Eastern Washington's Quillisascut Farm, along the Columbia River near Colville, is committed to being part of a small local-food system; it gets nearly all it needs from its grounds, the surrounding area or other nearby farms.

Its slogan is "When life doesn't hand you lemons, make ver jus," a wry nod to the fact that citrus doesn't grow locally, eliminating a common cooking tool. Instead, the farm substitutes the liquid pressed from unripened grapes, which are plentiful. Overall, its pantry is stocked by a sustainability-minded purchasing ideal that first seeks local organic, then local, then organic.

Rick and Lora Lea Misterly, the couple who've owned the goat-cheese farm since 1981, do choose to buy a few things from beyond: butter, spices and olive oil, for instance. Otherwise, recipes enjoyed by those who attend its farm-school program for culinary professionals reflect available local and organic ingredients, capitalizing on the season's first corn or cabbage or improvising in the moment.

"It's letting what's in the garden dictate the menu instead of the other way around," says farm-school chef Kären Jurgensen. "We have stuff off the cuff when it's peak season. Right now we're trying to figure out all these ways to use peaches."

"It's not an exercise in privation, but abundance," adds Rick Misterly. "It's seeing how good things can be when they're in season."

Two recipes Jurgensen featured for those at last month's professional retreat were Doukabour Borscht and Grilled Eggplant Salad with Quark and Roasted Chilies.

The borscht is a local tradition — an honorable objective in sustainable food, recalling the "traditions and knowledge of those who came before us, " says Jurgensen.

Information on the Web

Quillisascut Farm:

www.quillisascutcheese.com

The Doukabours, a pacifist religious sect from Russia, settled in Canada, just across the Eastern Washington border. Jurgensen remembers driving up with her family to fill up their Thermoses with the stuff at Grand Forks' Yale Hotel.

"The dish shows off the season," she writes. "The sweet corn coming on, the tomatoes ripening, the contrast of the fresh dill reflecting the last bit of summer sunshine against the comforting warmth of the potatoes and cabbage."

Be prepared to remove the corn from the cob and scrape the cob clean. "Since you're creaming it, all of the milk from the cob will contribute to the flavor of the soup," she says. Cobs can be tossed into the stockpot for even more flavor and removed with the beet, which itself adds color and an underlying earthy flavor.

Jurgensen says she was inspired to create her Grilled Eggplant Salad with Quark and Roasted Chilies by the eggplant and chili peppers ripening side by side in Quillisascut's garden. "The color contrast is lovely," she notes. "The rich, buttery, smoky taste of the dish cries out for a contrasting 'tang' — hence the quark."

Choose an eggplant that is medium firm to the touch, she says, but not green unless it's a green variety. Salting the sliced eggplant helps release bitterness, prevents a rubbery texture and makes it more palatable for eggplant novices.

Roasting the peppers makes them sweeter and complements the smokiness of the grilled eggplant. Meanwhile, browned butter complements the eggplant's richness while tempering any remaining bitterness and toning down the heat from the chilis.

The farm makes its own quark, a yogurt-like cream, from fresh-cultured goat's milk curds, but varieties such as Applegate Farms are available at stores. Otherwise, substitute Port Madison goat yogurt.

Marc Ramirez: 206-464-8102 or mramirez@seattletimes.com