We are in full-on party preparation mode over here. And that means cooking. This morning, I made Beet Walnut Dip. I admit I had a lot of CSA beets that needed using, and the fuchsia color of this dip is so perfect for Julia’s birthday party. The recipe calls for tahini, which I can never find in the grocery store, so I toasted the sesame seeds (Sesame Street seeds, according to Julia) myself. That’s the first photograph. The second shot is of roasted and peeled beets. They’re the most beautiful shades of purple and pink. Both photos are perfect for Focus 52‘s prompt of Delicious.
In The Next 30 Days
A 30-Day Challenge Closer to Brighter, Shinier, & Happier.
May 26th, 2012
Weekly Photo | Delicious
April 30th, 2012
Lessons Learned | Eat Local
I didn’t think 30 Days could go by so quickly. But even more than flying past, these 30 Days have been delicious. Haven’t they? I’ve tried some new and exciting vegetables, new recipes, and amazing local products. And outside my kitchen, I’m growing veggies and supporting farmers with my CSA and Farmer’s Marker patronage. I’ve learned plenty about my adventurous tastes and ability to mix veggies into just about any dinner (chips, quiche, pasta, dips, anyone?). And I’ve enjoyed my local cuisine.
But here’s the most important thing I learned about eating local. It’s not about the veggies or meat or diary or the packaged products. Eating local is all about community. “Local food is a handshake deal in a community gathering place,” writes Barbara Kingslover in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. “It involves farmers with first names, who show up week after week. It means an open-door policy on the fields, where neighborhood buyers are welcome to come have a look, and pick their food from the vine. Local is farmers growing trust.”
I’ve met some amazing people this month: at the Farmer’s Market, at the Ambrose Family Farm CSA picnic, each week when I pick up my share. And discussing recipes with my mom’s group, on a hayride, or in the strawberry fields brings us all together, unified over a shared interest in local food. It’s a beautiful thing, to be unified over something healthy, something so productive, something so completely positive. There is no downside.
So my eating local adventure continues. Tonight we at local shrimp sauteed in local onion and garlic with local grits and roasted baby cabbages. I like cabbage, even more than I like beets. Who knew?
April 25th, 2012
CSA Summary | 4
1 Kale | 2 Baby Cabbage | 3 Beets | 4 Bok Choy | 5 Radishes | 6 Romaine | 7 Turnips |
8 Strawberries | 9 Red Onion | 10 Carrots | 11 Eggs
It’s interesting to see the transformation of my weekly CSA bag. It’s like a physical representation of the progressing season. The carrots have grown into full-sized stalks, and baby cabbages and romaine have replaced musclun mix and asparagus. It is a way of looking at the season that I’ve never done before (and it’s certainly not possible to do in the grocery store). Sure flowers bloom around me, and I see trees bud and grow leaves, but watching Spring in my CSA bag is a much more obvious way to mark the weeks.
And really how cute are these baby cabbages? Anyone have suggestions on what to do with them? Jason mentioned cole slaw, but that doesn’t quite seem like the right treatment. Can I bake them?
Last week’s CSA was kind of a challenge because Jason (a primary veggie eater in my household) was gone for two days. So I will admit that the kale and some of the other veggies didn’t get the love they deserve. The good news, though, is that the radishes and turnips are still good, and I’m going to try to fit them into this week’s meals. So will get to those glazed turnips, I promise. I tried baking some of the chard in with my kale, and that was successful, but much less crispy. And I found that I really like bok choy in my salads. It’s crunchy and so flavorful. The best news is, though, that I’m not scared of the beets any more. I know what to do with them, and in fact, I have leftover pickling marinade for them if all else fails.
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