Personalities: Happy Heart Farm

10 05 2010

Community-supported agriculture isn’t just about produce. It’s about community, too. So I always love talking to the Colorado farmers who are bringing us the fruits and vegetables we’ve grown to love — before they get too busy in the fields to talk! For other profiles in this series, click “Personalities” under the “Categories” heading at right.

If you are lucky enough to live in Fort Collins and are able to become a member of Happy Heart Farm, you will be joining a strong community that goes back two decades. Owners Dennis and Bailey Stenson are credited with opening the first CSA in Colorado in 1990, long before movies like Food, Inc. and Michael Pollan’s books helped to popularize the movement.

Back in the late ‘80s, the Stensons had already been working at farmers markets for years when they decided to attend a conference in New Mexico on upcoming trends. Among the topics under discussion were co-housing and community supported agriculture. The latter resonated for many reasons. “To have the food presold was a huge thing,” recalls Bailey, who had young children at the time. She also appreciated “not having the stress of moving the food.”

Another aspect of the CSA model they particularly liked was the connection with members. Indeed, this connection remains as vital today as it was when they started. “We’ve chosen to stay a small farm instead of one with thousands of members because of it,” she explains. Members feel the connection, too: Happy Heart Farm has nearly 30 working members, one of the highest participation rates in the state. Last year, one member – a chef — even cooked meals. “To come up from the field and have food prepared for us was like a dream come true,” she said. The Stensons have also opened up their farm to apprentices and students in a commitment to sharing their knowledge and expanding their community.

The farm practices not just organic but biodynamic techniques, such as using homeopathic herb-based sprays for pest control and following the lunar and planetary calendars for planting and composting. For a member, a season at Happy Heart Farm typically starts in late May with spinach, cilantro, radishes and chives and ends in late October with herbs, squash, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and more. Along the way, members might receive anything from chard to Brussels sprouts, edamame to tomatoes. For a list of last year’s produce, broken out by week, click here .


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Categories : In Spring, Personalities, Uncategorized

CSA Alternative

19 04 2010

For years I’ve struggled with the concept of Door to Door Organics, a home-delivery service for organic produce, because it wasn’t entirely local. Bananas? Avocados? Definitely not from here.

But I just got wind of a new subscription option called “Local Farm Box,” which offers 100% local Colorado produce from June to October. Door to Door Organics is promising to deliver sourcing information and farm news along with the weekly box of goods. And, as always, they let you customize what’s in your box.

I still prefer cutting out the middleman and supporting the farmer directly, but for those of you along the Front Range who are on a waitlist for a CSA, this might be something to consider.


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Categories : Food News, In Spring

Celery Root Gratin

6 02 2010

Celery root is one of those vegetables you can avoid your whole life without even trying. Its ugly exterior — all those brownish tendrils sticking out of the odd-shaped bulb — all but guarantees its placement in the back of the produce section. That is, if it’s there at all. I cooked happily for years before I brought celery root into my own kitchen, and then only because it was from my CSA and I didn’t want to waste it.

What we call celery root (or celeriac) is the root of a special variety of celery, so it’s not like farmers grow celery and then at the end of the season dig up the root. In taste, celery root is usually described as a cross between strong celery and parsley, but I’ve found our farm-share celeriac to be milder than regular celery, and thus a better choice for picky eaters. The texture is more like a flabby potato, so if you like celery but don’t like the strings, celery root might be a good vegetable for you to meet.

The first time I cooked it, I pureed it and added it to mashed potatoes. The celery root perked up the starch, but my kids objected to the intrusion, both in texture and flavor. I’ve also gently sauteed it with butter as a side dish, and the result was good but not worth repeating.

So I’ve continued to look for new preparations, and last week experimented with a Celery Root-Wild Rice Gratin. Normally, gratins have breadcrumbs on top but this one doesn’t. However, it does have a delicious white sauce to bind the ingredients together. Definitely a step up from the other recipes. A friend who came over for lunch the day after I made it liked the leftovers so much she’s already requested the recipe. My version is adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, by Deborah Madison.

Celery Root-Wild Rice Gratin

3 cups cooked wild rice, or brown and wild rice mix
1 small leek, washed well and sliced into very thin rings
4 T butter, divided
2 T white flour
1 1/2 cups whole or 2 % milk, heated in the microwave or over the stove until hot
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery root, washed, peeled and grated
1 lemon, juiced
3 T chopped parsley
3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/4 cup parmesan

First, cook the rice according to package directions and set aside. (I like to make extra so I have leftovers for fried rice or salads later in the week.)

Next, make the white sauce. Melt 3 T butter and cook leeks for a few minutes over low heat, then add flour and cook, stirring, for two minutes. Add the hot milk and whisk out any lumps. Keep stirring and cook over low heat until thick, about 20 minutes. Add nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a round or oval baking dish. Melt 1 T butter over medium and add garlic. Cook for 30 seconds, then add grated celery root, half the lemon juice and parsley. Continue cooking until tender, about 7-10 minutes. In a large bowl, mix celery root, rice, white sauce, Swiss cheese and parmesan. Taste and add remaining lemon juice if desired, plus salt and pepper and additional nutmeg if necessary. Spoon into prepared dish and bake about 25 minutes.


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Categories : In Winter, Recipes, Uncategorized

Good Use for Carrots

19 01 2010

Carrots look so innocent, especially those inaccurately named “baby carrots” sold in the store. But if you’re part of a winter farm share, you might find them overwhelming. Carrots are a storage crop, meaning that farmers harvest them in the fall and store them throughout the winter. If you’re part of a CSA and don’t use them up before the next delivery, you can easily find six pounds in your fridge.

It’s rare, even for us, to finish them all off. But today as my husband scrubbed carrots for lunch, he announced somewhat victoriously, “We’re almost out of carrots!” (He’s not normally so excited by vegetables. That’s my thing.) Some went to soup; others went to salad. The bulk of them we ate raw with hummus.

As a nutritionist told me, carrots make a better choice than pita for scooping up this rich, healthy chickpea spread. It’s easy to get carbohydrates in our diet, she said. It’s harder to get all that vitamin A. Not sure that your kiddos will like it? You might be surprised. Even my picky 3-year-old eats it by the spoonful.

Hummus
Serves 8

4 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1 to 1 1/2 lemons
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced or crushed
1/3 to 1/2 cup tahini
2/3 to 3/4 cup plain yogurt

Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy. Taste and add additional lemon juice, tahini or yogurt, as desired. Serve with carrot sticks, celery or whole-wheat pita wedges. (Remember that carrots and celery are on the Environmental Working Group’s list of foods with the most pesticide residue, so buy organic.)


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Categories : In Winter, Recipes

Why do YOU eat locally, seasonally, humanely?

9 12 2009

I spent yesterday morning with a few friends who have, like me, made changes in the way they shop for and prepare food. I expected the discussion to be thought-provoking. What I did not expect was how different all of our reasons are for stepping off the conventional industrial path.

I’m assuming that since you’re reading this, you also have an interest in eating locally, seasonally, organic, or humanely-raised. (Or all of the above). But why? It’s easier and often cheaper to shop by price only in mainstream stores. What prompted your change?

Did you watch Food, Inc.?
Did you read The Omnivore’s Dilemma?
Did you read an article about pesticide contamination?
Do you care about the fair treatment of laborers? The fair treatment of animals?

What are your reasons for paying attention to your food and where it comes from?
And just as important, since we all have limited budgets, what areas do you focus on?


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Categories : Food News, In Winter, Uncategorized

Potato and Green Bean Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette

8 10 2009

potato salad with mustard, parsley, green beans Friends tell me they’re scared to have me over for dinner. Something about my being a food writer tends to scare them off. If only they could’ve heard my seven-year-old tonight.

“Mommy,” she yelled from downstairs. “Are we having hotdogs and baked beans for dinner?” I’d been writing on the computer for awhile, and I guess she figured we’d be stuck with that since it was nearing 6 o’clock and the kitchen was dark. The fact that she knows about hotdogs and canned baked beans should put my friends at ease.

So yes, we did have hotdogs (all natural, I might add). But instead of serving a side dish from a can, I boiled some fingerling potatoes, tossed in a handful of green beans for the last few minutes, and quickly whisked Dijon, olive oil and balsamic. When the beans and potatoes were done, I drained them and tossed them with the vinaigrette, then added some baby spinach. By the time the ketchup, mustard and relish were on the table, the side dish was ready. Nothing fancy, certainly nothing to intimidate a friend, but way better than something out of a can.

Potato and Green Bean Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
This recipe, like many others on my blog, is more technique than recipe. I didn’t weigh ingredients as I made it, and neither should you. Just use what you have, adding more or less depending on personal taste and what’s in your fridge and/or pantry. The quantities are simply estimates to get you started.

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes or fingerlings, cut into quarters or bite-sized pieces
8 ounces green beans, cut in 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup course-ground Dijon mustard
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2-3 tablespoons parsley
Large handful of baby spinach
Salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water about 8 or 9 minutes, or until nearly done. Add the green beans and cook a few minutes more. Drain beans and potatoes. Whisk the mustard, olive oils and balsamic and gently toss with the vegetables, then add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Add more balsamic if necessary, then mix in a large handful of baby spinach.


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Categories : In Autumn, Recipes

Couscous with Carrots, Lemon and Parsley

6 10 2009

A few weeks ago, Monroe Organic Farms (our CSA) had a harvest festival. My kids had so much fun picking carrots that we headed home with quite a large bag. Since then, I’ve been flipping through the indices of favorite cookbooks, looking for fun ways to use them all up.

This recipe was a hit, not just with the family but with me because it’s so quick to make. Note that the recipe originally called for frozen peas, but I prefer parsley instead. It is a classic counterpart to lemon and adds the same pop of green.

Kids in the Kitchen–If you’re making this with kids, let them roll the lemon on the counter before slicing and juicing it. This will keep little hands busy and it will allow you to squeeze more juice. If they’re adventurous, you can also let them sample the yellow outer part of the peel and the white part, called the pith. Which tastes bitter? Hint: there’s a reason why cooks only use the yellow part when recipes call for zest.

Couscous with Carrots, Lemon and Parsley
Adapted from The Bon Appetit Cookbook

1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
1 1/4 cups couscous
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon zest
1-2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Boil broth and add carrots. Cook a few minutes, then add couscous. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for five minutes. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, butter and parsley and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste.


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Categories : In Autumn, Kids in the Kitchen, Recipes, Uncategorized

Hot Peppers and a Restaurant’s Reaction

4 10 2009

peppers
With 25 minutes to go until the sitter arrived, I decided to tackle the peppers that were overtaking my fridge. Every week I’ve gotten more in my CSA delivery, and we just haven’t made it through them. So there they were — green, red and yellow bells, plus anaheims and poblanos and a few other dark and light green skinny ones whose names escape me — in bags on every shelf.

Why I decided to chop and freeze them when I should’ve been getting ready for dinner with friends at Fruition (Alex Seidel’s acclaimed restaurant), I don’t quite know. Perhaps if I hadn’t been so rushed, I wouldn’t have made such a big mistake.

My plan was to do what I always do with extra peppers. That is, wash, seed and chop them, then put them in Ziploc bags and freeze them for use later this winter. Although I can find organic peppers in the store year-round, they’re obviously not local, and when I go ahead and buy them anyway for the occasional recipe, I find them to be pricey and squishy, not a good combination. Non-organic peppers are cheap and deceptively fresh-looking, but bell peppers rank third (as in third most contaminated) on the Dirty Dozen list, so I always buy organic.

So there I am, seeding and chopping peppers as fast as my chef’s knife will move. With a few minutes to spare, I bagged the veggies, cleaned up the kitchen, and got ready for the sitter. That’s when I noticed something was wrong. My hands were burning.

I felt like I’d been making snowballs bare-handed, then running my hands under hot water. I washed them again with soap (singing ‘Happy Birthday’ twice like I’ve taught my kiddos), kissed my kids good-night and jumped in the car. Still burning. We arrived at the restaurant and my hands were hurting so badly I scoped out the neighborhood for a pharmacy. None to be found.

So we put the restaurant to the test. Known for its excellent service, I explained what I’d done and asked if the chef had any ideas. Within minutes, the waiter brought out a cup of milk for me to pour over my fingers. No relief. So he brought out baking soda, which I was instructed to make into a paste and apply to my fingers. Still no relief.

Lucky for me, one of the friends we were having dinner with is a doctor, so she reassured me that the reaction was only local and wouldn’t lead to anything more serious. I relaxed and settled into the night, and by the time we were finishing our French press, I noticed that the burning had finally stopped.

Moral of the story: Don’t assume peppers are sweet! I’ve been trained in a kitchen and I know you’re supposed to wear gloves when chopping hot peppers, but I mistakenly assumed all of my peppers were sweet. (The poblanos and anaheims I’d set aside in the glass bowl pictured above.) Since I was in such a rush, I’d neglected to sample them. I’m just thankful that I chopped the yellow bell for my kiddos’s dinner before starting on the others.

P.S. In our house, we talk about “turning lemons into lemonade” So in this case the bright side is that I won’t have to add any crushed red pepper to my chili this winter…


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Categories : In Autumn, Uncategorized

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