To Market to Food Market

While it’s fun to write about food and think about what we’ll be eating on Thanksgiving, remember the homeless and people in need and in transition.

Here’s what Primavera Foundation needs:

They still need mashed potatoes for 25 people, two roasted turkeys (20 lbs each), gravy for 30 people, stuffing for 30 people, as well as drinks and desserts for 30 people. 

At the men’s shelter where 110 men will be served, they still need of drinks apple juice and coffee, as well as stuffing for 25 people, green salad for 30 people, a variety of salad dressings, and 4 gallons of gravy for the turkey/potatoes. 

They need several hot food drop offs at one of their transitional apartments on the day AFTER Thanksgiving at noon.

If you don’t feel like cooking, supermarket gift cards will be put to good use.

Please email Jenny Cowen ASAP and tell her what you can bring or pick up the phone.

email: volunteers@primavera.org
phone: 623-5111 x 102

What's in your CSA share this week?

If you read my column fairly regularly, you know I’ve been subscribing to the  Tucson CSA for fall.

I split my share with Sam Brace. We switch off weeks.

It’s worked out well and we both seem to be enjoying our respective weeks.

The Tucson CSA has a few openings for the Friday pickup at the historic Y just west of 4th Avenue.  The Tuesday pickup is full.  You can only go on the day that you sign up for.

Check out the latest newsletter (in PDF) as to what’s coming with the winter share.

If you have any questions, please let me know or if possible, go to the historic Y located at 300 E. University Blvd. (between 4th and 5th Ave.) on Friday or Tuesday between 4 and 7 p.m. to check it out and ask questions.

I failed to write about my last Tucson CSA pick up and better do it now because Friday I have my next CSA (community supported agriculture) pick up.

As in the previous weeks, my share included produce that I would never – never – never  buy myself.

There were two bunches of fresh beets. While I love beets, I have never personally messed with them.

I also picked up a white turban squash, small carton of green tomatoes that have since turned red, indigenous green onions, bag of roasted chiles, two Mexican gray squash, a ripe gorgeous melon of some kind, and mustard greens. There could’ve been more but I’m old and so is my memory. Oh, and of course my fresh goat cheese share.

I’m happy to report that I have eaten all the food and shared the mustard greens with my friend Ditte Lokon.

The white turban squash was beautiful. It looked more like a home accessory instead of edible. I cut it in half, scooped out the seeds, pricked a bit, dribbled the center with blood orange olive oil, put some water in the dish, and microwaved each half for about 4 minutes. Simple and elegant and not as sweet as the butternut squash which I prepared the same way two weeks prior.

As for the mustard greens, I cleaned them well and chopped. I sauteed green onions, Mexican gray squash and the greens together along with garlic and poured the entire mixture into Trader Joe’s marina sauce and allowed to commingle flavors overnight. The next day I ate chunky tomato vegetable sauce with whole wheat pasta. Excellent!

But then there were the beets.

I scoured the web looking for roasted beet recipes and found this one. The comments after the recipe convinced me this was the recipe to use. I didn’t want to peel the beets.

The recipe was great but it said to roast at 350-degrees for 1 hr. 15 min. If I followed those directions, I would’ve burned the house down. I checked the beets after 45 minutes and they were fork tender. Much to my relief the beets didn’t need peeling.

Then I sauteed torn beet greens with olive oil, chopped yellow onion (from a previous CSA share), garlic, and some freshly grated ginger. What seemed like a mountain of food shrunk considerably. I poured red vinegar over the mix.

Then I took the whole thing over to BK’s house to eat as a part of dinner.

The beets would’ve been great in a salad with fresh spinach, goat cheese crumbles, and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

My roasting beet days have just begin. Now I want to find golden beets…

I have driven past this market for years and years. Today my foodie friend Anne from Oracle, Ariz. was in town running errands and suggested we go since she is starting to make more Japanese food a la bento box style from the Just Bento website.

Sandyi is compact but neat. We walked up and down the aisles marveling at the packages written in another language. It was fascinating.

Anne bought a yam that looked nothing like the yams in regular grocery stores. She also bought various Japanese seasonings.

I was just sight seeing because I spent all my money on lunch and didn’t want to use plastic but I will be back.

I didn’t take notes so this is all from memory: There were bags of multiple kinds of rice — green rice, brown rice, instant brown rice, sweet brown rice, black rice, and many kinds of white rice. There was several varieties of barley and malt, even roasted barley tea and panko crumbs.

Who knew there were so many different kinds of sesame oils and soy sauces? 

In the refrigerated section, there was a rainbow of pickled items, tubs of miso paste, and Calpico soft drinks.

In the freezer section, we pondered over many of products but did notice two kinds of gyoza, green tea ice cream, and assorted fish. 

Produce was limited to unusual greens, not-the-usual mushrooms, oddly-shaped root vegetables, and very ripe persimmons.

There was a lot of ohhing and ahhing going on.

Is anyone reading this who is knowledgeable about these products and is willing to give me a guided tour? I’d love to know more about some of the products and how to use them.

Sandyi Oriental Market is located at 4270 E. Pima St. (at Columbus); 320-0389.

What’s your favorite Asian market?

Master Gardeners Open House

There is so much going on this weekend…

The second annual open house will be held at “The Gardens on Campbell Avenue” located at 4210 N. Campbell Avenue on Saturday, November 7, 2009 from  9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The first open house last year attracted a record crowd behind the gates of one of Tucson’s best kept secrets. Operated by the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Office, the demonstration gardens are created and tended by certified volunteer Master Gardeners.  Master Gardeners are certified gardeners who have gone through specific training to be able to assist the Extension office in providing accurate, research based gardening information to county residents.

At the open house, volunteers will lead tours throughout the day through the Specialty Gardens including the Vineyard and Winery, Xeriscape Gardens and more. There will be workshops about container, vegetable, cacti, and succulent gardens as well as activities for kids and of course, refreshments.

Special guest experts including John P. Begeman, the director of the University of Arizona-Pima County Cooperative Extension along with UA Research scientists, a cooking demo in the vegetable garden by Chef Albert Hall of Acacia and Acacia Marketplace and many other local food and wine authorities on hand to provide information on how to gain the best results when gardening in Tucson’s extreme climates.

The public is welcome and admission is free.  For additional information, call (520) 626-5161.

Shameless self promotion: In no way do I have a green thumb and my blood orange tree that I planted recently is not doing that well. But what I really want to talk about is dogs — bring your dog/s – any breed to the Greyhounds & Friends, Fall Festival on Saturday November 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Brandi Fenton Park for three fun-filled hours. People without dogs are welcome too.

There will be contests, raffles, silent auction, famous local media people one with red hair who has dog named Sawyer, hot dogs & smoothies, pumpkin decorating for kids, other animal rescues, nail trimming (for dogs), and more.

The event benefits Arizona Greyhound Rescue which last year spent $63,000 on vet bills alone readying retired race dogs for adoptive homes.

Eurofresh Inc., DBA Eurofresh Farms, one of Southern Arizona’s largest employers and the leading year-round producer and marketer of greenhouse tomatoes in the United States, announced on October 28, 2009 that U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Charles G. Case II confirmed its reorganization plan. The court in Phoenix originally confirmed the document on Oct. 16, 2009.

The confirmation indicates Eurofresh and its subsidiary, Eurofresh Produce Ltd., will exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection by the end of November.

As part of its recapitalization process, the company had entered into a settlement with the majority of its existing debt holders to convert more than $200 million of debt into equity. The agreement states that Eurofresh will receive $35 million in new capital to repay debt and ensure financial stability to continue investing in strategic capital expenditures.

In addition, Eurofresh reached a consensual resolution with its secured lenders and the U.S. Department of Labor, which settled all claims against the company.

Dwight Ferguson, chief executive officer of Eurofresh, said the capital investment is a vote of confidence in their employees and mission to grow high-end, pesticide-free produce for customers.

“Our senior management is pleased that the end of our reorganization is now in clear sight,” he said. “We expect to complete our refinancing and be out of bankruptcy very soon.”

According to Ferguson, the reorganization has helped the company dramatically improve its capital structure. Financially stronger, Eurofresh can continue supporting and investing its long-term business objectives in Arizona.

“I’m proud that we retained virtually all of our employees and maintained all key vendor and customer contracts throughout this process, thereby strengthening the company’s relationships with our partners,” he said. “Our ability to complete the restructuring this quickly and stay on plan with our customer service, sales and production operations is good news for all stakeholders.”
Eurofresh’s growing and packaging operations in Willcox and Snowflake, Ariz., continued normal operations during the reorganization. The company’s customers, including restaurateurs, grocers and the public, saw no change in the quality of the company’s produce and services, Ferguson said.
 

Mesquite pancakes here we come

On Saturday, November 7, the Desert Harvesters present a mesquite pancake breakfast, raffle, live entertainment, and milling of mesquite pods at Dunbar Springs Community Garden.

Mesquite Pancakes: The breakfast features homemade mesquite/whole-wheat pancakes made with organic, local ingredients. The mesquite flour is made from native Velvet mesquite pods hand picked by Desert Harvesters around Tucson. The organic wheat is from Crooked Sky Farm in Glendale, AZ, and is ground just a week before the event.

The pancakes ($1 each) are served with prickly-pear syrup, mesquite syrup, agave nectar, local backyard honey, and homemade jams. A variety of locally made teas and organic coffee will also be sold. Please bring your own plate, fork, and cup to help make this a zero waste event. Pancakes are served 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
 
Mesquite Milling: In addition to serving pancakes, three hammer mills will be on site to grind pods into flour for the public. Community members can bring pods they’ve harvested. Pods must be clean, dry and free of stones, leaves, and other debris. The milling of pods costs $3 for three gallons or less of whole pods, then $1 for each gallon of whole pods over that.

Five gallons of pods yields about 1 gallon of fine, edible flour in just five minutes! 

Or you can also drop off pods for later milling and pick up as long as your pods have been inspected by the Desert Harvesters staff and you have prepayed. Please pack your pods in sealable, food-grade containers and label them clearly with your name and phone numbers. For information on how to collect, store, and prepare beans visit  Desert Harvesters . Milling occurs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
 
The event will also feature live music, roving entertainers, and local foods, crafts, teas, and gift certificates as raffle prizes. Informational tables from other local food efforts including Iskashita Refugee Gleaners and the Community Food Bank. In case of rain, the event will move to the Dunbar Auditorium, just north of the garden.
 
Desert Harvesters Mesquite Milling Fiesta and Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser
Date: Saturday, November 7
Time: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Where: Dunbar/Spring Community Garden, Northwest corner of University Blvd. and 11th Avenue

Desert Harvesters is a non-profit, volunteer-run grassroots group that promotes, celebrates, and enhance local food security and production. Desert Harvesters provides the public with information on how to harvest and prepare native desert foods such as prickly pear fruit and pads, cholla buds, ironwood seeds, and more. The organization’s flagship activity is the harvesting and milling of whole mesquite pods into flour, valued for its natural sweetness and high nutritional value.

Tucson CSA - week 8

Because I was in Scottsdale, I was unable to pick up my Tucson community supported agriculture share for week 8  so I offered it to my friend Jodi Goalstone.

Here’s what she said: We got spring mix lettuce, chard, radishes, indigenous green onions, butternut squash, cucumber, roasted/marinated red and green chiles, green tomatoes and jalapeno goat cheese.
She made a salad with the spring mix, radishes, and green onions and all were wonderfully fresh and delicious. The indigenous green onions were especially good–more pungent/stronger than the green onions from the grocery store. The radishes were outstanding–very crisp and extremely flavorful.

Later in the week Jodi mentioned making lasagne with chard.

Hmmm, I should’ve been invited to dinner.

If you want to sign up for the winter CSA share, check out the specifics here. For winter, the cost is $209 for 11 weeks vs. $247 for 13 weeks. You can split the shares with a friend or they will pair you with a person who wants to split. (I split my share and go every other week.)

Some CSA advantages are you get amazing fresh fruits and vegetables just picked; you try new produce that you might not find or choose if you went to the grocery store;  the produce is pesticide free but not labeled organic which comes with a hefty price tag for both the farmer and the consumer; you can go visit the farmer at designated hours; and best of all you’re directly supporting local hard working farmers who have sustainable practices.

CSA disadvantages are few: You have to prepay either in full or make an initial payment and then pay again at the halfway mark. Personally, I find this a positive that I can go pick up glorious produce and it’s already paid for.  Another disadvantage is you have to go pick up at the Historic Y which is slightly west of 4th Avenue @ University. I guess it depends on where you live but could also be turned in to a positive if this gets you out or have coffee at Epic Cafe.

Here’s the Tucson CSA’s list of pros and cons

(photo:  Tom Erwin)

Feed the hungry at the Empty Bowl Luncheon

The Kino Sports Complex Community Center will hold this year’s Empty Bowl Luncheon on Thursday, November 5 to benefit the Community Food Bank.

Drop by any time between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 2805 East Ajo Way.

You will receive a beautifully handcrafted ceramic bowl donated by members of the Southern Arizona Clay Artists.

Lunches cost $10 each and include a variety of soups to sample, bread, and a ceramic bowl of your choice to take home as a reminder of hunger in our Tucson community.

Net proceeds from the Empty Bowl Luncheon will go to feed hungry people in Southern Arizona.

17th Street Market

Everytime I go to 17th Street Market, I wish that I had a chef whispering in my ear telling me how to prepare the many different produce items available.

Slow Food Tucson read my thoughts because on Sunday November 8, that’s exactly what will happen. 17th Street Market presents an international cooking class featuring Chef Allen Yap from Neo of Melaka, a Malaysian restaurant, and Chef Ryan Jarrell from Vila Thai.  (Psst, Vila Thai is my favorite Thai restaurant in Tucson.)

The event begins with a tour of the 17th Street Market by the chefs as they unlock the mystery of  ingredients used in these two Southeast Asian cuisines, followed by a cooking class and lunch. Beverages will include non-alcoholic drinks from around the world and bottled water. 

Attendees receive a 10% discount on all items purchased at the market after lunch. The culinary fun starts at 11:30 a.m. and lunch will be served at 2 p.m. 17th Street Market is located at 840 E. 17th Street. The cost is $40 for Slow Food Tucson members and $50 for non members for class and lunch. Please RSVP by October 31.