fancy

I don't often spend much time on plating and presentation, but I've been dying to try this little trick that I learned while working in catering. And the cucumbers are finally in, so I tried it.
Slice a cucumber lengthwise very thinly. The ideal thickness is less than 1/8", really just as thin as you can possibly cut it without the fruit breaking. Then, wrap it around in a circle, and it will stick to itself. Fill the inside with a few leaves of lettuce or some other salad, and ta-da: you've got a fancy little appetizer.

Black Raspberries

The crown jewels of summer. Delightful little morsels of tart sweetness. A bit seedy to those who are squeamish about such things, but I couldn't be more content than turning my lips purple with constant snacking.
And that's what I did last week, as I forayed into a wild black raspberry patch with my mom and sister-in-law. We picked a lot of berries, and ate our fill as well. There wasn't much poison ivy right next to the plants, which was a blessing.
Here is one of our piles of berries.



And that's not all of them. We probably filled 4 dishpans, if we had piled them all on top of one another. I've never canned berries before, but we attempted because I don't know how much freezer space I'll have in West Virginia, and transporting frozen food can be sort of a bother. So I think we ended up with 16 or so pints of black raspberries that actually sealed and an additional 10 quarts of frozen berries that my mom and I will share. Here's a pic of the canned berries.



And with the berries that were left over, I made 2 blackberry custard pies. One for neighbors who just moved in next door to my house in Harrisburg, and one for the farm workers and volunteers who enjoy a home cooked meal every Friday at lunch. I haven't heard back from the neighbors yet, but the pie that I took to the farm caused an arm wrestling match for the last slice. It was scrumptious :)

Community Race

This past weekend, my journey took me to the roads that I know well, roads that I ran a hundred times during high school.
I ran in a community 5K with two of my high school friends. It was really fun to see about 80-90 community members out to support a scholarship fund and raise money for a local youth program in memory of a friends' father who passed away a few years ago.
I have been biking more than running recently, but I really enjoyed the run. I ran with my friends for the first mile and a half, then found that I had a lot of energy left, so I finished it strong. My time wasn't great, quite a few minutes slower than my races in high school, but I really like the distance.
It wasn't nearly as strenuous as a half marathon, and quite enjoyable to be honest. I'm thinking that budgeting a few community races into my spending for the year will be a good way for me to stay active :)
Here's a snapshot of my two incredible friends who ran with me:

Pricing Vegetables

I don't like it. Not one bit. Good food should be priceless- it just doesn't seem right to attach monetary value to a head of lettuce or a bunch of garlic scapes.
But, since I run the farm stand, it's part of my job. I want EVERYONE to eat vegetables, so I want the price to be really low. But at the same time, I know how much work went into growing the produce. There were so many people who were a part of the nurturing process, and it doesn't seem right that the snap peas that we planted, cultivated, trellised, and carefully harvested should be sold for just a few dollars a pint.
It just doesn't seem right. And yet I know that for someone who does their own gardening, that price would seem exorbitant.
A friend asked me earlier this season as we were planting peppers, "Do you find it depressing that produce farmers don't earn very much money, or are you inspired by their commitment to their vocation?" My answer is both. Both saddened, and inspired. There is more than monetary reward in cultivating the ground, but I wish that growing produce was a viable source of income.
For those who complain about high prices at the farm market, please know that there is a good chance that your farmer is earning significantly lower than federal minimum wage if wages are calculate based on an hourly rate.
Pricing aside, there is something beautiful about a full table of vegetables. Here's a peak at Joshua Farm's little roadside stand on 18th street. Very GREEN- I can't wait for a bit more color as the season progresses.


On another note- I'm looking forward to the first cooking class of the season with the youth on Friday. I am still working on the menu for lunch, but I'm excited nonetheless!

An Urban Farm Girl

I wake up early, eat some breakfast, and walk a few blocks to what used to be an athletic practice field, but is now Harrisburg's urban farm. Passing lots of "For Rent" signs, trash by the street, an empty plastic container gathering rainwater quite unintentionally, a wide side lawn of well manicured ivy. Climbing the steps and shutting the gate behind me, I pause briefly to observe the beauty of growing things. The basil, the peas, okra, each one of these plants has a mission in life: to produce something to be consumed by humans. However, according to Michael Pollan's book "The Botany of Desire", these plants might be a bit more in control than we would tend to assume. He proposes that "They evolve with certain properties that make humans want to propagate them, so they are the ones in charge".


Up in the high tunnel, the tomatoes are looking pretty sweet. Tall, stretching up on our hanging trellis system. I can't wait for the first fresh summer tomatoes. And neither can the farm stand patrons. Tomatoes are that classic homegrown vegetable that just aren't the same purchased at the grocery store.


I love to watch plants develop, blossom, produce fruit. There is something so healing for someone with a tendency towards perfectionism to work with something that I have little control over. God is the one who truly directs the growth and development of these little plants, and all I can do is try to help in the process.

Artichoke Garbanzo Pizza

It sounds a mite crazy, but it was really rather scrumptious.
My friend (and housemate) Laura and I decided to make pizza tonight, after cleaning out our kitchen and rearranging cupboards.
And we decided to use what was on hand to create a masterpiece.
We started with a frozen pizza crust. Not necessarily the best nutrition (it wasn't whole wheat) or flavor, but it was given to our house for free and someone might as well use it.
My barbecue flavored tomato sauce, which I considered an utter failure last summer when I spent all day simmering this sauce that was supposed to be delectable but ended up overly salty and sweet, was the absolute perfect base for a novelty pizza.
Topped with artichoke hearts, a handful of garbanzo beans, thin blobs of ricotta cheese, and a sprinkling of feta, this pizza was delicious. I added a few slices of turkey pepperoni to half of the pizza, which intensified and deepened the flavor.
Just toss it in the oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees farenheit, and you've got a winner :)
Lesson of the night: be creative with your pizza! Branch out from the classic tomato sauce and mozarella/cheddar cheese, and toss on whatever you have in your fridge.