Blog Action Day

The day is here, the day I had to decide what I'd post on my blog related to this year's theme: poverty. As I mentioned earlier, I'd been pondering this. I use the word ponder, rather than the word think, to give you some idea about the seriousness I felt about this subject. Well, today's newspaper gave me my focus. In the world news section, here was one headline "Financial crisis likely to hit world's poor hardest," dateline Geneva. "The world's poorest people will be hungrier...." I sell produce for my organic farmer friends during the growing season and like to cook, as you've seen from my photos and recipes. I love taking photos of the vegetables I sell.
When I read that there are people who don't have and won't have food, it's very disturbing to say the least. Okay, so that was national, but here's what was on the front page of my newspaper, "Demand for food assistance up 325%." The local foodbank can't keep up with the rise in recipients. Here are some numbers of recipients that give you the picture very clearly: 2007 - 12,359 children were recipients, in 2008 - 35,677 and an even bigger jump is in the elderly population were in 2007 4,764 elderly received food and in 2008 - 28,440. This is terrible. In America, not a faraway third world country, in America, in my community. This is more than terrible, this is appalling. America, the land of plenty! What can we do to help? This might be easier than some of the other problems with poverty....check out your local community needs for food. You can donate non-perishables. If you have the money to buy groceries and can buy an extra can of beans or bag of rice, do it and donate it, or, you can donate some money, even a small amount can buy a lot since foodbanks can sometimes get a truckload of free food but need money for fuel to get the delivery, or you can volunteer to bag groceries or deliver meals to the elderly. We can make a difference with this. Check your local needs, act locally, that's what I'm going to do.
photos by Mim Golub

Veggies

As I approached the Victory Farms Market stall, where I sell organic produce on Thursday mornings, I was greeted by this beautiful table. We had gorgeous produce today and it was a very windy, chilly and rainy day. Far fewer folks came out to shop, but we still managed to sell out of a few things, like carrots, cucumbers and radishes. I brought home sweet potatoes, an eggplant and a butternut squash, which I've now baked. I'll use the eggplant to make my Thai spread, the squash to make a nice creamy soup, and I'll mash the sweet potatoes. What a yummy meal on a chilly night.

Market Day

Three new produce items, or at least new to me, were available at our stall today. Celeriac, kabocha squash, and Chiapas tomatoes. The first is a root vegetable very popular in Germany and France. It used to be well known here but for some reason, fell out of favor. How odd? The tiny tomatoes as the first tomatoes. They're what existed before the little fruit went off to Europe to be cultivated and hybridized. I took a picture of the spring onions because they looked so lovely with all that white fringey-ness and it's fall and we have "spring" onions. Pretty cool. I'll put some recipes up on my Vox blog, in case you're in cooking mode and happen to have some celeriac or kabocha handy.

Market day, last very hot week!

One of our younger veggie shopper's displayed his carrots for me. It was mighty hot last Thursday, but I think this week might be hotter. Oh no! I brought with a small cooler full of ice water, which helped us stay hydrated.

I love when shoppers bring baskets. It's so old timey. We had conical cabbage, Magda squash, and kohlrabi, among all the other choices this past week.

Here are some kohlrabi tips in case you have the change to buy some: It's excellent cooked or raw. Just trim away the woody or tough portions of skin. Grate it into salads or make a "coleslaw" with it. Steam it whole for 25 to 30 minutes, or slice thinly and steam for 5 - 10 minutes. Saute with butter, add your favorite herbs. Chill and marinate cooked for a summer salad. Mash with a cooked potato, form into patties and fry. Any of the above sound really tasty. Try one of the suggestions and let me know how it turns out.

Soup Time

My three vegetable soup (plus onion and garlic) came about because that's all I had in the way of veggies a few weeks ago. It turned out really tasty, sweet and rich. Even Chuck liked it and he doesn't like two of the three ingredients. Here's the recipe: One Acorn Squash. One sweet potato. One white onion. a couple garlic cloves. olive oil. A box of french onion soup or 4 cups of water, soy milk. Process: Cut an acorn squash in half and put on a greased baking sheet. Poke some holed in a sweet potato and put on the baking sheet, too. Bake until soft. Meanwhile, steam a white potato until softened. When all these are ready, you can start the soup, or put them into the refrigerator until you're ready to make the soup! Next day, day after next. When ready, Saute some onions in olive oil, add minced garlic. When onions are translucent, add the "meat" of the veggies (compost the skins and seeds if you can.) Mix the veggies into the pan until all mixed up in the onions then add the onion soup














or water. Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover pot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Let cool for a bit, then puree in a blender adding about a cup of soy milk, gradually. This turns out to be nicely sweet. You can season with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, or other seasonings you like. I didn't add any. Let me know if you try this and how you like it. Brrr, it's getting really cold here, soup time!
¡Que aproveche!