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Bummer for Nestle, which produces the iconic Libby's canned pumpkin, the go-to squash for millions of pie makers this time of year.

The company says heavy rains have forced it to cease harvesting its crop in Downstate Morton -- which may lead to a shortage during the holiday season of those recognizable orange cans.

But relax, people. You can still bake your pumpkin pie and eat it, too. A pumpkin is a gourd -- as are those oodles of beautiful winter squash with the poetic names (Kabocha, Hubbard, Delicata) crowding the store bins these days.

In my freezer, I have a Ziploc bag full of the cooked flesh of a red Kabocha squash. I bought the squash in early October from farmer Vicki Westerhoff (below) at Green City Market, for our story on farmers' favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Westerhoff is a something of a squash expert -- she grows between 11 and 18 varieties of winter squash on her St. Anne farm -- and her recipe for custard-filled squash is delightful.

In my first attempt at Westerhoff's recipe, however, forces out of my control prevented me from keeping a close eye on the squash -- or, more accurately, the clock -- as it baked (long story; just know it involved my two daughters). The beautiful, majestic squash collapsed on me in the heat, the filling spilling out across the baking sheet. Dang.

But it still tasted delicious, so I scooped all the flesh from the skin anyway, collecting it in a bag and popping it into the freezer. And next week, I'll be making pie with it.

Westerhoff says the three best substitutes for the canned stuff are the Blue Hubbard, Long Island Cheese and Butternut squash (though she assures me my red Kabocha also will work well).

"I would dare say other than a super pumpkin connoisseur, no one would know the difference," she says. "In fact, I think they work better than pumpkin in a lot of ways. The texture is smoother and the flavor is just really good."

So wherever you would have used canned pumpkin, try substituting a squash of a different stripe. It won't be the same old pie you're used to, but I don't think you'll be disappointed, either.

Putting together this week's story on four Illinois farmers and their favorite Thanksgiving recipes ranks up there as one of my favorites. Vicki Westerhoff, David Cleverdon, Tracey Vowell and Marty Travis -- they are some good eggs, and with fascinating back stories to boot.

They were all gracious enough to share their recipes during what is typically for them a busy, busy time -- and if you don't try Travis' cornbread recipe, you're missing out.

Speaking of, I missed a few resources for local food during the winter months in our listing, but the Local Beet, of course, has me covered.

Here, after the jump, are two more recipes from Cleverdon we didn't have space for in the section that make clever use of squash and greens. The rolls, his great-grandmother's recipe, have been in Cleverdon's family since the late 19th-century.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture continues to make good on its promise to boost local, sustainable agriculture. Last week, as part of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food program, it awarded the Illinois Department of Agriculture more than $435,000 to help make locally grown produce more widely available, part of $49 million in grants nationwide.

The dollars will fund 28 projects statewide. Among them: Chicago's Green City Market will get $25,000 to develop its youth project, printed materials, a e-newsletter and a vendor survey; the Illinois Specialty Growers Association will get $20,000 for its annual organic growers conference, and nearly $84,000 will go to CBS Broadcasting to roll out a "Buy Illinois, Choose Illinois" ad campaign.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn't just talk a big, local food game.

This morning, Lyle Allen, director of Chicago's Green City Market, got the call he's been hoping for months to get: The market has been awarded $76,300 as part of a sweeping federal initiative announced last week by the USDA to boost local, sustainable agriculture.

"It's a big day for the Green City Market," says Allen, who got the news via an early morning e-mail.

Ann Wright, the USDA's deputy undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, was just in Chicago last week for the Chefs Collaborative National Summit, where she detailed some of the "Know Your Food, Know Your Farmer" intiative, which includes these farmers market grants as well as a farm-to-school program.

Allen says a good portion of the money will go toward setting up a scholarship program for farmers who sell at Green City Market to attend seminars and conferences that will help them on their way to becoming certified organic or sustainable.

The market is requiring that all of their participating farmers and producers be third party-certified by 2012.

"For some of these small family farms, we know it's a big ask, and since I took on this position last May, I really wanted to find ways to provide outreach to help them," Allen says.

The USDA funds also will help the market promote its electronic benefits transfer program -- which was on hold this past year -- for customers on the federal food stamp program.

"We're hoping to encourage folks on limited incomes that Green City Market is a place where they can come and educate them about nutrition and eating better," Allen says. "I don't think eating better is a luxury that should be available to certain parties and not others."

In all, the USDA awarded 86 grants totaling $4.5 million to farmers markets in 37 states.

We first met Oak Parker Rob Gardner just two years ago.

At the time, he and his family were relatively new -- but very devoted -- to the locavore movement. They were regular farmers market customers, they were getting versed in freezing, preserving and other storage techniques, they'd even ordered half a cow. Gardner chronicled this on his blog, Vital Information, and on the chat site LTHForum.com, in between his day job as a business background investigator.

Last year, as Gardner felt the "eat local" momentum gaining steam, he and Michael Morowitz, a friend from LTHForum, started toying around with a site that could serve as a local food clearinghouse. They launched the Local Beet early this year.

In that time, the Local Beet has picked up quite a following as a go-to resource for when you want to find a farmers market or locavore events around town.

And on Sunday, the group will host a farm dinner -- The Thing To Do these days if you're into eating local -- at Vicki Westerhoff's farm in Downstate St. Anne (Gardner has been a CSA shareholder in Westerhoff's farm for several years now).

"It's great to get out of the city. How many people get a chance to spend some time on a farm?," Gardner says.

Gardner has become a sort of poster boy for eating local. He walks the walk but in a non-threatening, regular Joe sort of way, showing the rest of us that it can be done, but not berating us when we don't.

"It's not like a religion. It's not something where you have to do it this way and if you don't you're a sinner," Gardner says. "Today, for example, I bought some Italian cheese at Bari. My wife and I, if we buy some imported cheese once in a while, it's not going to infringe on our principles or make us less of an advocate."

Gardner will be at the dinner; see for yourself what we mean. The event is only 40 bucks and a scenic 90-minute drive from Chicago.

Go to thelocalbeet.com for more details on the dinner and to buy tickets.