Locally Grown Food Equals a Delicious Dinner

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This post is a guest post by CFN customer, mom and writer Leah over at Leah’s Thoughts.

One of the things I am most proud of in my life is making a commitment to eating locally –grown, organic produce and supporting community businesses. My family and I recently took this commitment to eating locally even closer to home — our own backyard!

My husband, Bryan, has always been interested in growing produce in our yard. Some crops have worked well (lemons, tomatoes, plums). Other crops probably needed more help (avocados).
Last year, Bryan and our 4-year-old daughter, Sophie, planted a few tomato plants in our yard and they flourished. In fact, one of Sophie’s favorite activities was running into the backyard and picking red tomatoes to show Bryan. Then she leaves them on the kitchen table for me to cook.

I have also had luck in planting little herb pots for fresh basil, parsley, chives and thyme that I love using in my kitchen concoctions.

After noticing a very full bowl of backyard tomatoes and lots of basil that needed picking, I decided to put our locally-grown, organic produce to action by making one of my all-time favorite tasty and healthy dishes — Tomato Basil Pasta. This dish is SO easy and simple, yet beyond flavorful.

I don’t have an actual recipe or measurements for this dish since it depends on how much produce I have available. I’ll do my best to tell you how to make it. You really can’t mess it up, honestly!

Tomato Basil Pasta Recipe

Tomato Basil Pasta Recipe

Here’s what you need:

  • 1/4c – olive oil
  • 1-1/2 c – tomatoes, chopped (I always use fresh)
  • 6 – 8 medium leaves – basil, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp – garlic
  • 1/2 tsp – salt
  • 1/2 tsp – pepper
  • Parmesan cheese – to taste (vegans and those will allergies can omit)
  • 1, 16oz box of pasta. (I use penne, or whatever is in the pantry. Gluten free pastas will work, too.  Just follow cooking instructions on the box!)

Heat the olive oil in a pan (maybe 1/4 cup), and add chopped tomatoes. Let them cook over a medium-low heat until it comes saucy, yet still chunky with your freshly picked tomatoes. Then add ½ tsp. garlic, salt and pepper. ALWAYS add salt and pepper when you cook, not after. It bring out the flavor more.

While all this is going on, cook the pasta (about 1 pound) to al dente. Once the sauce becomes a thick and yummy consistency, add the chopped basil and the cooked pasta. Then add Parmesan cheese. Let the pasta sit for a few minutes so all the flavors absorb together. Taste it for seasoning and, voila, you’re done!

This dish is so simple, so delicious, and so healthy. And when you make it with produce you’ve grown with your own two hands, it is SO fresh and satisfying! Trust me – you will want to grow your own tomatoes and herbs for this one. You will love it!

Leah Singer is a San Diego-based freelance writer. She blogs at Leah’s Thoughts about topics such as family, motherhood, traditions, cooking, writing, photography, and literature. She’s also an avid tweeter (@leahs_thoughts) and a self-proclaimed Facebook junkie.

Baby Chicks Have Arrived!

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Here’s a list of our current selection of baby chicks.  As of March 22nd, they’re priced $6.98 each.

If you’re thinking about having a chick (or three) on your homestead, come to our free Chickens 101 class on April 1st @1pm to learn more about how to raise these sweet wonders.

Edible Magazine Shows us Serious LOVE

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Are you a reader of Edible San Diego?  The delightful, earthy magazine that 
showcases local cuisine, business and keeps a current tally of every farmers market in the city?

In their Spring issue, the wonderfabulous folks at Edible gave City Farmers some serious content coverage.  They talk about Bill’s start, the changes in owning a nursery for nearly forty years, and a good tour of the CFN property.

{Read the full article}

 

Fermentation Recipes: Sauerkraut and Kimchi

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If you missed our recent fermentation class, below are the recipes, provided by Fermenters Club founder Austin Durant.

Slow Sauerkraut Recipe

Total Prep Time: 20 minutes Fermentation Time: 7 days to 6 months

1) Shred & Salt Cabbage

2 large heads (5 lbs.) organic cabbage (green or purple) 3 Tablespoons sea salt 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 1 teaspoon juniper berries

1 cup other fruit or veggies– fennel bulb, celery, apple, e.g. (Optional) Working in four batches (1/2 head at a time):

Shred cabbage & other veggies to a uniform size using a chef’s knife, mandolin, or V-slicer. Add cabbage and 1⁄4 of the other ingredients to a 1-gallon or larger fermenting vessel (glass, ceramic crock, or food-grade plastic container).

Mix ingredients together thoroughly with clean hands.

2) Pack into Vessel

Pack contents down with your hands. Add a plate or plastic lid that fits inside vessel & covers the top layer of cabbage. Add a heavy object such as a glass bottle filled with water, or a zip-top bag with salt-water to weigh cabbage down. Cover the container with a dish towel or other cloth (not cheesecloth) to keep out flies and dust. Brine will form as salt draws water from the cabbage (may take a day).

Ferment

Stash it in a cool, dark place– a cellar, under the stairs, or the coolest place in the kitchen. Check on it every few days (in warmer weather) to weekly (in cooler weather). Some mold may form on the surface. Remove weight and lid; wash them with warm soapy water. Then skim off the surface mold, getting as much as you can. Don’t worry if you don’t get it all. The contents are safe under the brine.

Ensure that contents are always under brine. If there is not enough brine to cover the contents, dissolve 1 Tbsp salt per 1 Cup of filtered water (mix as much as you need to cover the contents). Pour on top of contents. Leave for as little as 7 days or as long as 6 months.

When it tastes the way you like it, do a final mold cleaning and transfer to smaller (quart- or pint-sized) jars. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

© Fermenters Club 2012.

Kimchi

Soak Vegetables

Add to 1 gallon glass jar or ceramic crock: o 1 1⁄2 medium heads (2-3 lbs). cabbage (green, Napa, or bok choy), cut into 1”

chunks o 2 carrots, thinly sliced o 1 medium daikon radish, thinly sliced o 1 scallion

Dissolve salt into water. Pour brine over contents. o 3 pints filtered water o 4-5 tablespoons sea salt

Weigh veggies under brine with heavy glass bottle or plate with weight for 4 to 6 hours.

Make paste

Add to food processor: o 4 Tbsp. red pepper powder o 1 Tbsp. fish sauce o 1 Tbsp. soy sauce o 6-8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped o 3 scallions, sliced o 1 Tbsp. (about 3”) ground ginger

Pulse in food processor until paste forms.

Pack Jar or Crock

Drain vegetables, reserving 1 cup of soaking liquid. Wearing glove, mix paste thoroughly into vegetables with your hands. Pack into jar or crock. Even out top surface. Weigh down with plate or lid & weight. Contents should be under brine within 1 day. If not, top off with reserved brine.

Ferment

Cover with towel to keep dust/flies out. Let sit in warm dark spot for 7 days. Note: Your kitchen will smell like kimchi. Transfer to smaller (quart- or pint-sized) jars. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Seed Starting Workshop – Great Growing Opportunity

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If you’ve dreamt of starting seeds, or struggled with seeds in the past, this workshop is for you.

San Diego garden expert, author, teacher, and designer Nan Sterman is offering seven seed starting workshops at locations throughout San Diego County this March.

This workshop focuses on seed starting basics.  You’ll start with how to read seed packages and which seeds to start in which seasons. Learn about containers for starting seeds and the best soils, too. Everything a hoping-for-green-thumb needs to raise a summer full of vegetables, fruits and herbs will be covered. Then, you’ll literally dig in and get planting!

Participants end up with:

  • dirty fingernails
  • smiles on their faces
  • an entire garden of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, basil, pumpkins and more… seeded and ready to sprout!

From Nan, 

“For the price of a trip to the grocery store, participants start several hundred dollars worth of plants, which can, over the course of the summer, produce hundreds of dollars worth of produce. Once they gain those skills, they’ll know how to produce that value again next summer, the summer after that, and for years to come.”

These intimate, hands-on workshops are limited to 15 – 20 people… and advance registration is required.

March 4, 2012, 1 PM to 3 PM, at a private home in La Mesa, ticket info

March 10, 2012,10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, at Southwest Boulder and Stone, Pacific Beach, ticket info

March 11, 2012, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, at The Olive Branch Green Building Supply, North Park, ticket info

March 17th, 10 AM to noon, at a private home in Encinitas, ticket info

March 18, 2012, 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, at The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant, Old Town, ticket info
*for this special event, The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Restaurant’s Chef Andrew Sasloe will be serving tasty treats made with the same vegetables we’ll be planting.

March 31, 2012, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, ticket info

For more information on the series, visit www.PlantSoup.com

About Nan Sterman:

California native Nan Sterman is dedicated to the transformation of planted landscapes from overly thirsty and resource intensive to climate appropriate and sustainable. Her efforts combine age-old techniques with modern technologies.

Nan has worked towards this goal since the 1970s when she was involved in the first wave of the sustainability movement. Her initial training was at the Integral Urban House, a demonstration retrofit Victorian home in Berkeley, California. She went on to earn a botany degree from Duke University, a Masters in biology from UC Santa Barbara, and a Masters in instructional design from San Diego State University.

Nan parlayed her early experiences in sustainability to address modern day issues. She is author of California Gardener’s Guide vol II, the only book about low water, Mediterranean climate gardens written specifically for California home gardeners. In 2010, she added Waterwise Plants for the Southwest to her publication list.

Nan has a monthly water-wise garden column in the San Diego Union Tribune and is the gardening expert for San Diego public radio’s Midday Edition talk show. She also writes for publications such as the Los Angeles Times, Sunset, Better Homes and Gardens, and Organic Gardening. She Nan co-produces, co-writes, and hosts A Growing Passion, a television show that takes viewers on tours of beautiful, inspiring home gardens.

Nan speaks, teaches, and writes about low water, sustainable and edible gardening, all of which she designs for client’s homes and school gardens. She seeks out plants, methods, and technologies that ensure client gardens are as water-efficient, low maintenance, and beautiful as possible.

Nan is a board member of the Garden Writer’s Association and a founding board member of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, San Diego District.

Nan Sterman’s website is www.PlantSoup.com

 

Tip Tuesday: Bottomless Green Onions

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The next time you cook with green onions, save the whites and roots and plant them in an accessible spot and they’ll grow right back.  Take this tip a little further and using kitchen shears, only cut what you need, leaving the bulb in the ground to regrow.

Don’t forget that Tuesday 2/21 @6pm we have our meet