Bountiful Basket: May 18, 2013

 

 

What’s in the basket today?   All sorts of lovelies … and the whole pile for only $20!

 

Two heads of regular green leafy lettuce, a yam, some Roma tomatoes, butternut squash, four ears of yellow corn, cauliflower, two mangoes, honeydew melon, bananas and what the holy hell?? … FAVA BEANS?

I also ordered a case of apricots for an extra $20 and somehow failed to take a picture of them.  (Weird, right???)   They are perfect.  I’ll share more about them later.

All of the produce looked great.   Except, I have no idea what the FAVA to do with those beans.   Some of the gals at the co-op were talking about how to prepare them and the consensus is that favas are like gigantic, hard lima beans.   So, cook the heck out of them and then add them to something else.   I have an idea to experiment with doing a hummus kind of thing but I might look for some other recipes first.   Frankly, my only knowledge of fava beans is from “Silence of the Lambs” ala Hannibal Lecter, “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti.”

We do have a chianti sitting around … or do you have a better idea?   Anyone have a FAVA-orite recipe?  

 

Not-So-Local Fruit Salad

 

 

I love fresh fruit and my Bountiful Basket from last week was full of it!   Then, there’s the matter of a touch of leftover mint from Kentucky Derby Juleps and some rhubarb syrup that I made.   Let’s go with a fancy schmancy fruit salad, shall we?

First up, cantaloupe.    Fresh and ripe … but, definitely not a Fallon, Nevada, Heart of Gold.   Those are the best.

 

These watermelon had the thinnest rind I have ever seen … very sweet and tasty.

 

I love pineapple.   Now, don’t get all wound up … they do not grow pineapples in Nevada (that I am aware of).   Remember, this is a food co-op and we got these lovelies from Mexico.    I am having some local food guilt about it.   Well, maybe, I will after I’m done eating it.   They are very good and the co-op prices are awesome.

 

Grapefruit.   I love how it smells.   But, gawd, it is so bitter.   I even sectioned these out and yowza-TART!

 

The full fancy schmancy fruit salad … ta da!    I drizzled a little bit of the rhubard syrup and some finely chopped mint for the final touch.    And, while the grapefruit was not my favorite, I think the blend of flavors was just right.

 

 

What’s on the calendar for this week?    There’s a new Bountiful Basket coming tomorrow.   And, hopefully, I’ll post a little bit more.   It’s busy here in the desert.   And, I spend way too much time reading and commenting on other blogs.   I need to get my bloggy act together.  I think the local foodie guilt is bringing my blog motivation down.   I’m sure there’s something more profound to it all and I could get all twisty about Monsanto or Food Revolution Day but, nah … I don’t have it in me today.

What have you been doing lately?   Do you have local foodie guilt?  Share something with me.

Rhubarb Fail

Rhubarb is a strange fruit/vegetable thing.   Technically, it is a vegetable but it cooks out with a sweetness that pairs it well for jellies, jams and mostly notably PIE.   I opted out of the traditional preparations this time and tried a food experiment.   Today, I tried to make rhubarb fruit roll-ups or fruit leather.    Tried is the key word of the day.   I tried.

If you have been hanging around Fresh Veggies for a while, you might remember that last year I had great success with rhubarb pineapple upside down cupcakes.   I managed to make them while camping, no less.   Click that link if you would like to try rhubarb.   Keep reading here if you want to see my latest fail.   Fails are more fun, right?   Keep reading …

 

I think rhubarb is kind of pretty, don’t you?   The plants grow to a decent size.   They are actually fairly impressive if you get to see one in real life.

 

I started by chopping up the rhubarb and just boiling it down to a mushy syrupy mess.   At this point, most people add sugar.   I decided to be “healthy” and try it without the added sugar.   Mistake #1.   If you attempt this, add sugar.  Just do it.

I saved the liquid from this boiled down mess.   It has most of the natural sugars and I am going to use it for a fruit salad dressing later.   Stay tuned for another post … a hopefully, more successful execution of edible food.

The mush was a little bit stringy (like celery) so I used the hand blender to make it smoother.   My research on fruit leather suggested that I use a silicone mat to cook the goo on in the over.   This is a wise choice.   One of my only wise choices  in this food experiment.    I baked the first batch of fruit goo overnight as low as the oven would go, as suggested by several recipes.

 

Here’s a shot of the crispy concoction I discovered in the morning.   Fail.   Crispy, crunchy, burnt fail.

 

Lucky for you (or not), I had more fruit goo to try, try again.   The next batch was cooked on super low for only a few hours.   More like, four hours.   It dried nicely and came out in traditional fruit leather style.

 

However, it tasted like tangy, slightly bitter shoe leather.   Looking at this photo makes me think it looks like corned beef.  I wish it had tasted more like corned beef.  I regret even tasting it.  Bleck.  I do not recommend this recipe.   Again, try the cupcakes from last year if you would like a good rhubarb recipe.   HERE

Or, hang in there, I plan on a fruit salad later this week … that sounds good.

Do you like rhurbarb?  Want to share a FAIL?   Please leave a comment and make me feel better about ruining an entire batch of rhubarb.

Grilled Artichokes

 

 

 

For most people, artichokes are a labor of love.  There is a lot of work that goes into eating one and, for me, I have no idea how to tell ahead of time whether or not it is going to be worth all of the work.   I mean, really, all I want is the heart and how do you know from the outside if an artichoke has a big, tasty heart in there?   I could get all philosophical here but, let’s just cook some veggies and move on with it, OK?

First things first, clean and clip your tasty friend.

 

I boiled the artichokes for about 20 minutes to soften them up a bit.   You will need to cut them in half and remove the fuzzy “choke” (the purple-ish hairs that are inedible) from the center.   Then, just put them on the grill until they have a nice char, whatever you feel like.

I prefer mine with steak.   Don’t be fooled by the veggie facade, I am a carnivore at heart.

 

These artichokes looked good and were a fun sport but they didn’t have much heart.   I peeled and dipped each leafy layer.   At the end, though, I was glad there was steak.

 

I like to buy marinated artichoke hearts for salads and other meals but I have yet to figure out a better way to pick a fresh artichoke.   Any tips or suggestions?   What’s your favorite way to prepare an artichoke?

Bountiful Basket: May 4, 2013

 

 

This week was my first Bountiful Basket.   I am so completely impressed.   This is fantastic!   Easy, affordable, convenient. All of the things that I love!   AWESOME!

What’s a Bountiful Basket?   It is a food co-op.   Now, to be clear, this is very different from the fruit/veggie box that I blogged about last year.   This is not a community-supported agriculture subscription and it is not just local.   Each ‘basket’ is a share of the fruits and vegetables (or other food items) that the co-op could purchase with a group of contributions from the members.   Membership is free but you do need to sign up in advance via the website.   The Bountiful Baskets organization is a  non-profit, national organization so check their website to see if there is a location near you.

Now, here’s what I got this week for about $20:

 

In case you are not paying attention, there is a ton of stuff here.   I’m talking two super large heads of romaine lettuce, grapefruits, bananas, green onions, bell peppers, artichokes, cabbage, yellow squash, cantaloupes, watermelon and a pineapple.    The bulk of the fruit appears to be from Mexico.   I got the impression from the website that some of the produce was from Arizona and California as well.

 

I added on five loaves of artisan bread for $8.50:

 

This gigantic vat of coconut oil was $18.50.   I have seen considerably smaller containers for more at my local store.   What do you do with coconut oil?   Cook with it.   Use it for your hair.   Make sunscreen.   All kinds of great stuff.   It’s supposed to be good for you, too.   Google it.

 

And, I couldn’t resist some rhubarb.   This huge bag was $5.00.   Now, to decide what I’m going to do with it.    Any suggestions for something different other than pie or jelly?   I’m thinking it will go great with the pineapple or maybe, even the grapefruit.

 

Overall, I’m really happy with the quality of the produce and I love the ease of ordering.   The baskets are every other week and, if we are going to be out of town or something, you don’t have to participate every time.   The volunteers at the pick-up point were really friendly and there is a Facebook group for my local area where people share recipes, etc.

The only bad thing that I can think of right now is that I’m missing the “Know Your Farmer” aspect that I had last year with Lattin Farms in Fallon, NV.   But, I still love them so I know I will make a special trip to their food stand soon enough.   Bountiful Baskets won’t steal me that completely from them.

Let’s hear from you — what do you think?

Bountiful Baskets Washoe Valley

I think I may have found a new veggie basket for this year.   Since moving to our new house, I have debated whether or not to do the CSA this year and just wanted to try something different.   Tada!   The solution fell right into my lap the other day when I discovered that there is a food co-op that does a fruit and veggie basket right in my neighborhood.   Wow!  How convenient?!

What’s this new discovery?   Well, silly me, I had heard of a program called “Bountiful Baskets” a long time ago but I don’t think there was a local spot for me at the time and … then … I forgot about it.   That simple.   It is a national organization of volunteers so check their website and see if it’s convenient for you, too.   www.bountifulbaskets.org

Their own description of how it all works looks like this:

“We hope you enjoyed your experience with Bountiful Baskets Food Co-op (BBFC). BBFC distributes produce baskets, organic produce baskets, artisan bread and sandwich bread every other week.

BBFC is a group of people who work together for mutual benefit. This is a grassroots, all volunteer, no contracts, no catch co-operative. Since there are no employees at Bountiful Baskets, we as a group pay rock bottom prices on your food. This also means the co-op would not happen without volunteers. If you are interested in the co-op continuing, please volunteer occasionally. All it takes is a little time, energy and a smile. Volunteer opportunities include helping prepare the baskets, breaking down boxes, assisting with the distribution, and packing up. To help out, simply arrive an hour early dressed and ready to work with water to drink.

See you at Co-op!
Sally & Tanya and The Whole Bountiful Baskets Team“

The deal is that you go to their website every other week to opt-in and then volunteer every so often to help out with the distribution.   OK.   I can handle that.

This week’s offering included extra add-ons like two different bread packages, coconut oil (1/2 gallon expeller pressed in a glass jar for $18.50), granola, a guacamole kit, 8 lb flat of strawberries, 4 lbs rhubarb or a 40 lb bag of valencia oranges.   I opted to try the bread, coconut oil and rhubarb.

Keep your fingers crossed, Fresh Veggers.   I hope this is as cool as I think it’s going to be!   I’ll post an update this weekend.  Pickup is on Saturday!

Has anyone else out there tried Bountiful Baskets?   Leave a comment, please.  I would love to hear about your experience.

P.S.  I’m waiting to see how this first week goes before I figure out the volunteering portion of the deal.

My Local Food Co-Op

Instead of doing the CSA subscription this year, I have decided to forage for Fresh Veggies in the Desert on my own.   I love Lattin Farms and had a blast with the weekly CSA box last year.   No complaints.   I would just like to try something different.   And, I noticed lots of opportunities to get some of my farm favorites from local stores as well.   So, you can still expect to see Fallon produce at my house this year.

Today’s visit is to the Great Basin Community Food Co-Op in downtown Reno.   This fantastic store has grown from a tiny little co-op to a real, live contender to the regular chain grocery store.   I am smitten.   There are lots of ways to become a member and get a discount.  But, if you just want to drop by and shop, no problem.   Everyone is welcome!   For more info, please check out the GBCFC website HERE.   Or, check them out of Facebook HERE.

The store is located at 240 Court Street, near Arlington and the Truckee River.  Parking is odd but it’s downtown so either hope for some of the limited spots in their lot or buck up and figure out how to use the meter kiosk.   The Co-Op is in that funky Spanish-style building.   If you’ve wandered past Wingfield Park or out of the downtown casinos, you’ve seen it.

Look at this produce section!   Wowzers.    Now, to be fair, this is not all grown in Nevada-proper.   But, Reno sits pretty darn close to California so that’s kinda local, right??    It’s all organic and beautiful.   There was lemongrass, fresh ginger and horseradish–not just your standard fare, here.

Squashies, apples and pears.   WHAT??!   Is that a Honey Crisp apple?   OMG.  I love this place.

Then, I saw this.   Fill your own container with honey.   Or vinegar.  Or olive oil.    REALLY!

What?   You forgot to bring your own container?   Here’s some:

The Co-Op packages up sandwiches and salads in the cooler for a quick lunch or snack.   Then, if you want to linger, there is a full upstairs with books and gifts to peruse.    I think I saw a seating area up there, too.   This place is a hidden treasure downtown.

The prices are fair but not cheap.  It’s Reno’s local Whole Foods.   Only better.   Because it’s not a chain store.   And a couple of other reasons.

There were just so many great things about this store that I couldn’t possibly pack it all into one post.   They have a locally roasted, proprietary blend of GBCFC coffee for crying out loud!    (Whole bean bag purchased, more on this later.)

You can bet I’ll be going back there and sharing more discoveries with you.

Do you have a local food co-op?   What do you think about it?   How does it compare to my desert oasis, the GBCFC?

Blogging Against Hunger

Reblogged from Rachel's Table:

• 
• 
• 

Hungry isn't a word most would use to describe America. Instead, people use words like wealthy and great.

But 50 million people in this wealthy and great nation are hungry, meaning 1 in 4 children are "food insecure" and do not know where they will find their next meal.

One culprit here is poverty: 15.7 million children (21.6%) in America live in poverty.

Read more… 597 more words

... fresh and healthy needs to be affordable and a fIrst choice ... read up, peeps!

2013 CSA Prices

I’m super excited for CSA season to start back up here in Northern Nevada.   The prices and season options for my CSA, Great Basin Basket CSA, are now available and I thought I would put them out to the blogosphere for some feedback.  The dollar amount of the box is about the same as last year but the seasons have been shortened by several weeks in the beginning and at the end.   Also, the prices do not include a fruit subscription.   The fruit subscription will be separate and has not been priced as of yet.

What do you think?   If you are a subscriber somewhere else, how do these prices compare to yours?

Here’s the details:

BASKET OPTIONS
Spring 8/4 weeks (May 7-June 27)
Weekly- $216
Bi-weekly- $120
Summer 12/6 weeks (July 9-Sept 26)
Weekly- $348
Bi-weekly- $192
Autumn 6/3 weeks (Oct 1-Nov 7)
Weekly- $162
Bi-weekly- $90
All three seasons! 26 weeks
Weekly- $726
Bi-weekly- $402
Basket shares feed 3-4. Bi-weekly shares are delivered as follows: Last name begins with A-K: delivery begins on
first & odd weeks. Last name begins with L-Z: delivery begins on second and even weeks. No exceptions, please.
Bi-weekly memberships will be notified of your delivery dates.

Weekly subscription prices: Spring-$27 per week; Summer-$29 per week; Autumn-$27 per week. Bi-weekly subscriptions have an additional $3 per week surcharge.
PAYMENT OPTIONS

Payment plan option: Send $50 deposit to reserve your seasons, and the balance for each season will be due
one week before the season begins.* Final payment for Spring is due April 30; Summer is due July 2; Autumn is
due Sept. 24. The deposit is applied to your subscription.


EARLY PAYMENT BONUSES FOR 2013 SEASON

Subscribe and pay for Three seasons of Weekly share ($726) by March 31, and receive $50 in GBC Market Dollars*.

Subscribe and pay for Two seasons of Weekly share by March 31, and receive $20 in GBC Market Dollars*.

Subscribe and pay for Three seasons of Bi-weekly share by March 31 ($402), and receive $20 in GBC Market Dollars.
*GBC Market Dollars: These bonus dollars can be used to purchase produce and value-added products from selected Great Basin Basket farmers at local farmers markets and farm stands.

To be fair, I loved my CSA subscription last year and have nothing but wonderful things to say about it.   But, I do have to admit the price is a little spendy and I’m not sure if I want to do it again this year.    Give me some feedback!   I’m waffling on the veggies here!

Blog Vacation

Fresh Veggies in the Desert has decided to go on blog vacation.    The new CSA year does not start up again until late April so  I will not be making regular posts until the weekly boxes start arriving.

Don’t be surprised if I post a random note or two in between but … for the most part … it is winter here in Northern Nevada and I there’s not much to talk about in the freshness scene.

I am thinking about checking out the local co-op soon but it’s not convenient for me to get to from work or home so, no promises.

Until then, I’ll still be out here in cyberspace reading your blog posts but I don’t know how often I will be posting on this site.

Stay tuned.