What We Need Is Here

Farmers Market Bounty

The 441 Farmers Market is bustling!  Just about everything we can grow here in North Central Florida is being harvested right now.  Plus it’s blueberry/blackberry/peach season!  As much as I hate running anywhere first thing Saturday morning, it is so worth it to get up and go. 

All through the winter and up till this week, Warren and Erika supplied our family and the Breakfast Brigade with fresh oranges at a very reasonable price.  The folks at the labor pools loved them, and I loved getting to see Erika and Warren every weekend.  Erika also sends out a newsletter each week loaded with info about the upcoming market – what’s available, what the weather will be like, etc.  She includes handy updates on farm policies which will eventually trickle down to our local markets and to our family tables.  She sees the big picture while taking care of our own backyard.  She’s great.

We drop off a bucket each week in which farmers can donate leftover produce to “Jubilee House,” home of the Gainesville Catholic Worker.  With it we make week night dinners and delicious soups for the Sunday café.  If we have extras we give them to other folks in need.  Most people appreciate so much the very local stuff, esp. yellow squash, field peas, corn, collards – things their grandmas used to cook.  It’s a kind of comfort food that’s good for body and soul.  And the farmers are so very generous.  Our bucket runneth over!

 

Spanish Needle

This common plant is called by a number of names in addition to Spanish Needle - everything from "Hairy Beggarticks" (yuck!) to "Piquant Noir" (ooh la la!).  Its scientific name is Bidens Pilosa, and I first knew it as simple "bidens" - although I've called it some unsavory names when it kept popping up in my butterfly/herb garden.  It grows like a, ummm, weed, and its root system is a real booger if you don't pull it quick.

However... I learned recently that it's edible.  Susan Marynowski, a local herbalist suggests throwing a handful of leaves into soups, stews, or greens to add nutrients. It has medicinal qualities as well; its leaves are chewed for sore throat or boiled to make a tea that is said to help with upper-respiratory infections. 

It seems to thrive just about anyplace. Walking along the sidewalk off a very busy road, I found a long row of it growing happily in the cracks - and we have had exactly one rainy day during the last six weeks!  It's advised that we don't eat wild edibles growing on the side of the road due to the street run-off, but if you look, you'll probably find it growing around your yard as I did.  It's hardy, persistent, tolerant, and honestly - it's kind of pretty when it's blooming.  Sometimes I try to think of these plants like folk herbalists used to - that hidden in their appearance or their character lies clue to how they might benefit us.  Hardiness, persistence, tolerance, ability to bloom under difficult circumstances - all good human qualities.  Plus I have a cold.

Memorial Day

 

We had a wonderful weekend full of bike riding, slip-n-sliding, watermelon-eating, playground-playing and movie-going. It was warm, but  not too warm - a really perfect, family weekend.  I felt flooded with gratitude for my family and for our commmunity at large. 

One of our bike rides took us down 8th Avenue which runs between our neighborhood park and Loblolly Woods. For the last couple years, our local branch of Veterans for Peace has placed grave-markers along a mile-long stretch of it. Each is marked with the name, age, and hometown of a soldier who has died in combat in the "War on Terror."  The growing length of the display is a stark reminder of how many we have lost.

On the opposite side of the road, tied to the playground fence at the park, are banners made by family and friends of these men and women.  Some have epitaphs embroidered or painted on: "He loved his family,"  "She had three daughters," "He was so proud to be a Marine."  One of those young men played Capture the Flag on summer evenings with my boys.

 

It would feel so good to believe - especially on Memorial Day - what I was once taught: That I have this happy life with my family in this community due to the sacrifices of these young men and women.  But the only connection I can make is that they were playing on slip-n-slides and riding their bikes through the woods and eating watermelon with their friends such a short time ago.  That they are the age of my older children, and I remember them. And that they are gone.      

As a responsible adult in this world, I want to tell them that I am so sorry.  I am sorry we didn't do a better job of making this world a place where they could live and thrive.  I am sorry for the lies of our elected officials and for our gullibility in the face of them... For our need for revenge after September 11, for our reckless use of resources that lead us to invade other lands rich in oil, for the stories we tell that sound good, but aren't true, I am so sorry.  Forgive us.  We won't forget you.

Local Entertainment

We saw a movie this week that I really liked, Then She Found Me, at the Hippodrome, our “local” State Theatre.  Local entertainment is one of those things I think about but find difficult to follow through with.  Netflix is so easy. And watching TV in bed as I fall asleep is even easier. 

It hasn’t always been this way. When the kids were little, we rarely watched tv at all and kept the thing in the closet to discourage temptation. I remember listening to friends talk about the storylines of various television dramas and wondering self-righteously why they needed this kind of escape when Life itself could be so full.  (Ugh, sometimes I really hate me.)  Well, Life worked its bitter magic and - abracadabra! - I found myself staring at reruns of Friends with my soon to be ex-husband, because we really didn’t know what else to do with ourselves.  And then, after Ben's diagnosis, and the ensuing weeks in the hospital, I became addicted to Law and Order - partly because there is an episode of Law and Order on some channel at almost any given time of the day, but also because during this period of utter senselessness, the mere concept of law and order was totally seductive.

Soon there was a TV in my bedroom – to allow for Ben to have the family room to himself and his friends (since he couldn’t go out into the germy world a good deal of the time).  He was so sick for so long, I felt like we had both dropped out of the larger world and lived in our own. And I became hooked on Battlestar Galactica (far, far away!) and Jericho (community copes valiantly with total disaster!), and The Office (Jim and Pam are so happy!) 

Enough.  I need to get out more.  It's time to re-engage with our local community. And trying to keep it local, we decided to see a movie at the only real local theater in town.  When we walked in, a friend took our tickets and told us who else we knew was in the theater.  And then we watched this sweet, subtle, and beautifully-acted movie about the vagaries of love – and of life.  It was really unusually good and insightful, although the younger me might have been a little befuddled by these mixed-up people and their foibles.  (“Why don’t they just get a grip?” I can hear myself saying.)

My own next step in getting a grip will be to explore local entertainment in Gainesville – entertainment that supports the local economy, connects us to one another, allows us to appreciate the talents of our neighbors and helps me endure total TV withdrawal which will begin July 1 when we move into a place with no cable.  What a simple, good part of becoming more local.  And I think I can do it (esp. since BG and Jericho have been canceled)!

If you live in Gainesville, you should see this movie while it’s still at the Hipp.  We’re so lucky to have a place like this in our community; it’s good to support it.

Another Harbinger?

Lately a lot more people have been finding this blog through search phrases like “ “inspiration during hard times,” “hard financial times,” “dark times,” and “how do I grow my own food?” – things of that nature.  It’s both touching and worrisome, especially when the searches are put into question form.  I imagine someone awake and worried in the middle of the night, typing in the question to Google as if to an oracle. 

It’s a fact that the effects of the high cost of food is “trickling up” from the hotspots where it was first reported.  Here’s an interesting and clearly-written article by Fred Magdorff, professor Emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont.  In it he discusses the recent acute crisis in light of the long-term crisis that has been unfolding for two decades.   It’s definitely worth the read.  At the end, he offers some solutions, or at least a change in direction from where we’ve been headed:

“Almost every country in the world has the soil, water, and climate resources to grow enough food so that all their people can eat a healthy diet. In addition, the knowledge and crop varieties already exist in most countries so that if farmers are given adequate assistance they will be able to grow reasonably high yields of crops.

Although enhanced agricultural production is essential, much of the emphasis in the past has been on production of export crops. While this may help a country’s balance of payments, export oriented agriculture does not ensure sufficient food for everyone nor does it promote a healthy rural environment. In addition to basic commodities such as soybeans, export-oriented agriculture also leads naturally to the production of high-value luxury crops demanded by export markets (luxuries from the standpoint of the basic food needs of a poor third world country), rather than the low-value subsistence crops needed to meet the needs of the domestic population. Production of sufficient amounts of the right kinds of food within each country’s borders—by small farmers working in cooperatives or on their own and using sustainable techniques—is the best way to achieve the goal of “food security.” In this way the population may be insulated, at least partially, from the price fluctuations on the world market. This, of course, also means not taking land out of food production to produce crops for the biofuel markets.”

This should be an inspiration to continue to educate ourselves about what part we play in the policies that are causing this kind of world-wide suffering (I recommend Vandana Shiva's "Stolen Harvest" - see sidebar).  And, on the homefront, to encourage us to buy local from our farmers here and to learn and share how to grow our own.

Grace's Favorite "Vegetable"

Grace was finally rewarded for her work in the corn bed - preparing the soil, planting the corn shoots, and posing for weekly photos with the growing corn.  I thought it might be too early to harvest, but it was perfect. Grace's favorite vegetable is technically a grain, but that's okay. This week it was everybody's favorite!

Corn's not an efficient crop to grow in a small garden like ours since it takes up so much space for the amount of food it produces.  But we're really growing primarily for taste and beauty (and happiness), and Grace loves corn, so corn's gotta be in there someplace.  As do cherry tomatoes for John, broccoli and  basil for me (and Steven across the street who loves pesto)... you see how it goes.  I long for a real working garden, planted for sustaining my family, but I feel lucky to have this one.  Lucky because it provides beautiful, tasty food to supplement our meals, lucky that a crop failure (like the bean sprouts that were pecked out by the chickens (yes, we experimented with letting them run freely again...) isn't a big deal to us nutrition-wise, and lucky because the fact that we are moving is settling in and I am going to miss it. 

We'll have another garden - a small one in our tiny front yard and possibly a few random things growing in the back in the spots of sun available (buildings all around).  Once we get there, we'll also find other places to grow things - a home for elders has contacted me about helping them grow a fall garden, the after-school center at the police station would like us to garden with the children, and there are some other areas in which we could develop a community garden.  So we'll have a garden; it just won't be this one.

Ugh, moving.  This is a good move for all kinds of reasons, but it's still hard. The next few weeks are going to be so full of packing and cleaning here and painting and organizing there!  I need a good attitude!  I need some coffee.  And a few more tasty, beautiful meals made from the fruits and grains of our labor here.

Hot and Sour Green Bean Salad with Tofu

Green beans are just coming into season, and this recipe will put them to good use. In about a month, we should have our own red peppers in the garden as well - and we always have mint popping up in the flower beds.  This is delicious!  And with farmers market and garden veggies supplemented with food from Ward's it meets the Hogtown Homegrown Eat Local Challenge!

HOT AND SOUR GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH TOFU

Serves 4

7 ounces very firm tofu

Oil for frying

Dressing

1-2 tsp. chili pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, crushed

4 tablespoons soy sauce

4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice

4 tablespoons honey

Salad

2 cups green beans, sliced lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced

4 green onions, sliced

2 handfuls of fresh mint leaves

½ cup toasted (or roasted) peanuts – optional

1.       Drain the tofu and wrap in paper towels until ready to use.

2.       Shake or blend dressing ingredients together.

3.       Heat a shallow layer of oil in a skillet over high heat.  Cut the tofu into 3-inch slices and fry, turning once until golden all over.  Drain on paper towels.

4.       Put green beans, red pepper, onions, mint, and tofu into large bowl and cover with dressing.  Add tofu, and mix gently. 

Sprinkle peanuts on top if desired.  May be served on rice or another grain - or alone.

Thanks, Girls!

Hmmm... We've been out of town at Joe's graduation, and I had written a post about our chickens and scheduled to show up on Friday night.  And now it is gone.  I guess even these new-fangled, user-friendly blogging sites foul up once in a while.  Or I did.  Anyway, here's what I was going to say about chickens!

I wanted them for years before we got them and had collected a file of instructions about feeding and housing them.  Not being at all handy, I think I was waiting for that day when I had acquired enough skills to follow coop-building directions.   That was not happening, but John - who is less fearful of failure than I am - just  up and did it anyway last summer.  He thought up a coop, bought the supplies and it was finished in a few days. 

It's by no means perfect.  We had to add a door once we realized how heavy it was to lift to get at the food and water.  And the heaviness is an issue he hadn't thought of in building a "chicken tractor" - a small, movable, bottomless coop for scooting around the garden so chickens can scratch and "fertilize" fallow areas.  John thought he was opting for a more sturdy coop when he used heavy boards.  Suffice it to say it doesn't actually move without borrowing the labor of friends and neighbors.  So it's more of a small coop instead of a "tractor."

 

But it's working fine. We get about five eggs per week from each of our three girls - more than enough for our family.  While we don't have good records on what we've spent on feed, the chickens range freely on a regular basis and so don't eat as much as they might. 

We wonder what will happen as they age and don't produce many eggs.  I remember my grandparents' chickens, many of which I grew up with; several had to be at least a decade old.  I have a feeling that, like them, I would find it hard to cook up Henny, LouAnn and Junebug - serving "Pet Pot Pie" as my brother called it when he and his kids slaughtered and ate their rooster.

For right now, we 'll just enjoy the eggs and not worry too much about the future. 

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Another sweet potato recipe!  I can't help myself; they're nutritious, grow like a weed here, are constantly available at the farmers' market, volunteer in the garden, and everyone likes them.  Tonight was our last "Wednesday Night Dinner" - at least for a while, and we celebrated Ben's upcoming 20th birthday. He wanted Sweet Potato Quesadillas. And, in general, Ben gets what he wants.  John loves them, too, as did Ben's peeps. Served with sour cream, salsa, and a 100% farmers' market and garden salad, they were delicious!

The recipe is from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home, the best collection of recipes I own - and I have a lot of cookbooks!  Here it is: 

SWEET POTATO QUESADILLAS

1 ½ cups finely chopped onions

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

3 tablespoons [olive] oil

4 cups grated, peeled sweet potato (about 3)

½ tsp. dried oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

Generous pinch of cayenne

Salt and ground pepper to taste

1 cup grated sharp cheddar

8 flour tortillas (8-10 inch)

Salsa

Sour cream

Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent. Add the grated sweet potatoes, oregano, chili powder, cumin and cayenne and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking [I sometimes add a few tablespoons of water]. When the sweet potato is tender, add salt and pepper to taste and remove the filling from the heat. Spread one-eighth of the filling and 2 tablespoons of the cheese on each tortilla. Fold in half and then cut in half for a wedged shape quesadilla.  Cook on a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan turning until both sides are lightly browned. 

Serve immediately topped with salsa and sour cream.  Serves 4.

Blueberry Season!

It's just the beginning of a season that will last at least a month. We are lucky to have blueberry farms all around our area - a number of them u-pick and organic.  "Pick Your Own" is a nice website with locations and phone numbers of farms open to u-pickers. 

Blueberry picking is a great activity for the whole family. The weather's still pretty nice early in the morning, and the bushes are thornless and not easily damaged by little ones.  Picking wild blueberries as a child and later at farms with my children - as well as with school children on field trips - are some of my happiest May memories.  And what a great way to turn children on to the goodness of local food. 

This week I bought organic blueberries at the 441 market for $4/pint - which is still a better deal than an equivalent amount of Ben and Jerry's.  And quite a bit healthier.  They're considered a "super food" - anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, etc., etc.  Although after reading Michael Pollan's book, I don't know how much credence to give the latest food fad.  I do know this: they're good, they're local, they're even beatuiful. We're going to be eating a lot of them over the next month.

This is part of the joy of eating locally. We can look forward to blueberry season like we do to a holiday that comes around each year. We appreciate them all the more because we don't have them all the time.  Go celebrate!