No Grocery Store Challenge, Day 27 January 30, 2010

Nearing the end of the first month of this challenge and I have no complaints.  I think I’ve settled in.  I still miss some things, but my diet is healthier and I’ve lost 5 pounds.  Granted, that was holiday weight gain, but still!

Breakfast was a scrambled duck egg.  Countryside Farms.

Lunch was the other link of Kocurek Jalapeno smoked sausage from the day before, and a small salad using my lettuce harvested just before I covered it for the freeze, Texas Olive Ranch olive oil and Figalicious Balsamic.  Their vinegars are wonderful!  I also have pomegranate and orange flavored.

Dinner was a bison burger, on the last of the whole wheat bread that I made a while back and had frozen, with market tomatoes, CAEDA Farms I think, tons of Bella Verdi Lettuce, and my pickled peppers from the bumper crop I had in late summer.

No Grocery Store Challenge, Day 26 January 29, 2010

Breakfast, 1 scrambled egg with Texas Olive Ranch olives chopped and mixed in.

Lunch, Kocurek Jalapeno Sausage and Full Quiver Colby.  I made myself a little charcuterie plate.

Dinner, garden salad (my lettuce, market tomato, market green onions), garden broccoli,  and Amberjack, from the downtown farmer’s market sauteed in Texas Olive Ranch olive oil.

From the Triangle market I got more green onions, hydroponic tomatoes,  some andouille from the Kocurek’s and a ribeye and some ground pork sausage from Richardson Farms.  With the really cold weather coming, I’ve got some yummy comforting winter meals planned for the next few days.

Almost one month, and this is getting easier.  It is hard to believe that I have not set foot in Central Market, Whole Foods, Fresh Plus or Costco since December.

Watermelon Radish Seedlings January 25, 2010

You’d think I would get used to seeing seeds sprout, but I never really do.  I’m always so excited to see little green signs of life (and food) emerge from their underground starting place.  Some never do come up, despite my coddling.  I don’t think the Buttercrunch Lettuce germinated, but the carrots I planted next to it the same day have sprouted.    Radishes are so very easy to grow.  The Watermelon Radish seeds I planted this week are emerging every day.  In just a month or so, they’ll be an edible addition to my (non Buttercrunch) salad.  They actually started coming up in clumps, which means I dropped too many seeds in one spot and they also get washed around when I water the first time.  I’ll have to thin them, which pains me, because I hate to waste one little radish life.  But, it must be done to ensure the others will have room to grow.

Watermelon Radish Seedlings

No Grocery Store Challenge, Day 20 January 22, 2010

Wow, three full weeks tomorrow and I am happy as can be with my decision to do this little challenge.  I just got home from an extraordinary event by Slow Food Austin.  It was a happy hour at Cipollina Bistro on West Lynn, a spot I’m quite familiar with as it is on my daily traffic route.  I used to frequent the Fresh Plus Grocery Store next to it, a little spot that has felt like my own personal little shop for years and years.  Cipollina has gone through some transitions in the last few years, and I felt, struggled to find its identity for a bit.  But now, they are using as much locally sourced foods as they can, and I will go there again and again, because the meals they prepare with local food are outstanding.  (I need to go on a never use the word “awesome” again challenge, too)  I had a wonderful time hanging out with my Slow Food buddies, learning about the movement to allow roosters in backyard gardens, the grading of farm eggs and the like.  It was a really well attended event, and there were lots of new faces.

So, for my food today, I had big plans to get up a bit earlier and scramble a duck egg with my leftover Kocurek sausage from last night.  I did get up early, but my curiosity got the best of me and I poured my coffee and headed out to the backyard (in my robe no less) to check the progress of the seeds I planted last week.   It doesn’t seem to matter how many seeds I’ve planted over the years, there is little more exciting to me than a tiny seed, breaking through the earth above it, determined to get some sunshine and become a plant.  And even more exciting, is that it will be food.  From a pack of seeds.  I just marvel at the process every time.  The carrots were up, but not the lettuce, no matter how closely I looked.  Then I noticed some weeds in the strawberries, and pulled them.  Then I decided I should water the herbs in the greenhouse and did that.  By then, it was too late to cook an egg before heading downtown.  I did eat some leftover cold sausage, just so I could say I had improved my breakfast habit.

The Watermelon Radish seeds arrived today, so I was anxious to plant them.  So, I ate locally for lunch, munching brocolli from the garden while planting radish seeds.  I didn’t wash it, because I know how it was grown.  I didn’t cook it, because fresh raw brocolli is really sweet and tender.  I ate the crown, bit by bit, then pulled up the plant and composted it, because it was done and I’ve got more greens than I can handle.  Grazing in the back yard, no silverware, no cooking,  just good eats from the yard is very cool.

For my dinner, I shared appetizers of Brazos Valley Farms brie, and a duck liver mousse (duck from Countryside Farms) at Cipollina, at the event mentioned above.  Then I had a ceasar salad and shared a couple of pieces of pizza with my Slow Food friends Kristi (www.austinfarmtotable.com) and Freddy Marshall (www.eatthislens.com).  All in all, a good food day.   I’m glad I didn’t restrict my challenge to no eating out, because I have a really fun group of foodie friends, and if I couldn’t eat out for a year, I would either fail or cheat, so I’m good with the way I set this deal up.  A challenge, but not an impossible imposition on my social life.  Lots of my friends like to eat local too, so it works.  And perhaps over the course of the next year minus almost 3 weeks, I can inspire someone to think a tiny bit harder about where their food comes from, what is in it, and maybe even to try their hand at growing some of their own food.

Winter Garden with the Help of Shady Hollow Farms January 20, 2010

Since my goal is eat only what I grow and what I can get at farmer’s markets and from local farms, it more important that my garden be as productive as possible.  I eat a lot of lettuce, and $5.00 for a bag at the farmer’s market seems high, and my garden is between seedings.  So, today, I did something I don’t do very often – buy transplants.  Half of the 8 foot garden was seeded for Buttercrunch lettuce about 4 days ago, but the seedlings have yet to appear.  So I called my favorite transplant supplier, JJ at Shady Hollow Farms to see if I could come out and raid his new greenhouse.  He was happy to oblige, and so off I went.  The farm has had a major upgrade since I saw it last, with a huge greenhouse and a substantial rainwater collection system.  It is full of things to plant now, like lettuce, but more exciting to me, is the 2500 or so heirloom tomato seedlings he started recently to be ready in March.  I placed my order for tomatoes so they don’t get away.

Once home, I planted two kinds of lettuce in the 8 foot garden, to get a jumpstart on the other half of that garden that has been seeded.  I also planted some broccoli in the large garden.

Shady Hollow Farm is by appointment only, but sells wholesale and also to the public.

Gardens is Closing, Plant Sale January 16, 2010

My go-to place for peaceful stress relief, Gardens on 35th, Street is closing. From now until the 23rd, they are having a sale 50% off all plants and 40% off the goods in the store, including vegetable seeds.  As of yesterday afternoon, they had a full supply of seeds, and some vegetable transplants.  I got Swiss Chard, Garlic, Chives, and multiplying onions.  I’m going to miss that place.

No Grocery Store Challenge, Days 11 and 12 January 14, 2010

So, I got behind with all the dang tax documents due this week.  Yesterday, Day 11, I had a scrambled duck egg from Countryside Farms for breakfast. The duck eggs are so much silkier and more luscious than chicken eggs, I’m a total convert.  I learned today from Sebastian, that ducks pretty much lay 1 egg a day, and they do it at night.  His ducks are free range during the day, then he corrals them at night, which makes sense, since there are duck predators that roam out in the country where his farm is.  Carrying on, I just had a chunk of chedder cheese from Full Quiver Farms for lunch, because I was hunkered down doing paperwork.  For dinner, I had leftover smoked chicken over a salad with a boiled duck egg (I know!  lots of eggs), a slice of Kocurek Rosemary Bacon and an oil and vinegar dressing, with olive oil and basalmic from Texas Olive Ranch from the downtown market.

Today was a banner day!  I used the last of my goat milk in my coffee this morning, which was disturbing.  I’m not a black coffee fan, just yet.  I had a boiled duck egg for breakfast, which was quick.  After the office, I drove immediately to Boggy Creek Farm in search of more goat milk.  I bought a quart last week, but used most it in a feeble attempt to make butter.   And even more feeble, instead of researching making butter from goat milk, I just jumped right in and pretended it was cow’s cream, poured it in a jar and started shaking.  And I shook, and shook.  Then I told myself, stop trying to be your grandmother, and got out the immersion blender.  I blended, and blended, and blended, and that goat milk never even began to change structure.  Finally, after sitting on a stool, with an immersion blender that was too hot to hold any longer, I gave up.  Total fail at goat butter.   So I was dairy free after coffee this morning.  Boggy Creek Farm was out of goat milk.  I was deflated at the thought of black coffee, and contemplated buying some goat yogurt thinking that might be OK in coffee.  Instead I bought some Full Quiver Chevre, which I also contemplated putting in  coffee.  Desperate times call for desperate measures.   Might be a little tangy and clumpy, but at least it wouldn’t be black!   Decided to ponder that predicament later, and went to lunch with my mom to Cippolina.  All of their food is sourced locally.  Score!  I had a ceasar salad with chicken from a farm whose name I’ve forgotten.  Then I walked with my 68 year old friend in the rain for 4 miles.  I tried to get out of it, but she’s an exercise hard ass, and wasn’t letting me off the hook.  And I’m always glad, after the fact.  Thanks Sue from Antlers, Oklahoma!  So then off to the Triangle Farmer’s Market for weekly shopping.  It was cold, and raining, but I went early because the Kocurek’s were being interviewed for KEYE, and I love that market.  I had a well planned dinner laid out, Richardson Farm’s ribeye to be cooked on the Big Green Egg, and a huge market and garden salad, with steamed garden broccoli.   Best laid plans.  I ended up volunteering to the man the new Trash/compost/recycling station in the place of a wayward volunteer.  It takes the Egg a long time to come up to temp as it is a charcoal grill.  I didn’t get home until after 7:00.  BUT, I did get milk!  Lee Ann had gotten some goat milk for me at the last market and it is in my fridge now.  I got home with fabulous duck eggs from Countryside Farms, amazingly sweet carrots from Johnson’s Backyard Garden, and all kinds of charcuterie from the Kocureks.  Oh, and rendered pork fat with rosemary and sea salt.  Pahleese.  I’m stuffed full of carrots, but am going to go cook up a bit of the gifted nilgai summer sausage and a salad.  I’ll have the giant steak tomorrow, perhaps with sweet potato fries cooked in pork fat or duck fat.  Yum.

I met a wonderful blog follower today at the market.  Now that I know someone actually reads this thing, I’ll try to be more interesting.  I love my little eat local challenge, and I know that I will continue to learn more and more from it.    Hopefully, I can find a way to inspire more folks to get in touch with their food, and think about where it comes from, and to eat locally a bit more often.

January Vegetable Planting Guide for Austin, Zone 8 January 2, 2010

January is time to plant many vegetables in our neck of the woods.  Here is a list of what to plant in January, along with dates to maturity.  Callahan’s General Store had lots of onion starts today.

Asparagus           (won’t produce until 2nd year)

Cabbage               65-80

Carrots                 70-80

Lettuce                 60-80

Mustard                40-50

Onions                   100-120

Peas                        60-80

Potatoes                70-80

Radish                    25-30

Spinach                  40-45

Turnips                  45-65

My Eat Only Local Challenge-Day 1

Last night I was pondering whether I could go a year without buying anything from a grocery store.  I have a large garden and I frequent farmer’s markets on a weekly basis.  Several folks chimed in on Twitter, that it could be done.  Today, I decided to try it and see how it goes.  I have a freezer full of Thunderheart Bison, Richardson Farms beef and pork, Kocurek Family sausages, stock, and gumbo, and in the fridge are local eggs, chicken and duck, Pure Luck cheese, a pitcher of hibiscus tea from the farmer’s market, tomatoes and radishes from the farmer’s market, and my own lettuce and broccoli.  I have olives, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar from the market and today I bought tangerines, mushrooms and green onions at the market.  So, I think I’m good to go.

What I’m not going to do:  I’m not going to only drink Texas wine.  Just not going to.  I’m not stop using toothpaste, shampoo, or my favorite soap, although I could get soap at the farmer’s market.  And, I’m going to continue to eat out, because that’s not part of this challenge.  I’m not going to be overly concerned with where the restaurants get their food either, that is a challenge for someone else.  I will say that most of the places I eat out, get their meat and vegetables from local sources, but not all do.  I already know that I could not go a year without eating salmon, and I can’t get that at the farmer’s market, although I can get shrimp and fish.

So, this morning I had fresh tangerine juice, I had lunch at a local mexican food restaurant with my mom, and dinner will be grilled Thunderheart bison steaks, local mushrooms cooked in local duck fat and basalmic vinegar, my own broccoli and a salad with my lettuce, market tomatoes, Pure Luck Farms Chevre, and local olive oil and vinegar.  I’m already anticipating what I’m going to miss, sandwiches at Fresh Plus, lots of things from Central Market and Whole Foods prepared items.  I just bought a smoker, in anticipation of missing the smoked brisket from Whole Foods.

10 Great Reasons to Plant a Vegetable Garden in 2010 December 31, 2009

I think there are probably 2010 great reasons to Plant a Vegetable, Herb, Fruit garden in 2010, but I have dinner plans here in a short while, so I’m going to give you just 10 good ones.

1.  You control what you eat.  For years, I just assumed that everything I ate was safe and fresh.  It never occurred to me to ponder where it came from, who grew it, who picked it, what it was planted in, or what it was sprayed with.  Not to mention, whether the seeds had been genetically modified to make the plant more pest resistant, to have fewer seeds, to grow bigger and faster, or what any of that meant.  Many of these things, I’m still learning.  I know exactly what I am planting, that no chemicals are sprayed on any of it, and that no non-organic fertilizer has touched my vegetables.  I know what I’m eating and importantly, what I’m not eating.

2.  Home grown food is as fresh as it gets.    Vegetables start to lose valuable  nutrients the moment they are picked.  Fruits ripen very quickly after being picked, and can be stored for long before they go bad.  Fresh food lasts a lot longer, and is more nutritious.  You are able to harvest only what you need at mealtime, as well.  Much of what is available at the grocery store has been sitting in a truck for days making its way from Mexico, Brazil, California, wherever.

3.  Fresh produce tastes better, because it is fresher and picked when ready, not ripened in a box in the back of a truck.  Fresh herbs make everything taste better, and there is nothing like having all of the herbs you use, available for snipping right from the yard or patio.

4.  Eating home grown foods is good for the environment.  The fewer trucks on the roads transporting fruits and vegetables to the grocery store helps save energy and fossil fuels, which is good for the Earth.

5.  Growing fruits and vegetables, especially from seed, is economical.  A 1 gram packet of lettuce seeds will provide a continuous supply of lettuce for several weeks, for the cost of $1.99 or less.  A bundle of onion starts, about 50 onions, is $1.50.  When properly stored, onions can last up to a year.  Heirloom tomatoes were $5.99 a pound at my local store this Spring and Fall.  One heirloom tomato plant cost around $2.00 at a local plant sale.  Seeds are even less, and plants produce fruit for at least one season.  There is an initial cost to get a garden set up and fill it with good soil, and the soil should be amended from time to time.  Amending with compost is recommended, and if you start a compost pile or bin, compost is free, (leaves, yard clippings, vegetable scraps)

6.  Gardening doesn’t take a lot of time, unless you want to spend lots of time gardening.  Plant, water, harvest, eat.  It is pretty simple if you provide good soil and have adequate sun.  Nature does most of the work.

7.  Gardening is relaxing in a stressful world.  I find that I get my most creative ideas, when I’m digging in the soil, whether dropping in seeds, or digging  hole for transplants.

8.  Gardening provides a bit of free exercise, and the opportunity to get outside and breath in the air and feel the sunshine.

9.  Children will eat what they have participated in growing.  Kids love to garden and are more willing to eat vegetables they had a hand in bringing to the table.  Watching the progression of seeds in the soil, as they grow into something edible, is fascinating and fun!

10.  Austin and the surrounding area has a year round growing season.  Every month is a month to plant and a month to harvest.  You can eat well all year long with a garden.

If growing your own foods sounds like something you might like to do, but don’t know how to get started, or don’t own a wheelbarrow and shovel, we can come get you set up with a raised bed filled with good organic soil, and seeds or plants that are season, and get you started.  In 2010, we plan to offer some continued support options should you find you need help along the way.  For the do-it-yourselfers, we have kits available for pick up, and can offer advice on good soil, plant and seed resources, if  you wish.

2009 was a great gardening year for me.  Here are 10 reasons I’m glad I became a gardener, plus 1 reason I wish I’d picked the broccoli sooner.    With all the lessons I learned this year, I’m truly excited about the possibilities of 2010.

Onions

Garden basil for pesto

Green Bean plant sprouting

Spinach

Peppers

So many peppers I learned to pickle!

Sugar Snap Pea

Woops, didn't pick the broccoli early enough. Lessons learned.

Strawberry Patch