Over & Out Victoria

Okay monkeys.... this is it.

I'm packing up and making my way across the country from Victoria to Toronto. Permanently. 

Everything is in boxes. The movers just came. And I'll be sleeping on quality MEC camping gear until my shit shows up in 9-14 days.

I guess this move is kind of a big deal. Not just in distance and cost - but believe me, the distance and cost have been substantial - but in life. I'm preparing to say goodbye to the slow laid-back island that has been my home for 6 years. Victoria was the city that I really started to grow and find myself in. It's where I learned I have the power to make big changes in my life. It's where I went to University, where I discovered out my love of food, where I figured out that politics - both personal and global - are important, and of course, where I met the love of my life. John I mean, not Vancouver Island wine... though that comes in at a close second. Victoria has been my home.

But I'm a firm believer in your home is where you make it. And it's time to make some changes. As great as Victoria has been to me, it is just too limited as far as jobs go. Unless I want to be a server for the rest of my life, it's time to act; it's time for something bigger and newer and just plain exciting. Time for adventure.

Of course, for the next two weeks I won't have a kitchen. Nor will I probably have much to say since I'll be figuring out where to get milk, tampons, my mail, and next bottle of wine. Oh yeah, not to mention the fact that I'll need to find a job. Oh dear. So instead of harassing you with uninteresting things like "found a beetle today" or "you should have seen my poop this morning!", I'm leaving you in the very capable and highly clever hands of a few spectacular ladies that really know their shit. That's right readers, I'm talkin' guest posters galore! For 2 weeks! And of course, the Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop will still be happenin' so I'll make a quick peep here and there.

See you on the other side my darlings....wish me luck.

The Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop Week #9

What up sugar puffs! Happy Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop to you!

Can you believe it's almost Autumn!? Where did the Summer go? I've noticed that the sun is no longer up at 5:30am anymore and that I actually needed a cardigan on the way home from the pub last night. Maybe I just didn't have enough beer - or maybe that seasonal chill has arrived and you know what? I don't mind too much.

I like my cardigans and tights and all the wonderful Fall food that comes with them like cabbage, pie pumpkins, apples, leeks, pears and leafy greens. But in the meantime, we're still indulging in one of my favorite Summer veg, patty pans!

I know I kind of said this last week, but seriously: you guys are ef'ing incredible! Can you believe we hit 63 unbelievable happy food links?? 9 weeks ago we had 7. And it was a solid 7 - but you are all amazing the crap outta me with all your engaging food ways. Let's keep it up! Make sure to tell your friends about our link up/food resource space and display our badge on your side bar if you support good, whole, real, seasonal, local, organic food. 

Onto the good stuff! Last week's highlights included:

The Many Uses of Jars via Scratch Treehouse

Confession Time: Nobody is Perfect via Little House on the Prairie Living

2012 Meat Chicken Cost Analysis via On Just a Couple Acres

This blog hop is to encourage fresh food production, consumption, activism, and awareness.

Please feel free to link up:

• CSA collections;
• Farmer's market treasures;
• Home grown/raised hauls;
• Recipes that feature fresh fruits and veggies that are seasonal to your area or feature local, sustainably farmed meats, eggs, and dairy;
• DIY projects and tutorials for: gardening, storing and/or preserving fresh foods, composting market scraps, raising chickens in your back yard, etc;
• Tips for local eating such as: tips for CSA members, how to find out what’s in season, how to make the most of your local produce, how to raise chickens, etc...

Please make sure anything you link up is something that is currently available in your area from a local farmer or things from Whole Foods with the giant “Local” sign on top (or similar).

Please do not link up:

• Any highly processed recipes or foods (i.e. white flour, white sugar);
• Recipes that don’t include any seasonal, local produce, meats, dairy, or eggs or that are only about specific diets and are not focused on growing or eating fresh food;
• Recipes that feature produce that isn’t available locally and in season (e.g. mangoes and avocados in the Northeast, fresh tomatoes in winter, etc); 
• Giveaways; Etsy Shops; Advertisements.

We don’t want to become the link police, and we want everyone to be able to participate; however, if you are in blatant violation of these rules, we will delete your link.

You may link up to 3 posts in a given week that you haven't shared here before by using the linky tool at the bottom of this post. Feel free to click on any of the linked up posts and say hello by leaving a comment for your fellow fresh food communitarians because we know how much we all love comments!

If you don't have a blog but still want to participate or don't want to write a post specifically on something you'd like to share here, feel free to comment with any thoughts, ideas or suggestions. You can also participate via our flickr pool. Just send us an email @ freshfoodsbloghop (at) gmail (dot) com or request an invitation through the flickr group’s page. Deadlines for photo submissions is the Monday before the Wednesday post.

And lastly, please include a simple text link back to this blog hop (the post, not the blog's main page) in the post(s) you link up or add a button:

<left><a href="http://www.gastronomicalsovereignty.com"/><img src="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa411/gastronomicalsovereignty/DSC_0713-6-1.jpg"></a></left>

We want this blog hop to feature you as well as help each other come together to form a resource of good food ways for one another. In order to be featured on the weekly highlights - which includes a highlight on your post here the following week as well as tweets, facebook page "like" and posting, and being added to our Fresh Foods pinterest board - you must have a link back or button displayed in your post or on your blog. Again, we don’t want to be the “blog hop police”, but if you don’t link back to this post we can’t feature you.

You can alternatively link up via Sam's blog @ Cooking My Way Through My CSA, as well as find her on her Pinterest site.

And of course, you can link up here, become my friend by joining this site on the right side bar, and/or find me on twitter, facebook, Pinterest, and my sister site, Taste Buds.

If you have any questions about the blog hop in general, please email us at freshfoodsbloghop (at) gmail (dot) com.

Okay serious business over - let's have some fun! Link up!

August SRC Reveal: Grilled Veggie Sammiches

Who doesn't love a good BBQ?

Seriously.

There's nothin' like the smokey aroma of grilling food. Whether it's a steak or potato or ear of freshly shucked farmer's market corn, that smokey BBQ essence that wafts through the neighborhood is second only to my beloved campfire smell.

And the company that accompanies a BBQ is nothing to be laughed at either. Good friends. Cold beer. Icy spirits. Refreshing wine. Solid music. Hopefully a little beersbie...

I love me a good BBQ! And I know you must too because who wouldn't love great food, great friends, great drinks, and great tunes? Exactly!

A good BBQ is what makes Summer so.... so... well,  Summery! And as we come to a close on Summer - c'mon, tell me you can't feel the new Autumnal chill in the air in the evening - I'm getting in all the Summer I can!

Speaking of Summer, it's time again for SRC - the last one of the season! SRC = Secret Recipe Club. If you haven't heard of it - you should get on it. It's pretty rad. Almost as rad as beersbie.

This month I had Colie's Kitchen. After pursuing around for a while I came across Grilled Vegetarian Subs. With Summer in mind, I thought, "oh heck yes".

Grilling? Good! Vegetables? Good! Cheese? Good!

I did make some adjustments to Nicole's recipe. Whilst hers calls for some canned goods I decided to go fresh since pretty much everything on this sandwich is available at the farmer's market right now - and in such, I marinated my mushrooms for a couple of hours prior to grilling. Also, hers were made in saute pan - I used my BBQ. After all - if you're gonna make grilled sammies, you might as well grill, yes?

Grilled Veggie Sammiches

(printable recipe) - serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 Large Portobello Mushrooms, stems cut off.

2 Red Bell Peppers.

1 Large Sweet Onion, sliced into 1/2" rounds.

1 Medium Zucchini, sliced into 1/2" rounds.

Fresh Basil Leaves.

8 Oz. Fresh Mozzarella, roughly torn or cut into chunks.

2 Ciabatta Buns (or bread of your choice), sliced in half.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

Dijon Mustard (optional).

Ingredients for Marinade:

1 Large Shallot, thinly sliced.

Handful of Fresh Herbs (i.e. thyme, tarragon, oregano, basil).

3 Cloves of Garlic, minced.

Few Glugs Good Quality Balsamic Vinegar.

Few Glugs Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

1-3 hours before cooking, throw all the ingredients for the marinade in a plastic bag or Tupperware container. Add the mushrooms, massage gently and seal. Set aside. You will want to flip these guys to make sure the marinade gets all over every once in a while. When ready to grill, remove from the bag, drain mushrooms and discard of any shallot bits, etc...

Pre-heat your grill to medium heat.

Throw the peppers, onion and zucchini in a bowl with a good glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Toss well to coat. Carefully place on hot grill along with the mushrooms, starting open/gill side down. Close the lid. The zucchini and onions only need about 2 minutes per side, the mushrooms about 3, whilst the peppers need about 5. Flip accordingly and remove from heat as done. While you want a nice color on the onions, peppers and mushrooms, you want the peppers BLACK. 

Once the peppers have finished, place in that same bag or bowl as you used for the mushrooms, seal, and let sit about 10 minutes. Once they have steamed away in there, carefully remove them from the container and gently rub off the charred skin. Slice in half, remove the seeds and then chop as desired. Voila! Your own fire roasted peppers! Slice the mushrooms as well. Add both the peppers and the mushrooms to the same pile as the rest of the finished vegetables.

As your peppers rest, you can grill your bread if you like until golden.

Now pre-heat your broiler and turn off the BBQ.

On a baking sheet place the bottom half of the bread, a good spreading of dijon, and then layer up the veggies. Don't be shy - make this a hearty sandwich! Top with torn mozzarella. Place under broiler until cheese melts, approx. 3-4 minutes. Remove from the oven, finish with some fresh basil leaves and the other half of the bun.

Eat.

 This post is linked up with the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop via the 21st Century Housewife; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Tuesday Talent Show; Tasty Tuesdays; Cast Party Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; The Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop;

Guest Post: Jackie @ Auburn Meadow Farm - Baaa-add... Very Bad Indeed

We like to think of ourselves as well informed, sophisticated citizens of the global economy, but are we really? Within the confines of our ten second attention spans, what do we really know about the state of our food supply?  

And have you ever wondered who decides what we should know and why?

Since I’ve chosen to explore the anti-establishment farming route and plunder the treasures Big Food and Farming has tossed aside,  my ears really perk up when I hear stories like the one of Canadian Montana Jones and her rare herd of heritage breed sheep.

You say you haven’t heard of Montana Jones and her sheep? I wish I could say I was surprised, but I’m learning there are lots of critically important events going on that never make the mainstream news. And when they do, they get about ten seconds of reassuring “official bulletin” then it’s on to more about the TomKat divorce or the Twihard cheating scandal.

Montana Jones is a woman whose herd of rare sheep was first quarantined by the Canadian government due to suspicion an incident of the sheep disease scrapie may have originated from her herd. She complied - for two years of great financial hardship to her business.  

Next the government issued orders to exterminate the herd even though during the two year quarantine they produced no definitive evidence the herd had the disease.  Amazingly, the sheep were then stolen and hidden by a group of Farmers calling themselves The Farmer’s Peace Corps, leaving just this handwritten note.

Mind you, this was a herd of very pregnant sheep.  The tale ends sadly; the sheep were found and slaughtered anyway after which test results prove that the sheep were scrapies-free. Montana Jones is not likely to ever be reimbursed for the value of the herd and faces possible jail time and ongoing legal battles. That’s the really quick version - you really need to read the events for yourself.

Most heritage breeds of livestock have gone out of fashion because they are the exact opposite of commercial breeds. They are scrappy, self-sufficient and individuals vary greatly. They are smart, quick and don’t thrive in confinement settings.

They also tend to not be the biggest producer of anything – they are small to medium in size so while their meat is excellent in quality, it’s not the payload yielded by the huge commercial breeds adapted to a life of engorged confinement.  

Where the bounty comes in with heritage breeds is that while they produce less quantity, they produce incomparable quality, all on the thrifty, natural diet readily available in their indigenous location.

As farmers scramble to adapt to weather change, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, the value of these forgotten low-maintenance animals is really starting to be appreciated once again.

And on the plate? Since we’re now a generation or four removed from ever having tasted anything other than confinement meat, the taste of the meat from these forgotten breeds raised on pasture has captured our fancy. It really is true – what’s better for the animals and the environment is better for us too. And it tastes so amazingly good.

Big Pork, Big Beef and Big Chicken are  watching intently as consumers begin to ask questions and express preference for these less common products raised by small farmers on pasture.  Commodity meat’s profit margin is slim and their continued success depends on pushing more, more and more.

So, as small farms are increasingly exploring kinder healthier ways to get meat on the table, it is inevitable we can expect some pushback from industry. As much as I hate sounding like the crazy conspiracy theory lady, how else can I explain the reason for the government’s heavy handed extermination of Montana Jones’ sheep?

Following the money is the only way any of this makes sense. The government and industry trade groups are concerned with international trade policy and are anxious to appear to be taking assertive and effective action in maintaining control of any risk of disease potentially affecting their commercial livestock.

Some of the corporate  push-back  is the usual marketing spin where commodity products are designed to look homey and small.  Another form of push-back involves legal battles and lobbying to manipulate labeling so it becomes illegal to differentiate products by using labels calling out what the product  DOESN’T contain: think  the battle to label milk as rBHT Free.

Corporations also spend millions on lawsuits and lobbyists who enable them to invent new names for processes they know we don’t like - think corn sugar for high fructose corn syrup and cold pasteurization for irradiation, and why corporations don’t have to list things like pink slime on their labels.

Let’s also not forget about the current push for states to pass Ag-Gag bills making it a felony for anyone to take and share behind-the-scenes pictures of farms and the anti-disparagement laws that enabled Big Beef to sue Oprah for a casual comment she made on her show about hamburger.

Call me trusting and naive, but what I would have never believed is that the government would go so far as exterminate entire herds of heritage breed livestock without conclusive evidence or transparency.  But that’s exactly what seems to have happened to Montana Jones’ rare sheep.

My purpose here is not to write the authoritative blow by blow account; Montana does a very good job of that herself on her blog – you really should check it out. And in fairness, while Montana has earned much sympathy and support from farmers, I would be remiss to leave out that she is also not without critics for her actions from others within the farming community.

Here’s what I need to know: have you heard anything about this event at all?  And, if so, what exactly have you heard?  Prior to raising livestock myself, I would have listened to the government issued press releases about the extermination of this herd and think briefly it sounded like responsible action while also thinking what a sucky job it would be to have to collect and exterminate those sheep.

After all, as sad as it is for Montana Jones, we have an entire country of animals to protect from the scary disease these sheep are infected with, right?

Except that these sheep didn’t have any disease. And the government rushed and jockeyed and covered up misinformation to kill the flock quickly without proper due diligence, honesty, consideration, documentation or transparency.

Where are the responsible journalists to cover these stories? FYI, pink slime was well documented  for at least 10 years before ABC covered it on the evening news. That one story attracted so much outrage from the public - but are we not outraged that it took them 10 years to tell us?

Think the fate of this Canadian farmer is an isolated incident? I hate to tell you, but it’s not.

The Canadian Shropshire sheep debacle is eerily similar to the sad tale of the Mad River Valley herd of rare Beltex sheep in Vermont, USA. Every lover of real food and justice should read Linda Faillace’s chilling page turner, Mad Sheep.  I guarantee you will not soon forget it. And, because Linda is so matter-of-fact in her research and her telling of the tale, it’s all the more revealing and frightening. Read the timeline of the Faillace’s sheep debacle here.

This past April in the US we have seen another unique and unprecedented mutation of legal process implemented against heritage breed pigs in Michigan. Michigan has enforced what they call an Invasive Species Order to eliminate all hogs that have certain physical characteristics. The purpose of this law is supposedly to address the problem of feral pigs in the state.

A plan for eliminating destructive, disease carrying wild pigs sounds like the right thing to do doesn’t it?  But the unprecedented legal method devised to enforce this goal is pure terror for small farmers reliant on heritage breed pigs for their livelihood. And, for what it’s worth, there have been no reported instances of disease being transmitted by feral pigs.  Learn more about the Invasive Species Order here.  

The Invasive Species order approaches the problem of feral pigs in an unusual manner - first the agency assigned the duty of inspecting farms is not the Department of Agriculture, but the agency responsible for wildlife - the DNR. The order has determined a list of 9 physical characteristics that are unacceptable in Michigan pigs, number 9 being this ass-covering, we-can-add-anything-we-feel-like-in-the-future-without-due-process phrase:  "characteristics not currently known”.  Wait, whoa, what??

The characteristics include things like underbelly fur, tail structure, ear structure, and skeletal appearance and have nothing to do with genetics or DNA. Using these characteristics, any pig in the state - except the genetically identical commercial ones prefered by confinement farms - could be prohibited under the ISO.  

Ridiculously, the characteristics have nothing to do with whether the pig is in fact feral. Did you know that any pig, even the cutest, pinkest Wilbur and Arnold will revert to a feral state if released?

And creepiest of all is the barely disguised pulling of the governmental strings by Big Ag lobbies in Michigan, leading to the quick and dirty roundabout and unusual closed-door means of implementing this order against the objections of a significant number of legislators.  

This order gives Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources the unprecedented authority to regulate animals confined on farms, and charge farmers harboring pigs deemed unacceptable with a felony punishable with hefty fines and jail.  

You don’t know me, but let me assure you I am a girl who is often overwhelmed by too many shades of gray. I am not militant, anti-establishment or hostile towards Big Ag.

The standard issue explanation for each of these extreme actions has been the need for taking a proactive stance to protect the health of the confinement livestock industry. The government has  broader issues to consider such as protecting import/export markets and acting to prevent spread of disease from wildlife and livestock to humans.

Okay, fair enough, but in each of these cases, while the concern raised certainly warranted expanded research, the action was more witch-hunt than scientific, democratic action. And there was an obvious backlash towards the farmers who fought back and questioned the orders. Government officials do not welcome being challenged and forget about transparency.

My question? If confinement livestock are so delicate that they can’t be exposed to nature or the outdoors, we’re clearly betting on the wrong horse. Sheep are not the only animals posing risk to other sheep - what’s the government’s plan for eliminating all the deer out there with chronic wasting disease - the deer version of scrapie?


If confined, controlled, genetically identical livestock are so fragile, aren’t we smarter to fight to save the animals who are hardier, thrive outside and help restore damaged soil instead of pollute it? And what happens to all those vital, original genes future animals may need to help them adapt to changing conditions?

We need animals who thrive in simple, natural settings doing their part to help us conserve water, break our reliance on pesticides and synthetic fertilizers and feed us well - not ones that consume way too many natural resources and pollute their communities with the manure and drug residue of a small city.   

Are we blinded to the obvious? Lost the forest for the trees?

In the US, it’s an election year. We’re inundated with ads and snarkiness about this policy and that injustice. But while there’s lots of excitement about things like health care, who’s paying for birth control,  the endless faceoff about abortion and same sex marriage, nobody seems one bit worried about food.

Look around - we are heavily reliant upon subsidized crops like corn, soy and wheat that are suffering greatly from our current weather conditions. And there’s no program being proposed to broaden our base of food sources.

There are so many things for us to be concerned about, and we’re not used to food being one of them. But news flash: our North American food security is fragile.  The good news is that it’s fragile in ways we can fix before it’s too late.

I’ve not heard mention of food or farming once in this American presidential campaign. We seem incapable of looking at farming through anything other than the lens of the commodity market, and believe me, the market does not care about things like nature, logic and whether or not you can afford to feed your family.

As a breeder of rare cattle, these tales make my blood run cold. There are many good government people working hard to do the right thing in difficult times. And there are many good farmers betting all they’ve got to pave the way to a better food supply for future generations. It’s not always easy to know who the good guys are, but odds are, it’s not the talking head reassuring you there’s nothing to concern yourself about.

Here are some things you can do:

• Pay attention to stories about food and farming on the news
• See if there’s more to the story by searching alternative news sources
• Stop buying food from companies who are obscuring your right to know what’s in your food
• Ask why
• Broaden your sources for news
• Talk to people outside your sphere of experience
• Consider the actions, not the words
• Plant a garden and learn to cook with real ingredients

Being informed makes us better, more productive citizens.  Caring about food and provisioning doesn’t mean you’re some conspiracy theory whack-job; how much more proof do you need to realize that the copywriters who create infomercials and advertorials aren’t getting paid to make you healthier or more knowledgeable?  They get paid to push you to buy stuff you don’t need that isn’t good for you.

How about buying this?  Without a reliable food supply, nothing else matters. Not even Brangelina.

Jackie Cleary is a cook and writer living on a small farm in Western Pennsylvania. Ever fascinated with local, hand crafted food and the artisans who make it, Jackie’s own adventures in food and farming are a constant lesson in sustainability and humility. And deliciousness. You can visit Jackie and her herd of old-fashioned Milking Devon cattle at AuburnMeadowFarm.com.


Update: Montana Jones is hosting a fundraiser as a call to all farms. If you live in the Hastings, Ontario area, you may want to stop by for some food, music, and words. Click here for more info.

The Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop Week #8

Hello darlings and welcome to week 8 of the Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop!

Last week's link up was so absolutely outstanding in both quality and quantity! What a good week! There were so many incredible posts featuring natural foods, seasonal dishes, farmer's market trips and even a CSA collection or two. I was so stoked to read what everyone had been up to - selecting highlights this week was the most difficult yet. I did manage to narrow my choices down to 3 though and this is what I ended up with:

Healthy Eating Myth - I Can't Afford It via Marquis and Emily

Simple Living Ideas: Be the Bee - Beekeeping Basics via Simple Living with Diane Balch

How to Render Beef Fat into Tallow via An Organic Wife

Unfortunately I don't have a farmer's market trip or CSA box to share with you this week - apparently moving across the country requires less food in the house and many more social engagements than I ordinarily feel comfortable with. Oh and wine. Don't forget the wine. Aye. I have been eating lots of these though:

Beautiful Summer salad and beet greens... Fabulous!

Don't forget to tell your friends about our link up and display our badge on your side bar if you support good, whole, real, seasonal, local, organic food. Wow - that was a mouthful! But seriously, we had so much fun last week, let's keep this party going!

This blog hop is to encourage fresh food production, consumption, activism, and awareness.

Please feel free to link up:

• CSA collections;
• Farmer's market treasures;
• Home grown/raised hauls;
• Recipes that feature fresh fruits and veggies that are seasonal to your area or feature local, sustainably farmed meats, eggs, and dairy;
• DIY projects and tutorials for: gardening, storing and/or preserving fresh foods, composting market scraps, raising chickens in your back yard, etc;
• Tips for local eating such as: tips for CSA members, how to find out what’s in season, how to make the most of your local produce, how to raise chickens, etc...

Please make sure anything you link up is something that is currently available in your area from a local farmer or things from Whole Foods with the giant “Local” sign on top (or similar).

Please do not link up:

• Any highly processed recipes or foods (i.e. white flour, white sugar);
• Recipes that don’t include any seasonal, local produce, meats, dairy, or eggs or that are only about specific diets and are not focused on growing or eating fresh food;
• Recipes that feature produce that isn’t available locally and in season (e.g. mangoes and avocados in the Northeast, fresh tomatoes in winter, etc); 
• Giveaways; Etsy Shops; Advertisements.

We don’t want to become the link police, and we want everyone to be able to participate; however, if you are in blatant violation of these rules, we will delete your link.

You may link up to 3 posts in a given week that you haven't shared here before by using the linky tool at the bottom of this post. Feel free to click on any of the linked up posts and say hello by leaving a comment for your fellow fresh food communitarians because we know how much we all love comments!

If you don't have a blog but still want to participate or don't want to write a post specifically on something you'd like to share here, feel free to comment with any thoughts, ideas or suggestions. You can also participate via our flickr pool. Just send us an email @ freshfoodsbloghop (at) gmail (dot) com or request an invitation through the flickr group’s page. Deadlines for photo submissions is the Monday before the Wednesday post.

And lastly, please include a simple text link back to this blog hop (the post, not the blog's main page) in the post(s) you link up or add a button:

<left><a href="http://www.gastronomicalsovereignty.com"/><img src="http://i1196.photobucket.com/albums/aa411/gastronomicalsovereignty/DSC_0713-6-1.jpg"></a></left>

We want this blog hop to feature you as well as help each other come together to form a resource of good food ways for one another. In order to be featured on the weekly highlights - which includes a highlight on your post here the following week as well as tweets, facebook page "like" and posting, and being added to our Fresh Foods pinterest board - you must have a link back or button displayed in your post or on your blog. Again, we don’t want to be the “blog hop police”, but if you don’t link back to this post we can’t feature you.

You can alternatively link up via Sam's blog @ Cooking My Way Through My CSA, as well as find her on her Pinterest site.

And of course, you can link up here, become my friend by joining this site on the right side bar, and/or find me on twitter, facebook, Pinterest, and my sister site, Taste Buds.

If you have any questions about the blog hop in general, please email us at freshfoodsbloghop (at) gmail (dot) com.

Okay serious business over - let's have some fun! Link up!

Sauteed Summer Squash with New Garlic

Hello my fresh squash blossoms!

Speaking of squash blossoms - I noticed at the farmer's market last week that they are in full force! I didn't get any though because I was trying to avoid deep fried, cheesy goodness... that being said, I fully regret that healthful decision and instead, I'm getting myself a good couple handfuls. And then, I'll do this to them! Oh, yes.

On the other hand, squash itself is abundant in our household as I'm sure it is in yours. And if it isn't, it doesn't take too many clicks to find out it's squash season in blog land. It just keeps comin' and comin' and comin'. And ya know what? I'm okay with that.

Summer squash is right up there with Tomatoes for me - they are the absolute epitome of Summer seasonal eating. Pattypans are my favorite but I'll gladly take any yellow or green zucchini you throw at me.

Fritters, jams, pancakes, bakes, pies, soup, salads, grilled... I'll eat any Summer squash any day, any time, any place. Mmmmm squash.

In fact, we recently received 3 brilliant squash in our CSA. I wasn't sure what to do with them - obviously the possibilities are endless - but when I saw that beautiful fresh bulb of new garlic in there too, I opted for simplicity.

New garlic varies greatly from the regular store bought kind. It's much juicer, way more tender, and the flavor will make you admit that you had never really tasted garlic up until you had the fresh stuff. Seriously. It will blow your freakin' mind! It's rather funny to peel too because the casing is so fresh, it's difficult to tell the difference between the garlic and the shell. But don't worry - you'll figure it out. Because you have to - you have to!

Sauteed Summer Squash with New Garlic
(printable recipe) - serves 4.

Ingredients:

3-4 Medium Sized Summer Squash, sliced into 1/4" rounds.
2 Cloves New Garlic, peeled & finely chopped.
1 Lemon for Juice.
Pinch of Chili Flakes.
2 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, finely grated.
1 Tbsp Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Coarse Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan.

When the oil begins to shimmer throw in the zucchini and stir. Allow to brown slightly, flip, and then do the same on the other side. 

Add the garlic and stir well until fragrant but not colored.

Once the garlic is cooked through, add the lemon juice, chili flakes, Parmesan, and a good helping of salt and pepper to taste.

Eat.

What's your favorite Summer ingredient?

 This post is linked up with The Hearth and Soul Blog Hop via the 21st Century Housewife; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Tuesday Talent Show; Tasty Tuesdays; Cast Party Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; The Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop; Showcase Your Talent Thursday; Keep it Real Thursdays; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday;

Post-Workout Smoothie (and a teeny "health" food rant)

Happy Saturday sugar pops! (I know, I know... a weekend post is rare!).....

But Heather at Tart and Heathered is hosting me at her blog today! Come say hello to her - because she is kind of super rad and totally hot and a fellow Victorian! - and listen to me ramble on (as per usual) about food, "healthy" eating, and what I think you should drink on a hot Summer's day... 

....I'll give you a hint: it's berry-licious. 

Enjoy your weekend lovelies!

Guest Post: Tara on 9 Tips for Growing a Kitchen Herb Garden

Good morning lovelies!

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from a woman named Tara. She wanted to guest post and I said, heck, why not? Anyone who wants to engage over food makes me a happy lady. So when she proposed the topic of her post, I was all over that.

And now without further ago, here she is!....

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I didn’t inherit my mother’s green thumb, so when I started a trio of potted herbs on my apartment balcony two years ago, I made a lot of mistakes. I can’t count how many times I’ve been the demise of plants that others have told me are the easiest varieties to grow. I mean, aloe is supposedly indestructible, but I’ve killed four (which technically makes me serial).

Babying herbs that respond with new, daily growth, however, is addictive and incredibly satisfying. Whether you start from seeds or grab a humble tray of starters from your local farmers’ market, every kitchen invested in fresh food needs an herb garden. Here are 9 things I wish I’d known when I started my garden.

1. What to plant? Here are the staples:

• Basil
• Sage
• Organo
• Thyme
• Marjoram
• Rosemary
• Parsley

But these make great additions to any garden, too:

• Chives
• Cilantro
• Green onions
• Lavender
• Nettles
• Mint
• Yarrow

Lavender can be used in cooking, but you can also make them into potpourri, tinctures, and room freshener. You can regrow green onions easily by saving the white roots and putting the bottom half in a cup of water; the roots and green portions will grow within days, ready for planting. (The same goes for a healthy sprig of basil, but definitely not parsley.) Nettles, peppermint, and yarrow make a wonderful tea to ease seasonal allergies, calm the stomach, and cleanse the liver.

2. Indoor or outdoor? Is there space for a few clay or ceramic pots by your kitchen window? Does it get at least 6 hours of sunlight? Small, potted herbs you use most frequently look darling in these little nooks, but the rest should be in a more spacious area close to the kitchen.
3. Potted or planted? As a renter, I pot my plants so I don’t have to dig my herb-babies out of the ground when we move. Homeowners would benefit from planting herbs directly in the ground—or in raised beds—so the herbs can grow more freely.
4. Use organic soil and compost. Even if you live in red mud territory (like yours truly), you can dig up the surveyed planting ground and mix generously with organic soil and compost. We invested in a compost bin a few months ago and haven’t looked back.
5. Read about them. I’m serious. Read the back of those seed packets that tell you how to plant them and take care of them when they grow. Some plants—like aloe—need little to no water daily, while others—like mint—are thirsty. Put the ones that don’t need as much water in the back of the garden along with taller plants.
6. Save water by collecting it in jugs or buckets when you’re waiting for the shower to get warm. Give them to your plants. There’s no need to turn on, detangle, and re-tangle the hose.
7. Give them friends. Companion planting is based on the symbiotic relationships plants have in the garden—and even the palate. For example, planting marigolds near tomatoes help repel pests.
8. No identity crises. Even if you know what each herb is, help out your guests, kids, and partners by labeling your plants. You can even make a project of it by painting potted plants with chalkboard paint and writing the names in chalk.
9. Harvest mature herbs. Letting some plants—like parsley or basil—grow wild will actually hurt its growth. Chop from the top of mature plants as you need, but never more than a third of the plant at a time. Keep in mind that herbs taste best in the morning before the sunlight dries them out.
   
   

Tara Spenser is currently the resident writer for workingcapital.org, where she researches small business working capital and getting a small business loan. In her spare time, she enjoys blogging, swimming and being a mom.