I am not a crusader

My Trader Joe’s thing caused a stir on my facebook page. I really don’t want to condemn TJs to hell, but I just had to say, you walk into this rather quaint looking store and the first thing you see is that all the fruits and veggies are prophylactically sealed for your protection. And it blows!

But that gives me a chance to state that my manifesto ain’t so manifest, I guess. I am not a saint. If you saw me, you wouldn’t look at me and think, boy, there goes one green, sustainable mama.

I care about the earth. I think true, local community is what keeps us human and I am working in my own little way to foster that. It’s hard though. What strikes me, though, is how so-called “greenies” especially in the Bay Area, will lie to themselves to get away with, let’s say, buying plastic wrapped produce at TJ’s and somehow thinking it’s way better than Safeway, or Target, or WalMart. We savvy eccofreaks at ground zero are just as susceptible to public relations campaigns, advertising, and corporate bullshit as anyone else. And, if WE WHO THINK WE ARE SO INFORMED do that, then how can we judge those that are not and those, also, who may not have a choice?

So, again, my charge to myself and to you, is BUY LOCAL. Whenever you can. If you do this much, you’re doing a lot. Try not to sweat the rest.

A minor issue with Trader Joe’s

I recently started shopping more at Trader Joe’s. I like TJs, don’t get me wrong. Great prices. Lot’s of organic options. But, it seems very hypocritical to me to promote a store as being so “green” when all the produce in packaged in plastic–and unrecyclable plastic at that. It really bugs me.

I’m starting a campaign to complain about this.

Help me out by going to their site and telling them to stop packaging things that don’t need packaging!

http://www.traderjoes.com/contact_us.html

I ain’t going to the store Sunday Dinner

Salmon, Spinach and Penne Pasta

2 Trader Joe’s frozen salmon filets
Olive oil
1 plastic container of crumbled blue cheese
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 brick of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 can chopped tomatoes
Basic (fresh or dried, whatever you got)
1/2 cup light sour cream
Salt
Pepper
1 box penne pasta

Thaw and poach salmon, flake and set aside.
Thaw spinach in microwave. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in sauce pan. Saute onions until soft. Add garlic. Saute a little. Add tomatoes, spinach, basil, salt pepper. Let simmer.

Put salted water for pasta to boil. Add pasta and cook al dente. When pasta is about 5 minutes from being done, add cheese, stir and turn off heat. Drain pasta but leave a bit of the water. Fold in sour cream and then mix sauce with pasta.

Serve immediately.

Savory Tomato Cobbler

I can’t remember exactly what I did, but this is close enough. It was a huge hit tonight. What was great about it is it did not taste like some sort of pizza, which is always my fear with anything with tomatoes.

3 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped basil
2 tsp sugar
Dash tabasco
1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 stick chilled butter cubed
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
1/4 cup water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped parsley

Saute onions and garlic in butter and let cool.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix tomatoes with 2 TBSP flour, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, basil, tabasco. Add onions and garlic mixture. Stir well. Transfer to casserole dish.

In a large bowl, mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder. Add butter and cut with a pastry cutter until you get a course meal. Add water and stir until mixed (like drop biscuit dough). (add more water if needed). Fold in cheese.

Spoon topping over tomato mixture.

Bake 40 minutes or until crust is brown.

Sprinkle parsley on top.

Let cool before serving so that tomato juices settle.

I made this recipe up, so any alterations/suggestions are welcome.

Loaves and Fishes

Recently, the Gospel reading at Church was the one about the miracle of the loaves and fishes. I became more of a fan of this reading in later years when a friend gave me a different interpretation than the hocus-pocus story I saw it as when I was a child.

My friend, who happens to be a seminary dropout and has now been with his gay partner for nearly 30 years tell me that the miracle of the loaves and fishes is not about a magic trick Jesus performed but one about how the love of God moved people to share. In the days before fast food, cars, grocery stores, and even public houses, people carried food with them. When Jesus spoke to the crowd and then it came time to feed them and the apostles stated there were just a few loaves and fishes, Jesus just tells them to pass it around. My friend says that what really happened was people opened their hearts and their food baskets and those who had extra shared with those who didn’t.

So, the miracle is not magic. The miracle is community and hospitality.

I set out to write this blog about food but I’m starting to think it is more about community, buying local, neighbors. More about about feeding people and neighbors. It’s what I’m thinking about. I’m sick of the myth of the individual. No one is self-made. No one. And it’s time we start looking around and sharing.

Buying local

As an avid communitarian, I have always believed in the idea of buying local. For me, buying local is more important than going all organic because, even if something isn’t totally green, you do gain in greeness by eliminating shipping and traveling.

Buying local must be a pretty good selling point because lately everyone’s into it including WalMart. My local WalMart has these signs that say “Local.” It’s like when people started saying everything was “natural” or “organic.”

So how do you navigate the corporate bullshit and buy local?

Well, BUY LOCAL. Really buy local.

Your local farmer’s market is great place to start. Talk to the people behind the booth. Where are they from? Where do they get their ingredients if they are selling a product as opposed to produce? Ask them if they are organice and how they are certified. And then, LAY DOWN THE CASH AND SUPPORT THEM BY PURCHASING FROM THEM.

I’m not saying you need to do this 100% of the time. I have sheepishly shopped our WalMarts and Targets. But, you really should try to do it whenever you can. It’s hard sometimes, when you try and support a local bookstore and have to pay double what you’d pay online or through a chain, but there are hidden costs to that bargain.

Realistically, our economy functions best with a healthy combination of national stores and local stores. The important thing is to be aware and to do what you can. Just don’t take a sign that says “Local” for granted. Ask. Talk. Interact with your LOCAL community.

For even more information on becoming a “locavore”, visit:

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/

Pantry Enchiladas

This week, we’re trying to save money and clear out the pantry so we’ll be getting creative!

Last night I was able to whip up some pretty good spinach enchildas.

1 box frozen spinach, thawed, drained, and patted dry
1 tsp butter
1/2 chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Couple dashes of hot sauce
5 hi fiber tortillas
2.5 cups enchilada sauce (canned)
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend + plus a bit extra

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes until softened. Add spinach and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Add blue cheese, sour cream, hot sauce and 1 cup of the shredded cheese.

Put about 1/2 cup scoops in a tortilla. Roll and place in a casserole dish. Pour enchilada sauce on top. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over that. Bake for about 25 minutes.

What IS a CSA?

I’m amazed, even in the Bay Area, that I have to explain CSAs to people. I don’t know for sure, but I would suspect that the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) got its start here. I certainly didn’t know what it was until going to a dinner party and my friend Anya served us the most amazing homemade macaroni and cheese and the really most amazing oven roasted root vegetables. I don’t believe I had tasted a carrot like that since perhaps childhood, and perhaps not even then.

Anya told me about Full Belly Farm and I’ve been a member ever since.

So what is a CSA, exactly? A CSA is a farm where you buy a share in the bounty of what is grown there. By doing this, you agree to share in the farm’s bounty, but also share during hard times, such as crop disease or drought. CSAs tend to be more than just farm with organic veggies. Often, the practices of the farm mean crops are rotated and workers are paid decent wages that include health care. In doing this, their workers don’t rely on emergency rooms for health care, thus helping communities be sustainable as well.

Different CSAs have different rules. Some offer produce all year long. Some have a shorter season. Some offer only fruit. Some offer meat and other products besides vegetables and fruit. Some allow you to choose what you’ll get. I like being connected to a farm. We can visit and they have a couple of big events every year, such as the Hoes Down Festival at my farm.

Fully Belly Farm is my CSA. It offers boxes of vegetables and fruits pretty much all year round, with just a two-week break in December-January. There’s no limit on membership. You can pay by the week, the month, the quarter, or the year. You can pick up your vegetable box at a designated place in the East Bay or you can pay extra and have it delivered to your door. You can also pay extra for fresh flowers or flour, and other special offerings such as cider, wool, nuts. They will also partner with neighbor farms and we’ll get little surprise treats like dried fruit or fruit that they don’t grow on their farm.

Every week is like Christmas when we get our veggies! My kids love seeing what is there. We still need to work on them trying new things, but there is usually something for everyone. Lately we’ve had lots of cobblers.

I’ll research some other local CSAs and give out my findings. I strongly recommend participating in a CSA at least for some of the time. You get really fresh vegetables and fruits for slightly less than you’d get buying the same thing at a farmer’s market, you get to sample a wide variety of produce, you and your family can connect to a farm even if you live in an urban environment, you buy local, and you are a part of sustainable practice.

And the winner is…

My entry for the Stubb’s BBQ Sauce Recipe contest sponsored by Raley’s.

Winner gets $2,500. I doubt I have even a hint of a shot, but I tried. And, they are pretty good. However, I suggest using Kraft Masterpiece BBQ sauce for a better flavor!

Extra Thyme BBQ Beans

1 lb dried navy beans, soaked for four hours, picked clean and rinsed
4 slices good quality bacon, diced
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed
4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped (remove the hard stems)
1 cup brewed coffee
1/2 cup ketchup*
1/4 cup Stubb’s dry rub*
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup cane syrup
1/4 cup creole or dijon mustard
1 tsp tabasco
1 T red cider vinegar
2 T worchestishire sauce
1/4 cup Jack Daniels
Salt and pepper to taste
8 cups water

*Stubb’s BBQ flavors were not to my liking so I’d recommend using Kraft Masterpiece BBQ sauce (1/2 cup) + 1/4 of the dry rub or Tony Chasseries!

In a heavy cast iron skillet, fry up the bacon until it is crisp and the fat has rendered. Add the onions and cook until clear and slightly carmelized (5 minutes or so). Add the garlic and the thyme and fry for about 2 minutes more. Transfer this to a crock pot. Add all the other ingredients and stir well. Set the crock pot on high and let cook for 2 hours. Give it another stir, switch it to low and then cook for 10 more hours. (I just let it cook overnight.) Adjust spices if necessary before serving.

Saucy

Welcome to my table. I am not out to break new ground with food writing, but after trying to figure out what it is I really want to write about, the overwhelming anwer is food. So, welcome to my blog! Here I plan to write essays on food, memories, recipes, as well as insight into my love of buying local, supporting local farmers, hitting farmer’s markets, and cooking. I also do dine at restaurants occasionally and I’ll share my thoughts on that. See my bio for my cred on this lifetime devotion.