The Long Winter

"Winter had lasted so long that it seemed it would never really end."

Laura Ingalls Wilder in The Long Winter

Remember the Laura Ingalls Wilder's series? The Long Winter is the sixth book in the collection. The book has a lot of drama in it. It is a tale of a family near starvation, of a town crippled by lack of food when blizzards keep the supply train from reaching the settlers. The story is told through the eyes of 13 year old Laura which takes place in the fall of 1880 and continues through May 1891 in De Smet SD. This turned out to be one of the worst winters in US history. At one point the snow depth was 12 feet and trains could not get through. By Christmas time the grocery store no longer had food and Laura's family runs out of coal and kerosene. Just remembering details from the story puts our winter woes in perspective. We are able to handle the snow and lucky we don't have to wait for supply trains. Grocery stores remain open and only close once a year on Christmas Day.  
The focus on food in "The Little House" books also becomes a celebration for the Wilder family. They are grateful for what  little food they have to help them survive the long winter.

Some of the information above comes from an article that appeared in the Star Tribune paper The Long Winter February 9, 2014 by Lee Svitak Dean.

Cook's notes:  This article was a creative approach to what I would call literary food for the soul. It also affirms how food can bring us together to share and celebrate common life experiences. 
I imagine soup would be a part of the Wilder family meal using vegetables that would have been stored in the root cellar. 

Italian Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 cups green beans cut in half-ends trimmed
• 1 cup sliced zucchini
• 1 cup diced carrots and celery
• 3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3/4 cup dried mixed pasta shapes
• 1 can of chunky diced tomatoes (basil, garlic, oregano) 
• 1 can cannelloni beans rinsed and drained
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth 
• 1-1/2 cups V-8 juice
• 2 cups curly baby kale or spinach leaves 
• 1/2 tsp. each  basil, oregano and basil
• 1 TB. parsley flakes 

Directions:

• Saute in 2 TB. olive oil garlic, onions, celery and carrots for 5 minutes
• In a slow cooker add sauteed mixture, juice, broth, spices, beans, dried pasta,canned tomatoes and vegetables 
• Cook high heat 3-4 hours, last 30 minutes add in kale or spinach   
• Garnish with Parmesan cheese

  Bon Appetit!

Postscript: I came across this picture of spring flowers today and I wanted to share it for anyone still "starved for color". I am on the lookout for these flowers in northern Florida which usually would usually be blooming by now. Seems they have had several cold spells here too.