Greenbrier Farms CSA, week 1

This week, we got our first bag o' goodies from our CSA from Greenbrier Farms. As you know, we recently had some hail as well as some unseasonably cold days in the area, so our first delivery was going to be a bit sparse. Here's what was in our bag: kale, green onions, bread, a dozen eggs, and six different plants: lavender, parsley, oregano, sage, thyme, and green onion. 

I am particularly excited about the lavender! And the eggs, too. I really miss having fresh eggs.

Oh, and also, all of this is locally grown and organic!

Mike scoured Epicurious.com after getting the kale and decided to make Cornmeal and Kale Spoon Bread with Red Peppers! Should be yummy, as always. I'm pretty lucky to have such a great cook for my husband. :)

Strawberry Season

Here in Greenville, it's that time of year when the strawberry stands come out. Last year we discovered the sweet tasty goodness that are local strawberries. Months after we purchased a couple gallons from up the road, we bought some from our local grocery. Not nearly as tasty, what a difference! It was obvious they had been picked before ripe and then ripened en route to the grocery. But not those guys up the street. So we've been making our plan ever since.

I've bought some at various places and even picked my own. My favorite are the Strawberry Hill ones sold at the roadside stands just north of Travelers Rest. At $13 a bucket they aren't the cheapest, but they taste the best to me. So this season I've come home with four buckets.

This past week we've dried a batch for my favorite granola. Frozen a whole lot for smoothies and strawberry shortcake. And for the first time, I've tried making strawberry preserves. My first attempt didn't gel so I attempted to fix that batch with an online remedy of more pectin, sugar and lemon juice.

These berries are hardly cheaper than frozen ones from the store. But they taste much better. And they're local which is always a plus to me. And I figure my homemade preserves cost less than $1 for a half pint each which is a great deal. I made 8 half pints, enough to last us at least a year.

Summer Is Here!

Sorry for no update lately, but summer is here and there's been lots going on. I put my garden in a month ago and despite a freak hailstorm, most of my garden has survived. Unfortunately, I'm losing the battle with the kudzu bugs to save my beans and basil and battling my dog to stay out of my herb garden.

Penny size hail collects in the street

Even though my garden is all planted I still manage to come home every week with some new plant that I wind up putting into an orange 5 gallon Home Depot bucket. Classy, I know. So far I've planted:

• 2 types of peas
• Green and yellow bush beans, green pole beens
• 2 types of carrots
• Garlic and shallots (planted in winter, will harvest soon)
• Spinach
• 8 tomato plants (Roma, Goliath and an heirloom)
• Basil, parlsey, cilantro, sage, rosemary, and thyme.
• Assorted colors of Bell peppers
• Peppermint and lemon balm

To help keep my water bill from going through the roof, I added a water barrel to the front of the house and am working on adding one to the back. I've found its easier to dunk a couple watering cans rather than drag the hose out. 

Basil plant: round two. Growing indoors.

Most of time has been spent outside, but otherwise I've been homebrewing, and making the usual stir fry, burritos, granola and dried tea. I even made a funky version of my tuscan vegetable soup by adding cabbage and purple sticky rice. The rice turned everything an intense purple color! Not what I was going for but tasted alright. We froze some fresh local strawberries last week and our CSA program starts soon. We'll have lots of fun food adventures here soon. 

I'm hunting recipes for tomato sauce, salsa, and pesto if anybody has one they'd like to share!

Steak and Potatoes

These days, we don't eat red meat too often. But my philosophy is if I'm going to eat red meat, I'm going to make it count! Tonight we had New York strip steak, roasted carrots, field greens and purple potatoes. It was top notch and super easy.

We found the organic purple potatoes at Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery a month ago, but I kept them in  a breathable bag hanging in the pantry, so they kept well. They have a thicker skin, but you peal them just like a regular potato. They taste like a musky sweat potato, they're definitely unique. And good for you. I prepared them just like regular potatoes, boiling the potatoes and then mixing with butter, salt and a splash of cream.

I stumbled on the multi-colored carrots at Publix, they were $2 for a small bag and I just roasted them on the grill with the steak. The greens are just greens with a splash of balsamic. 

The steak is organic New York strip, $12 at Publix. We've found that because organic meat is more expensive, we eat smaller quantities. Which is fine with us. I eat a steak like this a few of times a year, but I have big healthy soup plans for this weekend again, so this won't become a habit.

No, I'm not going to tell you how I cooked the steak, because red meat will kill you.

Why I Eat Healthy

So I can enjoy a slice (or two) of key lime pie. During the college basketball games his weekend, Publix has been pushing their pie pretty hard. So they had me ready and salivating by the time we went grocery shopping today. I'm not a key lime aficionado, and I'm sure their pie doesn't compare to a good homemade recipe, but dang this pie is good. I guess you could make your own, but at $6.50 each, I'm good to just let them do the work.

And no, there's not much healthy about it.

If you're a coffee drinker, try your key lime pie with some beans from Africa. I made a french press of Counter Culture beans from Ethiopia (I think, threw away the packaging). From what I know of them, Counter Culture seems to be a great company and I enjoy their product. I've found their coffee sold locally at Coffee and Crema and at The Fresh Market. Coffee beans from Africa (Ethiopia, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, etc.) have a citrusy quality which typically makes them a good paring for key lime pie, lemon bars. etc.

Tuscan Vegetable Soup

I'm always up for a bowl of good soup. My friend Audrey sent me this Tuscan Vegetable soup recipe earlier this week and I thought I'd give it a try. And I'm glad I did. Here's the recipe.

Chuck helps me chop a mountain of vegetables while Bella watches...

One 15.5 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced (1 cup)
1 medium carrot, diced (1/2 cup)
2 stalks of celery, diced (1/2 cup)
1/2 bulb fennel, trimmed and diced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme (I used more)
1/2 teaspoon sage (I used more)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I used more)
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
2 ounces baby spinach leaves, rustic chopped, about 2 cups lightly packed
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Put olive oil in the bottom of a heavy soup pot. Saute garlic, onion, carrot, celery, and fennel until soft, but still a little crunchy. Pour in beans, diced tomatoes, broth, and spices to taste.

A few minutes before serving, stir in the zucchini and spinach.

Garnish with Parmesan cheese. Serve with sourdough bread. Yum. Yum.

Fresh dried sage and thyme

Our new secret weapon we found at Whole Foods

The healthiest soup ever?

I made a double batch, but between me, Chuck and Tiffany, we ate half so I only froze about three servings. This soup has a rich hearty vegetable quality to it. Adding the fennel and zucchini to the usual staples is a nice touch. Only thing I'll do differently next time is to add barley in place of the beans. I love cannellini beans, but they kinda turned to mush. This is going to be my go-to healthy soup now. Thanks Audrey!

Homemade Granola

Because I'm not a morning person, breakfast has always gotten short-changed for me. But not anymore. I've gotten a good routine of going to the store Sunday and buying fresh fruit for the whole week. I keep it at my desk at work or bring it with me in the morning. And I drink black coffee.

The breakfast routine

But the best part of my breakfast is homemade granola. Last year I found this recipe, maybe from Rachel Ray, but now I'm not sure. You won't be disappointed.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

1 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup dark (or amber) agave nectar

any dried fruit you like

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium bowl, toss together the oats, almonds, wheat germ and cardamom. Pour in the agave and mix well (add extra agave if necessary). Transfer the mixture to the sheet pan and bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan.

The result is a giant granola bar. I let it cool and break it into huge chunks. I've made this probably 10 or 15 times with all different combinations of dried fruit (strawberries, cranberries, bananas, apricots). The agave nectar has a maple syrup'ish taste and is better for you as it has a low glycemic index. And I like to chop whole unsalted organic almonds from at Swamp Rabbit Cafe ($5.99/lb).

Homemade granola and fresh fruit is a tasty way to get a big serving of whole grains and fruit to start your day. There are huge health benefits to oats, wheat germ, almonds, and cinnamon. And by planning ahead by doing the prep on Sunday, I have no prep during the week. Making your own granola isn't cheap. Agave nectar is a little pricey (I hear you can find it discounted at TJ Maxx) and almonds and wheat germ aren't cheap. But the result is so worth it, there's no way I'd rather start my day.