Tomato Scare

One of the joys, and sometimes frustrations, of trying to eat locally is that, well, you have to eat locally produced foods. When we're accustomed to peaches or zucchinis at any time of year, retraining ourselves not to expect blueberries in the winter or broccoli in the summer. But one of the harshest lessons in being a locavore has come this summer in the form of the tomato blight, the same fungus that caused the Potato Famine (tomatoes, potatoes, and even eggplants are in the same family of vegetables so diseases and parasites that affect one often affect the others).

This blight has had a huge impact on almost all farms and home gardens in the Northeast. Apparently, the blight fungus lives in the soil and even the air and will generally only strike when weather conditions are ideal: cold, wet, humid. And yes we were (un)lucky enough to have this kind of a summer. Additionally, experts point to the "big-box stores" as the source of the home gardener's blight. Diseases and fungi can easily spread when plants are close together, when they are the same variety, and when they come from the same seed producer. So, unassuming and well-intentioned shoppers at stores like Wal-Mart, Stop and Shop for instance, picked up seemingly healthy plants. Then, brown lesions with white fuzzy-looking spores popped up almost simultaneously across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions as the weather turned unseasonably moist and cool.

The average shopper might never know that this occurred; they might never know that for farmers, this blight means a loss of up to 25% of their income for the year. Few people and few professions are so reliant on and victim of the weather. Lawyers can still defend a client if there is a drought, surgeons can still carry out transplants if there is a flood, and teachers can still explain the symbolism in "The Catcher in The Rye" if the temperatures dip. But farmers are tied inextricably to nature.

While this blight is certainly not good news for farmers or even for home gardeners trying to go as local as local food gets, it may be a lesson in reconnecting to our food. If we are forced to pay more for a tomato, or gasp, go without tomatoes for a short while, maybe it will help us learn that what we eat actually comes from, you guessed it, the ground!

Scarsdale's Going Local

Finally, Scarsdale is host to its own, very impressive, farmers market! Many other towns, including Larchmont, Mamaroneck, and Rye, have had markets for a long time but we have not yet had a market to call our own.

Hosting a farmer's market is a big step a community can take in going local. It allows people who may not have that much experience or knowledge about local, sustainable food to sample and shop their way into a new lifestyle... at least for a few meals.

Scarsdale's market has a really good diversity and number of vendors that sell everything from rich chocolate milk to crispy apples to savory pre-cooked meals (both vegetarian and meat-based). I have not yet been to a market in NYC (I know, I know, I have to go to the market in Union Square) but I would like to write about more than just the farmer's markets as shopping venues. There is a new approach, even newer than going local, that is looking at these markets as ways to broaden access to fresh foods for low-income families, as places to spread the word about charities, national or community issues; and a way to keep money moving within a small region.

These efforts are in my opinion some of the best reasons to eat local food (even aside from the environmental and physical health reasons). Especially in these bleak economic times, families who had little access to fresh, healthy, unprocessed foods are now even more vulnerable to communities that are "food desserts," meaning, areas that have little to no access to fresh foods and are host mainly to fast-food restaurants. Now, because food stamps are now paperless, low-income families can obtain nutritious, fresh foods from the same markets that foodies and environmentalists visit.

The only flaw in this new system is that prices at farmer's markets tend to be higher. They are higher because the food is grown/raised sustainably, in small quantities, etc. But, that does not change the prices. And for families who struggle to feed themselves even with cheap food, a $35 chicken just won't cut it. My family is far from struggling to feed ourselves, but even we sometimes gawk at the $6 half-pints of cherries or the $5 eggs. For me, one of the most enjoyable parts of my week is riding my bike with my dad or walking with my sister to the farmer's market and picking out the freshest, yummiest, and most nutritious foods we can find and coming home and cooking it up. Despite the joy this brings me, I certainly am aware of the shock that a home-cooked dinner can cost nearly as much as some restaurant meals.

Farmer's markets

Congrats Grad!

I've waited four long years to say this, and now I finally can....I'm a graduate of Scarsdale High School! I've returned all my books, cleaned out my locker, and bid adieu to the halls of SHS.

Now comes the summer, and then Cornell! This summer is a new kind of summer for me. Since I was in elementary school, I have been going away (either to a camp or teen tour or foreign country) for the entire summer. This time, I am spending it in Scarsdale. I have no official job, although I will be babysitting and volunteering at two farms.

People (including my wise friends) often say that my generation, and especially those in my generation that live in Scarsdale, is a victim of the micromanaged, overly scheduled, hover-parenting culture we have been raised in. At Scarsdale High School, students who can write an essay, text their friends, and solve a calculus problem are praised because they are the ones that are actually able to complete all of the work, and then some, at one time. In each moment at school, we know and think of the multitude of other tasks and activities we could also be doing at that same moment or what we will have to finish later. This mindset may set us up for success at SHS, but it can lead to a serious feeling of being incapable or of being overwhelmed. I find that for a lot of kids, this kind of pressure does not wane in the summer months. When we have little to do, or little to do of importance or meaning for us, we can feel overwhelmed by the absence of stress and pressure. While walking with a friend recently, we decided that the only thing more stressful than being stressed about what we have to do, is being stressed trying to fill our days. This seems pretty absurd, but it can be the case.

This post may not seem like it has much to do with local food, but here's the tie-in. In gardening, as in many other aspects of life, things can't be rushed or pressured to do certain things. You can't just will a tomato to ripen. And in the span of an hour or a day, there may not appear to have been much progress. But, if we learn to look at and examine things at the end of each day or week, we'll see really just how much has been accomplished. In Scarsdale, living life day by day seems an almost primitive life philosophy. Yet, we marvel at the laid-back attitudes of many European and Latin American cultures. What's their secret? Appreciating things as they come, learning to wait, and living in the moment.

So, for all those SHS grads out there, take a moment to breathe without doing anything else. Try to adapt to the stressless days of an unemployed teen in Scarsdale--at least until you go back to school.

A Trip into Historic Locavorism

"Welcome, this way to the Slave Garden..."

Not the average greeting I get when I enter a farm, but Phillipsburg Manor is not the average farm. Phillipsburg Manor is part of the Historic Hudson Valley, a group of manors, gardens, and battlegrounds that represent and recreate part of our colonial past. Phillipsburg Manor takes this goal to an entertaining level through its employees that dress, speak, and act as they would have in the colonial and revolutionary eras.

I had been to Phillipsburg Manor twice before. The first time was when I was a little las on a school trip to teach us about the American Revolution, slavery, and standing quietly on lines. The second time was actually this past November, when I tried to make parts of our Thanksgiving meal a locavore Thanksgiving (I ended up making local cranberry sauce, local corn bread, and local apple-cranberry pies with whole wheat crust).

So I thought I sort of knew the drill when I went up there recently as part of this project. But in fact, I saw each thing in a new light. The so-called "slaves' garden" was not just an example of the existence of slavery in New York State, but of how all people are forced to adapt to their circumstances. For instance, by figuring out a way to plant okra and yams in a Northeastern climate. It also struck me that in most generations (the trend is really only reemerging in our generation), the desire to provide food, reconnect to the land, and retain (or at least remember) traditions and cultural values is a strong one. 

Taking a trip to Phillipsburg Manor was, at least to me, like taking a trip into Historic Locavorism. Back in the good ol' days, people were locavores because they needed to be, and really, there was no option to buy a Mexican avocado in the middle of a Mid-Atlantic winter. In some ways, a movement towards local, sustainable agriculture may seem like a regression into time and history. A naive feeling if we just plant some carrot seeds, tend to them, and eat them, we can change the world in some way--hey, don't we need global and interstate trade? Isn't it good for poor farmers in Mexico if we buy their avocados? To some extent, these arguments may be true. But it is also true, or maybe I'm just looking through the rose-colored lenses of youth and excitement, that small actions--like taking responsibility for our environmental impact--can translate into thinking and acting locally to having an effect globally. 

The Omnivore's Real Dilemma

I am taking a break from my regular food/farm blogging to write about something I find even more serious than the food we eat.

In today's New York Times, one of my favorite columnists, Bob Herbert (who is a passionate supporter of children's health and welfare, education, journalistic freedom, and economic justice), wrote about the horrific, unjust, and unacceptable conditions under which farm workers toil in New York State. Ironically enough, the piece is centered on the violations committed by Hudson Valley Foie Gras, somewhere I had considered visiting during my project. I'm embarrassed by the deplorable level of protective labor legislation in New York State on many levels, not the least of which is my upcoming undergraduate education in industrial and labor relations at Cornell University.

One of the reasons I am suggesting people "go local" is that local agriculture shrinks not only the carbon footprint of the food, but the distance between grower and consumer in the hopes that people will reconnect with who grows their food--and care as much about the quality of the duck's life as they do about the quality of the duck handler's life.

This column, "State of Shame," is an example of how what we don't know will hurt somebody else. Few people are aware of truly how dangerous, unsanitary, and unceasing the work of a farm hand is. But the truth is, to be ethical eaters, we must break the fourth wall that separates our food production from our tables. To be an ethical eater, in my opinion, is one of the most important ways individuals can become activists; to support healthful agriculture and to abstain from those that blatantly disregard the health of workers, animals, and the planet in the name of higher profits.

After reading this column, the most important questions to answer are: how do we respond? how do we shift our habits, spending, and consumption so that we are no longer blindly supporting unjust agriculture?

Fortunately, there are many ways we can do this and there are already many responses to these questions on the local and global fronts.

The first answer is always, even if it seems cliched and annoying, to become informed. If possible, go to the place where your food is being produced. Most farms, especially small, local farms, are more than happy to show you around and let you meet the food you will be eating and the people who grew or raised it.

If that's not possible, use the internet. There are many different websites that focus on and document ethical agriculture. One of these is a website/organization called Uri L'Tzedek. This organization was started by young Orthodox Jews who viewed the world and its injustices through the lens of Jewish values, teachings, and rituals. I learned about this organization when I volunteered in Honduras with American Jewish World Service working to support and empower the peasant community in the rural West of the country. Uri L'Tzedek, which translates to awaken to justice, was a leader of the movement within Orthodox Judaism to put an emphasis not solely on whether or not food was technically Kosher--Kosher food satisfies the conditions set forth in the Torah and subsequent Jewish texts that deem it acceptable for observant Jews to eat--but how ethical that restaurant or processor was in terms of how they treated their employees. To address this issue, they created their Tav Ha'Yosher, or ethical seal to publicly endorse and approve restaurants and food manufacturers that satisfy modern and Biblical standards of ethics and labor practices. Even if you are not Jewish or not Kosher, these ethically approved restaurants provide a framework for ethical eaters and hopefully, this trend will continue on in the secular food world.

Ladies who Lunch Locally

I have been trying to spread the word to my family and friends about the benefits of eating locally, but sometimes it's difficult to get regular omnivores to abandon old habits, especially when they are hungry at lunchtime. I have found a remedy: Table Local Market.

When I visited Table with my sister, mother, and aunt (who happens to be friends with the owner Cynthia Brennan), I was impressed by the atmosphere and quality of food available. Table feels light and clean even though it is filled with everything from charts listing the growing seasons for all types of produce to the most delectable chocolate truffles. There are standard breakfast and lunch items on the menu, but each day they are prepared using only the freshest, most local ingredients available. When we went, I sampled the delicious frittata that was light yet satisfying and the rest of my party delved into crispy, melty paninis filled with all types of local vegetables and mozzarella cheese. On the side, we could not resist the crunchy, lightly salted chips that had the texture of homemade corn tortilla chips. To wash it down, we enjoyed the freshly brewed iced green tea that was a refreshing complement to our hearty lunch. For dessert, because really a lovely lunch should never end without a lovely sweet treat, my sister sampled the moist, fudgy brownie; my mother tried the classic chocolate chip cookie; and I enjoyed every bite of a tiny, dark chocolate truffle.

One of the perks of Table is that patrons (and especially Table Members) are able to eat a locavore's lunch and catch up on some shopping they couldn't do at the farmers market and even take a class or two about cooking with seasonal, local ingredients. I did not participate in any classes, but the Lobster Fest on June 12 looks like fun!

The decor and environment of Table is eco-friendly and casual, clearly the intentions of owner Cynthia Brennan who has a background in and passion for design. I appreciated the long wooden table available because it lets people meet each other while ensuring enough space for all of the food! Another cute touch was the pot of sprouts that read: "eat me!" and was convincing enough at least for me and my aunt to try them.

Prices at Table are comprable to those at farmers market (for items like cheese, eggs, milk, and meat) and even comprable to the prices at regular sandwich shops. Yet, you can leave lunch feeling light, lovely, and local.

Table Local Market
www.tablelocalmarket.com
11 Babbit Road
Bedford Hills
tel. 914-241-0269

The Flying Pig, Vegetarian Style

This past Wednesday I invited my sister on a lunch date. We are new to the world of those who languidly lunch in the midday and we were most excited to begin our foray into this new world at the Flying Pig on Lexington, in Mount Kisco.

The Flying Pig, not to be confused with April Bloomfield's Spotted Pig in the West Village, has a clear enough manifesto: buy local, cook local, serve local to introduce diners to the abundance of high-quality produce and livestock from the Hudson River Valley and other nearby farming regions. This is a manifesto I can appreciate, but I was curious to see how a restaurant in Westchester could truly live by it (see my Monday, May 18 for my review of DC's Founding Farmers, another restaurant striving to uphold the local food movement values by serving what they call "true food & drink").

I was pleasantly surprised. The Flying Pig is a bit tricky to spot on the road, but upon entrance, the pig rules--in a good way. There are cleverly painted signs of pigs with mottos like "Be Nice or Leave" (a motto developed in New Orleans). The vibe is comfortable with an upscale tinge to it. Diners, ranging from chatty Westchester moms debating the virtues of Facebook to business partners discussing the latest market statistics, are generally well dressed and respectful of the placidity that is nursed by the pale wood paneling, soft music, and gentle lighting. The service is also respectful of the diners: They are attentive from a far and can sense when you are ready to order or need a fresh drink. Although pleasant, the waiters should lend more guidance and insight about the menu and about the restaurant's philosophy as that would only increase the diner's appreciation of the food. My favorite part about the pre-meal experience however lies in the bread diners are presented with shortly after being seated. They are not typical rolls, more of a tempting hybrid between biscuits and scones, with a hint of cheddar running through them. Basic common sense was all that kept us from escaping surreptitiously with pail in hand.

My sister and I, though tempted by the avocado and cheddar sandwich and the chopped salad with lentils, both decided on the veggie burgers. As a new vegetarian (and a home-cook who has tried many times to create a yummy version from scratch), I was especially intrigued by the veggie burger, which comes with grilled red onions (locally grown) and luxurious avocado slices (mid-bite in the back of my mind, a pang of guilt hit. There is no way those avocados are local) and chewy, toasted multi-grain bread with a veneer of not-quite-basily-enough aioli. On the side, we both thoroughly enjoyed the couscous and fresh vegetable salad as a sort of nouveau take on pasta salad and the lightly dressed tender arugula leaves.

We both thought that the $12 price tag for these delectable burgers seemed a bit steep, considering it was midday in Westchester, not midday in Midtown. But, after some consideration, we realized a few things. First, this is not going to become a replacement for an everyday, run-of-the-mill, grab-and-go lunch. It is intended to be special, yet accessible. And it is. Second, supporting local agriculture often means a more expensive up-front cost--without the hidden costs to society or the environment. Third, we have never gotten so much pleasure out of twelve dollars.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns

I got so distracted writing my recipes and pontificating about vegetarianism that I almost forgot to post my blog entry about my visit (along with my teacher Mr. Weisler and my sister Alena) to Blue Hill at Stone Barns, in Pocantico Hills.

Blue Hill is the better-known, better-liked, and better-tasting of the farms that I've been to thus far. Not to any fault of the others, but Stone Barns is simply much wealthier and as a result can provide a gorgeous and delicious face to the local food movement. The drive up is easy and pleasant enough (although be careful Mapquest directions do not take you to Tarrytown--for some reason this is a common mistake that it does) and once you see the rolling hills of the farm and the deep chocolate brown cows, you'll know you are going to spend the afternoon the right way. They have a plethora of classes, touring opportunities (we took ourselves around and there is a "self-guided walking tour map" that is very helpful in addition to just following the signs). Everything from watching the newly-sheared sheep to admiring their greenhouses is open to visitors...although my fellow visitors were not quite as interested in the manure houses as I was. Strange, isn't it?

When you tire of watching the hogs and smelling the tall herb bushes, you can take a break at the Blue Hill Cafe which offers a changing menu, usually with a "salad bar" type thing that has freshly prepared foods using the farm's produce, sandwiches (tuna, "bologna," and pb&j for the yunggins, and if you're lucky a delicious brocolli rabe and cheddar panini--bellisimo [shout out to Zander Abranowicz!]). The best part, or most dangerous part depending on your perspective, of the Cafe is that the walk to order your food is lined with delectably fresh cookies, bars, granolas, jams, and other preserves. Usually, when I go with my father on lovely Saturday afternoon jaunts, we finish a little snack before our actual meal. "Just to tide us over" or "nobody else has to know" are usually our cover-ups and justifications. But there is no other justification for why the food is so delicious other than this: fresh products, cooked simply, served accessibly. My sister and I both got squares of fresh vegetable and potato frittata (we may have also shared an incredible peanut butter cookie) and Mr. Weisler got the tuna sandwich with humanely raised oil-packed tuna and farm-fresh lettuces. We did not venture into the main restaurant there which is much fancier and more expensive, but word on the street is that it is an epicurian delight.

We all thoroughly enjoyed our lunch and our refreshing iced teas (Harney & Sons--which packages its teas in upstate NY and features a variety of hot and cold teas and supports 1% For the Planet, a group of businesses that donate 1% of their profits to environmental conservation groups) and though we didn't buy water this time, choosing just to sip it from our metal bottles, we did notice the water sold at the Cafe is Keeper Springs water, a project of Bobby Kennedy Jr. who is a great friend of my aunt and uncle and an even greater advocate for clean water through his tireless work with River Keepers. Another boon of eating there is the use of recycled and non-plastic/petroleum products--something I constantly struggle with. I feel guilty and a bit upset each time I use a non-recycled or recyclable product and the waste associated with eating-out is astounding. If we each ate more meals in or more meals contained in reusable materials, we would each be doing a great service to our environment and to our wallets.

Blue Hill at Stone Barns, which was even the site of a Top Chef competition, is a perfect place to introduce yourself or others to local food and the farm-to-food movement. It is beautiful and stereotypical looking with many surprises in the fields and on the tables.

Another Temporary Vegetarian

For at least a couple of months, The New York Times has been featuring a small food column in the Dining In section called "The Temporary Vegetarian." This column caught my eye for a few reasons.

First, vegetarian in today's day and age can mean many different things. There are different levels of adherence to the no animal rule--some eat eggs, some drink milk, some even eat fish. This means that for novice vegetarians, there is more room to make vegetarianism your own. You can begin by just cutting out hamburgers (or as I'm about to explain, just one hamburger a week) and then progress as you grow healthier and more comfortable with the notion that going meatless does not have to be joyless. The link to the left will bring you to a great article/plethora of recipes by Mark Bittman, food writer for the New York Times. He has done a fair bit of experimenting with temporary vegetarianism--check out his video in my playlist below--and has included among his other cookbooks my new Bible: "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" and has recently written a book called "Food Matters." In light of his forays into the world of temporary vegetarianism, I trust him and his recipes in guiding more omnivores into the light of vegetables.

I have some experience with being a temporary vegetarian. Each minor episode in my short life began for its own reason-and each ended for its own reason. After going through a few of my own forays into the veggie world, I have some advice for fellow omnivores/carnivores: try a meatless Monday! By being temporary vegetarians, basically only on Mondays, regular omnivores can be freed from the notion that a vegetarian diet must be a lifelong, punitive struggle. A Monday without petroleum/meat products gives people a manageable taste of the delicious vegetarian world with the reassurance that tomorrow they can return to their normal eating habits.

The benefits of eating a vegetable-based diet are pretty obvious and the harms associated with eating a meat-based diet are pretty obvious. Yet, for many of us (myself still included) a total abandonment of meat does not seem feasible or very appealing. I know, talk, and write all about vegetables ultimately winning out over meat in terms of health benefits for people, the environment, and animals, but I still do love my meat. So, I am embracing the idea of being a temporary vegetarian: one who eats a minimally meat based diets Tuesday through Sunday but goes full throttle on Mondays enjoying vegetables galore (soon to come from my own patio!).

To aide you on your path to temporary vegetarianism, I am including two recipes of my own creation (with a little bit of inspiration from Mark Bittman) that I have found to be delicious, satisfying, and healthy. Check out the websites/blogs on my favorites list...they are great resources for preparing yourself to have delectable meatless Mondays!

Minted Fava Beans with Ricotta Pasta

This is a classic springtime favorite and as my family will attest to, anytime I see a recipe with peas or fava beans, I feel compelled to make, order, and eat it! This is simple and delicious and can be a great weekday meal or a complement to fish dish for a bigger dinner. You can experiment with the herb and pasta choices and even the cheese--once you've tried the original, it's great to tailor a recipe to you and your family's likes and dislikes.

To serve 4

2 cups fava beans [or peas] (if they're fresh, take them out of their pods and try to remove the outer skin. If the skins are too tough, you can blanch them--put them in boiling water for a minute or two, then remove, rinse under cold water, and remove skins--first, before adding. It seems like a lot of work, and it is a bit tedious, but it is worth it if you can find them fresh. Frozen is an acceptable substitute).
2 and 1 tablespoons olive oil
1 handful mint, finely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest (use only the yellow part of the zest, not the white--that will taste bitter)
1 clove garlic, smashed and then roughly chopped
3/4 pound pasta (I like to use whole wheat for its nutritional value but white is fine--even spinach would be delicious. Try penne or tagliatelle or any other fun shape).
1 cup fresh ricotta cheese (in my house, we usually use skim ricotta but it is your choice...the higher the fat content, the richer the dish will be)
to taste salt and pepper

Start by boiling water for the pasta. The traditional thinking in cooking pasta is that it should be cooked in a very large pot with a lot, lot of water and a big handful of salt. But after reading this article in the New York Times recently, my own views of cooking pasta have changed. This article describes how it is possible to cook pasta using much less water and much less energy by starting with cold water, and half the amount. This method takes a bit more attention--you'll need to stir it more frequently--but it yields an equally delicious end result and dramatically reduces the energy/water requirements (hey, small steps can lead to bigger environmental changes!). But, it's your choice of how you'd like to cook your pasta. The NYT system goes as follows: "Set aside a colander placed over a bowl. Place pasta in unwashed skillet (if pasta is very long it may not lie flat on bottom until it begins to soften). Add 2 teaspoons salt and 8 cups cold water. Place over high heat and cook uncovered, stirring frequently to keep pasta submerged, until pasta is almost al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on pasta."

As you cook the pasta, prepare the rest of the dish.

First, shell and blanche the fava beans. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to a big pan (you'll be adding the pasta to the pan when it's almost done cooking) and let it heat for about 30 seconds before adding the garlic with some salt and pepper (a dish is always better when the seasoning is added to each layer, not just at serving time). Cook on a medium-low heat until it gets soft, but not colored--the garlic should just produce a light smell, you don't want it to be too strong. Add some more olive oil and then add the mint strips and fava beans. The mixture will smell and look fantastic.

Keep an eye on the pasta and stir it pretty frequently so it doesn't stick.

Combine the ricotta, lemon zest, and salt/pepper in the bowl you are going to serve it in. When the pasta seems just about done (al dente), take a ladle of pasta water and mix it into the ricotta cheese, adding more water to your textural preference (the more water the thinner the sauce).

Then, add the drained pasta into the mint/garlic pan and let it cook for an extra minute or two.

Then, stir the pasta mixture into the serving bowl and serve immediately. I think it's pretty to add a bit more lemon zest, mint, or cheese on top as a garnish.


Lentil Dal with Rhubarb, Bulgur, and Kale

Now, I know that this recipe will make some people confused, and others wary. But suspend your disbelief for just a few moments and hear me out. First of all, dal refers to any sort of mixed bean dish and it is a staple in Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and Nepali cooking because it provides a dish that is simple and tasty yet full of protein and fiber. Rhubarb is a vegetable most of us know only in desserts. When I saw a beautiful bunch of it at my local fruit stand (it is an early spring fruit), I knew I had to try and make something with it. Bulgur wheat (sometimes spelled bulghur wheat) is a staple in my house that we use to make tabbouleh (an Israeli/Middle Eastern salad that combines wheat with tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and sometimes even feta cheese) and even eat plain as a subdued side dish. Kale is an extremely nutritious leafy green, and cooked properly, is also extremely delicious. So, here it is. This recipe began in Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" in his section about dals, Bittman writes that chopped rhubarb can be an unusual addition. Armed with lentils and rhubarb, I went for it...then added my own twists to make it a palatable and balanced meal for my family. The recipe may seem a little daunting (and long) but with some planning, it is a simple, homey (and vegan) meal.

To serve 4

1 cup split, dry red lentils (this is what I use, other beans/lentils will work but cooking time will change)
4 stalks rhubarb with strings removed (just like celery, rhubarb has tough strings--after washing it, take a knife and cut the borders off)
1 tablespoon chopped ginger (ginger is available fresh almost anywhere. it's sold in big sections--called hands sometimes)
to taste add cumin, nutmeg, and cinnamon (I added only a small dash of each of these)
to taste add salt and pepper

1 cup coarse bulgur wheat
1 teaspoon olive oil
to taste salt and pepper

1 head kale
2 cloves garlic, sliced (you can use less depending on how garlicky you like it)
1 small white onion, also sliced thinly
1 teaspoon olive oil
to taste salt and pepper

Put the lentils and rhubarb in a large pot. Cover with water an inch over the surface of the lentils/rhubarb (depending on how thick or thin you like the mixture, you may have to add more water--but, a good rule of thumb for cooking lentils is covering them with an additional inch of water). Cook on a low boil for about 5 minutes then return to a simmer for about 30 minutes (If you are not using split lentils this cooking time will be longer) and stir intermittently.
The end result of this will look almost like a thick split pea soup.

While the lentils are cooking (I made mine the night before and let it sit in the fridge, then prepared the other ingredients the next day for a 20 minute lunch), you can prepare the bulgur and kale.

To cook the bulgur, you can either follow the instructions on the package. Generally, coarse bulgur requires two parts liquid to one part grain (so, if making a half-cup of bulgur, use one cup of water or other cooking liquid). Add some salt and olive oil (about one or two teaspoons) to add some richness to the bulgur itself.

As the bulgur is cooking, sautee the kale by first chopping it and then washing it in cold water (kale, and some other leafy greens that are grown in sandy soils, can hold soil in their leaves so it's better to cut them--as you would lettuce--and then rinse well in cold water and drain). Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sized pan. After a minute of heating up, add the onions and then the garlic (so the garlic doesn't burn). Sautee for about two minutes, then add the kale, salt, and pepper. The kale will take about 10 to 15 minutes to cook through. Sautee the mixture on a medium-low heat. Add a bit of water and then cover the pan for short intervals if the kale seems like it is sticking to the pan.

To serve, place the bulgur in the bottom of a deep bowl, then add the lentils, then the kale. If you'd like, a bit of grated parmesan or pecorino cheese adds a delicious salty richness to the dish.

Founding Farmers, no, Framers, no...farmers.

This weekend, my family and I went to Washington DC to see my sister graduate from George Washington University. While there, we sampled some of DC's finest local offerings. Our favorite, and my sister's favorite throughout the year, is DC's first LEED certified restaurant. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating the government uses to classify a building as environmentally friendly.

Founding Farmers is an innovative restaurant that is located right near the International Monetary Fund in the heart of our government in DC. Their emphasis is on being "green from the inside out" and they strive to live by that motto. From the burgers to the burners, most everything about the restaurant is green and sustainable. They recycle, serve filtered tap out of glass carafes, and are carbon neutral (all the carbon they emit is offset through partnering with carbonfund.org . The food they serve, for the most part, is sourced from family farmers in the Mid-Atlantic region. Not only does this kind of food help support sustainable, small-scale farming, it also makes for delicious, fresh, and seasonal foods. Their menu changes with what is available but almost always has some classic American favorites like cheeseburgers, fried green tomatoes, and house-made fresh pastas. In earlier blogposts I wrote about livestock as a major contributor to global warming because raising livestock releases huge amounts of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. I also mentioned that some livestock, grown carefully and fed grass diets without antibiotics, are sustainable alternatives to the now omnipresent beef available at most supermarkets. Founding Farmers relies on this kind of sustainable beef and makes the best cheeseburger I've ever had out of the ground-to-order beef from local farms.

Not every ingredient can be bought from small, local farms. This is the reality of eating locally, you can try as hard as you can to rely on locally produced foods and products, but it is just not always feasible. Founding Farmers tries nobly to support local food, environmental awareness, and energy efficiency all while providing diners with delicious food served in a comfortable atmosphere. They achieve this, and live up to one of the Founding Framers's goals: making America an agricultural country that can produce its own food and support its own farmers.

Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center

Sometimes, the government's actions do not seem to impact our lives in any real way. This is obviously not true, and it is especially untrue when it comes to food.

In 2002, our own Westchester County government decided it was time to put an emphasis on sustainable agriculture and bought Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center. The farm is a large expanse of land in Yorktown that includes a working farm, multiple teaching gardens, and hiking trails. This is an example of a government acting progressively to improve and protect the quality of our land and food. Officially, their three goals were to preserve Westchester's open space, watershed, and farming culture.

When I visited the farm last Wednesday, I was struck by a few things. First, it looked like a real farm. I know this sounds silly, but I wasn't sure Hilltop would actually look like its non-governmental counterparts. But it does, perhaps because it has actually been a farm for almost 200 years! Second, the only noticeable presence of the government were the 2 hybrid Westchester County government cars parked in the gravel parking lot. Third, the farm was filled with young children--laughing, playing, happy children. The farm works closely with three other organizations: Cornell Cooperative Extension in Westchester (usually called CCE), Something Good in the World (which runs school and summer camp programs at the farm), and the Watershed Agriculture Council (which aims to protect the watershed from which we and NYC receive our water). When I visited, the CCE had brought busloads of elementary school students (mostly from the Bronx) to the farm to learn about the environment and food, and to just be outside and see that their food comes from a real place. The kids seemed to be genuinely delighted as they ran around the farm, helped water the plants, and witness chickens laying eggs.

Jennifer, a staff member at the farm, took me around and gave me a great tour. She explained that the farm is intended to show people watch they can realistically do at their own homes to reduce their environmental impact, support Westchester businesses, and improve the quality of their food. They do this through "teaching gardens," classes and programs, and their farm stand (much of the produce that does not get sold at their on-site farm stand is donated to local food pantries). I especially liked seeing the all-season teaching gardens because they are really helpful in learning what grows best here and how to grow it. I also loved seeing some of the technology they showcase at the farm (like composting toilets--not as gross as you're thinking--and "green roofs" which are flat roofs that add additional space for growing plants, herbs and vegetables). This kind of technology is the technology that will be so important for the future and the farm is showing just how simple it can be to utilize it.

Hilltop Hanover Farm is a great example of what governments can do to help promote healthy lifestyles and healthy use of land.

It's Springtime. Do You Know Where Your Lettuce is From?

The weather today has been really great for my burgeoning garden. The mix of reliable heat, mild breezes, intense sun and shadier moments has coaxed my teeny tiny little lettuce seeds into sprouting teeny, tiny shoots. I was incredibly excited when I woke up this morning and saw them--they don't look like much to the untrained and impatient eye, but to me, they meant a gorgeous salad in just a few weeks time!

A few weeks, jeeze. That's kind of a long time to wait for salad, isn't it? Why not just rip the top off of a triple-washed bag of pre-mixed salad greens? It's a simple question with a not-so-simple answer. You could just buy the lettuce, pre-washed, mixed, and cut from the store. Or, you could spend a bit more time, and exert more influence with your money, and buy lettuce from a real farmer's market...or, I know you're rolling your eyes by now, grow your own! Lettuce and most other vegetables and herbs--even if they are organic--are produced on such massive scales on industrial farms thousands of miles away. Lettuce is something most of us eat on a regular basis, but few of us really know how the lettuce is grown, who grows it, where it is grown. Basically, do you know how your food gets from the farm to your dinner plate? For too many of us, the answer is no.

On a small, localized scale, our ignorance about our food manifests itself in the presence of "big-box" supermarkets and shopping centers and struggling family farms. From the national and even global perspective, our lack of understanding and interest about our food means that our planet often suffers from our desire for convenience. The ease of purchasing, at any time of year, everything from blood oranges (from Florida) to chicken breasts (from an unknowable location) to fennel (Mexico) to dried seaweed (Japan--and for now I'm just considering food people buy at supermarkets with the intention of cooking it--leads us blindly into a cycle of buying food that is not seasonally or regionally in sync, food that is not as tasty or nutritious as it would be if it were grown sustainably, and food that is outside of our control in terms of monitoring its safety and quality.

One of the main reasons I decided to take on this project was so that I could learn more about the farm to table process and how that process affects us on the individual, national, and global levels. I will write about this issue in different ways and its different manifestations many more times throughout the course of this project.

First Farm Update

On Friday, I visited Glynwood Farm. One disclaimer: Glynwood Farm is actually just across the Westchester/Putnam border (I figured five minutes outside of Westchester could still qualify for my blog). I took my mom along with me because it was such a nice day and she was excited to see the farm also. The drive to Glynwood takes about an hour, but once you arrive at the farm (beware, the sign at the entrance is on the small side) you feel like you've walked into a stereotypical, almost painting, farm.

The farm is set on Fahnestock State Park land and is about 225 acres big--it feels really expansive and lush because there are ponds, streams, hills and valleys on the farm. It used to be much bigger when it was an old estate, but when the family sold the land a while ago, they decided to keep 225 acres of it as farmland. And what a farm it is.

Even aside from the beauty of it, the farm is certainly a working farm. They raise cows, 2 types of chicken, heritage pigs, goats, lambs, horses, and even a few donkeys!. They also have an apple orchard that grows small, tasty apples (they're not really in season yet) and a few greenhouses and gardens that grow all types of vegetables and herbs.

I toured the farm (along with six other visitors) with one of the head farmers, Ken, and he did a great job of telling us about the farm, its role in the community, and sustainable agriculture. The tour started with an introduction to the farm and then as we walked the lengths of the idyllic farm, we stopped at different places to talk about what was around us. First, Ken showed us the orchard and gardens. I was a little envious of the progress all of their vegetables and herbs have made (I still only have my spindly tomato plants). They were growing everything from red-leaf lettuce to rhubarb. Unfortunately for us, they do not sell produce to just anybody. You must be involved in their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) plan to be a recipient of these gorgeous veggies, herbs, and later, fruits. Their CSA has 55 families involved, with another 40 families on the wait list! For those of you who don't know what a CSA is, it is a group of people connected with a farm in an arrangement where the members pay the farm at the beginning of the season (about 200 dollars--it all depends on if you also want meat and eggs), and each week, the farm delivers whatever has been produced or harvested in the previous week. That means, some weeks CSA members will get a lot of tomatoes and other weeks they may get none. It all depends on what has actually grown on the farm in that week. It is a great idea for people who are interested in supporting local agriculture and receiving some great food in return!

My favorite parts of the tour were when I got to see all the animals on the farm. The farm raises two types of chickens--and as Ken declared when we first saw them, they are not your typical Purdue chickens in shrinkwrapped packages at the supermarket! These chickens, one type for meat and one for eggs, were beautiful and very different looking. The ones the farm raises for meat were small with dark brown feathers and bright red eyes. The strictly egg-laying chickens were larger and had bright white feathers. Ken told us that they move the chickens to new areas of the farm every 2 days! This, aside from taking a lot of work, allows the chickens to eat new grass before they destroy one patch of the farm, yields healthier, more active birds, and enables other animals to graze on their land before the chickens return (this can help prevent animals from getting parasites and as a result, the animals are rarely sick and rarely need antibiotics, which are given almost prophylactically through feed at industrial farms). Another interesting thing Ken explained about raising chickens is that the federal government's standards and requirements for farms to be able to call their chickens "free-range" is the presence of a small door (think one that would let a house pet enter and exit) at the end of the building where the chickens are kept. The chickens grown in industrial lots may have access to the door, but first they have to overcome a few big challenges. 1, they are so top heavy that they can barely move. 2, they are so crowded there is virtually no way for them to move. 3, they are raised not to use the door at the end, so they do not even know it exists. This is why I believe that it is so important to know where our food comes from. I'm sure all people, even some vegetarians!, would choose Ken's chickens over the industrial ones. Check out this article about an added bonus of raising chickens!

I especially loved seeing the GIANT hogs they had at the farm. They are called "heritage" breeds of pork and they are massive and really fun to watch as they mosey around in the mud and muck of a hog house. "Heritage" refers to the age of their breed. They are from older, unmodified breeds of hogs that will eat virtually anything--from human food scraps to corn to grass. They are like the behemoths of the farm; stinky and large, lumbering and constantly hungry, these pigs are certainly not related to Winnie the Pooh's friend Piglet, but they look they will make some pretty scrumptious bacon!

In addition to their farming, Glynwood offers a variety of classes for the public so they can learn more about farming and become better acquainted with Glynwood. There are two levels of classes, anybody can attend any of them, but some, like the one about backyard chicken slaughtering, are better suited for more experienced local foodies.

I loved being at the Glynwood Farm: the people were smart and nice (and passionate about what they do), the farm and air were beautiful and pure, and the work looked demanding but rewarding. One thing I learned from being there is that farming is not easy work, especially when it's done right, but it is satisfying and necessary.

When I got back home and reexamined my own plants, I realized that they are on their way, it will just take time. I have moved them outside and "thinned" some of the tomatoes. By thinning, I mean that I have pulled some of the weaker tomato plants out of the soil to allow the stronger ones more room and nutrients so they can grow better. Initially, I was confused about how best to plant my vegetables and herbs. So many seeds come in the seed packets and I figured the more I planted, the more likely some of them would grow. That is not necessarily the case, as my Aunt Andrea explained to me. She, along with the rest of her family, has a great garden (and even chickens!). She brought me some basil plants that she started and they look great...I can't wait until I can cook with homegrown basil! She also encouraged me to bring my plants outside (Mother's Day officially marks the end of the time when there could be a frost) and to move some of them to bigger containers. So I moved about 4 tomatoes into a huge terra cotta pot and another 2 into a smaller pot instead of crowding about 20 or 30 into the same small pot. Also, I moved some of my cucumbers into a very long, rectangular container that will really help them when vines start to grow. I have quite an assortment of containers on my patio, hopefully when they start to grow, they won't take over my small backyard!

A Day in the Life

Today is the third day of my project, but the first day that I am experiencing most aspects of my project. I woke up this morning to the chirping birds and sunny skies that graced us for the first time in a looongg time, and I knew that it was the morning to plant my lettuce seeds. In yesterday's blog post, I wrote that I wanted to use mostly receptacles that I found around my house. I largely followed this principle (I even converted an old clementine box and a brown paper bag into an herb garden!) until I re-checked the "Big Book" and realized that container lettuces need about an 8-inch deep, long container to grow. I didn't have any of these lying around the house, so I ventured off to Simply the Best Fruits (we just call it Simply the Best in my house). They don't sell too much locally grown produce, but they sell a great variety of produce (they are one of the few places that sells fresh fava beans, still in the pod!), dairy, and even some dry goods like pasta at really great prices. Along with a great food market, they also sell planting, gardening, and landscaping tools. I talked to the person manning the gardening section and managed to find a perfect container for my lettuce. It is about 8 inches deep (a little shallower than what the book suggested), five inches wide, and about 15 inches across. A manageable size for me to carry around (I've already spent time this morning chasing "light/partial sun" for the seeds to grow.

That's one of the best benefits of container gardening--it allows for easy transport. For instance, when I started my planting, the weather was really crummy (chilly then humid, rainy then windy, cloudy and gray). So, I planted outside so as to avoid having to clean anything up, then brought them back into my garage where there was a controlled environment...and this time, I'll remember them!

Another note about utilizing resources...this probably isn't the best tip I could give you but it has worked for me. I got by with all my planting with only 1 small bag of soil (probably about 20 lbs.) from Sprain Brook. This includes starting the seeds in the tray, replanting them, and beginning again in new containers. When I started to run low, I snooped around my mom's garden for a little bit and found a giant terra cotta pot with nothing in it except really nice, moist soil she had bought from Ramsey's Farm Stand (another standby in my house that I'll write more about later). Technically, regular flower soil isn't best for vegetable growing. But, I ended up saving money and time and I'm sure that good soil is good soil. We'll see if it works (I'll let you know in 10-21 days).

Even though I'm not planting a full vegetable patch, or even a small one in the ground, I'm realizing just how much work it really takes to put food on our plates. When farmers start, they must till, nourish, and water the soil (not to mention balancing the nutrients), sow the seeds, maintain the plants (and keep them unharmed from erratic/extreme weather and insect plagues), harvest it, and sell it. It's a really intricate process (especially if done on a large scale), but I'm also realizing that there are so many simple ways for people to integrate their own, home-grown foods into their diets. While it takes some time, money, and initial planning, it really is possible to build a manageable, usable, and relatively low-maintenance home garden.

But back to the rest of my day. Today I am going to visit Glynwood Farm which is in Cold Springs. While researching which farms I should visit, I have gotten a lot of great advice from friends, family, and friends of the family. My mom's friend from college told me about Glynwood and it looks like it is going to be a really amazing farm. They have guided hour-and-a-half long tours the second Friday of every month in the growing season. You need to "make a reservation" to be on the tour, and they are not every Friday so it takes a bit of forethought. However, as with most farms, you can virtually always at least stop by, walk around yourself, and check out what they are selling that day. Another great thing about Glynwood, and I'll obviously be able to report back later with more details and photos (and recipes using their produce!!), is that they have a really well organized, artistic website. One of my favorite things on the website is their supply of agricultural maps of different counties in New York State. Take a look at the map of Westchester farms and you'll be able to see just how much is at our fingertips in this county. In terms of its geography, Westchester has coastline, mountains, valleys, rivers, and reservoirs that make for a really diverse and vibrant agricultural industry--everything from milk to kale to bacon to wine is available locally.

Sowing the Seeds

Yesterday and this morning I sowed my first seeds! I felt like a real live gardener, I got my hands dirty and all. The only thing is, I basically expected I would have huge plants already complete with fragrant oregano and vine-ripened tomatoes. Right now, everything just looks like dirt--except for my tomatoes. A little bit of background...

In early April I decided I wanted to get a jump on my project and start some seedlings in my garage so that they would be all ready for the May start date of my project. My neighbor Sara told me that the now all-organic Sprain Brook Nursery was the best place to get everything I would need. She was right. I picked up seed packets (I decided on some hybrid Burpee's varieties of oregano, parsley, basil, dill, two types of tomatoes--red and yellow--cucumbers, and lettuce), a bag of soil, and a starting tray with a cover. I was very excited. Right when I came home from the Nursery I started my garden. It was going to be a snitch, right?

Well, turns out gardening takes some work... and some knowledge. I had already bought a book called "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Ed Smith--once you take a look at his picture (just click on his name), you'll see why I trusted him so much! Turns out, while his book was informative, it was intended more for gardeners with a lot of land, some previous knowledge and experience, and a lot of time on their hands. It wasn't quite as helpful for me, but it gave me a sense of which vegetables and herbs might at least grow well here. Sara was also nice enough to lend me her book "The Big Book of Vegetable Gardening" which had a lot more helpful, more realistic advice for me. Most important, it had a section all about container vegetable gardening. I had never thought about growing vegetables in containers, but it made perfect sense to me. It allows an inexperienced gardener to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs (and obviously, flowers) in a limited amount of space. It also allows for easy transport and a unique kind of decoration. The "Big Book" had a few really helpful charts in it. One outlined the best varieties of vegetables to grow in containers with their growing/planting season and light and space requirements. While it makes sense that a corn plant might not be the most successful container vegetable, how many of us really know that Swiss chard would grow well? This chart helped me a lot. Another helpful chart if you are looking to grow a year-round container or regular garden is one that details (for a moderate climate) which vegetables to grow in which months.

Back to the actual planting. I started my seeds off in my starter tray in my garage (it was far too cold for anything to be outside--most gardeners start their seeds after "the last fall," basically right around Mother's Day but it seeds can be started indoors much earlier). I carefully followed the instructions on the back of each seed packet (they were easier to understand and abide by than the ones in books and on the web) and set up an architect's light to provide a constant, and pretty strong source of light. I diligently watered them. OK, I watered them regularly for a few days, and they actually grew! I almost felt like I was in the Little Shop of Horrors (shout-out to SHS Senior Class Play!) each morning when I went to inspect them and they were growing. Once I went away for Spring Break and my mom decided she wouldn't water my vegetables for me, things started to fall apart. I totally forgot they existed except for the few times I had to go down into the garage to grab some extra paper towels or something. Turns out, plants actually need water. And it helps if you don't leave a light bulb shining on them for days at a time. Who'd a thunk it? So, my plants pretty much died--except for my tomato plants! They remained strong and lived through the drought, I'm really not sure how. I think they're a little stunted, but they're my favorites as of now (maybe because they are the only green things in any container).

So for now, I have a variety of containers and vegetables that I am trying out to see which work best. I decided to test traditional terra cotta pots against other materials including plastic bins and old plastic soda bottles, even a half of a paper milk carton (I thought it might be convenient to have a small container of herbs that can stay on the windowsill of my kitchen). I wasn't sure of how much soil to put in each, and I'm not totally certain that all of the containers are of the right size but I feel the most important thing is just to give it a go (obviously with some plan and insight into the process) and adapt it to your own situation. I wanted to purchase as little as I needed to in order to be greener (using materials I already have instead of buying new ones reduces consumption and waste of materials) and more economical (I'm obviously saving money by not buying new containers for each plant). Look around your house and yard and you'll be surprised at how much is really at your disposal for a container garden.

Another note, I decided to start from seeds because I thought it would be the most fun, most economical, and most challenging. I may need to shift my plan if after two weeks (the germination period for most of my veggies) I don't see much progress.

Day 1

So, this is it. The moment I've been waiting for for weeks...no, more like months. I can distinctly remember a time last year, when life seemed only to include standardized tests, listening to seniors talk about their Senior Options projects. They seemed to glow with relaxation and wisdom as they talked about life outside of school. It was a life I wanted to enjoy, and now I am!

I thought it might be helpful to first give some background on my project so that readers have a sense of what I will actually be doing. I have always been really interested in cooking, gardening, writing, and environmental issues but I haven't had much time during school to actually explore these interests in much depth. So when it came time to pick a Senior Options project, I thought what better way to combine all of these interests in my own independent study. It seems that "going green" and being a locavore (here's a video to pique your interest but much more on this later...) is becoming utterly en vogue even though it seems to be utterly unglamorous. I mean, really. Getting your hands dirty? Rotating compost--aka rotting food? Snipping your own herbs? But that grounded mentality (pun intended) is exactly what people are looking for right now. A reasonably priced, environmentally friendly, and delicious approach to food and eating. Heck, even the president and first lady of the United States have a home vegetable/herb garden! As I always say, if it's good enough for the Obamas, it's good enough for me.

My job over the next month and a half will be to provide you resources and tools to try to incorporate these values into your life with relative ease. Soon I will be visiting Westchester County farms and providing you with economic, environmental, and culinary tips based on those visits. I will also post pictures of the farms, related articles and videos, and try as often as I can to post interviews with the farmers who bring the food to our plates. I will also be trying my own experiment of growing my own food--at least some of it--for me and family to enjoy.

Speaking of breaking ground, I've got to go get my planting on!