CSA Roundup #3

Happy Fourth of July!

I rolled out of bed really early this morning to pick up my third farm share box, but "my farmers" were up even earlier. Ron and Joan are such troopers, they are up every market day at 4 am, putting together the CSA boxes and traveling to the city. Ron was telling me that they had to turn down an invitation to go to a Independence Day BBQ last night because they turn in so early on Friday nights.

Here's what I found in my box this morning:
-4 Heads of Cauliflower
-2 Knobs of Kohlrabi
-2 lbs of Fava Beans
-2 Pints of Raspberries
-2 lbs of Broccoli
-2 big Sweet Onions
-Bunch fresh Shallots
-Scallions
-3 Yellow Squash
-2 big Zucchini
-2 Chili Peppers (Yay!)
-2 Heads of Cabbage
-1 Bunch Kale
-1 Bunch Mixed Fresh Herbs

Whew! I'm off to the coast for fireworks tonight, and will probably be bringing along a mock-potato salad with the cauliflower. Seriously, 4 heads... at least they are on the small side. Last night I ended up mixing the fava bean salad with a bunch of brown rice, to make it go farther. That was a good decision. I still have leftovers in the fridge, which tasted even better this morning.

Hope your 4th is full of good friends, good beer, and great food. Eat well!

Fridays with Fava Beans

It is SO HOT in my house. Just thought I'd share.

In other news, two big bags of fava beans have been sitting patiently in my crisper drawer (where I wish I could be right now), waiting for me to get around to the inevitable endeavor of prepping them. If you don't know anything about favas, also known as broad beans or windsor beans, they are getting to be pretty common around farmers markets in the Spring, and can even be found popping up in supermarkets and international food stores. They require a bit of work - they come in big, leathery pods while felt-like interior walls, and need to be blanched and squeezed out of their waxy shells before eating - but they are really delicious. I think they taste a lot like edamame, and a bit like lima beans.

I woke up this morning knowing today was the day - I put on some music, pulled out the beans, and got to work. I was reading Bon Appetit's August issue yesterday and there was this ad for a cushy gel-like mat for you kitchen floor, to help your back and feet when you're standing in the kitchen for long periods of time. This morning would have been a great time to try it out. After wrestling all of the beans from their tough pods, I was a bit discouraged to see the relative sizes of my piles - I started with about four pounds of whole pods and was left with about two cups of beans, the rest being compost-worthy scraps of pods and strings. I threw the beans into boiling water for two minutes before draining and setting them into an ice bath. Then, round two, I set about squeezing the individual beans from their coatings. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's not too bad, and the time went quickly as my roommates and I were debating the correct onomatopoeia for fava beans coming out of their coatings. At first, I was going with SPLORT! but after a round of careful listening, we settled on PFTTH!



At this point, the beans are completely melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and ready for purees spread on crusty bread, soups, salads... I've even seen fava bean baked goods floating around the blogosphere. I have to use up my CSA bounty before I pick up another box tomorrow, so I made a big bowl of Spring Vegetable salad, with freshly-hulled, blanched sweat peas, radishes, cucumbers, spring onions, feta cheese, and herbs - mint and basil. I topped it off with a dressing of lemon juice (I still have a few lemons from a big bag I brought home from a visit to California), canola oil, apple cider vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. I also added a splash of dill pickle juice, a trick I learned from a German exchange student who lived with us years ago. I'll be bringing the dish to a pre-4th of July bash tonight, and it should go really well with whatever is on the grill. I don't have any definite plans for tomorrow night, but I'm a big fan of fireworks, so I'm sure it will be fun.

I'm off camping again next week, not sure where I'm headed just yet, but I'll be sure to be sweating. Summer has come to Oregon, and I can't wait to see what that means at the market tomorrow. More tomatoes and cucumbers, I hope!

Eat well!

CSA Round-Up!

Hi friends! The blog has been on the back burner for a few weeks, as I've been on the road, all around Oregon. I'm gathering photographs and experiences of this great state for a series of paintings, and along the way I'm spending a good deal of time camping and hiking, generally kicking my butt in some of the most beautiful places on earth. I'm living out of my van, equipped with a small grill, an ice chest (usually without ice), dry goods like beans and rice and seasonings, and enough veggies to live on week to week.

This weekend was the second week of my CSA farm-share, and I am happily drowning in produce. My friends Ron and Joan Baune over at Rainyway Farm in Hillsboro have been positively spoiling me with vegetables (and berries, too!) every Saturday. Here's what I had this week:

Two pints of raspberries (which went straight into the freezer because they were so ripe)
Yellow and Green Summer Squash
Red Leaf Lettuce
Green Leaf Lettuce
Kale
Bok Choy
Fava Beans
Sweet Snap Peas
Carrots
Spring Onions
Scallions
Two Tomatoes (SO GOOD)
Garlic Scapes
Two Heads of Cauliflower
Radishes







Such a bounty! The CSA hasn't really affected the way I eat and plan my meals - I'm pretty used to eating some combo of the vegetables in the fridge, but the weekly veggie box acts to focus my culinary energy a bit, and with the extra perk of challenging me with some ingredients even I am unfamiliar with, like fava beans. It's pretty fun to whip up a curry or soup with whatever is in the fridge, and it feels almost like a race against the clock, coming up with enough dishes to use the fresh veggies or freeze meals before the next Saturday's onslaught of delicious.

One of the most comforting dishes that embodies this sort of use-what-you've-got style of cooking comes from my mom - Eggy rice and veggies. I know. Everyone's mom probably does this, and it's a feature in a lot of ethnic cuisines, like the Korean Bibimbap or other versions of fried rice. This is one of my ultimate soothing foods - leftover rice, chopped onions and whatever vegetables I've got on hand, and an egg or two, a splash of soy sauce or chili-garlic sauce, topped with fresh herbs. So simple, so filling, and it takes me right back to my childhood kitchen, having breakfast with mom.



I used a yellow squash, garlic scapes, a spring onion, chopped bok choy, and some leftover saffron rice I had in the fridge. Topped with fresh basil, this was a great way to start off the weekend.

I'll show you my camping kitchen set up tomorrow. Until then, eat well!

Sustainability on a Budget

One of the most common misconceptions about sustainable living is that it has to cost a fortune. In reality, every individual and family can live an eco-friendly, healthy life. I should know, I'm a college student on a pretty tight budget, but I still eat really well - and feel good about all of the food I buy. Here are some tips I scrounged up to help you bring SOLE (Seasonal, organic, local, and ethical) food to your family without breaking the bank:

1. Limit processed foods – when you buy processed foods, you are paying for packaging, preservatives, and transportation. When you eat fresh, whole foods, you get more for your dollar, and you're eating what nature intended. This doesn't have to mean cutting out convenience. Fruits, veggies, and nuts are just as portable as a granola bar, but they'll cost a lot less and fill you up more.
2. Eat with the Seasons – eating seasonally means buying healthy, delicious foods when they are at their peak, which saves money and connects you to your local environment. There are loads of resources out there to help you pick foods that are in season in your area, but nothing is simpler than heading out and seeing for yourself. Check out your local farmers market and see what the local farms are offering right now. Better yet, find out what they're drowning in - the most plentiful crops will often be the least expensive. Talk to you farmers - they want to help!
3. Eat Locally – By supporting local farmers and producers, you cut out the middleman and gain access to the freshest, most nutritious foods. The longer food takes to get from the farm to your plate, the less nutrients and vitamins are in that food. I'm totally a cheater on this one, because I often buy foods that are a bit past their prime (hooray for dollar bags and market mark-downs!), but a good amount of my food budget goes towards the freshest food possible.
4. Make your own - Starting with one food at a time, find replacements for packaged goods you’d normally buy at the supermarket, including bread, cereals, crackers, and canned beans. I'm planning on making my own crackers soon, and I don't think anyone can argue that homemade baked goods are so much better than the ones in packages. Eating SOLE food doesn't mean giving up taste or eating like a rabbit - it means eating great food that you can be proud of (this totally includes cookies.)
5. Buy in bulk – most stores have bulk aisles where you can save on packaging and processing. Find nuts, beans, rice, grains, and granola without the waste, and save money. This morning I threw a pot of Oregon wild rice on the stove, and it will last me through the week. If that's not convenience and taste on a budget, I don't know what is.
6. Grow your own – Growing your own fresh foods can be so rewarding, and everyone can do it! From a few containers of herbs on your patio or kitchen counter to a full garden in your backyard, growing your own edibles is a creative way to save money. Kids love helping out, and it teaches everyone what's in season - plus it's a great way to prove that local just plain tastes better. Tomatoes from your garden? No contest. Best tomatoes on earth.

8. Eat out less - I eat at restaurants maybe once a month (MAYBE) but I still have amazing dinners and breakfasts with my closest friends all the time, and I can tell you I don't miss the prices. Nothing beats the feeling of cooking up a great dinner with people you love. I know I'm kind of a rare breed, that spending hours in the kitchen is my idea of a day off, but it doesn't take much. If you think of yourself as a good cook, try this fun experiment - think of your favorite restaurant meal, and try to duplicate it at home with local, organic ingredients. You get to control everything about the meal, and feel good knowing that you've saved money and supported local farms.

9. Eat less meat - This one is a bit touchy for some people I know, but I can tell you, it really saves tons of money to eat animal products only a few times a week. Most of my meals are vegetarian, but when I buy meat, I try to make it the freshest, closest-to-home as possible. It's wonderful to say I know the people who buy the meat I eat, because they can tell me about their farms, their animals, and I know I'm not going to get sick from any mass-market meat scare. If you can't buy meat (or chicken, or fish, or eggs) from someone you can meet, buy organic as much as possible. Yes, it costs more. But really, if you cut back a little and find creative ways to make really filling meals without the meat, it's so worth the extra dollar to have faith in the food you feed yourself and your family.

10. Eat ugly fruit (and veggies) - This is my favorite tip. If you're a reader of my blog, you know I love to scrounge for mark-offs, dollar bags, and free tables of less than perfect fruits and veggies. Ask around at your local stores and supermarkets - they probably have an area of discounted produce. I'd tell you where I get a lot of my fruits and veggies for free, but then everyone in Portland would be competing for my bounty. That's my secret, but hey, I trust you'll find your own. It's all about being creative - a tart made with slightly ugly apples or a soup made with the farmer's less than champion squash taste just as fantastic!

Cut out the middleman! You can find affordable, delicious, and healthy foods:
- At your local farms – go to www.eatwell.com or www.localharvest.org to find local sources of everything from fruits and vegetables, to meat and dairy products. Your entire dollar goes to the farmer, and your get more value for your dollar.
- At your local Farmers’ Market – get to know your local producers, and find out about the best deals every week from the people who know the best!
- Buy a Share in a local CSA – get local produce delivered to you every week, for less than you’d pay at the store! Go to www.localharvest.com for more info.

We vote with every dollar we spend on food. When we support sustainable agriculture and organic, locally produced goods, restaurants, supermarkets, and producers respond by making more sustainable food accessible at prices that are fair to everyone. Have more tips for an eco-friendly diet on a budget? Let me know! I love to hear what other people are doing to eat in a way that makes them feel great, in their hearts, their minds, their stomachs, and their wallets!