Sweetwater: Return & Investment

Today's Sweetwater pickup was robust, a welcome change after a few weeks of harvests made scant by the unusually cold weather. Today's share included: carrot bunches, joi choi, kohlrabi, broccoli, magenta lettuce, green romaine, ermosa butterhead, cilantro, radish, scallions, and arugula.














I have enjoyed many weeks of bountiful returns. Today, for the first time, I put in a little investment of time. All CSA members are required to volunteer at least four hours of time per season. Today I spend about an hour in the greenhouse thinning seedlings.

I was a pleasure to get my hands into the soil and spend time with the friendly and capable Sweetwater interns. Most of all, I enjoyed the feeling of being invested in the process of producing my own food. This just doesn't happen when you shop at the grocery store. Maybe next time the weather will be better and I can get out into the fields, and maybe even bring my four-year-old son with me. What a learning experience that will be!

Registration for Sweetwater's 2010-11 season (November to May) is currently underway for current members. New members can register starting April 1. Click HERE for more information.

If you don't live near Tampa/St. Petersburg, click HERE to find a CSA (community-supported agriculture) program near you.

Cole Slaw that Fights Cancer

I recently posted about the cancer-fighting properties of raw cruciferous vegetables, like cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. Click HERE for an interesting article about it.

The article specifically mentions the link between crucifers and bladder cancer. Since we have a loved-one who is battling bladder cancer, I decided to come up with some tasty recipes for him.

I immediately thought of this outstanding cole slaw made by a family friend. I made it last night from an organic head of cabbage we got from our Sweetwater harvest. It was delightful! I like it so much better than the traditional mayonnaise-based cole slaws. The onions really give it a nice kick. Thanks Mrs. S for sharing!

Here's the recipe - enjoy!

1 head of cabbage sliced thin (I used a food processor)
1 small sweet onion
olive oil to generously coat the cabbage and onions
about 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon
salt and pepper

I thought some toasted almond slivers might be a nice addition. I'm going to try that for lunch today.

The Cancer-Fighting Cauliflower

Click HERE for an interesting article about the cancer-fighting properties of cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. It's important to note that you get the most benefit when they are eaten raw.

I got a lovely little organic cauliflower with my Sweetwater harvest the other day. In hindsight, I wish I had eaten it raw to get the full cancer-fighting benefits. However, I made this very delicious cauliflower n' cheese. It's a much healthier alternative to mac n' cheese. I actually prefer the taste and texture of the cauliflower to pasta. Here's how I made it:

1) lightly steam the cauliflower
2) in a saucepan, melt a few teaspoons of butter, cheese and milk
3) pour the sauce over the steamed cauliflower and put in the oven until golden brown

Click HERE for a $1-off coupon for Kraft cheese.

Sweetwater Harvest: Transition to Winter Crops

Here is a picture of my most recent share of produce from Sweetwater Organic Community Farm. Our pick-up included: several types of lettuce (including butterleaf, red romaine, magenta leaf, and arugala), joi choi pac choi, carrots, kale, eggplant, tomatoes, kohlrabi, cabbage, radishes, beets, and curly endive.

I made a hearty vegetable soup using the kale, cabbage, and carrots. We have also enjoyed fried curly endive. It's better than french fries! However, it's a little bit too oily, and I wonder how many nutrients remain in the endive after the frying process. We will also enjoy another week of the best salads I've ever eaten. The arugala and radishes are so delicious! They are like none I've ever had before.

According to the weekly email we receive from the Farm Manager at Sweetwater, we have fully transitioned into winter crops. That means no more salad greens, eggplant, or tomatoes. I really appreciate these weekly emails. They contain a list of the produce they expect to harvest, which makes it easier to plan ahead. I also learn some interesting tid bits about organic gardening. For example, here is an excerpt from last week's email:

"Our next planting of carrots is ready to harvest and should give us sweet tasting 'Nelson' carrots for about a month. First we start by harvesting the baby carrots in bunches as a way of thinning the rows. This gives the remaining carrots space to size up, later on we will harvest in bulk without the tops."

The Sweetwater website also contains a forum for swapping recipes, but there are very few posts on it. I would love to see them send weekly emails with recipes and information about some of the more unusual produce. In the meantime, I've been having fun researching things online and sharing recipes with friends.

Click HERE for my previous posts about Sweetwater. Click HERE to find CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in your area.

Sweetwater: Our Third Share

We picked up our third share of produce from Sweetwater Organic Community Farm today. They told us that we can expect more variety (and perhaps greater volume) in our pick-ups now that the weather is cooler.

Today, our pick-up included: three different types of lettuce (including butterleaf - my favorite), joi choi pac choi, carrots, siberian kale, radicchio, eggplant, yellow squash, tomatoes, mizuna, broccoli, kohlrabi, parsley, scallions, and daikon.

This has been such a great way to learn about new vegetables!

Click HERE for my previous posts about Sweetwater.

A Thanksgiving Bounty from Sweetwater

I am very thankful for the absolutely gorgeous array of fresh vegetables I picked up today from Sweetwater Organic Community Farm. Today's share included: cherry tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, squash, cucumber, beans, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, oak leaf lettuce, magenta lettuce, vulcan lettuce, parsley, and two enormous heads of butter leaf lettuce. The total cost for the share is $27.

My husband and I had a big salad for dinner and everything was so flavorful. So far, I'm very pleased with my experience at Sweetwater.

Click HERE for more information about Sweetwater and community-supported agriculture.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My First Produce Share from Sweetwater

I picked up my first share of produce at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm today as part of my community-supported agriculture (CSA) membership. Click HERE for more information about Sweetwater and how to find a CSA near you.

I have a half membership. I paid $400 for 15 pickups (every other week from now until May). That comes out to $27 per pickup. I'd say $27 is a very reasonable price for all the beautiful produce shown above. The fact that it is organic and locally-grown is icing on the cake.

The pick-up process was very simple and pleasant. The farm was easy to find. It is near the intersection of Hillsborough Avenue and Hanley in Tampa, close to the airport. From Hanley, you turn onto Commanche. There are no signs - just a dead end street with a little bridge at the end. Parking is adequate along Cammanche. Cross the pedestrian bridge over Sweetwater Creek, and you enter the world of Sweetwater Farm. It's shady, peaceful, and inviting. Volunteers mill about doing farm chores. CSA members drift in to quietly pick up their shares at the barn.

Luckily, I knew where the barn was since I had been to one of the Sunday Markets. Otherwise, I probably would have felt lost. There was a welcome table with a sign-in sheet. I found my name on the sheet and put a check under today's date. No one approached me, so I asked one of the volunteers to guide me through the process since it was my first time. A very nice man named Roberto explained the very simple process they have for pick-ups.

Here's the drill - there is a table with all the produce in bins. On the chalkboard there is a listing of what is in each bin and how many of each you are suppose to take. The order of the list corresponds to the order of the bins.

There is a Swap Basket at the welcome table where you can trade out things you don't want for things other people have left in the basket. I wasn't so bold to do that this time, but I'm sure I'll be doing it in the future.

I was worried that since I came late in the day, I was going to get the bruised-up leftovers. However, I'm happy to report that the produce was consistently gorgeous! My only complaint is that the harvest seemed a little heavy on the salad greens. However, with some research, I might find other uses for some of the produce besides salads. Before my next pick-up, I'm going to come up with a systematic way to label the produce as I'm putting it in my bags. This should help me with my research and recipe searches.

After I gathered my produce, I chatted with Roberto for a bit. Turns out we both have children that are roughly the same age (that usually makes for an instant bond). Roberto use to live on the farm before he had children. If I were younger and sans family, I think I'd like to be part of their internship program and live on the farm.

Roberto generously offered to show us the chickens. He fed them greens (I never knew chickens ate greens). They don't have enough chickens to sell eggs. However, there is a vendor that sells eggs at the Sunday Market. We took a quick stroll around the growing plants and headed out. It was a very pleasant experience. I really love the easy-going peaceful vibe.

I split my membership with my parents, so I headed to their house to split up the treasure and eat dinner. Since we have so many salad greens, we decided to make a nice dinner salad with pecan-encrusted goat cheese and raspberry dressing. Absolutely delicious!

I'm very pleased so far with my CSA experience. I'm looking forward to finding out what our next harvest will bring!

Community Supported Agriculture is Healthy, Green and Frugal

I am so excited to report that I am now a member of the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at Sweetwater Organic Community Farm. I can't wait to pick up my first share of produce in November!

If you are not familiar with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), it is basically a way for farmers and consumers to share the risks and rewards of farming. As a consumer, you pay a membership fee and donate some time to the farm. In return, you get locally-grown organic produce. It's great for your health, the environment, and your budget! Click here to learn about other benefits of CSA.

If you don't live in the Tampa Bay area, click here to find a CSA near you.

Here's what membership at Sweetwater entails:

• I purchased a half membership for $390. That means I will receive one share of farm produce every other week. A full membership costs $700 and gets you a share every week.
  
• How does the cost compare to grocery stores? The cost of a share to CSA members is $16-$25 per pickup. According to Sweetwater's price comparison, the same produce would cost $35-$50 at local health food stores.
• A share typically consists of 2 to 4 grocery bags filled with 10 to 15 different items.
• Pick-ups are from November to May.
• Shares are picked up at Sweetwater Farm in West Comanche in Tampa. Members can also pick up at the St Petersburg Saturday Morning Market.
  
• Members are also required to volunteer at least 4 hours to the farm. I'm actually quite excited about this part, as I hope to learn something about organic gardening.
• If your not sure if this will work for you, consider sharing the the cost of membership (and the produce) with a friend or family member. My parents are splitting the cost with me!
  

Shares are still available at Sweetwater last time I checked. Click here to get the application.

Eggplant Pizza

Make a healthy and delicious eggplant pizza this weekend for $7 by taking advantage of sales and coupons.

Click here to see what's on sale at Publix this week.

• Boboli 100% Whole Wheat Pizza Crust is BOGO at Publix. (one crust is $2.19)
• Muir Glen Organic Tomato Sauce. I find that the 8-ounce can is the perfect amount for one pizza. It's more expensive per ounce, but there's no waste! Click here for $1-off Muir Glen coupons. (89 cents)
  
• Eggplant on sale for $1.15 per pound at Publix. (the eggplant I bought today cost a total of $1.48)
  
• Shredded mozzarella cheese. I stock up on this when it goes on sale for 2 for $5. ($2.50)
• You could also add baby portabello mushrooms, which are also on sale at Publix. ($1.69)
• By the way, my Sweetwater harvests often contain eggplants.
  

All you have to do it slice the eggplant very thin, rub a little sea salt on it, and fry it in bit of olive oil. Assemble the ingredients on the crust and bake about 12 minutes. I like to season the tomato sauce with Alessi Dipping Spices.