Sagetribe- Adventures From Our Village

CSA Week 2

It's feeling like Christmas or harvastmas each Saturday...really...I love, love, love filling our bags with whatever our farmers have harvested. I love that everything is so green and fresh and has only traveled from the farm (right outside of Bloomington), to Bloomington, to our home, less than five miles away. 

We have great farmers in this area. Great farmers, many of whom work very hard to make sure the food is "clean", and by clean I do not mean dirt free, because dirt, it turns out, is what vegetables grow in (ahh...) and bugs, it also turns out, live in dirt, so yes, occasionally a green caterpillar is enjoying my collards and must be tossed outside before we saute them up; no, by clean I mean, they are not shiny or huge because something unclean, like a chemical, has been sprayed on them. 

Turns out though, sadly, that while it is strawberry season here, most of the strawberries are NOT clean. 

After making three trips around the farmer's market with the wee-est one in tow, who wanted to know why we couldn't just buy those strawberries or THOSE, I finally found

HOORAY! we both shouted, happily eating them as we walked back to the car. These guys are really porous; they do not have hard rinds to keep the chemicals out. So thankful to Life Farms for growing some clean ones!

This week we're still using up last week's share along with this week's. Thankfully, it has all kept nicely. 

Our menu:

Potluck with Brown Rice Lemon Vinaigrette Salad

Grilled Chicken and veggies with collards

Leftover Grilled Chicken turned into Stroganoff (so we can use all those mushrooms) and salad (Local folks, Bfoods has their sour cream on sale:)

Tacos and salad

Roasted Veggie Soup (roast, puree; it's soup)

Veggie Fritatta (our lovely weekly stand by) with bacon :) Gotta get in the MEAT before my Vegan cleanse in a week!

Happy harvesting and eating clean food to you!

 

 

 

 

Rhubarb Apple Crisp

Until quite recently, I'd never heard of rhubarb. I'd never seen a stalk, and didn't even know it was a stalk, but two weeks, determined to try something new, a rather cute old farmer complete with straw hat and bibs sold me my first bundle. I paid my five dollars, not knowing if that was a good price or not, and happily stuck them into my bag determined to make a pie that afternoon. 

The stalks sat in my crisper drawer and sat. I'd open it to retrieve lettuce and carrots, more lettuce and assorted other greens, but never did I pull the poor rhubarb out. The stalks, I could tell, were beginning to get tired of their place in the crisper drawer. They begin to wilt and brown...

I knew they were going to end up like so many veggies I have, in the past, let go to rot simply because I was too weary of them.

No, not this time! Last night, as I tucked the big kid into bed, I found myself wanting something sweet. Then I remembered. The rhubarb...I have the rhubarb, if it's not too late. I soon found myself pouring spices and cutting apples and...rhubarb. Yes, I managed to save many of the stalks from my neglect and they cut quite beautifully while omitting a smell quite unlike any I have experienced. To be honest, I'm not sure if it was pleasant...

Not feeling in the mood to dirty too many dishes or spend all night mixing dough, I simply made the pie filling and covered the top with oats, brown sugar, and pecans. 

It was

DELISH! Especially with Brown Cow Maple Syrup yogurt on top!

Here's what I did. The spice mixture was taken from Deborah Madison's Local Flavors. (Do you have this cookbook? Have you tried Brown Cow?)

Preheat oven to 350

In a bowl toss-

2 large or 4 small apples cut into small bite sized pieces

5 stalks of rhubarb sliced, also cut into small bite sized pieces

1tsp of cinnamon

1/4 tsp of allspice

1/4 tsp of cloves

1/4 tsp of nutmeg

1/2 c of maple syrup (real)

2 TB of flour (white or whole wheat)

Once everything is nice and coated, put the filling into a glass dish, and sprinkle the top with the following

1/2 c of oats

Sprinkling of brown sugar

pecans (chopped)

Bake at 350 for an hour covered. When it's done, give it a good stir and serve warm with yogurt or ice cream or maybe just eat it out of the big dish. 

I'm not sure how other rhubarb pies/crisps taste since this is my first, but I can say that we'll be planting these lovely stalks in the years to come and we may just be having dessert every night!

Happy Rhubarb trying to you!

Well, Hello Again- Grilled Porks and Rainbow Chard

So maybe it's this cold I'm fighting which is keeping me from sleep or the fact that we're back to eating greens and I'm feeling all foodie, or maybe when I log into my site and see how many of you read these little diatribes of mine (THANKS!!), it just makes me so !!!!!; whatever the reason, here I am again, with another really easy meal that one of my two kids loved, and I'm not really sure it's fair to count the two year old because, well, she's two and was in a characteristically sassy mood; she was NOT going to eat THAT. 

And THAT was sauteed onions, garlic, potatoes, and rainbow chard with a little fresh rosemary, served over seasoned grilled pork chops. 

That's the recipe...Just cut, sautee, season, and grill. 

Keep reading if you want the detailed recipe with photos.

Except it's not that easy if you're like me and can't seem to light the grill. Then you have to wait until the Big Guy gets home from working at your daughter's day care so he can try to light it, fail, and then end up throwing a lighted stick into the grill. 

So, maybe you'll eat even later than late, which you would have done even if you hadn't had trouble with the grill because you promised your son that he could take the money he got from being a Psyc. lab guinea pig to Target to buy the latest Batman Lego set.

And maybe while this dinner was in fact quite lovely, the small person who was temper tantruming all over the house because she didn't want to eat THAT, made you think that maybe had you had the guts to just throw the match and get dinner on the table earlier, maybe she would have eaten THAT. 

Maybe...

But regardless, you should go to the farmer's market on Saturday and buy some rainbow chard.  And you should also get your meat directly from a farmer because while it may be just a little bit more pricey, when you see how thick the cuts are and you taste how much better the meat is, you'll just sink you teeth into it and not really care who or what is throwing themselves at your feet insisting that they should be able to eat a forth yogurt instead of THAT. 

Here's the recipe if you'd rather skip over all this and just make the food:

1. Four local, boneless pork chops (We love http://www.schachtfleecefarm.com/- also found at the farmer's market)

2. Season with salt and pepper, olive oil, and either sage, rosemary, or thyme

3. Grill

4. Heat oil in pan on medium high (I used coconut oil- a new fav. but olive oil works)

5. Add chopped onion and garlic

6. Add seasoning (salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, sage, or thyme)

7. Add cut up potatoes- continue to cook and stir when you remember 

8. While the veggies are getting cooked down and wonderful, wash your chard and remove it from the rib. I didn't do this the first couple times we ate chard or collards and it was very chewy! Then rip the pieces into smaller pieces and soak/rinse/soak/rinse to clean. 

9. Add chard to pan, turn heat down and let it cook down into the onions and potatoes. It will turn bright green and reduce a lot. 

10. Serve THAT! 

 

Simple Supper- Mashed Potato Bar

Heather, from beauty that moves, (who by the way is having another cooking class in May- a 30 day Vegan cleanse, which I am taking simply because her recipes are so damn good that I need MORE) had the brilliant idea to replace the traditional baked potato bar with the MASHED POTATO BAR. 

Brilliant!

Like I mentioned here, I'm not one to follow recipes (ironic how much I love them...), but this meal I don't think really needs one- just a love of mashed potatoes (check!) and a love of foods that could go on said mashed potatoes (check!). 

I chopped and sauteed, boiled and mashed. 

The toppings were piled on a platter and each person was served a bowl of mashed potatoes (with skins of course because they really are good for you!) 

Each of us took what we wanted (with a little help choosing from the mama) and all of us had seconds.

This might be another weekly meal- which means we're up to like 10 dinners a week that are a must- yet another reason why my weeks need to get longer!

There was a lot of shoveling (mindfully of course) into happy bellies. I'm thinking sweet potato bar, roasted squash bar, roasted/mashed cauliflower bar---oh the possibilities!

We've Been...

Expanding...(see right)

There had been talk here and there, many nights on Mother Earth News' website and garden planner, and a many a seed packet finding its way into our home...

Then I left for Montana, and apparently the plans got bigger...

for we now have a garden fortress.

All sorts of things are sprouting up. Our compost is lovely and rich, our water barrel is full, and soon, with the addition of a rope added to the fencing, we'll have to have flying deer to reduce our peppers and tomatoes to stubs again.

Sadly, fences and ropes do not keep out slugs, but thanks to the wonderful farmers at the market (which opened today! YIPEE!), our slugs will soon be too drunk to eat our broccoli. Oh and speaking of our market, it is our most favorite place to be April through November. The months without it are quite depressing, really.Today we wandered, ate kettle corn, wandered, ate bbq, chatted, and ran around with friends for three hours, all while filling our bags with rainbow chard, sweet potatoes, eggs, maple syrup, hamburger, and bacon.  

There is just something about a town that comes together weekly for breakfast and lunch while buying dinner- it really doesn't get much more local or fresh or better. 

And in other news, we've also been completing our first gymnastics class. A true athlete this girl is, with no fear, and a love of being upside down.

The big kid started soccer again last week, the mama is finishing up her writing workshop and whole food class (which will be starting up again soon- YEAH!), and the Big Guy, when he's not getting slugs intoxicated, is getting ready... 

Big things are approaching- school years to finish, trips to plan, and a lot of days lying in the hammock thinking about... not much... all while trying not to kill the fortress! Fingers crossed- we'll see.

How to Make Sticky Muffins or Why Following Directions Pays Off

Everyday I repeat a handful of phrases, sometimes multiple times- "Make sure you have  a pencil." "Don't lean back in your chair like that." "Keep your hands to yourself." And of course the most common of all, "Read the directions." 

I model for my students how to write, read, re-read, use reading strategies, sit in a chair without leaning back, and I keep my hands to myself. As for pencils...well you can ask them why I never have any...

But ironically, in a do as I say not as I do sort of way, I hate to follow directions. I don't read manuals, I don't follow recipes, and I get lost often while driving. 

So it came to no surprise to me when I made these

lovely little muffins that the jam, which was suppose to be hidden inside of the muffin, looked like

Ahem...perhaps this is why there was so much left over batter...perhaps...

Thankfully, while very sticky, they taste just as good both cooked

and raw. 

P.S. Have you heard of Sucanat? I hadn't until recently, but now that's all we use in terms of loose sugar. No real processing. Nothing taken out or added. It's lovely!

Embracing

the green!

Have you?

Green (Call it Goddess- You'll feel all sparkly with kale bits in your teeth) Smoothie

-Any fruit

-Any juice

Honey, nuts, yogurt optional

-Ice

-Handful of kale or spinach

BLEND!

This was apple juice (like a swig), orange, half of banana (the left overs from my kids' snack) and kale. 

Feeling goddessy, healthy, and closer to only having ONE chin! 

Blend on!

Whole Food Kitchen- Making Room

We're making room for new jars,

new ingredients,

new recipes,

and THIRDS!

OH this was AMAZING!!

Simple Supper- Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Ricotta, and Mozzarella

I love putting simple ingredients into a pan and calling it dinner. We're hungry and tired when we get home from school. The kids want something with cheese or peanut butter on it, we big people want comfort to transition us from work to home, and we all just want food NOW (which we're working on- oh those French for making us realize that waiting for things is actually a good thing...I mean, I had NO clue...sarcasm intended- good article, but not all of us Americans are clueless.)

Last week- We had the staples- onions, kosher salt, olive oil, and pasta. 

We also had some ricotta cheese, a ball of fresh mozzarella, and a bag of frozen brussel sprouts. 

It was EASY

EXTRA CHEESY

and DIVINE!

Of course- finishing the meal off with some good ole fashion Thin Mints (thank you Girl Scouts) 

made it even more DIVINE!

Pasta with Brussel Sprouts, Ricotta, and Mozzarella

Saute onions and thawed brussel sprouts in olive oil and kosher/sea salt until slightly brown and tender. 

Add cooked pasta with 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Add 3/4 cup of ricotta cheese.

Add 1 cup of cut up fresh mozzarella cheese. 

Stir to coat and melt.

ENJOY!

Whole Food Kitchen- Week One

Recently, on a whim, I decided to take a chance with a blogger I'd recently stumbled upon. I signed up for her class and waited. 

Today it started. 

Today I want to be NO WHERE ELSE but in my kitchen. 

I am so excited. 

Already I have tips (I now know how to make Almond Milk), tons of recipes (Curry, Sesame Noodles, Crumbles), cooking videos (my most fav.), a community of fellow cooks and eaters interested in whole food- the list goes on. 

For three months- I'll be learning and cooking, redoing my cubbords (OH YES), and really cementing all the ideals Clark and I have come to believe are good and true and so for us. 

Soon, more of these lovely little jars filled with more nuts, seeds, and grains will be overflowing in my pantry. More veggies we haven't tried or need to try more of will be ready to be chopped. More fruits will be blended into smoothies. 

We're good about eating food- straight from the ground food- but we need to be even better.

I need more ideas- more ways to get good things into us without popping vitamins that may or may not do good things for our bodies. 

We need more variety, more staples, more reasons to want to stay home and eat and not be temped to eat out or in my case eat what's sitting in the faculty lounge. 

This is exactly what I've needed- someone who's read the cookbooks and all of Michael Pollan's words, figured out the tricks, and gotten her kid to love the food- someone to do the hard work I'd actually love to do, but have no time to center on.

So thankful something good has come from my wanderings through cyberspace...ahem...working on this too.

Happy cooking real food to you!

 

P.S. The link for the class is on my sidebar.