The Farmers Markets are Back! Garden Notes and A Delicious Frittata Recipe

Headhouse Farmers Market 2011

Happy Days are definitely here again as the Headhouse Farmers Market opened for the season on Sunday May 1st.  The above shows the gorgeous asparagus, rhubarb, and spring onions already available from one of the vendors.  We arrived almost right at opening at 10:00 AM and the Market was already crowded.  Not every vendor is set up yet, but more were present on an opening day than we had ever seen - and of course, there are no tomatoes or corn or peaches right now - but you can keep us going for quite awhile on that asparagus!!

The speciality stand offerings have also developed quite a bit in recent years.  Talula's Table and Garces Trading Co offered cheese spreads, smoked fish and meat - all sorts of lovey little treats - great appetizers or just delicious little finger food possibilities.  John and Kira's were there with their fabulous, locally made chocolates - and they aren't there in the really hot weather, so now is the time!  Otolith - a purveyor of line caught, wild fish and seafood was there and we have a lovely piece of wild Alaskan King Salmon in our freezer!  And of course, one of our favorite local cheese makers, Birchrun Hills was there and we snagged this delicious Blue - one of their best cheeses in my opinion. 

A Much Beloved, Local Blue



A number of other Markets will be opening around the city in the coming weeks - Philadelphia is very, very lucky to have such a network of Farmers Markets - providing fresh, seasonal and local foods to so many of our neighborhoods.  But they need our support to continue, so before you run in and purchase that 1,000 mile asparagus in the stupermarket, stop and find a place where you can purchase it from a local purveyor - the taste alone is worth it!!  It's also wonderful to be able to shop a few times during the week (there's always a market somewhere).  The food is fresher, it's fun and you avoid having to stuff a whole lot of products into your 'fridge from one huge shopping trip!

The Garden

We are very happy with the progress of our "mini - farm" and the rest of the garden so far this season.  The local rainfall and temperatures seem  to be working well for the growth cycle - fingers crossed.  We already have some peppers forming, our fava beans are getting tall and nice and stocky and I am pretty sure that we'll be eating some white radishes this weekend.  Our lettuces - all in pots by the way - have been delicious and a few days after we harvest some, we have lots of new growth.  That will end with the warmer weather of course, but right now, it is such a joy to go out the back door and "snip a salad" - well worth the work!  One suggestion:  if you haven't tried "Par-Cel"- and you enjoy flat italian parsely and love the flavor of celery (both are real big around our house) - you must get your hands on this herb.  We are growing it in 3 different places and using it in all sorts of ways.  The flavors of both italian parsely and celery come through in each little leaf - amazing and very versatile. Something different - introduced to us last year by our friends - (and the source of our wonderful farm fresh eggs) -  at Larken Springs Farm (www.larkenspringsfarm.com). The Larken Spring guys found Par - Cel plants at one of their local Farmers Markets; I ordered our plants on line.

On the flowering end, what we are really enjoying currently are our Gerber Daisies - We have little pots all over the house of cut flowers from these gems.  They are quite prolific, a bit finicky (they don't like it too hot and they definitely don't like to get too dry), but the more you cut, the more they grow at this time of year.  Having your own cut flowers around the house can't be beat.  I bought our Gerber plants at Lowe's - they are good hardy plants.

A Recipe

Right now, as mentioned, it's lettuces, arugula, parsely, you know, lots of leafy greens, that are ready for eating in our garden.  Sometimes we cut too much and as homegrown lettuces don't last as long after they are harvested as those that have been sprayed with every chemical under the sun, we always try to come up with ways to use our greens up - even when they seem to be getting a bit wilty in our 'fridge.  This is a Frittata we put together last week from left over salad greens and just about everything else left over in our 'fridge that seemed like it would contribute.  Don't be shy about making Frittatas - they can be eaten warm or at room temperature, they travel well (good for lunches), and with a Bloody Mary they are perfect for Brunch and are delicious!

Il Moya Left Over Greens Frittata

This recipe is really open to your creativity and what you want to put in it - and what's in the 'fridge.

We used:

About 1 1/2 cups mixed greens - Mesculun, Simpson Lettuce, Arugula, some Par-Cel, Sorrel, and a tiny bit of Tarragon - tossed together and cleaned

6 large farm fresh eggs (they ARE the dish, so go for the gold!)

Sun Dried Tomatoes in olive oil - I had about 8 small ones on hand

We had some left over fiddle head ferns - so in they went too

1 small jalepeno pepper and a couple of spring onions

Extra virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground pepper and freshly grated parmesan cheese

Chop the greens, the spring onions, fiddleheads, the sun dried tomatoes and as much of the small jalepeno as you'd like - toss that all together

Whip together the eggs, some salt and pepper and a little bit of milk or cream - just adds a touch of extra richness

Put a little of the olive oil and a pat or two of butter into a large non-stick skillet

Melt the butter and get the oil hot - toss the chopped mixture in for just a few seconds to warm the mixture; stir it around and spread it out over the pan surface

Pour over the seasoned egg and milk/cream mixture and swirl the pan so that the egg mixture covers to the edges of the pan

Cook over a medium fire until it just starts to set up and seems a bit firm in the middle and still a little bit loose around the edges; push the mixture away from the sides of the pan a bit with a spatula and go all the way around the edges with a tiny drizzle of the olive oil

Sprinkle the grated parmesan all over the top of the frittata

Put it under a broiler - no more than 6 inches from the fire - keep a close eye on it!  You only need a few seconds before it will start to be bubbly and brown on top.

Remove the pan from under the broiler - let it sit for a minute or two and then slide the frittata out onto a large plate or cutting board - that oil you drizzled around the edges will help with this

Cut it into wedges - serve warm or at room temperature

Wrap leftovers up in wax paper and store in 'fridge

Enjoy!!  That Bloody Mary would be the perfect accompaniement!!

Il Moya Left Over Greens Frittata

Enjoy this wonderful, re-energizing time of year.  Support the Markets, grow some of your own goodies, and share your adventures in local and seasonal cooking and eating!





TGISPRING!!!



A Queen Village Tree in all of its Glory!

Oh, how happy are we folks?  Is there a more thrilling time of year for urban gardeners, mini-farmers, cooks, and Farmers' Markets fans?  Look at those bulbs, those trees, those early flowers and those perennials - not to mention the herbs that return!  I know I am biased, but Spring is such a wonderful thing in an Urban setting. The city is tough in the winter and  it really brings our souls back to life when the blooming starts, doesn't it?  Also good to see folks in my neighborhood out on their stoops and working in the back gardens and talking seeds and plantings.  It just feels like life returning.

So, we do have our trusty sage, oregano and chives returning; along with catnip and mint.  Someday I will figure out how they survive under tarps in our side alley during the winter!  In a completely unexpected turn, our Fordhook Swiss Chard from last year is returning in the standing planter!  On a whim a number of weeks ago, I threw some commercial jalepeno seeds into a saucer to dry, planted them in some seed starter and guess who has little jalepeno pepper plants - with 3 or more leaves at this point?  Now, THAT amazed me.

The 2011 Urban Garden:  The plan - over the past few years -  for our urban piece of paradise, has been to learn what works/what does not  in our yard and gardens and gradually develop more edible plantings and planting "systems".  We have landed on the use of "standing" planters - ours come from Gardeners' Supply Company but they are available at many garden centers and especially online.  I used one planter last year - on wheels - and had very good luck with it.  To be honest I also enjoyed working with a planter that is large and deep with a planting area that is at my waist.  We can do our bending exercises later! So, this year we are planning on using three of these standing planters - a few large lightweight pots are still around  for Potatoes, and Mint and, of course, cutting flowers.  And my built in Herbal Garden remains and will be very full this year.  But if it's an edible product, it is will be growing in the planter stands lined up against the side of our house.  We get amazing sun on the side of the house for long periods of the day - the wonder of being the "end of the row"; this also provides us with a growing area that is NOT in the middle of our garden and dining and sitting area. One "twist" we are going to try this season is growing Sun Gold tomatoes in amongst our 4 O'Clocks.  We read some really good information about mixing edible plants and flowering plants in the garden so we'll see. I will be reporting regularly with photos of how this all goes as the season progresses. 

OK - 2011 Edible Plantings in the Urban Mini Farm:  what's in right now:  lettuces, mesculun mix, arugula, white radishes, 5 types of heirloom peppers - sweets, hots, and longs; Potatoes; Rainbow Swiss Chard; Fordhook Swiss Chard (returning plants); Spring Garlic; Puntarella - another returnee from last year; and White (another heirloom) Cucumbers.  Herbs in right now are returning Oregano, returning Sage, returning regular Chives and Garlic Chives, Mint, Par-Cel (more about this little gem in another post, but if you see it, buy it and plant it!),  French Sorrel and Italian Parsely.  To go in a bit later, the Sun Gold tomatoes - these are my "candy" when I am gardening; I can't stop myself from picking them and popping them in my mouth as I work - heavenly and warm; two types of Eggplant - the miniature. "Fairy Tale" type and regular full size eggplant.  Herbs to go in soon really are just some assorted varieties of Basil and a couple of Thyme plants.  The Nasturium seeds are already planted and hang in a window box over one of the planters - the little Nasturium flowers are peppery and delicious. I also have a big pot of variegated Marigolds - sown as seeds -  nearby - I will probably split this up around the growing edibles.  Say what you want about Marigolds, but they keep the cats away and other critters away!  Speaking of, the catnip - returning from last year is doing quite well.  We have to keep it in a pot hanging out of reach of our two cats - they don't know when to stop with fresh catnip!

And just a quick note:  we have stopped taking up a lot of space with full sized tomatoes!  You have probably noticed that we have at our finger tips some of the best tomatoes in the country!  I can't wait until our Farmers' Market vendors start laying out the Heirlooms and the Jersey Toms, so frankly, I see no reason for me to try to replicate - I already now I can't - their art.  I"ll take the space for something else.

Next Post:  Flowering Plants, Perennials (what's doing well/what's not) and New Additions to the Cutting Gardens

Food News:  I am loving Mark Bittman's columns for the New York Times and his articles in the New York Times Magazine on Sundays.  Good recipes in the latter and good, reasonable approaches to the "big" questions facing us as a culture around Food.  Mark "gets it" without being so strident as to turn off potential readers (I have to learn that from him!).  If you haven't see any of his writing, check out back issues of the New York Times.  I am also already missing Rick Nichols in the Inquirer.  I really appreciate Craig LaBan and consider him a really good critic; I just so enjoyed the twist Rick Nichols would take on a story - a foodie story.  He is missed.


An early Spring Recipe:   So, the asparagus has made its first appearances and we could not be happier.  We eat it in every possible way we can because we believe the local asparagus is the only asparagus worth eating and when it's gone, it's gone!  I came upon this sauce in the new Canal House Cooking, Volume No 6 (http://www.thecanalhouse.com/).  We just tried it and it was an orgy of asparagus!

Asparagus with Blender Lemon Butter Sauce

The Asparagus treatment:  we generally rinse off any sand, break off the woody ends, and quickly - very quickly - blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water and dump them in ice water to stop the cooking.  We like our asparagus crunchy!  We then melted a bit of butter and a few drops of good extra virgin olive oil in a cast iron pan, got the pan really hot, and dumped the asparagus in for some quick "finishing".  You are looking for a little brown/black on spots of the asparagus - but it's quick if your pan is hot enough!  So don't leave the pan!

The Sauce:  Put 4 Large egg yolks, 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice, a big pinch of salt and pepper into the jar of an electric blender.  Cover and blend for one minute.  With the motor still running, add 8 tablespoons of warm melted butter in a slow, steady stream - you want it to emulsify. Makes 1 Cup.

Adjust the seasonings and serve with the asparagus.  Absolutely proof that Spring is here and that the goddesses love us and want us to be happy.  Enjoy!

So, . . . what are YOU planting?  Please, let's share this adventure of "growing our own" in the City!!

Happy Spring!

What about all of those Food Terms? And - A Great Recipe for Meatless Mondays

Harold

First of all, I apologize for the gap in postings, but we have a new member of our family - a 10 week old Dachshund named "Harold".  Harold has been the focus of almost all of our energies for the past two weeks.  He is getting into a schedule now and he is a joy - more about the wonder our furry friends bring to our lives at another time - anyhow, life is slowly getting back into a somewhat more predictable reality.

During late night/early morning walks and playtime with Harold, I have been doing a lot of Food Reading.  It seems that over the past couple of months, every major publication has felt the need to run some articles, and often publish cover stories, about topics that those of us who consider ourselves Foodies care deeply about.  These issues have run the gamut of favorite Foodie topics including,   Sustainability/Seasonal; Vegan/Flexitarian; Organic; Free Range; Humanely Raised; Urban Farming/Victory Gardens (redux);  Government Subsidized "Food"; and my recent favorite:  "Emotionally Sterile" Food (that which has been totally factory manufactured thus, untouched by human hands).

It's scary to see so much out there in everything from Newsweek to the New York Times to CNN - scary to me because, in my opinion, when the mainstream media gets its talons into something, and edits it for what they believe to be the American attention span,  it gets dummied down so much that meaning - and potential usefulness - are lost.  A prime example of this is the word "Organic".  Now, when a farmer I meet tells me that his tomatoes are organic and explains to me what he had to do to maintain his products without spraying chemicals all over them, I tend to believe that he is selling me "Organic" tomatoes.  I have also learned enough over recent years to know how real, not chemically soaked tomatoes, should look. However, when Wal-Mart says it's now selling "Organic" produce - and I go check it out, and the cucumbers are waxed within an inch of their lives, and nothing looks organically raised,  I am dubious.

Whole Foods has recently announced that they will "color code" their meat and chicken products based on how the animal was raised.  Huh? Right - and that will be an accurate reading of Free Range vs. Tortured now, won't it?  Be suspect of this use of language, not practices; advertising not substance, designed to dupe us into thinking we are shopping and eating better.

Another recent example of "Big Stories" in the media was the run of pieces demonizing - again - Salt!  "Salt is bad".  "Recent reports indicate that Americans are eating too much salt".  "Eliminate salt from your diet".  OH COME ON!!!!  The problem is that Americans have guzzled the Kool Aid and literally exist on processed, factory produced food and fast food at nearly every meal!! That stuff is loaded with Salt!  Is that news?That's what the fast food chains use to get people hooked - salt.  So, does this mean that Salt is the enemy?  Does it actually mean that Salt is "bad for you"?   Or . . . , hang in there now, does it actually mean that Americans eat way too much processed and fast food and it's killing them?!?  So far, I can say that in all of the junk writing I pored through when the "Salt Scare" became a big story, I saw nothing by way of discussion of this very obvious fact.  Protecting advertisers, I can only assume.

I don't think of myself as seeing a conspiracy around every corner, but I am so aware - even in folks close to me - confusion and misunderstanding around these all important issues.  When that continues to happen, most of us have a tendency to throw our hands up in the air and give up.  Somehow, I am wondering if that's the goal of all of this mis - use of terms and mis - information. 

Continue to ask - ask for more than the surface information, ask for sources and practices.  Demand to know more.  And be suspect of any "all of nothing" fix touted in the media.  And without a doubt, stay away from processed, factory produced and fast food as the mainstay of your diet.  Yes, we are all time challenged; learn how to use some of your precious time being selective about what you eat!

And the good news is that soon we'll be planting and tending and anxiously waiting for our own urban produce to provide us with some really healthy eating!  I can't get enough of the seed catalogs and so far I have done a ton of garden layout grids - very sustaining in this cold weather!

If you are observing "Meatless Mondays" - and I hope you are for so many reasons - here's a real winner of a dish.  I LOVE Meatloaf.  I love it at the first meal, I love sandwiches from it, I just love it.  This recipe satisfies even my meatloaf loving soul!  Enjoy!

Lentil Cheese Loaf

3/4 chopped onion
3/4 chopped celery
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 cups well drained, cooked lentils (Brown lentils contribute to that "meatloaf look")
8 oz coarsely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (this is not the time for the microplane/rasp; use a box grater)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (avoid breadcrumbs in cardboard boxes!  Make your own and it is not necessary to use stale bread - stale bread makes stale bread crumbs)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Worchestershire Sauce
3/4 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of Hot Pepper Sauce
Bottled Chili Sauce for Serving

Cook onion and celery in the vegetable oil in a heavy sauce pan - medium heat - about 4 - 5 minutes
Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute longer
Mix remaining ingredients -  except for Chili Sauce - until well blended

Add onion mixture and mix well

Pack into a well buttered 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch glass loaf pan

Bake in a preheated 325 oven for 50 minutes or until the loaf is firm to the touch.

Cool - in the pan - for about 10 minutes
Run the tip of a knife around the edges of the loaf and unmold onto a serving dish

Cut in slices and serve with chili sauce

You can serve this with the fixin's you would use with "meat" meat loaf; it is delicious!  Enjoy!

"Everything" Storm coming! Be Prepared for Ice!



The Maple outside of our house

There's nothing more important today than making sure that we all have at least the basic things that will keep us safe, warm and functioning with the coming storm.

It seems to me that Philadephians are getting hardened to snow storms - but, and this is a big but, Ice is a whole different experience, and it has the potential to do some serious damage.

Please be sure that you have working flashlights, a battery driven radio of some kind (there's probably an old Boom Box in a closet somewhere!), and some candles and matches and magic matches at the ready.  Also, consider what systems in your household would be affected by any power loss.  For example, in our home, we know that we will be able to manually light our burners to cook, but our oven definitely won't work because it's an electrical ignition that starts it, even though it's gas.  What kind of heat do you have?  If your heater is driven by a fan, you will lose heat.  And of course, if you have electric heat, you will also lose heat.  If you have a working fireplace, now is the time to be sure that you have, not only wood or duraflames or whatever, but also kindling to get fires started.  And be sure that your flue is clean and open!

Many of us have "put up" food products - and for many of us a good deal of that putting up is freezing.  Freezers will mainly be OK for a couple of days if they are well packed and if they are not opened.  The same is true of the refrigerator of course.  We are considering a big cooler out on the deck filled with water, juices, and some foodstuffs, just in case.  That way we will have access to some refrigerated items without having to open the 'fridge.

Take notice of the power and cable lines around your house - we live in the city, they are everywhere - know where the ones around your house are.  Ice has major impact on power lines; we lose power when they come down, but falling down doesn't necessarily mean that they have lost power.

If you share your life with dogs, and the world becomes encased in ice, you do have a challenge when your buddy has to go out.  Keep sand, and/or dog friendly ice melt near the front door and sprinkle it liberally to at least get out the door with the dog.  You know, during these times, it is how well you trained your dog that will come back to bite you.  We tried through another ice storm to get our dogs to go to the bathroom out in our back yard.  Of course, using our beloved back yard as a doggie bathroom is usually a big no-no.  And it remained that way in the ice!!  And so we slid! 

If you feed the birds in your area, now would be a good time to get some extra seed out there so that they can feast a bit.  They have a very hard time when everything is frozen over.

Lastly, one of the great things about living in the city is having neighbors close by.  Neighbors who we know and talk to!  Keep your eye on the others on your block or neighborhood - especially older folks and those who live alone.  It is a good time to reinforce the city practice of looking out for each other!

Expect limitations.  Understand that some things will be canceled and delayed - and that's fine and they should be.  Be safe!

Surviving Winter and a Simple Frozen Fruit Tartlet



Evergreen in our Garden totally bent over by heavy snow!

I have to admit that whenever I look at this picture, I am struck by the metaphor it provides for all of us in Philly over the past couple of weeks.  The snow, the sleet, the ice, and the cold have been unrelenting - our spirits are flagging, our sense of humor is lessening and we are wondering if there will ever be an end!

The good news is, yes, there will be an end - we call that end, "SPRING"!  It's the gift that Mother Nature gives us as a reward for living in a 4 season environment and if you are reading this Blog you are most probably a person who loves those changing seasons.  This is the challenging part to that love, folks!  Let's not wish away our lives . . . let's enjoy!  I am going to keep at this, because frankly, I think we have only just begun to experience this winter, so we might as well start rolling with the punches - or percipitation.  If you prepared your garden, pots, or balcony well, this kind of weather is probably good for your growing season.  See there's a positive!  Shoveling is very good cardio exercise if you are reasonably healthy; the way your joints and back feel after lifting loads of wet snow is giving you a preview of how you would feel if an 18 wheeler hit you - so you'll be reminded to be careful around 18 wheelers!  And, come on, the Food!!!  The Food - comforting, rich, hot, and lots of it - well, folks,  it IS our reward.

So the other night, I was sort of moaning to my significantly better half that I was thinking about fresh fruit and berries when she reminded me that we had "put up" - in this case frozen - many bags of New Jersey finest Blueberries!  And this simple, tasty, fabulous little gem was born (remember, any berries or fruit that you have canned or frozen will work):

Il Moya Quick Blueberry Tartlet

Make a pie crust, or use a frozen or prepared one - make it easy on yourself!
Roll the crust out in the shape of your favorite shallow tart pan - in our case, I love the rectangular pan
Shape the rolled out dough into your preferred tart pan
"Dock" the dough - make a few holes all over it with a fork - and sprinkle it with a bit of sugar
Take your previously frozen and now defrosted Blueberries (about 2 cups) and mix them with sugar to taste and a teaspoon of arrow root (to thicken them a bit as they cook)
I did this last step right in the bag that the berries had been in in the freezer - they defrosted and there was just enough water in there to work in the sugar and the arrow root

Pour the Blueberry mixture into the tart pan, onto the dough you prepared

You can get creative like I did with some of the left over dough and do a little lattice, but it's not necessary

Sprinkle the top with a bit of cinammon
Put it into a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes
Let it cool.  When it's cool, sprinkle on some confectioner's sugar, if you have it
Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, creme fraiche OR nothing at all!
Delicious and it WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY because not only is it incredibly tasty, it is an experience of Summer in the middle of a very demanding Winter.

Lastly, I don't about the rest of you gardeners out there, but with many of the seed and garden catalogs in hand, I am having a great time reading, fantasizing, and planning while the snow falls. 

My Recommended Catalogs (so far):

Burpee (of course, they are local and let's face it, they are good!)
Seed Savers Exchange (an orgy of heirloom seeds and transplants and many, many species that can be grown in pots and containers!)
RHShumways (wonderful, beautiful and educational)
Gardeners Supply Company (not a lot of seeds and transplants, but one of the things that they offer is an online "Garden Planner"; If you go to their site, just put "Garden Planner" in the search - it's fun and you can print it and/or save it - nice)

There are more catalogs, as well as websites, and I will report on them as I work my way through them.

Who has their garden planned?  Who has their edible garden planned?

Hang in there folks!  Let's face it, at least it hasn't been boring!

PF

Alert! Beware of "Pictsweet"; Keeping Warm; and Alternatives to Plastic Wrap

Hello Philly Foodies! 

I hope that you are enjoying the Winter so far, keeping as warm as you can, and cooking up lots of cold weather dishes!  And, aren't we all missing our Farmers' Markets?  The good news is that two in our area remain open all year:  Clark Park and Fitler Square.  All that work freezing and canning is paying off now, isn't it?  A friend messaged me the other day telling us how much he was enjoying the canned peaches in syrup we gave him as part of his Holiday gift box.    Yes, there's nothing like eating a delicious, sweet peach half, dripping with syrup, while sitting in front of the fire!

Before we go any further, I want to share something that is very concerning for those of us who are trying to promote fresh, seasonal and fairly produced food products.  There is what will seem to Philadelphians a "new" producer of frozen vegetables and mushrooms now advertising on local TV.  The company name is:  "Pictsweet" and there are many, many issues as to why you want to avoid it - and why you want to educate others to avoid it as well. 

Pictsweet is a Tennessee (Bells) based factory, with a mushroom factory in Salem, Oregon.  It was founded in the late 1940's and incorporated in 1956.  Originally the business was family owned by one family; that is now not the case.  The products of Pictsweet are most commonly sold in Wal-Mart, Kroger's, and other, membership driven Big Box stores.  In recent times, products of Pictsweet have been recalled frequently - lastly in 2010 due to the discovery of glass shards in bags of frozen vegetables.

Pictsweet also has an abysmal record as an employer.  In Salem, working conditions are awful to say the least (due in part to how mushrooms must be raised), and are not addressed for workers or for the surrounding community.  Workers are paid minimum wage - no matter how long they have worked for Pictsweet!  They are never paid overtime no matter how many hours they work and there is very little in the way of benefits.  The mayor of Salem made some statements against the company's practices and received death threats!  Just a little family farmer?  I think not.

The reason I bring up all of this information - available easily through Google or any search engine and the Better Business Bureau - is due to the fact that Pictsweet is now running TV ads in our area.  The advertisements feature a man who is supposed to be dressed up as the advertisers idea of what a farmer looks like, while a man on a tractor passes behind him.  The pitch is that Pictsweet is coming to you "right from the Farm" and is raised by Farmers in a natural and sustainable way.  Not so!

This is another example of the growing abuse by the factory food industry of co-opting words like "Farm", "Organic", "Local", and "Family Owned"!  We have got to be educated consumers and we must pass the message along to others who may be confused by it.  Factory food production is a business in America that is seriously under fire; a good thing, by the way.  Rather than change their practices and methods, they have obviously made the decision to "throw a little farm and organic terms at 'em".  That's us - the purchasing public - who are perceived by those in advertising as folks who don't pay significant attention to detail and who spend our money without doing the due diligence!  All you have to do is recall the fact that High Fructose Corn Syrup is soon to be known as Corn Sugar, if the producers get their way.  Has it changed?  No.  Is it still in almost every mass produced factory made product?  Yes!  They just figured that changing the name was all that was necessary.  Don't let them get away with this - learn the facts and pass those facts along.

And let's face it, in this area of the country, we have many better options than "Pictsweet" frozen factory produced products!

Keeping Warm:  How are you faring with keeping your heating bills manageable?  Even if you have unlimited disposable income (and if you do, please feel free to get in touch! ), remember that for most of us, fossil fuels are involved with heating our homes - we have to figure out how to reduce our dependence on these fuels.  By now your home should be closed up tight - that means good insulation around windows and doors.  Also, something we sometimes forget:  if you aren't using a room or aren't using it very often, evaluate your need to heat that room.  There is so much information available on the internet re: keeping the heat inside your house.  Take the time to check it out.  Also we have some local businesses that can be of help as well.  For example, Greenable in Northern Liberties is a great spot for products, ideas and consults.

Let me share a few things we've learned that has our heater running minimally.  First of all, we keep our thermostat set at 65 degrees during the day and overnight.  In our home, "layering" is the way to go.  We wear sweaters, sox, and generally long pants - it IS winter, after all.  Even our Terrier has a house sweater! Really, living in high, artificial heat is not very healthy - when you get used to a lower temperature, it is very difficult to spend any time in a space that's heated to say, 76 degrees or more. 

Also, as we are blessed with Southern exposure on one side of our home (end of the row) - we take advantage of this "passive solar" reality.  We open all drapes and shades on that side of the house first thing in the morning and let the sun beat in all day.  The trick is to get those drapes and shades closed back up when the sun goes down!  After the sun sets, we raise our thermostat to 67 degrees for a few hours.  It goes back down to 65 degrees at 11:00 PM.  As I have mentioned here, we use bio-ethanol fuel in our fireplace - we no longer burn wood, but a nice small fire is not only warming,  it is psychologically warming, so we do that as much as possible.  Lastly, and especially if you have furry family members, remember to clean the filter in your heater regularly - you'd be surprised how much stuff builds up!  Good luck with your efforts to stay warm, enjoy your home, and still manage your use of fossil fuels!

Worrying that you use too much plastic wrap?  I do! It's horribly non-biodegradable.   I just found some great suggestions for substitutes at:  http://www.re-nest.com/re-nest/food-cooking/10-plastic-wrap-alternatives-136388.  Check it out!





Snow in the City at 11:00 PM

 Just a thought:  Let's try to enjoy our frequent snow storms.  I know that they can be a real hassle, especially for those who have no option and who have to navigate around in heavy snow, freezing weather, and treacherous travel conditions.  But during one storm or another - and we do seem to be getting more, not less - look upon a snow storm as Nature's way of saying, "go ahead, have some down time".  Find your inner child and have some FUN.  Go out and join in the neighborhood shoveling, take the kids sledding, build a snow person and then come inside to hot chocolate and a fire and some board games - Scrabble is a biggie for me.  Yes, it all sounds so corny.  It is - we need a little "corny" from time to time - it's what is missing in most of our lives.

The seed catalogs are all out!  Have fun dreaming of planting time!  Please keep in touch.

The Foodist 2011 Resolutions!

No Knead Bread - Baked in a Mussel Pot!

Happy New Year All!  I don't know how you are feeling, but I am convinced that 2011 is going to be a very good, positive Foodie/Green/Sustainable year for urbanites.  But in order for that to happen, we all have to be positive and sieze every day and do the best that we can with it.  OK, that was an Oprah moment, admittedly - but it is heartfelt.  My optimism is driven by what I see happening around me:  more urban folks trying in so many ways to live in a sustainable, green way; friends deciding to "grow their own" - or at least some of their own - as well as so many folks learning to can (or "put up" as we used to say).  The frequency of urban dwellers composting continues to rise and we all have happily watched the increase in the availability of Farmers' Markets in almost every neighborhood.  I have to say I also love the Recycle Coupon program - rewarding neighbors for getting their recycling out and not hiding it in the trash yields coupons for all sorts of things from discounts at our fabulous Reading Terminal Market (and Fair Food Farms within) to discounts at local restaurants as well as lots of other local private businesses.  A great incentive to recycle!

For me, in the coming months, the issues along with my first love - Local and seasonal food and cooking - are going to be living in a more sustainable, sufficient manner.  I am going to be exploring what I can't do for myself or my home that I think I should be able to do - thus my own issues of self-sufficiency. I will continue to pursue ways in which we can cut down even more on the amount of real "trash" that our home produces; and, of course,  I plan to find as many ways as possible to continue to share information about Food:  where it comes from, how it's raised, good local stores, markets, restaurants and purveyors, and of course, creative, fun and delicious ways to cook.  I am also interested in what it is we really need.  I will be looking at the issue of "stuff" from every angle:  the kitchen, the garden; the home; and of course, personally.

So far, along with filling up our basement larder with tomatoes, tomato sauce, peaches, salsa, and other foods that we, and others, have canned, we have also filled up the freezer with fresh vegetables and fruit, along with assorted locally raised chicken and beef and pork, and some seafood.  We have been working on finding the best area in our basement for storing potatoes and squash and we have been developing a number of recipes for "make your own" staples that I will be posting here throughout the year.

The compost is having its first winter - so I think we are doing OK by it; I have already seen the fabulous rich, black loam that will be available to us in volume as we start up the gardens - can't wait to use it!

In the coming weeks, I will share our experiences here in our winter urban landscape. We will soon be planning  our "urban farm" for the coming season; I will share ways we are discoverying to keep our energy costs down; and I will be posting recipes that may intrique you - like making organic butter at home; making your own nut "butters",  and making a variety of easy breads and other foods that we use frequently ourselves.  And, of course, we'll discuss these things in terms of the time and the resources required. 

The challenges to sustainable living and self sufficiency can be off putting for the city dweller.  We all live busy lives and we appreciate that "busy-ness" as a part of what city living is all about.  It is very easy to "turn it over"; to always take what we perceive to be the easy way - usually meaning the fastest way - to get what we need and want.  I hope we can discover that we can in fact take more of a lead in our own lives, in what we eat, how we shop, what we cook, how we maintain our homes and our neighborhoods, and, in general, be more "in charge" and happier and healthier as a result!

So that's the plan - I look forward to the discussions and to hearing from you as well.