Love and Veggies

There is a new proposal regarding farming and subsidies in the USA. You can read about it here and here.

From what I have read so far it is about saving the government money and capping payments for farmers who earn between $200,000 and $2.5 million–depending on the type of payout. I think the government has a slightly good intention to stop giving so much to GIANT industrial farms producing crops that don’t feed people like tobacco and to farmers who collect on multiple properties even though really they are one farm in several locations.

Now, what would be really innovative would be a bill that supported more farmers like Drew and Joan who grew responsibly, were community minded and are leaving their land a better place then when they started by practicing organic farming.

If you are so inclined write your state and local people about how the Farm Bill affects not just the farmers but the whole country.

PS. 7!!!!!!  people did not pick up their food. That sucks. That is almost 1/4 of our membership. And if you want to know how much food that is how about 28 zuchs, 21 peppers, 42 ears of corn and 7 each of basil, beets (x3 per bunch), lettuce, chard, eggplant and cabbage–totaling 126 pieces of veg to deal with. How would you all feel (those that forgot or whatever…) if Nestor did not show up with the truck and your food? OR the volunteer who receives the food did not show up and there wasn’t anyone standing around helping people get their stuff? SO, people, publicly, I would like to say it is not rocket science.

Tuesday from 3-5….pick. up. your. food. Okay?

Today’s cache of fine organic produce included green cabbage, green leaf lettuce, beets, zuch’s, peppers, GIANT purple eggplant, YUMMY local corn and chard. As a bonus today we got big bunches of lemon basil that smelled as pretty as a bouquet.

Thanks to Bill and Julie we are donating whatever is left to their church who has a fellowship dinner every Wednesday night. Bill’s church feeds about 125 people every week and has been doing it for over 20 years I think.

Thanks to Jodean who also has helped us out with our leftovers and a warning to those that don’t get their food:

Local corn is like heaven and the tomatoes are coming….it is worth it and you have to do it. So pick up your stuff and get cookin! Anything good on the menu this week? What are you doing with ALL that zucchini? I made Chocolate Zuch cupcakes with cocoa powder and they were yummy and my daughter ate them up!

I was loving our cukes…is anyone else sad their were no cukes this week? And gee, I am so glad to see lettuce again. I haven’t eaten salad since it stopped and am ready for some salad this week!

See you next tuesday!

xx

Pot-stickers are fun to make and yummy and can be filled with all manner of veggies and a protein source like Tofu or Chicken or whatever! Here is a loose recipe/suggestion for Pot Stickers:

Ingredients:

Shred all green stuffs, use a grater for zucchini and shred finely the leafy bits

1 Bunch Kale/Chard/or Spinach

1 Bunch Arugula

1 or 2 Zucchini’s (depending on size?)

3 cloves garlic

1 large shallot

1/2 cup white wine/rice wine (sake)

1/4 cup soy sauce

Fresh black pepper to taste or Red Pepper flakes

1-2 cups protein like fried Tofu, Sauteed Chicken or Pork. Fish would even be good but something like Halibut, Swordfish or Tuna or Rockfish. Something somewhat firm and not too terribly fishy tasting would be nice.

Method:

Sweat onion and garlic in some oil (olive, canola…?). Add chopped veggies and saute. Add white wine and soy sauce. Cook until tender and wilted. If you need to cook your protein, remove veggies leaving some liquid in the pot and add your other stuff. Cook it , cool it and chop it pretty finely. Mix all together and cool in fridge.

Wonton wrappers:

They can be bought in almost any store and most certainly in any gourmet or health food store. You will get small squares and you will place about a tablespoon-ish amount of filling into each one, seal together at the top, meeting corners at the top and crimp close the sides with water and sit on a plate. Assemble all dumplings ahead and then HEAT your large skillet. You want a medium high heat and tend to them so they don’t burn. When pan is hot, add some oil to cover pan. Place some dumplings in flat side down. Fry until golden. DON”T TRY TO MOVE THEM AROUND AT ALL OR THEY WILL BREAK APART! The steaming liquid will loosen them in the pan perfectly! I swear.

When fried golden brown, add some liquid steaming stuff….Liquid for steaming: 1/2 cup soy sauce. 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 cup water. Mix and add about 1/4 cup each time you fry your little dumplings. Cover to steam, about 2-4 minutes (depends on how brave you are–how high you keep your heat in the pan!) Dumplings are done when they become translucent and some what soft. Lift out with tongs grabbing the end of the dumpling or use a sturdy spatula with a thing blade.

Preheat your oven to 275 F and transfer cooked dumplings to an oven proof dish and keep warm until they are done frying up.

Serve all at once with a Cucumber Salad:

Peel or no peel some cukes

Add some shredded red onion and minced garlic

Hot pepper flakes to taste, a dash of balsamic vinegar and a dash or two of soy sauce.

In case anyone is wondering what to do with all that zucchini . . .

To make this dish more child-friendly (if your child is not North
African), you might leave out the cumin, oregano, and lemon.

Lovely and unexpected were our veggies this week. Wonderful purple things. Lovely scented leafy things.

Our booty this weeks included Basil, Arugula (again…we are a tad sick of it but it always smells so good!), Purple/Green pepper, Japanese eggplant, Purple Small Eggplant (variety?), Beets (yellow, pink/white and red), Red Cabbage, Zuchs and Cukes! Lovely, lovely, lovely!

For the second week in a row we only had one family not pick up BUT I fear that Nestor did not tell me the right amounts because we were left with 1 1/2 crates of Zuchs, 1/2 crate Cukes, 2/3 crate Peppers and about 6 extra cabbages. Luckily for  us one of our members takes the left over food to his church where on Wednesdays they do a fellowship dinner and lots of people benefit from our leftovers.

I brought a few extra things home and shared some with some neighbors and when I reached into the bag to pick up a Cuke…I noticed this brownish shiny thing on my hand. I stared at it for a second and POP! some eyes and an antennae came out and the little slug rolled stickily down my finger. A stowaway! I flung him into the field next to my house and away from my Bean and Tomato plants! My neighbor rabbits and squirrels do enough damage!

Sadly, I forgot my camera to take a picture of him. I have some photos…coming soon! I swear!

Today one of our lovely CSA members Christina agreed to bring my son Jasper to me after an art class both our sons attend at the Creative Alliance in Patterson Park. I am getting my son out of the car and her middle one, Michael who is 3 almost 4 says to me, his hands covering his eyes,

“I don’t like you! Get out of my car!”

Shocked, because he was JUST at my house for a play date at which he had a marvelous time, I say laughing, “Really? You don’t like me? Why?”

He says, in a voice that says I wish I could just make you disappear right now, “Because YOU have too much lettuce!”

….Do you think he is a little sick of the greens?

If you are feeling little Micheal–don’t fear! Today our pick up consisted of, gloriously!…

Red cabbage, shallots, zuchinni, kale, yellow or red beets, arugula, broccoli, sweet potato leaves and as a bonus, some more fresh garlic! What a feast. What lovely, lovely, lovely stuff.

Thanks to Nestor also who is the driver for the farm who is so nice and helpful and sweet!

See you all next tuesday and I have to say now I am bummed I didn’t call the blog that. I know my humor is pretty low but it makes me laugh each week. So, laugh, eat, sleep and eat and laugh this week!

Happy 4th of July to everyone and I hope you enjoy your time with family and friends.

Pictures coming!

xx