Recipe: HAKUREI TURNIP FRY

Nom Nom Nom...doesn't that look delish!

INGREDIENTS

4 baby hakurei turnips, quartered  (URG, 0 miles, FREE!)
1 small head golden bok choy, thick stems removed (URG, 0 miles, FREE!)
1 Tbsp fresh wild baby amaranth leaves (URG, 0 miles, FREE!)
2 small cloves garlic (URG, 0 miles, FREE!)
2 Tbsp Nancy's Naturally Vitality Dressing (Urban Harvest Farmer's Market, 50 mi., $1.00)
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for frying

Total Food Miles: 50
Total Cost: $1

Farm Profile: UTILITY RESEARCH GARDEN

The Quatro Luna Jardin!  Photo by V.L.Onkow

Hello alllll of ya'll...writing to you from Austin, TX at the moment, sitting in a SUPER hip coffee shop called Cenote on the East Side of town, waiting on a bamboo delivery etc.  Being as that I am not doing anything super important currently, I thought I would take a moment to tell you a little bit more about the farm that I've been working on and my experience in the the Lone Star State.

Good and New

Hoop house and stuff at URG, taken by my lovely friend
Vanessa, another intern at the farm!

Soooooooo, this blog has been depressingly dormant for the past few months and for that I do apologize.  See the thing is, I've been spending a lot of time working on myself, my beliefs, and my philosophy as it pertains to food and that has made it difficult for me to post and keep up with my blog in any sort of consistant manner.  Since my last post I started and finished working a at food Co-op, The Swarthmore Food Co-op, which is a local cooperatively owned food market located in Swarthmore, Pa dedicated to selling local and sustainably produced foods; I have volunteered with Mill Creek Urban Farm in Philadelphia helping with upkeep and small farm tasks; and I have lived and interned at the Utility Research Garden in Jones Creek, TX.  From these experiences, I have dramatically altered my conception of fresh and local as well as my attitude towards meat and dairy.  Consequently, my food philosophy has changed quite a bit and I also have a renewed interest in keeping up with this blog albeit in a slightly altered format.

VEGAN BROCCOLI + 'CHEESE'

Ready to Eat!

 This soup is a hybrid cross between my Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup and Melty Nutritional Yeast 'Cheese.'  It is still a work in progress but is delicious nonetheless!  I recommend eating this soup with some good bread...I had it this pared with a vegan  naan found on food.com

GROWING STUFF-Day 11

What a beaut!

We're coming up on DAY 11 here, and it is finally harvest time.  Looking at the mushies it seems as though I could have probably picked them yesterday.  Today they are a bit on the dry side, a little bit discolored, and the caps are starting to curl upwards a bit too much.  At any rate, you live you learn.  Now I know for the next round when is the optimum time to pick!  Also, as you will see in the pictures below, the mushroom kit does not produce a high yield, just one bunch per grow cycle.  If I am to seriously consider growing mushrooms, I either need more kits (which will get pricey) or I need to use a more productive grow method!

ANY BEAN SOUP

The freshest ingredients!

The following is a great way to enhance the flavors of a pre-packaged soup, add nutritional content, and at the same time make it your own.  For this particular recipe I used KEDEM's pre-packaged 7 bean soup recipe, but that is only because it was the only thing I had in my cabinet (sorry Kedem)!  You can really use any bean soup with this recipe  and it should come out all right...or, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, you can skip the packaged soup seasoning and make your own.*

*If you are taking this route, I recommend Trader Joe's 17 bean dried soup package...you can follow their directions or make your own broth.  When I'm making my own broth I usually use a combo of Italian seasonings, hot sauce with a bay leaf or two, and salt and pepper!

GROWING STUFF-Day 10

Mushrooms from the side

DAY 10...and its almost harvest time!  These little guys have been so much fun to cultivate this past week and a half and extremely low maintenance.  All that they need is a minimally lit area (ie not directly in front of a window), moderately warm temperature (I've been fluxing from 67-75 b/c this Philly weather is so gosh darn lovely), a semi moist air climate (basically don't use air conditioning or a dehumidifier...it'll dry the little guys out!), and  a little spritzy spritz twice a day!  Not much change with my GrowBottle so there aren't any pics up today for that...but there will be soon!

GROWING STUFF-Day 09

Mushrooms from above

...you guessed it DAY 9!!!

GROWING STUFF-Day08

Caps coming along nicely

And suddenly it was the eighth day...

GROWING STUFF-Day07

Day 07 and the mushrooms are really starting to look like mushrooms!  The rate of growth of these guys is truly fascinating, and quite bizarre.  My basil GrowBottle also sprouted over night.  There are teeny tiny seedlings barely poking through the vermiculite!

GROWING STUFF-Day06

Primordia

So its Day OH-SIX of project GROWING STUFF, and here we have Primordia, or the beginnings of fruit body formation!  Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of the pins because I was out of town for a day, but that just goes to show how quickly mushrooms form!!!  Pretty crazy awesome looking stuff, and to think I am going to be eating that in just a few days!

GROWING STUFF-Day01

Contents of Basil GrowBottle

GROWING STUFF-DAY00

Hey all, so I haven't written in a while and I know you have all been waiting anxiously for an update, but this might not be the type of update you were expecting.  Instead of gracing your internet browser with a delectable recipe, I am instead sharing with you a journey that I embarked upon just last week. Inspired by a my friend Dave and his blog Cookin Stuff (which is not vegan or about growing things but is an entertaining read nonetheless) and my desire to start legitimately growing my own food; I will be doing a month long bit called growing stuff, about well you know GROWING STUFF! 

OVEN ROASTED TOMATOES

To accompany my previous post, I have a recipe for oven roasted tomatoes that will make your pallet tingle.  Great on there own, pureed on top of pasta, or added to sauce, these tomatoes are simply sophisticated and dressed to impress!

PAN FRIED ZUCCHINI

Pictured atop pureed oven roasted tomatoes
and capellini

A classic dish that was inspired by a vegan pizza recipe I discovered a long long time ago, these pan fried zucchini make the perfect complement to any meal.  Whether used as a side dish, in a pasta, or as snack, they very rarely disappoint.  Plus, they are reasonably easy to make so long as you don't mess up the secret and most important ingredient of all...  ¡NOW LETS GET COOKIN'!

PORTUGUESE POTATO AND KALE SOUP

 

Today's treat is one of my favorite soups in the world, a portuguese potato and kale soup recipe originally found in Eating Local: The Cookbook Inspired by America's Farmers made vegan by yours truly!  This soup is made from simply prepared ingredients and packed with complex flavors that will will keep vegans, vegetarians, kale haters* and carnivorous creatures coming back for more!

*This statement I endorse wholeheartedly as I have turned many a kale hater into a kale lover by this hearty recipe!