happy pigs are tastier

jen from starshaped press recently wrote to tell me about their favorite local farm and how badly they are struggling to keep their small family pig farm afloat amidst large corporate farms with healthy government subsidies. even though i don’t eat meat, i will always support the local, sustainable farm! they are our biggest hope for the future. in efforts to help, jen has created this cute pig poster as a way to raise money for the farm and to help them stay in business. all $10 from the sale of this print will go directly to the farm! (and i’m sure they will accept donations as well!)

a little more about c & d farm:

c & d family farms is a small animal welfare approved family farm dedicated to raising hogs in their natural environment. their happy hogs are raised on pasture and in wooded areas where they can root and play and be hogs. they graze on pasture designed for them or eat leaves, weeds, berries and acorns from their large wooded pens. hogs are very social animals and are kept in droves so they can socialize and prosper.

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the highlight of my week? picking up our organic csa veggie box!

sure to inspire this week’s recipes are:

- 2 red bell peppers and bunches little green ones
- green beans
- cherry tomatoes and 3 large heirloom tomatoes
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 onion
- 1 bunch of spinach
- 3 baskets of strawberries (can’t believe their still growing here!)
- 6 ears of corn
- 4 zucchinis
- 1 bunch of carrots
- 3 heads of lettuce

getting this box of local organic veggies every week is truly the most rewarding food we get. it keeps us in touch with the seasons, eating locally and cooking different things every week. use local harvest to help find a community supported agriculture farm in your area!

wrap up: {cooking} {csa} {food} {local} {organic gardening} {seasonal} {veggies}

speaking of my odd liken to corn lately, have you all read animal, vegetable, miracle by barbara kindsolver? i couldn’t help but think of it yesterday as i wrote about my seasonal cravings. this book has been one of my favorites for a long time, and it is one of the reasons why i fell in love with eating locally and seasonally.

it is the (true) story of a year in which the kingsolver family deliberately fed themselves on food grown within their community, and what they learned from the experience. it’s inspiring, entertaining and encouraging- and it is even jam packed full of seasonal recipes and weekly dinner planning ideas! if you haven’t read it, i (obviously) recommend it. if you’re not much of a reader, maybe you would enjoy visiting their website where you can still find recipes, resources and tips on finding local food.

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9 months out of the year, i would promise you that i don’t like corn. something happens come september, however. i move from craving watermelon and strawberries to corn and sweet potatoes. i love to listen to my cravings, as i know we were created to eat seasonally (and locally). my cravings tell me so! so as odd as i feel it is, i’ve been craving corn. and just in time for it start arriving in our weekly csa box. thank youuu!

soooo, last night i made corn chowder! i adapted it from martha’s recipe, below is my version:

ingredients:

• 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 fennel bulb chopped (since it was in our csa box!)
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 8 sprigs thyme
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 cups veggie stock
• 2 ears yellow corn, kernels removed
• 5 ounces small fingerling potatoes, chopped
• 1 small chili, chopped (use bell pepper if you don’t like the heat)
• 1/2 cup coconut cream (i use this, half/half will also work)
• 2 tbs olive oil

directions:

1) add onions, celery, thyme, fennel and salt and pepper to stockpot; cook over medium-low heat until translucent, about 8 minutes. add stock and bring to a boil.

2) reduce heat to medium and add corn, potatoes, and chile; cook until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. remove and discard thyme. add coconut creamer, and simmer until soup is hot.

do you have any new cravings or favorite corn recipes? please share with us!

images: martha stewart’s summer corn chowder

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yesterday, we picked up an extra csa box from our local honor stand, and i think i’m addicted. freshly picked organic produce from a farm i can see out our living room window. now that’s a farm to fork mileage i can be proud of!

for a california june, we got carrots, strawberries, raspberries, fennel, kale, lettuce, spinach, broccoli, onions, garlic, cucumbers, parsley, dill and some beets. now it’s time to plan our meals for the week! do you have any favorite ways to use beets?

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LABELS. they are everywhere, yet there still needs to be more. they can be overwhelming, confusing and even misleading! today i’m going to introduce several labels that you should keep an eye out for and support. next week we’ll discuss some that can be a little misleading, or confusing. are you ready?
 

organic. certified by the us department of agriculture to meet standards that don’t allow the use of most conventional pesticides, genetic engineering, and routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones in livestock. visit the usda website to learn more.

fair trade. fair trade partnerships seek to offer better trading conditions to, and secure the rights of, marginalized producers and workers, especially in developing counties. certification by the fair trade labeling organization international guarantees that a product’s fair trade claims have been independently audited and verified.

local. there are no consistent standards for use of the term, which may refer to a region, a state or the immediate ridgeline or watershed. it may also be applied to product that are made locally but of imported ingredients.

clean. foods certified by organizations like scientific certification systems to have met voluntary standards in one or more areas of potential concern, including pesticide residues, food pathogens, industrial contaminants and heavy metals, and food safety procedures and practices throughout the food supply chain.

fair labor. currently two organizations certify safe and fair ag labor practices in the u.s.: scs certified and safe ag employer. criteria include equitable hiring, and employment practices, safe workplace conditions, workers right to organize, worker housing, child labor, and access to health, education and transportation services.

sustainable. sustainable food certification programs address an array of social and environmental issues that go beyond ‘organic’, including safe and fair working conditions, healthy and humane care for livestock, reduced pesticide use, reduced water and non-renewable energy use, and enhanced soil health. visit the food alliance to learn more.

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happy friday lovelies!  i made a yummy seasonal soup of potatoes and kale this week that i wanted to share with you! (sorry for my poor photography skillz, i hate shooting after dark)!

my mister just isn’t very fond of soup. he has issues with the how mushy they are, i think. does that mean i don’t make them? nope, it just gives me a challenge!  this soup made servings for 8, i ate one serving (ok, maybe 2) and the rest of it disappeared.  where could it have gone? needless to say, someone enjoyed it, which means it’s gotta be pretty darn delish.

ingredients:

• 2 tbl olive oil
• 8 shallots; peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves; minced
• 1 tbl of minced ginger root
• 1 tbl all purpose flour
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 tbl heave cream or half and half
• 4 tbl soy sauce
• 4 medium potatoes; quartered and chopped
• 4 cups of kale
• salt and pepper to taste

directions:

heat oil in a medium sauce pan and sauteed the shallots, garlic and ginger for about 5 minutes. add the all purpose flour and stir to coat. add the vegetable stock, milk, cream, soy sauce and potatoes. bring to a slight boil then reduce heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes. add the kale and return to a simmer for another 15 minutes. you can either leave your soup chunky as-is, or puree it in a blender (or with a hand blender) as i did.  serve in a bowl and drizzle soy sauce over the top for a little added flare. ;)

want to learn more about eating seasonally?  check out the eating local page for seasonal veggies, recipes and tips on eating in season!

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this week’s seasonal recipe comes from one of my favorite food blogs, the kitchenist! a gal after my own heart, ele is an ecotarian foodie who cooks with a conscious. sharing recipes that are vegetarian, local, seasonal, organic or otherwise sustainable- her blog is full of endless inspiration sure to bring you one yummy idea after the next to keep you eating responsibly (and deliciously!).

this quiche is full of summer goodness with beans and peas galore.  better hurry up and make this one, as beans will be out of season soon and you’ll have to wait a whole year before you can make it again!  grab the green summertime quiche recipe here as well as view all of ele’s recipes to get recipes for the every season.

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