I don’t know why it took me so long to find out about eating the flowers and stems of various brassicas, but they are a delicious way to pass the time until asparagus becomes available. I have heard of and enjoyed broccoli rabe but there is a whole world out there in this enormous genus of plants in the mustard family. This week at the Farmers Market, Nash’s Organic Produce had red and green cabbage raab, lacinato kale raab, flowering mustard raab and arugula raab. (Raab is Nash’s spelling, I’ve also seen rabe).
Brassicas, valued not only for their nutritional value, are thought to detoxify carcinogens and are useful in many forms. Almost all parts (stems, roots, flowers, leaves and seeds) of many species can be used as food. My favorites are red and green cabbage, although all types are worth a try. Broccoli rabe stems can be bitter, but the cabbage raabs can be chopped up and the entire thing eaten raw - no problem. They are crunchy and much sweeter than you would imagine. You can also cook them lightly, add meat or not, serve as a side-dish or over a bed of rice or farro as a main dish.
On Tuesday April 29, Sustainable Ballard, BALLE Seattle and Ballard High School Earth Service Corps are hosting Eat Local Now! in “support of local food, and gives neighbors the opportunity to share in community with those who feed them”.
This promises to be a great chance to sample lots of local food, learn how flooding affects Western Washington farmers, meet others in the local food community and bid on items in a silent auction (including hand-screened organic cotton MixedGreensBlog shopping bags).
After seeing Frances Moore Lappe discuss the Local Food Action Intitiative at the City Council meeting a week ago, I am still thinking about some of her ideas concerning the issue of sustainability. Take a step back and let her help you see the big picture.
. . . busted. A meal to please the need for cheese, a delicate melting mouthful of meditation for your palate . . . go make one and see what I mean. It’s not so difficult.
A goat cheese or any-kind-of-cheese soufflé, with a seasonal vegetable and some good bread can be a mostly local meal. Rhubard-Thyme Jam on the side or as an appetizer with cheese and a cracker is stupendous. I made it, I ate it, and as my sister-in-law says about anything she loves, ‘It’s beyond’. Recipe created by Becky Selengut and you’ll find it via this link to her website, Cornucopia Cuisine. Rhubarb is currently available at Farmers Markets and in some backyards.
Alice Water’s Goat Cheese Soufflé recipe fromThe Art of Simple Foodwas quick and easy to follow, each batch was mixed and in the oven in under twenty minutes. I made the full recipe, then cut it in half, used various cheeses in addition to goat, added a pinch of this and that on a whim - it all worked. Make it local: Port Madison Farm goat cheese (portmadisonfarm@yahoo.com), Beecher’s Flagship cheddar, Mt Townsend Cirrus or Trailhead, Rogue River Blue, each was delicious; Stoney Plains Organic Farm eggs, Organic Valley milk.
Today is my 57th birthday. There, I said it. I recently heard that Jamie Lee Curtis posed “nude” for the AARP magazine in honor of her 50th birthday. I’m not going to subject you to that and as it turns out, she was merely strapless (the new nude for seniors?). In the spirit of full disclosure, I would like to share a few of my reflections from the past year and hopes for the year to come.
Embarking on this blog, finding a voice for my urge to make a difference, with my remarkable friend Sally, has been a major positive factor this year. I have taken many creative avenues in my life, but this is the first one that has been truly collaborative and it is a joy. The photography aspect of it keeps me engaged in a form of visual storytelling that I’m only beginning to explore. The mystery of being involved in a virtual community still amazes me. The technological skills required are a challenge but so satisfying when I figure something out. Not knowing where this will lead us thrills my pioneering spirit. Read the rest of this entry »
For the longest time sorrel has seemed mysterious, somehow beyond my palatal reach.So very French, I thought. True, it is tangy, but not at all stuffy. I’ve had a bunch growing in the backyard for a few years now, and without any interference or effort on my part it miraculously reappears each spring.So, we’ve become acquainted. I recognize that it’s more than the character of sorrel that I appreciate, but the satisfaction of having such flavor and variety available nearby in a garden or a pot.From plot to plate, this is another good one to plant in the garden and then almost forget about until you’re ready for something tangy in salad, sauce or soup.Find it at weekend Farmers Markets, it’s in season, available and beckoning.
Seattle Tilth Garden Hotline. Any questions about gardening, call and you’ll reach a real person. Extremely helpful local resource.
Though it looks saladish, sorrel is an herb and as a flavoring, stupendous.Often cultivated as a leafy vegetable, sorrel is an early spring perennial herb, high in Vitamins A and C. Its tart, lemony flavor comes from oxalic acid as in the leaves of rhubarb, but in sorrel is safe to eat.Its use is *conditional for people with rheumatism, kidney or bladder stones.
Sorrel is a piquantaddition to salad:remove stems, chop finely and toss with salad greens; then make a green goddess-style dressing to go with it.
Salad Dressing:Mix the following ingredients together in a blender or food processor and that’s it: 1 cup mayonnaise, 2 or 3 anchovy filets, ¾ cup chopped sorrel leaves, some fresh chives and parsley, oregano, marjoram if you have them, a scallion or young spring garlic chopped, 1-2 tablespoons vinegar.After blending, if the dressing is too thick add a little water or milk.This is superb in combination with salad greens, cabbage or avocado, as a dip with fresh vegetables, spread on a chicken or fish sandwich, a fish taco. (Inspired by Gourmet’s version, March 2002.)
They say that consumer confidence is at a five year low. Instead, I like to think that we are reining in our power to consume and trying to be more mindful of our purchases. Now that I am photographing food on a regular basis, I could easily go to Target or Ikea in search of the perfect bowl or plate to use as a prop. Fortunately, I began to feel disingenuous buying objects that might leave a larger carbon footprint while illustrating the virtues of eating locally. I thought about limiting myself to plates produced in the Pacific Northwest. Somehow, that felt a bit extreme and not quite the point. I decided the best thing to do would be to check out local thrift stores and antique shops. Not surprisingly, many of the older dishes I found were manufactured in the U.S. The newer an item, the more likely it is to have been imported. If you enjoy mixing and matching, all the better, it is far easier to find one-of-a-kind than a whole set. Each dish has a story and each has traveled to get here, some more than others.Reusing household items may seem like a small action in the big scheme of things. But making these ordinary choices in our daily lives can add up if we are all making them. The next time you need to replace something or to buy a gift, think about getting something that may have already been loved by another.Read the rest of this entry »
A grove of plum trees bordering the northern edge of the property inspired the naming of Plum Forest Farm on Vashon Island, owned and operated by Rob Peterson and Joanne Jewell.
Vashon Island, isolated and yet near massive mainland urbanization, is amazingly pastoral. Depart from the ferry and it is felt immediately. To drive the two-lane highway into town is to inhale/exhale deeply and relax.
Not sure that Vashon would identify itself as a farming community, but that definitely characterizes the place. Amorning stroll around Plum Forest Farm with Rob was an affirmation for those of us who are interested and supportive of small farming. We would happily have put on our gloves and gone to work.
Warmish spring sunshine bestowed its energy upon all of us, plants, animals and people.
Each and all are thriving there.
Locals purchase eggs and produce in season from Plum Farm’s roadside stand. Eggs and chickens have been a mainstay from the beginning in 1999.
A hand full of Scarlet Nantes are appreciated for their sweet flavor, especially during winterwhen fewer fresh vegetable are available (or, we’ve been trained to believe so and thus expect produce from all over the world to tide us over during that time).Read the rest of this entry »
I’m making my first cheese soufflé next week. I imagine that creating this puff of cheese and egg confection will be a visual extravaganza of melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness. Considering my cavalier kitchen behavior, it will also be a pinnacle of sophistication for me, and I expect results for the discipline I’m willing to exert. We’ll see. If this works, the next one has to be chocolaty.
The curiosity, in part, is that there are now such beautiful local artisanal cheeses available at Farmers Markets and grocery stores in our region, a few of them listed below. If you love cheese, cook with cheese, you’ll be inspired by this video about artisanal cheese making. Maybe you’ll decide to whip up a soufflé with me next week.
Friday is the day we like to give you ideas for a local meal. Today I have an amazing quiche recipe, but first I’d like to take you behind the scenes. In Wednesday’s post, Lily and I started preparing the piecrust. What you may not have known is that we actually had three generations working together in the kitchen. Looking back at the photos I took that day, I am reminded that a major part of my motivation is to spread the word about small actions we can take to protect our planet for those who come after us. I have always been struck by Krista’s willingness to participate with me throughout the years. I’ve seen her conviction grow and have witnessed her take activism to a level I’m inspired by. And now here comes Lily with the same eagerness to learn. We are all truly teaching each other and having a lot of fun in the process.
are appreciated for their sweet flavor, especially during winter
