June 30th, 2009 by Margie

This week has been all about Food, Inc.  If you have not seen this film yet, please put it on your radar.  It is currently playing at Midtown 8 Theater on Monroe Drive and hopefully it will continue for a couple of weeks.  I am seeing it for a second time this week.  It is not that this film gave me new information but it certainly put loads of points together in a very compelling way.  This e-mail really summed it up:

Hi Margie,

Amandine and I saw this last night:

www.foodincmovie.com

If you are not familiar with it, I highly recommend seeing it.  Some of the ideas could have been explored further but the message of the film hit the nail on the head.

Gut wrenching, even if you already knew the ugly truth about our industrial food system going into the movie.  But it did remind us of how happy we are in our decision to be partnered with you to support local farming and local farmers.

Thank you again and keep up the great work!

(the cheeses are excellent by the way.)

Best,
Mike

I love getting encouragement like this from you guys - It keeps me going!  I keep thinking about how we can do more about the problems we are faced with and one important element is awareness.  Now, I am painfully aware of the problems, but I think we can all be more aware of the small solutions…

Tonight I went out to a local Pub with a great menu of local food ingredients, The Porter in Little 5 Points.  It didn’t cost a hundred bucks and I was able to eat amazing sausage made from local meat from Riverview Farms.  The salad was featuring local veggies and goat cheese.  The chef here has made a decision to not only be reasonably priced but give us food we can enjoy, and not fear.  We ate, drank and tipped and still got out for less than $50 for two people!!  It doesn’t always have to cost a load to support local organic food dining out thanks to The Porter.

After dinner I realized I had to get ready for the big farm day and deliveries.  I was still doing laundry for the baskets so I ran home.  Instead of running a dryer twice to get all the fabrics nice and crisp, I hung them out before rushing off for supper.  When I got back, I felt the fabric and everything was dry.  It was that simple!  Using a dryer sometimes they get tangled so I have to run a second cycle and use twice the energy.  This was late afternoon sun that dried our fabric for the baskets.  No power plant fueled this, no money spent, and most important, no adding to my own carbon footprint.

Sometimes it takes a very simple decision to change the world, one little step at a time.  I think we are all trying to do our part.  I will sleep good after drinking Athens, GA beer, eating North GA meat and veggies, and leaving Georgia power out of the process of drying our fabrics.  Maybe next week I will remember to turn OFF my computer every time I am not using it (smiles)!

June 24th, 2009 by Margie

Dear Vegetable Husband Customer,

I searched long and hard this week for blueberries for us but they are only starting to come up.  I promise that as soon as the fruit is available, we will all be enjoying it.   We have produce from six different farms this week.  Sundance Farms shared the lovely sweet onions with us once again.  These won’t be available long.  I am keeping some of mine for the grill on the 4th of July!  They are great grilled or roasted.  Your stringless green beans came from Mills Farm in Athens (the folks that offer us grits) and the rattlesnake beans came from a new organic farm in Powder Springs, GA run by Farmer Brooks.  Full Moon shared the last of the lettuce with us, so enjoy that treat.  They also grew our cucumbers.  I have been eating cucumber slices with every meal.  The arugula and mustard greens are from our neighbor farmer, Rashid, and last but certainly not least is the first of the sweet basil grown by Whippoorwill Hollow Farms.  They are actually having a big festival at their farm this weekend if any of you are curious about seeing the farm.

I hope that you will all take the time to see the new film, Food, INC, currently playing at Midtown 8.  It will make the time you take to prepare your own fresh food so worthwhile.  Enough said – check it out!

The recipe this week will help you use your beans.  The rattlesnake beans are called that because of their speckled coloring and the way they grow on the vines.  These are just big enough that I would recommend shelling them, rather than eating them as a whole bean.  The other stringless beans are super just as they are.  I could eat them raw if you leave me alone with them.  They are so sweet.  Of course tasting all of our food at the farms, I get used to eating most of it raw (smiles). Below is your list of goodies for this week:

Cucumbers
Romaine lettuce
Arugula
Mustard greens
Sweet basil
Rattlesnake beans
Stringless Green Beans
Sweet Georgia onions

NOTE: Be sure to check your empty baskets well before returning them.  I am getting quite a collection of gifts from you all.  Last week we took off with someone’s black extendable dog leash.  Let me know if it is yours.  Have a great week and remember, I am always happy to TALK FOOD!

Namaste,
Margie Thorpe

June 17th, 2009 by Margie

Dear Vegetable Husband Customer,

Every week gives us new surprises, and this week is no exception.  We have squash and cucumbers to add to our warm weather diet.  I thought the mint would help keep us cool, too.  If you consume mint, it definitely helps.  Take a look at the very simple cucumber–mint salad recipe I’m posting this week.  We also helped out the Mills farm by buying some of their first harvest of delicious green beans.  When I picked up your grits from her, she showed me a huge harvest of beans.  I feel like we helped ourselves!  I can’t wait to lightly steam them and enjoy.

Sometimes we have a skinnier basket; this week you’ll definitely enjoy plenty of food.  Some of you say it’s more food than you can cook in a week.  Others say it’s not enough.  It helps me to look at my hectic schedule to think how many meals I’ll cook during the week, and then I plan which food to prepare first.  If I have more than I need, I pass it along to a friend or I make a large dish to store servings in the freezer.  There is nothing better than reaching into your freezer for your very own fresh prepared organic food, rather than a box of salted product from the grocer.  Whatever way you manage your basket this week, I hope you enjoy the new season. Below is your list of goodies for this week:

Assorted Heirloom Squash
Cucumbers
Arugula
Collards
Chocolate Mint
Beets with Greens
Carrots
Chard
Stringless Green Beans

This is a very hectic week for your vegetable husband as I am living in a complete construction site.  Taking a break from it all and driving out to the farms yesterday and today for our food was such a pleasure.  Thank you for my break in the country.  Have a great week and remember, I am always happy to TALK FOOD!

Namaste,
Margie Thorpe

June 11th, 2009 by Margie

Got a wonderful recipe from our friend Becky Striepe that uses two of our basket items this week…

Hey Margie!

I thought I’d share this recipe with you that I made with last week’s sorrel and garlic.  It came out really well, and it’s totally vegan, too!  You could really use any fresh herbs and any nuts or seeds, so pesto is a great dish for summer when fresh herbs are in season.

glueandglitter.com/main/2009/06/04/sorrel-pesto/

I can’t wait to see the new site! It sounds like it’s going to be awesome. 

Take care,
Becky

June 10th, 2009 by Margie

Dear Vegetable Husband Customer,

Thank you to everyone that gave such thoughtful feedback on the website.  It is coming along nicely thanks to your added input.  Tomorrow you will see this week’s sweet onion pie recipe added to the “Spring” section and I hope you try it … you have plenty of beautiful sweet Georgia onions this week!  Our patience paid off.  These onions could be eaten raw with ease.   Kim, our farmer at Sundance Farms, said her 9-year-old daughter eats them for snacks.  Wow!

If any of you have any questions regarding the website, please don’t hesitate to email or call.  We will still be working on it quite a bit so things will be changing.

You have sorrel again this week so for those of you that are new, this will be a tart delight.  A salad green that taste like lemons or limes is such an easy food to use.  Chop it up fine and use in fresh salads or sprinkle over cooked dishes for a little zest.   We are lucky enough to enjoy another harvest of Rashid’s carrots.  These are so good!  He was thrilled to hear all the comments you had.  It really helps the farmers keep going when they know how much their food is appreciated.

We have several new folks joining us this week so I hope you enjoy your spring bounty straight from your neighboring organic farmers.  Most of your food was harvested this morning.  If you don’t know which is which, don’t feel alone.  Sometimes I eat beans that should be shelled and shell ones that could be eaten so just ask.  Smiles to all!

Below is your list of goodies for this week:

Mixed salad
sorrel
arugula
Carrots
Beets
parsley
garlic
onions

I tasted the cucumbers from the field this morning so it is only a matter of a couple of weeks before we have a completely different diet of veggies.  I am looking for our first taste of summer fruit too.  Have a great week and remember, I am always happy to TALK FOOD!

Namaste,
Margie Thorpe