Gwen made this caramel popcorn recipe for movie night at the scientific society. Outstanding!
Cayenne is the secret ingredient.
Try it, even if you share my dislike of prefab caramel popcorn.
I read Michael Swanwick's The Iron Dragon's Daughter on a recent flight. The novel traces the life of Jane, a human girl kidnapped by high elves during their industrial revolution, then enslaved in a magick factory manufacturing dragons.
I wish I'd liked this book. It is well written, and tackles common themes from an unusual and unexpected angle. But there isn't a single sympathetic character, and the story feels like a bad acid trip.
I felt an earthquake this morning, my first. Given the timing, it must have been ci14565620, magnitude 5.8 centered southeast of Mexicali. Fairly mild here in San Diego--no swaying of lamps, nor rattling of shelves--but I was still excited enough to file a report with the Geological Survey. [UCSD seismographs]
Today was our last farm-share pickup of the season. Although this was a bad year--bust on tomatoes, no pumpkins, weak u-pick selection--we still felt like we got a decent deal. Not as exciting as last year, but if we're in town next summer/fall we'll sign up again. (We're less enamored with the winter share. S tried it last year. It is completely unfair to say a share consists entirely of parsnips, turnips and beets, but it sure felt that way.)
One thing that has come through reading posts from CSA subscribers in other regions (e.g. ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=92.1){kind=small}
ruthling) and talking with people in other local CSAs is that not all farm share programs are equal. Full Plate seems to do an exceptionally good job, by both local and national standards.
This week's haul:
You don't have health insurance, though maybe if you're lucky you have employer-subsidized health care.
The point down at the bottom of the post about COBRA and relocation is crucial and vastly under appreciated. A wily oncologist taught me that if your employer offers a choice of insurance plans, pick the one with the nationwide PPO. That way you have a bigger chance of taking COBRA with you when you move.
This week's pickup:
kale
summer squash
zucchini
arugula
mixed greens
beets
1 Napa cabbage
2 lb carrots
2 cucumbers
1 qt green beans
2 bulbs fennel
3 small cauliflower heads
1 bulb garlic
1 greenhouse heirloom tomato
U pick: flowers
U pick: basil (thai, italian, purple)
On the menu this week:
garlic braised greens w/ French feta (fantastic! we did this last night with the kale and the remaining collards from last week)
grilled squash and zucchini (easy, we also did this last night)
fennel lemon sorbet
beet burgers
green bean salad
cucumber dill salad
more salads
spring rolls
pickled carrots
This was the biggest pickup so far this summer. And the u-pick at our pickup location was finally open! We got:
baby bok choi
collards
1 head of lettuce
zucchini
1 napa cabbage
1 bulb garlic
6 green onions
2 pickling cukes
1 kohlrabi
2lb carrots
u pick: flowers
not taken: asian field greens
not taken: summer squash
This week's menus include:
stir fry with the bok choi
summer salad
collard chips
kimchi (I'm using Bittman's recipe as starting point)
kurbis kraut (zucchini is a good substitute for kurbis)
I've fallen out of the habit of posting these. If you want to see the missing weeks (with photos), head over to Eggs on Sunday. This week's take:
1 head of Napa cabbage
Hakurei turnips
2 summer squash (not taken)
1 zucchini
salad greens
2 bulbs of garlic
2 kohlrabi
2 cucumbers
broccoli
kale
Unfortunately the U-pick section of the farm where we pickup isn't open yet, and at this point I'm wondering if they're planning to do it this season.
In addition to the share, Full Plate organized a discount with a local U-pick strawberry place that grows a number of varieties (Silver Queen Farm--they don't have a website). After wandering around the field sampling, we learned that Early Glow is one of our favorites. This is a smaller variety of berry that grows near the ground, so it is more laborious to pick. We've also heard raves about Sparkle, but haven't yet been able to try any. Both varieties were bred in New York for flavor and local climate. Neither travels especially well, so they're not usually found in stores.
We've now picked at several area farms, and chatted with their farmers. In the process we discovered that the amount of irrigation has a big affect on flavor. Over irrigation while the berries are ripening is a constant temptation for the farmer, because it results in berries that are bigger, heavier, and faster to pick--but don't taste as good. I've long had the suspicion that smaller berries were more flavorful, but now I understand why.
We picked about 12 pounds of berries on Friday evening, and another 10 on Monday evening. Of course we've eaten some fresh. But we also froze quite a bit. And ran many pounds through the dehydrator, producing a few ounces of dried berries. And made strawberry ice cream--the secret ingredient is sour cream!
Last Saturday's pickup:
Breakfast radishes + greens (awesome!)
Rainbow chard
Hakurei turnips + greens
Mixed salad greens
Kale
1 bunch of greenhouse basil
Not taken: 1 head lettuce
U-pick: 1 pt snap peas, 1 qt strawberries (not irrigated! These are from one of the member farms in the collective.)
Menu entries:
Strawberry ice cream
Fresh strawberrys
Hakurei turnips in peanut sauce
Paneer tikka with kale chips
Chard quiche
Radish/cilantro relish
We again subscribed to Full Plate Collective CSA. First pickup of the season was today. This week's loot:
1.5lb potatoes, from last year's harvest
1 head lettuce
radishes + greens
hakurei turnips + greens
garlic scapes
salad greens
collards
Available but not chosen: arugula, kale. This week's allotment also includes a quart of strawberries and pint of peas, but we haven't yet gotten out to the U-pick to harvest them.
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