Local Mom Launches Cookbook that Uses Farm Ingredients
Learn how author Kimberly Ragosta got the idea for her cookbook, A Time to Gather, and get the recipe for Einkorn Apple Cinnamon Scones.
A local mom of five came up with a genius idea for a cookbook and it’s launching on Amazon this week. Kimberly Ragosta is a native Rhode Islander and homeschooling mom to five children ages six to fourteen, and her cookbook focuses on making meals using produce from local farms. She approached local farms about bartering for food in exchange for creating recipes using their meat and produce.
“I was able to not buy meat or vegetables for quite some time which was a huge help to my family,” Ragosta says. “I would go home with the products that they farms/artisans gave me, create a recipe using their products and then take beautiful pictures of the recipes and send it off to them.”
Ragosta then posted the recipes and photos to her Instagram account @littlehouseintheforest and the farms would also use the recipes on their websites, blogs and social media outlets. “It was a win-win for both myself and the farmer/artisan,” Ragosta says. “From this, I saw that my vision for a cookbook could finally come to life. I have been creating recipes for over sixteen years and just love sharing with others how cooking is a beautiful thing to be enjoyed with the importance put on using high quality, local and seasonal ingredients.”
Her cookbook is called A Time to Gather, and it can be ordered on Amazon or through her website KimberlyRagosta.com. “Rhode Island has so many wonderful farms and artisans and my heart is to help people see the importance of eating local foods and becoming a part of the beautiful food community we have here in the ocean state,” she says.
Here is a q-and-a and some recipes from her book.
1. How did you get the idea for your cookbook?
The idea for my cookbook has always been in my head since I started developing recipes over sixteen years ago. When I was first married, I became a recipe creator for my local online newspaper. It was at this time that I knew I wanted to write a cookbook. But it was not until 2021 when I became a recipe creator for over thirty local farms and artisans that I knew my vision could come to life. Because I was taking so many beautiful pictures of the recipes I created for these farms and artisans during the past three years, I knew I could put a visually pleasing and large cookbook together. I spent the last two-and-a-half years making this dream a reality and I look forward to sharing all of my recipes with readers! If you are looking for farm-to-table inspired recipes that focus on eating local and seasonal, this is the cookbook for you! It has over 500 recipes and is filled with beautiful photography for your enjoyment. My hope is that this inspires my readers to become immersed in the local food community that Rhode Island, etc. has to offer. We are so lucky to live in a state like Rhode Island as the amount of hard-working and thoughtful farmers is surely not lacking.
2. How were you able to barter with farms for produce and meat in exchange for recipe development?
I had an idea one day back in May of 2021 that really took off. I thought that I would like to barter with local farms for meat, veggies, fruits and other products for recipes I created along with beautiful photography. Almost every single farmer and artisan I asked said yes, and so ‘Little House in the Forest’ was born. I did not need to buy meat or vegetables for almost two years, which was a huge help to my family. Plus, I was able to have a creative outlet: thinking up delicious recipes for these businesses while taking neat photography with the recipes I created. My hope was that I was able to help inspire people to create great meals in their kitchens using products that can be purchased from local farms and farmers markets. It was truly a win-win for both the farmers/artisans and me as I was able to put healthy food on my family’s table and the farmer/artisan was able to use recipes with photographs to help sell their products and give their consumers good recipe ideas.
3. Which farms are your favorite for shopping locally?
There are so many wonderful farms/artisans in Rhode Island and beyond, it’s hard to pick my favorite. I would recommend checking out Wild Harmony Farm, EMMA Acres, Windmist Farm, Pat’s Pastured, Cedar Valley Farm, Wild Earth Farm (VT), Terra Firma Farm (CT), Little River Farm, Luckyfoot Ranch, Brandon Family Farm, Mi Tierra Tortillas (MA), SoulFresh Proteins, Chris and Kristina’s Market Garden, Stone Acres Farm (CT), Wicked Roots Micro Farm, Max’s Herb Farm, Our Kids Farm, Ocean State Pepper Co., ‘Capizzano Olive Oils and Vinegars (CT),’ Granny Squibb’s Iced Tea, the Local Catch, Rocky Point Farm, Farming Turtles and Farmtrue (CT).
4. Do you shop farmstands or do you belong to a CSA program?
I am blessed to have my own garden but still love shopping farmstands and local farmers markets! I have been part of a CSA program many times and it is such a wonderful way to explore new products that you might not be familiar with while also helping the farm. Plus, it feels good knowing that you are getting a box of healthy goods to nourish your body while contributing to helping a farm that truly cares about producing the best product possible. Again, another win-win situation. I highly recommend becoming part of a vegetable or meat CSA with a local farm and shopping farmstands and farmers markets. Just be sure to ask questions to these farms prior to purchasing. You will want to learn about the way they raise and grow their products as this matters to your health and our environment.
5. What are some money-saving cooking tips?
Some money-saving tips are to find cuts of meat that are on sale at local farms and stock up. We have a nine-foot freezer that allows us to do this. Another thing that vegetable and fruit farms sometimes have is the availability to buy in bulk to save. They may also sell grade b products (ugly products that are still just as good) for a cheaper price. It never hurts to ask! If you don’t have a lot of people in your family and worry about buying in bulk, a freezer is a good option as mentioned above and canning/preserving is also a great option. Because we have a family of seven, buying in bulk works well for us. But it can work with one person too if you are thoughtful about it. One of my favorite money-saving tips is to cook a five-pound chicken in the crockpot and use the meat one night for burritos and another night for soup. Then use the chicken carcass to make a chicken bone broth. That is using one small chicken for three meals! More bang for your buck, if you will. People ask me how we can afford farm meats and veggie; that right there is the answer. I try to be very wise in my planning! All of these recipes and ideas can be found in my cookbook.
6. What has it been like to home school five kids and feed them?
We are on our tenth year of homeschooling and it has been the best and most amazing blessing to our family. It has allowed us to be super intentional with our children while letting them learn about things they are really interested in. Plus, we get to spend a large amount of time exploring the outdoors and nature as a family, which keeps us grounded, healthy and away from too much technology. With homeschooling comes a lot of meal preparation and planning. Sometimes I joke with my kids and tell them that I spend the entire day in the kitchen – this is only half true! I just have to be sure I plan ahead when it comes to food and shopping and that I am very organized. My children and husband all have very large appetites, so I need to be sure I have healthy options always available. I have found the best method is to have a schedule for breakfast and lunch during the week. For example, Monday will be scrambled eggs for breakfast and a salad for lunch, etc. Dinners I plan the week ahead and factor in cooking/leftovers depending on our schedule for that week. Weekends will be a bit more relaxed when it comes to breakfast and lunch. But basically, it comes down to have a plan and sticking to it. Otherwise, people would be eating all day and whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. And that just won’t fly! I also love getting my children involved in the cooking. For example, every Wednesday during the school year is pick your own/make your own breakfast day. If they want it, they need to make it and clean it up. And once a week is kid’s cook dinner week. My five children rotate making meals every Tuesday evening. They have to plan, cook and serve the meal. This has been such a wonderful part of our lives as the children all look forward to being in the kitchen and preparing delicious meals for themselves and our family. My hope is that when they leave the nest, they will make healthy choices and know how to cook very well.
7. How do you make recipes fun for kids?
Just being in the kitchen and touching and tasting food is fun for kids. If you begin this early when the kids are little (age one), they will certainly grow up to love healthy foods and have a strong interest in cooking and eating well. With all five of my children, I started having them help me in the kitchen since they were one year old. They used to stand (some still do) on a kitchen chair and help with the prep work for meals. They sell plastic knives online that kids can use in the kitchen. We used these knives when they were toddlers. At about age four and five, I introduced a sharp knife if I thought the child was ready for this step. Obviously, strict supervision is needed for this and lots of help, but children are able to do a lot more than we realize if we show them that we are confident in them. I remember my three-year-old daughter holding my hand mixer and whipping up mashed potatoes on her own with serious strength and determination. If kids are hungry (which all of them are), it will be easy to encourage them to get involved in the kitchen. A parent needs to have a lot of patience and realize that it may take double the time and will be double the mess to prepare a meal, but it will be worth that extra time in more ways than one. The intentional time you show them, the time spent together in the kitchen in a very intimate setting, and the important life skills you are teaching them, are all invaluable things. You don’t need to do this for every meal, but I did it for a lot of the meals and I still do it today with my children.
8. Which recipe is your favorite to share?
I have a recipe I’d love to share with you as we enter into autumn. Actually, autumn is my most favorite cooking season. You can find this recipe and many more in my cookbook! If you get a chance, go pick the apples with your family or friends at a local orchard and make these for breakfast the next morning! Happy cooking!
Einkorn Apple Cinnamon Scones
By Kimberly Ragosta
I love playing around with different flours when baking as I don’t only like to bake with white all-purpose flour. I find that einkorn flour has a deliciously nutty flavor that goes very well in baked goods. Sucanat sugar contains less sucrose and retains the natural molasses and extra nutrients, so I like to use it as a substitute for organic cane sugar as it is less processed. Einkorn flour is the most ancient wheat there is (how cool!) and is a good source of protein and other vitamins and antioxidants.
4 1⁄2 cups Einkorn flour
1 cup sucanat sugar
5 tsp baking powder
12 Tbs butter, softened
2 eggs
2 cups plain yogurt
2 cups apples, diced
2 tsp cinnamon
Olive oil spray
Heat oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar together. Add eggs and yogurt — mix well. Add flour, baking powder and cinnamon — mix well. Once mixed properly, fold in the apples. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper sprayed with olive oil. Scoop 1⁄4 cup batter mounds onto sheets making sure to keep distance between each mound. Bake for 20 minutes or until scones are cooked and light golden brown on the bottom.
*If you ever find your batter a bit dry, add just a little milk, if needed, to moisten it. This batter is thick, but you don’t want flour hanging around the bowl — it should be a somewhat moist batter.
*If you aren’t an apple and cinnamon fan and want to try something different, substitute the apples for other fruits such as blueberries, peaches, pears, berries, etc. Nuts work well too!
Purchase the cookbook A Time to Gather and learn about book signings at KimberlyRagosta.com.
