Pumpkins aren't just for carving...

Here's a delicious breakfast recipe using pumpkin (perfect for an autumn morning)

PUMPKIN AND PECAN PANCAKES

The origin of this pasta dish may be a little "dicey" but the recipe is delicious. It will make an easy summer meal that you can make vegetarian or not. If you want more info  on the origin, here is Wikipedia's definition.

And here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tin flat anchovy fillets, drained
• 1 /2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 20 oil-cured black olives, cracked away from pit and coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons capers
• 1 (32-ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• A few grinds black pepper
• 1/4 cup (a couple of handfuls) flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente (with a bite)
• Crusty bread, for mopping
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Romano, for passing, optional

Here is a delicious summer recipe that is healthy and tasty.

quinoa salad with mangoes and curry dressing

1 1/2 cups quinoa
2 large mangoes cut up in small pieces
1 jalapeno seeded and diced (less if you don't like spicy)
3 scallions thinly sliced
1/3 cup roasted almonds

boil 3 cups water, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and quinoa. lower heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes
drain
add everything else above to quinoa

Curry dressing:
1 garlic clove minced
2 Tablespoons yogurt, mayo or sour cream
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
5 T olive oil
2 T chopped cilantro

Mix all above together and add to quinoa mix above

http://ebfarm.com/aboutus/SustainYourselfSustainThePlanet/index.aspx

What is everyone planting this year? And how?

We are going to try zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and lettuce. We are doing it all in pots on the patio.

You?

On Friday, March 20th, 2009, 23 third graders will join First Lady Michelle Obama on the South Lawn of the White House to break ground on an 1100 square foot kitchen garden that will provide food for family dinners and formal dinners. 

According to the New York Times:

The Obamas’ garden will have 55 varieties of vegetables grown from organic seedlings started at the executive mansion’s greenhouses.

And better still:

 Almost the entire Obama family, including the president, will pull weeds, “whether they like it or not,” Mrs. Obama said laughing.

For more information go to

http://kitchengardeners.org/

Patchworks Farm is about awakening this broader notion of service in ourselves and in our young.Our process is to introduce the young and our ourselves to each persons personal inventory of skill and talent and then melding these assets with  broader understanding of service as full-time participation in the perpetuity of life.

Around mid-February we want to builda group of adults willing to commit to fostering this notion of service.We will call the group “Holy Flying Frogs”.our group motto will be LEAP- an acronym for Live simply, Educate for change, Advocate for justice,Practice faith.We will meet on Sundays at the farm Dirt Church”for discussion, interaction with the land, and celebration with the sharing of food etc.

If you or friends are interested in pursuing this thought, please all me at 542-6700 or on my cell phone at 228-6006.

Objectives of the Patchworks Collaborative:

• Build a sustainable-living collaborative consisting of schools, other non-profits and committed adults willing to support our mission
  
  
• Create an outdoor laboratory which would be a model sustainable "village" including 3 or 4 alternative energy projects, 3 models of low cost shelter, a comprehensive water conservation project and 3 acres of farmland
  
  
• Engage students and teachers each semester in land-based service-learning projects
  
  
• Raise $157,000. this fiscal year to help pay for projects and provide scholarships for students pursuing education in sustainable living
  
  
• Engage volunteers in projects who will mentor students and assist in work on the farm
  
  
• Build a community of friends willing to model sustainable living in their daily lives and intentionally lower their ecological footprint as a sign of hope for our children

 

If you are looking for a free stocking stuffer that supports green lifestyle, I have coupons for Farm Fresh to You that offers $10 off your first home delivery of organic produce. I can send you some if you like and you can use them as you wish...in stockings, attached to gifts, in green gift baskets, whatever...

 I have tons of these, so I can send as many as you think you will use.

Just email me with your address and how many you would like at: fondushka@yahoo.com

Happy Holidays!

CAn you imagine?? Could it get ANY better?!

 http://www.thewhofarm.org/

This is supposed to be super easy and super delish according to my mother in law. Tis the season!

Pumpkin Cake 

INGREDIENTS
 
1 LARGE CAN PUMPKIN PIE MIX (30 OZ)
 2 EGGS
 1 YELLOW CAKE MIX
 2 TSP. SODA
 
TOPPING:
 2/3 C BROWN SUGAR
 2 TSP. CINNAMON
 1/2 C CHOPPED PECANS OR WALNUTS
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 MIX CAKE MIX AND SODA IN ONE BOWL
 BEAT THE EGGS WITH THE PIE MIX IN ANOTHER BOWL
 NOW TAKE THE CAKE MIX THAT IS MIXED WITH SODA AND STIR, NOT BEAT, INTO
 THE PIE MIX.  BATTER WILL BE A BIT LUMPY.  POUR IN GREASED 9x12 PAN AND
 MIX TOPPING INGREDIENTS TOGETHER AND SPRINKLE OVER CAKE.  BAKE AT 350
 DEGREES FOR 45 MINUTES.

Last week, we ordered take out. We REALLY love this Thai restaurant near us but they use Styrofoam containers for their take out so we usually avoid going unless we are eating there.I  think over a year ago on this blog someone mentioned that they tried bringing their own containers in to restaurants so I got our tupperware out and brought it to the restaurant. I thought for sure they were either going to laugh at me or cite some silly health code reason why they couldn't use my containers to package my take out. However I was surprised and pleased that they didn't even bat an eye. They took my order and containers with a smile and in 15 minutes I had my take out, waste free. 

Have you all had similar luck with this?  

One of the ways we can care for the earth is by eating seasonally. The more we eat in season, the less fossil fuel it takes to get our food to us. So I thought throughout the different seasons, we could share recipes with one another to help encourage us all to eat more local/seasonal.

This one is very simple but one of my favorite fall / winter foods. Not only are sweet potatoes delicious but they also have a very high nutritional value.

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES

serves 4-6

3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled, rinsed and cut into 3/4 inch rounds

2 T olive or vegetable oil

salt and pepper

 Toss potatoes in large bowl with oil and S & P.  Place on baking sheet and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place in cold over in middle rack. Turn on oven to 425 degrees and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and return potatoes to oven for an extra 15-20 minutes.Then flip slices over and cook for 18 more minutes.

 And there you have the perfect roasted sweet potato....

My kids LOVE them with ketchup but I think they are great plain.

If you eat fish and ever wonder to yourself when buying it " Now .....is it the wild or farmed that's better for the environment (and you) and which fish are the ones heavy with mercury and which aren't and aren't salmon now endangered species?? and on and on, then this is a great resource for you.

It's a Seafood Watch Guide that tells you very quickly (for use in the grocery or wherever you are doing your shopping) when buying fish, which are the best choices of fish to buy in terms of our health and the health of the planet and which you should try to avoid buying for health and environmental reasons.

This afternoon, I have been listening to an interview on NPR's "Speaking of Faith" with Barbara Kingsolver regarding her family's year of eating only locally and seasonally. A year she writes about in her book "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" which I think I have mentioned a few times on this blog. Such a fantastic book!!! I would encourage anyone looking for a good summer read to pick it up.

Anyway, this is an interview that will give you a taste of what her book is about.

Some of the questions explored are:

-How did we (the U.S.) get to the place we are now where eating locally and seasonally is considered "elite"? 

-What are the hidden costs of  eating cheap food from the grocery store and  fast food? Why don't those costs turn up in our grocery bills?

-What has the effect of the U.S. Farm Bill been on our health and the environment? 

-How can eating locally reinforce the idea of gratitude?

We were at a birthday party yesterday and they used compost-able plastic ware. Then I noticed today that the  zucchini from Trader Joes comes in a compost-able plastic tray. So my immediate reaction was "oh, that's great"

But now I am thinking "what does that mean?" Can I really throw it in my compost with the veggie scraps? That just doesn't sound right......

Does anyone know what compost-able plastic really is and how you can compost it, if at all? I will look into it too but I was just wondering if anyone has already done the research.....