Serious foodies will want to keep a copy of "Homegrown Indiana: A Food Lover's Guide to Good Eating in the Hoosier State" (IU Press 2008) in their car.

Authored by Christine Barbour, a political science professor at Indiana University and founder of Bloomington's Slow Food chapter and Scott Hutcheson who apart from his day job in economic development for Purdue University, writes the popular food blog, The Hungry Hoosier, the book features over 400 places to get locally produced food. The book coincides with the growing trend of sustainable local agriculture.

"In a day when most food travels an average of 1,300 miles from field to dinner plate and some produce comes to Indiana from as far away as China," write the authors in their forward, "there is something reassuring about knowing that we an supply almost all our nutritional needs with food that is grown or raised right here in our state."

The reasons are obvious.

Local food is fresher and also can be more unique. And Homegrown Indiana tells how to find small farmers in Northwest Indiana who produce a wide cornucopia of foods.

Organic heirloom tomatoes don't travel well but they taste delicious and local growers include J n J Organic Farm in Kouts.

Hiatt's Pork and Poultry, a fourth generation farm in Rochester whose products have been sold at the South Bend Farmers' Market since 1917, offer -- beyond chickens, duck and turkeys -- geese and bags of chicken feet (they make a great rich soup stock).

Divided by areas, the Hutcheson and Barbour find the urban/rural mix of Northwest Indiana "to be the perfect recipe for a growing foods movement that ranges from freshwater caviar and a world class spice house to organic heirloom tomatoes and award winning cheese."

Hutcheson, who says that he enjoyed throwing his family in the van and traveling the back roads, authored the food finds mentioned in the book for Northwest Indiana.

"The Chesterton European Market was one of the first places I visited," says Hutcheson, who lives in Lebanon.

The market helped him meet vendors who are dedicated to Indiana food ways.

"I'd meet one person and that would lead to another," Hutcheson says. "It just snowballed."

Many of Hutcheson's finds were new to me, even though I grew up in Northwest Indiana.

On his travels he stopped at the Birky Family Farms County Market in Valparaiso whose roots date back to 1919 when Jake and Emma Birky first started raising high-quality pork containing no antibiotics, growth hormones and animal by-products.

Other local finds are Collins Caviar in Michigan City which processes fresh water caviar; Crème de la Crop, an organic farm in Valparaiso which has over 200 varieties of vegetables, fruits and herbs and whose products can be bought at the Valparaiso Farmers' Market; and Farm Direct Meat in St. John, which is a retail distributor of locally farmed, naturally raised meat.

Hutcheson also has some favorite restaurants in Northwest Indiana that use local products including, among a long listing, Marilyn's Bakery and Dinner on the Terrace in Hobart, Pier 74 Pizza Grill in Cedar Lake, Three Floyds Brew Pub in Munster and Dish Restaurant in Valparaiso.

Hutcheson and Barbour established some parameters before starting off on their quest.

"We wanted to include every place that produced or used a significant amount of local product and that was accessible or available to the public," Barbour says.

Both authors found their road trips to be filled with surprises.

"I get most excited about finding locally grown foods where you might not expect them," says Hutcheson noting that Mr. Happy Burger in Logansport, which has been in the same family for 40 years, has been using local beef since they opened. "His story was that when he started, he used what was local so it's not even part of this new trend to buy local food."

Hutcheson says that another unique place he found was at Super Foods in LaCrosse in LaPorte County.

"They have all kinds of game like bear, turtle and rattlesnake," he says. "All hunted locally."

In back of each regional section is a list of restaurants that serve local foods and also farmers' markets, food festivals, wineries, microbreweries and brewpubs. For those who yearn for good food on the road, the book is the perfect answer. And the authors have set up a Web site, www.homegrownindiana.com, where they invite people to post their own food favorites.

"No one is going to be a perfect 'locavore' without a heck of a lot of effort," says Barbour, summing up her food philosophy. "But we make so many food decisions every day, and every one is a vote for the kind of world we want to live it. Even if I eat fast food sometimes, or buy my lettuce in a plastic bag when I am in a hurry, I try to make some of those decisions a vote for fresh, local, and delicious."

The following recipes are from "Homegrown Indiana" and use locally produced food.

Quinoa with Fall Butternut Squash and Tofu with a Peanut Sauce

Marinated Tofu

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons cooking sherry

2 minced garlic

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 package extra firm tofu cubed

Quinoa and Squash

2 -1/2 cups quinoa

1 onion, diced

1/4 stick butter (or any oil)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 in-season butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into bite-size pieces

4 stalks celery

2 bay leafs

3 cups vegetable stock

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 heaping tablespoons natural peanut butter

1 tablespoon coconut milk

* In a medium bowl, add soy sauce, sherry, garlic, vinegar and whisk to combine.

* Add tofu, cover with plastic and refrigerate to marinade for at least 2 hours, overnight if possible.

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

* Wash the quinoa until the water runs clean.

* Spread quinoa out on a baking sheet and roast at 325 degrees until dry and toasted, stirring occasionally.

* Remove baking sheet from the oven and leave the oven on.

* Heat a stock pot to medium and heat butter and oil.

* Sauté onion and celery until soft.

* Add roasted quinoa and squash until well coated.

* Add stock and bay leaf.

* Raise heat to high and bring to a boil.

* Reduce heat to simmer for about 25 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.

* While stock is simmering, place the tofu pieces on the cooking sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

* Remove from the oven to turn over the pieces, return to the oven to bake for 10 minutes more.

* To make the sauce, add water to a sauce pan and bring to a boil.

* Turn off heat and add soy sauce, garlic, and peanut butter, and coconut milk.

* To serve, plate the quinoa and squash, top with tofu, and top with sauce.

Makes about 6 servings.

NOTE: This is one of Barbara Tracy's favorite fall dishes. She has pleased even her most carnivorous friends with this dish. Quinoa is a high protein South American grain. When roasted, quinoa has a wonderful nutty aroma. Pick up a butternut squash at the local farmers market.

SOURCE: Barbara Tracy from Dinner on the Terrace at Marilyn's Pies

Wine-Braised Bison Brisket

1 locally-raised bison brisket, about 5 pounds

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Coarsely ground black pepper

2 medium carrots, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 stalk celery

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. thyme leaves

1 bottle (750ml) red wine, merlot or zinfandel recommended

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups beef broth (or bison broth!)(use homemade if possible; otherwise be sure to use a reduced-sodium variety)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Farm-market fingerling potatoes, cooked, warm

* Place brisket in large non-metallic container or plastic bag.

* Rub with combined mustard, garlic, and pepper.

* Place vegetables and herbs on top of brisket, and pour wine over.

* Marinate, refrigerated, 1 to 2 days.

* Remove brisket from marinade, reserving marinade.

* Dry meat with paper towels.

* Heat oil in large skillet; cook meat until well browned on both sides.

* Place in braising pan or Dutch oven.

* Pour marinade ingredients and broth over meat; cover pan.

* Heat to simmering on top of stove.

* Place pan in 200 degree oven.

* Cook until tender, about 3 hours.

* Do not let the liquid boil, and be careful not to over-cook.

* Bison is very lean, and needs careful cooking so it does not dry out.

* Remove meat from pan, and keep warm.

* Strain braising liquid, discarding vegetables, and removing fat.

* Boil liquid until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.

* Season to taste with salt and pepper.

* Slice meat carefully across the grain.

* Serve with potatoes, carrots, and sauce.

Mskes 6 to 8 servings.

NOTE: Chef Pat Molden of Kelly's Table in LaPorte gets rave reviews for this bison brisket. She uses bison from nearby Prairie Hills Bison. This brisket cooks at a very low temperature so the extra-lean meat does not dry out.

SOURCE: Chef Pat Molden of Kelly's Table in LaPorte