4 posts tagged “food”

A few tidbits on eating locally and affordably

Jan 12, 2008
2 comments

Valerae's recent post on trying to survive locally for a week made me think of some of my experiences from five or six years ago. The information won't help Valerae's quest, though, since they're not changes one can make in a few days.

Valerae's post and many of the comments talk about shopping at farmers' markets for local eating. I do enjoy our neighborhood farmers' market (though I have to admit that I go more for the breads and fruit pies than for vegetables). Unfortunately, though, my farmers' market ends in October, and doesn't resume until May or so. I guess they figure that it's too rainy for many customers to show up at the outdoor market, and that there isn't enough variety to make it attractive. (Besides winter greens like kale, or storables like honey or smoked salmon, the main winter crops in this area seem to be apples and pears.)

In the past, I've instead joined a CSA farm (community-supported agriculture) for my locally-grown produce. The one I used has fields all over inside the city limits or just outside. Long before the season starts, the farmer works out a set of crops to cover the entire growing season and calculates all the costs of materials, labor, rent, transportation, and so on. People then sign on for "shares" and pay the costs up front. Once the harvest begins, whatever is ready that week is split into that number of shares. Since the CSA customers aren't guaranteed a set amount of produce every week, part of the idea is that the farmer isn't the only one who takes the risk of crops failing, or who receives the rewards of a particularly good harvest.

CSAs weren't a perfect solution for local eating. Winter in this area is a hard time for local produce, even with a CSA. Last time I checked, there were many local CSAs doing summer crops, but only one CSA in the city that did winter crops. Several of our organic delivery services say that their boxes contain local produce, but I haven't personally investigated those options.

A number of the comments on Valerae's article also talked about the problems for low-income folks of eating locally, or organic, or even healthily. I volunteered for a brief time with a local non-profit organization called Growing Gardens that tries to help address those issues:

We plant seeds for good food and healthy people by making sure low income people have the resources they need to grow organic vegetables at home. We organize hundreds of volunteers to build organic, raised bed vegetable gardens in backyards, front yards, side yards and even on balconies. We support low income households for three years with seeds, plants, classes, mentors and more. Through Learn & Grow workshops and work parties, we teach gardeners all about growing, preparing and preserving healthful food while respecting the health of the environment.

While at Growing Gardens, I learned about the concept of crop gleaning. The idea is that, with today's harvesting methods, small amounts of edible food are left behind in the fields. Since the farmers can't make money on that small amount, they allow people to go through the fields and manually collecting the remnants, and keep what they find. The Oregon Food Bank runs a gleaning program as one of its food collection and distribution programs.

Oh, and while I'm on the subject of affordable food, I found an interesting story in the Edible Portland magazine on the sticker shock of organic, or even healthy, food.

In 2007, Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski and several members of Congress took the “food stamp challenge”: shopping and eating on a $21 per week budget that represented the average American’s food-stamp allotment. Kulongoski and his fellow politicians met with limited success; some managed the challenge, while others ended up cheating by week’s end.
After the experiment, Nancy S. Tivol of Sunnyvale Community Services, a California nonprofit emergency assistance agency, wrote in the San Jose Mercury-News: “Feeling full on $3 a day is one challenge; eating nutritionally is virtually impossible. Illinois Democratic Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s week’s worth of fruits and vegetables consisted of one tomato, one potato, a head of lettuce, and five bananas.”

So, while CSA farms, home farming, and gleaning might not be solutions for you, or even for many people, now you have a few more tidbits to chew on.

Tater Tot Casserole o' Death

Dec 3, 2007
3 comments

Crispy cheese, evil casserole

Peg of Tilling posted a recipe for a winter casserole, perfect for the Vox neighborhood picnic.

After a bit of nerving up, I tried the recipe myself, and found it quite enjoyable. My favorite part, of course, was the bubbly crunchy cheese bits around the edges.

I was quite surprised to find a similar recipe on the back of the shredded cheese package, but they included a vital ingredient that I'll be sure not to forget next year: bacon. Especially if I could find some nice German Speck, that would be the breakfast of the gods. Maybe with a bit of dry-fried onion, too.

Dessicated Green Beans

DH thought it would be a good idea to put some frozen vegetables in, too. But this is what he found when he opened the freezer: freeze-dried green beans the consistency of old straw, embedded in a huge block of ice. There are some great advantages to self-defrosting freezers, but keeping food longer than you're supposed to is not one of them. Well, at least we have a little more freezer space now.

QotD: Vox Potluck

Nov 29, 2007
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If your Vox Neighborhood had a potluck dinner tonight, what dish, drink or dessert would you bring?

Bread from the Fleur de Lis, mmmm....

Mmmm...bread.

I'm lazy (and out of practice) so I rarely cook for parties. Instead, I've learned the locations of all the good bakeries in my area, and buy bread or even pie to bring to events.

My two favorite (in no particular order) are:

Grand Central Baking. Not only is their bread excellent, but they make sandwiches, pies during holidays, and tons of different pastries. I believe they make bread in the Italian rustic tradition, but I tend to eat it all up before I notice the finer details.
Fleur de Lis bakery. I love the Fleur de Lis since it is only a few blocks from my house. They seem to be more of a traditional French-style bakery, and very good at it, too. They also make sandwiches, pastries, and bread, even occasional tortes. My favorite so far is the creamy, buttery, chocolate hazelnut torte. It literally melts in your mouth.

All right, this post has made me hungry. Excuse me while I get some lunch...

QotD: Thanksgiving Treat

Nov 15, 2007
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Cranberry sauce

Homemade cranberry sauce is my absolute favorite food at fall and winter holiday meals. Not just any recipe, though—sour and tangy cranberry sauce. In fact, half the sugar recommended by the cranberry package:

12 ounces whole cranberries (340 g)
1 cup water (250 ml)
1/2 cup sugar (100 g)

Bring water and sugar to a boil in a saucepan. Add the cranberries and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely.

Yep, it's that simple!

As long as I'm putting up recipes, I also like sweet potato poi. It's a fun and exotic alternative to the overly sweet yam and marshmallow dish. I'm typing this from memory, so the amounts are indeterminate. Think "to taste".

Canned Coconut Milk

Three large yams
One can (400 ml) of prepared coconut milk (see full description at the bottom)

Boil or microwave the sweet potatoes in their skins until tender. Peel, then mash until smooth. If you like, season with a bit of salt to bring out the flavor. Then, stir in coconut milk until the consistency is as you like it, mixing thoroughly.

Serve warm.

Traditional Hawaiian poi is described by its consistence: one-finger, two-finger, three-finger. The description refers to how many fingers it takes to scoop the poi to your mouth without it dribbling on your chin. My preferred thickness for the sweet potato poi is probably about two-finger. Keep in mind that it will firm up a bit as it cools.

I usually buy coconut milk in cans. It's much cheaper (and easier!) than buying a coconut shipped from another part of the country, grating it, boiling it, and squeezing it. In my area, canned coconut milk comes in two kinds: thick and thin. I'd suggest thin coconut milk for this recipe, but if you get thick milk, you can always add water. Make sure you thoroughly stir the contents of the can before you add it.

On the other hand, if you have ready access to fresh coconuts or want to try something a little more authentic, try making it yourself. Inmamaskitchen.com gives a recipe for squeezed coconut milk, something I've heard is a bit more authentic. Alton Brown of the Good Eats television program gives a recipe for blended coconut milk.

Have fun!