Dark Days Challenge Weeks 2-5

Though I haven't found the time this winter to blog about it, I have been very successful adding local meals to our week.
Most recently I hosted my parents and sister to a thanksgiving-like Christmas dinner and a great post-present breakfast. My turkey was a frozen local 20 pounder from Elaine at Fields of Athenry that has been hogging my freezer since it was butchered at Thanksgiving. I am so glad to have that space back. I roasted it simply on a rack, stuffed with local apples and onions and rubbed with home dried herbs from my self-watering planter boxes (all I can do in an apartment) and local butter. I tossed a few bits of carrots, celery, and local onion underneath the rack to bake down with the juices for gravy. Next was a Food Network inspired roasted garlic mashed potatoes with local potatoes and 2 garlic heads from the farmers market and a dash of organic but not local heavy cream. I served my home canned whole berry jellied cranberry sauce. I canned up several jars at thanksgiving with the closest cranberries I could find, Orcranics from Buzzards Bay MA. With company's tastes to consider I opted for a store bought dressing mix but the best local dish was a butternut squash soup made with the last few squash left from my CSA and local honey.
Butternut Squash Soup
*Quarter 2 butternuts lengthwise, lay on foil covered pan and brush with 2 tbsp. butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
*Roast at 400 degrees till tender ~45 min. but depends on size of butternuts.
*When cool enough to handle remove flesh into soup pot and heat till just bubbling with 3 c. broth, 1/4 c. local honey, 1 tsp ginger (fresh or powder) then blend using immersion blender
*Remove from heat, add 1/2 c. heavy cream and dash of nutmeg, blend to distribute cream and serve
For Christmas Day breakfast I pulled together pumpkin pancakes with my frozen CSA pumpkin puree, local whole wheat flour, and local milk, local thick sliced bacon and local eggs fried to order.