Warming up to root vegetables

It is just over 30 degrees here in Brooklyn. So it should come as now surprise that yesterday marked the end of the growing season, and with it my CSA share.

Gone are the strawberries and bright colorful fruits and veggies from when the season opened in June. This week's loot was noticeably more rooty. With veggies like potatoes, carrots and celery root.

Normally, these ingredients don't sound all that appetizing, but surprisingly I've been craving them recently. If these hardy foods can stand up to the weather, well then, perhaps they can help me stand up to it too.

I think all root vegetables do well with a nice roasting. Yesterday, I took several of my roots that had been collecting for a while (potato, sweet potato, turnip), and made a great meal with them. I simply cut them up, and threw them in a roasting pan with some olive oil, salt and thyme. Then put them in the oven at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or so, taking them out halfway through to mix. I served with some broiled fish, brown rice and garlic collard greens. Yum!

I also enjoy making soups with root vegetables (see my recipe for Celery Root Soup). I'd love to hear other creative ideas too. Please share!

Bad apple or prized find? The lure of the wormy apple.

These are not the kind of apples you fight for in the store or see pictured next to proud, grinning farmers. Yet, there was something about these bruised, neglected, harbingers of fall that captivated me.

They sat, dejected in a box labeled "take em or leave em" at my local CSA. Many I am sure, passed on the chance to acquire these ugly ducklings. Not me. I know how rare it can be to find an organically grown, New York state apple in these parts. Apparently, the climate here makes it tough for organic growing methods. Even my organic-loyalist the Park Slope Food Co-op, carries "minimally treated" ones.

I also should be clear - this was no charity case. I wanted to see what all the rage was about. I've been curious about wormy apples ever since Amy Hepworth, proudly bit into a wild untreated apple before a packed audience at the Park Slope Food Co-op last year. Amy, who supplies the minimally treated apples available for sale, declared her preference for the maggot-ridden ones, even going so far as identifying the pests she was consuming. Her statement got the attention of New York magazine which profiled her in its August issue, entitled "How Farmer Amy Hepworth Became a Cult Hero to Foodies."

Ever since, I've wondered if we were passing on the good stuff. I mean if the farmers and pests like them, shouldn't we? So I had to try them (the apples, not the pests - sorry, I am not as adventurous as Amy).

I took my knife and cut up an apple. And yes it was delicious! Sweet, crisp, juicy... all the important attributes I look for. Absent was the 'waxy' taste I find so common, and have come to accept.

As a CSA member, I am a stakeholder in my farm. Which means, like Amy Hepworth, I feel a special connection to all that grows from my farm - whether or not it is photogenic. I am sure I would have a different mindset if I shopped at Whole Foods. Fortunately, the good stuff comes to Brooklyn!

Planning my week, at least the meal part

I love a good challenge. And every week I am handed one when I pickup my CSA share. Yes, lots of great produce direct from the farm. But what do I do with it?

This week I picked up some beautiful tomatoes (six different kinds!), green beans, corn, zucchini, carrots (purple ones!), red peppers, potatoes, lettuce, garlic, peaches, and apples.

I don't know about you, but I really don't want all this produce to go bad. So the first thing I do when I get home is make a plan. This includes taking an inventory of my produce (old and new), and then brainstorming a bunch of tasty possibilities. I like to use a chalkboard to list all this.

Here is what mine looks like as of today --->

Possibilites for this week include: Gazpacho, Fennel and Apple Salad, Corn Chowder, Carrot Halwa, Tortilla Espanola, Zucchini Cakes, and Green Bean Stir-Fry with Tofu. Anyone else getting hungry?

Some of these dishes I have made before. Others I have not. I'm not even sure if I have all the ingredients that I need! And that is okay. I usually look up the ingredients later - either finding a recipe in one of my cookbooks or on the Internet (Google is truly amazing for this).

For added fun, try doing this with your partner! It is a great creative exercise and will bring you two together around food and meal planning.

Oh and it helps to have a well stocked pantry. Hmm...mental note for future post. :)

The upside of a rainy day

It was cloudy yesterday in Brooklyn. And rainy. My Sunday plan of spending some time outdoors was ruined. I was bummed.

Moments later I had a phone session with a client. She had expressed disappointment of being passed over for a promotion. The news happened earlier in the week, and she was still disappointed. I asked her to think "how might this incident be serving you?" At first she was confused, didn't quite get it. So I asked her to consider what comes with a promotion. More compensation, sure. But also more responsibility and stress, which she already had a lot of in her life. I told her that maybe this was an opportunity for her to get a handle on her current workload. You could even call it a gift. She instantly felt more at peace.

So often our disappointment comes from not seeing the bigger picture. I tried to apply this same perspective to my own life. How might my rainy day might be serving me? Well, it gave me the opportunity to take care of some things I had been putting off - phone calls, writing in my blog, reading, etc. But it also would be a benefit to my farm! As a member of the Park Slope CSA, I get a fractional portion of whatever my farm harvests for the season. So perhaps this will lead to more strawberries! Or zucchini! Instantly I too was at peace. :)

The local season begins!

I'm officially into summer. I just picked up my share of produce from my local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This week we were treated to strawberries, red lettuce, bok choy, chard, turnips, radishes, scapes, and parsley.

When you become a member of a CSA you pay upfront for a share of a particular farmer's harvest for the season. The season lasts 22 weeks from now until mid November. Every week is a mystery. You get some familiar items (e.g. strawberries) and some unfamiliar ones (e.g. scapes).

I personally love the challenge of figuring out what to do with my produce. It is also a great way to connect with your fellow CSA members. Gotta good recipe for these turnips? What is the best way to store my bok choy?

And how cool is it to have my very own personal farm? Answer: Super cool!