CSA & Lettuce Boats

Ahhh, it must be summer...CSAs and boats. What?!

What is a CSA you ask? 

It stands for Community Supported Agriculture. And as much as I hate to admit it, I have known about this sort of thing for several years, but have never participated. That has changed now, folks! Since my dietary conversion to a SIMPLE RAW FOOD diet, as one might imagine, our family's grocery bill is mainly produce. And since my garden is sputtering around and taking off like a water-tainted moped gas tank, I freely admit that I need some produce help!

Oh, Community Supported Agriculture is a marvelous way to obtain your produce! Here are some highlights and insights of a CSA:

- you buy a share of a local CSA farmer's garden--usually at the beginning of the season

- each week (or a time frame set-up by your CSA) you pick up your share of that week's crop

- your money pays for produce grown locally and the miscellaneous & assorted costs of running a large-scale garden (labor of those working the farm--most times family members and locals from your community, seeds, water, equipment and so on)

- your money does NOT pay for fuel and the transportation across countries and/or states for supermarket produce, nor does it pay for a supermarket to advertise their trucked-in goods, and so on

- when you buy a CSA farm share, you also buy into the risk of that local farmer, so if a storm comes through and wipes out a crop, he loses that revenue and you lose that potential produce

- if you choose a Certified Organic CSA farm, you are protecting the environment from nasty chemicals, not to mention yourself and your family!

- when you buy local, you support your local economy in so many ways other than monetary

- your cost can vary but for the local CSAs that I researched, my cost would average $20/week -- and that is for ORGANIC produce! By the way, that is a savings!

Community Supported Agriculture (And Other Farm Subscriptions)

Many farms offer produce subscriptions, where buyers receive a weekly or monthly basket of produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, coffee, or any sort of different farm products. A CSA, (for Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce. By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become "members" (or "shareholders," or "subscribers") of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some farmers will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some CSAs also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season. A CSA season typically runs from late spring through early fall. The number of CSAs in the United States was estimated at 50 in 1990, and has since grown to over 1000 ~ italic information above taken directly from the website www.localharvest.org

You could do a google search and find tons of information too. 

Please keep in mind that my mantra of SIMPLE does not always mean easy. SIMPLE harkens back to a time of my grandparent's generation when families toiled in the soil for their food, when folks bought goods from locals, when families worked together, when sweating took place in the garden or on the tractor and not in the gym (no offense to my city-dwelling friends), and when you took pleasure in eating the food you had a hand in growing.

So for those of us with sputtering gardens and/or no room for gardens, participate in a local CSA! Put your dollar where it should be--locally. Build a relationship with your farmers. Stand up for farmland protection policies. Realize that they are trying their utmost to do something simple, yet in this day & age, something awe-inspiring -- grow quality produce to nourish you and your family! SIMPLE RAW HEALTH at its best people!

If your hands cannot grow your very own produce, put your money (and therefore the resources and ability) into the hands of someone you trust to do it! 

Here are some photos of the produce loot I scored last week from my local Certified Organic CSA. This is what my $20 bought! Amazing quality, goodness, freshness, and quantity! I am a satisfied customer indeed. And here is a link to their spot at Local Harvest-- Willow Grove Gardens.

What about the boats?!

And here is a SIMPLE lunch I made from my wonderful produce. Lettuce Boats! 

- a few large pieces of lettuce

- assorted chopped produce (beets, zucchini)

- soaked raw sunflower seeds

Just grab the sides and start chomping away at the end closest to your mouth! YUM! If you need some spice, add some. Or you may drizzle some

 cold-pressed organic olive oil on top. Do what works with what you have!

SIMPLE RAW FOOD MAMMA says, "Not only should you eat your veggies, but you should know who grows 'em!"

Kiddo in the Kitchen

As a raw foodist, I spend a great deal of time in the kitchen. And I love it. Thankfully, so does my son. Since infancy, I have involved him in food prep. Initially of course he was only an audience member, but now he is a full-fledged "chef" with his own apron and table knife. 

Back in the days (er, daze) when we had TV hooked-up to the outside world (via bunny ears to get 1 1/2 channels), my toddler son and I occasionally watched a couple of cooking shows on PBS. Apparently the shows rubbed off on him. As we would stand and work together at the counter, he would start talking. He would say things like this, "Okay people, now we are adding in the peppers. You just toss them on the top." And he would add in little diatribes like this, "Now, if you are wondering about the sauce, it is really easy to make. You just..." The first time I heard one of his narrations I asked him why he was talking aloud as he worked. He told me he was "talking to the people, mamma, just like on the cooking shows." Apparently he thought "the people" watched everyone work in the kitchen! 

Nowadays he is even used to the odd things food bloggers do with their fare, like photograph the food before consumption or photograph the food part way through consumption (because it looked so darned good that we had forgotten to snap an initial image). I try to leave the camera in its case and its drawer when quests are over for a meal. What would they think?!

Anyway, two days ago while my mom was here for a visit, we where schooling her in the fine art (ha!) of raw food prep and consumption. While I showed her our version of nori rolls, my son made his own salad. Then he said, "Take a picture, mamma. The people are really gonna want to see this!" So, I did. Here is the masterpiece my 5-year old made. Of course I did the cutting and chopping, as per his directions, but he dictated, assembled, and then shared it with his ma and grandma!

Kiddo's Salad

cooked quinoa on bottom

shredded cabbage

sliced carrots

chopped red peppers

topped with:

thin-sliced roma tomato

fresh-cracked pepper

smashed avocado

(lots of love & fun)

* If you are here from the Heavenly Homemakers Fruit & Veggie Challenge, 

please click here and here for CSA information, recipes & photos!

* And yes, I just noticed that one of the nori roll links with photos show my son and gasp! He is wearing the same clothes in those photos as in today's. Oh well, we worry more about what's on our plates than we do about being fashion plates!  ;-)

Secondary Edible Parts of Vegetables

I will take a brief diversion from my Q&A regime here to pass along an interesting and timely link. 

Since adding green smoothies many months ago to my dietary intake, I drool over greens. And with garden season in full-swing, my drooling habit has increased, sometimes more noticeable than others.

Someone at church knows of my raw food eating and they brought me a kohlrabi that they plucked fresh from their garden. While I was excited to cut into that lower bulbous stem portion of the plant, I reached out, plucked me some of the strong, yet tender greens and popped the wad into my mouth. Others in the kitchen gave me odd looks. I chewed, swallowed and then asked if that part of the plant is edible? 

No one knew. We all knew the rhubarb leaves are UN-edible, but no one had an answer for the kohlrabi. And then yesterday when I was picking up my farm share at the CSA, other above-ground-greenery from plants caught my eye. They looked yummy, but are they good for the tummy (& the rest of the body)?

Today I found this link with a nifty chart on the Secondary Edible Parts of Vegetables. Yahoo! Look at the increased nutrition you can put into your body instead of the compost pile! [please take note that some leaves and what-not need slight cooking to make them consumable...do your own additional research to find out more info; please pass along any other links too!]

Kohlrabi Green Smoothie Recipe

- 1 1/2 cups water

- large wad of kohlrabi greens

- small wad of beat greens

- 1 apple

- 1 cup frozen strawberries

This recipe is likely too "green" for newbies, so add in 1/2 frozen banana too and/or a couple of dates for sweetness. Green old-timers, go for it! Chug-a-lug!

--> Riding the NO-FAT train has been fine & dandy so far! Since I am past the need for dressing, even my home-made healthy varieties, so giving up my cold-pressed olive oil was easy. My only quandary this week came in making hummus, but I still made a yummy non-fat version. Instead of olive oil and tahinni, the traditional ingredients, I used soaked sunflower seeds and some water. 

On a trip to town yesterday (one week into the no-fat ride), one lady at the health food store kept telling me that I looked great. She asked me if I feel as good as I look!  ;-)  Ain't she a sweetheart? Yes, indeed. Anyway, I can only chalk it up to another tweaking of my culinary consumption. 

And to answer her question, "Yes, I feel great!"

'Tater Fries

Look what we got when we picked up our farm share at our local CSA, Willow Grove Gardens Farm, last week! Yes, purple and red potatoes. Really.

Since we don't eat junk around here, grease-laden french fries are definitely NOT part of our dietary world. Before I became a rawfood vegan, I discovered this simple way to make homemade fries. And I still make these for my fellas. 

SIMPLE HOW-TO:

Take out your indoor grill (ours is a mock-off of the well-known boxer man's grill), plug it in, slice some spuds into fry-form, place them on the grill in a single layer, close the top and check in about 5 minutes for fork-tenderness. If you like, add a smidge of olive oil and sea salt. Or some powdered garlic. Or eat plain. Yum!

I had to share the beauty of the intense colors of the purple 'taters. Being a former Idahoan, I appreciate all spectacular specimens of spuds!

Leaves and Things

Thursday we picked up our CSA farm share and included this week was a head of raddicchio lettuce. Now when it is this big it is strongly flavored with a bitter bite. I am not sure exactly what we will do with it, but as I prepped it for the fridge I couldn't resist snapping a couple of photos. It is amazing with the light-colored veins streaking the green and red leaves.

For those of you who drink green smoothies, here is a tip for winter:

- when you find that you have extra greens (i.e. collard, beet, lettuce...), wash in cold water & lay on towel to dry

- pat off excess water

- place several leaves into a zipable plastic bag

- press out air & seal bag

- toss into freezer 

- pull out and use in your wintertime green smoothies

It won't matter if the greens don't hold their original form when you are going to whiz 'em in the high-speed blender! If you can stock up for winter with some self-frozen greens you will save time and money for cold-weather green smoothies.

Lunch: Fresh is Best

What's for lunch at your house? 

Summertime brings with it so many fresh and scrumptious options. 

Here is what the mid-day meal looks like around here.

Sub-style veggie sandwiches on 

homemade whole wheat Walla-Walla sweet onion bread. 

Filled with organic, garden-fresh veggies...

zucchini, beet greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers,

wholesome pickles & lettuce

Yes, even some green beans. 

What a crunch!

Raw foodist can even partake in this garden fare, 

just use a large leaf of sturdy lettuce for the "bread". 

I sprinkled on some hemp seeds for added protein.

And we love mustard. 

Either we make it ourselves 

or use an organic variety from the store.

Yummy in my tummy!

For dessert, what could be better 

than the in-season fruit just waiting to be eaten? 

Splendid summertime strawberries! 

Sooo goood as the kiddo says.

* For some other nutrient-dense lunch ideas, look here and here. And here.

* I think I skipped breakfast in our summertime line-up. That one will come soon.

* We use organic produce from our garden & our local CSA.

Remember, 

fresh is best 

&

right of the vine is simply divine!

Tomatoes, Zucchini & Stuff

Summertime garden bounties in August 

generally overflow with tomatoes and zucchini. 

My local CSA (farm share) has been 

loading me up with the red and green produce. 

Here are some meals I have made 

so far this week...

A neighbor was recovering after a stay in the hospital so I made a nutrient-dense vegan vegetable soup. 

~ First, I made some brown rice in the rice cooker. 

~ Second, I added veggies to some water and cooked it until soft and then added a spoon of organic pizza sauce. 

~ Third, I put rice into the bottom of a jar, added the soup mixture, and then put a couple broccoli raab sprigs with edible flowers on the top. 

~ Viola. Lunch or dinner in a jar.

For lunch yesterday I made a lovely raw/living foods summertime salad.

~ I chopped some large tomatoes into large chunks. 

~ And then did the same with a 10-inch long zuchinni. 

~ I rough-chopped some cooking celery (not to sure about the derivation of the name, but I eat it all raw...leaves and stem) leaves. 

~ I mixed this all together with a squirt of lemon juice and a sprinkle of hemp seeds for added protein. 

[please make sure your hemp seeds are grown in Canada, not China...the wondrously nutritious hemp seed is not allowed as a food crop in the USA, so it is imported...just be sure of your source]

And today for lunch I made some raw food "spaghetti" out of the familiar produce. 

~ Peel the zucchini and then use the peeler to shave off  your "noodles." 

[Of course you can get fancy with a spiralizer gizmo that makes angel hair "noodles," but for simplicity, I just keep up with the peeler.] 

~ Then I rough-chopped some tomatoes and onions. 

~ Add those to the food processor with some Italian herbs and pulse it to the thickness you desire. 

~ Scrape that out onto your living foods noodles and there you have it, living foods "spaghetti!"

Make good use of your organic summertime garden bounty

--nourish yourself, your family and your neighbors!