7/29/10 CSA SHARE: What we got, and what I took home

This is what I got in my box, and this is what I went home with:

Zucchini – 2 pcs
Red Onions – 2 pcs.…………1 hd. cabbage
Long Peppers – 2 pcs
Green Peppers 1 – 2 pcs
Yukon Gold Potatoes – 3 lbs
Parsley – 1 bun………………..1 bun. kale
Cucumber – 1 pc
Red Kale – 1 bun
Green Beans – .3 lb
Cabbage – 1 hd
Garlic – 2 hds

I would have traded the onions and the potatoes for more kale, but,  despite the fact that there was a lot of kale in the trade box, most of it was very holey, and I did not think that would make for luscious kale chips, so I only came away with two bunches, which I will do up tomorrow night.

I did trade the onions for another head of cabbage. (I am in sauerkraut mode this week – the first batch will be ready tomorrow night — and I want to try some new flavors, so small heads like I got will be perfect for small jars of flavored sauerkraut.

I have sent a message to the farm asking about the green peppers.  I do trust my farm, but aren’t we told that green peppers are unripe? (The farm knows about me, i.e., I am a raw vegan and I write about them and talk about raw food issues, so I am looking forward to their answer — will relay it here as soon as it comes through-- I have asked them to tell me, if in fact *green* is the ripe color of these peppers, what the actual *name* of the peppers is)

BREAD: New Recipe: Tomato/Walnut Bread

Tonight, I am making a new tomato bread recipe I found on Daily Raw Cafe (yea! Terilynn is back making new recipes!!

Terilynn says that she developed this recipe from one of my favorite recipes: the  sunflower/flax seed bread, in Ani Phyo’s Raw Food Kitchen recipe book.

I am interested to see how this bread is going to turn out, because I had some issues in the preparation:

• I mixed all as specified, but, as usual, in making bread (or crackers), it was necessary to add more water in the spreading on the teflex sheets.
• There was not enough “dough” to make two dehydrator sheets worth of bread, if the bread is going to be as thick as the bread in Ani Phyo’s recipe.  I ended up making one “thicker” tray, and one thinner (may turn out to be crackers) sheet

These are not real problems, actually.  They just open up the opportunity for me to reformulate the recipe to my liking.  Stay tuned!  Tomorrow, I will tell you how this bread turned out (after I make some sandwiches!)

7/22/10 CSA SHARE: What we got — What am I going to do with this?

When I went up to the community center to pick up my share,  I found that we had gotten pretty much what was promised.  I also saw that there was almost nothing in the share box — just a head of romaine and three zucchinis  (meaning that people had taken without leaving anything in return – NOT FAIR!)  I’m thinking that this might have happened because the share box was about as far away as possible from the volunteers; usually it is right up by the volunteer hangout.

Anyway, this is what they promised, and what I found in my box.

Zucchini – 3 pcs
Walla Walla Onions – 1 bun                 Red Onions
Red Beets – 1 bun
Savoy Cabbage – 1 hd
Red Norland Potatoes – 2 lb. bag
Basil – 1 bun
Cucumbers – 2 pcs
Romaine Lettuce – 1 hd

I am kind of disappointed: I guess I may never experience Walla Walla onions, but.. oh well.  I want to make crackers this week, and my favorite recipe calls for red onions, but I have never used them because they are more expensive, so I guess this is my big chance.  I am also thinking about a batch of sauerkraut with red onions.  I’m going to be making sauerkraut this week, so it would not  be that hard to make a small jar with the red onions.

The potatoes will go to Mrs. Murphy, if she answers her door (she is my older next door neighbor lady, and she doesn’t get out much,  but she does like her potatoes)  I think I might freeze the blueberries and then give them to her, as well. (I do like my blueberries, but if they will bring her some delight, that will be worth it. I will freeze them in case it takes her a while to get to them — she won’t have to worry). I will give her some peaches, too.  (actually, I feel guilty about not having given Mrs. Murphy any vegetables or fruit this year — my financial problems have made me have to depend on everything in my box for my meals.  Things haven’t gotten better for me yet, but I cannot get over the guilt, so I will give some of my share to Mrs. Murphy and hope she enjoys it.)

LARABAR-LIKE RECIPES

If you are worried about the rawness of LaraBars, as I am, or if you want to save some money, consider making your own.
These recipes are adapted from a recipe I found on Clean Eating Online

BASIC RECIPE for 2 bars

• In a food processor, grind nuts to a find consistency.
• Add fruit and any other ingredients, and process to a fine consistency.
• Spread mixture on a teflex dehydrator sheet placed over a plastic dehydrator tray.
• Dehydrate for 6 – 10 hours.

Alternatively preparation

• Divide mixture in half. Place each half on plastic wrap.
• Wrap plastic around mixture and form into a bar shape.
• Wrap tightly in plastic and store in the refrigerator.

CHERRY BARS:
1/4 C dates
1/4 C dried cherries (or cranberries)
1/3 C  pecans, almonds, or walnuts
1/8 t  cinnamon

CASHEW COOKIE FLAVOR
1/3 C dates
1/2 C cashews

CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS
1/3 C dates
1/2 C cashews
1/2 t vanilla extract
1 pinch cinnamon
1/4 C (1/2 oz.). cocoa nibs

CORN PLAN

That corn we got in the CSA share last week turned out to be quite scrumptious.  I don’t think I have ever seen kernels like that – it was sort of like my teeth were before I got braces: big, irregular, and all over the place — not like regular corn where the small kernels go up and down in straight rows.  This corn was definitely creative.

I ate about a fourth of it as I cut — I could not resist – it was sweet enough to be a dessert (do you know that I have heard of people who cook their corn with sugar?  Amazing! Corn is sweet all by itself.)

So, anyway, tomorrow, I am going to make a corn salad with red bell pepper, sauerkraut, onion, minced garlic snapes, and, most probably, what’s left of the Zukay red bell pepper/cilantro dressing — Tomoko, my room-mate, and I really really like this one.  (we were in love with the sweet onion/basil dressing until we tried this one)  I’m thinking we have to buy a whole carton of this stuff right away!

I usually do a Mexican-ish corn salad, with chili powder, lemon juice, red bell pepper, and onion, but I think I am going to put that off until I get my next infusion of organic corn.

I BIT MY MOUSE!

Oh wow! I bit my mouse!

While I was cutting off the kernels from the corn I got in the CSA, the corn just looked so good that I took a handful and crammed it all into my mouse.  Oh, it was good, but I bit my mouse because I was chewing too enthusiastically.   Oh, my poor mouse!  Then I bit my mouse again, because I could not stop eating that corn, and the first time I bit my mouse, it swelled up, so it was easy to bite it again.

WATER BOTTLE GIVEAWAY by WeeShare

I’ve just found a water bottle giveaway sponsored by WeeShare.  This is for a Vapur “anti-bottle, which is a collapsible re-usable water bottle.  I’ve seen themI saw them when I was in Toronto, although I’ve never seen them in New York.  I have never tried one out, but it certainly looks interesting.  I’m in the running for the free bottle, so telling you about it is going to increase the odds against my getting one, but I’d still like you to know about it.

CUCUMBER SALAD

SOUTHERN CUCUMBER SALAD

I could make pickles, think of some other recipes, or slice cucumbers into a mixed green salad, but, in the summertime, I cannot think of a cucumber dish I like more than the traditional Southern summer dish of thinly sliced cucumbers and onions mixed together with black pepper and marinated in apple cider vinegar in the refrigerator until time to serve!

7/22/10 CSA SHARE: What they say we will get

Here is what they say we will get on Thursday.

Zucchini – 3 pcs
Walla Walla Onions – 1 bun
Red Beets – 1 bun
Savoy Cabbage – 1 hd
Red Norland Potatoes – 2 lb. bag
Basil – 1 bun
Cucumbers – 2 pcs
Romaine Lettuce – 1 hd

What are Walla Walla onions, I ask.

According to Wikipedia, Walla Walla onions are sweet onions, originally from France, which are grown in  Walla Walla county in Washington state.

6/15/10 CSA SHARE: What we got & What I’m going to do with it

This is what I got (or traded for): Actually we got all or more of what they said, but some things I just did not want, and I can do in 3 bunches of kale in a couple of days!

WHAT THEY SAID WHAT I GOT WHAT I TOOK

Zucchini – 5-7 pcs                 4 pcs
Scallions – 1 bun                     1 bun
Swiss Chard – 1 bun 1 bun 1 bun kale
Corn- 4 pcs 3 pcs
Basil – 1 bun 1 bun
Cucumber- 1 pc 4 pcs
Toscano Kale – 1 bun 1 bun
Romaine  –  1 bun 1 bun 1 bun kale
Broccoli – 3 pcs 3 yellowed pcs 1 bun kale
I am going to make kale chips tomorrow night (no lemons in house tonight).  I’ll need to get more lemons because I want to use them for my corn dish.  Cucumbers!!! Best Southern hot weather dish ever!, they are all spoken for!

Whatever basil I cannot use in the next three days will go to the dehydrator… I so love basil!