by Jane Dwinell and Dana Dwinell-Yardley

It’s that time of year — when one glance into the refrigerator, pantry, or root cellar sets off sighs and complaints of ‘There’s nothing to eat!” Actually, there probably is plenty to eat, but you just need some creativity to help you use up the last of your winter’s store.

Here are some (mostly) local recipes to perk you up as we head into March, month of lengthening days, citizen democracy, and sweet hope in the air. Sugarmakers will be boiling any day now, asparagus and dandelion greens will be along soon, and the days of too much zucchini are really not as far off as you think. . .

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Carrot Soup

1/2 cup butter
2 cups chopped onion or leek
2 pounds chopped carrots
1 teaspoon dill (or more to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in soup pot, and sauté onions until caramelized. Add chopped carrots, and sauté another 10 minutes, stirring often. Add dill and enough water or stock to cover. Simmer until carrots are soft. Eat as is, or puree in blender. When those chives peek up out of the frozen ground, chop some up and sprinkle on top.

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Greens and Potato Soup

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups chopped greens (kale, chard, spinach, etc.)
4 potatoes, cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in soup pot, and sauté garlic and onion until soft. Add greens and potatoes and sauté until greens are wilted. Add water/stock to cover. Simmer until potatoes are soft. Eat as is, or puree in blender.

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Borscht

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups chopped beets, or one pint pickled beets, chopped
2 cups cabbage (red or green), chopped
1/4 cup pickled beet juice or 2 tablespoons cider vinegar plus 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon dill
salt and pepper to taste
yogurt or sour cream for garnish

Melt butter in soup pot, sauté onion until soft. Add beets and cabbage, sauté another 10 minutes. Add water/stock to cover plus dill. Simmer until veggies are done. Serve with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

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Shepherd’s Pie

2 cups chopped mixed veggies per person (carrots, celeriac, onions, green peppers, beets, greens, pickled beans, cabbage — whatever you’ve got in the house)
1 large potato per person
1/4 to 1/2 cup yogurt or milk plus 1 tablespoon butter for the potatoes
1/2 to 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar (plus more for the top) or 1 pound hamburger or sausage
1 tablespoon cider vinegar, if no pickled veggies are used
green herbs of choice: thyme, oregano, basil. . .
paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté or steam chopped veggies until mostly done. In the meantime, boil potatoes and (optional) cook hamburger. When potatoes are done, mash with yogurt or milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Assemble in casserole dish — veggies and meat or cheese, tossed with vinegar and herbs, then mashed potatoes on top, sprinkled with paprika and more grated cheese. Bake for 1/2 hour in moderate (350 degree) oven until top is crusty and browned.

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Black Bean Chili

2 cups raw black beans, soaked and cooked
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large carrots, grated
optional: 1 cup chopped green pepper (if you have some frozen)
2 quarts canned tomatoes
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon dried hot peppers (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
optional: 1 pound hamburger

Sauté onion and garlic in a little butter or oil until soft. Add carrots and green pepper, sauté a few moments more. Add hamburger, if you’re using it, and cook until done. Add tomatoes, spices, and beans. Simmer all day.

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Cassoulet

1 cup raw white or navy beans, soaked and cooked
2 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
optional: 1/4 cup dried celery leaves
2 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/4 cup dried parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
2 cups dry white wine
optional: 1 pound spicy sausage

Melt butter in soup pot and sauté onion and garlic until soft. Add carrots, celery leaves, and sausage. Cook until sausage is done. Add mustard, parsley, thyme, beans and wine. Add water to barely cover. Simmer all day.

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Applesauce Cake

1 pint canned applesauce (or 2 cups freshly made)
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup butter, melted
1 cup honey or maple syrup
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon baking soda

Melt butter in small saucepan, add applesauce, oats, sweetener and dried fruit and let sit until cool. Beat eggs in mixing bowl, add applesauce mixture, flour, spices and baking soda. Mix well. Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until top is brown and a knife inserted in cake comes out clean.

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Maple Pound Cake

1 cup butter, melted
1 cup maple syrup
4 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix butter, maple syrup and eggs together. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until done.

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Maple Nut Pie

Prepared 9” pie crust (your recipe, or see our 11/2/08 blog for our favorite recipe)
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chopped in small pieces
1 1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts

Mix eggs, salt, butter and maple syrup in blender or food processor (or beat well by hand). Sprinkle nuts in pie crust, pour egg-maple mixture over nuts. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes.

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About Common Sense
Common Sense is written by Jane Dwinell and Dana Dwinell-Yardley, a mother-daughter blog team. They live on an urban homestead in Montpelier. Send them your questions and comments about food, fuel, family, or financial independence! Write to mountaingirl at vtlink dot net. You can also check out some of their other writings at their website: www.spiritoflifepublishing.com.