Author Archives: rachelocal

The Time Hunger Smacked Me in the Face

March 28, 2013 by rachelocal

Hunger has been on my mind lately. Not my own hunger. I’m rarely hungry. In fact, I just registered for a summer farm share from Lancaster Farm Fresh. I have 25 weeks of fresh, local produce to look forward to. So, no, I’m not hungry. But in a perfect storm of coincidences, the subject of hunger has smacked me in the face with its surprisingly powerful hand over the last two days: 1. I received an email regarding an Ending […]

Categories: Delaware Farms, Video • Tags: A Place at the Table, Christianity, Community Supported Agriculture, Easter, food, health, hunger, local

Jump into Spring (But Only if You’re Wearing Snow Boots)!

March 26, 2013 by rachelocal

The clock sprung forward. The days are longer. The calendar announced, “Winter is over and Spring is here!” But I have yet to see any budding flowers, feel warming rays of sun, or smell earth in the air. Despite the snow that flurried over the Mid-Atlantic region this morning, the Hubs and I headed off to a favorite place: Terrain in Glen Mills, PA. Ironically, we went to Terrain last December on an unseasonably warm day–60 degrees and sunshine. Today […]

Categories: Local Stores, Restaurant • Tags: flowers, food, gardening, iPhone, life, local, photography, plants, postaday, shopping, spring, terrain

Happy CSA Day! {Week 7}

March 24, 2013 by rachelocal

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci When I peeked inside Week 7’s CSA box, I was delighted to see not one but two packages of lovely mushrooms – Portobellos and Baby Bellas. Last time I received mushrooms from my Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA, I turned them into a delicious soup; the time before that I made Mushroom Bolognese. This time I took a more utilitarian approach in order to enjoy their full flavor. And what could be simpler […]

Categories: Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: appetizer, Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, food, health, local, pizza, vegetarian

Shield Your Eyes, Deer, I’m Making Venison Shepherd’s Pie

March 18, 2013 by rachelocal

I received a text from my sister-in-law, Kaila, that went something like this: “I have local (holler!) deer meat. What are your thoughts? I’m intimidated by it because I see the cute doe and its family roaming around our back yard. Do you want some?” “I’m game!” I replied (get it??). Seeing as my sister-in-law lives less than half a mile from me, I walked over to claim a portion. After chatting with Kaila and trying not to squeeze my […]

Categories: Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: don't read this if you're a vegetarian, food, humor, hunting, life, local, Shepherd's Pie

Where Hemingway Ate (and Drank)

March 6, 2013 by rachelocal

While in Key West last month, I visited the home of Ernest Hemingway, famed author and American icon. When Hemingway lived on the property, he shared it with his wife (at the time) Pauline and their two young sons, Patrick and Gregory. According to Patrick, his childhood at the Key West house was magical. Magic hung in the warm air the day I visited. The house is the largest single family home on the island and still functions as a […]

Categories: Fall Recipes, Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: cats, dinner, Ernest Hemingway, food, key west, photography, slow cooker, travel, writing

Happy CSA Day! {Weeks 5 and 6}

March 4, 2013 by rachelocal

Last week I proved my pepper prowess by tasting a variety of dried peppers given to me by the venerable Peppermeister. (If you missed it – watch the video. It’s HOT.) After recovering from what turned out to be a real challenge, I was ready for something hot and spicy once again. Cue my CSA from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. The shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and red onions in Week 6’s box combined with the bok choy and garlic from Week […]

Categories: Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, food, Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative, local, soup, thai, vegan, vegetarian

Let’s Play Peppermeister Roulette…Again!

February 28, 2013 by rachelocal

Last September the first round of Peppermeister Roulette hit the blog. Let’s see how HOT Round 2 is, shall we? If you’d like to learn more about the peppers tasted here, visit Peppermeister’s blog (make sure to tell him Rachel wants a tie-breaker).

Categories: Gardening, Video • Tags: food, hot peppers, humor, local, peppermeister, video, vlog

Bloggy Brunch

February 25, 2013 by rachelocal

Jules (Go Jules Go), Misty (Misty’s Laws), Julie (MaidaSomeArt) and I planned a bloggy meet-up months ago, selecting my house as the mid-way point. It just so happens that the date we chose fell on my blogiversary, a few days before Jules’ two-year blogiversary and a few days before Misty’s birthday. What a happy coincidence! They arrived on my doorstep Saturday morning ready for a party, weighted down with all kinds of goodies, including a seemingly never-ending supply of champagne. […]

Categories: Fall Recipes, Recipes, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: blogging, blogiversary, blogs, breakfast, celebration, food, friendship, frittata

Let’s Get This Party Started

February 22, 2013 by rachelocal

Tomorrow is my blogiversary! One year ago, I hit the publish button and my first post jettisoned into the blogosphere. When I started Rachel’s Table I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea what lengths I would go to or ridiculous things I would do to not only find the best, local foods, but also inform and mostly entertain you. YOU, dear readers, are the reason I write this blog. YOU, loyal readers, are […]

Categories: Random • Tags: blog, blogging, blogiversary, food, life, local foods

Happy CSA Day! {Week 4}

February 20, 2013 by rachelocal

Friends of mine tell me stories of their mothers and grandmothers slaving away, over large pots, waiting for the “POP” of a Ball jar lid, the summer heat no match for the steam of a kitchen in full canning mode. I have no such stories. While I’m sure both my grandmothers canned food in their lifetime, I never learned the art. I have, however, had the pleasure of eating many canned goods provided by generous friends and friends’ grandmothers. My […]

Categories: Gardening, Recipes • Tags: Canning, Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, food, Food Preservation, local, Pickling, vegan, vegetarian

Culinary Adventures in Key West

February 18, 2013 by rachelocal

It’s cold. Not only is it cold outside, but it’s also extra chilly in my house. The furnace is on the fritz, but a new part is on its way and we should be up and running in a day or two. In the meantime, I’m hunkering down with a warm laptop and a few blankets to reminisce about warmer days. Two weeks ago, I was enjoying the 75 degree weather of Key West, FL. Since this was my first […]

Categories: Restaurant • Tags: florida, food, key west, life, local, photography, travel, vacation

Happy CSA Day! {Weeks 2 and 3}

February 11, 2013 by rachelocal

Tomorrow is CSA Day! I will go to Home Grown Cafe and pick up my box of lovely, organic vegetables. It’s like Christmas every Tuesday. I’m covering CSA weeks 2 and 3 together because both boxes contained mushrooms–regular old white mushrooms, Portobello caps, and shiitake. I’ve never been a picky eater, but I know some people cannot abide mushrooms. I can kind of understand it. Mushrooms are spongy, dirty, and categorized as fungus. But these are the characteristics that make […]

Categories: Fall Recipes, Recipes, Spring Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, farmers, food, lancaster, local, mushrooms, Valentine's Day, vegetarian

Rage Against the Minivan Guest Post

February 8, 2013 by rachelocal

This is a food blog, right? You are correct, but since it’s also RACHEL’S table, sometimes I get to veer off topic a bit. Today is one of those days. A few months ago I submitted a piece to the blog Rage Against the Minivan for the series “What I Want You to Know.” The author–funny and delightful Kristen–posted it yesterday. The subject matter is deeply personal to me; I even hesitated telling you about it. But here I am […]

Categories: Random • Tags: guest post, having a baby, infertility, mommy blog, motherhood, rage against the minivan

For the Love of Bacon

February 7, 2013 by rachelocal

I’m lucky enough to have some really great friends. Old friends, new friends, close friends, and long distance friends. As I was thinking about my friend line-up today, I realized my friends and I share an all-encompassing, very important commonality: a mutual love of bacon. Misty, my best friend since tenth grade, likes her bacon chewy, not crispy. Julie, my artist friend, loves her bacon wrapped around a cheese-filled jalapeno and grilled. Nicole, my traveling companion friend, likes her bacon […]

Categories: Fall Recipes, Recipes, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Winter Recipes • Tags: bacon, blogging, food, friendship, Go Jules Go, local, meatloaf

Make the World More Awesome

February 1, 2013 by rachelocal

I’m diverging from regular blog topics, because it’s the weekend! If you aren’t one of the over 5 million people that have viewed Kid President on You Tube, you’re welcome. I’m planning to have my own dance party of awesomeness this weekend (more about that next week). What’s on your agenda? Suggestion: Watch Space Jam or another one of my favorite Kid President videos:

Categories: Random, Video • Tags: awesomeness, humor, inspiration, kid president, video, you tube