Autumn Chili - A Salute to the Autumn New England Harvest

Looking into my refrigerator last week, I was faced with beautiful, seasonal, fresh and seemingly unrelated items from our local Heirloom Harvest farm share. I met the meal challenge with a chili that far exceeded my expectations! This dish is sweet, savory, and spicy. This convenient crock pot meal is guaranteed to warm you on a brisk autumn day while getting you out of a flavor rut. Vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free, this was approved by my 5-year old picky eater, my easily-pleased 16-month old and my foodie and former sous chef husband. The entire crock pot of chili was gone in less than 24 hours!

The rest of this blog and recipe is up over at MassMoms. Top with Cashew Cream (recipe posted on my blog as well.) Enjoy and let me know what you think! I'm on my second batch. Blessings!

CSA share week 10/4 - Season is ending with a punctuation of squash and greens.

Sad the season is ending. However it will be nice to step away from food processing and preservation for a while and focus on my newest interest - vegan and raw food preparation - inspired by this season's fresh and delicious harvest! The lack of recent blogs is indicative of the massive amounts of food gleaned the last few weeks from the farm share and other local picking excursions.

This week:

• 2 pie pumpkins
• 4 lbs eggplant
• 1 lb carrots
• 1 head broccoli
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 bunch collard greens
• 1 LARGE bunch kale
• Unlimited peppers
• Take some tomatillos
• Unlimited PYO raspberries
• Unlimited PYO husk cherries

We also picked up our apple share and purchased 1 lb of hen-of-the-woods foraged mushrooms from a gentleman selling them at the barn.

More processing. On the agenda is baba ghanoush, salsa, vegetable soup, pumpkin bread and roasted seeds, veggie korma.

CSA share weeks 9/6 -The Harvest Doesn't Wait and Raspberry Repulsion

Last week two events coincided to reinforce that nature waits for no man or woman. We received a wondrous bounty in our farm share and I became ill that night. I rarely get headaches. Unfortunately I developed a sinus headache Tuesday night that lasted until Sunday. This severely impacted my ability to process our share. To further complicate matters, prior to taking ill I purchased 20 pounds of "seconds tomatoes" from a local farm that also required processing. I really had to pull myself together to get any food processed and called upon my husband to help out more than usual. The major casualty were about five pounds of pickling cucumbers, about two heads of lettuce, and a few quarts of cherry tomatoes. All in all, I can live with that.

Unlimited Raspberries. It was like hitting an organic lottery. Given the abundance of ripe berries and limited number of pickers due to the rain falling, Farmer John declared "unlimited pick-your-own raspberries" for all while we were in the field. My son gorged on them while I picked as fast as I could. My daughter, however, was not into berry picking. Not one bit. She screamed almost the whole time. Putting a damper on the already wet experience, we gave up once we had about 1 quart picked. I had to put them into a plastic bag as I had forgotten to bring a box with me. The berries, crushing under their own weight, were destined to be preserves.

The following night I took the bag out of the refrigerator to make my first batch of raspberry preserves and to my dismay saw several little worms on the berries. Yuck. I didn't worry, however, and threw those berries away. I picked through the remaining berries, poured out the juice that had collected in the bottom of the bag, and set about making my preserves. I elected to go with a freezer method rather than the more time consuming cooked version. Shorter shelf-life but just as tasty. I carefully poured the preserves into the freezer jars. Admiring my work, to my horror I noticed something white and moving in the jar. Insect larvae. In my preserves. Not just one. Many. Almost as many as there were seeds. Resisting the gag reflex, I dumped out all the preserves in the trash. Oh, how sad. I don't know if there was contamination on the bag I used to collect the berries or if the berries were hosting eggs that hatched upon harvest. What I do know is that in the future I will always make my preserves the same day I pick the berries. I will always use a relatively sterile berry box to collect the berries. And I will choose the boil method of making the preserves. It may be a while before can enjoy raspberries again.

Share on week of 9/6:

• 2 eggplant
• 1 Asian eggplant
• 1 head cabbage
• 11 pounds heirloom tomatoes
• 1 cucumber
• 8 sweet "ethnic" peppers
• 2 white peppers
• 4 green/yellow peppers
• hot peppers
• 12 stems kale
• unlimited bush beans
• unlimited raspberries
• 1 pint husk cherries
• unlimited basil'
• 2 quarts cherry tomatoes
• flowers

We canned  all the tomatoes. The yield was 10 quarts of diced tomatoes. We also made tomatillo salsa, roasted all the ethnic peppers and enjoyed kabobs with the Asian eggplant and the bell peppers.

CSA share week 8/27 - Bountiful - Post Hurricane Harvest Spared and a Busy Week of Cooking Ahead!

With Hurricane Irene passing over the region last weekend there was a great deal of concern about crop failure at our CSA farm. Thank goodness most of the crops were spared. We enjoyed the beautiful weather while picking beans, hush cherries, cherry tomatoes, and raspberries. It seemed hard to believe that only a few days ago we were having torrential rainfall and 70 mph wind gusts. The crickets and birds were chattering away and my son was running through the tall grass trying to catch a glimpse of the chorus. I wish I'd had my camera with me to capture my daughter sitting in the husk cherries carefully harvesting her own shack with a big juicy grin. Some moments truly are priceless.

Today's share was huge and there were "leftovers" from the pick up held in the pre-hurricane rains!

• 1 cantaloupe
• 1 black eggplant
• 1 summer squash
• 4 lbs heirloom tomatoes
• 2.5 lbs modern tomatoes
• 1/2 lb tomatillos
• 1 cucumber
• 2 yellow peppers
• 4 green peppers
• 6 ethnic sweet peppers
• hot peppers
• okra
• 3.5 lbs Macintosh apples (fruit share was purchased separately)
• 2 quarts cherry tomatoes
• 2 quarts yellow beans
• 1 pint husk (aka ground) cherries
• 1/2 pint raspberries

Last week I made hush cherry preserves. I followed a recipe for gooseberry preserves, to which they are often compared. It is pretty tasty!  I think I may do the same this week, along with some pepper jelly and some roasted peppers.

I also made four loaves of gluten free vegan zucchini chocolate chip bread. This is the BEST recipe for gluten free and vegan bread I have ever made. There is something magical about the combination of coconut oil and applesauce as a replacement for eggs in baking. It acts as a binder as well imparting moisture that withstands the freezing process. I simply replaced the banana with shredded zucchini and it worked beautifully. This has been a hit with the entire family. I still have some zucchini left, so I'll be making more bread tomorrow.

I'm planning on making more roasted tomatillo salsa and a huge batch of marinara for canning. (I purchased 20 pounds of "seconds" tomatoes from the local farm stand. They are not organic but I do know that the family practices integrated pest management. I feel confident in adding them to the mix and supporting a very local farm. Their beautiful farm is less than three miles from my home!) I volunteered my husband to make another big batch of eggplant "Farmer John" with the two eggplants we now have. Last but not least, a batch of applesauce with the apples! A busy week of cooking ahead. Busy, but delicious and well-worth the effort.

Vegan and Gluten Free Southern-Style Fried Okra

I arrived home last week with about a pound of fresh organic okra and one idea on my mind: fried okra. My Grandma Mina made some amazing Southern food. One time I was blessed with her deep fried okra. I still dream about it. Since she has passed and I'm sure that her version was not vegan or gluten free, I set about seeking guidance on the matter.

I referenced this recipe for fried okra and read through the comments, many of which were very helpful.

The recipe calls for the use of eggs in order to bind the corn meal coating. Knowing the properties of okra, namely that it generates a slime when left to sit for a few minutes after cutting, I decided to rely on this to bind the coating. Additionally, it is well known that the secret to fried chicken is the soaking of it in buttermilk. I improvised by soaking the okra in coconut kefir for about 15 minutes. (NOTE: You can purchase coconut kefir at Whole Foods and many health food stores. You can also make your own using a kefir starter or milk kefir crystals. I've linked to the two with which I have experienced success.)

I chose to go half and half gluten free all-purpose flour and corn meal to reduce the grittiness of the coating.

I ended up not deep frying them. I tried one batch in coconut oil and one in grapeseed oil. The coconut oil imparted a rich flavor, but it was difficult to fry as it has a lower smoking point. I ended up with a lot of smoke! The grapeseed oil was better fro frying but didn't have as rich flavor.

These were delicious! I saved the leftovers and put it under the broiler the next morning and it reheated wonderfully. It was a tasty compliment to our breakfast tacos.

Enjoy! Let me know what you do with the recipe!

CSA share 8/23 - Holy Tomatoes!

Last week the share expanded and it did again this week.

• 1 black beauty eggplant
• 2 zucchini
• 5 lbs Heirloom tomatoes
• 5.5 lbs Modern tomatoes
• 1 Napa cabbage
• 1 lb tomatillos
• 2 cucumbers
• 2 green peppers
• 1 white pepper
• 3 sweet ethnic peppers
• 1 large bunch basil
• salad greens
• okra
• 2 quarts cherry tomatoes
• 1 pint ground cherries
• 1/2 pint raspberries

So far - 1.5 gallons salsa, fries okra, and luscious sliced tomatoes with olive oil, pepper, and salt.  Mmmmmmm.......... Coming up is more marinara sauce, zucchini bread, leafy salads, and more salsa! I have now established success with my pressure canner so let the fun begin!

New to Tomatillos? Easy Roasted Salsa!

At the CSA farm share pick up yesterday there was a bin of tomatillos "for the taking." I was intrigued. They were a beautiful shade of green. I'd seen them in the grocery store on occasion but had never prepared them myself. I took one pound home with me and set out to find an easy recipe for tomatillo preparation initiation.

I found one called Tomatillo Salsa Verde. I thought this one would be a good one to try as I have delighted in this style of salsa in the past, so I'd know by taste if I was off the mark. This recipe was simple, easy to prepare, and delicious. The key was roasting the tomatillos first, getting the skins to be brown. The carmelization imparted a mellow tone to the salsa, which I have experienced at times as being too acidic. A tasty experiment I look forward to duplicating. I thought I'd have some of this salsa to freeze, but given it's popularity in our family at lunchtime, we will be lucky to have any left tomorrow!

Enjoy!

CSA share week 8/9/11 - The Motherload and recovering from last week

Last week, coming off of four days with my husband away while in the midst of my son's week-long creative arts day camp, I was ill prepared to take on food preparation. A rookie mistake. I will remember next year that once August has arrived, all focus and time must be made available for two or three days of food processing.

Nonetheless, once my husband arrived home he was a wonderful help to get things taken care of. We got 12 servings of lentil curry (using the summer squash, zucchini, Asian eggplant) and no less than 20 servings of eggplant "Farmer John" (breaded eggplant without the Parmesan cheese and named in honor of our CSA's intrepid agrarian) prepped and into the freezer. We also experimented with making zucchini-sweet potato fritters. A yummy success made yummier with maple syrup in which to dip them.

This week, the tomatoes have arrived. I don't know if this is the peak. Judging by the number of green cherry tomatoes still on the plants, I think the peak will be next week or the week afterward. I did make the season's first batch of gazpacho. A bit too spicy to eat with ease for me. But tasty and enjoyable with a large glass on limeade on hand.

This week's share includes the following:

• 1 large black eggplant
• 4 summer squash
• 1 zucchini
• 1.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes
• 2.5 lbs "modern" tomatoes
• 1/2 lb arugula
• 1/2 lb mixed salad greens
• 1 Asian eggplant
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch basil
• 2 heads lettuce
• tomatillos
• PYO 1 quart cherry tomatoes
• PYO unlimited flowers

The food processing plan for this week includes baba ghanooj, tomatillo salsa, banana zucchini bread with chocolate chips, masaman curry, and lots of green smoothies. We plan to enjoy this week's arugula wilted as a bed for this week's fish share catch-of-the-day fillets and short grain brown rice. Bon appetit!

CSA Share week 6/26 - Summer Succulants in Full Swing!

Today's pick up was all about summer veggies. Succulant season has arrived. Last week's extreme heat was the punctuation on the end of the late spring greens, peas, and bush beans and marked the beginning of the fleshy, cooling veggies. The season's first raspberries were available for pick-your-own, however we were unable to pick them due to an approaching thunderstorm and tornado watch. Luckily we completed the basil and flower picking before the first vibrations of thunder.

The plan this week is to make a mega-batch of pesto, potato leek soup, zucchini spice bread, breaded eggplant, veggie korma, and blueberry white chocolate chip ice cream. I can do it!

This week's share included the following:

• 4 yellow summer squash
• 2 green zucchini
• 1 eggplant
• 1 Asian eggplant
• 4 leeks
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch dill
• 1 bunch cilantro
• Unlimited PYO flowers
• Unlimited PYO basil

CSA share week 7/19 - The Birth of a Cucumber Connoisseur

Today was the most successful CSA share pick-up of the season when considering overall happiness of  the children and my own enjoyment of being in the field. I planned ahead and brought lots of extra water for the kids and let my daughter run up and down the rows of flowers along side my son rather than attempting to nest her in her carrier and bribe her with snacks. My son marveled over the array of butterflies and dragon flies and pointed them out to my daughter while I picked nasturtiums, calendula, rosemary, and parsley. We also examined the worms munching the undersides of the bush bean plants. The leaves had been mostly eaten, leaving only the fibrous leaf 's skeletal veins. The beans, however, were unscathed (and delicious with our dinner a mere two hours later!)

This week's share included the following:

• 2 summer squash
• 2 zucchini
• 1 lb carrots (true baby carrots!)
• 4 leeks
• 2 Japanese eggplant
• 2 heads Romaine lettuce
• 1 cucumber
• 1 bunch rhubarb
• PYO bush beans - 1 quart
• unlimited PYO - nasturtiums, calendula, and herbs

While we were out picking the flowers one of the farmer's assistants encouraged us to pick a few of the first cherry tomatoes. While not officially part of the share this week, they will definitely be ripe, plentiful, and ready for next week! Literally bursting with flavor, my daughter enjoyed a few while I was picking them.

Inspired by our fun afternoon, I quickly put together our dinner when we arrived home with the afternoon's treasures. We sat down to carrots with parley, Earth Balance, and honey; al dente green beans (cooked to perfection if I say so myself,) leafy salad with the cherry tomatoes and cucumber topped with nasturtiums, corm meal encrusted cod (from our local fish share) served with a vaganase-fresh dill sauce.

Now, this may sound odd. Upon slicing into the cucumber I had something of a breakthrough peak experience. As the fragrance burst forth, I inhaled deeply. Wow. What a wonderful aroma! I have always loathed the artificial scent of cucumber in aromatherapy-inspired products and stayed as far away from any cucumber scented bath and body wash and lotions as possible. I could never figure out why anyone would want to 1) smell that scent or 2) smell like that scent. I now know what those fragrance labs have been striving for but failing to achieve. The cucumbers from the store never had much aroma in my opinion. I've always considered cucumbers to be more a texture element in a salad rather than having a distinct flavor or respectability of their own. As I bit into a wedge my concept of "cucumber" was reborn. It was delicate, uplifting, and refreshing. It was like ingesting a spa experience not to be soon forgotten. I look forward to next week's cucumber as a transient delicacy in our Northeastern climate. This experience has proven one more reason to consider a move south if it means a longer season for garden-fresh cucumbers.

CSA share week 7/12 - Cabbage Patch Conundrum

The lettuce season has past. This week peas were in their prime and we're coming into summer squash.



From wikipedia

 But the big question for me is what to do with all the cabbage that is collecting in my refrigerator taking up valuable real estate? I now have three green cabbage and one and one half Napa cabbage in there. I'm not a cabbage person. I try to avoid coleslaw. I detest boiled cabbage. The solution is sauerkraut. My husband made some last year and I found it, well, palatable. It still doesn't make me jump for joy or anticipate a meal. However, paired with a beautiful kielbasa it will do. My cooking adventure of the day today is to shred the cabbage and get this batch fermenting.

This week's share...

• 1/2 lb arugula
• 1/4 lb salad greens
• 1 green cabbage
• 1 lb carrots
• 2 yellow summer squash
• 1 zucchini
• 15 stems kale
• "freebie" turnips
• unlimited PYO peas
• PYO flowers and herbs

This week was also my meat share pickup and so we left the farm with 20 lbs local pastured and humanely raised chicken, beef, and pork as well as two dozen farm fresh eggs.

Oh, the cooking to come this week!

Yummy (Gluten Free, Vegan, Soy Free) Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

What goes better with zucchini than chocolate? I have enjoyed many chocolate chip zucchini muffins over the years. This recipe takes that chocolaty, spicy, and sweet combination to a whole new level of decadence. In my mind there is a fine line between a cupcake and a muffin. These muffins march right up to that line and would launch themselves over the top if it were not for the texture and the savory note the cinnamon imparts. While these muffins may be a bit to intense for breakfast, I highly recommend them with a cup of coffee or strong tea and served with fresh berries and a dot of whipped topping for a delicious snack.



Photo from Vegan Crafttastic

 We are entering the high season of zucchini here in the Northeast. As the saying goes, one zucchini plant can feed a whole neighborhood. With this week's CSA share supplied zucchini I decided to make muffins. I found this recipe for gluten free chocolate zucchini muffins from Vegan Craftastic and had to try it.

She gave two choices in the recipe for moisture. She suggested either applesauce or oil. I had enough zucchini for two batches so I tried both with varying results. Both batches were delicious and kid-approved!

The extremely yummy applesauce-batch came out very airy and maintained their shape well coming out of the mini-bunt tray. They were best when eaten warm with a pat of "spread." When the cooled they were a bit dry for my liking.

For the oil-batch I used coconut oil. This produced a wonderful aroma to the batter and the cupcakes while cooking. The results were a little mixed. I followed the directions and filled each mini-bundt to the top with batter as I had the applesauce-batch. They expended while cooking and the muffin tops ran together. They then stuck in the pan when I turned the pan over. The muffin tops came off by themselves! I scooped the remaining muffin out of the pan. They were still yummy and were much more moist than the applesauce-batch, enjoyable without any "spread." I enjoyed them cool as well. I recommend only filling the muffin molds to three quarters full and to use muffin tins rather than oiling the pans.

CSA share week 7/5 - Would you Like Some Peas With Your Peas?

It was another beautiful day to be at the farm. Sunny and high 80s. We spent about an hour in the field picking peas until my daughter had a meltdown. Granted it was quite warm, so I'll give her a pass. It was disappointing to not be able to complete the picking but we'll be munching sugar snap peas for quite some time nonetheless.

This week's harvest included the following:

• 2 summer squash
• 1 head cabbage
• 1/4 lb arugula
• 1/2 lb mizuna
• 1/4 lb salad greens
• 1 large bunch mustard greens
• 1 head lettuce
• 2 kholrabi with greens
• 14 stems kale
• 4 quarts sugar snap peas
• 1 quart shelling peas

I must say I was a little relieved to not have another four heads of lettuce this week. We still have two from last week. I've started to put the lettuce in my smoothies. It is a tasty addition I must say.

CSA share week 6/28 - More Greens My Sweet Pea

This week was the first pick-your-own for our farm share. Three varieties of peas to tickle the senses; sweet peas, field peas, and snow peas. My son and I spent about an hour picking them today. I think he ate more than went in our bag. This was somewhat of a miracle since I don't think he has ever voluntarily eaten a pea in his life. He was really delighted to see how much the plants have grown since we helped to see them in the early spring. He was very enthused to admire his handiwork while munching away. Also in this week's share were the following:

• 2 Chinese cabbage
• 4 heads of lettuce
• 1/2 lb bok choi
• 3 squash
• mustard greens

We're enjoying the greens while they are here. The season will be over soon as things will heat up quickly from here.

Addictive Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

On my quest for yummy gluten free, soy free, vegan non-processed foods, I find I'm back to making my own baked goods. I realized that sugar is not a whole or non-processed ingredient. However, a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do. I pulled out some of the roasted pumpkin I processed and froze last fall for these muffins. Delicious! I used this recipe as a base.  I applied the following modifications:

• Egg replacer in lieu of the eggs and mixed in last.
• I doubled the amount of spices.
• I used Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten free flour mix in place of all-purpose flour.
• I swaped out 1/2 cup of the sugar for brown sugar.
• I swapped 1/4 cup vegetable oil for 1/8 cup coconut oil. (Note: I will try apple sauce on my next batch to see if I can bring the fat content down even more.)
• I only used a 1/4 cup rice milk chocolate chips from Enjoy Life.

The results are really good. I have had two and had to make myself stop! I imagine you could also use this basic recipe for zucchini chocolate chip muffins, which will come in handy this CSA season. I only made one batch as I was trying out the recipe. Next time I will definitlel double the batch and freeze them.

Really? Kale Chips?

Last week I was confronted with the first of what will likely be bushels of kale from my CSA farm. Fourteen stems of dinosaur kale.

I will interject here that it was not until I was in my mid 20's that I willingly tried greens. My only exposure to greens as a child was of the frozen-spinach-boiled-for-about-a-half-an-hour-before-being-unceremoniously-plopped-into-a-serving-bowl variety. (Sorry to out you mom.) At a yoga center I was turned on to kale as an addition to miso and rice soup.

On the drive home I considered my options. I had a vision of my meat-and-cheese loving son relishing the kale. As I started to dismiss the thought a phrase came to the forefront of my conciousness.

"Kale chips."

I'd heard raves about them from several of my friends. The prior week our CSA farm manager sent out a recipe for them. I had never been able to decide if I thought they sounded appealing. Intriging. Weird. Considering they were baked with oil and salt, how bad could they be?

As it turns out, kale chips are illogically delicious. It defies my imagination how placing kale in the oven for ten minutes can transform an astringent yet pleasant tasting leaf into something that is so delectible I can't stop eating it until it is gone. Both my children devoured them. A greens success story!

Searching the internet, I found many recipes for them. Experimenting a bit, I have some recommendations. I worked from this basic kale chips recipe.

• I found that 375 degrees for 10 minutes was a good base to work from.
• Careful rinsing of the kale and spinning it completely dry in the salad spinner is essential.
• Make sure to rip the leaves into small, bite-sized pieces. The first batch I made didn't cook evenly because some of the peices were too big and folded over during the cooking, leaving a portion overcooked and a portion undercooked. By creating the small peices, you can ensure an even layer of leaves on the cooking sheet and thus even cooking.
• The second batch I made I used a spray can of olive oil rather than drizzeling the oil and then mixing the greens. The first batch I followed the drizzel method. I think I was a little heavy-handed with the oil. It left some of the leaves soggy and it took the a long time to cook as a result. The spray, however, allowed for a more even disribution of the oil. I also used much less oil overall. This made for crispy chips in less cooking time.
• Take care to carefully monitor the cooking. Thirty seconds can make the difference between beautiful brown chips crisped and concentrated to perfection and charcoal. I suggest doing a test run to guage the cooking time in your oven.

These chips are best right out of the oven but do keep decently in a sealed bag.

I'm so excited to have this recipe in my aresenal now. This is a great way to enjoy greens and a great alternative when you just want to much. Much healthier than my biggest downfall, potato chips. I won't go so far as to say they are equivalent. However, they are very satisfying. What is more exciting is that my kids love them. How wonderful that they are learning to enjoy whole real food snacks.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we are!

CSA share week 6/22 - Greens Galore!

After an afternoon swim, the kids and I went to pick up this week's share from our CSA farm. My son was so excited to visit his friends and they put him right to work packing flats with soil for the new seedings. This week's share was lush and it is only the third week!

• 1 large bunch of turnips with greens
• 1 large bunch of plain leave kale
• 1/2 lb mixed salad greens
• 1/2 lb arugala
• 1/4 lb "Japanese" salad greens
• 4 heads of lettuce (both romaine and red leaf)
• 1 head cauliflower
• all he curly leaf kale I could carry!

Next week we're looking forward to picking peas in the field.

Food Prices on the Rise - Please Share Your Ideas!

Global food prices have hit "dangerous levels" that could contribute to political instability, push millions of people into poverty and raise the cost of groceries, according to a new report from the World Bank.

How many of you have noticed our food prices rising? How about the price of gasoline?
Perhaps you've noticed. Perhaps you've given a bit more thought about combining some errands or chosen to eat out less.

For most of the world's population any rise in food or fuel prices means that they go hungry or can't travel to work. Considering that 1:7 Americans receives food stamps, this means many people you know - maybe even you - will soon face even tougher decisions regarding basic needs.

Food prices soared 3.9 percent last month, the biggest gain since November 1974. Most of that increase was due to a sharp rise in vegetable costs, which increased nearly 50 percent. That was the most in almost a year. Meat and dairy products also rose.

At at a time when obesity is epidemic in our country it is particularly noteworthy that the cost of vegetables that are rising the most. One reason for this is that vegetables are not subsidized by our tax dollars, unlike commodity crops (corn, soy, and wheat.)

I'd love to hear what YOU are doing in order to keep keep food affordable for your family. Are you creating a garden, perhaps for the first time? Have you purchased a CSA farm share? Are you going to farmers markets? Have you discovered a produce "happy hour" at a grocery store? Are you using coupons? Please share what you're doing and be sure to include links to resources.

Let's work together, neighbor helping neighbor, to continue to eat healthful foods in spite of some troubling economic trends!

This Is Your Meat on Drugs

80% of US Antibiotics End Up in Meat - a recent article form Change.org.

Look down at your steak. This is your meat on drugs. Now, I'm not vegetarian, but this issue alone should stimulate reflection on where we buy our meat and where meat fits into our food system. These drugs end up in the meat we eat, in the environment, and help to create drug-resistant strains of bacteria that kill 10s of 1000s of people each year.

As reported by Food Safety News, the numbers are astonishing. 

Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-NY) announced Wednesday that FDA confirmed the numbers with her office for the first time. She plans to reintroduce a bill she crafted in 2009 aimed at preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics important for human health by limiting their use in agriculture.

So, what can we do now to vote for a different method for raising animals for food? Vote with our dollars! One potentially good source of meat  is a local CSA farm.  These are typically small-scale farms that raise animals organically and/or largely grass-fed on pasture. Often you can tour the farm and see for yourself how the animals are handled. Since these farms are small and the animals kept outside most of the time, they don't need to use the "preventative" drug therapy that the large-scale industrial feedlots must in order to keep disease to a minimum.