions, etc.) in the soup pot. Then merge them all together.
I season to taste and so should you, which is why there’s no exact measurements for seasonings. Start with a pinch or sprinkle, stir, taste, and add only as much as suits your taste. And especially don’t oversalt: You can always add salt but you can’t remove it.
Use more or less of any vegetables in the recipe according to your taste, or add others that you like. There is also still a WiTF (What’s in the Fridge) element. After I did all the chopping, I remembered I had some leftover green beans that would go well, so into the pot they went.
I would really, really love to get more conversations going on Local Food Forum, so I’m really, really hoping you’ll share your riffs on minestrone or whatever soup recipe you really love.
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
5 medium carrots, cubed
3 stalks celery, cubed
1 medium zucchini, cubed
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1 medium bell pepper or 6 mini bell peppers, diced
2 cups raw spinach, chopped
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes, chopped or hand-crushed
2 cans cannellini beans (or whatever beans you prefer)
Any leftover veggies from the fridge that you like (optional)
4 cups broth or water
Salt and seasonings (I used dried oregano and basil) to taste
Instructions
Steam carrots, celery, zucchini and potatoes until they start to soften.
Heat olive oil in a very large cooking pot at medium.
Add garlic, sauté briefly, then add onions.
When onions have started to soften, add the bell pepper and sauté.
Add in the steamed vegetables, stir to combine. (Add leftover veggies, if any.)
Add spinach, which will quickly wilt.
Add tomatoes, simmer for a few minutes.
Add beans (I throw in the bean liquid to thicken the soup a bit).
Begin seasoning, a little at a time, and taste as you go.
Add broth or water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Adjust seasonings and serve.
Tell Local Food Forum what you think and share your own recipes.
Women’s Leadership Network Webinar Tonight
I am happy to share this free online event this evening at 6 p.m. central. The subject is “Corporate Superstars Turned Corporate Deserters,” with featured guests Kim Feil, Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer of Aspire Healthy Energy Drinks, and Kathy Casey, CEO of Simply Better Brands Corporation.
Kim, who formerly served as Chief Marketing Officer for some of the nation’s biggest companies, has been rocking the functional beverage space with Aspire.
I have had the pleasure of working with her on Naturally Chicago since my FamilyFarmed days, and we now serve on the Naturally Chicago Board together since it spun off last August and became independent. Her presentations are always insightful and charged with energy.
Kim also is a Local Food Forum subscriber and major supporter. Click below to register for tonight’s event.