HAWAII!!!

Well, I'm takin' off! Taking one of those new fangled jet planes to the Hawaiian Islands...

WOOOOO!!! Ill be back to blogging next Monday, Aloha!

New Produce Update

On the local front...

I'm proud to announce the return of Fair Hills Farms Pink Lady Apples!

They're as pink as ever and tastetastic! This brings our Fair Hills Apple set to 4 varieties: Fuji, Cameo, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady!

Also in: Ebbys Organics Bunched Spinach

I love big fat thick-walled spinach leaves. I also think its the perfect amount... not to mention a bunch is only 99 cents! Great for getting big and strong... at least thats what moms tell me.

THE Grapes to eat right now: RED CRUNCHY Grapes from Todd Burkdoll:

These have been unanimously voted the best grapes ever by Co-op staff. I buy them from Farmers Direct (who buys them from Todd Burkdoll @ Farmers Market) and all they say is "Red Crunchy Seedless". Such an understatement. These things are crisp as apples, sweeter than your average grape, and pushing the size of a quarter (HUGE) I can't keep them on the shelves. The next load will come in Saturday morning.

Local Persimmons

A persimmon tree is a beautiful thing...

...and local persimmons are even better!
I just talked to John, one of our local persimmon providers, and we're set to bring in about 30 pounds of Fujus and 30 pounds of Hachiyas for the Halloween weekend! I KNOW!
He's delivering this afternoon or friday, so for all you brave enough to venture here this weekend there will be a delicious bright orange fall favorite waiting for you. YUM!

Got Squash?

Squash is such a funny word. SQUASH!!! It reminds me of making playdough animals... only to be SQUASHED upon completion. I digress...

We got squash!

The folks at John Given's Farm are cranking out an absolutely gorgeous assortment of hard winter squashes. Butternut, Delicata, Kabocha, Acorn... I'm loading up on all of em' because the price is great! (around $1/lb)

I know I've been overloading on recipes, but how can I deny great recipes submitted by awesome people?

Here's how Julia (one of our sandwich makers/ clerks) made Butternut Squash & Walnut Pasta.

Butternut Squash & Walnut Pasta

Ingredients:

-2 cups butternut squash

-2-3 cloves garlic

-pasta of your choice

-olive oil & butter

-rosemary

-parmesan (optional

1. Sprinkle oil over squash and rosemary in an oven-safe dish. Roast until tender (about 20 minutes)

2. Toast walnut pieces on stovetop

3. Add butter, olive oil & chopped garlic to walnuts. Sautee

4. Toss with squash and pasta.

5 Parmesan it up! Great with white wine!

Tom Shepherd's Local Beans!

You heard right! We're bringin' in local dried beans! Hopefully they'll be out and ready to buy this afternoon.

If you've never tried truly fresh, local beans your totally missing out. Fresh beans are MUCH easier to cook, because while they are dried, they were dried very recently. Here's a little description of the varieties we're getting:

Black Turtle Beans

These are your  basic black beans. They have a dense, meaty texture and flavor reminiscent of mushrooms. If you've had mexican food recently, this is most likely the bean you ate. YUM.

Canario Beans

A classic bean from Peru, the Mayacoba is also known as Canario or Peruano. It's a small but meaty thin-skinned bean that will take on all the flavors you can throw at it but still hold its shape. Great as a substitute for Canellini or great Northern beans but unique in its own right.
Suggestions: Pot beans, chiles, salads, stews

New Produce Update

Just off the truck...

Seckel Pears  ($3.79/ lb) are incredibly sweet, soft, and cute little pears great poached in red wine. I know I'm poaching a few for my girlfriend this weekend.... I suggest you all do the same :)



Artichokes!!! ($1.49/ each) are my favorite vegetable. And, with the weather cooling down and Autumn on the rise, artichokes are coming into season. Yum Yum Yum Yummm! I'm steaming them up tonight.

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pie

If you've been shopping at the Co-op for a while you've probably met Steve, our Grocery/Bulk Manager. If you haven't met Steve, you should stop by and seek him out. Tell him you've heard he makes the best vegan pumpkin pie this side of the Rockies. He'll love to hear from you, even if he looks at you like you're an alien. I digress... here's Steve Snyder's (no longer) top secret....

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Pie

Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups mashed baked pumpkin (preferably a sugar pie pumpkin from the Co-op)
- 1 1/2 cups firm Tofu (Silken works well)
-1/2 cup maple syrup
-1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
-1/2 tsp. Ginger
-1/4 tsp. allspice
-1/4 tsp. cloves
-1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
-Walnuts, pecans, almonds... to top if desired.

1. Combing Pumpkin, tofu, syrup, salt, and spices in food processor or blender and puree until mixture is consistent
2. Pour into 9" crust and bake in oven at 375 for 30minutes. Check firmness and bake for another 5-10 minutes as required.
3. Place the pie on a rack to cool and set for at least two hours.

Now, check this crust recipe out. Its totally different from what I usually do... because I'm way into butter, but it looks delicious and hearty none-the-less.

Nut Pie Pastry

Ingredients
-3/4 cup whole flour
-3/4 cup rolled oats
-3/4 cup mixed Almonds, walnuts, cashews & sunflower seeds (chopped)
-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. cardamom
-pinch of sea salt
-1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp. Canola oil
-4 Tbsp. Maple Syrup
-1 Tbsp. Water (optional
-oiled 9" Pie Plate

1. In a large bowl blend flour, oats, chopped nuts, salt & spices
2. In a liquid measuring cup whisk together oil & syrup
3. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and pour in the liquids. Stir with a fork or hands to form a coarse dough.
4. Press dough into oiled pie plate firmly without creating thin spots.
5. Fill with pie or freeze for later use.

Wooooohh... now thats a pie.
Don't forget, Co-op Country Fair Bake-off! But be careful, this recipe might be popular now that its publicized :)

Better Late Than Never...

...especially with delicious Tom Kha Soup.
So, my friend Shawn Von and I had a Tom Kha Cook off this weekend. MMMMmmm... it was absurdly good. Shawn Von started the adventure with his Tofu Tom Kha, which was delicious. Crispy tofu, smooth coconut, spicy gingery broth... it survived about 15 minutes. This is what he did...
Ingredients:
-2 cans coconut milk (not juice)
-tofu (cut into small chunks)
-2-3 inches galangal thai ginger
-lime juice, about 1/2 cup
-carrots
-lemongrass (about 3 stalks) -you can find this at Indochina by Kmart fresh or in our bulk department dried.
-hot peppers to taste (jalapeno, habanero, we used a few Bolivian Rainbows I'm growing)
-fresh cilantro
-fish sauce
-red thai curry or hot madras curry
-veggie broth
-coconut oil

1. Heat up a few spoons of coconut oil. add generous portion Curry powder to hot oil and simmer about 30 seconds.
2. Fry the tofu in curry coconut oil until crispy and golden
3.  add 1 can coconut milk, galangal, lemongrass, peppers, and carrots
4.  simmer 10 minutes, then add second can coconut milk, fish sauce (not too much, its strong), lime juice and veggie broth.
5. let simmer for about 15 minutes or until everything is nice and soft. Garnish with cilantro
*I generally don't measure, just go by what feels right. You want it nice and rich and not watered down tasting. if you do add too much broth, just simmer it for longer without the lid on.

After gorging ourselves on his meatless wonder I new what needed to happen. Chicken.
So, I followed this basic recipe, but instead of tofu, I got a Dey Dey's Half Chicken from the co-ops frozen section, cleaned it up cutting all the nice meaty bits into small pieces, then fried them in the curry coconut oil for a couple minutes (not nearly as long as the tofu).
I believe my friend Kelli said, "That might be the best Home-made soup I've ever had."
Good luck,

GALANGAL

All hail the mighty thai ginger root! It smells like rosemary, has a stronger spicy bite than your regular ginger, and its a necessity for thai cooking...

...oh ya, and its now in at the COOP! Come get some, I know I am.

Also, I'm gonna cook up som Tom Kha soup tonight, so I'll post up that recipe tomorrow for ya all.

New Produce Alert

Its an exciting time around here, with all the students returning business here at the co-op is back in full swing! What does that mean for IVFC Produce? It means we can afford to bring in awesome specialty items! So, heres a quick look at what will be arriving this Friday...

Belgian Endive

Yup, its back. The classy little leaf bud with a tangy, deep, and well-rounded flavor. They're great any way you slice em' but my personal favorite is a Grilled Belgian Endive.

Okra

Finally, this heat loving vegetable is available! This is my favorite addition to curry dishes, sliced into nice fat succulent chunks. If your a first time Okra eater, this is a delicious and unusual vegetable that you won't forget. Try making Bhindi Masala, this recipe comes with a sweet lady to show you the ropes of indian cooking!

OYSTERS!!!

I'm a huuuuge fan of oyster mushrooms. Basically, they remind me of the movie Fern Gully. Dewy forests, half-naked fairies, crazy lizards and bats running around fighting oil monsters...

... I digress. But seriously, give these fanciful mushrooms a shot, they'll become your favorite.

In general, I just heat some butter and toss in the mushrooms with a handful of garlic. It doesn't get much better. But, considering the cold nights we've been having, I thought you all would appreciate an Oyster Soup Recipe. I 've followed this basic recipe a few times, definetly consider pairing the mushrooms with some fresh Fennel from Givens.

New Produce Update!

It's Wednesday! Yesterday afternoon I got in a whole batch of great new produce, here's a look.
-Local Pumpkins, Out of Step Farms (Check the last post)

-"President" Prune Plums- CA grown

-"Ribier" Grapes- CA Grown- Fat, Crunchy, Mellow & Sweet Grapes that taste... soft.

-Oyster Mushrooms! Pre packaged from Far West Fungi, I'm so stoked about these. Fry em in butter. MMMMmmm....

-Purple Top Turnips- CA Grown

-Given's Strawberries are back!

-Cameo Apples from Fair Hills Farms (Nice Sweet Crunchy Apple)

-Fennel- Givens

Not to mention all the other awesome produce we've been getting on the regular. YEEEEE!!!

Come get you Local Jack-o-Lantern Pumpkin!

They're here!
Thanks to Shawn Mcmahon/ Out of Step Farms, the co-op now has a whole batch of beautiful bright orange Jack-o-Lanterns.

I get so excited thinking about pumpkin carving. And this death star pumpkin is the coolest thing on the internet.

We've also got a few Out of Step heirloom pumpkins. If your looking for something to decorate with then EAT, these are the best choice. They are delicious. My personal favorite is the Marina di Chioggia. Who wouldn't want to eat that!?

All those tomatoes...

This is probably the most simple way I've seen to use up all those tomatoes you've all got lying around. Plus, if you get your tomatoes here (I would pick the heirlooms for this type of recipe) it will be delicious. Promise :)

Basic Tomato Pasta

Yum.