Hi there!
Wow, who knew there were so many Lie To Me fans out there…I can’t believe I didn’t know about this show! I’m excited to get caught up.
It just dawned on me that I forgot to post about our weekly CSA surprises this week, so I did an impromptu photoshoot of the goodies.
First a few words from the farmers from Plan B:
“Hello Everyone,
We hope you’re all taking the heat ok, it is verrrrry hot up here at the farm these days, but our super-tough farm crew is out there working in the heat to weed and harvest the veggies regardless!The crops don’t seem to mind the heat so much, the peas, green beans, and zucchini are just loving it, and taking the opportunity to grow grow grow! We have a great crop of SUGAR SNAP PEAS this year, these are super sweet and have edible pods, so don’t shell them, just eat them whole!
This Week’s Summer Shares Feature:
Asparagus – ON
New Potatoes – Aylmer, ON
Sugar Snap Peas – Plan B – EDIBLE PODS!! (don’t shell these peas.)
Zucchini – Aylmer, ON
Red Leaf Lettuce – Waterloo, ON
Spinach – Waterloo, ON
Flat Leaf Parsley – Plan B
Beets with Tops – Waterloo, ON (tops are edible too!)
Arugula or Tat Soi (bagged) or Purslane (bunched) – Plan B – (all good chopped into salads.) OR Green Onions
Firstly I need to say that I think farmer’s have one of the most underappreciated jobs in the world!
I can’t imagine how exhausted they were this week in the fields during this heat wave!
They deserve to be paid much, much more than they are. When you cringe at the price of organic fruit and vegetables just think how much work it took to get that to your plate. I think many of us forget that organic farming requires a lot more work without the use of pesticides. Farmers have to deal not only with weeds overtaking and killing their crop but they also have to deal with more insects and animals too. My Aunt has an organic garden and she said that she has to spend over 12 hours just to weed her 10ft by 12 ft organic garden and often animals eat a lot of the crop. Sometimes the weeds will grow so quickly they ‘strangle’ the crop and kill the plant. It is hard work to be any kind of farmer, but I think this is especially true for organic farmers. They are truly unsung heroes.
Eric and I are quite frugal with money but the one thing we are willing to spend money on is good quality food!
We have another situation here…
A lot of this is produce from LAST WEEK’s share..eek. Must. eat. more.
Green onions are the new garlic scape, did ya know?
Eric heard about my near fall with the VOO the other morning so he put a crate for me to step up on!
Embarrassing…. :tongue:
This looked like the perfect spot for a veggie glamour shoot…
For all organic vegetables, we definitely are getting out money’s worth each week.
This cost us just $22.50 CAD (it’s a half share)
Personally I think that is a steal for very fresh, organic produce. If we were to buy this at Whole Foods, it would probably be at double this amount if not more.
Fluffy lettuce!!
Ok, back to the situation we have here.
The green onions are seriously out of control! They must be drinking Green Monsters or something because they are growing like weeds!
I put the zucchini next to it so you could have some perspective on how big it is!
I can’t get enough of the green onions in salads lately.
Sugar Snap Peas!
Cutest veggie, hands down.
This was our first time having Sugar Snap Peas and Eric and I both are obsessed now. I love that you can eat the pods. They are so sweet and crunchy and excellent in hummus.
Red Taters. I think I might make my Quick and Easy Potato Soup this weekend.
What Green Monsters are made of…
I can’t wait to try the beet greens. I don’t think I have ever had them before. What to do with them….
Fresh parsley…mmmm.
They also left us with some tips:
- Beets – can be grated fresh onto any salad, adds amazing sweetness
- Parsley – can be chopped and added to any salad or pasta dish at the end, adds a very fresh taste
- Purslane – only in some shares, this is a succulent plant, lemony taste, very high in Omega 3s <—– yes!!!
- Sugar Snap Peas – if you must cook them, they are great just lightly sautéed in any stir fry
Couple questions for you this afternoon:
1) Do you think organic food is priced too high, too low, or just right? Do you think that we pay too much for food in general or not enough?
2) Do you have any fun recipes planned for this weekend or any new foods that you hope to try? Do tell. :biggrin:
Lots of market prep left, see you earrrrrly tomorrow AM for the goodies!
Farming is definitely a difficult job. My grandparents are farmers and my parents used to have a small farm so I know how difficult it gets, especially in the summer.
I think organic food is priced too high, at least here in the US. But then again, it also depends where you get it. At the farmer’s market it’s pretty cheap but at Whole Foods it’s definitely high. I understand why the prices are higher though. I wish our food system was different and more priority was placed on fresh, local, organic foods. :(
I think the price you’re paying for all those veggies is AWESOME. I recently went to our local CSA, and, unfortunately, was very disappointed. We got probably not even a third of what you got, and it was more expensive. So, I’m looking at other options like a larger Farmer’s Market. We shall see…
Give them another chance. Depending on where you are and how your weather conditions have been they could be having a rough start. As the summer progresses, there may be other crops with a higher production. It is still a bit early as far as harvesting goes in some areas.
I grew working on our family farm and I can easily agree that farmers need more respect! While many of them love their jobs, its definitely not easy work. Recently, I’ve started switching over most products to organic and have noticed the bills going up, but I’d rather give up my cable TV than put poor food in my mouth. Its just a sacrifice that my Fiance and I will easily make. Plus, our health bills may be slashed in half in the future :)
I come from a long line of farmers. It is so nice to hear praise towards them. Conventional or organic, it is grueling work that many people take for granted. No farms no food! Enjoy your veggies. I love to see what you get from your CSA each week.
You should tell your aunt about lasagna gardening. There are hardly no weeds in our garden and the produce is amazing!
I’m not sure what’s on the menu this weekend, but this afternoon I got inspired by RAWvolution’s truffles and made some flavours of my own (which I will blog about if they turn out to be edible – they’re in the freezer right now). They totally reminded me of your Glo Dough… which remind me of Timbits… which remind me that Americans call them doughnut holes (lol)… which made me think: GLONUT HOLES! ;D
And here they are! http://www.beyoutifullyamusing.com/2010/07/raw-vegan-timbits.html
Those veggies all look so amazing!! I understand the price of organic veggies, but I really do wish there was a way for them to be more affordable on anyone’s budget! Perhaps it could be cheaper if farmers and consumers shared plots or something? Isn’t that sort of the idea of a CSA? You buy into their plot so they can provide cheaper produce? I want so badly to buy organic vegetables (especially considering they make up most of my diet!), but I just can’t swing it while I am a student.
Ohh sugar snap peas are SO good raw, it’s almost a crime to cook them!
Cute little peas in a pod.
No recipe plans for this weekend, we are heading to the beach to do some camping.
Wow ~ all of your fresh veggies look very good! Quick question ~ did you have the nutritional value of your Cherry, Banana, Coconut Butter Bread it looks ssooo good~
Thank you,
Heather
Thank you for sharing this..it never hurts to remind us that there is a lot of heart and soul and sweat and tears that go into our Organic eats. I tend to opt for the cheaper selection, but I will think twice. Better quality and knowing the effort behind it, makes me want to buy more organic. Thanks! :)
Thanks for throwing in that reminder about farmers. It’s easy to forget that there is a person’s job behind all that produce and that it’s a tough job to boot. All the farmers out there deserve major props for what they do!
i find that organic produce in my area, while slightly more expensive yes, stays fresher longer. this might be in my head, but i find that the higher quality produce i buy the less i am throwing out–this also is because we’re more likely to eat the higher quality produce. so those two things combined i think end up saving us money because we’re not tossing it in the garbage.
great point with the shout out to the farmers–it’s easy to overlook but important not to. thanks for the reminder :)
Maybe if you end up with too many vegetables, you could make something for a neighbor or friend instead of feeling like you need to stuff yourself. Just a thought.
I definitely don’t mind paying higher prices for organic produce. It is so worth it to me when I see what the organic farmers do to grow their crops.
Beets greens are great sauteed, or just added to a salad! I had them today – yum!
Hi Angela.
I just read your “hot post” journey…and am so inspired and intriguied. My weight is at a fairly healthy place, but that is usually my focus. I’d love to try to make the move to intuitive eating. Any recommended resources?
By the way, in post #4 (I think) you mentioned some things you’ve “come to terms with,” stating your arms and legs will never be twig-like. That made me sorta sad, since given your photos, you have an incredibly lovely body and slim arms/legs. You are thin! So to say you’re not is a little bit like a slap to those of us who are more large-built. :( Maybe I’m just overly sensitive, though, and maybe I’m not at my proper weight yet either.
Sigh.
Lana.
PS – I TOTALLY share in your (former) passion for / addiction to yogurt. Have you found a good “replacement”? For me i think it is the creamy texture and the fun things I can add (fruit, granola, etc). I’d love some assistance as I conider the vegan route…
Do you know how it affects your bones to be milk-free?
Sorry missed this Q,
In Defense of Food is excellent and highly recommended!
Regarding my journey #4 post, I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I never said I am not thin…I was referring to the fact that my legs/arms would never be the size that my eating disorder wanted them to be for all those years. Hope that clarifies! :)
I have not found a replacement for yogurt…I actually stopped craving it after a few months! I was not a fan of the soy yogurts out there.
Milk products have actually been found in many studies to leach calcium from the bones and a lot of the research is pointing to plant sources of calcium as being superior and better for the body.
If you like science-y types of shows, you should check out Fringe! I’ve become addicted to it this season! And I’ve always had a soft spot for Joshua Jackson because of his Dawson’s Creek days :)
I have a newfound love for organic foods. At first I thought they were a bit high but when I started buying organic strawberries, so very juicy and sweet and organic beets that made my juices so good and sweet, I have fallen in love with the organic concept. I really do appreciate our farmers and in fact so much so, I have finally decided to join our local CSA and am taking a tour of the actual market this Sunday with a girlfriend of mine. We are going to split the sharings. I’m excited about that. I’ve also wondered what to do with the beet greens, I usually just compost them because I don’t know what else to do with them. Let us know what you end up doing with them.
Good luck with market tomorrow!!!
Ps. Reminder for me….order Glo Bars!!!
Well I am a first time commenter…but I read your blog daily and I love it! So inspiring!
As for the beet leaves, there is an eastern european dish that called Beet Leaf Buns – it’s to DIE FOR! It uses a basic bread recipe to form little buns, which you wrap the beet leaves around. They end up looking somewhat like grape leaf rolls. Somewhere in there the buns are baked and the final step involves dousing the buns in a creamy garlic sauce and baking them a little more. I’m sure there is a recipe somewhere online. Anyways, they are absolutely delicious! I’m sure you have some tricks up your sleeve for some vegan substitutions… :)
The recipe takes a little planning, but it’s seriously worth it – your tastebuds will love you!
My veggie bin looks like that in my fridge. I’m in a constant battle to keep up with all the veggies and fruit, but I’m enjoying it.
I love supporting organic and local farms. I completely agree- they are unappreciated and underpaid. That’s why I shop at farmers’ markets and my local co-op. It’s really not that expensive if you’re shopping close to home.