CSA, KIWI and the Future

Tomorrow will be the first CSA veggie pick-up. I'm not sure what to expect, but the Farmer's e-newsletter has let us know it wont be much this first time. Thanks to the recent rain the next pick -up should be better. There are veggies on the list I have never cooked before.

Here is the list we have been given for this week:
Brussels Sprouts (maybe)
All Greens Mix (excellent raw or braised)
Baby Swiss Chard
Baby Spring Mix (maybe)
Spinach (maybe)
Head Lettuce (small but tasty)
Beets
Turnip Greens
Radish - Easter egg OR Chinese red
cilantro
dill

I've cooked with cilantro and spinach before and I've eaten head of lettuce, but the rest of the stuff is new to me. I'm not a very good cook. Having different foods like these to cook makes me nervous. I don't want to make a new dish with an item I've never cooked before and then find out no one, not even me, likes the new dish. A good chef can make anything taste good. Me? Not so much. I will give it a try though. Who knows, I may surprise myself. It would help if I knew what most of these veggies looked like and what they are traditionally cooked with. I grew up with white corn, tomatoes, cilantro, avocados, onion, garlic, chile... What is dill? What are Turnip greens? What is baby Swiss chard. I know what Brussels sprouts look like, but how do you cook them? I've been told they are cooked like cabbage, but longer. I hope that is true.

Well... I guess as I learn you do too. Today's vegetable defined and explained:
Brussels Sprouts are one of the few vegetables to have originated in northern Europe. Brussels sprouts look like small heads of cabbage and are similar to them in taste as well. Brussels Sprouts are also high in vitamin C and "beta-carotene (vitamin A), and nitrogen compounds called indoles which may reduce the risk of certain cancers," according to foodreference.com.

Brussels Sprouts Recipe:

1.Roasted Brussels Sprouts SUBMITTED BY: JAQATAC via allrecipes.com

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and yellow leaves removed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
2. Place trimmed Brussels sprouts, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic bag. Seal tightly, and shake to coat. Pour onto a baking sheet, and place on center oven rack.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 45 minutes, shaking pan every 5 to 7 minutes for even browning. Reduce heat when necessary to prevent burning. Brussels sprouts should be darkest brown, almost black, when done. Adjust seasoning with kosher salt, if necessary. Serve immediately.

This recipe appears to be simple enough for someone like me to make and it sounds delicious. I also happen to have all the ingredients in my kitchen, well....sort of. I'm not sure what kosher salt is, but I have regular salt...

Kitchen On-line Dictionary to the rescue! Kosher salt defined at this link http://www.recipezaar.com/library/getentry.zsp?id=359.

I will have to use regular salt for now. If the dish turns out well, maybe later I can add a broth to it (chicken, beef, or veggie). Maybe I can add them to rice or put them in a stew. I mean if it is similar to cabbage it shouldn't be too hard to make. Right!?


Oh a quick note before I sign off...today while reading KIWI magazine I saw an ad for a gift from the Eat Like a Hero program at organicheroes.com. Mail in UPC codes and "in return, Nature's Path and Organic Valley will make a generous contribution of up to $50,000 to the Rodale Institute's Farmers Can Be Heroes program. To thank you for your support, you will receive a free subscription to Organic Gardening magazine* and a chance to win a year of FREE Nature's Path and Organic Valley products! " For more information check out http://www.organicheroes.org/ .

CSA, Liver, Dogs and Organic Food

Did I tell you I asked to skip this month on the CSA delivery? I did. I asked to skip it. It wasn't in my budget this month. Did I tell you I finally cooked the CSA liver? I did. I've never liked the taste of liver. No matter how it's cooked I still can't stand it. Unfortunately, the same rings true with the liver that came in the CSA meats. I waited until I was all out of other meats before cooking it. I sauteed it with onion and salt. I really don't know any other recipe. It smelled great. Wonderful in fact. My kids were going on and on about the how good it smelled. Liver does have a nice smell to it. When it was done cooking I gave a small piece to each of my girls who were so excited to get a taste ( I hardly ever let them taste before a meal) they hopped with joy. My oldest took a huge bite and said yum and just as quickly as she said yum her mouth and face turned into a look of disgust. My youngest was to busy confused about the texture of the meat that she was taking pinches and putting the tiny morsels into her mouth. Then at the same time the both stuck their tongues out and looked at me and told me they didn't like it. Secretly I knew my picky girls wouldn't like it, but a part of me was hoping they would. I wish I were a better cook and maybe I could have somehow made it taste better, but the texture from the liver alone is enough to turn me off and apparently my girls too. Yes I tasted it too and I just.... couldn't bare it. I was so disappointed. All the other meats from the CSA meat have been remarkably better compared t regular meats that I assumed the liver would taste better too, but it wasn't. Not in my opinion or my daughters. I hated to waste it, but I knew there was no way we would eat it. So I gave it to my dog who enjoyed it very much. He ate it up in less than 5 minutes. That made me think about an article I read somewhere, wish I could remember where, about why dogs should be fed organic meals too. I looked at my dog and gave him a pat on the head and told him, "I wish I could sweety, but I can barely afford to buy organic foods for us". The next time I went to the big HEB I looked for organic dog food, just to check out the prices, but there wasn't any organic food available for dogs that I could find. I continued shopping for my organic food, wishing there was more selection there too. Then I began to wonder how I would come up with the money to buy organic food in the next couple of months. The job security situation has me a little worried for once. Then I began to wonder why I am worried about organic food at a time like this. Maybe because I believe doing so completes the circle. You know, the circle of life. Don't laugh. I'm serious. It is what will pull us through. If those few of us who can still afford to buy organic foods, eco-friendly products and such still keep doing what we can to buy it, we help others keep their jobs (local farmers, eco-friendly companies, green organizations, etc) and if they keep their jobs they can grow big and create more jobs, more green jobs. More green jobs means a healthier economically sound non-toxic country, perhaps world. In the end this all means a healthy stable world for our kids. Its hard to think so far ahead though when in the next few months anything can change. What if I can't even pay my mortgage? Should I buy the organic tomatoes that cost twice as much or regular tomatoes that I can afford, but have pesticide?

CSA Cancelation

There is a possibility the CSA vegetable program may be canceled for my drop site. It turns out not enough members have signed up this year and the farmers are worried that they will loose money if they deliver to that drop site for only a few members. A part of me is saddened and the other part not so much. The part of me that is sad really wants to do my part for my community and really enjoys being part of a CSA and feeding my family organically grown veggies. The other parts is still shocked about the cost and how far I have to drive each week just to get my organically grown fresh vegetables. It isn't the farmers fault nor is it ours. It just unfortunate that where I live there are not a lot of near by farms, at least not that grow organically and do the CSA thing. Our options are slim around here, yet surprisingly the city is so big. My father-in-law would be disgusted by this comment, but I wish we were more like California. I don't know much about California, except what I've heard and seen on TV. I'm sure that isn't an accurate picture of it though. Still, if I wasn't so attached to my roots here I think I would fit in just fine over there. That's my perception anyway. I would still probably say "fixen" and "ya'll" just because I like the sound of it.

CSA Vegetables

The CSA for Vegetables starts next month. There is a meeting tomorrow, late in the evening for members to learn more about the program. I like that, but unfortunately I will probably not be able to show up. The time, place and date are inconvenient. I know so far that my pick up dates are weekly every Tuesday 3:30 to 5:30pm and the place I need to pick up is about 20 minutes a day. The fact that the pick up date is in the middle of a school/work week and that I have 3 kids to take with me on the trip there also makes it very inconvenient. I wish I had known the pick up day earlier and I would have thought about it a little more. For some reason, I thought the pick up date were Saturday mornings. This would have made it so much easier. So far my impression of this farm and their CSA program is that they are not very family friendly or that they assume that all CSA members, have no children or that we can just leave their kids with someone else while we pick up our produce, get out of work early and so forth. Still I've already signed the contract. I'm going to do my best to show up every Tuesday. Which mean I'll have to pick my daughter up from school and as soon as she gets out, then drive 25-30 minutes there, pick up our share (how ever long that will take) then drive 25-30 minutes back home. I really wish my city had more convenient options. No wonder so many people hesitate to join CSAs. It isn't that we don't want to. We either can't afford the cost, the pick up locations and dates are too inconvenient or both. In my case it is both. My only hope is that my opinion of this changes. As for the CSA of Meat... I had to ask to skip this month’s shipment. Its just not in my budget this month and I am so grateful their system is set up so that you can skip a month or two if you need to. It is more of a pay as you go CSA. I'm sure this is hard on the farmers though since they don't have certainty of the income they will get every month. Then again its hard on CSA members too since we don't know how much produce we will get every month and the economy isn't exactly stable. There has to be a common ground. I'm hoping through my experiences I will be able to find one and share it with everyone.

Have You Read Why Organic Milk Is Better?

I came across a link in my Organic Valley e-newsletter today that caught my eye: Organic Milk Does The Body Better. It actually made me feel a little better about sticking to my guns and buying organic milk even when I can barely afford it. Knowing the benefits really help sometimes. The reliability of the source...well, I trust WebMD as a reliable source.

Organic Coupon Resource

I have found varies websites that allow me to print organic coupons. Unfortunately, none of the grocery stores around where I live are willing to accept them. For some reason they are not scanable, sooo my only option still is too call individual manufactures and ask them to send me coupons. Some are generous and send several of good value, with others you're lucky if you get one coupons and can only call them once a month. I tend to buy less of their products as I feel like they don't care if I can afford to buy their products or not. Either way this can be a hassle as it takes forever, but I'll take what I can get. For those of you who can use coupon printed off the internet I have copied and pasted some good links below.

http://deals.families.com/links-to-request-organic-coupons,t19985

http://mindfulmomma.typepad.com/mindful_momma/2008/11/stock-up-time.html


http://affluentpauper.blogspot.com/2009/01/organic-coupons-where-to-find-them.html