csa box 9/18/09

csa box
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

almost a week late, but here it is. in the midst of the havoc that has been wrought by my latest project, i have been eating lots of veggies.

- romaine & green leaf lettuces
- celery
- zucchini & squash
- cucumbers
- corn
- carrots
- apples
- basil
- beets

vermiposting

vermiposting
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

the arrival of our new "pets" has inspired maternal instincts. i feel like a nervous mother hen. their journey wasn't far, but it's been a hot week or so, and plenty warm in the shipping container i'm sure. the bin didn't take too long to set up. soak coir in water for 15 minutes. assemble bin. add coir to bin. add worms to bin. add moistened shredded newspaper. that's pretty much it. for their first week here, i've been worrying about what i'm feeding the worms. will they like it? will they eat it?

my worse fear is killing the pound of worms. that would suck and make me sad. so far so good. they've been wriggling around, crawling over and under the newspaper and back into the dirt when i open up the lid to feed them our kitchen scraps. there are too many to name, which is probably a good thing. only one has lost his way and ended up on the side of the bin. i gently nudged him back down into the dirt. i should thank mike for his cappuccinos. the espresso grounds make the bin smell good. i wonder if they get buzzed on it?

csa box aug 7

- romaine lettuce
- green beans
- cucumbers (2)
- basil
- giant maui onion
- carrots
- cherry tomatoes
- tomatoes (3)
- red pepper
- peaches (3)
- strawberries

csa box 7/24/09

csa box 7/24/09
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

- lettuce
- cabbage
- basil
- cilantro
- green bell peppers
- one giant onion
- cucumbers
- oranges
- tomatoes
- peaches

csa july 3, 09

i was dreading seeing the two heads of lettuce in our box this week since we hadn't even finished eating the two heads of lettuce from the last box, but all the new and fun items made up for it. needless to say, i'll be making a cream of lettuce soup again.
*marks what's new

- romaine lettuce (2 heads)
- purple cabbage (2 heads)
- cucumber (3)
- purple carrots*
- japanese eggplant*
- green beans
- cilantro
- corn
- tomatoes (not sure, but they look like heirloom)
- strawberries (1 qt)
- apples (4)

i'm not sure how they determine how much to put in the box, but it seems that there are a lot more in quantity and variety this week, which is exciting. i'll probably use the japanese egpplant in a red coconut curry. not sure what i'll make with the purple cabbage, yet. anyone have suggestions for something relatively easy? i usually just stir-fry with some red pepper, onions and basil.

csa box june 19

- romaine lettuce
- red leaf lettuce
- green beans
- cucumber
- corn
- radishes
- maui onion
- tomatoes
- basil
- strawberries

csa produce box: april 17

- romaine lettuce
- green leaf lettuce
- spinach
- sugar snap peas
- celery
- spring onion
- carrots
- apples
- strawberries

this week's csa box

- carrots
- green leaf lettuce
- iceberg lettuce
- cabbage
- spinach
- cilantro
- green onions
- apples
- strawberries

csa box 2/20/09

csa box 2/20/09
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

our produce box today included:

- red leaf lettuce
- iceberg lettuce
- red radishes
- celery
- beets
- spinach
- cabbage
- carrots
- cilantro
- romanesco (broccoflower)
- apples
- bananas

purple cabbage w/ basil & carmelized onions

dinner
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

found this easy recipe for spicing up the pretty purple cabbage we received in our last produce box

1 yellow onion chopped
1 small head of purple cabbage, sliced in 2 inch strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
basil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
salt & pepper to taste

saute the onions in 2 tbs olive oil for 10 min until they have browned. add 1 tsp salt and the red pepper flakes and cook for 1 min. add the cabbage and a tbs of water and cover. let the cabbage steam for 5-10 min until cooked down. add garlic, basil and salt and pepper to taste. cook for another 5 min and you're done!

creamy lettuce & potato soup

creamy lettuce & potato soup
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

our csa must grow quite a bit of lettuce. we usually get one, sometimes two heads (green leaf & iceberg) in our produce box. you would think it being somewhat of a staple food, we'd have no problem using it up, but i get tired of making boring salads with lettuce. i had some wilty lettuce so made soup out of it the other night. our last box had some russet potatoes and celery, so i threw those in there as well. here's the recipe.

8 cups lettuce, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 medium potatoes, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbs butter
5 cups of vegetable broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tsp thyme
2 tbs flour
1/3 cup chopped green onions (optional)
1/3 cup chopped parsley (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil

sautee onions in 2 tbs olive oil in a dutch oven or stock pan for about 8 mins, until translucent. add celery, potatoes, garlic, thyme, 1 tbs salt and butter and cook for 5 mins. add flour and whisk until incorporated and cook for 1 min. add wine and cook down for 3 min.

add vegetable broth and bring almost to a boil and add lettuce. when soup returns to bubbling, lower heat, cover and simmer for 15 min.

after lettuce has cooked down, using an immersion blender, puree the soup in the stock or pour into a bowl and little by little puree soup in blender before returning to pot. add heavy cream (or milk if you are fat conscious), green onions & parsley, reserving some of the herbs for a garnish. heat for another minute or so until cream is incorporated. add salt & cracked pepper to taste

today's csa produce box delivery

purple cabbage
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

included:
purple cabbage
celery
romaine lettuce
carrots
red radishes
green onions
cilantro
large gold potatoes
bananas
tomatoes
strawberries

csa produce box: our first one!

community supported agriculture
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

yay! our box of produce arrived, delivered in the wee early morning hours by the milkman. wondering what's in the box?

- carrots
- cabbage
- spinach
- broccoli
- cauliflower
- cilantro
- 2 different lettuces--romaine & iceberg. i'm not a big fan of iceberg, but this one actually looks good
- cherry tomatoes
- bananas
- strawberries

there's definitely enough here for two people, cooking 3 - 4 days a week for two weeks. i knew it wouldn't have everything we need, so we'll have to supplement with occasional trips to the grocery store for other things like mushrooms, which aren't usually farmed locally due to the dry climate.

except for one moldy strawberry at the bottom of the container, everything looked fresh and in excellent condition--no wilty bits on any produce to be found. the bananas are perfect--not fully ripe, which is great as it will give me some time to eat before they get too brown, nor are they too green.

i will need to be creative with cooking lettuce, since we received two heads. we're spoiled by having mixed greens or arugula for salads, so i will pick up some herbs to spice up the lettuce, and maybe even try grilling the lettuce and serving with cheese.

my only disappointment was that there weren't any beets or squash, which should be in season, but i'm hoping we get some in our next delivery. the tanaka farms newsletter did mention those as being in the box, but that not everyone would get the same thing, and there might be some substitutions based on availability.

the veggies included are basics, the kind most people would use. they can be used to easily make simple dishes--soups and salads, but i find that can get a little boring for my taste which means more creativity in cooking them. it makes sense that the farm would have more basics than unusual veggies that may not be as popular, like asparagus.

as far as value, the cost seems to be cheaper than buying organic from the store, and there's the bonus that they deliver, and of course, supporting local, small farms.

more on community supported agriculture

organic reed avocados
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

after some research, i found quite a bit of general information about community supported agriculture programs and mixed reviews from people with first hand experience. upside benefits include supporting small, local farmers and getting fresh, organic produce that is better for you and the environment. sure, i could get organic produce from whole foods as i've been doing, but not all of it is local, and they buy from industrial organic farms which put the small farms out of business. if you want to know more about that, read michael pollan's book The Omnivore's Dilemma or you can peruse his essay here.

we do have a local farmer's market here in long beach every sunday, and i often shop there, but we can't always get out there on a sunday, and there are only a few vendors who sell organic produce. granted, locally grown produce may be better than organic produce from industrial organic farms trying to lower the restrictions of what can be labeled organic, and not all farms go through the process of getting certified even though they do engage in organic farming. participating in a community supported agriculture program is a commitment i'm wanting to make.

no control over what comes each week could be a downside if you're a control freak like me. yet, tapping into my creative culinary repertoire would be a bonus. it also appears that quality and variety can vary from region to region and farm to farm. luckily, i live in california, the land of perennial (mostly) sunshine, so i'm hoping for some happy produce.

sifting through the many and bewildering options this weekend made my head spin. spud, which stands for small potatoes urban delivery, offers home delivery of organic produce in addition to a variety of other things you might need from the grocery store and espouses supporting local farms, represented by a tally of food miles for each item, incentives for buying locally produced items and being able to indicate that you want all your produce sourced locally versus locally whenever possible. being able to enter preferences on what goes into your produce box, specifying the regularity of your deliveries (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly), plus plenty of customization and additions/deletions to your standing order are all pluses.

unfortunately, and to add to the confusion, closer inspection revealed that prices tended a little high compared to whole foods and many of the farms represented were the same large industrial organic farms. i don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. it would be preferable if more people bought organic produce from whole foods or spud than food from non-organic industrial farms via one of the chain grocery stores or worse, processed chemically treated foods. for most people, i think the convenience of spud would be great. for me, i want to support a local farmer.

so i went back to tanaka farms and found out that they do deliver to long beach. my concern before was that they are based in irvine, and their website only mentions delivering to that area. i work two days a week in the area, but not on one of the delivery days, so it would be an extra out of the way trip, which means more gas and time. i found out from the farm that they partner with rockview farms for home delivery, and it was a snap getting set up. since there's only two of us, i opted for the bi-weekly delivery as their boxes are purported to be enough food for 3-4 people for a week.

rockview farms doesn't have a fancy website like spud, but they do offer other items like milk and eggs along with your box of produce. the friendly woman i spoke to told me they usually deliver in the wee morning hours (2am - 6am)--just like the milkmen in the olden days--before we even get up so if you work regular hours, you don't have to worry about not being home to pull in your order. pricing of their milk is on par with some of the more expensive organic milks at the store, but it comes farm fresh and not ultrapasteurized (ultrapasteurization basically kills everything that's good for you in milk).

i couldn't believe she didn't even ask for my credit card. believing in honesty, they leave you an invoice, which you can pay by leaving a check for the next delivery, but you can pay by credit card if that is more convenient. her optimism made me all warm and fuzzy inside, so i made the plunge and am excited about my first box, which comes this friday.

altcar expo 08

altcar expo 08
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

we squeezed in a visit to the altcar expo for the last hour of the show on sat. even though the companies converting and manufacturing electric vehicles are not in the mainstream, it's exciting to see the options out there.

if you've never seen who killed the electric car? you really have to. it's a sad story, but it doesn't have to end there. you would be amazed to learn what happened to a viable energy alternative to gas. or maybe you wouldn't, if you are jaded. a part of me feels that way, but i vacillate between that and hope.

one of the painful things to know is that average americans in more ways than one are the ones who pay for the stupidity and greed of those involved. the workers who were laid off from GM years later as foreign companies lead the push for alternative vehicles because instead of properly marketing and taking a chance on the EV1, GM wrenched the electric car from the hands of americans amidst protest, and crushed them all. that's right. perfectly working brand new cars were sent to a facility that compacts them like wall-e.

i really can't do the story justice, so you have to watch this movie. we must in our own ways, because we are partly responsible, curb our addiction to oil. ok. enough of my ranting.

so my next car has to be an electric one. i hope they come out with one that has everything i need. the choices for hybrids seem paltry, and i don't think its enough to get us away from all the problems associated with oil. mike has a honda civic, which is nice, but the back seat doesn't fold down. i often have to transport evergrowing in size art projects and materials for said projects. i need a car that has enough potential length for that. the back window on the prius seems poorly designed in that it's hard to see out the back because of the slope. not sure if that has contributed in any way to accidents, but it's a concern. even though i need room to carry big, possibly oddly shaped objects, i don't really want to be driving an suv all the time. some smaller version like a rav4 would be nice.

i won't be getting a new car any time soon, but i was eying this electric bicycle (green bik) & electric scooter. since both have the same max speed, i'm leaning more towards the bike. They are both made by green bik. it's oh so adorable, and a smart feature is that the battery can be removed and brought inside for charging. priced at $1400 and able to go 40 miles on a charge, it's really perfect for most day to day driving. i know you're thinking i'm just drawn to its pink cuteness. true, it's cute, but i'm more interested in one in green. i was even considering it for the commute to work, although it will take me an hour going down pch. some days with traffic, it takes that long on the 405. well, maybe i'll find a job in long beach.