Potatoes for Soup & Garden

In winter, my meal plans often revolve around soup because it's so easy and cheap to make, and ever so satisfying on a chilly night. This winter, though, I've made relatively few soups because the temperatures have been warmer than usual.

As often happens, I started making dinner last night without a clear vision of what the final product would be. Earlier in the day, I'd roasted a bunch of potatoes after discovering most had sprouted.

The sprouted parts of the potatoes were cut off. We've planted sprouted potatoes before but yesterday I did a little more reading about it. One site recommended removing the group of eyes at the crown of the spuds, saying they typically did not produce many potatoes. Removing them would encourage more growth in the side and shoulder eyes. With potatoes that had good sprouts coming out from the sides or shoulders already, I did this, but I left the crown sprouts on the ones that didn't have much action elsewhere. It will be interesting to see if this makes a difference (which means I'll need to separate and label these when planting).


I'm going to let the cut sides callous over before planting them in a big tub of our homemade potting soil mixed with straw. Since mounding up additional soil over the plant as it grows has not led to better yields in our previous experiments, I'm not going to bother with that aspect this time.

I tossed the remaining good parts of the potatoes with a tiny bit of local olive oil and some salt & pepper, and then roasted them. This was in the morning and I didn't give much more thought about dinner until 5:30 pm last night.

A glance in the fridge indicated that there was one more bundle of greens that needed to be used up before the next CSA pick-up. The farm brings us immense quantities of greens in the winter and sometimes it's a challenge to use them all up. I started cleaning the mizuna thinking they could be sauteed with a little onion and served alongside the roasted potatoes. Hm, but wouldn't carrots be good, too? Maybe grilled carrots would taste good....

By the time the carrots were grilling and the greens were clean, it occurred to me that I could combine everything into soup. I gathered up more vegetables from the CSA share and sent my sweetie out to the garden to fetch some herbs and peppers for seasoning.


The result was a delicious soup that is almost entirely local. In fact, the only ingredients in it that came from more than 100 miles away are the salt and pepper.


For an extra kick, I had a small bowl of homemade, local apple and onion pickles on the side.

Here are the details on my soup. Feel free to modify and substitute whatever local ingredients you have on hand. Having roasted or grilled vegetables on hand speeds up the time it takes to cook the soup considerably.

Roasted Potato Soup
a dozen medium red potatoes, cubed
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
a pound of carrots
half of a large onion, diced
2 green garlic heads, minced, including several inches of green stalk
2 fresh red chile peppers, any variety (use less if really hot)
6 cups water or stock
a huge bunch of mizuna or any other cooking greens
2 baby broccoli with leaves (teeny tiny things from our garden), chopped
Fresh dill, minced
Fresh Italian parsley, minced

Toss potatoes with oil, and salt and pepper. Roast in a hot oven until tender, stirring occasionally.
Cut carrots lengthwise and grill until tender. Dice. (Alternate preparation: dice, toss with oil, and roast until tender.)
Heat a tiny bit of oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until golden.
Stir in green garlic and peppers. Stir and cook until vegetables soften.
Add water and bring to a boil.
Add broccoli and greens. Cook until just tender.
Stir in potatoes and carrots. Cook until heated through.
Remove from heat and stir in herbs.
Serve with nice crusty bread or crackers.

That's Just Nonsense!

Brains are funny things. Sometimes they spit out random nonsense. Where does this stuff come from?

Today, I was thinking about how annoying spambots are in cyberspace, making it necessary for people to try to disguise their email addresses by spelling everything out, which I'm sure by now there are spambots designed to figure out anyway, and my brain's just rambling on and on along this line of thought when it spat out:


"Spambots Ate My Brain!"

Uh, okay. Whatever. Sounds like a movie title. Musing about why the brain does this sort of thing reminded me of a time years ago when I read through most of Gary Larson's material in a couple of weeks. This seemed to flip a switch in my brain and funny Larsonesque-type cartoons kept popping into my head. Too bad I can't draw worth a damn...

Today, the homepage set on my computer won't load properly. I'm not sure what's going on with it but the problem was getting annoying so I reset the homepage. I'd like it on a page with news headlines (any suggestions?) but didn't feel like taking the time to look for one that isn't just mainstream regurgitated "amuse the masses so they don't notice the lack of real economic recovery" crap so I lazily set it to my blog for now.

Do you know what this means?


I am my own homepage.

Scary. Maybe the spambots did eat my brain...

Please tell me I am not the only one with a warped brain. I need some reassurance here, folks...

Keepin' the Compost Local

My compost contains a lot of local ingredients. The produce scraps that get tossed generally come from my CSA share which is, of course, local. The dead plants at the end of each gardening season get composted.


Most of my yard waste goes into the compost bin, with the exception of tree limbs (saved for rocket stove) and eucalyptus leaves. I even got brave this year and started adding bits and pieces that fall from my prickly pears, although I let those sit in a pile separately for months first to break down the spiny glochids. This pile includes cut up leaves from a dead yucca stalk, mesquite beans, and dried prickly pear fruit and pads.


When I sweep outside, all the sweepings go into the compost.


There are some non-local ingredients, too, that are composted rather than thrown away or wasted.

The initial soil for the container garden included peat moss and coconut coir. Those are composted along with the roots of past season plants and will be (and already have been) used in the next round of container gardening.

When I get low on compostable materials, I pick up used coffee grounds from Starbucks and hay from broken bales from the feed store. Some of the paper and cardboard that makes its way into my home is added to the compost supplies rather than the recycling bin, especially if I'm low on "brown" carbon materials.

Animal manure is great for compost, but is not always available nearby. To get goat manure requires driving 30 minutes to the rural areas surrounding the city. Cow, chicken, and sheep manure are also available outside of town. Horse manure is readily available in town but for some reason I am resistant to using it. Perhaps it is because of our poor luck with using the free composted horse manure from the food bank when we first started gardening. I also worry about what people may be doing to keep the flies down; I don't want to add too many chemicals into my mix.


Now, however, I have found a source for local chicken poop. Really local - as in 1/3 of a mile away! I discovered someone in our neighborhood has chickens and was eager to get rid of surplus manure. She composts quite a bit herself but does not have a large garden going yet so she is happy to share. This week I hauled home four big landscaping bags full of used hay bedding filled with chicken droppings. The dogs are enjoying the curious new sniffs in their yard and the compost bin is getting an infusion of hot poop.

Of course, if one wanted to nitpick, they'd point out that the hay bedding from the chicken coop is probably not grown locally. I haven't asked the staff at the feed store where their hay and straw is grown, but I'll try to remember to do that the next time I go there. With a larger piece of property, we could grow some of our own grains and use the stalks for chicken bedding, but that's not likely to be an option.

Using what I have on the property as well as what I can obtain nearby is an easy and cheap way to make compost and improve my soil. What local materials go into your compost pile?

Today's To Do List

I thought I'd share a look into why my time spins out of control. I often sit down in the morning (or the night before) to jot down a list of what I need to get done. What I need to get done and what I want do do are usually not the same things. For example, I need to wash the cloth wipes today but I would far rather be trying out a new daikon recipe. I need to process the daikons before they go bad but since they keep fairly well, it's not urgent to do it today.


Absolutely have to get done today:

• Wash cloth wipes - they've soaked for 24 hours already which is far too long. I'm out, too, which means I'm wasting toilet paper. Maybe I should go get that done now rather than sit here writing this post...
  
  • DONE - by hand, which took hours. New post coming up about this.


• Put together more instant meal packs for mother-in-law - she's home from the hospital but still tired and weak. Hubby is heading down tomorrow for a visit and we think it would help for her to have easy-to-prepare healthy meals on hand for the next week or two.
  
  • DONE - I used a blend of unbleached flour, cornmeal, and oat flour for the biscuit mix.


• Grind wheat berries into flour - we're out of whole wheat flour and I need some to make the biscuit mix for the meal packs. I'll do that this afternoon so I can watch the Olympics while pedaling.
  
  • DONE - by my sweetie. He's so nice!

Ought to get done today:

• Email a couple of recipes promised to CSA friends.
  
  • DONE


• Dig out last week's leftover CSA produce and figure out what to make with it for lunch.
  
  • DONE - BBQ bean burritos with arugula & mizuna


• Set up the solar oven (now!) so I can cook with the sun....once I figure out what to cook. (Are you starting to see how my plans fall apart?) Oh, damn. Just looked outside and it's overcast. Never mind...


• Take a long walk or bike ride. I've been neglecting my New Year's goals.
  
  • NOT DONE - heavy rain earlier. Laundry problems led to exhaustion from upper body workout. May get a little workout from grinding flour.


• Clean the bathroom - it's bad.
  
  • DONE

Things I should be doing every day but usually don't make time to do:

• Stretches/exercises for my TMJ - they only take about 6 minutes but I am supposed to do them 6 times per day. I'm lucky to get them done once or twice.


• Physical therapy for my shoulder - this is acting up again and likely contributing to the frequent dizziness I am currently experiencing.


• Leg stretches - would probably really help with current foot pain.


• Back exercises and stretches - I need to do these regularly to ease back into a regular core workout to gain strength to prevent back injuries.


• Flossing - might as well throw it in there, especially since I go to the dentist in just over a week. Eek.

Ongoing list of things I keep trying to get done but make little headway on:

• Straighten up the house - it'd be nice to have the whole house looking nice at the same time. Ha!


• Decluttering of specific areas - I have a list but the progress is really, really slow.


• Clean up the computer files, including email (again).


• Actually visit every single link listed in my sidebar. Haven't done that in ages and feel like I should to make sure I want to keep all of them on here.


• Write half a dozen blog posts that I've been meaning to write, in at least one case, for over a year.

These lists don't include a variety of other things I need to do such as pick up a big load of chicken manure next week, get more broken hay for the compost - I'll need it for the chicken manure, pick up more buckets for the garden, pick the fruit off my citrus trees, pick the fruit of two other people's citrus trees (mostly for the Food Bank), check with my neighbors about their fruit tree, read and return a friend's book, read and review some books for here, keep up with maintaining the Book List on the Blogging Bookworm, and so on. Oh yeah, and find a house.

Please, someone call me up and give me something fun to do! Or come help me with the chores because they are more enjoyable with company. I'll feed ya....raw daikons if nothin' else!

*Time spent writing, editing and publishing this post instead of doing something on one of the lists above: 42 minutes.

When I Get Caught Up...

I have a fantasy. In this fantasy, I am able to catch up on all the little chores that need to get done as well as some of the smaller projects around the home. When I get caught up, in my fantasy, I'll finally have the time to tackle some of the bigger projects on the list. I'll have the time to get back to reading all the blogs I used to frequent. I'll have the time to read books more often. I'll have the time to do more of my own writing. I'll have the time to do the things that I should be doing everyday, like taking long walks and bike rides to improve my fitness, and playing with the dogs more than I do.

In this fantasy, nothing unexpected ever comes up that requires I drop everything and take care of the new issue. The weather cooperates fully so I can double up on tasks like riding my bike for fitness while also taking care of a few errands. In this fantasy, the dogs don't throw up at 2 am, disrupting much needed sleep. Mother-in-laws don't call from the hospital with pneumonia. Vegetables in the refrigerator don't start to go bad from neglect.

But, real life comes knocking on the door whether we have the time or not. Oftentimes, the surprise on the other side of the door is a good one, one that I want to devote time to. But, overall, the reality is that I, and probably you, will never be caught up with everything that needs to be done. There are always tasks that need to be done daily, the garden and animals always need attention of one sort or another, the body needs to be fed and taken care of every day. Emergencies will come up and the best one can do is take them in stride and try to be prepared for the possibilities.

I have another fantasy. When we finally find our own place, I will have more time available because I won't be spending it on looking for a place, checking out neighborhoods, and talking to realtors. I know this is fantasy because when we do find our own place, I'll be spending all my time packing and moving. Once moved, I'll be spending all my time fixing up the new place because there is no way we can afford a move-in ready home. I'll be spending every spare moment making the new place as water and energy-efficient as possible. I'll be seeking out nearby sources of compostable materials and helping my sweetie create an edible garden.

In other words, I will never be caught up. Getting caught up is a fantasy. I'm beginning to think finding our own place is a fantasy, too, but I hope not. I can't wait to try to get caught up on my own property!

Sun-Heated Block for Warm Feet

Despite it being really nice outside today (70 degree high), it has felt a little chilly inside the house. When I took my barbecue baked beans out of the solar oven earlier, it seemed a shame to not utilize the heat potential. I looked around the yard and spied a cement block that would fit inside the oven. Two hours later, when I went out with the dogs, I remembered it as I noticed the oven was now in the afternoon shade.


The block was still hot - too hot to carry inside with bare hands. I'm hoping it will warm up the living room just a wee bit and am now pondering more, and better, ways to harness this solar heating potential.

Smaller bricks would fit in both solar ovens more easily. They are smoother than cement blocks, too, so they would not scratch up the oven insides so much nor damage carpeting. They could easily be spray-painted black for better thermal gain. Hot bricks could be arranged appropriately by reading chairs in the evening for a nice warm foot rest.

What I'd really like, though, is a practical way to warm up the bed. Bricks would be a bit too heavy and sharp-edged for the air mattress. Any suggestions for ways to create a bed warmer that can be solar-heated and will hold the heat for hours (under covers)? The only thing I can think of is making flat pillows filled with buckwheat or rice. (No cherry pits in quantity here, unfortunately.) I'd love some other ideas for how to bring the sun's warmth into my bed!

Not quite what they expect

I find it interesting when people find that I am not what they expect. This has happened frequently over my life, but it still does not cease to amuse me.

As a kid, people thought of me as a goody-two-shoes, polite, pretty smart kid, probably partly as a result from associations with my siblings and parents. For the most part, I was what they expected but when I'd break out of the mold, it surprised them. Like the times when I said what was really on my mind... Those were the times my mom scolded me for being "tactless" and I think at times she gave up hope that I'd ever get over that. I did learn to give a good apology back in those days but it took longer to learn to keep my real opinions to myself.

When I hung out on the strike line with my high school teachers, that action shocked those who thought of me as one who always followed the rules. My dropping out of high school altogether probably surprised them even more. Thank goodness the state still funded GED programs back then; Arizona is slashing programs left and right to try to balance its budget nowadays.

Several times at the CSA, people have made assumptions about me that were quite wrong. I am willing to do whatever jobs need to be done - my ego is not tied up in my "job" - so people often see me doing grunt work such as dusting, sweeping, and mopping. One person was stunned when I mentioned having worked as an intern in Washington, DC, many years earlier. I guess he didn't picture me as anything other than a janitor. Another gal, unhappy that I would not sign up for her little email newsletter reporting on current news items, assured me that it was okay - she was really aiming it at those folks who were college-educated. Imagine her surprise at learning that not only was I college-educated, I graduated summa cum laude. Hello! Just because I mop the floors and organize the egg cartons doesn't mean I am ignorant.

Nor does my being unemployed mean that I am incapable of work. While my work history does not match the career path that was expected of me, it followed the right path for me. As a young woman, when I finally got a job working in a place that I loved, I would have been happy to stay forever. Being content and happy with where I was, however, was viewed as unacceptable and I was chastised for not chasing after career advancement. My response to that was, ultimately, to leave rather than be forced into a job that I had no interest in.

I've worked in a variety of other jobs since and have surprised and puzzled bosses when I chose to leave. In some cases, I left because I lost respect for the boss (this was not verbalized - I have learned some tact over the years!) but in other cases, I simply left because the job was not the right fit. When I've really wanted outside employment, I've generally been able to find it, although I don't know if that would hold true in today's market. Anyway, I'm too busy to "work" thanks to gardening, bargain hunting, foraging, and food preservation.

The fact that I don't want to be a wage slave messes with people's expectations, though. We have learned to live within our means at a lower standard of living so that it is not necessary for us to always have two incomes. This means being content with getting most furnishings and clothing used, not having the latest cell phone, not eating out at the fancy restaurants, and generally not being typical consumers. Unfortunately, the lower household income also impacts bigger dreams, such as finding our own little doomstead within our budget.

I seem to continue to shock people in small ways. I'm sure a few CSA volunteers were startled to hear my yearning to have my own chickens since they know I don't eat meat or eggs. However, I want chickens to help control garden insects, provide fertilizer, and help feed the dogs. I'll have no problem feeding the eggs to the dogs but may need help when it comes time to cull the flock. Fish in an aquaculture system are another possibility to enhance gardening and feed the dogs. We debate whether we'd want to go even further and raise rabbits or meat guinea pigs for the dogs. We suspect that we'd find it hard to kill the cute little mammals and they'd end up as pets instead.

From his reaction, I know I surprised one of the CSA members this past week. We were chatting before the pick-up started and I mentioned that I tend to have a temper. He's read my blog in the past and we've visited occasionally before, so he has this notion of who I am. Someone with a temper apparently did not fit his image of me. That's not surprising since it is something that is not unleashed for public consumption; I was raised to believe that publicly displaying anger or frustration is not appropriate in civil society. In order to deal with these periodic feelings as a youth, I chopped wood for our fireplace.

Chopping wood was, and still is, an incredibly satisfying activity. Major muscle groups are involved in the physicality of swinging the axe. The mind is engaged with hand-eye coordination needed for an accurate strike. And the violence of the act does not result in destruction, but rather yields something usable. Back in my youth, I also frequently had the urge to break things but never did because I couldn't bear the thought of wasting stuff. When I finally discovered a knack for mosaic art, it was thrilling because I could break things for a good cause.

I no longer do mosaic - multiple moves discouraged having hundreds of pounds of tile and grout - and have no reason to chop wood. I dream of finding our own home soon so we can build the cob oven we want outside and I can persuade my sweetie that we really would be better off with wood heat than gas, even here in the warmer desert. These things will finally give me a reason to pick up an axe again and work off some pent-up energy. Then I could sit and relax, watching the antics of chickens chasing bugs.

A Trip to the Oriental Market

A friend called me recently to invite me to check out the new oriental market in Tucson. Her neighbor had gone and spent three hours browsing through the store. This reminded me of a huge store in the Phoenix area and it turns out this one is run by the same folks. We made a date to go this week and follow up with lunch at the Vietnamese place next door.

I mentioned the store while at the CSA last week and got mixed reactions. One person, also a foodie like me, had gone and enjoyed herself. Another volunteer jotted down the address to go check it out. The dedicated locavore just looked at me with a deadpan expression and said, "It isn't local."

No, it isn't local. But, as I've already said, I'm not going to be all hard-core psycho about only eating local foods. What I like about ethnic stores is the opportunity to see how, and what, other cultures eat, getting unusual spices and seasonings - both of which go a long ways for the transportation weight, and picking up grains, pastas, and beans that may be hard to find locally.


That is pretty much what I did on this trip. This photo is a sampling of some of my purchases. It was tempting to buy far more than I did, but what I decided to focus on was buying mostly foods that I'd never had and that I thought I could make myself once I tasted them.

I bought jaggery sugar, used in Indian cooking, and peloncillo sugar, used in Mexican cooking. I've never had either one, always using brown sugar instead, but I'd like to try the authentic versions to see if the brown sugar is really an adequate replacement. If necessary, I can tweak the sugar flavors to get a more authentic taste, perhaps using a little extra molasses if needed, or cutting it with some kind of seasoning. I'll try to remember to report when I do try the sugars.

I picked up a package of roasted barley to try for tea. Yes, of course, I could have bought barley closer to home and roasted it myself, but I want to see how it's supposed to taste first. Then I can replicate it just right. The directions (boil 1 tbs roasted barley in 1 liter of water for 5 minutes) sound like it will be terribly weak, but since I've never had barley tea, what do I know.

I'd just run out of Kitchen Bouquet, an ingredient used in making a mock beef vegan broth, so I picked up some "Burnt Sugar" to try as a replacement. I've had mixed results making my own burnt sugar so, again, I'm hoping to get a better sense of how it should taste and look by trying someone else's product.

There were a number of vegetarian meat items available. I selected "beef slice" to try. Essentially it is a gluten-soy product that is rehydrated and then used like beef. I put it in a stir-fry this week and was a bit disappointed. The flavor was not really beefy although the texture wasn't too bad. The texture improved overnight in the leftovers. I think my homemade gluten has better flavor. Perhaps the texture of mine would benefit from dehydrating. It would be great if I could make a big batch and dry some to store.

Since I had such success with my vinegar experiments over the summer, I was intrigued by the various kinds of vinegar on the shelves. I have no idea what "black vinegar" tastes like but am very curious. The ingredients listed are vinegar, sugar, salt, vegetables, fruit spices, and caramel. Perhaps, if I like it, I might be able to reproduce something similar.

And, finally, I had to pick up the fermented black bean paste since I've been fermenting so many vegetables lately. I have no idea how to ferment black beans, but I'll bet there's something online to help me out. When I get a few free moments, I'll start researching how to make this, and some of the other foods listed above, from scratch. Then local ingredients can come into play while I still get to enjoy flavors from across the globe.

In fact, today I'll be trying to make something I had for lunch that day. We didn't end up eating at the Vietnamese restaurant as there was not one single item on the menu without animal products. In the same shopping center, though, there was a Japanese restaurant. I had a sushi roll featuring pickled daikon and really enjoyed it. When I got home and looked up how to make the "takuan", it became clear I'd have to settle for the easy version rather than the traditional one.

Traditionally, it is made by hanging daikon radishes with leaves attached outside until they soften. They are then sliced and sprinkled with a rice bran-salt mixture and left to pickle. I'm not sure where to find rice bran, but, more importantly, I wanted to make this pickle with a black Spanish radish....that has already had the leaves cut off. So, I'm going to go with a more normal looking pickle recipe and hope it tastes somewhat like what I had in my sushi roll. We do sometimes get daikon in our CSA shares so if I can locate some rice bran, perhaps I can try it the traditional way later.

I bought various noodles (rice, udon, soba) that we really enjoy every now and then. I have never tried making rice or udon noodles and have no idea how hard it is to do. I haven't even thought to look up recipes for making them from scratch, but it's on my list now.

Many of my favorite recipes are ones that I've created to replicate dishes I've had in restaurants or ones that contain animal products. I love to experiment and find ways to re-create flavors with what is easily available in my pantry or locally. If I come up with anything really great in the oriental food vein, I will keep you posted.


In the meantime, I combined the store bought rice noodles with local broccoli from my CSA and a friend's garden for a delicious dinner last night. I got a little carried away with the Sriracha sauce. Ages ago, I bookmarked Katie's post about making Sriracha sauce from scratch. Now that there are an abundance of hot chile peppers in the garden, I might give this a try.

The Lazy Girl's Guide to Vermiculture

1. Find out who has worms.


2. Ask if you can have some for free. Be willing to accept this gift encased in composting cow manure. Offer some homemade jam or jelly in exchange.


3. Receive your worms and transport them home, careful not to leave them in a hot car.


4. Dig down into your compost pile and dump out the worms (and cow poop).


5. Leave them alone. They will have plenty to eat in your compost pile. Do not be pokin' around in there with a sharp-edged shovel. They will be happy eating all the goodies in the compost and reproduce like crazy.


6. When you transfer your compost into a new bin to age, save some worms for the new compost pile. You will see them as you use a pitchfork to move the compost.


7. Keep feeding the new compost pile so the worms in there will be happy and want to reproduce.


8. When your old compost is done and ready to sift, carefully remove the worms to return to working compost bins. If planting in garden beds, add a few worms to keep the soil in good shape.

98% Local Wrap-up

I'm wrapping up my 98% Local challenge early due to a very busy weekend schedule and a sick sweetie. I was not entirely successful but I did eat more meals with local food than I had been previously and am inspired to keep working on choosing local over not.

However, I have learned that I am not cut out to be a hardcore locavore. I like my rice and my rice noodles. I like love my sugar and chocolate. I need soymilk and flax to make tasty vegan goodies with my local wheat. I want to use spices and seasonings from around the world. I am not willing to give up these things until there is no choice. "No choice" would happen if gas prices get much higher and transportation costs make non-local food prohibitively expensive. Obviously, at that time, I would have to eat more locally.

Until then, I plan to continue eating as I have this past week, incorporating more local ingredients into my meals but not being hard-core psycho about it. Should I feel guilty that I am unwilling to go 100% (or even 98%) local from now on? That's a matter of opinion but in mine, the answer is no. My overall impact is already considerably lower than the average Westerner's because of my choices: often biking and walking rather than driving, eating a vegan diet, having no children, participating in a CSA, growing a garden, preserving food, using natural products for personal/home/yard care over chemicals and poisons, conserving water/electricity/gas at home, and so on.

In my view, the step of going from my usual 60-75% local diet to completely local would make a fairly small difference in the big scheme of things. It would, however, make a big difference in my family's quality of life. I'd rather push myself to bike more than I am now than give up those non-local foods we enjoy.

98% Local, Day 5

Breakfast

• Last of leftover Oat Groat Pilaf - 75% local
• Two cups of New Mexico pinon coffee with sugar & soymilk – 5% local

Lunch

• Peanut butter cookies - 66% local

Peanut Butter Cookies
Local ingredients marked with an asterisk.

1/4 cup Earth Balance, softened
2 tbs applesauce*
3/4 cup peanut butter*
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
3 tbs flax egg substitute
2 tbs soymilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour*
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Beat Earth Balance, applesauce and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended.
Add sugars and beat until fluffy.
Add flax mixture, soymilk and vanilla; beat well.
Stir together flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.
Shape dough into balls, roll in sugar, and place on baking sheet. Press with tines of fork in criss-cross pattern.
Bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely.


Snacks

• Carrots at CSA - 100% local

Dinner

• Himmel und Erde - 98% local

Himmel und Erde (Heaven & Earth)

I tried a recipe like this ages ago but no longer have it. This is what I put together on occasion. Local ingredients marked with an asterisk.

Red potatoes*, optional
Turnips*
Apples*
1 - 2 tbs vegan margarine
Bread crumbs*
Brown sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

Dice and steam, separately, equal portions of potatoes, turnips, and apples.
In a large skillet, heat margarine over medium high heat.
Add bread crumbs and saute until toasty.
Toss in about 1 tbs brown sugar per cup of steamed vegetables and fruits. Stir.
Add steamed potatoes, turnips, and apples. Stir and cook until heated through.
Season with salt & pepper to taste.

How local was the day?

Not too shabby, despite the relatively unhealthy lunch choice.

Bee Eater

In some parts of the world, a bee eater is incredibly gorgeous.
Photo credit: aaardvaark.


In my yard, the colors are less vibrant.

98% Local, Day 4

Breakfast

• Last slices Orange Bread – 88% local
• Two cups of New Mexico pinon coffee with sugar & soymilk – 5% local

Lunch

Ignored the local leftovers in the fridge to totally blow the challenge with:

• Box of vegan mac 'n cheese made with margarine & soymilk - 0% local

Dinner

• Irish Garden Soup - 99% local
• Tossed Winter Salad with dressing - 95% local
• Vegetarian "Buffalo Wings" with vegan margarine & hot pepper sauce - 0% local

• Hot cocoa - 0% local

How local was the day?

The day started out well.

I made the soup with CSA root vegetables and...


...the cabbage came from our own garden.
Only the seasonings and garlic were not local.

Then something went downhill. I spotted the box of mac 'n cheese around 11 am when I was hungry and was cooking it before anyone could say, "Hey, that ain't local!" The veg wings were an impulse buy at a grocery store when I noticed the 'discontinued' sign by them. I could have waited until the challenge was over to heat them for our dinner but they still would not have been local, so I figured we might as well eat them.

Damn my honest streak. It'd be so much easier on my ego to just lie and say I only ate good, healthy, local food this week. But....welcome to the imperfect me living in an imperfect world.

98% Local, Day 3

Remember: All ingredients that are local are marked with an asterisk.


Breakfast

• Several slices Orange Bread – 88% local
• Two cups of New Mexico pinon coffee with sweetener & soymilk – 5% local

I discovered this morning that the powdered stevia product I occasionally use to replace some sugar in my coffee makes my teeth hurt. I can't use liquid stevia products because they give me a headache. I guess stevia is just not for me.


Lunch

• Leftover Oat Groats Pilaf – 75% local

Dinner

• Baked Red Potatoes - 100% local
• Seasoned Pinto Beans - 99% local
• Tossed Winter Salad with dressing - 95% local

Seasoned Pinto Beans
* denotes local ingredient

1 1/2 cups pinto beans*
Water*
1 cup fresh mustard greens*
1/2 tsp olive oil*
I'itoi onions*, whites only - sliced
1/4 cup escabeche originally made with fresh green chiles*, onion*, garlic*, Mexican oregano*, salt & vinegar
Red chile* powder
Salt & pepper to taste
Several dashes Liquid smoke

Wash and drain beans.
Place in pressure cooker with water to cover generously. Bring up to pressure and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and allow pressure to drop gradually. Let sit for an hour. This is called speed soaking, and is an alternative to soaking the beans overnight.
Drain beans and cover with fresh water. Bring up to pressure again and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow pressure to drop on its own.
Meanwhile, blanch mustard greens in a pot of boiling water until barely tender. Drain and chop.
Heat oil in skillet and saute onions for a minute.
Add drained and chopped escabeche. Saute until vegetables are tender. (The escabeche can be replaced with fresh options such as a bell pepper or green chile.)
Add drained beans, greens, and seasoning. Heat through.


Tossed Winter Salad
* denotes local ingredient

Mixed winter greens* (frisee, arugula, mizuna, etc.), torn
Carrot*, shredded
Radish*, shredded (Use any radish locally available, such as red, black Spanish, or daikon)
Hakurei turnip*, shredded
2 mushrooms, sliced
Several I’itoi onions*, greens only, sliced

Prepared mustard
Maple syrup
Flavorful vinegar* (homemade peach-plum)
Salt & pepper to taste

Toss vegetables together in large bowl.
Squeeze a small amount of prepared mustard into a small bowl. Add twice as much maple syrup, stirring to mix thoroughly. Add the same amount of vinegar as syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Add fresh herbs if desired. This salad didn't need any due to the strong flavors present already.)

Let each person dress their own salad so leftovers don't get soggy.


How local was the day?

The day definitely was predominantly local.

Beverages are the difficult part for me with non-local coffee in the morning and a cup of soy hot cocoa in the evening with a splash of homemade cherry liqueur. The only way I'm going to be able to create a satisfying local hot winter drink is to grow and roast something myself. This probably limits options to things like dandelion root or barley. This still doesn't resolve the soymilk issue or preferring sugar over honey in the drinks.

98% Local, Day 2 (Tuesday)

Preparing for eating local on Tuesday required more effort because I had to report for Jury Duty. Like other folks who work away from home, this meant I needed to take all my food and drink with me for the work day. I didn't know whether a microwave would be available so cold food was a smarter choice, although I might have been able to keep soup warm in a thermos until lunchtime.

I decided my best bet for a cold local lunch was going to be peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. With local wheat and honey, bread would be a cinch to make mostly local except for the yeast and salt. The pomegranate jelly used fruit from my friend's tree and lemon juice from mine. The pectin and sugar were not local. The recipe used so much sugar, though, that the pomegranate jelly was less than 50% local. I have not learned how to can - and make sure it's safe - with honey. Finally, I had enough of Heather's local peanuts left to grind into peanut butter.

After my last failed bread attempt, I wondered whether I should have a back-up plan in case the bread didn't turn out. I got a bit worried when the first yeast I tried Monday afternoon did not do anything. I tossed it and tried again with a new jar. After proofing it, I was able to continue on with the bread-making. The final rise did not yield as light a loaf as I had hoped, but it wasn't brick-hard so sandwiches were still on the menu.

The day was slipping rapidly into night and I hadn't even begun shelling peanuts yet. I decided to shell all of the remaining peanuts so I'd have the job done. Of course, I'd forgotten how long it takes to shell peanuts. After several hours of steady work, I had a small bowl of roasted peanuts. By this time, my sweetie had gone to bed so I couldn't grind them until morning.


In the morning, they went into the food processor with a pinch of salt and a dash of sugar. I used the sugar to bring out the natural sweetness these peanuts have. It took forever, it seemed, for them to go from finely ground nuts to peanut butter but I finally had a spreadable concoction. I put together a couple of sandwiches and also packed a local apple to take to court. The peanut butter was 99% local.

For breakfast, I had several slices of the orange bread again plus coffee with sugar and soymilk. The bread was 88% local. The coffee was maybe 5% local as I got a blend with New Mexico pinon nuts in it.


When we finally broke for lunch, I had my sandwiches. Whoops! I had sliced the dense bread too thick and not used enough jelly. They were dry, dry, dry. Also very filling so I did not eat my apple. I did, however, chow down on the last two non-local cookies I'd brought from home.

I was feeling a bit stressed by this time. I had been randomly put into the group of 26 potential jurors, from which the lawyers would later select the final 14 (includes alternates) to hear the case. Throughout the questioning so far, I had raised my hand a few times to clarify that I had experience with one thing or another but that it would not affect my ability to be impartial if selected for the jury.

Based on the questions, I was starting to get nervous that I would be selected. Hearing right off the bat that this was a 1st degree murder trial was nerve-wracking because I don't deal well with violence. It became clear that alcohol and drugs were involved, and possibly domestic violence as well. Disturbing images and testimony about wounds and the autopsy would be presented during the case. Could I deal with this?

In addition, if selected, I would be at the courthouse every day, all day, for two weeks. That was not going to make finishing up this local challenge very easy. On the other hand, I was somewhat interested in seeing what a real murder trial was like; I'm sure it's vastly different than what TV writers present. Having never been in the jury deliberation room at the end of a trial, too, I was curious what that might be like. (As an alternate juror on a case years ago, I was dismissed when the lawyers were done but before the jury deliberated and decided a verdict.)

So, I was okay with either way the decision went. But, the stress still had me staring, hard, at the vending machines during lunch. I managed to not give in to the temptation to use junk food to try to calm my emotions, so I have no non-local candy bars or chips to report.

After the questioning was complete, the lawyers took a half-hour break to make their selections. We returned to the courtroom and I sat, knowing I would hear my name called. Ten names were called. The next one was called and no-one answered. Somehow, the name of someone who had been dismissed had apparently remained on the list...and been selected. It took some time for them to deal with this and I just knew my name would be called instead. Nope. Three more names to go. Two.... One.... I was free to go home.

I was excited yet disappointed. Later, I was relieved when I read some of the information reported about the murder when it happened. I have little patience with people who are substance abusers and it looked like this was a factor. Domestic violence is also, in my opinion, inexcusable so it's a good thing I didn't have to try to remain impartial and consider only the evidence. I will be watching, though, to see what verdict the selected jury renders.

My point in sharing this is to show how work and emotions can affect one's ability to follow a local diet. Eating locally generally means having to cook from scratch. This can take more time and planning as well as limit choices.

But, back to the actual food. Not being selected for two weeks of jury service meant that local eating could continue as planned although my rampaging emotions were begging me for chocolate, sugar, anything. I ignored them and we had leftover oat groat pilaf, roasted beets, and greens for a mostly local dinner.

Then I went to bed early because I was totally wiped out by too little sleep and too many emotions.

Day 2 Local Eating Report Delayed

Hopefully ya'll aren't sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear what I ate today. The report is going to have to wait until tomorrow. I got less than 4 1/2 hours' sleep last night and that was interrupted by cleaning up dog puke in the wee hours of the morning. Then I spent all day going through jury selection for a 1st degree murder trial. While it might have been interesting to participate in the legal system, in the end, I was not selected to be on the jury.

I'm tired physically, and drained mentally and emotionally. I really, really want to go eat some non-local good food but will have last night's local leftovers instead. After all, it wouldn't be worth fighting for a restaurant seat amongst the 100,000 extra people in town for the Gem & Mineral Show to cheat on my challenge anyway.

Even More Scavengers on the Streets

Last August, I noted a huge increase in the number of scavengers driving the streets before the brush 'n bulky pick-up in our neighborhood and expressed concern that many more people hauling off metal for salvage probably meant economic times weren't so hot. For this current pick-up, we're noticing a new trend. Not only are metal items gone in a heartbeat, so is crappy furniture.

I'm not talking about furniture that is relatively easy to refinish and reupholster. I'm talking about poorly made furniture in horrible shape, furniture that's not fit to burn. I have to assume people are not picking it up to burn because there are lots of tree trimmings left behind. Why, and where, is this stuff going? Are people that desperate?

Which, of course, leads to the next question: What recovery?!

If we were settled in our own place, I'd probably be out there scavenging the smaller branches from tree trimmings. After thorough drying, they'd work just fine in the rocket stove or the cob oven we plan to build. At this time, though, we are trying to avoid accumulating too many things we'll have to move.

98% Local, Day 1

I'm not sure what format to use for sharing what I ate. Let me know if this works or if something else would be more readable. All ingredients that are local are marked with an asterisk.


Breakfast

• Several slices Orange Bread – 88% local
• Two cups of coffee with sugar & soymilk – 0% local

I meant to make this bread yesterday with local honey, but I ran out of time to research replacing sugar with honey in quick bread as well as time to actually mix up and bake it. This morning I was hungry but got started late. Didn’t even get the bread out of the oven until 9 am.

I drank coffee because I have jury duty this week. Going through withdrawls would not help me do a proper job.


Orange Bread
* denotes local ingredient

2 cups whole wheat flour*
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
3/4 cup candied orange peel*, minced (or substitute fresh or dried cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped pecans*
3/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice*
½ cup sugar (increase to 2/3 cup if using fresh cranberries)
1 tbs grated orange zest*
2 tbs applesauce*, prune puree, or melted vegan margarine
3 tbs flax egg susbstitute (or substitute 1 egg)

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper or baking mat.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ginger. Stir in fruit and pecans.
Heat orange juice, orange zest, and sugar just until sugar dissolves.
Let cool. Combine with applesauce and flax mixture.
Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Spread evenly in loaf pan.
Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely before slicing.


I prefer dried cranberries in this bread but they don't grow in Arizona. I saved the sugar that was knocked off the candied orange peel as I chopped it and put it towards the amount needed in the recipe.


Lunch

• Greens with Potato – 99% local

Greens with Potato
* denotes local ingredient

1 red potato*, microwaved
½ tsp olive oil*
½ small green pepper* (garden)
Several I’itoi onions*
Greens from Hakurei turnip bunch*
Greens from black Spanish radish*
Several garlic* slices from home-canned olives
Liquid from home-canned olives
Salt & pepper

I chopped up everything and then sautéed the pepper and onions for a bit in the oil. Next, I added the greens and stirred until wilted. The potato, garlic, and red wine liquid from the olive jar all went in just to heat at the end.


Dinner

• Oat Groats Pilaf - 75% local
• Beet greens - 88% local
• Roasted beets - 98% local

Oat Groats Pilaf
Inspired by Bob’s Red Mill
* denotes local ingredient

1 tsp olive oil*
1 1/2 cup oat groats* (whole oats)
1 onion*, chopped
½ cup chopped red pepper*
2 cups sliced mushrooms
3 ¼ cups water* or vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh herbs*

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add oats and cook, stirring for about 4 minutes. This toasts the oats and brings out great flavor.
Add the onions, peppers, and mushrooms. Cook and stir for another 4 minutes.
Add broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 40 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Once the oats are cooked, remove from heat and stir in herbs, salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.
May also be eaten as a cold salad.

I used mushrooms in this pilaf because I already had them and they would not keep until next week.


The pimientos, dill, and Italian parsley came from the garden.


Beet Greens
* denotes local ingredient

Greens* from 4 large beets
½ tsp olive oil*
Several I’itoi onions*, sliced
Garlic* slices from home-canned olives
1/3 cup juice from home-canned olives (red wine, vinegar, oregano)
1 tbs honey*
Salt & pepper to taste

Remove thick stem and rib from greens. Wash thoroughly to remove dirt.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Blanch greens until barely tender. This helps to remove the oxalic acid that gives beet greens that sharp taste and annoying mouth feel.
Drain and chop roughly.
Heat oil in a large skillet.
Saute garlic and onion briefly.
Add greens and stir until heated through.
Add juice and honey. Cook briefly until liquid has mostly boiled off. Season with salt and pepper.

Roasted Beets
Clean beets* well. Leave the root end intact and 1/2" of stem on top.
Roast until tender in hot oven. (Varies by beet size.)
When cool enough to handle, remove peel and tail.
Serve sliced with salt or with mixture of prepared horseradish and mayonnaise.


Snacks

It'd be nice to say I had only local snacks today but I can't. That open bag of vegan chocolate chip cookies called my name. Repeatedly. 0% local.

This evening's snack was peanuts as I shelled all that we had left. Tomorrow morning, I'll turn them into peanut butter for sandwiches. 100% local (to Heather who brought them to me.)


How local was the day?

The day definitely did not stack up to 98% local overall. However, we had some good dishes and tasty meals that included quite a lot of local ingredients. I think I'm on the right path.

Local Food Options for the Week

In southern Arizona, there is an abundance of fresh food locally available even in winter. For example, here is the share from the CSA late last week:


As you can see, it includes beets with greens, I’itoi onions (similar to green onions but stronger), red LaSoda potatoes, Hakurei (white) turnips with greens, bok choy, a bag of mixed braising greens, and cilantro. There are lots of potatoes because I traded my mustard greens for another portion of spuds. I also brought home a few extras from the surplus - a beet, a couple more turnips but without the greens, and some wilted cilantro. And someone brought tangerines in from their tree so I picked up one for my sweetie.

Knowing that I was going to try this local eating experiment, I saved some of my share from the previous week: some carrots, black Spanish radish, sweet potatoes, and more red potatoes. These hearty root vegetables keep well so it is not uncommon for my CSA share to be spread over more than the week in which they were received. Oh yeah, I also still have some local apples from the farmer's market.

In fact, because I haven't been eating exclusively local food, I have other things on hand from past CSA shares. These are from weeks, months, or even a year ago. Winter squash keep well in my cold office and give it a nice seasonal feel. I've got an onion or two left from a while back along with dried goods that keep very well such as beans with dried red chiles, wheat, and oat groats (in the freezer).

My sweetie's garden offers additional fresh options:


Peppers and dill


More peppers and Italian parsley


Cabbages - what the pests left for us.


Broccoli raab. There are also some broccoli plants that never produced but the leaves are edible.


Peas


That mint plant I bought at the end of November has recovered from my heavy harvesting. I think I need to prune it back!

The citrus trees in the back yard have a few fruit each so we have ripe grapefruit, lemons, and tangerines available.

The real key to being able to enjoy eating local foods, though, is having plenty of variety available from the harvests throughout the year. I am passionate about preserving foods year-round from my CSA share, extra produce purchased from the CSA farmer or the local farmer's market, my garden or garden goodies shared by friends, and wild harvested food. As you can see from the list I posted over the summer, it's possible to expand the meal possibilities almost endlessly with preserved foods. I don't have everything on that list now by any stretch of the imagination because we, of course, eat them up! And, I like to make small batches of several different kinds of preserved foods rather than enormous batches of the same thing.

Today I am pondering what sort of meals I can put together with the fresh foods, along with the dry and preserved foods. Breakfast possibilities include quick bread, oatmeal, or winter squash breakfast (with water instead of soymilk). My ideas for lunch and dinner are peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, roasted vegetables (maybe curried, to be served with cilantro-mint chutney), oat groat pilaf, sprouted wheat berry pilaf, pumpkin chipotle soup, and Irish garden soup with Irish soda bread. These are just the ones that came to mind as I looked at what I have on hand.

I need to go check now to see if I have enough flour left from the local wheat to bake a loaf of bread for the sandwiches. If not, I'll have to grind some tonight on the exercise bike. And, before making plans for those oat groats, I really should check to make sure they haven't gone rancid. First, though, I better get the root veggies out in the solar oven to start roasting.

Anyone else hungry?!