tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1571457975393525252024-03-13T12:10:20.175-07:00Local Eating - TNThis is a blog about a family trying to eat local, sustainable, organic food.
While we concede that going 100% locavore isn't going to happen for us, we hope you'll join us as we partake of the 90% that is!
We also believe strongly in supporting fair wages and fair prices for farmers who are bucking the industrial system to provide good food.
We hope that some of our lessons learned might even inspire or encourage you to begin a voyage to learn about your food too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger45125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-29477375366202479522013-01-18T19:35:00.002-08:002013-01-18T19:35:56.800-08:00We're still going strong! Just realized we hadn't posted in awhile. <br />
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We haven't wasted away - far from it! <br />
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Christmas was here with my family and it was great! We had ham with green been casserole, steamed corn, sweet potato casserole, and cornbread. We had some other sides as well and all were full.<br />
We also had a great breakfast one morning of egg casserole and pancakes. It was amazing to feed our family so cheaply b/c so much of it came from the freezer (all but the ham) instead of the store.<br />
We did forget to make a dessert though! New baby in the family = the only possible way this chocaholic forgets dessert (and no it's not mine - I'm an aunt again!) After dinner and gift exchange we 1/2 of us went to the little yogurt place down the street and brought back individually topped yogurts for all.<br />
It was a blessing to feed others and to be nourished in the process. <br />
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*Disclaimer: yes, we did eat chain restaurant BBQ and Pizza while they were here. No, it wasn't all homemade meals, but nobody cares. Besides, I had too much baby rocking/snuggling/admiring to do to be cooking the whole time! <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-42147050000949846442012-12-31T20:49:00.002-08:002012-12-31T20:49:17.436-08:00Little Red Hen, am II am so excited because today I got the dry blade canister for my Vitamix! The vitamix, in case you're not familiar with it, is a professional scale blender. It has a 2HP motor so it is a beast and I love it. I have already put it to great use making a number of purees, baby food, soups, etc. It's seriously awesome.<br />
But I digress...<br />
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I found the canister on Craiglist and picked it up today for half the retail price and it had never been opened. I was also proud of myself b/c this was my first Craigslist transaction and I didn't get ripped off or anything. It was great! <br />
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So today I bought the new canister (for 1/2 price!!!) then went to Whole Foods for some whole grains. I bought a quart of hard red winter wheat. I was hoping for white, but red was all they had so I took it. I also got some rye b/c I'd like to try some rye bread as well. I wanted to get some spelt but I decided to wait and try out the other grains first. Anyway, I got the whole grains and they cost me literally 3 dollars. I know I can get them cheaper once I buy in bulk or from a coop, but for a small batch to test out the blender, I was pleased with the minimal investment. <br />
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When we got home, I put the grains in the freezer. One of the critiques of the dry blender is that the heat from its blending can damage some of the nutrients in the grains. You want them to be pretty cold when they go in b/c they come out fairly warm. I thought this was probably people being a bit particular, but turns out it really does put off some heat. My grains were good and chilled and they came out pretty warm, so I'll definitely keep them there before grinding. <br />
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Another key theme in reading about the grains blender was to do no more than 2 cups at a time. I did just 1 cup at a time and it had no problem. The manual said to blend for a minute but it seemed finished at like 40 seconds. I sifted my flour to be sure it was well done and it really got all but maybe a teaspoon or so of the hard wheat ground into flour. I was super impressed. <br />
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In case you didn't know this, the dry blender can be used to make dough as well, so I just had to give it a go, especially since I had fresh flour just begging to be bread. Now I'm not going to lie. I followed the recipe with my cookbook and in the beginning I was super confident that this was going to be some amazing bread. The yeast looked so happy and the flour was so fresh, how could it go wrong? I followed all the directions but the dough seemed a bit doughy to me and I really didn't know if it was going to rise or, if it did, how it would taste. I was fairly discouraged for a bit, though it was probably my own fault for being so excited. (I am truly a dork.) Regardless of my apprehension, the dough did rise in the time suggested that it should take. I popped it in the oven and told B, "Well, at least the wheat only cost a dollar." thinking we hadn't lost much in this loaf and we could try again another day with another recipe. I am pleased to report, however, that the bread turned out great. Not too soft/crumbly and not too hard/dense. It would be a perfect sandwich bread. It's not as sweet as B's regular bread and I wouldn't want it all the time. It is a great quick bread though, and could easily be made after work for no more time and effort that it took to go from literally wheat to bread. I also think if I jazzed it up with some honey, jam, or butter, it could be a nice toast or semi-treat bread. <br />
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So, though I had plenty of help, I can't help but feel a bit like the Little Red Hen with her trips to the mill and the churning of butter, etc. Lucky for me, I also had my favorite people to share the bread with when it was finished. <br />
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While I didn't intend for this to by my Happy New Year post, it does sort of fit the bill. As we close the door on 2012 with it's false apocalypse, tragedies, victories, and more, my wish is for all to have Happy New Year, surrounded by family or loved ones that have become family, eating nourishing food, but most of all to be safe, loved, and happy. What more can we ever really ask for? I think everything else is just gravy. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-53440911324115040102012-12-21T20:42:00.000-08:002012-12-21T20:42:12.111-08:00Vitamix in the house!!We did it. After months on wondering, pondering, and hem-hawing, we bought a vitamix blender! We got a 5000 (not the newest or next-to-newest model) and it's used (thank you ebay!) but we got it for a fair price within our budget. It came on Friday and I have already used it a half dozen times or more.<br />
This thing is awesome. <br />
I was prepared to be completely underwhelmed. How on Earth could it live up to the hype? Well, yesterday I crammed that 64 oz. container chock full of roasted squash and within a minute I had 64 oz. of gorgeous squash puree. I did use the tamper to help the top parts get blended well, but seriously it was crazy easy. I was beyond impressed. Thanks to my fabulous blender I was able to roast, puree, and freeze 10 pints of butternut squash from the 11 or so squash I bought in the Green Door closeout. <br />
I cannot express how excited I am to find more and more ways to use this thing b/c it's a workhorse. Today I blended some blackberries to make some syrup for ice cream and felt like it was laughing at me, wondering if that was all I was going to ask this beast of a machine to do. <br />
I know I've only had it a few days and I know it's expensive, but I vote for anyone who's on the fence to take the leap (if it's in your budget - don't go crazy just b/c it's Christmas... wait for a decent deal to come around or buy it in parts to get what you need in smaller increments...) and get one. Also, I do think it should come with complimentary ear plugs - it is loud. Since it only runs a moment, it's okay, but it is as loud as you think something with the same motor as a weedeater running in your kitchen would be. <br />
Just putting it out there, in the interest of honesty - it's loud. Loud and awesome and I love it! <br />
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Note: we were on the fence between vita-mix and a blendtec. I imagine that to be like the difference in a Porsche and a Ferrari... Just get what you get the best deal on. I do like that the vitamix blades come out so you can replace the canister without having to buy whole new blades. Other than that, I think they're probably both more than worth the money if you cook with whole foods often. <br />
Just my 2 cents. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-43796668431731307872012-12-21T06:21:00.001-08:002012-12-21T20:44:03.395-08:00End of the World??Today is 12-21-12 - the day that the Mayan calendar ends and people are speculating the world could end today. <br />
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I don't believe in the world ending today, but my family thinks I have enough food in my freezer/pantry to qualify as a SHTF person. However those people would just laugh at that notion if they saw my meager supply. Has anyone else noticed that there's a fine line in preserving, planning ahead, being prepared, stocking up, and hoarding? <br />
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www.thesaurus.com gave these synonyms for hoarding:<br />
"acquire, amass, buy up, cache, collect, deposit, garner, gather, hide, keep, lay away, lay up, pile up, put aside for rainy day, put by, save, scrimp, sock away, squirrel, stash, stockpile, store, stow away, treasure" <br />
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Isn't it interesting how they technically mean the same thing, but you can read such a warm, positive connotation with some while others sound a bit extreme and cause concern for the person being described. <br />
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I also think it's interesting in looking up the meanings of this word how quickly they cross with words of greed. Some of the synonyms give a visual image a scrooge or a grinch to me - just hiding everything away so no one else can have any. In fact, thesaurus.net linked the verb hoarding to the adjective avaricious - the root word being avarice. Avarice means extreme greed. Not the image I associate with the housewives of America that do their canning and preserving. <br />
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Not sure the point of my ramblings. Perhaps just needed a moment to reflect on the day. I would hope if there were some kind of catastrophe today and I was a SHTF person with all those supplies, that I would have the heart to give to others and share what I had saved. What would be the point of having all of that if you have no one to enjoy it with anyway? And somehow in all of my rambling I arrived back at the reason for the season. <br />
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Merry Christmas to all! <br />
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ps. does anyone else have that song about the end of the world as we know it stuck in their heads today like I do?<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-75878990260128552422012-12-21T05:57:00.001-08:002012-12-21T20:45:41.128-08:00Let there be Squash!Yesterday I roasted 11 or so butternut squash and made 11 pints of puree to freeze. <br />
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Some of it will be given as baby food. I made a little batch to give my sister who is due soon and some is for a friend who just had a baby. They may not want it but it seemed only appropriate when surrounded by all that puree to think of baby food and share with those who might appreciate some pre-pureed goodness. Who knows...<br />
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The remaining squash will be baked into muffins, breads, and treats. Of course a lot of it will get cooked into delicious soup with cornbread crumbled in it. I could also eat it with a spoon because, as mentioned multiple times, I am slightly addicted to it. I love that you can add onions and garlic to make it savory or add sugar and such to make sweet treats, or leave plain and enjoy. <br />
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So as sad as I was to finish up the last of the winter squash, I know I have a healthy stash. It's not enough to last a year, but that's okay. I'm learning that's the whole point of this local eating thing. It will be nice to greet the new squash of next year - like welcoming an old familiar friend home again (except then you quickly gobble him up... so maybe not like that at all?) Still working on my metaphors I suppose. <br />
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Merry Christmas! <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-45818397479844636072012-12-15T10:25:00.000-08:002012-12-15T10:25:32.082-08:00T minus 2 weeks...For the duration of our attempt to eat only local food, we have been doing 80-100% of our food shopping at Green Door Gourmet. <br />
I found out today they are closing up for the winter in 2 weeks. I can't shop next week b/c I'm going to Arkansas for the weekend, which leaves me only 1 more trip out there fo the season. Green Door will reopen in the spring, officially April for the public.<br />
That's right - 3 solid months - market closed. <br />
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Don't get me wrong; I'm lucky they've stayed open as long as they have. Many other CSAs closed up about a month ago or more. I've been fortunate to still be able to run out there each weekend and snag up the fall treasures.<br />
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So, needless to say, today was "stock up while you can" day for our family. I promptly cleaned out the 1/2 pound or so of pecans left. I bought 2 pumpkins the size of basketballs which I have already roasted, pureed, and put in jars to freeze. Yum! (dishwashing pending...) <br />
I got 4 pie pumpkins and 7 butternut squash to roast, puree, and freeze as well. I am completely obsessed with the flavor of butternut squash so I wonder how long 7 will last. I have probably roasted 10 in the past month or so and we are flying through it, so I wanted to try again to stock up on it.<br />
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I got a bunch of turnips and their greens for B and some baby greens for me. B is as addicted to turnips/greens as I am to the butternut squash. I wish we could freeze them so he would have them longer, but it's not recommended due to their moisture content.<br />
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I stocked up on a few meat things b/c I fear when I go on the 15th that the meat selection will be very picked over. I wanted to snag up what I could, while I could. New chicken and sausage and brats... 2 dozen eggs (bummed about new eggs - the ones at PP are all white. I'll miss our weekly hodgepodge of brown, bluish-gray, and white ones I have grown to expect. Plus they're more expensive elsewhere...) and a ton of other treasures. <br />
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I also got a bit of Christmas shopping done! I lucked out by buying several gift sets of local treasures such as soap, tea/honey, lip gloss, GDG jelly, etc. for E's teachers and a few other friends that would appreciate them. I hope I don't regret not getting more, but I am already wondering if I shouldn't have picked up a few more of the sweet little goodies all wrapped up. My priorities for Christmas shopping are: small business and local (Nashville) treasures. I'm also a total sucker for complimentary gift wrapping or pre-wrapped treasures, so that little table of pre-wrapped (so cutely!) Nashville treasures sold at Green Door was 100% speaking my language and it was very hard to walk away. You feel my pain, yeah? <br />
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So today was stock up day. 2 weeks from now we'll be independent and trying to get through the winter. I am excited to thaw out or open up the flavors or summer and fall that we have worked so hard to lock up in jars and baggies. As anxious as I am about the lack of new sweet potatoes (somehow missed the last of them... oops!), I take comfort in the notion of 2 gallon bags of blackberries in the deep freeze that might need to become muffins and jam one day very soon. I feel like that in general. For every food I am sad to lose, I think of one we have preserved or "put up" to get us through this time. With a little luck, some inventorying and careful planning, we may actually eat best of all in the winter. I haven't cracked into anything yet b/c we've been still reveling in the fresh flavors of fall. Come Dec. 15th, I think we may have a special "Welcome Winter" feast to kick off the beginning or our unofficial season. <br />
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I'll still be posting on this experience b/c the next 3 months are what a lot of the other work has been about for us. Could we provide/put up/set back enough in the summer and fall to get through the winter on only local food? Well, the 15th is more or less the last chance to stock up and after that it's time to enjoy all the fruits of our labors. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-2309093303656054452012-12-15T10:21:00.000-08:002012-12-21T20:49:50.614-08:00Let there be cookies! The women in B's family do an annual cookie day. They split the cost of the basics and then everyone brings 2 recipes and any special ingredients for their recipes. They gather the night before and get things set up and make a few things, but then Saturday is the real deal. <br />
This was my first year so I was mostly observing and taking it all in, b/c it was interesting to see how everyone has settled into roles and has their tasks before them. By noon almost all the baking was done and it was just a matter of waiting for their turn in the oven. <br />
I have pictures of what we made and what I left with and every time I see them I am amazed. It's interesting too b/c none of it really fits our eating lifestyle. I love sweets but have been trying to do better, but B and E eat little to no treats (aside from the muffins at Produce Place). So it's funny to me to come home with a truckload of cookies, cookie bars, and all manner of chocolate dipped snacks. Nonetheless, they were all baked with love and the experience of the day was fantastic. <br />
I managed to catch my oven mitt on fire when I pulled my cookies out of the oven - no idea how that happened. Smelled a weird smell and knew something was burning - checked the oven, no those are all fine. Didn't see anything unusual and just kept taking the cookies off the cookie sheet. I filled up 1 cooling rack and turned to do the other when the smell got a little stronger. I looked down and sure enough the mitt on my hand had a 3 inch flame on it! I am so proud of myself - I didn't drop or ruin a single cookie! I flopped them on the counter and fanned out the flame on the oven mitt. We then dipped it in cold water to further extinguish any remaining embers. It was sooo funny and I'm sure I was a sight flapping out the fire of the mitt on my hand. Someone yelled - "Take it off your hand.", but my fingers weren't in any danger and launching a flaming mitt across the kitchen seemed like a bad idea. It was all very comical and luckily nothing was harmed in the incident and no cookies were lost in the process.<br />
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On the cookie side, I was pretty bummed with what I made. I will try something different next year. I wanted a yummy pumpkin, pecan, chocolate chip cookie and they turned out okay but kinda watery or bland. It definitely needed more spice. The other recipe was an oatmeal raisin, half with pecan and half without. They turned out super thin and pitiful. They were definitely done, but they didn't rise or turn very golden on the top (They kinda looked like the oven wasn't at quite right temp. except that it was.) but they were super crumbly and wouldn't stay together. I ended up putting them in a gallon baggie and breaking them up into crumbles. They taste fantastic so for now it's my granola substitute. I can't wait to put some in ice cream! <br />
I can't lie, I wanted to take a recipe and have everyone say, "ooh. I must get that recipe." or something along those lines. Well, trust me, no one is asking for either of my recipes. They both fell short of my expectations. <br />
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My favorite part of the day was hearing all the conversations and the fussing/loving among family. I wasn't quite prepared for the business of it - they came to make, bake, and conquer - and they did! <br />
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E was a great help by unwrapping lots of the candies that go on cookies and she essentially made our oatmeal cookies. I measured everything out but, other than a little stirring after the mixer, she did the rest. I was surprised how little she tried to eat. Granted, she didn't know what a lot of the things were so she didn't ask for them, but she still didn't try to finagle too many treats. I was pleased. The best of the day was helping her decorate sugar cookies. The sprinkles were coming out of the jar in clumps b/c the hole was small or something, so she started putting the sprinkles in the palm of her hand and then sprinkling them on the cookie that way. I have a lot of cute pictures of her determined face so focused on making the perfect cookie. <br />
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So, now we have a year's supply of treats in the house. No one here will starve and we are definitely not wasting away. I think I'm the only one eating them which is a concern at the rate some things are disappearing. I am excited to divide them up into little care packages for friends, coworkers, and neighbors. I am excited to give them out and let the joy of homemade treats spread. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-16567325648956761162012-11-29T20:21:00.000-08:002012-11-29T20:21:13.943-08:00Local Food Summit! Try to contain your envy, but I get to attend a local food summit this weekend out at green door. I am super excited to go and hear the speakers and meet new people and hang out at the green door all day. I am so excited for Saturday! I can't wait to go and meet fellow locavores and hang out with like-minded people for a day.<br />
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Sylvia said that about half of the day is intended for consumers (people like me) where they'll talk about eating locally and cooking seasonally and the other half is for producers (people like her) where they'll talk about biodynamic farming or planting tens of acres of crops at a time. I'm hoping to learn tricks and tips for doing what we're doing only better. <br />
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I'm especially curious to see what people suggest for the winter months (jan-mar). That's only 5 or 6 weeks away, you know. Winter is coming like a freight train and I am excited to see how well we, squirrels that we have been, have prepared our freezer and pantry to get us through those 3 months while compromising as little as possible. I would like to limit Trader Joe's/Kroger to the items we currently get from there but only time will tell if that's actually possible.<br />
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I'll report back all the goings on at the summit sometime soon b/c surely I'll have all kinds of wonderful things to tell, but for now I wanted to post about my *excitement for it. <br />
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*And, for the record, had you told me a year ago, I would be writing this, I would have laughed in your face. and they say people can't change. What do they know?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-39210761747029407132012-11-29T20:06:00.002-08:002012-11-29T20:21:36.401-08:00and the light bulb comes on. Finally.Just a quick post to say that I am completely and hopelessly addicted to butternut squash! I know people are all excited about pumpkin right now, but it's only because they haven't tried roasted butternut squash yet.<br />
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I was so mourning the loss of tomatoes (by the way, how is it that some places still have "local" tomatoes by the truckload?) and all things that come from fresh tomatoes when the butternut squash stepped into my kitchen! Fear not! I will survive the winter after all. <br />
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I'm hoping this is what local eating is all about. <br />
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I think, maybe, you're supposed to be so very sad to see 1 thing go, so that you treasure it more when it reappears in its own season and you know not to take it for granted.There is an importance and value found in missing something. It's nice too, that just as you are bidding farewell to something, a new, and fresh, something arrives to take its place.<br />
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I also think it's the core of what locavores have known that the rest of are overlooking, unaware of, or willfully disregarding: you aren't supposed to eat the same thing every day of the year. Food, like life, comes in seasons, and there needs to be rhythm and a balance to them, and, like the moon should come in phases. There needs to be a waxing and a waning of all things found in nature. <br />
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Perfect example: I actually find myself daydreaming about taking E to pick strawberries. We had just begun to wonder about local food at the very end of strawberry season and unfortunately the season this year was extremely short and supply was markedly low due to weather at the time. We were able to pick enough for some treats that lasted about a week and I luckily made some strawberry ice that we froze. Sadly, there wasn't enough for jam/jelly (thought I wouldn't have known how to make it yet.) or freezing in bulk (but we weren't really into that at the time) so we had only the tiniest taste of anything strawberry. I can't wait for strawberry season and I intend to make up for this year for sure (while hoping not to turn us into crazy, strawberry hoarders). The point is I am looking forward to them b/c we don't have them. <br />
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I'm learning that local eating is about the not-having as much as the having. It's about discovering new tastes that your tongue has been allowed to miss. It's about relishing something b/c you know it won't be around forever and it won't be available when you want it. It's about eating on nature's time table rather than your own. So far, it's about celebrating ebbs and flows of all things rather than a constant stream. <br />
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With all that said, I encourage you to put away the tomato for just a meal and try roasting some winter squash. You might be more ready to welcome a new season and new flavors than you realize. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-45522400903789737832012-11-28T11:03:00.001-08:002012-11-29T18:59:31.031-08:00A new take on an old friend?I've eaten a lot of pecans in my life and never have they tasted so good. <br />
Why? <br />
No one is treating their pecan trees differently and I think pecan farming is a good example for this. Pecan trees grow and produce pecans, some years more and some less. If you spray the trees for pest or growth hormone I am totally unaware. <br />
That being said, I believe the pecans I'm eating now to be just like the ones I ate as a kid. What is different? These very well could be more fresh but I think a lot has to do with the fact that I haven't had soda or anything super sweet in a long time. Is it possible that those things cloud our ability to taste mother nature's treasures for what they are? Who knows and for the time being pecans are my favorite between meal treat.<br />
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Because now you want some pecans too... Admit it.<br />
We got our pecans still in their shell at Green Door Gourmet. She had a medium-sized basket of them from a friend. We got 2 pounds thinking it was a ton at the time. Sadly, now that they're almost gone, we're wishing we had picked up many, many more.)<br />
brandbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05635043865422436402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-45466274910364282182012-11-17T07:25:00.003-08:002012-11-17T07:25:30.013-08:00Thanksgiving... In with the New! I just have a second and want to record my pre-Thanksgiving thoughts. We ordered 2 turkeys from the CSA. They're coming from a farm about 45 minutes from us and we are excited about them. 1 of the turkeys is for a gathering on the big day and it's going to feed about 10-12 people. When telling our friends we wanted to bring the turkey and describing the farm, he said, "Oh. A turkey with dreadlocks. Awesome." I think that sums it up nicely. The other turkey is just for us to have and nibble on for some time.<br />
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It'll be nice to have a change from chicken or beef for a little while. I am also excited to have our first big "food" holiday since we switched to local food. I can't wait to make my first from-scratch green bean casserole. I may be a little lost not needing my can opener. (Speaking of which, we could probably toss him. Haven't eaten anything from a can since April, maybe??) I have only ever made the 5 minute version my whole life. 2 cans of green beans, 1 can cream of mushroom soup, and the grated cheese with bread crumbs on top. This will be a whole new adventure and I'm excited. I am also pondering the idea of making a corn casserole using some of our frozen stash of corn, but we'll just have to see. <br />
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I have a lot of produce saved up and frozen, but I haven't used any of it yet. It feels too soon to me. I worry that come January we'll be out of it and won't have more until it comes back around. We're really trying to make our pantry last and the problem is that I have no concept of how much we need or how to portion out what we have in order to make it last. The best advice I got on this was to take good notes. Sylvia told me to write down how much I had on hand and when I used it/how much so I would know what to save more or less of next year. It's going to be an interesting winter and I am curious to see how we make out in general, but for now I am super excited to dip into the reserves and whip up some new holiday traditions. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-38498434566821372712012-11-17T07:08:00.003-08:002012-11-17T07:08:47.623-08:00Quality!!!For starters this is way overdue for me. Erin has been on me to contribute for awhile. Since we talk about this adventure a lot at home, she felt I should write down my view of what has been going down in the cooking/eating aspect of our lives. So here you have it.
I've covered a lot of ground in my head about what to write, but the first thing that I think of when I think about food is quality. To most people it is not important. Speed and convenience are king. I used to be in that category and felt like I wasn't overweight, as well as I ate pretty healthy. I felt like I made a little effort by not eating much fast food and making decent choices when we did. The problem was I was eating the bottom of the pile as far as quality food goes. Subway and Sonic, although convenient and cheap on the front end were not the best options for helping my rig go.
Getting past fast food, the items we would buy at the grocery store were mostly convenience items or frozen versions of meals that were already cooked and had lost a lot of nutritional value. We had no idea how much better it could taste if we made a similar version from fresh ingredients or from scratch.
We keep talking about the many facets of the local/seasonal diet and it hurts me that it took so long for us to figure it out or learn what we have in the past 5 months. The most important facet is our health. With Eliza growing so fast, she needs quality nutrition for those quickly dividing cells and to have a solid foundation for all things ahead. We hope she continues responsible eating once she has to decide for herself. I'm very proud of how she eats at 4 years old and her mother is mostly to praise for that. Erin made all of Eliza's baby food and quite honestly that was the catalyst for all of us to start eating better. Our food journey really began 4 years ago with the revelation that we wouldn't feed this food to our child, so why were it eating it ourselves?
After many meals out, it has become obvious to me that quality of food is not always very important. I just assumed that other people would make changes if they knew what we knew, but this it not the case. It's interesting to see the assumption that this is a natural order of growing up, but it seems that choosing what to eat is more about habits and lifestyles than anything else.
Further, the definition of quality when talking about food is very subjective. We really don't eat out much anymore but when we do, we try to make it local. For us that means 2 things: the mom and pop local, or small businesses, but also trying to limit what we eat to food made within 100 miles of us as much as we can.
We have tried to find restaurants that share our values of local/seasonal produce and meat and we have found several. Mitchell's Deli in East Nashville is a favorite of ours. It is a dollar or so more per person than say Panera Bread but the quality of the food served is top notch. Given the choice I can't imagine anyone would rather go to Panera Bread when Mitchell's is available. The food didn't ride on a truck across the country and the majority of the produce and meat came from local farms. (We are big fans of their potato salad with Benton's bacon, for example.) The same is true for Burger Up. It's a few dollars more than other burger joints, but the beef is so fresh they claim you could eat it raw and not get sick. Pretty sure others would not make that claim. It's interesting to me that buying local food is so closely linked to supporting small businesses.
I have learned that spending a little more money on our food to get local items has been very fulfilling. I've been able to meet some of the people that grow the food I buy as well as experience their passion for what they do. These farmers put lots of sweat and hard work into growing non-modified produce and raise chickens and pigs that run free and eat what God meant for them to eat. I have great respect for that. If everyone supported local farms instead of cafo beef from grocery stores and fast food the economy would likely be a different picture. Unfortunately quality isn't important anymore.
As far as our health/energy, Erin and I haven't felt better. Our energy level is as high as it's been since we've known each other. We aren't crashing at 6:30 with fatigue, rather at 10-11 at night we still have gas in the tank to tackle the dishes or laundry even after starting the day at 5-6 am. I feel better than I have my whole life and I'm in better shape than I was after 3 years of running cross country in high school.
I can't speak enough about how great it is to eat local and seasonal. Try it!
Know where your food comes from and enjoy the journey of finding local farms that allow visits and help spread wealth and wisdom within your community.
brandbellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05635043865422436402noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-18050672710371880302012-10-04T20:47:00.000-07:002012-10-04T20:47:52.064-07:00Fishy Thoughts & a Book RecommendationIf you haven't read Eating for Beginners by Melanie Rehak, I highly recommend it. I checked it out from the library this summer and read it in a couple of days. In it the author has a child, which begins a journey for her to find out about her food and make sure that she's feeding her child the most nutritious food she can. She discovers sometimes that's organic and other times it's not.<br />
<br />
In the book, she works at a restaurant that uses local ingredients and has a menu that changes with the seasons. While working there, she visits most of their vendors and learns about the food she's eating. There's also a lot about her child, the beginning eater, who is extraordinarily picky and refuses to eat most of what she's trying so hard to get him to eat. I really related to that part of the book because I am such a picky eater, though I am getting better.<br />
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In the book one of the chapters is dedicated to fish. In it she actually goes out on a fishing trip with the commercial (though small and local) fishermen and gets loads of great and helpful information about choosing and eating fish. It taught me tons of information and I became aware of loads of issues that I wasn't aware of in the fish industry. Unfortunately, I didn't really get a good sense of what to eat - especially in Tennessee, so we haven't had fish since our last frozen fillet from the grocery store. I guess you could say it raised lots of questions and warned me of what to avoid, but it didn't fill in any answers. I feel like I only know what to stay away from, with plenty of good reasons, but that doesn't tell me what I could try.<br />
<br />
I follow a great blog called wellpreserved.ca. and they are big fish advocates with great information about fish. If you're interested in this kind of thing, here's a great link to some of their writing about fish. Again, the information is wonderful but only goes so far bc they're in Canada and I live in Tennessee. The concerns, challenges, and values related to eating fish may be universal, but the fish themselves are not. Their info. would be very helpful though if you lived anywhere near them.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-75263129255446106952012-10-04T20:45:00.001-07:002012-10-04T20:45:43.362-07:00What a difference time off makes.Update: This is a post I wrote a few weeks ago about some of the struggles I was having. It's funny to me to read it after I've spent the week cooking and stocking up. Hopefully my work in the kitchen this week will help me fight these battles more effectively when I go back to work next week and when my family comes home the week after that.<br />
<br />
<br />
Well, this week was a train wreck in more ways than I can honestly count. I worked way too much and saw my family far too little. I cooked 2 (count them: 2!) meals for my family. I am giving myself some slack on the night the power went out and we had sandwiches, but the rest of the week there was no excuse to not do any better than I did. Breakfast? Where are you my long lost friend?<br />
<br />
By Tuesday I could already tell that something was off and our little family just wasn't in the groove. After giving it more thought than should have been necessary, I have come to the conclusion that the answer is really about balance. I let my balance shift from center and should not be surprised that the results were less than stellar.<br />
<br />
Let's be honest - if you leave your house at 6 am and get home at 6 pm, you're probably not whipping up a stellar from-scratch food experience. You, like me, might instead plug in the little grill, slap some cheese, greens, and tomatoes on bread and call it supper. The problem is that the next day's lunch isn't much better and by supper the next day, you're going out to eat because you forgot to thaw the chicken again.<br />
<br />
I misjudged how much we would eat on a few occasions and didn't make and caught myself putting part of meals in lunch boxes before I was full so I would have leftovers for lunch the next day and not have to do more cooking at 10 o'clock?m Has anyone else done that? Fear not - that lasted all of 2 meals, maybe. Turns out my love of eating is stronger than my dislike of fixing lunches at 10pm. Leftovers be hanged, I'm filling myself up from now on!) So now, here I arrive at the end of the week on empty with little energy and the stirrings of a sore throat. <br />
<br />
I have got to do some baking. I need some delicious muffins and cookies and treats. Some will be breakfasts that keep my car on the right path. Some will be desserts that I can enjoy guilt-free. I'm planning to put one of Michael Pollan's food rules to the test this week - eat all the sweets and treats you want as long as you make them yourself. (paraphrasing a bit there) His theory is that if you make it yourself, you'll eat less b/c of the effort involved. We'll see - I know my recipe for PB cookies is calling my name. I know some muffins and breads will be welcome respite from pancakes.<br />
<br />
This week was a setback in so many ways. I let my priorities get out of alignment with my values. (Do chiropractors have a fix for that? Well, come to think of it, that may be a large percentage of what they do in a sense.) I am optimistic for the week ahead. I have 2 really good books that I'm reading and both have some wonderful recipes for quick meals with simple ingredients that I can make on my own. I'm hoping not to need any chicken noodle soup, but also hoping to restore my energy and my health this week. I'm hoping to limit time spent on some things which should immediately open up time for better things. Here's to a better week ahead. <br />
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<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-3851174227212867032012-10-04T20:32:00.001-07:002012-10-04T20:33:08.590-07:00Catching Up (if there is such a thing)I have worked so hard this week to get ahead on some food things. I am really proud of myself in some areas and disappointed in others. To be fair, I knew my goals were probably less than realistic. <br />
<br />
Here's what's finished:<br />
15 pints of tomatoes!! (Whoop! Whoop! I am so proud of myself for not letting a single tomato rot! It's so sad though b/c we used to have 2 shelves in the door and the entire windowsill covered in tomatoes and now there are literally 2 tiny green tomatoes left in sight. I am proud they didn't go to waste, but their visual absence is screaming at me that summer is ending and fall is coming ahead like a freight train. Sylvia suspects 2, maybe 3, more weeks and then no more tomatoes. I had some guilt this week with the quantity I purchased (13 dollars in heirloom and a 1/3 of our CSA box) but I know I won't regret the money spent in a few months' time. They did smell lovely and I am actually getting faster at canning them. It's pretty crazy to me that 4 months ago I didn't even eat or like tomatoes and now I know how to can them in bulk batches. Wild! <br />
<br />
3 batches of from-scratch buttermilk biscuits<br />
2 batches of from-scratch buttermilk cornbread <br />
3 batches of from-scratch cream scones (if you are familiar with Joyofbaking.com, then you know the o is short for some reason, so it's really scon. Never heard that before visiting her site, so I'm just passing that along.<br />
1 batch of chocolate chocolate chip cookies (I made these with Olive & Sinclair 67% dark chocolate broken into pieces for the chocolate chips, they turned out to be pretty perfect!)<br />
2 big batches of peanut butter cookies (Thank you Produce Place!) When I grabbed our tub of PB this week, it was warm from just being churned. 2 days later is was frozen in the form of cookie goodness! How exciting is that? <br />
*Side note about PB - lots of people know that we used to patron Trader Joe's a lot, and so lots of people told us about the recall on their PB. It was such fun to me when it would come up because A: we didn't eat it or need to be worried about it, B: I got to tell lots of different people in different circles about the Produce Place. There's a chance a few might even check it out b/c of our fun conversation about how lovely it is! C: It was a kind of validation that we're moving in the right direction with our food and it feels really good. <br />
I also made a batch walnut brittle-but-not-quit-brittle-enough-brittle :-) First try at brittle and it's a great flavor and a nice special treat. I didn't cook it long enough, so it's a little chewy rather than the brittle, but I'll get better. I'll know for next time to go much longer on the cooking time (i.e., I'll probably burn the next batch, but it's all a learning process on the path to getting it right sometimes. I'm not giving up when the fails taste so yummy.) <br />
I made a batch of yogurt (3 pints) but the starter I used didn't take too well, so it's pretty runny; like a drinkable yogurt version. Disappointed but not wasting it. I'll keep trying to find the right starter; it's out there. <br />
<br />
Now in the interest of full disclosure I must admit that we ran our of local flour middle of the week and I used a bag of King Arthur flour for the rest of the baking. I also used a pack of horizon organic butter for something (can't remember what now...) I bought a bag of White Lily for the biscuits, but everything else was local. <br />
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Point to ponder - we buy our butter at Produce Place and it just comes in a slab wrapped in plastic and priced by weight. I had forgotten how convenient the sticks can be when you're cooking and need 1/2 cup or 1/4 cup.<br />
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<br />
Still on the queue:<br />
I need to make a big batch of alfredo sauce to freeze but out of milk and butter. The Produce Place gets fresh milk delivered on Friday's so we'll go in the morning. <br />
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I didn't make any "meals" or casseroles like I thought I would. I made mostly sides. Lots of treats and snacks. I think it's because that's what we've (maybe just I've?) been missing most. I'm hoping to get some of these things made next week while the family's away. Time will tell on this.<br />
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Muffins: I have 3 cans of TJ's pumpkin to use up so I see some pumpkin muffins in our future. I'll make some other kinds as well - maybe blackberry with some of my reserve berries. Need to get as many breakfast options going as possible b/c that's been one of my biggest struggles.<br />
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Okra: must bake okra ASAP! I refuse to let it rot! <br />
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Soups: I found "simple" recipes for a couple of different soups that would use up some of the squash in our pantry. <br />
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Sweet potato... I have a lot that I want to puree and freeze b/c most things require the puree. I wonder about putting it in muffins, soups, etc. Seems like it would be easiest to cook & puree it and freeze to use as needed. This would be mostly an attempt to prevent spoilage. Also wonder about freezing some of skillet sweet potatoes with garlic and onions that B makes. They are insanely delicious, but I wonder how well they would freeze... I guess that's another point to ponder.<br />
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Food loss: this we lost some corn this week. I know we let a couple of potatoes spoil and the herbs are officially toast. We lost our bag of basil last week and that was hard to take. I was so excited to make pesto but it just turned on us so quickly. Hate that, but we do the best we can. We try really hard not to waste anything and to get to things before they turn, but sometimes things just get away from us before we realize it.<br />
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I'm hoping to stock up on a few things this week. I am having a hard time accepting the end of okra, green beans, and tomatoes, but will do my best to snag all of their summer goodness that I can. <br />
So anyway. Lots to be proud of. Lots to show for my efforts. Made some small concessions with ingredients, but stuck to the core of what we're about with all of this. Learned a LOT about cooking, cleaning, and myself this week and I'm excited to see what the next few weeks bring. Happy catching up to you all! Again, if there is such a thing! I think it's more accurate to say I'm less-behind than to say I'm catching up. <br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-22736302574117876292012-09-30T18:06:00.000-07:002012-09-30T20:10:43.762-07:00October Unprocessed??<a href="http://www.eatingrules.com/october-unprocessed-2012/">October Unprocessed?</a> Really? A month of food that hasn't been processed... intriguing, scary, challenging, fun? Not sure how best to describe the thought of giving it a go.<br />
<br />
I think this could be possible given their definition of processed. Plus I'm on fall break the whole first week of October, which means I might actually have time to cook & freeze all the things I would need to have pre-made in order to actually get through the month.<br />
I'm tweaking their rules and allowing 1 day or meal a week to be processed because I know how crazy and hectic October can be with all the fall festivals, pumpkin patches, etc. that are around the corner. Add to that, hosting a baby shower, halloween festivities, and a full time job (with report cards & conferences just around the corner) - I think if I can do this with 1 exception a week, it'll be a huge win for me. <br />
</code><br />
<br />
I think I'm going to treat myself to Burger Up the first week of November if I meet my goal. Maybe having an extra incentive will help me keep my determination to succeed.<br />
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As you already know, if you've read any of my posts, the hardest parts for me are going to be breakfast and desserts. I'm working on some ideas to help make those battle much easier to fight and hopefully win. <br />
As I make progress with these 2 areas I'll be sure to share what I'm discovering and what's working or not working well for us. <br />
<br />
I'm including the links to the post in case others are interested in giving this a go. The site has lots of support and encouragement to anyone who might be on the fence about diving in to scratch or near-scratch eating. Set up your own rules and do what works for you and know it's all a process and you have to begin somewhere. I'm diving in and I hope you will too! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-44669327942982613412012-09-30T12:38:00.000-07:002012-09-30T14:25:46.783-07:00Greater love hath no husband than the 1 that buys Chocolate! (Chocoholic update)Just have to add that my sweet husband read what I wrote the other day about craving chocolate /sweets in general and bought me a tiny
tub of B&J chocolate ice cream with brownies in it! I have a fix
for next time a craving strikes! Chocoholics rejoice! <br />
After he read it, we had a great talk about my craving for sugar
in general and afterwards I felt much better. He very gently reminded
me how much junk (HFCS et al.) I have consumed on a regular basis in my
life until recently, and he seemed to think the craving was natural and perfectly normal for me. He
also thought it would take awhile for my mind/body to re-translate what
"sweet" is now compared to what it used to be for me. <br />
This made so
much sense to me and explains why I sometimes felt like a crazy person. I
would want something sweet and, trying to be good, eat an apple. It was
like my stomach was saying, "Thanks for the apples, now give us
something sweet." So I would repeat with raisins or cherries or grapes
until finally I would give in and eat something chocolate or super sweet
or a really rich dessert.<br />
I've been
working on the sweets in general and doing better, but had not
anticipated the challenge it would bring. I've more than tripled the
amount of fresh fruit I eat so there's definite progress. It's just
going to take time to re-train my brain to know what "sweet" is now. And
until then, I have some yummy ice cream in the freezer! Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-5506031499839308782012-09-28T18:36:00.001-07:002012-09-28T18:37:52.454-07:00Pecan Brittle I talked to my great-aunt Helen tonight and she shared with me her recipe for pecan brittle. (Her chiropractor makes it with almonds.) It was the best time and we had the nicest chat. It was bittersweet in a way b/c talking to her brought memories of my beloved Papaw flooding back to me. I was struck by how much she sounded like him on the phone, strange b/c she's lived in Ohio for many years and he lived in Arkansas. I did have a tear or two, but they were happy ones. <br />
Anyway, it was so good for my soul to talk to her and listen to her way of cooking. I loved hearing the little details of the steps in ways you'll never find in any cookbook. It made me long in a very real way for my grandmothers and their recipes but, more than that, for that connection that comes when you start talking about food and recipes.<br />
I love this sweet lady and it was such a delight to share our similar viewpoints on local vs. organic or margarine vs. butter. I was slightly anxious to message her (on FB no less!), but I thought, why not? I'm infinitely glad I called her and that we talked food for just a little while. I hope wherever you are, you have someone you can call to inherit a recipe like I did. There's something electrifying about someone saying, "Alright, you got a pencil and paper? This is how I make..." It may feel awkward or strange, but something I have repeatedly learned through all of this is that people feel flattered when you ask how they cook something and love to tell you. People love to share their recipes and their methods for cooking. It definitely connects us all and it's amazing where a conversation that begins with food can roam. <br />
So I wish for you tonight to have a roaming talk that begins with food. My heart is much fuller tonight and my grocery list is a little longer for having talked to my great-aunt and I hope she's feeling more loved knowing her little niece called her up one Friday night to find out how to make brittle (and pot roast... and fry eggplant... and ...) I feel so spoiled now with new ideas to try.<br />
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ps. Here's the sweet story of where she originally got her recipe.<br />
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My great uncle taught at a local college and one year the secretary in his department made all the teachers this brittle for Christmas. It was wrapped in plastic wrap with a bow on top. My great-aunt said that her husband loved it so much, she called the lady up and asked for the recipe so she could make it for him. She's been making it every year since and makes so much at Christmas that she begins a month early. <br />
Isn't it comforting when the themes of good food and love intertwine themselves and the recipe becomes a living thing? What began as a simple Christmas gift, establishes roots as a wife shows love to a husband. It branches as a mother makes her annual brittle for Christmas. It blossoms as family members connect over much time and distance. Someday they will intertwine again and hopefully sprout new seeds as I tell this story and share this recipe with my own sweet girl. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-51663493780856875662012-09-27T19:39:00.003-07:002012-09-30T12:34:00.342-07:00Confessions of a ChocoholicYesterday we had an in-service that was interesting but not <i>sooo</i>
interesting. The coaches, in an attempt to keep us awake, put little
bowls of chocolate candy at our tables. That's right a bowl of
bite-sized candy bars in every variety you can think of... at my table
where I was required to sit for 3 hour and listen to trainer.I
ate 5 mini Kit-Kats and 2 Snickers. (at least...)<br />
<br />
I know better. I know all about
HFCS. I know all about the evil Hershey company giving money to block
prop. 37. I know... I know... I know...<br />
<br />
But the chocolate...<br />
<br />
I confess - I ate it and it was yummy. I felt guilty (especially since it was not quite 8:00!), but I did it. <br />
I
am doing better in general at giving up a lot of things in general, in
fact I have resisted these little bowls on numerous occasions already.
But today, I gobbled.<br />
<br />
My plan now is to hurry up and
make some chocolate chip cookies using the Olive &amp; Sinclair
chocolate, some peanut butter cookies with the fresh peanut butter from
Produce Place. (By the way, when I got my PB yesterday, it was still
warm from literally just converting from peanut to peanut butter. How
can you go wrong with that, right?) I bought cream to make some
delicious cream scones to go with my fruit sorbets from the summer
months.<br />
<br />
My plan is to go with the Food Rule that says
you can eat all the junk you want as long as you make it yourself.
Pollan says when you make it from scratch you won't eat as much. There's
also something about using better ingredients means you need/eat less
overall. I am putting that theory to the test soon. <br />
<br />
Round
1 went to me. Round 2 goes to the chocolate. Round 3, and let's be real
here, there will always be another bowl of treats and another
temptation of junk, will be mine for the taking. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-30370370126632760162012-09-05T15:57:00.004-07:002012-09-05T16:04:08.112-07:00Erg... That's my best imitation of a frustrated sound. I am frustrated with myself.<br />
<br />
I'm having a challenge right now with breakfast. I leave for work between 6 and 6:30. The last 2 days I have slept in a bit b/c the 3 day weekend wore me out. Not because I did so much, but because for the first time since school started back I actually sat still and rested for a moment. Turns out I was really, really tired. Anyway, it's been hard to get my game face back on and get back in the groove of moving and well... grooving if you know what I mean.<br />
<br />
So, that means I had a hot chocolate and lemon pound cake for breakfast. They were yummy but they weren't particularly nutritious or energizing. They were neither economical or cost-efficient. I also ate them in my car which isn't something I want to make a habit of doing (again I reference Food Rules by Michael Pollan. Love that book!!)<br />
<br />
And so, you see the reason for the erg... I didn't want to do it, but I forgot to make a breakfast last night and then I didn't get up the extra ten minutes early to do it this morning. Sadly it's the 2nd time in 2 weeks that my little car has steered that way, and I'm worried it's going to be a trend. I really don't want it to be, but it's a little too easy and I'm a little too weak in the hours before the traffic lights have switched over from their blinking of the night to the 3 color system we all know and love.<br />
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Worst of all is that breakfast should be the easiest! How hard is it to microwave pancakes or muffins? How long can it really take to scramble an egg or fry up some bacon? Honestly - no excuse for not at least setting up a bowl of oatmeal to boil while fixing supper... I have no excuse, no valid reason, no sweet sentiment for resorting to the breakfast I ate today.<br />
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I'm not posting this to have a pity party or to show how good/bad I'm doing with local eating. I'm posting this here because this is a place for my thoughts and right now my thoughts are: erg... It's going to be time for supper in a few and I need to get something started. I also need a plan for breakfast in the morning so I don't repeat today's plan. It's also good sometimes to acknowledge our setbacks and/or limitations. There's a value in understanding and accepting we fall short of goals even though we keep chipping away at them. Plus, I don't want to only record successes; I want to be truthful and honest so that when I read this later I remember I did have some slacker days where I had to just get it on the way and go. I want to remember that every day wasn't easy and there were days that it just didn't happen for me for whatever reason.<br />
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Luckily for me, I have some Benton's bacon in the fridge and it's calling my name. I know it won't right the wrong of the morning, but it sure is tasty and it'll get me back on track at least. Who says you can't have breakfast for supper?<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-81886270136297242612012-09-04T15:58:00.001-07:002012-09-04T15:58:24.105-07:00Disappointment DefinedI left my house tonight headed for dinner at Burger Up, but when we got there they were closed for a special event. We tried to eat at a couple different local restaurants we know but they too were either closed or too busy. Do they have a category in the Scene polls for loudest restaurant or most impossible to carry on a conversation inside? I have a nominee, if so. <br />
<br />
So instead of the yummiest burgers (and desserts!) in town, I had a "hunk of pizza" at Greer Stadium while watching the Sounds play tonight. If you're not sure why I say this is disappointment defined, read my other post about Burger Up. I assume you know what ball park pizza offers as far as taste and nutrition. It really was okay as far as pizza goes but it was nowhere comparable to the Burger Up dinner I had in mind.<br />
<br />
Interestingly, they give away all kinds of coupons to fast food restaurants at these games. I had no idea that fast food had such a vested interest in the minor league baseball crowd. Who knew?<br />
<br />
The ball game itself was fun though our team was pretty pitiful. We left an inning early and we were down by 10 runs. There is no mercy rule in minor league ball apparently. All in all, a good time was had by all but I'm not going to make the stadium a regular dinner spot any time soon. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-9970588752624174142012-09-02T14:20:00.001-07:002012-09-02T14:23:28.718-07:00Update to CuriousityWell the double box was a success as far as I can tell. The only thing we wouldn't have bought for ourselves were the beets b/c I'm not any good at cooking them yet. Hopefully they won't be food waste but I guess time will tell.<br />
We got loads of great treasures and already have tons of green beans bagged and frozen! I didn't see much okra, but B may have already loaded it in the freezer. We got some good fruit options and I might be able to make apple sauce. Again, time will tell. <br />
So the end of summer/beginning of fall has come and gone. I will have to be on top of a few cooking project so we don't lose our eggplant, zucchini, or squash but the rest will be put to great use right away. <br />
Glad B had a great trip but I am excited to go next week and shop, shop, shop!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-26612310117371259282012-09-01T07:05:00.000-07:002012-09-01T07:05:34.844-07:00Curious CatToday I don't get to go to the farm... E and I have a birthday party to attend, so B is going instead. I'm disappointed, but mostly very, very curious. <br />This week we ordered a family box instead of our usual pack-your-own box. Green Door is an awesome farm/CSA where you can go week-to-week without a commitment (though we've never missed a week) and they offer 3 options for boxes which fit pretty much everyone. We always get the middle option (pack-your-own) but it's the smaller "couple" size box. Today we ordered the larger family box and we are curious to see what we get. B's gone before and always gets great stuff, but with the new season beginning today I'm especially curious to see what we get. I wish I could go today and see all the new items and snag up the last of a few specific things that I could freeze or (possibly) can for the winter, but I'm sure the party will be fun as well. <br />This month will sadly bring the end of a lot of the summer produce we've gotten really accustomed to eating. B has learned some mad cooking skills when it comes to green beans, peas, okra, and squash. I have learned a few new ways to make potatoes, but this isn't really as noteworthy since I could eat potatoes every day at multiple meals and not get tired of them. <br />
We have also worked very hard to put up, preserve, set back (whatever you want to call it) a lot of these great foods so we can get through the winter and still eat only local food. We ordered the family box in hopes we would get enough food for today and still have some leftovers to put up. This also means we don't pack it ourselves so we may have more interesting things in there that we wouldn't normally get - I'm curious to see what comes and in what amounts. We're not hoarders (yet?) and we're not SHTF people (yet?) but we know that to have local food all winter long, we would have to be somewhat prepared to supplement what grows here in the winter with some reserves from the summer. I'm hoping for no food waste - that we can eat or preserve what we get today before it passes its prime, but we'll just have to see. It's going to be interesting and I'll report back on what we get. I have no doubt we'll get much more than our money's worth in delicious, nutritious, safe local food. We are hoping to have a little pantry and freezer full of treasures to keep us on our local diet through the winter, but we've never done this before. We don't really have any idea how many of anything we need to get through the winter/spring so this is just a new part of our grand experiment. <br />
I'm wishing I felt more prepared to say farewell to summer and all it's treasures. I have my fingers crossed that we have done enough putting back because, ready or not, fall is here. All of this finds me one very curious cat hoping for a great supper. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-53371065086670117532012-08-30T20:07:00.000-07:002012-08-30T20:07:27.036-07:00Good Fish, Bad Fish, are there Tennessee Fish?<br />
I've been reading about the importance of getting DHA in your diet and that the best source is fish. I've also read multiple places that people who do not eat much fish should/could take fish oil supplements to get the improved benefits of fish without eating the actual fish.<br />
So, I've been on the hunt for decent local fish since we started this b/c B actually likes to eat it. I have never liked it, but I have been convinced of its nutritional value and feel it's something we should be getting into our diets. <br />I find it very perplexing, distressing, and frustrating that there is a large river and multiple lakes that run through my area, and yet local fish is so hard to find. How can this be so? I shake my fist at that dirty water even though I know all too well that it's not the water's fault.<br />
I went to a "local" grocery store with a fish counter to inquire about some local fish. I was referred to them b/c someone told me they carried a particular farmed rainbow trout. They didn't have any local fish - the nearest was Wisconsin. The fishmonger responded to my exasperation about the lack of fish when we have all these natural waterways by saying, "I'm not eating anything out of that river." Awesome.<br />
This is a larger kind of grocery so it was also interesting to hear him discuss the idea of getting fish from a local place or a small scale farm. I couldn't tell if he was trying to tell me his honest opinions, was quoting the party line/rhetoric on why industrial organic is better than independent/local, of if he was genuinely trying to spook me into buying their "safer" fish.<br />
Having just finished Joel Salatin's most recent book and starting a 2nd one now, I was surprised how much his comments bothered me. I hadn't expected to care how he talked about/described little farmers (that I don't even know from Adam!), but it really did irk me a bit to hear him describe "them" as something to be feared. I got the impression all of his food comes with an acronym stamped on it. <br />So, after 3 months I'm still on the hunt for some local fish. I am amazed by the challenges that come with this wild ride we've begun. I enjoy learning all the new facts and meeting new people. I had the best conversation with the fishmonger about fish and really liked him (aside from the little snarky comments about small fisheries) and what he had to say. I was encouraged that he took my name and number and wrote "local" underneath it. He said someone might call me with more information. Until then, I'll have to be content in the knowledge that my name is attached to the word "local" in someone's world. That's better than some can say and, who knows, maybe one of these days my fish will come in and I'll have something new to report. <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-157145797539352525.post-11696632432511858592012-08-20T07:54:00.007-07:002012-08-20T07:58:25.185-07:00We've got Ripples!We went home to see our family this weekend and there were multiple examples of little ways that our push for local/sustainable/fair/healthy (organic?) food is wearing off on them as well!<br />
Both of our parents mentioned that they found a place to get meat that was from a farmer and local. Apparently they've found a place to get pork products locally and they seemed genuinely interested and excited about it!<br />
My dad made a point to cook organic "hot dogs" for lunch. I say "hot dog" because they were really more like sausages or mini-brats. They were pork meat only and very tasty/meaty - nothing like a hot dog. This could lead to even more ripples b/c my brother really liked them. He eats hot dogs several times a week. Just that one switch in his diet from generic brand industrial hot dogs with all the preservatives and chemicals to the all-pork locally grown version could be huge for him and his health, right? <br />
Both of our parents are using more whole wheat flour in their cooking. In fact, I was lucky enough to receive a made-from-scratch birthday cake with made-from-scratch frosting
that was over the top delicious. (Carrot cake with cream cheese
frosting, no less!) It was many times better than anything you could get from a grocery or a box. It also tasted better because it had a lot of love in it. I know the time invested in making it from scratch versus picking it up from the store, and I appreciated not only the flavors of the cake, but also the time and effort that went into making it especially for me. It was like a 2nd gift in a way. (The first gift was a box of walnuts! What a treat!)<br />
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I don't know how many people we have talked to about our food. I don't know how many people we have encouraged to visit Green Door or Produce Place or try making their own bread/cheese/yogurt, etc. As I am learning to can/preserve food, I'm sharing successes/failures with others and encouraging them to give it a go as well. It's been interesting to see how often the topic of food comes up and we have the chance to spread the word about where to get great local food. We had some friends over the other night who think very similarly to us about food and the need for local, sustainable foods. We had the best time chatting about where to get various ingredients/foods and how to cook them up and enjoy them. It was great sharing our experiences with local food and hearing theirs as well. <br />
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Honestly and truthfully, we started this adventure purely for ourselves and mostly out of curiosity. This wasn't begun as a crusade to persuade anyone else. Even this blog is more about us having a way to document our experiences, keep track of recipes & putting up plans, and note where/when to get various things so it will hopefully get easier to eat locally each year. We also wanted to share the blog
with others that might be trying the same thing as a word of encouragement that it's possible and a positive thing to do. We are hoping people
might find our little corner of the web and send us tips on where to get great local food in Nashville. <br />
In the beginning we wondered where our food was coming from. We realized we weren't asking enough questions about our food. We didn't know what things we could get locally and we were curious to find out how we would feel if we switched a more local diet. As a result we have lost weight*, gained energy and confidence, learned tons of new things about food and how to cook it (thanks to the fabulous folks at Green Door Gourmet and the internet), and we've been genuinely a bit happier all around. *I could go into a lot more detail about the changes in our health in the last 2 months, but I don't want to sound like an infomercial!<br />
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All that to say, when we decided to switch to local food, we didn't think about our little adventure effecting anyone else. It is great to see these unexpected ripples and wonder what other ripples or (dare I say it?) even waves may still lie ahead of us? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0