Enjoy Fall – One Slice of Pie at a Time

First published on our website in November 2011

Ahhhhh, fall – there’s just something about the crispness of it all, especially here in Nova Scotia.  And being Maritimers, we know that crispness equals a drop in temperature.

For us a drop in the thermometer means a big ramp up in the kitchen.  I call it hibernation cooking.  There’s a lot of braising, roasting and baking going on; all things that suit fall foods perfectly.

There’s something about getting out of the city and heading to the Annapolis Valley for some of these fall-friendly foods. The Valley is full of local farms producing high quality produce and foods, and many have a focus on sustainable and ethically produced foods.

One such spot is Noggins Corner Farm, located in Greenwhich, just outside of Wolfville. 

Noggins Corner is a CSA (Community Shared Agriculture), which connects producers of local foods with consumers of local foods.  These farms are supported in whole, or in part, by selling shares in their produce. Consumers support the producers through the highs and lows of the growing seasons, and in return have access to fresh, seasonal foods.

Noggins Corner Farm is run by Patricia Bishop, who also owns Tap Root Farms (another CSA). Her philosophy is about producing sustainable food from a small local farm and supporting local food through local businesses.  For her, it’s about supporting opportunities for people in her community, and the vibrancy of local farms is a key piece of providing these opportunities for rural communities.

So I felt good about driving down to Noggins Corner, and I felt even better about walking into their shop and seeing all the amazing local produce in front of me.  One great thing about Noggins, and their support of CSA, is that they sell products from other local farms and suppliers.

They have local baked goods, cheese from Fox Hill Cheese House, and a fridge full of different meats from Oulton’s Farm.  The spread of produce is unreal – cabbage, leeks, Portobello and Crimini Mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, pears, spicy and sweet peppers, root veggies for days, and more varieties of apples than you could shake a stick at (apparently, the specialty at Noggins is the apples). My husband and I planned our meal and waddled up to the cash, our basket full of some really great goodies – don’t worry, you’ll hear more about these later.

Right behind the cash is some delicious looking honey and maple products, but what caught my eye was the colorful display of Tideview Cider.  Don’t worry, we picked some of that up too! We left Noggins, and headed home to make a meal with some really, really good, sustainable, locally produced products.

So here’s what we picked up from Noggins:
Swiss chard, purple potatoes, a Llama steak courtesy of Oulton’s Martock Glen (I know you’re as excited as I am to give this one a whirl), sweet apple and cranberry cider, cranberries, parsnip, Honey Crisp apples, tri-colour carrots, and yes, a nice sampling of some Tideview Cider.

A random assortment, I know, but my husband is a chef, and a certain amount of trust comes with that.  He promised he’d keep it simple (remember this is hibernation food).

The menu
Cranberry and Apple Cider braised Llama, Parsnip puree, Sautéed Swiss chard and bacon with purple potato, roasted tri-color carrots, and a homemade apple pie.  I’m so ready to write the rest of this blog…

For the Llama
Cut the steaks into manageable pieces and brown.  Take the llama out and toss in garlic, onion and carrot.  Once those have softened, deglaze with the Cranberry-Apple Cider.  Toss the Llama back in, add fresh cranberries, cover and simmer until the Llama is tender (about an hour).

Moving on to the parsnips
Cut them into small cubes and boil with a garlic clove and a little bit of onion. Once tender, drain them, add butter and milk and smash the heck out of them. Seriously, give it all you’ve got.

The Swiss Chard is dead easy
Sautée some bacon until it crisps, then add the potatoes you’ve cut into small disks.  When the potatoes are soft add the chard, onion and garlic and cook until the chard wilts.  Just toss the carrots in olive oil, salt and pepper and throw them in the oven at 400°C; cook those for about 45 minutes.

I know you’ve been waiting for the pie
You can use a store-bought pie crust or make your own – the real gold is in the filling.  Peel and slice three large Honey Crisp apples, and toss with vanilla, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Sautée the apples in a pan with some butter until the apples start to release some liquid; cool the apples and set in the pie shell. Bake this little gem at 375°C until golden brown (usually 35-40 minutes).

Hibernation cooking really is the way to go; it’s really easy and ridiculously comforting.  Nothing is better than crispness outdoors, and a nice hot kitchen indoors.

And with amazing ingredients like the ones we picked up from Noggins Corner Farm, you can have comfort and feel good about what you’re eating.  Just make sure you enjoy it all…once slice of pie at a time.