Our third to last delivery brought us beets, celery, broccoli raab, green peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, mizuna, parsley, and apples!!
The apples were a nice surprise. Nothing says fall to me like apples. Growing up it was always a family tradition around this time of year to take a drive out to the nearest apple orchard to pick and eat apples. So I have great memories of apples and it means that fall is really here.
Marissa found a great recipe, Orecchiette with Broccoli Raab that I made today. It's really delicious and really fast and easy. We had some leftover pancetta that I cooked up with the garlic which gave it a great flavor (honestly isn't everything better with pork fat?) but I think this recipe would be great without it too.
I had a lot of fun cooking with the green peppers this week too since I decided to make Stuffed Peppers. I used the Italian style pork sausage that we got this past Sunday from Cedar Valley. I didn't add the egg (you probably should) or the breadcrumbs (didn't have any) that the recipe called for so I substituted chopped almonds in their place. And instead of rosemary I used sage that we still had from a past week and some of this weeks parsley. According to this recipe it looks to me like the meat filling is very similar to a recipe for meatloaf so feel free to make all the additions and subtractions you'd like. A lot of times rice is added to the meat mixture, some of the other things I thought that might be good to add are raisins, cheese, or mushrooms (though maybe not all together) its really limitless. If somebody has a great recipe for stuffed peppers or has ideas for me on different things I could add to future stuffed peppers I'd love to hear it. Have a great week!
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Genius! Why urban farming is more than just a good idea...
Will Allen, the founder of Growing Power, Inc., received the MacArthur Foundation's annual "genius grant" this past week. Growing Power is an amazing organization that strives to put healthy, high-quality, affordable food in the hands of all people through their urban farms. They have mostly focused their mission on lower income communities in so called "food deserts." Allen started out in Milwaukee but in the past few years Growing Power has moved into Chicago. You may have seen their urban farms in Grant Park, Jackson Park, or Cabrini-Green to name a few. You also may have noticed their farm stands at the Green City Market in Lincoln Park or a whole host of farmer's markets on the Southside. I highly recommend checking out the organization’s site to see all the great things they're doing, and supporting them by purchasing their produce at one of the farmers markets they attend.
As you can imagine Growing Power has received a lot of press as a result of their recent award, here is a great article from the NY Times on Will Allen and his vision for the organization. The one downside to Allen being awarded the MacArthur grant is that the Just Food team’s effort to secure someone from the Growing Power organization, which we started working on a few weeks ago, to speak at an upcoming community meal seems like a long shot now. :) Anyway, I encourage you to check out what Growing Power is doing and support them if you can, because they are a great organization that is bringing about positive change in communities through food and farming.
As you can imagine Growing Power has received a lot of press as a result of their recent award, here is a great article from the NY Times on Will Allen and his vision for the organization. The one downside to Allen being awarded the MacArthur grant is that the Just Food team’s effort to secure someone from the Growing Power organization, which we started working on a few weeks ago, to speak at an upcoming community meal seems like a long shot now. :) Anyway, I encourage you to check out what Growing Power is doing and support them if you can, because they are a great organization that is bringing about positive change in communities through food and farming.
week 17!
The Week 17 box was filled with delicata squash , tomatoes (keep 'em coming!), eggplant, swiss chard, extra-peppery arugula, endive frisee, basil and sage.
My new favorite salad mix is swiss chard, arugula and endive frisee! Now that salads greens are back in season, I am loving them more than ever. It was only a few months ago that I recall dreaming of the red, yellow, purple, gold, orange and non-leafy green vegetables to come! At the time, the thought of yet another salad for lunch made me long even more for the vegetables that were in the greenhouses waiting to be ripened or planted. Now I realize just how much I will miss the fresh leafy greens this winter. My salad worldview has been changed forever! I no longer think that salads need anything added to them, even cheese. Farm-fresh additions are always welcome, but I am just as happy with the flavors provided by the greens themselves. Thank you Mike and Clare for making me see salads in a new light!
Ryan and I began the week with a Cedar Valley free-range balsamic roasted chicken . (The recipe is great, but I only needed to roast the chicken for 20 min, not an hour.) Another weeknight was celebrated like a special occasion with simple pan-roasted porkchops and Clare's suggestion for sautéed delicata squash. (From her week 17 email, "Peel, seed, and cube your delicata, cook up some minced onion and garlic in some butter, toss the squash in with some sage and after a couple of minutes a glug of broth and cook until the squash is easily pierced. Maybe top it with a little cheese.") The Cedar Valley chops needed nothing more than salt and pepper before being seared on each side in the pan. Thanks to Mike and Clare, and Beth and Jody, we now find ourselves choosing to stay at home to make our own delicious meals rather than going to a restaurant!
My new favorite salad mix is swiss chard, arugula and endive frisee! Now that salads greens are back in season, I am loving them more than ever. It was only a few months ago that I recall dreaming of the red, yellow, purple, gold, orange and non-leafy green vegetables to come! At the time, the thought of yet another salad for lunch made me long even more for the vegetables that were in the greenhouses waiting to be ripened or planted. Now I realize just how much I will miss the fresh leafy greens this winter. My salad worldview has been changed forever! I no longer think that salads need anything added to them, even cheese. Farm-fresh additions are always welcome, but I am just as happy with the flavors provided by the greens themselves. Thank you Mike and Clare for making me see salads in a new light!
Ryan and I began the week with a Cedar Valley free-range balsamic roasted chicken . (The recipe is great, but I only needed to roast the chicken for 20 min, not an hour.) Another weeknight was celebrated like a special occasion with simple pan-roasted porkchops and Clare's suggestion for sautéed delicata squash. (From her week 17 email, "Peel, seed, and cube your delicata, cook up some minced onion and garlic in some butter, toss the squash in with some sage and after a couple of minutes a glug of broth and cook until the squash is easily pierced. Maybe top it with a little cheese.") The Cedar Valley chops needed nothing more than salt and pepper before being seared on each side in the pan. Thanks to Mike and Clare, and Beth and Jody, we now find ourselves choosing to stay at home to make our own delicious meals rather than going to a restaurant!
[This post submitted by Marissa]
Saturday, September 20, 2008
week 16!
This week's box included eggplant, collard greens, edamame (fun!), tomatoes, summer squash, and mizuna!
This week was also a special week for me as our Just Food team hosted our first community meal at the church. We had a great turnout, and it was amazing to see people from our church, fellow CSA members, and neighbors all gathered together to share a meal. A few of you asked me to post some of the recipes from that meal. You have to realize though that I rarely use just one recipe, the final product instead ends up being a combination of 2 or 3 recipes. So here they are, with my changes.
I'm trying to find a recipe that's similar to the roasted heirloom tomato soup with pesto that we served but I'm not really finding one and it's really simple so here it goes. If you have great tomatoes, and we had some really beautiful tomatoes from City Farm, simply quarter them and put some olive oil, salt, and pepper (white pepper if you don't want bits of black in your finished soup) on them and roast for about 50 min. at 450 degrees. Puree them in a blender and pour through a strainer to catch all the skins and seeds. Take some veggie stock to thin it out to the consistency you want. Thats it! Serve it cold, room temp, or hot. If you end up with both red and yellow tomatoes do the above steps seperately and add the finished products at the very end for a really neat presentation. For the pesto: 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 garlic clove peeled, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil. Blend it and you're all set. I think it makes for a pretty soup and its really tasty too.
The dressing on the green salad I stole from Lenore and her post below. I've made it a few different times now, and I really like it. Thanks Lenore!
The roasted chicken was basically one recipe. Here it is . I gotta admit I was a bit nervous about cooking that much chicken. Chicken is tricky since you have to cook it just so, definitely don't want to overcook or undercook it. I think the rosemary garlic paste added a nice flavor, and by using skin on, bone-in, chicken it kept it extra moist. I couldn't find juniper berries so I didn't use them, but I'd make this recipe again at home and try to use some to see what that adds to it. In addition, I just quartered up some baby red potatoes and placed them on the bottom of the roasting pan, covered them in some olive oil, salt, pepper, sprigs of thyme and rosemary and placed the chicken on top to cook them all together.
The zucchini/summer squash is also really simple. Just slice them up very thinly and sautee them with olive oil and some minced garlic. Once they are almost done toss in some chopped basil, salt and pepper. At the very end put a little squeeze of lemon on top of it to really brighten up the dish and give it a nice flavor.
For dessert I decided to go with fruit crumbles. I've really been on a crumble kick lately, mostly because they are super easy and delicious! I didn't use the sliced almonds that this recipe calls for and I added cinnamon to the mix. Be creative and add whatever fruit you like, I'm pretty sure any fruit or combination of fruits would be great.
Thats it, I hope those of you who were able to make it to the meal had as much fun as I did!! I'm already looking forward to our next one in October, hope you all can make it!
This week was also a special week for me as our Just Food team hosted our first community meal at the church. We had a great turnout, and it was amazing to see people from our church, fellow CSA members, and neighbors all gathered together to share a meal. A few of you asked me to post some of the recipes from that meal. You have to realize though that I rarely use just one recipe, the final product instead ends up being a combination of 2 or 3 recipes. So here they are, with my changes.
I'm trying to find a recipe that's similar to the roasted heirloom tomato soup with pesto that we served but I'm not really finding one and it's really simple so here it goes. If you have great tomatoes, and we had some really beautiful tomatoes from City Farm, simply quarter them and put some olive oil, salt, and pepper (white pepper if you don't want bits of black in your finished soup) on them and roast for about 50 min. at 450 degrees. Puree them in a blender and pour through a strainer to catch all the skins and seeds. Take some veggie stock to thin it out to the consistency you want. Thats it! Serve it cold, room temp, or hot. If you end up with both red and yellow tomatoes do the above steps seperately and add the finished products at the very end for a really neat presentation. For the pesto: 1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves, 2 tablespoons pine nuts, 1 garlic clove peeled, 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil. Blend it and you're all set. I think it makes for a pretty soup and its really tasty too.
The dressing on the green salad I stole from Lenore and her post below. I've made it a few different times now, and I really like it. Thanks Lenore!
The roasted chicken was basically one recipe. Here it is . I gotta admit I was a bit nervous about cooking that much chicken. Chicken is tricky since you have to cook it just so, definitely don't want to overcook or undercook it. I think the rosemary garlic paste added a nice flavor, and by using skin on, bone-in, chicken it kept it extra moist. I couldn't find juniper berries so I didn't use them, but I'd make this recipe again at home and try to use some to see what that adds to it. In addition, I just quartered up some baby red potatoes and placed them on the bottom of the roasting pan, covered them in some olive oil, salt, pepper, sprigs of thyme and rosemary and placed the chicken on top to cook them all together.
The zucchini/summer squash is also really simple. Just slice them up very thinly and sautee them with olive oil and some minced garlic. Once they are almost done toss in some chopped basil, salt and pepper. At the very end put a little squeeze of lemon on top of it to really brighten up the dish and give it a nice flavor.
For dessert I decided to go with fruit crumbles. I've really been on a crumble kick lately, mostly because they are super easy and delicious! I didn't use the sliced almonds that this recipe calls for and I added cinnamon to the mix. Be creative and add whatever fruit you like, I'm pretty sure any fruit or combination of fruits would be great.
Thats it, I hope those of you who were able to make it to the meal had as much fun as I did!! I'm already looking forward to our next one in October, hope you all can make it!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
week 15!
It was the Sunday after Labor Day weekend - unofficially the beginning of fall - and I finally hosted the first Washtenaw Backyard BBQ of the season. It would have been much, much earlier in the summer, except that until recently we did not have a propane tank with which to fuel the gas grill we share with our upstairs neighbor.
So.
The BBQ was a huge success, due in equal part to beautiful friends, and to excellent meat from Cedar Valley and great produce from Mike and Clare. I set out a bowl full of the small and wonderful tomatoes we've received in our boxes over the past two weeks, and they were enjoyed over the course of the afternoon. The yellow variety was the clear favorite.
It was a BYOSTG (stuff to grill) event, and my STG was the pork shoulder steaks from last month's meat share. I've saved most of my meat share items for grilling, so my mouth was watering in anticipation while the steaks cooked slowly over the hot flames. They took about 20 minutes, and were well worth the wait! All I did to prep the steaks was rub them with garlic and olive oil, and they turned out great- juicy and full of flavor - some of the best pork I've tasted.
I kept thinking back to the farm visit in May, and could hear Jody's voice in my head introducing us to the "happy pigs" they were raising. Those happy creatures provided these steaks, as well as many other wonderful and flavorful pork cuts we've enjoyed over the summer. Since reading "The Omnivore's Dilemma" I've been trying to be a more conscious carnivore. I would like to only eat meat if I know and agree with how the animals were raised and treated. It was great to enjoy the BBQ last week with Beth and Jody's philosophy and practices in mind.
[this post submitted by Dena]
Friday, September 5, 2008
week 14!
In this weeks box we got: swiss chard, peppers, tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers, thyme and garlic.
Shortly behind my love for cooking is my love for cookbooks. I’m the nerd who can spend hours in the cooking section at Borders, anxiously anticipates the James Beard Foundation Awards each year and may just have a cookbook or two on my nightstand to peruse before dozing off at night. After a summer of participating in the CSA, I’ve learned to love some of the great books in my collection even more. For those looking for some good resources on fresh, healthful and simple recipes using your CSA share, I thought I’d share some of my personal favorites:
The cookbook that gets the most use in our home is Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and it’s by far the one I’ve turned to most this season. Madison’s vast collection of recipes touches on all the bases – unique salads and soups, simple pizzas, pastas and gratins, ideas for incorporating whole grains and beans into your diet and some of the best breads I’ve ever baked. Best of all, Madison covers almost every vegetable imaginable – from the most basic to the most obscure – by explaining how to choose, store and prepare in both simple and complex ways. An easy weeknight dinner we love that uses some of this week’s items is spaghetti with zucchini and basil. Sauté 1 ½ lbs. cubed zucchini with a little olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper for about 20 minutes. Add ½ cup milk and cook for 10 more minutes. Toss with 1 lb. cooked pasta, a mix of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheeses and a handful of torn, fresh basil. I’m sure the summer squash would work well in this dish, too.
If you’re interested in learning about all the health benefits of your ingredients, Nina Simonds’ Spices of Life is the book for you. Simonds reminds us that the vitamins and nutrients in fruits, vegetables, herbs and other natural ingredients have a significant, lasting impact on our health, and specifically lists these properties with each recipe. This gem of a book includes my favorite miso soup (a simple mix of 6 c. chicken broth, a generous ½ cup white miso paste, and ½ cup cubed tofu) that calls for shiitake mushrooms, spinach and green onions, but in reality works great with whatever veggies you have on hand (especially greens like the swiss chard in this week’s box). Another standard in our home is Simonds’ avocado tomato salsa – a fabulously delicious alternative to guacamole. Mix ¾ lb. seeded, chopped tomatoes, 2 diced avocados, juice of 2 limes, 1 chopped jalapeno, 1 Tbs. minced garlic, 1 cup minced green onions, 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, ½ c. chopped fresh cilantro and 1 tsp. salt. Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or spoon over grilled chicken, fish or meat.
Though a bit more involved, The Food and Wine Cookbook from gourmet haven Dean & Deluca provides some beautiful options for a dinner party or special meal. This book also includes a wonderful vinaigrette to use some of the thyme and garlic this week. Blend 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme and 1 minced garlic clove. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over your favorite salad. Trust me, this easy mix will surely replace your favorite bottled dressing. Enjoy!
Shortly behind my love for cooking is my love for cookbooks. I’m the nerd who can spend hours in the cooking section at Borders, anxiously anticipates the James Beard Foundation Awards each year and may just have a cookbook or two on my nightstand to peruse before dozing off at night. After a summer of participating in the CSA, I’ve learned to love some of the great books in my collection even more. For those looking for some good resources on fresh, healthful and simple recipes using your CSA share, I thought I’d share some of my personal favorites:
The cookbook that gets the most use in our home is Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, and it’s by far the one I’ve turned to most this season. Madison’s vast collection of recipes touches on all the bases – unique salads and soups, simple pizzas, pastas and gratins, ideas for incorporating whole grains and beans into your diet and some of the best breads I’ve ever baked. Best of all, Madison covers almost every vegetable imaginable – from the most basic to the most obscure – by explaining how to choose, store and prepare in both simple and complex ways. An easy weeknight dinner we love that uses some of this week’s items is spaghetti with zucchini and basil. Sauté 1 ½ lbs. cubed zucchini with a little olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper for about 20 minutes. Add ½ cup milk and cook for 10 more minutes. Toss with 1 lb. cooked pasta, a mix of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Romano cheeses and a handful of torn, fresh basil. I’m sure the summer squash would work well in this dish, too.
If you’re interested in learning about all the health benefits of your ingredients, Nina Simonds’ Spices of Life is the book for you. Simonds reminds us that the vitamins and nutrients in fruits, vegetables, herbs and other natural ingredients have a significant, lasting impact on our health, and specifically lists these properties with each recipe. This gem of a book includes my favorite miso soup (a simple mix of 6 c. chicken broth, a generous ½ cup white miso paste, and ½ cup cubed tofu) that calls for shiitake mushrooms, spinach and green onions, but in reality works great with whatever veggies you have on hand (especially greens like the swiss chard in this week’s box). Another standard in our home is Simonds’ avocado tomato salsa – a fabulously delicious alternative to guacamole. Mix ¾ lb. seeded, chopped tomatoes, 2 diced avocados, juice of 2 limes, 1 chopped jalapeno, 1 Tbs. minced garlic, 1 cup minced green onions, 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil, ½ c. chopped fresh cilantro and 1 tsp. salt. Serve with tortilla chips as an appetizer or spoon over grilled chicken, fish or meat.
Though a bit more involved, The Food and Wine Cookbook from gourmet haven Dean & Deluca provides some beautiful options for a dinner party or special meal. This book also includes a wonderful vinaigrette to use some of the thyme and garlic this week. Blend 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil, 1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme and 1 minced garlic clove. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over your favorite salad. Trust me, this easy mix will surely replace your favorite bottled dressing. Enjoy!
[This post submitted by Lenore]
Friday, August 29, 2008
week 13!
This week's box had lots of great stuff in it. Tomatoes, kale, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, basil, garlic, and serrano peppers!
The month of August for me has been all about tomatoes. I think I've eaten more tomatoes in the last few weeks than in the previous 5 years combined. As a kid I never liked tomatoes all that much and its only been in recent years that I've begun to appreciate just how wonderful they are.
In my state of tomato euphoria I purchased a LOT of tomatoes at the Green City Market the day before we got this weeks CSA box which also had a LOT of tomatoes in it. Since we had so many of them I had to start getting creative. Luckily, after a trip last fall to Blue Hill at Stone Barns (a must visit for local food fans and foodies alike) which is just outside of NYC, I was inspired to try my hand at a chilled tomato soup. Their chilled heirloom tomato soup still stands out in my mind as one of the highlights of an all-around excellent meal there. I decided to head to Epicurious.com, of course, and found an easy recipe that I tried called Chilled Tomato, Roasted Garlic, and Basil Soup. The result was good, I think I might add a little chicken or vegetable stock to it to give it more of a soupy consistency. It was tasty, but my search is still on for the perfect chilled tomato soup recipe.
Next week I'm going to try the Chilled Golden Tomato Bisque recipe. It looks delicious and there is no cooking involved, perfect on a hot summer day!
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, and safe travels!
The month of August for me has been all about tomatoes. I think I've eaten more tomatoes in the last few weeks than in the previous 5 years combined. As a kid I never liked tomatoes all that much and its only been in recent years that I've begun to appreciate just how wonderful they are.
In my state of tomato euphoria I purchased a LOT of tomatoes at the Green City Market the day before we got this weeks CSA box which also had a LOT of tomatoes in it. Since we had so many of them I had to start getting creative. Luckily, after a trip last fall to Blue Hill at Stone Barns (a must visit for local food fans and foodies alike) which is just outside of NYC, I was inspired to try my hand at a chilled tomato soup. Their chilled heirloom tomato soup still stands out in my mind as one of the highlights of an all-around excellent meal there. I decided to head to Epicurious.com, of course, and found an easy recipe that I tried called Chilled Tomato, Roasted Garlic, and Basil Soup. The result was good, I think I might add a little chicken or vegetable stock to it to give it more of a soupy consistency. It was tasty, but my search is still on for the perfect chilled tomato soup recipe.
Next week I'm going to try the Chilled Golden Tomato Bisque recipe. It looks delicious and there is no cooking involved, perfect on a hot summer day!
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, and safe travels!
Friday, August 22, 2008
week 12!
This week's box: broccoli, green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, scallions, and parsley.
At the beginning of the summer, I assumed I would spend a lot of time looking for new recipes and inventing new curries. Instead, this summer I've found myself wanting to eat everything raw. Raw turned out to be the best way to taste the difference between waxed cucumbers (from the store—longer shelf life!) and those we get in the box. It's the best way to get all the earthy zing of the kohlrabi and the mild sweetness of yellow squash. And, of course, raw is also a great way to consume those nutrients that go missing by the time you're done with the boiling, baking, blanching, or grilling.
So, though I have tried a little stove-top magic (alliterative fennel comes to mind), I'm finding that the summer's heat and our weekly box have provided the perfect reason to go minimal in the kitchen with my favorite new food prep ritual: washing, chopping, and... eating!
If you're curious about raw food and people who love it, you can read more here.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
week 11!
Week 11 brought us some amazing produce from Mike & Clare which included collard greens, potatoes, green beans, cucumbers, summer squash, tomatoes, and cippolini onions! wow!
We've really been enjoying the cucumbers and tomatoes. A simple salad of diced cucumbers and tomatoes with olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, crumbled feta cheese, and salt and pepper is a perfect summer treat!
Some of you have been wondering about additional online food-related resources so I'll share with you my personal favorites.
The best site, in my opinion, for recipes is Epicurious. All of the recipes on the site are taken from Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazine. The recipes are always delicious, beautiful, and crowd-pleasers. Plus, there isn't a fruit, vegetable, or cut of meat you can buy that they don't have a recipe for.
Another great place to get recipes accompanied by fun food writing is the Mark Bittman blog "Bitten". It's updated daily and almost always includes a recipe. I highly recommend it, I never miss a day.
If you want to find out more about organic food and organic farming then you should definitely check out a blog that I very recently found out about (thank you Ryan A.) called OrganicToBe. This blog includes a lot of interesting articles about the current state of organic/sustainable farming in the US as well tips for home gardeners, recipes etc.
If you'd like to keep up to speed on the local, sustainable, seasonal food scene in Chicago then a great place to look is Edible Chicago. It's a new magazine so there's limited content on the site at this point but the calendar of events section alone is reason enough to keep this site handy.
Anyway, those are some of my favorites. If you know of a great food site that the rest of us should be checking out let me know!
We've really been enjoying the cucumbers and tomatoes. A simple salad of diced cucumbers and tomatoes with olive oil, a splash of red wine vinegar, crumbled feta cheese, and salt and pepper is a perfect summer treat!
Some of you have been wondering about additional online food-related resources so I'll share with you my personal favorites.
The best site, in my opinion, for recipes is Epicurious. All of the recipes on the site are taken from Bon Appetit and Gourmet magazine. The recipes are always delicious, beautiful, and crowd-pleasers. Plus, there isn't a fruit, vegetable, or cut of meat you can buy that they don't have a recipe for.
Another great place to get recipes accompanied by fun food writing is the Mark Bittman blog "Bitten". It's updated daily and almost always includes a recipe. I highly recommend it, I never miss a day.
If you want to find out more about organic food and organic farming then you should definitely check out a blog that I very recently found out about (thank you Ryan A.) called OrganicToBe. This blog includes a lot of interesting articles about the current state of organic/sustainable farming in the US as well tips for home gardeners, recipes etc.
If you'd like to keep up to speed on the local, sustainable, seasonal food scene in Chicago then a great place to look is Edible Chicago. It's a new magazine so there's limited content on the site at this point but the calendar of events section alone is reason enough to keep this site handy.
Anyway, those are some of my favorites. If you know of a great food site that the rest of us should be checking out let me know!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
from the farmers
Hello CSA members. I've been reading over the blog posts here and I think the food is presented well. All that good cooking! Now I'm hungry.
Reading Dena's account of roasting a chicken for the first time reminded me of the first time I attempted the same thing. I too had to cook it for longer. Everyone's oven is different and you really have to figure out how your oven cooks things to know the right time and temperature. That chicken sure was good once I had it cooked long enough. I'm sold on pasture raised chicken. The Osmunds work with nature and it is proven out by the results.
We thought it'd be nice for us to give you some more background on us, why/how we got into this career and our viewpoint on being sustainable and eating locally.
Like everyone, we're concerned about the environment and how our food is being grown. As children we all had professions we dreamed of becoming. For both of us we realized early on we wanted to be farmers. Maybe we didn't quite understand what that meant, but there was something about farming that we found attractive. Neither of us grew up on a farm, so our options were limited. Clare got her education at summer camps where she got a chance to experience the wonder of the outdoors. Somewhere in there I managed to detassle corn for $3.35 an hour.That taught me more about farm labor than growing food.
Both of us got through our twenties and into our early thirties and we had each managed to build good careers. Clare worked her way to Education Director of a museum and I was a computer programmer for a nation-wide retailer. At this point we each had an ah-ha moment and decided it was time to pursue something that we really believed in.
As far as to why we farm like we do, it really comes down to our belief that all life is sacred and thatmodern industrial agriculture is doing great harm to life. We all know the great contribution Michael Pollen has recently made to the national awareness of our food production and the need to transform it. We agree with him that it needs to become sustainable. What does sustainable mean? Well, we're working through that ourselves andwelcome any feedback from members on this issue. For us we're starting with organic production, no-till and on-farm generated fertility. Conversations with other farmers, CSA members, food activists as well as active reading shape our thoughts on this complicated topic.
To have a sustainable planet we need to eat locally. When you know your farmer, then you can make sure the food you're eating is healthy. To grow healthy food year after year a farm needs to employ sustainable practices, else they have to rely on fossil fuel based fertilizers and herbicides. That's cheating and shows they don't understand soil fertility. Kind of like a do-over, or sweeping dirt under the rug. When you buy local from sustainable farmers you help nurture the knowledge and farming expertise we're going to need to get back to working with nature. In conclusion, I'd like to say once again how much we value our CSA members. We're honored that you participate in this with us. The season is long and farming can be a humbling experience. We're thankful for your support.
We look forward to meeting you again. It has been a while since the last potluck and I'm thinking we need to get the next one on the calendar!
Reading Dena's account of roasting a chicken for the first time reminded me of the first time I attempted the same thing. I too had to cook it for longer. Everyone's oven is different and you really have to figure out how your oven cooks things to know the right time and temperature. That chicken sure was good once I had it cooked long enough. I'm sold on pasture raised chicken. The Osmunds work with nature and it is proven out by the results.
We thought it'd be nice for us to give you some more background on us, why/how we got into this career and our viewpoint on being sustainable and eating locally.
Like everyone, we're concerned about the environment and how our food is being grown. As children we all had professions we dreamed of becoming. For both of us we realized early on we wanted to be farmers. Maybe we didn't quite understand what that meant, but there was something about farming that we found attractive. Neither of us grew up on a farm, so our options were limited. Clare got her education at summer camps where she got a chance to experience the wonder of the outdoors. Somewhere in there I managed to detassle corn for $3.35 an hour.That taught me more about farm labor than growing food.
Both of us got through our twenties and into our early thirties and we had each managed to build good careers. Clare worked her way to Education Director of a museum and I was a computer programmer for a nation-wide retailer. At this point we each had an ah-ha moment and decided it was time to pursue something that we really believed in.
As far as to why we farm like we do, it really comes down to our belief that all life is sacred and thatmodern industrial agriculture is doing great harm to life. We all know the great contribution Michael Pollen has recently made to the national awareness of our food production and the need to transform it. We agree with him that it needs to become sustainable. What does sustainable mean? Well, we're working through that ourselves andwelcome any feedback from members on this issue. For us we're starting with organic production, no-till and on-farm generated fertility. Conversations with other farmers, CSA members, food activists as well as active reading shape our thoughts on this complicated topic.
To have a sustainable planet we need to eat locally. When you know your farmer, then you can make sure the food you're eating is healthy. To grow healthy food year after year a farm needs to employ sustainable practices, else they have to rely on fossil fuel based fertilizers and herbicides. That's cheating and shows they don't understand soil fertility. Kind of like a do-over, or sweeping dirt under the rug. When you buy local from sustainable farmers you help nurture the knowledge and farming expertise we're going to need to get back to working with nature. In conclusion, I'd like to say once again how much we value our CSA members. We're honored that you participate in this with us. The season is long and farming can be a humbling experience. We're thankful for your support.
We look forward to meeting you again. It has been a while since the last potluck and I'm thinking we need to get the next one on the calendar!
[This post submitted by Mike]
Saturday, August 9, 2008
an all-CSA meal
Week 10 of our share from Mike and Clare's farm included the full bounty of summer: swiss chard, fingerling potatoes, zucchini, kohlrabi, green beans, cucumber, and (more) garlic! And as much as I enjoyed the many varieties of greens we received in our first weeks' boxes, I am a sucker for squash and have discovered a love for the strange goodness that is kohlrabi (I think this may be due to Clare's very persuasive arguments for the wonderful vegetable!).
Spurred on by participation in the CSA and the completion of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" back in June, I recently decided to limit the amount of meat and poultry I consume. My new rule is to eat these meats only if I know where they came from and a little about how they were raised. Those of you who have seen me working the grill at post-softball BBQs feel free to hold me accountable here... no, I have not stuck by this new rule consistently! However, it is something to work toward, slowly. Thank God for the meat share from Cedar Valley!
So far I have only sampled the pork sausage and chicken. It would help if I got our gas grill working (no propane) for the steaks and ground beef - something I hope to do in the next few weeks. In this month's meat share we received a whole fryer chicken and two pre-cut halves. I split this share with the Phillip's, and ended up taking home the two half fryers. This week I decided to roast one of them, with this result:
Spurred on by participation in the CSA and the completion of "The Omnivore's Dilemma" back in June, I recently decided to limit the amount of meat and poultry I consume. My new rule is to eat these meats only if I know where they came from and a little about how they were raised. Those of you who have seen me working the grill at post-softball BBQs feel free to hold me accountable here... no, I have not stuck by this new rule consistently! However, it is something to work toward, slowly. Thank God for the meat share from Cedar Valley!
So far I have only sampled the pork sausage and chicken. It would help if I got our gas grill working (no propane) for the steaks and ground beef - something I hope to do in the next few weeks. In this month's meat share we received a whole fryer chicken and two pre-cut halves. I split this share with the Phillip's, and ended up taking home the two half fryers. This week I decided to roast one of them, with this result:
It was a complete, all-CSA meal! I started with a bed of potatoes, small carrots, green onions, and garlic drizzled in olive oil. I added a handful of fresh herbs from our back patio garden - rosemary and thyme, I think - and then placed the half-fryer on top. I basted the poultry in a simple olive oil and black pepper mixture, and roasted it all in a 350 degree oven. I had never roasted a chicken like this before and was a little nervous about getting it cooked completely, so I purchased a simple meat thermometer and stuck it through the breast meat right before I threw it in the oven. After only 45 minutes the thermometer indicated the meat was ready, but I found that as I cut the chicken open there were quite a few parts that were not cooked all the way through (many of the potatoes and carrots were still hard as well). I don't know if I got the thermometer up against a bone, or if the addition of the vegetables somehow threw the temp off - either way, it all went back in the oven to finish cooking. 30 minutes later I savored this wonderful meal with a little white wine, and ended up with two lunches worth of leftovers. Needless to say, there was much envy among my co-workers this week!
[This post submitted by Dena]
Saturday, August 2, 2008
week 9!
This week's bounty from Mike & Clare included some zucchini, green beans, potatoes (Red Dales & Kennebecs), kale, basil, and persian star garlic.
I hope you all are enjoying the CSA as much as I am as we near the halfway point. Happy cooking!
Also, this week was the second installment of our monthly meat share from Cedar Valley. We got a huge rack of pork ribs, burger patties, sirloin steaks, ground beef, italian sausage, whole chickens and a dozen eggs.
I chose to try out the recipe for parmesan-crusted zucchini that Clare sent along with her e-newsletter. It turned out great, I was in a bit of a rush though so I got a little "creative" (lazy) and combined a step or two. The end result was probably not ideal but delicious nonetheless.
I also made a figure it out as you go recipe involving things I had left in the fridge. It turned out really tasty and only the red onion is not from the CSA. My tip for this is to pre-cook the potatoes before you fry them. Either steam them in the microwave, as I did, or boil them first to avoid spending the next couple of hours by the stove. The fresh basil from Mike & Clare really made the dish look presentable and taste better too.
I hope you all are enjoying the CSA as much as I am as we near the halfway point. Happy cooking!Friday, August 1, 2008
do just food
I've really been enjoying my participation in the CSA this year, the ability to eat local sustainable produce is a great option to have. However, I also realize that having easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables is not an option for a lot of people. This has led me to wrestle with two main questions. Should fresh produce, in this case local, sustainably grown produce, be made widely available to low or fixed income individuals? (There's actually a lively debate going on about that on various blogs.) And if yes, then how do we make that happen? Myself, and our church, felt that accessibility was important and our answer was to create a program called Just Food. This year we applied for a grant through our denomination's central conference to purchase additional shares that we could then give away for free. We've partnered with the Lakeview Food Pantry to identify families in our neighborhood who would most benefit from a free weekly supply of produce.
The recent news of LA's one-year ban on the opening of new fast food restaurants in the impoverished South LA neighborhood has once again gotten me thinking about disparities in class and access to healthy food. While I'm a little nervous about the government determining what we can and cannot eat (ahem, foie gras my fellow Chicagoans) I at least appreciate the fact that they are recognizing the somewhat predatory nature and long term health effects fast food companies are inflicting upon poorer neighborhoods. I also ran across this article, a few months back, which takes a very interesting look at the effects of rising food prices and the lack of quality food options on low income individuals.
For those of you who are interested in what that specifically looks like in Chicago here is an in-depth study I found which was done in 2005. It's not a light read, but it's really fascinating. I do think that Chicago has made some progress on this issue since the report came out. Several grocery stores have opened in the so-called "food deserts" and multiple farmers markets have opened throughout the Southside but there is still a lot of work to be done.
So what role, if any, should we play in this issue in the coming years? What do you think Just Food could/should become? I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas as we continue on this journey together.
The recent news of LA's one-year ban on the opening of new fast food restaurants in the impoverished South LA neighborhood has once again gotten me thinking about disparities in class and access to healthy food. While I'm a little nervous about the government determining what we can and cannot eat (ahem, foie gras my fellow Chicagoans) I at least appreciate the fact that they are recognizing the somewhat predatory nature and long term health effects fast food companies are inflicting upon poorer neighborhoods. I also ran across this article, a few months back, which takes a very interesting look at the effects of rising food prices and the lack of quality food options on low income individuals.
For those of you who are interested in what that specifically looks like in Chicago here is an in-depth study I found which was done in 2005. It's not a light read, but it's really fascinating. I do think that Chicago has made some progress on this issue since the report came out. Several grocery stores have opened in the so-called "food deserts" and multiple farmers markets have opened throughout the Southside but there is still a lot of work to be done.
So what role, if any, should we play in this issue in the coming years? What do you think Just Food could/should become? I'm really looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas as we continue on this journey together.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
week 8!
We're finally getting around to using our meat share. On Saturday night we used the sausage on homemade pizzas and it was fantastic! We were so inspired, in fact, that we defrosted the rib eye steaks for dinner this week.
Heath used a basic salt/pepper/garlic salt rub and then marinated the meat for a bit in steak sauce before throwing the steaks on the grill. They were superb! Extremely moist and flavorful.
Heath used a basic salt/pepper/garlic salt rub and then marinated the meat for a bit in steak sauce before throwing the steaks on the grill. They were superb! Extremely moist and flavorful.
This week's vegetable share brought us swiss chard, green beans, green onions, chives, garlic and cherries! So, we decided to pair the rib eyes with a grilled potato, chive, mushroom and onion mix. The potatoes and chives came from this week's veggie share. It was a simple summer meal and it was delicious.
On a side note, we also put our CSA cherries to good use in a simple apple/cherry crisp. It's amazing how fruit, topped with a little brown sugar, butter and oats can taste so darn good!
[This post submitted by Thais]
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
a baptism by fryer
In our meat share this month, we and the Daigles divided our delivery of two (whole) mini chickens, some beef steaks, pork shoulder, beef patties, and a dozen eggs. A few nights ago, TK and I decided to grill up our whole fryer which is, essentially, a chicken that is butchered around eight weeks old. Cute right?
Well, not for long. In our attempt to cut up our bird, we realized early on that we had no clue what the heck we were doing. Our inexperience with meat - an entire body of meat, complete with bones, skin, and other things I don't even have the first clue about - was evident and humbling. I mean, I've prepared a Thanksgiving turkey a time or two, but this, for some reason was a new experience. One doesn't need to ponder the composition of a chicken's body or meat content when they buy boneless, skinless chicken breast from the store, packaged and ready to cook.
We commandeered what meat we could from this baby, doused it in some wing sauce, and put it on the grill. Served up with a salad made of mostly CSA veggies, we tasted - for the first time I can recall - chicken from a local farm, completely free range and unprocessed. I was wary of and didn't want to convince myself that the meat would taste better, just because I had been told and had read that it was supposed to. But chickens who live in open space, and are not fed garbage, or aren't "abused" - essentially "happy" chickens - must taste better, right?
RIGHT! It was scrumptious! This bird honestly tasted different from other chicken I've tasted before...more meaty, if you can imagine, more substance. We did feel a little like scavengers, pulling every last morsel off the bones after having cluelessly quartered it. Hopefully our next installment will include a larger chicken with more breast meat so that we can feast for a little longer. For now though, I am thankful for the meal this little whole fryer provided us.
[This post submitted by Sarah]
Thursday, July 17, 2008
week seven!
This week, we saw veggies from Mike and Clare as well as Genesis Growers and Earth and Skye Farms. Our haul: carrots, beets, broccoli raab, napa cabbage, endive, microgreens, and garlic. My major challenge: finding a time of day when it isn't too hot to use the oven for roasting.
One of my hopes in participating with this project was to use food well. Which is to say, not to let things go bad before I use them, to be more intentional with my food consumption. I started gardening with my mom as soon as I could walk and my grandfather was a grower in California, so I've always felt a twinge when I've let something go bad. But something I've noticed about this season is how, er, precious the food seems. I find myself digging around, making sure that not even one lemony buckwheat sprout is lost. And, of course, when I'm not eating at home, I'm reading menus with avarice, trying to figure out new things I can do with my food at home.
I think all this attentiveness is good. Yesterday it was good like this:
[photo: some delicious kind of garlic scape, cucumber, basil, red bean, daikon radish, ginger-balsamic, clean-out-the-refrigerator-from-anything-we-didn't-eat-up-last-week tuna salad. multi-grain roll on the side.]
One of my hopes in participating with this project was to use food well. Which is to say, not to let things go bad before I use them, to be more intentional with my food consumption. I started gardening with my mom as soon as I could walk and my grandfather was a grower in California, so I've always felt a twinge when I've let something go bad. But something I've noticed about this season is how, er, precious the food seems. I find myself digging around, making sure that not even one lemony buckwheat sprout is lost. And, of course, when I'm not eating at home, I'm reading menus with avarice, trying to figure out new things I can do with my food at home.
I think all this attentiveness is good. Yesterday it was good like this:
[photo: some delicious kind of garlic scape, cucumber, basil, red bean, daikon radish, ginger-balsamic, clean-out-the-refrigerator-from-anything-we-didn't-eat-up-last-week tuna salad. multi-grain roll on the side.]
[post by Lisa]
Saturday, July 12, 2008
week six!
Week six brought a lot more delicious, and salmonella-free, produce as well as our first meat share from Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm. Mike and Clare brought us kale, green cabbage, kohlrabi (one of my favorites!), lettuce, green garlic, and thyme.
The first meat share came this week and included 2 premium steaks (either ribeye, ny strip, or filet mignon), pork sausage or Italian sausage, a pork shoulder roast, hamburger patties, a couple of whole (small) chickens, and 2 dozen eggs. The eggs really were amazing. They had such a beautiful bright orange yolk, and I found them to be creamier and richer than any store bought egg I'd ever eaten. We also used the pork shoulder, put it in the crock-pot for the whole day, and made a really delicious Eastern Carolina-style pulled pork sandwich. Yep, Eastern Carolina-style which is vinegar based (instead of tomato), and instead of using bbq sauce you put coleslaw on the sandwich, delicious! We also cooked up the hamburger patties which were great, really high-quality meat. I'd love to hear what other people are doing with their meat shares!
The first meat share came this week and included 2 premium steaks (either ribeye, ny strip, or filet mignon), pork sausage or Italian sausage, a pork shoulder roast, hamburger patties, a couple of whole (small) chickens, and 2 dozen eggs. The eggs really were amazing. They had such a beautiful bright orange yolk, and I found them to be creamier and richer than any store bought egg I'd ever eaten. We also used the pork shoulder, put it in the crock-pot for the whole day, and made a really delicious Eastern Carolina-style pulled pork sandwich. Yep, Eastern Carolina-style which is vinegar based (instead of tomato), and instead of using bbq sauce you put coleslaw on the sandwich, delicious! We also cooked up the hamburger patties which were great, really high-quality meat. I'd love to hear what other people are doing with their meat shares!
big food big problems?
You can call it a fad, a craze, a flash in the pan, but I think the idea of eating locally is here to stay. Especially in light of the recent salmonella outbreak which now boasts over 1000 related illnesses, the largest ever salmonella outbreak, as well as the frequent meat recalls. By now we’ve all heard about the possible salmonella tainted tomatoes, or was it peppers or maybe cilantro or maybe basil that have affected people in nearly every state and in multiple countries around the world.
Receiving far less news coverage but equally disturbing was the 530,000 pound ground beef recall from a meat processing plant in Nebraska which took place just a few weeks ago. Maybe this recent recall received so little press because we are fresh off of the largest beef recall in US history, 143 Million pounds, which was linked to a firm in California earlier this year. The question that I’m wondering is, has our food gotten more unsafe or am I just more aware of this kind of news now.
Receiving far less news coverage but equally disturbing was the 530,000 pound ground beef recall from a meat processing plant in Nebraska which took place just a few weeks ago. Maybe this recent recall received so little press because we are fresh off of the largest beef recall in US history, 143 Million pounds, which was linked to a firm in California earlier this year. The question that I’m wondering is, has our food gotten more unsafe or am I just more aware of this kind of news now.
Friday, July 4, 2008
weeks four and five!
[photo: garlic scapes at play]week 4: kale, baby pac choi, kohlrabi, greens (mustard or turnips), lettuce, green garlic, basil
week 5: fennel, cabbage, potatoes or broccoli, mizuna, baby swiss chard, garlic scapes
***
I'm really awful at following recipes, so here's what I made this up for the fennel (sorry, no photo—we consumed it on the quick):
Alliterative Fennel, or
Figgy Fennel with Feta and Fronds
prep:
slice 2 fennel plants (bulbs, stems, and fronds—reserving fronds for later)
slice 3-4 figs into small parts
crumble feta (to taste)
pick 8 basil leaves from backyard patio—chop into bits
cook:
sauté fennel bulb and stem in your favorite oil until texture shifts
add fig to coat it in oil and warm it to temperature of fennel
add fronds and basil mix in for even distribution (for a minute or so)
garnish with feta
[post by Lisa]
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
not your nonna's gnocchi
I ran across a fun way to use beets, in gnocchi! They look beautiful and taste great too! I have to admit that I don't enjoy the earthiness of beets, but loved this recipe because the parmesan and ricotta balanced the strong flavor. If you love beets, use more than the recipe calls for.
Here is the recipe (makes 4 main-course servings):
3-4 small beets, trimmed
1 pound fresh ricotta cheese
1 large egg
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups flour, divided
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
fresh rosemary sprigs, or bunch of basil, chopped
Additional Parmesan cheese, shaved
Additional basil leaves, to garnish
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender, about 1 hour. Cool 15 minutes. Slip skin off beets; discard skins. Coarsely grate beets. Place grated beets in large bowl. Stir in ricotta, egg, 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Mix in 1 cup flour. (Gnocchi dough can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Lightly dust baking sheet with flour. Place remaining flour in small bowl. Using a tablespoon as aid, scoop dough into small rounds; transfer to bowl with flour, roll to coat. To shape the gnocchi: hold a salad fork in one hand so the tip rests on the work surface at a 45-degree angle. Place a piece of the dough at the top of the tines with your free thumb in the center. In one gentle motion, quickly press and roll the dough along the tines to make groves in one side of the dumpling. The other side will have a small dent from your thumb, perfectly suited for holding a sauce. Transfer gnocchi to prepared baking sheet. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
Melt butter with rosemary or basil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Cook until butter begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add olive oil, set aside. Working in batches, cook gnocchi in large pot of simmering salted water, 3 1/2 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer gnocchi to skillet with butter, olive oil and rosemary/basil. Heat over medium heat, stirring gently to coat. Transfer to plate; sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, garnish with basil leaves and serve. (Paraphrased from Bon Appetit magazine, October 2004).
[This post submitted by Marissa]
Saturday, June 21, 2008
an experiment in turnips
Much like Amy (see below), I'm not one who dabbles in the unknown when it comes to cooking. I tend to stick to what I know (not that much), and follow recipes to a tee when I feel like making something new. This way of using food has led me to a pretty standard and, admittedly, pretty boring Midwestern diet. Part of what I hope to gain from participation in the CSA is simply new food knowledge - an expansion of my food base on which to build over time.So this week, realizing that my roommate (who does most of the cooking at our apartment) would be out of town and thus out of reach for ideas and inspiration on how to use such rare (to me) items as turnips, I decided to try out Clare's recipe for serving turnips with their greens. The result was pretty delightful!
I've never cooked turnips before, but even I could tell this was going to be a fairly simple dish. I set the turnips in a steaming basket with a few red potatoes I had on hand, while at the same time cooking their greens (washed and stems trimmed down a bit) in boiling water. The greens were ready first (in about 8 minutes), and after following the recipe's advice to remove excess water, I tossed them in a little melted butter and arranged them on my plate. The turnips and potatoes only needed a couple more minutes, then they were tossed with the buttery mix as well. I laid the turnips on the greens and moved the potatoes to the side; I felt it was important to experience the turnips and greens without their flavor being tainted by the other roots. Clare suggested topping it all with a little salt, pepper, and lemon thyme. Here's where my lack of herb knowledge came back at me... we have thyme but not the lemon variety... and what about other herbs? What else would season this dish nicely? I guessed and grabbed a sprig or two of lemon verbena, rosemary, some chives, and plain old ordinary thyme from our herb garden. I have no idea if this was an appropriate combination, but it tasted pretty great to me! If anyone can offer some herb pointers, I'd really appreciate it. Otherwise I will just continue making my best guesses!
I've never cooked turnips before, but even I could tell this was going to be a fairly simple dish. I set the turnips in a steaming basket with a few red potatoes I had on hand, while at the same time cooking their greens (washed and stems trimmed down a bit) in boiling water. The greens were ready first (in about 8 minutes), and after following the recipe's advice to remove excess water, I tossed them in a little melted butter and arranged them on my plate. The turnips and potatoes only needed a couple more minutes, then they were tossed with the buttery mix as well. I laid the turnips on the greens and moved the potatoes to the side; I felt it was important to experience the turnips and greens without their flavor being tainted by the other roots. Clare suggested topping it all with a little salt, pepper, and lemon thyme. Here's where my lack of herb knowledge came back at me... we have thyme but not the lemon variety... and what about other herbs? What else would season this dish nicely? I guessed and grabbed a sprig or two of lemon verbena, rosemary, some chives, and plain old ordinary thyme from our herb garden. I have no idea if this was an appropriate combination, but it tasted pretty great to me! If anyone can offer some herb pointers, I'd really appreciate it. Otherwise I will just continue making my best guesses!
[This post submitted by Dena]
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
beets in the big city
That's a turnip. Tonight I boiled it with a baby red beet, sliced them up, added olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and there you have it: something I never would have cooked up 5 days ago. This routine has not been wholly uncommon these last several weeks, and for someone who never considered herself a confident cook, that's a big deal. I never would have suspected it, but meeting and greeting these unusual vegetables (ok, I know, turnip is not that unusual) has somehow given me a new command over my kitchen.
Before: "Ok, let's see... what does the recipe say?"
After: "I've got kohlrabi, garlic scapes and napa cabbage... oh what the heck, let's see what happens!"
[that's what happened]We have been really excited about our CSA opportunity, and the benefits have been instantly recognizable. Vegetables that were once unknown and intimidating have now become accessible and encouraging. Not only have I been able to incorporate new veggies such as kohlrabi and mizuna into meals (a stir fry is truly a great way to go), but now I even know what kohlrabi is! And I have to agree with Clare that it does look like a spaceship and it does taste fantastic raw, lightly salted. Who knew?
There's something a little counterintuitive and a little wondrous and a little inspiring and a lot cool to see the farm amidst our city, the rural among the urban, the soil amid the brick. It is a reminder that great things are possible when we support each other and work together. It is a reminder that we need each other, a reminder that no matter how much dirt the city may hold, there's not too much soil... and so for that, we look to our faithful farmers to whom I and my kitchen owe much thanks.
[This post submitted by Amy]
Sunday, June 15, 2008
garlic for lovers
We are of course referring to the mostly unknown and underutilized garlic scape. A new version of garlic to most of us, apparently garlic scapes have been wildly popular in Europe and Japan for many years. For the uninitiated the garlic scape is the long, green, scallion-like shoot that the hardening garlic bulb sends up through the ground. The beauty of the garlic scape is that it has a wonderfully mild garlic flavor which means that it might just be the perfect ingredient on your next date night.
According to my Google searches garlic scapes have become very popular in the last couple of years among the young, cutting edge, chef set and foodie bloggers. Here is a featured article from the Dining & Wine section of yesterdays NY Times with a simple recipe idea.
According to my Google searches garlic scapes have become very popular in the last couple of years among the young, cutting edge, chef set and foodie bloggers. Here is a featured article from the Dining & Wine section of yesterdays NY Times with a simple recipe idea.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
week two!
[one expression of the amazing salad, by Lisa]This week's yield included bok choy, tatsoi, radishes, sprouts, mustard greens, head lettuce, and a greens mix or bunching onions—the makings of a really amazing salad!
The beloved arugula from last week is already out of season! A good reminder that we are eating according to the farm's rhythms. Sometimes, as in the case of the arugula, that means a really short window of time to enjoy something in.
When I found out we were getting tatsoi and bok choy I was really excited about using them in a stir fry. As I started washing, prepping, and cutting up all the veggies, I realized that I hadn’t really made many stir frys before and thought it might be best to consult some type of recipe. But either through stubbornness, laziness, or pride I pushed forward assuming I’d figure it out as I went along.
After an hour or so of washing, drying, chopping, and dicing I was ready to give it a shot. I knew that different types of veggies would take longer to cook than others so I threw in the broccoli first followed closely by the carrots and some ginger. After a couple of minutes I tossed in some chopped onion, sliced green peppers, and the farm's bok choy and tatsoi. I let all those cook for quite awhile, about half a beer, and then tossed in the greens along with some tofu. Thoughts of Iron Chef glory were racing through my head as well as a name for my new creation, maybe Ryan’s Best Ever Stir-Fry or perhaps World’s Best Stir-Fry.
I decided it probably needed some kind of sauce to go with it so I put the few remaining drops of rice wine vinegar that we had left as well as some soy sauce, from those little take-out packets of course. For a little extra flavor I even ended up throwing in a bit of chicken stock and some cornstarch to thicken it up.
What I hadn’t anticipated was how long it would take me to track down all the ingredients for my impromptu sauce, or to open 6 take-out sized packets of soy sauce, all the while the veggies were cooking along at a nice high heat. The result was a nearly flavorless dish with almost raw broccoli, mushy carrots, and really tough stringy greens. Not ready to admit defeat, I found a bottle of store bought General Tso’s sauce sitting in the refrigerator and in one last act of desperation doused the entire stir fry with it. It did help just enough so that I could choke it down along with my disappointment. I have heard from others of you though that have made stir-frys and they’ve turned out great. I would love to hear any recipe suggestions or at least friendly advice as to where I went wrong.
On a more positive note I’ve been feeling a lot healthier over the last couple of weeks. I wasn’t sure whether to chalk that up to finally being able to get outside and enjoy the beautiful summer weather, or to the fact that I was eating a lot of local, organic produce. Based on some surfing I did, it appears that I most likely have the radishes to thank for my general feeling of healthiness. According to the site www.organicfacts.net (“Your Gateway to Unbiased Information”) radishes freshen breath, regulate metabolism, improve blood circulation, treat headaches, constipation, nausea, sore throat, fever, whooping cough, gastric problems, gallbladder stones, dyspepsia and even promote weight loss. So keep those radishes coming!
Monday, June 9, 2008
week one!
CSA season has begun! After months of anticipation the first shares finally arrived. Mike & Clare provided us with a beautiful assortment of produce which included spinach, Flashy Troutback lettuce, radishes, kale, arugula, green garlic, and mizuna. Rarely have I been faced with that many different types of greens at one time. As I talked to different people throughout the week, I found that people were finding all sorts of creative ways to use their greens: sautéed, raw, in sauces, soups, and on sandwiches.
The clear favorites from this week seemed to be the arugula and the radishes. Crunchy, earthy radishes! They're delicious on their own with a little salt or even better sliced and placed on a piece of crusty bread with butter and herbs (rosemary works great).
This week has required a different way of eating for me, necessitating a more thoughtful and deliberate approach to what I should prepare and eat each night. So far I am finding that challenge to be very rewarding. A daily exercise that forces me to consider not only the possibilites for the produce but where it came from as well. And now, as I stare at a nearly empty fridge I can’t wait for the next share to arrive!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
visiting the farms
Over Memorial Weekend we went out to visit Mike and Clare's Farm and Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm, which share land just north of Ottawa, Illinois. Jody, Beth, and Mike showed us how they are growing and raising good food.
[cedar valley sustainable farm pigs]
We saw Mike's no-till farming method in action. In his words, no-till "means we can sequester carbon in the soil, keeping a greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere." He and Clare also think a lot about how to make the best use of the soil food web, so they don't have to add much besides compost to the soil.
[in the greenhouse]
[mike]
[flashy lettuce]
[meat birds protected from meadow predators]
[laying hen]
about our share
This growing season we got some friends and neighbors together and bought shares in Mike and Clare's Farm. We like what Mike and Clare are trying to do and like the idea of eating near food in season. The omnivores among us are also sharing shares from Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm for eggs, fowl, beef, and pork.This blog is a space where we'll swap recipes and photographs and anecdotes from our experience learning to cook new foods, watching crops fail and succeed, growing some of our own herbs and vegetables, and visiting the farm.
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