Kimberly Ragosta’s A Time to Gather Taps into Rhode Island Harvests

Prior to Kimberly Ragosta and her brood living on more than six acres of land with a river running through it, back when writing and publishing a cookbook was just a distant dream, and before three of her five children were born, the now-author was an egg washer at Pat’s Pastured in East Greenwich. The experience would shape her understanding of how important it is to sustain and uplift a local food system.

“It wasn’t until 2021 that I had a great idea,” shares Ragosta. With a growing family and passion for cooking farm-fresh meals from scratch, she started reaching out to farmers to establish a symbiotic relationship, bringing home fresh meat and produce in exchange for recipe development. With the harvests, she would create and photograph recipes the farm could use on their websites, blogs, and social media. “This was a win-win for both of us and an amazing blessing to my family.”

Under the moniker of Little House in the Forest, Ragosta shares recipes and homesteading life on Instagram. Devising everything from creamy pasta with wild-hunted turkey to hearty stews and bakes, each meal features ingredients from Rhode Island fields and pastures. “I have always wanted to create a cookbook since I started developing recipes over 16 years ago,” she reflects.

This fall, the fruits of her labor reached bookshelves in the form of A Time to Gather, a whopping 560-page cookbook filled with over 500 farm-to-table recipes that Ragosta has developed over the years, published by Stillwater River Publications. “It was the hardest project I have ever worked on in my life, but I am so proud of the book that I have created,” says Ragosta. “I like nothing more than immersing myself in the local food community and sharing recipes with people.”

Follow @littlehouseintheforest on Instagram for more events, and find local retailers stocking A Time to Gather by visiting KimberlyRagosta.com.

Thanksgiving Turkey & Gravy

From campfire cooking to everyday meals, Ragosta’s recipes span the gamut of farm-to-table feasting – and the perfect turkey is no exception. Here’s what will be cooking in the Ragosta household on Thanksgiving, followed by a game of football in the yard!

• 1 whole turkey
• 2 sticks of butter at room temperature, divided
• Bundle of fresh parsley, tarragon, and thyme
• 1 Tbsp each of chopped fresh parsley, tarragon, and thyme
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 cups chicken stock

For Gravy:

• Pan juices from cooked turkey
• 4 Tbsp butter
• ½ cup flour

Additional materials: Twine, scissors, tin foil, and roasting pan

1. On the day of cooking, after defrosting the turkey in the refrigerator for 3 days (this worked for a 15-pound bird), preheat oven to 425ºF.
2. Rinse turkey inside and out, making sure to discard giblets. Pat dry. Put half a stick of butter, the bundle of herbs, and a generous amount of salt and pepper inside the cavity.
3. Mix 1 stick of butter with the chopped herbs. Massage the turkey with the herb butter mixture all over; sprinkle salt and pepper.
4. Loosely tie the legs together with twine, place turkey breast side up in an oval roasting pan, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Turn heat down to 350ºF and roast for 30 more minutes. Add 1 cup of broth on top of turkey and 1 tablespoon of butter in the roasting pan after each 30-minute interval of cooking. Do this repeatedly until the meaty part of the thigh reaches about 165ºF. If the turkey is browning too much you can cover it with foil.
5. Remove the turkey from
   the oven and let it rest with
   a foil tent for 30 minutes before slicing. Reserve pan juices for gravy.
6. Prepare gravy by melting butter over medium heat in a skillet. Whisk in flour to create a roux (flour and fat cooked together to thicken the sauce). Slowly whisk in pan juices. Keep whisking over medium heat until a gravy is born. Serve with turkey, and enjoy! 

Note: A 15-pound bird took
about 3 hours in my oven, but
let the temperature of the meat
be your guide.