A Berry Local Recipe

For the second year, Dirt mag, with sponsor Freedom Hill Farms, is challenging the community to eat local for a day, week, or the whole month.

Why? There are plenty of reasons, but here are a few:

• Slash your carbon footprint by eating food that isn’t wrapped in plastic and shipped thousands of miles in a plane or truck.

• Keep your hard-earned dollars in the community, supporting local farmers and businesses.

• Eat healthier. You can treat yourself (see recipe below), but when you’re eating local, you won’t find yourself mindlessly eating crap.

The rules aren’t so tough: you get 5 exceptions (coffee, olive oil, whatever) and can use any spices. Everything else, literally every ingredient, should be raised within a 250-mile radius. Do it for a day or a week, and make an impact. Sign the pledge and find the Facebook group (which is filled with tips and local vendors) at: eatlocalwithdirt.com.

In the meantime, here’s a little inspiration in the form of a recipe from Diane Lindsay, of Goshen, who’s going whole hog and eating local all month again this year. Her exceptions are sugar, olive oil, lemons, coffee and pumpkin seeds.

Rustic Fruit Crostata

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon sugar (you can try subbing maple sugar to keep it local)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed and chilled 6 tablespoons ice water

3 tablespoons milk

1 pint jam (the thicker, the better)

First, make that dough:

1. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.

2. Add the cold butter and mix until the butter pieces are the size of peas.

3. Add the ice water and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.

4. Gather the dough with your hands, shape it into a disk, wrap it plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Then, jam out & bake:

1. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 14-inch circle and place it on the baking sheet. Spread the jam evenly, leaving a 1-inch edge.

3. Fold the edges of the dough up and over the jam.

4. Brush the crust with melted butter or milk and sprinkle with raw or demerara sugar.

5. Bake the tart until the crust is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and slide the tart off the baking sheet, onto a cooling rack.