Wild Grape Fruit Leather with Bee Fruitful Acres

F.O.O.D. Focus on the Organic Difference
vol. 1

Profile and recipe from Angela & Michael Pollier of Bee Fruitful Acres, Barre, MA
By Christy Bassett for The Organic Food Guide and NOFA/Mass
October 19, 2018


Welcome to the first edition of F.O.O.D., Focus on the Organic Difference, a running series of interviews and articles featuring real food from real people.  This week, I had the pleasure of connecting with Angela Pollier of Bee Fruitful Acres in Barre, MA.  She is a wonderful example of someone who is connected to the land she lives on and the food she produces.  Read on to learn about her homestead farm in central Massachusetts and get her delicious recipe for homemade wild grape fruit leather.  Follow them on Instagram: @beefruitfulacres for homestead anecdotes, photos of Angela’s beautiful granddaughter and goats galore!

Are you a farmer, gardener, homesteader, consumer, landscaper, or organic activist?

We consider ourselves to be homesteaders. My husband and I are working toward raising or growing the majority of the food we consume.  Our needs and desires change from year to year.

What type of food to do grow, if any?

We raise chickens for eggs & have raised them along with turkeys & pigs for meat.  We have raised registered Nigerian Dwarf Goats for milk and are currently making the switch to registered Nubian Goats to meet our dairy needs.  This years garden consisted of a great garlic harvest along with a variety of squash, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, green beans, lettuces, tomatoes and herbs such as parsley, oregano, mint, and dill. This is our second year growing our asparagus plants. We are harvesting our first ever potatoes and sweet potatoes.

Do you sell it?  If so, where can we find it?

As far as sales goes; we are always praying for direction for the future. We have been on this property for a little over 3 years. Our last homestead had a little over 3 acres… much of it being used. This homestead has a little over 15 so we seem to be in a constant state of fencing, building and sprawling out. Currently we consume for ourselves, share with friends and family & are in the business of selling goats and eggs.

Why do you choose organic?

We grow and try to buy organic, non GMO food. Our animals are fed a diet consisting of organic/non GMO soy free feed.  Choosing to eat organic in our opinion is eating food the way God intended & created it.  This food is most nutritious and easily assimilated by our bodies.

Why do you love Massachusetts?

Massachusetts is where Mike and I have resided most of our adult lives. The both of us love the geography plus the 4 seasons. This is the place where most of our friends and family reside.

Why do you love local food? 

Local food takes the place of the Big Agriculture Industry and Philosophy. It consists of local people in our town or somewhere in our state who have a passion for food and growing good nutritious food. We consider it a blessing to get to actually meet people face to face and sometimes even on a “first name basis”.  Country stores and local Farmers Markets are a great resource for food and meeting people in our community that share our similar visions.

Recipe:  Applesauce Based Wild Grape Fruit Leather


I love this recipe because it’s easy, nutritious and versatile and it utilizes ingredients that are harvested here in Massachusetts. If you are into canning your own applesauce and freezing your hand-picked berries plus wild grapes; this recipe can be made any time of the year. TIP: I like to make sure my home canned goods get rotated. This recipe is a great way to use last year’s applesauce, making room for this year’s bounty.

Kitchen tools needed for this project will be a food processor or blender, a dehydrator lined with drying sheets or parchment paper and a home juicer for the wild grapes. (A juicer does the job of separating and grinding the hard grape seeds that are in wild grapes which my food processor couldn’t accomplish ). Grape seeds are noted for having some good nutritional value.


Ingredients:

*4 cups of applesauce
TIP: (I love using applesauce in berry fruit leather. The leather still takes on the taste of the berries but has greater volume in the end product. More fruit leather can equal more joy! Plus, if money is spent on organic berries this stretches your dollar… more joy with this too!)
*3 cups of mixed berries
*2 cups of wild grapes (juiced)
*2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup (This balances the tartness of the wild grapes.)


Directions:

  1.  Purée all ingredients in the food processor or blender. You are looking for a smooth applesauce consistency.
  2.  Spread the fruit purée on the lined dehydrator trays using a spatula.  It’s helpful to slap the dehydrator trays on the counter a few times to help level the purée. This will give your leather a more even thickness. You want about 1/4 inch thickness once poured.
  3.  Dehydrate at 125 degrees & start checking at the 10 to 12 hour mark. The leather will have no wet tacky spots and will easily peel off the dryer sheets when ready. Drying time can vary greatly depending on thickness of your purée once poured. I’ve had some that has taken up to 15 hours. Oftentimes some trays will be ready before others.


Fruit leather can be stored in an airtight container with parchment papers between pieces. Store in a cool dry place for up to a year.

Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai

By Christy Bassett for the Organic Food Guide and NOFA/Mass

As a mother I am always looking for ways to sneak more colorful, nutritious, vegetables into our meals.  My kids aren’t as picky as some are, but they can spy a leafy green from a mile away and give me the side-eye if they notice an extra portion of broccoli on their plates.  They are good sports though and will usually still polish it off in order to get to dessert.  But when I can make a meal that they actually enjoy while using a huge amount of produce from our summer garden or CSA share, we’re all ecstatic.  This New England grown version of creamy, nutty Pad Thai fits the bill.

Mid summer is the best time to make recipes that require a variety of fresh vegetables

Ingredients

1 large organic Spaghetti Squash

1 lb organic pastured chicken, roasted and chopped or shredded

2 organic onions, chopped

1 cup organic carrots, sliced

1 organic bell pepper, chopped

2 cups organic cabbage, shredded

4 organic pastured eggs

½ cup peanuts (or almonds or cashews)

½ cup green onion, chopped

Cooking oil (organic pastured lard or organic virgin coconut oil are both lovely)

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Pad Thai Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs peanut butter (or almond butter or cashew butter)

2 organic chile peppers, sliced and seeded (leave some seeds if you prefer spicy food)

2 cloves organic garlic

½ tsp sesame oil

½ cup organic coconut aminos

1 tsp fish sauce

1 Tbs rice vinegar (white vinegar or apple cider vinegar will work also)

1 small piece organic ginger root, peeled and grated

3 Tbs organic grass fed cream or coconut milk

Salt to taste

Lay roasted chicken on top for more eye appeal

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Halve the spaghetti squash lengthwise.  Scrape seeds from the squash.  (Chickens love these if you don’t want to put them in your compost pile.)  Place both halves of the squash face down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 45-60 minutes or until fork tender.  Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  2. Prepare the pad thai sauce by placing all sauce ingredients into a food processor and blending until smooth. Set aside.
  3. Using a fork, shred the inner squash fibers away from the outer skin. Set aside.
  4. In a large wok or sauté pan over medium heat, cook the onion, carrots and cabbage in 1 Tbs. cooking oil until well browned. Add bell pepper and cook for a few more minutes until tender.  Push vegetables to side of pan, add eggs to free side of pan and scramble.  Mix together.
  5. Add pre-cooked chicken and shredded spaghetti squash to pan to heat. Toss with prepared pad thai sauce.
  6. Garnish with green onions, peanuts and cilantro.