-
CTST: Tasty produce and the farmers who grow it
Celebrate the Small Things: The hard work of farmers to produce healthy, tasty fruits and vegetables. This time of year, the farmers start to see the fruits of their labor and we have especially tasty choices at local farmers’ markets and in grocery stores who feature locally grown produce. I can’t wait until those juicy red, yellow and orange tomatoes ripen and the tender, yellow sweetcorn matures! Until I took part in a Consumer Support Agriculture (CSA) several times, I didn’t know there could be such a difference in taste, between organic, locally grown vegetables and those found year-long in big-chain stores. There is a huge difference and I’m spoiled.…
-
“A”sparagus and individuality
Photo © Diane Weidenbenner I had a revelation today, or, rather, my husband helped me with a revelation. You see, I don’t like asparagus. (That’s not the revelation – you need to read on…) Everyone likes asparagus, at least that’s what I’ve been lead to believe. It’s unmatched for its nutritional benefits and everyone I know just coos over it like it’s a newborn baby. I’ve only prepared it once and the spears refused to get tender so I now equated asparagus with stubbornness. And, green, stringy-ness. See my dilemma? Friends and family members say that I just don’t know how to cook it. I’ll agree with that. Even strangers…
-
Blackberry bliss from my CSA
Blackberry pie fresh from the oven (and our CSA). Luscious blackberries. Über fresh tomatillos. Weighty, fresh, almost-sweet cabbage. Roasted garlic that melts in your mouth. Beautifully striated zucchini. Tender, sweet, mild beets. These are some of the treasures that we’ve experienced by participating in a half share of a CSA (community supported agriculture) with White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, an organic garden and educational center near Terre Haute, Ind. (and ministry of the Sisters of Providence). Although the midwest is experiencing the worst drought in 50 years, the produce that we’ve received has been worth the price of admission. Especially for someone who didn’t know her kale from, well, the…
-
Veggies – here we come!
I signed up for my first CSA experience (community supported agriculture). Next week Joe and I will pick up our first one-half share of locally grown, organic vegetables, fruits and herbs from White Violet Center for Eco-Justice. Being “wild” about eating my vegetables is a fairly new experience for me. Knowing how to prepare vegetables so that they are tasty is even a more recent experience. While I enjoy most raw vegetables, cooking and serving them for a meal is a whole different story. After moving to Indiana seven years ago, and having access to locally grown organic produce, I appreciate the fact that it seems to taste 100 percent…
-
Blogging from A to Z: Baking
My husband gave me the baking idea for blogging, since I enjoy cooking. The first question I asked him was, “Do I actually need to bake something to blog about it?” I keep printing out recipes that sound good and they are stacking up in one of our kitchen cabinets. Recipes for yummy items like Blueberry Coffee Cake and Persimmon Pudding. I’ve printed out recipes for homemade, organic dog biscuits since they seem doable (and it seems healthier for our dog, Hershey). I used to travel extensively with my job and I’d purchase a souvenir cookbook from new places that I visited. Needless to say, I have a lot of…
