A Recipe for Local Foods this Winter! By Annie Howell

As we say farewell to the growing season in Northern Ohio, and thank our favorite Oberlin Farmers Market (OFM) vendors for a delicious spring and summer, we must also remember that there are still great local food options as the winter weather approaches. Many of our OFM vendors will continue to keep both our cupboards and bellies full of wholesome food. Whether or not you were like “the ant” and canned your garden fruits and vegetables for the winter, or you were more like me—“the grasshopper,” frantically trying to stockpile sweet potatoes and beets; Lorain County has local food resources to sustain you this winter. During the OFM off-season (November-April), several vendors will sell goods at the Oberlin Indoor Community Market located at Eastwood Elementary School (November 3, 10, 17, oberlinindoormarket@gmail.com.)

The following recipe for Greek-inspired burgers can be made from ingredients available from area farmers and retailers. In fact, this recipe was developed when summer grilling plans were thwarted by one of the few days of rain we had this past season. Greek Burgers can be made from all local ingredients, and is tasty on either an outdoor grill or indoors on a grill-pan or in the broiler.

You will need:

1 lb ground beef (J&R Farms, jrfarms@pcfreemail.com)

1-2 cloves of minced garlic (George Jones Farm, Evbryant1@yahoo.com)

¼ cup crumbled feta cheese (Ohio Farm Direct, grassfed@hotmail.com)

1 tsp thyme (Bumbleberry Fields, Sunnieyes2@aol.com or The Oberlin Market)

1 tsp oregano (Bumbleberry Fields, Sunnieyes2@aol.com or The Oberlin Market)

½ Tbsp smoked paprika (Miller’s Apple Hill, Ltd. in Amherst, Ohio or The Oberlin Market)

½ cup of local Pale Ale (Great Lakes Burning River available at local IGA)

¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce (optional, omit if you want 100% local ingredients)

Begin by mixing beef with finely minced garlic, crumbled feta cheese, thyme, oregano, and smoked paprika. After combining the meat, cheese, and spices; divide the mixture into 4 large burgers or 6 small to medium- sized burgers. In a casserole dish mix Pale Ale and Worcestershire sauce, and allow the burgers to soak in the liquid inside a refrigerator for 1-3 hours. Cook your burgers to desired temperature in your oven’s broiler or a stove-top grill pan while enjoying the remaining Pale Ale.

For added flavor, garnish burger with canned peppers from your garden and CSA greens (Murray Hill Farms, www.murrayhillfarm.com) in between a bun from Gibson’s bakery or rustic bread from Simple Speed Bakery (queakaed@yahoo.com.) Enjoy!