Farm fresh beets

Living in Alabama, the produce selection at the grocery stores and farmers markets is a bit different than what we are use to back in California. Santa Barbara is home of the avocados, which aren't as prevalent around here - and when you can find them they are often much smaller and a lot more expensive than they were in SB. But, other things are available around here that we hadn't ever considered eating on the West Coast. Greens, for example, are a staple in most people's diets. Also Fried Green Tomatoes are a tasty appetizer and not just a movie title as I originally thought.

So even though we moved to the Deep South, home of Fried Everything, we are discovering that we can find plentiful nutritious foods to incorporate into our diet. And this summer we're trying out a new way to do that.

In an attempt to eat better, we've decided to do a CSA this summer. CSA stands for Community Support Agriculture, and is essentially where you buy a share of a farmer's produce. Instead of buying veggies at the market, or the farmers market, we go and pick up a box of veggies each week from the local farmer. Our farm is Doe Run Farms, located just north of us in Tennessee. They have an agreement with other area farmers, so they combine their crops and then pass out boxes of mixed veggies (and some fruit) to everyone who has signed up for a share.

We have a mini-share, which is one peck (yes, like Peter Piper and his pickled peppers), although a full share is one bushel. So, each Thursday we pick up a fresh box overflowing with produce from the farm truck. It's very cool, and forces us to be a bit more creative about what we eat while being very fresh at the same time. And it's so many vegetables! Last week we got the following:
cucumbers
carrots
lettuce
eggplant
green beans
zucchini
zephyr squash (similar to zucchini just half yellow and half green)
peaches
beets

The amount is so much that we have to consciously work to eat them all before the next box arrives. And when something is in season, like beets, we eat a lot of them. Since I love beets, and I know some people aren't quite sure how to eat them, I thought I'd share. They're very sweet tasting, extremely good for you, and take almost no effort to make.




Beets

Beets come in red, golden, or even rainbow as these were. To me, they all taste the same, so I prepare them all the same. No seasoning needed - just cook and eat!



1. Take beets and cut the greens off, about 1/4inch from the end. Rinse thoroughly in water, but leave the skin on. Put all beets in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil.




2. After 30 - 45 minutes, check by poking with a fork. If they seem tender (think mashed potatoes), they are done. Remove from heat, drain, and fill with cold water.

3. Once cooled enough to handle, simply rub and the skins will fall off. Rinse to make sure all bits are removed. Slice and enjoy!

Snoozing in the Summer Sun

Unlike several of the other little kids I know, Addison is almost 18 months old and she still takes two naps a day. On one hand I consider myself very lucky, but it does mean that our daily activities are pretty limited. We can really only get out for a few hours in the middle of the day. So that means we either run some quick errands or go to the pool, but rarely do we get to do both.

Don't get me wrong - I love that I have two chunks in the day where I can do things without Addison underfoot. It makes getting dinner ready, or checking email, or just sitting down with a good book possible. I have numerous projects in the works at the moment, and although they are taking forever I know that they wouldn't be getting done at all if she didn't nap so much. I know I will be bummed when she finally gives up that morning nap.

Of course, there are days when I think she may be about done with both naps, but I'm hoping I still have some time. Twice this week she has refused to sleep in the morning, instead playing and then crying in her crib until I finally relent and go get her. At least I still get about 30 minutes before I go in and get her up, but it does screw with my mental schedule. I've come to count on those naps, and even though I'm rather busy while she's asleep, my mental batteries are charging nonetheless. When she doesn't sleep, my batteries run down and it throws everything off for the rest of the day.

And since one of those single nap days was today, I can't wait to go out for a girls night tonight. Hopefully she won't give Derek too much grief while I'm out.

Here's my great gazpacho soup recipe. It's perfect for a hot summer day when you want something cold and refreshing. I usually make some cheesy garlic bread to go with it. And it may seem like a complicated recipe, but really it's just a lot of fresh veggies all diced together.



Gazpacho Soup
1 1/2lbs tomatoes (approx 5)
1 cup Tomato juice (or V8)
1 cup cucumber (peeled, seeded, diced)
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
1 garlic clove (mince or use a garlic press)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lime, juiced
2 tsp  balsamic vinegar
2 tsp  Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp  ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons



1. To prepare the tomatoes - Fill a pot halfway full of water and bring to a boil.  Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of each tomato.  Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 -30 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool for 1 minute. Remove, peel, core and seed the tomatoes.

2. Place the tomatoes and tomato juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine.

3. Use a hand blender (immersion blender) and puree mixture. You can leave some chunks or make it a fine puree depending on your preference.

4. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight. Serve with chiffonade of basil.  And some cheesy garlic bread, of course!

Great California Adventure

Sorry about the delay in posting - we just spent the last week in California and that meant things were kinda crazy before we left. Given that I spent 10 years in Cali, not to mention that Derek was born there,  we have a lot of friends and family to see when we go. Unfortunately this trip was so crazy that we barely got to see anyone. We did have fun though!

Addison did great on the flights out - even though we had layovers in both Dallas and El Paso on our way to LAX. I think she much prefers morning flights, and despite all the traveling we still got there mid-afternoon. Amidst the wedding planning (Derek's sister Sarah got married on Saturday), we had a chance to visit with the family for a bit before wedding prep took over.

And like all weddings, this one had its fill of crazy stress moments as everything came together. And come together it did - the venue was a park in Carpinteria, which was beautiful and had perfect weather on Saturday. The flowers were gorgeous (as was the bride), the cake (a tower of cake pops) delicious, and Addison charmed everyone with her dancing style even if she didn't quite make it down the aisle as the flower girl.

Then early Sunday morning Derek and I left Addison with Nanna and G-Pops and hopped in the car up to San Francisco. Thankfully we didn't hit any traffic and made it on time to the next wedding of the weekend; this time for his college roommate Simon. They had chosen to get married on a chartered boat in the middle of the San Francisco Bay - and they couldn't have asked for better weather. Sunny, warm, and no fog!

The wedding was fun, being on a boat, and did I mention the fireworks? It happened to be the 75th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge this weekend, so Sunday night they closed the bridge and turned it into one of the most spectacular fireworks shows we've ever seen. Fireworks shooting up, sideways, and down from the entire length of the bridge; it was very exciting to be right in front watching.

So after all that, it was kinda tough to drive back down south. At least we got a chance to visit with some friends for breakfast in Berkeley, and then at a couple of stops along the drive back. It was tough though - driving past so many people we know and love, and not having the time to see them. It was  torturous, and I just hope that our next California adventure let's us visit everyone we missed this time.

Now we are back home for a brief time before heading off again. The local schools are out for the summer, and it's been really hot here (my poor plants are mad at me for not watering them much while we were gone). So in honor of the hot weather and the beginning of another hot and sticky summer in the South, I'm sharing my recipe for sweet tea. We tend to drink it year-round, but never seem to have enough in the summertime.

CC's Southern Sweet Tea
5 Lipton tea bags
8 - 12 cups of water (it's not exact, just whatever fits in a pot)
1 cup sugar

1. Place all 5 tea bags in a large pot. Add water to about 1/2 inch from the top

2. Bring to a boil. Turn heat off and add sugar. Stir. Let tea cool, stirring every few minutes to make sure the sugar dissolves completely.

3. Once cool enough to pour into your pitcher, do so. Then add water to fill.

Pretty simple, and oh so satisfying. Enjoy!