Life Begins at 30

What I'm Reading

Wow - I am behind in my blog reading.  There are a lot of interesting things going on out there.  Here are some:

> Barbara is talking about Jamie Oliver killing a lamb. It probably doesn't surprise you that the author of a post entitled "Meat Comes from Animals: Deal with It, or Eat Vegetables" has an opinion about the Jamie Oliver incident.

> Seven Spoons.  Hello?  Am I the last blogger on earth to find this site?  A fun new find -- it's gorgeous and engaging.

> Jennifer at Cookin' in the 'Cuse is going to eat locally through the end of the year.  In Syracuse.  New York.  Where it's cold.  Very cold.

> Kate had a great post today about organic vs. local.

> Do you know that Tom Philpott is writing for Gristmill?  A month ago (yes I am that far behind), he wrote a great article about working conditions on California's organic farms -- reminding me that the issue of modern agriculture has so many aspects to it.

Eating Local in November

This is our eat-local dinner from last night.

Butternut Squash (Eatwell Farm) roasted with salt, pepper, brown sugar and a dab of olive oil.

Scarlet Runner Beans (Rancho Gordo) sauteed with shallot, spinach, and tomato (Eatwell Farm)

Rosie chicken breast with black sesame seeds (Full Belly Farm) - marinated with soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.

Yes, you just read that right ... I had a local, organic, non hot-housed tomato in November.  Eatwell Farm is still providing a few in their CSA boxes.  The one I used last night in the spinach was delicious. 

I finally joined Eatwell Farms' CSA program.  For years, I had gone back and forth about a CSA, feeling as though I still wanted to be able to go to farmers' markets and choose my own produce.  The main reasons I decided to join are:

1) price.  I believe we are going to spend less money on the CSA box than we usually do for our produce.  We pre-purchased 13 weeks of the basket and are spending $19.50 a week.

2) convenience.  My real epiphany came about a month ago when I was struggling to carry home several bags of food from the farmers' market.  It is a lot to purchase all the produce for a high veggie-eating household at the farmers' market on any given weekend.  This way, I am hoping that I will still go to the market and be able to focus on purchasing specialty items instead of all the basics.

3) support of the farm and the CSA concept.  Of all the farms that are out there, I have the closest personal connection with Eatwell Farm, and I know that the CSA program is a great way to be a consistent supporter of any farm's work.  While farmers love and are thrilled with support at a farmers' market, dollars received as a part of a CSA subscription have additional value in that they are dollars that are pre-paid, consistent and can be counted on when the farm is making plans upgrades or large purchases.

I will keep you apprised of how I do on the CSA program, and let you know what I am receiving in my box.  If you would like to read more about local CSA programs, you can read my wrap-up which was written for Bay Area Bites.

My most recent post for Bay Area Bites was posted today entitled "Noshing through West Marin County".  You can always check the most recent posts I have done by checking column to the right of this post entitled "I write for KQED's Bay Area Bites".

Edible San Francisco

This post falls under the "tooting my own horn" category.

Edible San Francisco is a magazine whose initial publication was this month.  Another magazine produced by the folks at Edible Communities, Edible San Francisco is edited by none other than Bruce Cole of Saute Wednesday.

In addition to articles about honey, Cafe Gratitude, and Three Wise Hens eggs, there is also an article by yours truly about the Eat Local Challenge.  You can find copies for free around town -- check these locations.

Not Chutzpah, it's Hutspot!

Earlier this week, I posted about a dish that Jason made called "Chutzpah".  Well, I received an email from his mom after posting that said "No, not Chutzpah, it's Hutspot!".  This is a dish that Jason remembered from being a child, and by the time he told me (and I wrote it down) I heard Chutzpah.

"Hutspot" is a traditional Dutch dish -- according to Jason's mom, "The Dutch word is 'hutspot' meaning
'cottage pot.' The English version of it is 'hotchpotch' or 'hodgepodge.'"  Hutspot is usually served as mashed vegetables (potatoes, carrot, kale, cabbage, escarole, onion, or some mixture - you might remember that we used pumpkin too) along with a piece of meat such as smoked sausage, corned beef, or boiled beef).

So now we all know that it's hutspot -- not chutzpah and I will change the earlier post to set the record straight.

But I think in our household we will still call it chutzpah!

Hutspot in Sunset magazine
Hutspot - Food Network Recipe