Andrea the Gastronaut

Intended to post one last week but forgot after I remembered. Happens all the time with stuff.

Both weeks:

• Salad greens
• Swiss chard (last week’s was finished in a wheatberry salad)
• Kale (different variety this week)
• Raspberries

Last week: Shiitake mushrooms

This week: Garlic scapes

And those are my 6 points for a small share. Raspberries are 2 points for a small container. It makes me a little sad.

This week I stopped at the Trinity Bellwoods farmer’s market first. It was my first visit. Tuesdays are CSA pick up days and getting to both by 7 requires planning, I thought, especially when I don’t usually leave the office until 6. What it requires is getting out of the office earlier (I go in late after puttering around in the morning and missing rush hour as to not be packed tightly with other bodies on public transit).  I realized today that I’d been planning backwards and less efficiently anyhow. Once I realized this my transit plans came together. I left the office around 5:10, was at the farmer’s market by 5:30ish (a 15 minute streetcar ride from work after a short wait) and the CSA pick up location just before 6:30.

At the farmer’s market I picked up a pint of these:

Wild Blueberries are like crack but I rarely buy because of the sticker shock ($9!). If the first container was free they’d really have me hooked.

What else was waiting for me to buy? Cheese from Ruth of Monforte Dairy!  Monforte was selling at two farmer’s markets today. Ruth had someone selling Toscano and curds at the SickKids Hospital MyMarket earlier in the day. I went, didn’t buy. Instead I chose to wait until after work and buy Toscano and feta at Trinity Bellwoods. I don’t think they even had feta at SickKids and I’ve been craving feta for two days, since I made a big wheatberry salad on Sunday. I also find myself craving salt recently, and I’m not much of a salt craver. I think it’s a result of the heat and sweating.

This weekend if I can catch a ride I’ll see if she’s got halloumi at Brick Works. Grilled halloumi makes me happy and I hear that she’s got a cool little worker bee working it.

Dinner tonight: Farmer’s market eggs (albeit, no longer fresh and the dozen is down to one) scrambled with garlic scapes. smoked salmon, Monforte feta and Toscano. One bite of the feta made my mouth happy.

Also on the topic of the CSA: The weekend before last I redid the newsletter template so that it’s easier to work with as long as it’s still being done in Word. It’s a personal little victory. Text boxes FTW.

Eat well, be well.

CSA, Food Community-supported agriculture, CSA

On Monday some friends and I had dinner at Ethiopian House.

I took 11 photos of that mouse. It was hard not not. He/she was a cute little rodent.

The coffee, though small, packed a caffeine punch. According to this article about the Ethiopian coffee ceremony, “If invited into a home to take part, remember – it is impolite to retire until you have consumed at least three cups, as the third round is considered to bestow a blessing.” Three cups? I didn’t drink the whole thing but tossed and turned all night anyway. The coffee ceremony was interesting and the waitress came around to give us a sniff of it while it was roasting. Also see this article for information about the coffee custom.

I love the way the photo of the photo of the injera came out. I don’t think of myself as a fantastic photographer – I shoot on instinct – but sometimes I impress myself. My favourites on the plate included the Sherro Wot – “highly-seasoned chick peas (powder) in berbere sauce”, one of the lentil dishes and the collard greens.

It was my second ever experience with Ethiopian food. After my first experience five or so years ago I decided that I wasn’t a fan. This time I decided that I could be. Thanks to Sarah for the suggestion.

The small group of us try new restaurants together monthly. Usually dinner, but we did a great brunch at Edward Levesque’s Kitchen a couple months back (I didn’t blog about it, fairly certain I tweeted) and more recently, Saturday morning dim sum. The group of us includes Bonita (her recent “Wordless Wednesday” post will look familiar), Sarah Hood and blogless Jennifer (“Blogless Jennifer” isn’t her nickname, though I’m sure she’s been called many things). Sometimes Jen’s husband, Blogless Mark, joins us and on the day that we had brunch at Edward Levesque’s Kitchen we went back over to their place to meet their puppy, Most-Certainly-Blogless Thor. Soon they will have a blog, and it will be successful. I’m not just saying this. I’ve heard the concept and it’s brilliant.

Evelyn, who is usually part of the group, was missed.

So girls, what’s next month? To the rest of you, stay tuned.

Eat well, be well.

Food, restaurants

Update, June 24:

When I posted this I referred to Zane as “Zane ‘Caplansky’ Caplan”. This is incorrect, as he changed his name two years ago. A little bit of communication technology fail followed (I rarely check my blog-related Twitter account for replies and direct messages, usually direct messages are forwarded to my inbox) and then he blogged that he was bugged by it, thinking that I’d chosen not to fix it on purpose. Now the Jewish guilt has set in and I feel bad even though I didn’t knowingly do anything wrong. Apologies to Zane. Next time I call him by the wrong name I’ll call him “Ted” or something, just because. I think I owe him a beverage of his choice. Caplansky, you’ve got yichus.

A little impromptu (for me) Twitter gathering at Caplansky’s yesterday evening brought over 20 people onto the patio on College Street. The story I was told of how the outing came to be goes like this: Joel tweeted a photo of kishka which prompted Jo’s curiosity and this turned into a group outing. I’d link to the original tweet or Twitpic but can find neither. (Joel? Jo?)  Here’s Joel’s “short version”.

Zane Caplansky himself schooled the non-Jews on knishes and kishka, provided a little yiddish lesson (e.g. “forspeis”: appetizer) and provided back story for some of his menu items. Putting a new spin on old comfort food favourites, his knish isn’t like the stuffed dumpling that I’m used to, the type that I’ve eaten my entire life and sold when I worked in a bagel bakery in Thornhill, where knishes came from Montreal (Solly’s, I think). The ones I’ve encountered were round, like in Wikipedia’s photo, or square. See Google Images for an example of the various shapes and sizes.

Zane does things his way and his knish is more a strudel-looking puff pastry filled with mashed potato and spices, sitting on a puddle of brisket gravy made with the lean bits of brisket.

I refer to “kishka” as “Jewish haggis”. Same concept, really. As website Jewish Recipes says, “Kishka is a Slavic word meaning gut, or intestine, that lends its name to varieties of sausage or pudding.” Originally it was beef intestine stuffed with matzo meal, rendered fat (schmaltz) and spices but nowadays the casing tends to be synthetic. I don’t know what kind of casing Caplansky’s uses but I hope it was meant to be eaten.  It had been years since I’ve consumed kishka. I don’t know if I like it for the nostalgia or if I like it because it really does taste good. I wonder what he’ll do when he makes gribenes.

On the topic of old favourites, I hadn’t had pickled tongue since my last visit and prior to that it had been years. I loved that stuff when I was a kid and approached the taste buds with the glee of a child who simultaneously likes something and is grossed out by it. It’s stinky to make at home so I don’t recommend it.

This was intended to be a post of photos with few words (being succinct is a challenge and one of the reasons I don’t blog more frequently), so here they are. I was sitting with my back to Zane so didn’t get any photos of him, but Joel did. There are four on his Twitpic page, and as of this typing they start the second photo down, though they’ll get pushed down by other photos.

(Sadly, full photo descriptions don’t show up anywhere. I used witty ones, too.)

Zane also gave me a tour of the articles on his wall, which I didn’t take a photo of. I’d noticed them during a previous visit but never examined them. He’s quite proud of his accomplishment and it seems that he’s learned a lot about the business and about marketing along the way. I expected more ego. Maybe the next time I see him we’ll play some Jewish Geography. I know that we know people in common because I’ve read their names in his blog.

If you’re interested in following more photos and impressions, scroll through the Twitter conversation hashtagged “#DeliTweetup“.

Eat well (in this case tasty), be well.

Food Caplansky, Caplansky's, deli

Despite the frosty week, we’re well into spring.  10 days into May already. This means two things: Outdoor farmer’s markets are opening soon (I have 3 within walking distance of work and home) and it’s almost CSA season. CSA = Community Supported Agriculture, aka harvest share, and each year Toronto’s options are growing.

Want help finding one near you? Here’s a guide to some CSAs in and just beyond Toronto.

The Cutting Veg

I’ve already blogged about The Cutting Veg’s new CSA, Park Road Organic Harvest, near Yonge and Bloor, with pick up on Wednesday from The Park Road Healing Arts clinic. For those farther north The Cutting Veg has two more: The Tikkun Adamah CSA (“Repairing of the Earth”) is located in the Bathurst and Rutherford Road area, in partnership with the Kavanah Garden, with pick-up taking place on Thursday afternoons. The Pri Adamah CSA (“Fruits of the Earth”) is located in the Wilson and Avenue Road area, in partnership with Temple Sinai, with pick-up taking place on Tuesday afternoons. All of The Cutting Veg CSA’s run weekly from the beginning of June to the end of October. Visit The Cutting Veg’s website and Kavanah Organic Community Teaching Garden’s website more information.

Mid town? Want more options? Summer produce, artisan goods and meat

Culinarium at Mt. Pleasant and Eglinton is hosting 3 Share Programs this year.

Summer Produce CSA

From June to October enjoy 19 weeks of farm fresh local organic produce from the Triple Cord Mennonite community in Aylmer Ontario. More information.

Ontario Artisan Share Program™: Summer program.

Every other Thursday for 18 weeks from June to October pick up your basket of Ontario Artisan food stuffs. A great way to sample the variety of wonderful foods produced here in our fine province. Shares include fresh fruit and veggies, artisan cheese, meats, legumes and various pantry staples such as flour, jam, syrup etc. Each week the basket will feature something different based on availability, harvest or seasonality. More information.

Meat Share Program

For the conscious carnivore, Culinarium offers Pork, Lamb and Beef shares plus a Mixed Meat Share for those with small freezers.

Culinarium™ has revived the ancient ritual of feeding our families with meat from a single animal, bred by passionate stewards of the land – local Ontario Farmers. Through Culinarium™ you can now buy a “share” of an LFP certified, pasture raised animal from a farmer you know and trust.

More information.

Everdale Organic Farm

Perhaps you’d like to join a CSA but The Annex/Harbord Village is a more convenient as a pick up location? Everdale Organic Farm and the First Narayever Congregation have been partnering for four years to bring farm-fresh produce to the community. This is the one that I’m directly involved with, as CSA member and committee member.

Qs and As about this CSA:

How does the Everdale/First Narayever program work?

Everdale Farm, an organic farm and environmental learning centre, and the First Narayever Congregation have partnered to bring this Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) program to the Annex.

A CSA strengthens the relationship between the people growing food, and those eating it.  Members pay in advance for the season based on the size of their weekly share (small, medium, or large).  Then, Every Tuesday from June 15 to October 26, members choose the produce that they want from a market set up at the Narayever, located at 187 Brunswick Avenue, just north of Harbord Street.

What happens if I can’t make it one week, or if I’m only around for part of the summer?

You pay for your share based on the number of weeks that you want to receive it.  The on-line registration form allows you to exclude the weeks you will be away.  You can even choose just a fall share (September and October).

If your plans change and there’s a week you can’t make it, you can cancel your order and receive a refund by sending an email to the farm as long as you provide two-weeks notice.  At any time, you can also choose to donate your weekly share to those in need.  Finally, we are flexible about who picks up your produce.  For times you can’t get there, we encourage you to send someone in your place.  We’ll show them how it all works when they come.

What if there are things I don’t like at the market?

Our CSA is unique in that you are able to choose what you want each week based on what’s in season.  We are not a box program.  Instead of prescribing what you must take, shares are based on a point system: you get a certain number of points every week and you can use them towards whatever produce you want.

Why should I join a CSA when I can go to a Farmer’s Market?

The CSA is about more than buying organic, local groceries that taste great.  A CSA is also about creating community.  Each week you have a chance to talk to the farmers and to meet other members of the CSA.  Our CSA organizes workshops to learn how to preserve the harvest – so you can eat locally throughout the year.  We also plan trips to Everdale farm to see firsthand where our food grows.

Our CSA has a social conscience.  Each year, we partner with an organization to which we donate any uncollected or donated shares.  Last year alone, we provided about 80 boxes of fresh, organic food to families in need.  This year, shares donated or not picked will be given to The STOP Community Food Centre for use in their community kitchen.

Finally, joining the CSA is a cost effective way to get local, organic, high quality produce.  A harvest share costs far less than the same produce purchased at a local farmers’ market.

[Andrea adds:  Why not join a CSA and shop a farmer's market?]

Is this a Jewish CSA?

While based at the First Narayever Congregation, the CSA is open to all members of the community.  The CSA is grounded in Jewish values of environmentalism and social justice, but is welcoming to anyone.  We do offer Jewish-themed activities, especially around the Jewish holidays, and our weekly newsletter includes commentaries on issues from a Jewish perspective, but we would welcome ideas and contributions from other perspectives as well.

For more information, please email TorontoCSA@gmail.com or Harvestshare@everdale.org

View map of 187 Brunswick.

Hungering for the outdoor markets?

If you’re wondering when your local farmer’s market opens up, The Cookbook Store posted some dates to their blog two days ago. Also check out Farmer’s Markets Ontario and the Toronto Farmers’ Market Network.

Now, whichever location or format is most convenient for you, go forth and join a CSA!

Eat well, be well.

Related post:

Slow Food Toronto – Community Shared Agriculture (CSA)

Food Community-supported agriculture, Kavanah Garden, local, The Cutting Veg

Image by found_drama via Flickr

This was originally part of my previous post before I decided to separate it. This is, then, sort of Part 2 to my “Cooking with odds ‘n’ ends” post:

Yesterday at the farmer’s market I bought leeks, wild leeks, asparagus and fiddleheads. I’m only home for dinner Tuesday and Wednesday this week but hope to make something with these vegetables today (lunch for the week) or Tuesday. I don’t remember if I like fiddleheads – it’s been years since I’ve tried them – but it’s a short season so I wanted to buy them rather than not.

What do you do with leeks, wild leeks and fiddleheads? (I want to hear especially from those of you reading this at Beer and Butter Tarts.)

Related articles by Zemanta

• Get to Know Your Asparagus (patspapers.com)
• Wake up your tastebuds with bitter spring greens (canada.com)
• Ramps are the new arugula (time.com)
• It’s urban vegetable foraging season! (boingboing.net)
• Ramps Are the Newest Culinary Food Fashion (time.com)

Other related articles

• While composing this article and googling the vegetables I found this article from last May: Stay away from those wild leeks! (The Locavore)
• Leek recipes from Canadian Living.
• N.B. fiddleheads make early arrival (CBC)
• Hot, hot, hot: record set in April (Daily Gleaner, New Brunswick)
• Warm weather could mean local asparagus may be in season earlier than expected (Daily Gleaner, New Brunswick)
• Asparagus crop early (The Tillsonburg News)
• Ingredient: Ontario ramps (a.k.a. wild leeks) (Posted Toronto)
• How To: Harvest, Clean and Store Wild Leeks (mynorth.com)

Eat well, be well.

Food asparagus, fiddleheads, leeks, ramps, spring vegetables, wild leeks

Dinner tonight: A mix of odds ‘n’ ends. Got kale, got nettles, got scapes, got eggplant… Getting creative to stretch groceries.

That was my tweet, at 8:19pm on Thursday.

Image via Wikipedia

I realized, once again, how much food I waste living alone. I buy perishables such as vegetables that I intended to use. I don’t use them up fast enough. They go bad. I buy ingredients for particular recipes and don’t get around to using or I only use some. They go bad. Leftovers don’t always get eaten, and then I find myself greeted by a peculiar smell when I open the container at lunch time and then have to go buy my lunch. I’m sure that some of you know exactly where I’m coming from. It’s not only a waste of food but a waste of money as well.

So, Thursday’s dinner was a game of, “Throw a bunch of stuff together and hope it works” based on what’s available in my kitchen, sort of like those Top Chef challenges in which the cheftestants are provided with limited ingredients and told to be creative.

Here’s a rough recipe. Apologies if you like your recipes written in a traditional, linear fashion, but I’m a “handful of this, spoonful of that” kind of cook and I didn’t think of posting this until I went to eat some of the leftovers today so it’s more in narrative style:

• I decided on a base of brown rice, cooking one cup. Bring two cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add brown rice. Stir, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until soft It takes 30-40 minutes to cook.

• I sauteed 1/2 an onion, 1 glove garlic, and a small hand full of frozen garlic scapes (left from last summer).

• I added kale and stinging nettles (which I still have, but now they’re in the freezer) and cooked until wilted.

• I added half an eggplant (I’d bought 2 a month ago and for a casserole and used one). I still have half left.

• Added 1 spoonful each of tahini and peanut butter and some water to thin it out.

• I let it cook in my wok, lid on, on medium-loaw until the vegetables were cooked through (ideally I think that the eggplant should start cooking first but I was improvising on the spot).

Served it on the rice with some garlic chili sauce.

Being a dish based on improvising with what you already have, I imagine that any greens will do. Try beet greens and mustard greens. Cabbage. Collards, dandelion greens, whatever is in season. Broccoli could be added. I think I may have used up my arugula too and in retrospect I think that I should have used one of my two packages of tofu.

How do you use up odds and ends? Any favourite uses or recipes?

Eat well, be well.

Food, recipes cooking

Meghan has another e-tutorial/group challenge coming up. Curious? Read her top 5 reasons for low GI eating, which I’ve edited and, in some cases, paraphrased:

1. Break bad habits that cause us to thrive on adrenaline. This includes addictions to coffee, sugar and processed food
2. Stabilize mood and energy, which will also reduce any other mood related challenges like PMS and mean-ness
3. Improve sleep
4. Experiment with amazingly delicious new foods
5. Feel great.

How the group challenge works:

• Comment on this post to signal your participation, and you will be entered to win a sweet little low-GI friendly gift
• Download a copy of the 5 Days Low Glycemic Eating tutorial
• Follow Meghan on Twitter for live Twitter coaching through out the duration of the challenge.

More information from Meghan’s website:

• How Low Can You Go… Again!?!?!
• Lower The Load To Help Prevent Cancer (includes links to posts related to her previous session of this group challenge).

More information on glycemic index:

• Wikipedia: “glycemic index”
• Journal of the American Medical Association abstract: Effect of a Low–Glycemic Index or a High–Cereal Fiber Diet on Type 2 Diabetes
• Canadian Living: The GI diet made easy

Eat well, be well.

Food, health

• David’s website.

• Listen to David on Adam Carolla’s podcast. I subscribed to Carolla’s podcast before Wolfe was really on my radar.

Food, events, health cleansing, David Wolfe, detox, raw food

Another piece pulled from my inbox, the following is from Hazon. Purim starts tomorrow night. Learn more about purim at about.com or Wikipedia or follow Google down the rabbit hole.

Tips for an Eco Friendly Purim

On Purim we give one another gifts of food and distribute money to the poor, celebrating with communal fasting and feasting. Here are some tips courtesy of Svivat Yisrael for a joyous and green Purim.

1. Trash the Baskets – Package your Mishloach Manot (festive Purim gift) in useful, reusable containers such as storage containers, glasses, mugs and pasta drainers for year-round usability.

2. Sustainable Stuffing – Instead of padding out your package with shredded cellophane or colored paper, use banana chips, sunflower seeds or popcorn.

3. Naturally Sweet – Replace the packaged and processed candy and chocolates with fresh and dried fruit, unsweetened fruit juices and other healthy products.

4. Bag It – Follow the fashion trend and give your gifts in eco-friendly cloth bags that your friends can reuse for shopping.

5. Recycle – Making a costume from cardboard boxes, kitchen roll tubes etc. needn’t be old-fashioned.  You could become an ipod, cellphone or XBox!

6. Share the Spoils – Purim is over and you find yourself overloaded with unwanted food gifts?   Bring (unopened) food items to a local charitable organization to distribute to needy families.

Also check out The Jew and the Carrot’s Purim Round Up.

Food holidays, purim

Have you heard of Lunch Money Day for Second Harvest? Click the image for more.

Food, events Philanthropy, Second Harvest