Food Revival

I found some inspiration for all of the eggplant I got in my Jones Valley Urban Farm CSA bag this week:

Roasted Tomato Eggplant Tartine. (I found the recipe on NY Times Diner's Journal and I used as many local ingredients as I could.)

Yield 4 servings
Time 40 minutes
(Adapted from Marc Murphy, the executive chef and the owner of the Landmarc and the Ditch Plains restaurants)

Ingredients

• For the tomatoes (I used AL tomatoes: in season and local)
•  2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

• 1  tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
•  For the tapenade:
• 1/2 cup pitted calamata olives (I used green)
•  2 tablespoons drained capers
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• For assembly
•   3/4 pound eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 4 slices, each about 1/3 inch thick (I used eggplant from my Jones Valley Urban Farm CSA bag)
•  3 tablespoons olive oil
•   Salt and freshly ground black pepper
•  1/2 cup fresh soft goat cheese (I was all out of my Belle Chevre, so I used Wright Dairy Wanda Cheese instead)
•   4 1/2-inch slices country bread (I used V. Richards Multi-Grain Bread and I'm sure any of Continental Bakery's breads would be perfect too)
•  Method
•   1. For the tomatoes: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a wide, shallow bowl, toss tomato slices with olive oil, and garlic. Spread on a baking sheet. Roast 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
•  2. For the tapenade: Place olives and capers in blender or food processor and chop coarsely. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Puree until smooth; set aside.
• 3. For assembly: Prepare grill for cooking or heat ridged grill pan over moderately high heat. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Grill, turning as necessary, until slightly charred and soft, about 3 to 4 minutes a side.
•   4. Preheat a broiler. Brush each slice of bread with olive oil and spread thin layer of tapenade on each slice. Top each with an equal portion of eggplant and roasted tomatoes. Sprinkle with grated Wright Dairy Wanda cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and tartine is piping hot, about 5 minutes.
• 5. I sprinkled some fresh basil from my JVUF CSA bag over each piece before serving...

I've been meaning to stop by Oak Street Market for...oh, I don't know...MONTHS? My friend, Ellen Riley, runs the shop and sends out the most tempting newsletters and status updates. Teasers like: We've got Wright Dairy Wanda Cheese (my fave), Mary Ann's Pimento Cheese (my fave), Petals from the Past figs (you guessed it...my fave), and countless other items. But meaning to stop by and actually doing so are two VERY different things.

Truth be told, I probably thought the very thing you are thinking right now: "Oak Street is in Crestline, right? That equals 'expensive' in my book." Well, yeah... I thought so too, but I was wrong. Dead. Wrong. 

Yesterday, I picked up a pound (or so) of pluots, Petals from the Past figs, potatoes, and shelled butterbeans for a super reasonable price. Now don't get me wrong: Your specialty items are going to cost you more, but you can also pick from corn, eggplant, squash, vegetable soup, tomatoes, peaches, onions, potatoes, shelled peas, cheeses, and so much more. 

Across the street, you will find a wonderful kids garden growing on Emmet O'Neal's Library's grounds. That garden is absolutely beautiful and I just love the whole food + learning + local market connection. Seriously love it. 

But that's not the only "cool" factor. You see, Ellen gave away tomato plants at Jones Valley Urban Farm's Slow Food Festival earlier this year so that folks would take the plants home, harvest some tomatoes, and bring them back to be donated to Magic City Harvest (a food recovery program in Birmingham, Alabama). 

So not only is this market selling LOCAL products (Snow's Bend, Michael Dean,Wright Dairy, Mary Ann's Pimento Cheese, and Petals from the Past are some of the folks I saw), but they are also supporting food recovery and community gardening as well. 

So here's the thing: don't be fooled by the "Crestline" mystique. Take advantage of your local resources and make a point to stop in Oak Street Local Market next week.  We want our local folks to be successful. We also need more access points for quality, local, and seasonal items. I'm absolutely embarrassed that I just got around to visiting, but I can tell you this...Oak Street Market will be seeing a lot more of me from here on out! 

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OR...VISIT TODAY:
Oak Street Local Market
115 Oak Street
Birmingham, AL, 35213
205-870-7542
9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Wait, let me guess: You've got squash and eggplant coming in at full force, right? Tell me about it! Boy, do I have *the* recipe for you and the best part is this recipe should last all week and will take care of all that CSA bounty at once! Let me introduce my Roasted Veggie Farro Salad. I was inspired by two recipes: "Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad" from Smitten Kitchen/Gourmet (RIP Gourmet) and "Orzo with Roasted Vegetables" by Barefoot Contessa.



Here's what I did (Be sure to read through the entire recipe so you can get your timing right):

FARRO (FAHR-oh):
1 1/2 cups Farro
2 1/2 cups of water
Salt (as much as you would use boiling pasta)
First, what is Farro? Well, depends on who you ask because I've seen it called a grain, a form of wheat, and a plant all of its own. According to my Food Lover's Companion: "Farro is an ancient cereal grain that belongs to the wheat family and dates as far back as 20,000 years. Farro has a dense chewy structure and a rich, nutty flavor. It can be used in pasta, bread, and for risotto-style dishes." I purchased my bag in the pasta section, so look there first. Place farro in a bowl, cover with water, and let soak for 8 hours (or overnight). Then, I just cooked it like i would pasta in a pot of salted water. Follow the instructions on the package as you want the farro to retain a bit of a bite. Once finished cooking, I drained the farro and set aside for later.

ROASTED VEGGIES:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees
1 1/2 lb eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 lb zucchini/squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Dice your eggplant and squash into 1/2- inch, thick chunks (make sure they are the same size). Toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread veggies on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 425 degrees for about 20-30 minutes (or so). I usually flip the veggies midway through the cooking process. Make sure your veggies are charred, yet tender and hold their shape!

Now it is assembling time:
SALAD INGREDIENTS:
1/2 lb cherry tomatoes, quartered (use local while you can)
1/3 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion, rinsed and drained if desired (I didn't, but you can if you want)
1/3 cup scallions (about 2-3; use white and green parts)
LOTS of feta cheese (cubed not crumbled)

DRESSING:    
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/3 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Whisk to combine all ingredients

TO ASSEMBLE:
Add drained farro to large bowl. Add roasted veggies and any liquid bits from the pan to the farrro. Stir. Pour dressing over farro and veggies and let cool to room temperature. While your main ingredients are cooling, begin dicing up your salad ingredients: scallions, kalamata olives, tomatoes, and feta. Once at room temperature, toss ingredients with your farro/veggie mixture. Serve at room temperature!

I had this for lunch, supper, and as a snack all week. You are going to love it. Thank you Smitten Kitchen,  Barefoot Contessa, and my Jones Valley Urban Farm CSA bag for the inspiration this week!

Remember when I told you the "Kids Who Care" Campers made the news? Well, our kids from the East Lake camp had a busy day last Saturday: TWO "Be Healthy" strolls and mini flash mobs! The first surprise was at the East Lake Farmers Market, which also happened to be one of the two day camp sites. Second Surprise was at Pepper Place Farmers Market to celebrate our Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Day!

All of our partners showed up with booths of their own: Jones Valley Urban Farm ran the Bike Blender station, YMCA brought hula hoops and jump ropes, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham brought information about Railroad Park and Ruffner Mountain, Jefferson County Department of Health brought lots of nutrition and WIC information, Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners brought information about our local food system and some seasonal recipes, and the United Way Success by 6 program had books and crayons! 

Our friends at Desert Island Supply Company (DISCO) joined us and encouraged some of our kids to write about fresh veggies and their market experience. A big congrats to them for reaching their $20K kickstarter goal yesterday! We love DISCO!

And our friends at Charlie Thigpen's Garden Gallery provided some seeds for inspiration. If you haven't stopped by Charlie's store at Pepper Place yet, you will absolutely love it!

Finally, we had great prizes from some amazing sponsors: Hibbett Sports, Trak Shak, and Cahaba Cycles (see their links below). 

When the going gets tough (and trust me when I say it totally will), I highly suggest remembering why we work so hard: THESE AWESOME KIDS! 

A HUGE thank you goes to the following folks:
United Way Young Leaders (Matt Chapman, you are awesome! Thanks to the entire group for planning and implementing)
Aletheia House (especially Chris, Tara, and Keisha)
Aletheia House Summer Interns (y'all rock!)
Kids Who Care campers in East Lake and West End (hope to see y'all next year!)
Anna Lloyd (intern extraordinaire and creative director of "Fresh Grown" and Pepper Place video shown below)
East Lake United Methodist Church

East Lake Farmers Market Farmers
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in West End
Healthy Kids, Healthy Communities Partners

Pepper Place Farmers Market
Hibbett Sports
Trak Shak
Charlie Thigpen's Garden Gallery
Cahaba Cycles
and everyone else!!!

I am always overjoyed when I catch a glimpse of okra in my Jones Valley Urban Farm CSA bag. Normally, you'll find me soaking those bad boys in some buttermilk, tossing them in a little flour and cornmeal, and frying them until golden brown and deliciously crisp! The truth is, we don't really need to be eating fried okra every week (No, we don't so don't even try to convince me otherwise). I recently found a recipe for "Roasted Okra" by Chef Scott Peacock and decided to give it a try. First, let's be clear: I abhor okra slime, which means you can imagine my hesitancy when buttermilk, cornmeal, and frying had to exit the cooking process. Nonetheless, I can assure you that this recipe was absolutely delicious and totally avoids the slime factor completely.

Cooking side note: If you are in a hurry, simply slice your okra in half, place on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle some salt, and bake at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Cooking time varies and depends on your oven and crisp preference. 

Roasted Okra
from "Making Southern Cuisine Healthful" by Chef Scott Peacock presented at University of Arizona Nutrition and Health Conference in Atlanta GA

½ pound okra
1 small (about 6 ounces) onion, preferably red
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 mint sprigs
Salt and freshly ground pepper 

Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Rinse the okra under cold running water, and drain.  Trim the tops off the okra by
removing the stems, but don’t cut the whole caps off.  Cut the onion in half from
stem to top, then again in thirds in the same direction. Put the okra, onion and
garlic onto a Silpat pad on a baking sheet, or on an oiled pan, and drizzle the olive
oil over them.  Tuck in the mint sprigs, sprinkle with ¾ teaspoon salt and freshly
ground pepper, toss all together lightly, and let the flavors mingle at least 20
minutes before roasting. 

Place in preheated oven to roast for 5-10 minutes.   Makes enough to serve 4. 

“Okra invariably is deep-fried where I come from – but roasting it makes it crisp yet tender, neither mushy nor slimy, and it takes only 5-10 minutes.” – Scott Peacock

Happy roasting, y'all!

I learned a lot this Summer and I'm still trying to figure out a way to tell y'all about it. Luckily, the Birmingham News did a great job summarizing one of our projects today and I want to share it with you. Click here to read the entire article:

What is so great about this story is that it illustrates how your relationships, community connections, and overall interest in making things better can make a HUGE difference in a child's life. I celebrate about all of my friends at East Lake Farmers Market and the East Lake Farmers who offered to source some of the snacks, Whole Foods Market's tomatoes, Jones Valley Urban Farm's Seed 2 Plate Field Trips, the Aletheia House Day Camp interns and program managers who were willing to take on fresh, local, and healthier snacks. Of course, there are too many people to name who helped make this program a success and I can't wait to see what we do next year! When a community unites and shares resources, expertise, passion, and care you can see true change. I think the "Kids Who Care" day camp is a perfect example of just that. 

There's plenty of work to be done, but let's not lose sight of stories like this one. It's important to know that there is hard work happening behind the scenes, there are success stories in all of our communities, and we have some deserving kids seeing possibilities of what *will* be our reality in the near future.  How exciting is that? 

Last week, I intended to write individual entries about *all* of the wonderful meals I made inspired by some really fantastic food websites, but alas...life got in the way. I don't want to make you wait on me, so rather than write individual entries on each recipe, I will just include a brief recap here, a few photos, and direct you to some websites where you will find the complete recipes. Off we go...

PESTO:
My weekly CSA bag from Jones Valley Urban Farm was filled with delicious basil. I decided to whip up a batch of Barefoot Contessa's Pesto so I could use it throughout the week. My intentions were good: the thought would be to add to roasted summer squash and pasta or homemade pizzas. Truth be told, we only used it on the pizzas.

PIZZA:
My husband swears by Easy Pizza Dough from Fine Cooking. He'll make a batch and split the dough for mini-pizzas throughout the week. He's found great success with adding the dough to our cast iron skillet and building the pizza from there. This week we had a roasted vegetable pizza inspired by Le Culinary Creusette and a pesto/tomato pizza with green olives. We had three full days of pizza and all was right in the household.

ROASTED VEGGIES
My Jones Valley Urban Farm CSA bag was also filled with eggplant and summer squash. To get ahead of the week, I simply diced my veggies (rough dice, thick slices), drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I roasted in the oven at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes. You want your veggies to be  tender with a little bit of a char on the edges. Once you get the roasting done, you can add them to salads, pizzas, pasta, or anything else your heart desires. Roast the veggies on Sunday so you can save some time during the week. 

SCALLOPED TOMATOES WITH CROUTONS
One of my favorite websites, Smitten Kitchen, posted a recipe inspired by the lurvely Barefoot Contessa: Scalloped tomatoes with croutons. She had me at "tomatoes" (especially as I glanced at the 20 or so tomatoes I had sitting on my window sill). She definitely had me at "croutons" because, well...that's how I roll. I reposted this recipe on *my* facebook page and have already had two folks (you go Susannah and Jami) say that it was a huge hit. For the love of summer, please try this recipe with homegrown tomatoes before our season ends. Hurry, run, GO!  

So as you can see, it was a busy week. I hope some of these recipes help you plan this week's menu or prevents CSA veggies from going bad. Let me know if this format is helpful because there will be less of a wait in between posts if I can update y'all this way. 

As I've mentioned before, I am a member of a food-focused book club that meets once a month at East Lake United Methodist Church to discuss our chapters/lessons and break bread together thanks to Ms. Juanita's lunch specials. Our book club is a little different because we are using Menu for the Future is a six-session course exploring the connection between food and sustainability by the Northwest Earth Institute as our guide.

This week's chapter was all about identifying where our food comes from. As part of our homework, we were challenged to dissect one of our meals by asking the following questions: Where did the food come from? Where was it grown? Processed?

I must admit, I went into this challenge knowing I wasn't going to have a problem with this assignment one bit. After all, I regularly source my meals from my weekly Jones Valley Urban Farm CSA, Farmers Market finds, Wright Dairy group, and manage to score some veggies/fruits from my friends/family's gardens. All set, right? 

I decided to dissect my "Meatless Monday" supper (see photo):

1) Sliced Tomatoes:  Mr. Benson's (my Father-In-Law) garden

2) Salad:
Lettuce: Earthbound Farms (grocery store)
Broccoli Slaw: Taylor's Organic (grocery store)
Walnuts: Whole Foods Market 365 brand (grocery store)
Red Bell Pepper: (grocery store)
Cucumbers: Mr. Benson's garden
Shredded Cheese: Wright Dairy "Wanda" Cheese (Alexandria, AL)
Salad Dressing: Whole Foods Market Balsamic (grocery store)

3) Roasted Okra:
Okra: Mr Benny @East Lake Farmers Market + Jones Valley Urban Farm CSA
Onion: (grocery store)
Garlic: Garden
Mint: Garden
Olive Oil: (grocery store)

4) Peas:
Peas: Maple Valley in Sterrett, AL
Okra (seasoning): see earlier reference
Salt: (grocery store)

So as you can see, as intentional and locally-sourced this meal seems to be, I'm still left with EIGHT grocery store items and SEVEN locally-sourced items. Fascinating, right? Just goes to show how much we rely on ingredients that are processed and packaged across the country (and outside of the country).This isn't to say that buying from grocery stores is wrong, but instead this exercise should shine a light on how careful we need to be when purchasing our ingredients since we are so closely aligned to our mass production way of life. We've moved far away from the concept of knowing the person who grew, harvested, packaged, and sold the food that is on our plates. I guess finding a balance is the key.

I encourage each of you to take the same challenge over the next couple of weeks while our seasonal and delicious summer fruits/veggies are in abundance. Please comment either below this article or link us back to your website. This is just another way to become a little more aware of how we participate in this big, big world of ours. 

Happy Summer! 

I am totally zen-like today. I'm seriously ohmmmm'in my way through today and I think I know why. Our day (meaning me and the huzzzzzband) started around 5:30 am. Why? Because today was my day to do the East Lake Dairy Group Pickup. I've talked a little about this in previous posts, but I couldn't resist talking about it again. Our East Lake Dairy Group is the brain child of my friend Helen Williams. Here's how it works. We (the Dairy Group members) place our Wright Dairy order with Helen every two weeks. Then, one of our members commits to driving (at least once) to Alexandria, Alabama (near Anniston) to pick up the orders and deliver them to East Lake United Methodist Church on Saturday by 10:00 am. Then each member visits the church, picks up their order, and writes Helen a check to reimburse her for her time and our dairy products. It is beyond simple to do and I can tell you that I was totally fulfilled by my pick up duty this morning. I enjoyed some coffee in the car, the early morning rain, and some conversation with my husband there and back.

When we pulled up to Wright Dairy, I quickly realized that our East Lake Dairy Group does NOT play. We had close to 25 gallons of milk (wha?), 6 packs of ground beef, cheddar cheese, pints of ice cream, and butter. Unfortunately, the egg delivery didn't happen in time for pick up so we had an egg pick up fail on our hands. Nonetheless, that's kind of how it goes. You just have to be...flexible. 

As we loaded up the car, local folks were driving up to pick up their milk right when the Wright Dairy Store opened (now, *THIS* is a drive thru I am more than happy to support).  I wonder if the locals know how lucky they have it? I'm sure they do hence their early bird arrival! 

We made our way back to town and delivered our carload of dairy products to East Lake United Methodist Church (destination for pick up). The East Lake Farmers Market was HOPPING and I had this moment of clarity as I listened to the muffled sound from market buyers and local musicians. The clarity was how absolutely pleased I am to have found such a neat place to land – my life, my friends, my work, and all of the learning and sharing I'm finding along the way. A simple dairy order sure can put some things in perspective and connect you back to why your community is so incredibly important. 

Food Revival helps me connect the joy I'm finding in the food-related things I do every day with a broad community of folks interested in the very same thing. I wish you the same happiness as you shop around your local markets and encourage you to branch out and start your OWN dairy or food group. It is worth every mile and effort. 

Moo,
Amanda