Archive for July, 2009

You are not in this Alone

As I’ve shared with many of our Members, I did not grow up with the best ’healthy eating habits’. With both parents working, I grew up with Hamburger Helper. It wasn’t a daily meal but definitely a staple in the cupboard.  We did not eat Kale, Chard or anything similar.

Since I started working at FFF, I’ve shared my experiments and experiences. Some good. Some not so good.  Sometimes it’s a story….

The Background:

I’m trying to utilize everything I receive in my weekly produce basket in addition to eliminating packaged food.  I also work full time and have three active children (band, soccer, track, drama, etc.) two of which are teenagers.  Everyone knows “planning” is key so last weekend I sat down and made our “menu for the week”.  I planned it according to what was already in the freezer and pantry, expected Produce Basket contents and time restraints.  (For example, Eggplant Sandwiches on Thursday when I had a little bit more time to cook.  Spaghetti on Tuesday when I did not……)

The Story:

Last Monday evening about 9pm, I prepared everything to make home-made spaghetti sauce for Tuesday’s dinner.  Everything went into my 2nd favorite electric kitchen utensil; the crockpot.  Blender is my 1st favorite.  Margaritas. 

I pulled everything out of my basket and spent a bit of time chopping: bell peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, etc.  I added Italian seasoning, tomato sauce and anything else I thought adequate.  Stir.  Taste.  Add more seasoning.  Stir.  Taste.  Perfect!  Place on counter.  Set on Low. 

This is cool.  Now dinner is ready for tomorrow.  One-less-thing-to-squeeze-in.  Yay me!

Tuesday morning:  Smells yummy!  I head over to the counter to check out my masterpiece with a smug grin on my face because I have a chance to regain the Mom of the Year Award (This is a very elusive award.  I’ve lost the title several times this year.)  I lifted the lid and stared at a black, crispy glob.  Yes crispy.  It was even pulling away from the sides of the crockpot.  It looked like a dried out lake.  A reddish black lake.  A lumpy reddish black lake.  With cracks and everything. 

Dumb crockpot.  You might become my 3rd favorite for that.  I just unplugged the crockpot and left it there to deal with later.  

We had canned spaghetti sauce that night.

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Summer Sweet Oranges

We are in the peak of Summer Sweet Oranges, also known as Valencia oranges.  If you crave sweet and flavorful fresh orange juice, squeeze some of these jewels!  You’ll get lots of juice from each one.  This is the original sweet orange brought over from Valencia, Spain.

Even though the fruit is fully ripe, Valencia oranges obtain a green tinge in the warm weather.  This is called regreening.  When the fruit ripens on the tree, it turns a bright orange color that you are more familiar with.  The warm summer weather makes the skin reabsorb chlorophyll as it hangs on the tree, causing a ripe orange to look partly green.

Fresh Valencia juice may be stored in the refrigerator overnight if tightly covered.  There should be no loss of flavor.

Add some orange to your smoothies:  ½ cup of juice, ½ cup of diced oranges, a peeled banana, some berries and ½ cup of yogurt.

Orange Marinade

Recipe #22685 from RecipeZaar.com

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/3 cup brandy (peach or apricot brandy is nice to use in this marinade)

1/3 cup honey

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Combine all ingredients together and mix well.

Barbequed Beef Steak with Orange Marinade

From allrecipes.com

2 pounds top sirloin, 2 inches thick

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

2 oranges, juiced

Make crisscross cuts on surface of meat on both sides, and place in a shallow dish. Reserve 1/2 cup orange juice. Mix remaining orange juice with garlic and ginger. Pour over meat, and marinate in refrigerator for at least 6 hours.

Preheat grill for medium heat.

Brush grate with oil, and place steak on grill. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes per side, or until done. Remove from grill, and rest for several minutes.

Meanwhile, heat reserved orange juice. Slice meat, and transfer to a serving platter. Pour heated orange juice over the meat.

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Sweet Corn is the highlight of Summer

Sweet Corn.  Those two words simply mean summer is here.  Grab an ear of corn, pull off the husks, rinse it and dig in.  If you’ve never had corn sweet enough to eat raw, you don’t know what you’re missing.

I love corn for several reasons.  It’s one of the easiest veggies to cook, my kids will eat it without balking, it freezes well and most importantly it tastes good.

Vine Ripe of Hanford supplies the corn for our weekly produce baskets.  They walk the fields each morning looking for the silk strands that have started to turn color identifying a ripe ear of corn.  Immediately after being picked, the corn is placed in cold storage until Family Farm Fresh arrives to pick them up.

Did you know there is one silk strand for each kernel of corn? Per FoodReference.com the average ear of corn has 800 kernels, always in an even number of rows.  (Wonder how many people are going to start counting those rows.)

In addition to Sweet Corn, there are other varieties grown:

  • Flint corn, also known as Indian corn, has a hard outer shell.
  • Dent corn, also called field corn, is most often used for livestock feed. It is also used to make industrial products such as sweeteners, ethanol fuel and starch.
  • Popcorn has a hard outer shell like Indian corn.

You can microwave, boil, steam or grill corn.  When you grill corn, you can wrap the shucked corn in foil with seasoned butter or cook it directly on the grill to get a complimenting smoky flavor.  Regardless of which option you choose, do not overcook your corn as it will cause it to dry out.  Corn really doesn’t need to be ‘cooked’ just heated.

What is your favorite way to prepare corn?

Leave your comments below.

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