Valerie Confections is a Los Angeles-based artisanal confectioner that has been recognized on a national level but maintains a commitment to its indie roots.  Providing delectable chocolates, petit fours, jams, cakes, pies, and more, they keep LA’s sweet tooth satisfied.  The business was co-founded by Valerie Gordon and partner Stan Weightman, Jr. who show their support for local food production through their choice of ingredients as well as their presence at the weekly Downtown Santa Monica and Hollywood Farmers Markets.  Each week on their Facebook page, they post a “Market Menu” outlining the offerings available at the weekend markets including their jams made from locally-sourced produce and a specialty item that has been created with a fresh, seasonal ingredient available at the market such as LEE tangerines, blueberries (available in Southern California even in the winter), and kale.  For more information, visit the Valerie Confections website.  I would also recommend checking out this great interview with co-founder Valerie Gordon on Indagare.com

Early in December, the LocalBlu team posted a video on how to grow 40 lbs of potatoes in a barrel, starting with just 5 potatoes. Well here is a recipe to get you excited about those potatoes you are growing and the delicious things you can do with them – potato bread!

For my bread, I used store bought yeast. However, if you plan ahead a few days, you can make your own yeast (or sourdough starter), and then keep it going on your kitchen counter or in your fridge! I have yet to experiment with yeast or sourdough starter making from scratch, but found some great recipes that I look forward to trying out. Here is one for yeast that I found. I recently blogged about making sourdough starter on Local to Global Life Works, though I used a store-bought starter packet to get it going. If you want to try making sourdough starter from scratch, here is one recipe, and here’s another.

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Ingredients and Instructions:

4 cups fresh juiced carrot juice
1 cup cubed yam or sweet potato
½ avocado
2 tbs agave nectar
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 ½ tsp pumpkin spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove) or to taste 

Blend all until well combined and smooth.

Enjoy!

This week’s recipe is a throw back to my old raw food days. It’s a solid recipe, and one that fits in perfect with the vegetables that are currently in season. Its a snap to make up and will make a great conversation piece at the dinner table.

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Ingredients

* 2 cups cashews
* 4 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
* 2 tbsp Braggs Liquid Aminos
* 4 tbsp Olive Oil
* 1/2  tsp Turmeric powder
* 1 tbsp Black Mustard Seeds

Directions

Put the cashews, vinegar, liquid aminos, and olive oil into the food processor.  Once the cashews have visibly ground up a bit, add water slowly until the mixture becomes thick and creamy.  The longer you let the food processor go, the more smooth it will become.  Add the turmeric and mustard seeds, and let the processor go until the yellow color is even.  Finished!

All of the vegetables used in this recipe are in season. I used the vegetables that we had growing in our garden.  Feel free to substitute with vegetables that you can get locally – the spices can remain the same.

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Who doesn’t like ice cream? I know I enjoy it – my new favorite spot is Mother Moo Creamery. I finally had the pleasure of visiting this new artisanal shop in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley. Karen Klemens, owner of Mother Moo, isn’t new to the art of creating delicious treats. She has won various awards for her preserves and has been teaching folks how to make their own. Now she is more than happy to have you sample her latest frozen creations

This isn’t your average ice cream parlor. Karen is what you would call an ice cream innovator. She pushes herself beyond what she learned at Penn State’s Ice Cream Short Course. Among her unique flavors are Salty Chocolate, Szechuan Pepper, and Honey. She often features local ingredients and uses only organic dairy from California-based Straus Family Creamery . Straus makes a conscious effort to prevent GMO contamination of their dairy supply, and also supports GMO-labeling legislation.

Karen’s latest ice cream headliner is a one-of-its-kind flavor: medlar fruit. Perhaps the only such ice cream in the U.S., this new item is currently on the flavor board and available for $4 a scoop. Don’t forget the waffle cone (made in-house…of course).

In this video, I dive into the organic vs. conventional farming debate. I explain why in the long-run, conventional farming can never be as productive as organic farming. So when you hear otherwise, you’ll know how to explain that organic is better!