thanksgiving, battleship & happy hour

I (sort of) promise not to get lazy and just post Instagram photo recaps instead of actually blogging, but it's just so easy and addicting. We had a lovely Thanksgiving up in Plattsburgh; fortunately we avoided driving during the middle of the storm that dumped a foot of snow in the North Country.

We feasted, drank, played Battleship and wove old-school potholders. Many of them. A lovely time was had by all, even on Thanksgiving morning when we snuck out to run a private, two-person Turkey Trot around town. In the cold. With snow on the ground. I was rewarded with my first cup of coffee in over 21 days, so it was worth it.

We were back in town Friday evening so my girlfriends and I could catch a showing of the new Twilight movie. Because isn't that what young professionals in their late twenties do? (Yes, I believe after yesterday's 27th birthday I am officially in my late twenties. Where does the time go?)

We went for a walk Saturday night only to find ourselves indulging in happy hour at a few neighborhood bars. The convenient thing about our neighborhood is that when we finally got hungry, we didn't have to settle for a slice of pizza: we just walked a block home to make dinner. Sliced up, roasted potatoes with a micromix, radish, cucumber and goat cheese salad plus amazing leftover butternut squash soup.

How were your Thanksgiving celebrations? Does it seem strange that I'm now 27 and have been blogging here since I was 22? Yowza. That means my five-year blogaversary is coming up soon. We shall celebrate, friends, we shall celebrate. In the meantime, we will try out a few new recipes, knit a new hat to hide my slightly grown-out pixie cut and maybe we'll make a Christmas terrarium together. Sounds like fun, no?

introducing... the vitamix

Well well well, look who it is. My new best friend Mr. Vitamix. Yes folks, the Twitter rumors are true: we are proud owners of a brand-new Vitamix. I have been pining for this appliance for a long time, showing demo videos to anyone who would watch. Then I ordered it. And it came in the mail. Now we are inseparable. Classic love story, no?

 Before:  A mess of berries, greens, avocado, almond milk, cucumber and Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer powder.

After:  A smooth, creamy drink.

"So, this thing just makes good smoothies?" No. First, as a point of clarity, this thing makes killer smoothies, not just good ones. It will pulverize almost anything. Kale? Perfectly acceptable. Ice cubes? Crushed instantly. Uncooked vegetables, whole fruits, nuts, rice, etc. The list goes on.

Smoothies aside, though, it can also make nut milks, nut butters, sauces, dressings and dips. "Pretty much standard issue, though, right?" False. This thing also makes hot soups and ice cream. What? I KNOW. You put room temperature ingredients (veggies, broth, etc.) into the Vitamix and a few minutes later you have HOT SOUP. Something about the friction of the blades and 200+ mph and bam! Hot soup. I personally like my soups to simmer awhile on the stove, but still... pretty neat. "What did you say about ice cream?" Oh yes, I can make ice cream in my Vitamix. As in, put some cold ingredients in and a few minutes later you have real, scoopable ice cream.

Clearly I will be recording my own demo videos to share. And for the record, I'm not an employee nor am I getting any benefits from writing this except for the comforting knowledge that I can now blend up every ingredient in my kitchen into a delicious smoothie. I mean, come one, my blender has a two horsepower motor. That's the only time I'll ever brag about how much horsepower something I own has. 

Just wanted to formally introduce you :)

ps- Today is the last day of my 21-day cleanse!

Updated July 2012 to include my Vitamix Affiliate link for Free Shipping. Order through this affiliate link and your new Vitamix ships for free. $25 value, folks. You're welcome.


Also, a quick note about my affiliate status. Eight months after I purchased my Vitamix, I became a Vitamix affiliate, which means that I can offer my buddies free shipping on their Vitamixes and then I snag a percentage of the sale. I did that because I sincerely, dearly love Mr. Vitamix. Ask anyone. I'm a fanatic. It's dreamy. And since I'm pretty sure I've already sold 3-4 Vitamixes based on my wild enthusiasm, I thought why not pass along the benefit to you & me. You get the free shipping, I get a few bucks and we all blend fruits and veggies happily ever after. Nothing else will change here, and I will still be just as obnoxious about the Vitamix in person as I've always been :)

a weekend in old montreal

A few weekends ago we had the chance to spend some time in Old Montreal to celebrate a lovely family wedding. In a wildly uncharacteristic move, I forgot my camera! So we played around with Chris' iPod to capture a few memories from this beautiful city.

Our gorgeous hotel room at Hotel Nelligan.

Occupy Montreal. 

I would like to buy a stone house like this one. It would be perfect for wreath-hanging and reading by a fireplace and hosting late-night dinner parties.

 Coffee and crepes.

Back to the United States.

Wishing you all a great weekend. I'll be finishing up my last weekend on the cleanse (always the hardest days when you don't have a strict schedule), finding a new pot for a houseplant that has long outgrown its current home and experimenting with lots of new smoothie recipes. I'll explain more about the smoothies soon...

a cleanse before the holidays

Surprise! I am on Day 15 of a little 21-day cleanse. Yes, I am just ridding the system of some junk and getting it ready for a holiday season full of junk. (Wait, that seems wrong. Let's instead call it a jump-start to a healthier holiday season. That sounds much better.) I've also timed the cleanse to lead me almost up to my 27th birthday and the start of a healthier, more incredible year.

For 21 days, I am not eating animal products (including all dairy), gluten, soy, peanuts, caffeine, alcohol, or added sugar. I'm also staying away from nightshade vegetables like tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and potatoes, and some fruits like bananas and strawberries because they are telling me to. I've been a tiny bit less stringent with that part. So what do I eat? Lots. Every other vegetable; non-gluten grains like brown rice and quinoa; fresh and frozen fruit, beans and lentils; cashews, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts and sunflower seeds; herbal tea, seltzer and mineral water; stevia and brown rice syrup for sweeteners; carob and raw cacao powder for a chocolate fix; and all spices and seasonings. I didn't purchase any of the Clean supplements, but am instead making my smoothies with a scoop of Vega Whole Food Optimizer, which is a vegan, soy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, blah blah blah-free protein powder that also takes care of the fiber, probiotic and digestive enzyme supplements. With some almond or hemp milk, a cup of frozen berries, a scoop of cashew butter and a spoonful of cacao powder, it's a tasty way to start your morning.

This has been a nice opportunity, much like last year's Whole Living 21 Day Action Plan, to clear out possible trigger foods and to see how I feel. And I am feeling really good. The start was rough, partially because of a nasty cold that had me pining for classic comfort foods instead of smoothies and hyper-quantities of leafy greens and brown rice. I stayed on track and by day five, I was feeling much better. Cleaner, lighter, less hungry and more energy.  I'm being very intentional with my eating and, for the most part, have strictly adhered to the Elimination Diet as laid out in Clean. My good friends were married last weekend in a gorgeous ceremony, so I planned an conscious departure from the cleanse, because I wasn't about to pass on a delicious dinner and evening of celebration. By that point in time, I had already successfully navigated three work-related functions, quietly and easily skipping the alcohol, coffee, dinner rolls and dessert. You have to remember that it isn't a purity test. You have to live your life and make priorities-- a stale cookie at a buffet lunch? Not worth it. Cocktail hour, a multi-course dinner and wedding cake with dear friends? Worth it. I held back on portions, skipped the extra cheesy hor d'oeurves and had two glasses of white wine. After a few additional nibbles at From Scratch Club's table at the Delmar Farmers Market the next morning, I was back on track.

So. That's that. I'm 2/3 of the way through and feeling great.

your first csa season, tips & advice

Has an entire season of peeking inside my CSA share convinced you to join one?

No? Well let me try one last time to convert you.

Yes? Well let me give you a few fair warnings to make sure you've really thought it over. We loved our experience and will talk about it to anyone who will listen, but CSAs aren't for everyone. Here's the deal.

A few overly-generalized CSA basics...



You find a farm that runs a CSA program. I found mine through a CSA Fair at the Troy Farmers Market. That's where I first met Christina and Farmer Michael. Those two, they'll get you to buy anything. You can find your farm by asking around at your local farmers market or going to localharvest.org.

A few months or weeks before the season starts, you pay up. That's right, you pay upfront for an entire season of produce. That's the whole point-- you buy a "share" of the farm, helping supply it with capital to make investments for the upcoming growing season. It may seem like a lot of money. It probably is a lot of money. But it's a great place to spend a lot of money. Cut back on your nasty Starbucks habit, stop buying expensive processed foods or pre-cut veggies at the supermarket and reign in your shoe fetish. Reinvest in your health and your community. Yes, it supports local farms and farmers but it's not like you are making a charitable donation. YOU GET FOOD FROM IT. Real, whole, healthy, fresh, local and interesting food. It's a very good deal.

You pick up you produce (or maybe they deliver it) once a week. In a typical CSA model, you pick up a box of veggies that have already been chosen and sorted for you. It's a surprise! As members of a pilot delivery CSA from Kilpatrick Family Farm, this is the model we belonged to,. We had no control over what we got each week. Fun! Scary! Exciting! There are other CSA models where you do get a choice in your vegetables, but the surprise option is the most common and also the most intimidating so that's what I'll cover here.

The veggies you get aren't your boring, run-of-the-mill grocery store varieties. You know that by now. CSAs help farms continue to grow many types and varieties of vegetables, keeping diversity alive out on the fields. That's good for the earth (maybe? seems like it would be), good for farmers and good for eaters. Your tomatoes will be varied and juicy, your onions will also be varied and (surprisingly) juicy.

You get to meet great people. Even though we were part of a home delivery program wherein our food magically appeared on our stoop every Thursday (ha, kidding my dear CSA Coordinator), I still know who the people are that grow my food and make it accessible to me. I went on a farm tour and u-pick strawberry field trip and hung out with Michael, Keith and all of the other super hardworking people that bring me my cherry tomatoes and green beans. If you pick up your share each week, you'll get to know your farmers that way. You're part of a team. Holla! And really, you're the funnest part of the team... you're the part that gets to sit back, relax and eat good food.

Don't Say I Didn't Warn You...

If you don't like to cook, a CSA is not for you. There, I said it. By all means, get yourself to a farmers market stat and start supporting the hardworking people who bring you fresh, local and healthy food. Do as much of your produce shopping at farmers markets and farm stands as you can. But you may want to think twice about a CSA. At the farmers market, you'll be able to pick out exactly what you like, what you need and what you know how to cook. A corollary to this point is: it takes time to thoughtfully plan meals and menus with a bunch of semi-foreign vegetables. Even with veggies you know and love, you need to be able to set aside a good chunk of time to sort through cookbooks and the Google to find new recipes and different ways of cooking up all that farm-fresh goodness.

You pay upfront for a season of produce. That season may go very well for your farm, or it may go less-than-perfectly. It's a risk and it's a risk worth taking. Yes, check your farm out to make sure they have the capacity to handle a good CSA program. But know that Mother Nature has a way of meddling in your best-laid plans and budgets. Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee dropped the hurt on our region this year, leaving behind many devastated fields and lost crops in local farms. It was then that we were most happy with our decision to become CSA members. Although the revenue from KFF's CSA program is designated for specific, long-term investments rather than weekly operating costs, we were happy to have made a commitment to support a local farm through a tough season. (I should note that the quality of our shares remained stellar but even if KFF not been able to maintain that level, we would have been ok with that.)

Most CSAs are different than shopping at a farmers market and different than having your own garden. All three are really awesome options. We've tried our hardest to squeeze a little fresh food out of our living space; a Topsy Turvy hanging in the bathroom (fail), a container garden on the windowsill (meh, aliens took it one year) and even a little pepper tree on our window ledge. Not exactly a self-sustaining operation, you know? We love a good stroll at the farmers market, but we were ready to go a little deeper into crazy vegetable town. And seriously, as lame as it may sound, our CSA was a total adventure. I loved peering inside our cooler each week, not always knowing what was in there or how on earth we were going to cook it. You have to be willing to try new things and to experiment a bit with your diet.

Thus concludes my wrap-up of the 2011 Summer CSA Season. If you haven't already picked up on it, we are big CSA advocates and cheerleaders. A warm shout-out to the peeps at KFF that fed Chris & I all season long. We're looking forward to next summer :) Anyone else have CSA tips to share?

our first csa season, lessons learned

Our first CSA season. The glory of farm-fresh produce every week and, thanks to the awesome folks at Kilpatrick Family Farm way up north in Granville, NY, this produce was delivered right to our door. By my supercool friend Christina, who I was reluctant to become friends with because adding another "Chris" to my life felt like too much. You know her as the Founder/Editor of From Scratch Club and she's also the CSA Coordinator for KFF.Woot!

I first want to preface by acknowledging how ludicrous, unfair and unjust it is that some of the following statements refer to having too much fresh produce and Oh my, I'm so stressed out about using all of this healthy, nutritious food before it goes bad. I know. It's a tragedy that we shook our heads as the tomatoes piled up and the kale overtook our refrigerator while some people in this world starved, some subsisted on pure crap from the neighborhood bodega and some weren't well enough to eat at all. And yet, here I am. One of life's many injustices.

When one person was away, we had too many veggies. There were several times throughout the season when there was only one of us here to enjoy the bounty. One person, standing in a tiny kitchen with a very large cooler of vegetables, trying to figure out how the hell to eat it all. We don't have the space to preserve much, though Lord knows I've tried, and we don't have a "cool, dry storage" place like a root cellar or spare closet. If I'm completely honest, we wouldn't have the space for dozens of jars of preserved produce even if we had made them. They would be stacked next to the couch, in front of my nightstand and maybe a few would have been lined up on our windowsills. Ya dig? So the veggies we got, we ate that week or the next week. On occasion, we gave some away to friends and family or snuck them into "dinner elf" deliveries.

Eating out made me feel guilty. When the urge hit to go to our favorite outdoor Mexican restaurant patio and stuff ourselves with enchiladas and margaritas, we often suffered a twinge of guilt for abandoning the vegetables waiting patiently in our fridge. "We can't go out tonight, we have a bunch of radishes, three onions, a pound of potatoes and spinach here!" Similarly, anytime I lazily settled on a PB&J or a bowl of cereal for dinner, I could feel the Swiss chard glaring at me from inside the crisper drawer.

We also split an egg share with my mom, and I guess I don't use as many eggs as I thought. Splitting the weekly egg share meant that Chris & I kept a dozen eggs every other week and my mom got a dozen every other week. Somehow, this still ended up being way too much despite the fact that I thought I ate a lot of eggs. I'm not sure what happened, but at one point I had about four dozen eggs in the fridge.

Kale still sucks and I haven't found a really good use for radishes yet. Both of those things are true. As long as we're on the subject, I wish I liked pickles more because I would have had a much easier time wrangling all those cucumbers if I did. Instead I smeared cream cheese on slices of baguette, topped them with cucumber and ate them nonstop. I also put them in my water, my salads and my gin.

Nothing is better than a fresh tomato. Sliced up and topped with oil, vinegar and shallots? Divine.

Related follow-up: did you know you can freeze tomatoes? You can. Really. I froze a bunch of cherry tomatoes and a few romas. When I want to make another batch of insanely-good Tomato Jam, I'll just take them out of the freezer and cook 'em down. Easy. (You should read this post at In My Kitchen Garden about being sick of canning & deciding to freeze tomatoes instead.)

We became much more adventurous cooks. You have to be adventurous when you are faced with a refrigerator full of vegetables you were only vaguely aware even existed. Jerusalem artichokes? Bring it. Hakurei turnips? Ok. Onions that come in more shapes and sizes that you ever imagined? Delicious. Some nights I felt like Barbara Kingsolver or Kristin Kimball, standing in my kitchen and throwing seemingly-disparate fresh ingredients together until I produced a masterpiece of a meal. Or a complete flop, which absolutely happened from time to time. Remind me to tell you about the time I made a radish dip that no one ate, and a few people said smelled like feet. For the record, I thought it was pretty good. But also ask me about the chocolate cupcakes that had beets in them. They were legendary.

Speaking of beets... I don't know if this happens for everyone, but becoming part of the CSA world nudged me even closer to the weird hippie food world that I so enjoy. I've made beet & brown rice veggie burgers, am currently in possession of almond, rice and hemp milk and I've brewed my own kombucha. (I'll tell you more about those last two things soon.) Maybe those things aren't directly related to being in a CSA, but my deepening involvement in our foodshed and our own personal food system has perhaps pushed me past the point of no return. I love it.

Well, it turns out that I have a lot to say about my first CSA season. Are you interested in joining one next summer? I've got a few friendly tips and final thoughts for you-- I'll share them tomorrow :)

cough due to cold

Sorry, folks, I came down with a crappy cold that knocked me on my ass the past few days. I will return shortly with newbie CSA member wisdom, just as soon as I can manage to stop blowing my nose every two minutes. In the meantime, you should check out all of the archives over at Natalie Dee. Girl is hilarious. Thanks to Al, who showed me this site years ago. It took me a few months to catch on, but ever since it's been my go-to source for off-color, sometimes obscure, sometimes simple, weird humor.

inside the cooler, weeks 21 & 22

Week 21. Green tomatoes! Who would have guessed. We turned those into a green tomato soup that was pretty ok. Not great, but pretty ok. We also got radishes, cauliflower, Jersualem artichokes (sunchokes), Christmas spinach, arugula and sweet onions.

Sad, the last week of the Summer 2011 CSA deliveries from Kilpatrick Family Farm. Sigh. We rounded out our locavore summer with a gigantic bunch of kale, broccoli, shallots, garlic, fennel, salad mix, peppers and a jar of salsa. Went out with a bang, eh?

So that's the end of this season's Inside the Cooler series. Thanks for sticking with me and showing a bit of interest in weekly photos of vegetables in a cooler. Tomorrow I'll share a few things I've learned from my first CSA: veggies I didn't know I liked, ones I'm still not sure with, advice for those interested in joining a farm share program... all of that. Tune in :)