CSA Love - This Week's Take

Molly Checks It All Out

So much to do!  I need to update my Art Doll gallery page.  I also have at least 3 ideas for dolls that I want to complete in time for contest deadlines.  With the speed I work at, that will be a feat indeed.  At the time I need to be most industrious, I end up surfing the web for even more inspiration, reading other blogs and getting ideas for posts. 

But, I really do love the CSA we (my husband and I, not using the royal 'we', yet) are in this year!  Two years ago we joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for the first time and it was the beginning of a big life change in the way we eat.  I have to say that before the CSA I hardly ate any vegetables and fruits very selectively and mostly only in pie form (sorry, pandowdy!).  Getting vegetables fresh from the farm every week and being able to pick some right from the fields was a great experience.  It was strange getting foods that I never liked or would have tried before, having them actually taste good and wanting more!  We even started our own mini home garden that year and have been doing it ever since.  Today, I eat so much more fruit and veg and my meat consumption has gone down significantly.  Unfortunately, the first CSA location was a bit of a schlep for us.  After that, we went one year CSA free and now I'm excited that we're back in it at a new location sooo much closer to home!

After much research, we ended up going with the Farm Direct Co-op.  Which, as the name implies, is actually more of a buying club which gets their produce from a variety of local farms.  We signed up for a single (1-2 Adult) share of vegetables and added on a single fruit share as well as an herb and cheese share!

So far, they have been wonderful.  We were even able to place bulk orders for berries, which ended up in a fun family pie baking day.  We plan on extending our share into the fall and doing another bulk fruit order then as well! :-)

I can't say exactly what caused me to want to join a CSA in the first place, but I remember being very determined about it.  I read Michael Pollan's books after.  The summer before, we visited a lot of farmers' markets and farm stands.  Maybe my body was just fed up.  In any case, I am glad because this was a gateway to even more personal growth and all that eventually led me here.

If you are looking for a CSA in your area, you may already know, but Local Harvest is a great place to start!

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A Summer Wind Brings...Pandowdy

Monday was such a beautiful day.  After a stretch of hot weather, a cool breeze finally came our way!  The sky was clear and bright, trees rustling - it almost felt like fall had come (my favorite season!).  This unexpected treat brought with it the undeniable desire to bake. 

Last year, I discovered a great new baking book at the library, Rustic Fruit Desserts.  Since cutting gluten out of my diet a few months ago, I've been anxious to try adapting one of my favorite recipes.  This seemed like the perfect opportunity.  Below is my loose adaptation of the Gingered Pear and Raspberry Pandowdy recipe.  Have you ever had a pandowdy?  I never had before this.  The book does a great job describing many old-fashioned dessert types (Slumps, Buckles, etc).  Having made and eaten it, my definition of this pandowdy would be pie filling with a giant scone on top (Mmmm...).  Add some vanilla ice cream on the side (which I did) and it is heaven! 

Gluten free notes in blue
Ingredients:

Filling
1/2 c. granulated sugar
2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. cornstarch or tapioca
Pinch of fine sea salt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
2 c. fresh raspberries and 4 lg. pears, peeled, cored and sliced (the original)
or
4 c. fresh summer berries and 2 lg. apples or pears, peeled, cored and sliced (shown here: for fruit I used a mix of blueberries, black raspberries and red raspberries + 2 apples)

Biscuit
1 3/4 c. flour 1 1/4 c. gluten free flour (such as Gluten Free Pantry) + 1/2 c. bean flour (i.e. Garbanzo or Soy)
3 tbsp. + 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder gluten free baking powder
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
10 tbsp. cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
1/3 c. chopped candied ginger
2/3 c. + 1 tbsp. cold buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Butter a 9" deep dish pan.  For the fruit filling, place fruit in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt and cornstarch/tapioca.  Stir gingerly to coat and carefully transfer to prepared baking dish.  Dot with pieces of butter.

To prepare the biscuit, whisk the flour, 3 tbsp. of sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  Add the butter and toss gently to coat.  Next, use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until it is the size of small peas (you could also do this with a few pulses in a food processor).  Stir in the candied ginger.  Then, pour in the 2/3 c. buttermilk and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.  The dough will be crumbly with chunks of butter.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface (I use parchment paper or plastic wrap as the surface for easy transfer).  Gently press the dough together and then lightly form into a 9 inch circle. From my experience (my hands tend to melt the butter fast) the less you touch and work the dough, the better. 
Carefully place the dough atop the fruit and brush with the remaining buttermilk.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tbsp. sugar. 

Bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for another 20 minutes, until the biscuit is golden and the juices are bubbling.  Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.  (Sorry, I can't wait that long!)

I made a lot of substitutions. But, I think that this is a recipe that adapts really well.  You can definitely play around with this and make your own great combination!  It was supposed to be a fall recipe, but I used what I had on-hand - fresh summer berries and a couple apples.  By the way, I love the ginger in the topping.  I don't know when I finally discovered candied ginger, but now I use it all the time to make baked goods extra comforting and warming. (great for when those fall days finally come).  Happy baking! :-)

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Thank You! - Rojo's First Photo Shoot

Rojo - by Abi Monroe

I still cannot believe it!  First off, the lovely doll above is not mine, it is the fantastic work of Abi Monroe!  She held a fundraiser for Rescue The Animals which ended last week (correction two weeks ago).  She made two beautiful dolls, Azure and Amethyst, just for the occasion.  So many people participated, I count myself extremely lucky that I came in as a runner up and won one of her dolls!! 

Rojo arrived and I couldn't wait to take pictures and post!  I am working hard at improving m photography skills, so bear with me, these pictures really don't do her justice! 

Such a sweet lamb!

This is my first Art Doll and she is an absolute inspiration.  Many thanks to Abi for such a wonderful and generous event, all to help the animals!  See the contest results through the post below and please check out her site, it is really amazing!

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Abi Monroe: Giveaway Draw Results......

Abi Monroe: Giveaway Draw Results......

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