I just wanted to show off some of this amazing swiss chard we got in our CSA box.  It's almost too beautiful to eat.

Friday night dinners around our house lately consists of homemade pizza.  I usually pick up some whole wheat dough at the Fair Food Farm Stand and we top it off with some vegetables from our CSA share.  This week we used swiss chard, pancetta and provolone cheese.

It's hot!  And suddenly my basil was overflowing...

So I had to repot it.  I’m getting a little low on both containers and space so I ended up throwing out (or “composting” in my “compost” bucket - quotes because it’s mostly just weeds and things from the tree that I’m hoping will break down into something usable) lots of little basils.  Here are some of the casualties:

But!  Then I had the idea to take all the baby basil leaves that I was going to compost and make pesto!  I’ve never made pesto before because I’ve never owned a food processor.  My roommate, however, does.  So I got as many of the little basil leaves as I could and ended up with a little over a cup.  Not much, and definitely less than most recipes call for, so I just washed all the dirt off of them and put them in the food processor with some pine nuts, grated parmesan, and a clove of garlic.  Once I figured out how to use the food processor (not entirely self-explanatory, okay?) I poured in a little stream of olive oil as it all whirred around and in about 5 seconds I had pesto.  Wow!  There wasn’t much of it (like I said, I only started with about a cup of basil) but it was delicious and a very pleasing shade of light green thanks to the baby basil leaves.  Sadly I have no picture because my "camera" (iPhone) was acting up.  But I’m looking forward to more basil and more pesto!

You see the brown pot with the cage over it in the above picture?  Those are my heirloom tomatoes, the beauty queens.  Here’s a closer look:

As you can see, they’re quite a bit behind the beefsteaks in terms of size.  They’ve definitely always been smaller but the beefsteaks really took off once they got outside and the beauty queens did not.  The beauty queen stems are a lot thinner and there are no signs of flowers.  But the above ones are actually bigger than these babies:

Really, beauty queens??  You look like you did the day I transplanted you and that was over a month ago.  I guess some varieties of tomatoes just grow more slowly?  Or maybe their roots need to grow before the plant does?  Who knows.  All I can say is that I’m running low on space so you’d best start pulling your weight soon, beauty queens.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that, while most of the beefsteaks are growing straight up against their supports (bamboo stakes and one metal cage), some seem to really like growing horizontally.  Like this one:

I assume it’s because I didn’t stake them in time, but now I’ve got two plants like this.  I tried to stake one but I accidentally snapped the stem!  So now I’m not fighting it - if they want to grow horizontally they are welcome to, I just need to move around my tomato “patch” so these two don’t get stepped on.  Whatever you like, monkeys.

As for the other plants, my sunflowers and squash are coming along nicely:

And little lavender is flowering:

Tomatoes are still growing, too.  Here’s a little baby I just found:

And now some random things:  the deadline for that PHS city garden contest I mentioned a few weeks ago is tomorrow!  So any fellow city gardeners out there, I urge you to enter.  I just did!

And the most exciting news of all is that the South Philly Food Co-op is now accepting member-owners!  One of the reasons I like co-ops so much is that, since members are also owners, everyone is really involved in all aspects, from board elections to how the co-op is run to what the co-op actually sells.  And, in this case, where it actually is!  I got involved in co-ops in college and am really excited to be a part of one again.  Here is some information on joining the South Philly Food Co-op!

I'll be back next Thursday with another update!  And hopefully fewer exclamation points.

Sarah DeGiorgis has lived in Philly for five years and is finally starting to feel like a true Philadelphian, though she still detests cheesesteaks.  She enjoys reading, watching bad tv, eating and cooking good food and digging in the dirt. Catch up with her continuing efforts to grow food in South Philly by clicking here.

...it's a dish, not a description of his legs ;) I have been a huge fan of Jacques Pepin since I first saw him cooking alongside Julia Child. It was a great introduction to traditional French cooking in a no fuss way.  His show Fast Food My Way continues what he started with the esteemed Julia, maybe with a bit less butter. I have made these chicken thighs on several occasions and it is still hard for me to believe that such a great tasting recipe can be so simple. Here are the ingredients:

• 4 chicken thighs, skin on
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 3 cups white mushrooms, washed and diced
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon chives, chopped

The procedure for this dish can be found at The Serious Eats Recipes blog. I recently served this on a bed of couscous along with some roasted asparagus for an elegant dinner. No one knew that I did not slave over this all day.

For just over 13 months a dedicated group of dreamers, activists, planners, and foodies has been working to bring a cooperatively owned grocery store to South Philadelphia. During that time, they encountered people who are excited, curious, skeptical, wary and indifferent to the idea. (Thankfully, no one has been particularly hostile although at a few of those civic meetings, it seemed like some folks might be leaning that way.) This hearty band neighbors has pushed through, visiting over a dozen different civic associations, talking to local businesses, meeting two to three times per month (sometimes more), and attending at least 40 different community events, all in an attempt to spread the word. All the while, there was always the slightest bit of doubt. Even after the community forum on the first day of spring when over a hundred people showed up, many of whom said they were ready to join up right then and there, the co-op always wondered whether, when the time came, people would dig deep, part with their hard-earned cash and take the leap of faith that any start-up requires. Without a storefront and knowing that the timeline doesn't target a store opening until well into 2013, would people share the patience and long-term vision that has kept the volunteers of the Steering, Outreach and Legal/Finance committees grinding away for the last 13 months? Would a mailing list of close to a thousand people and a Facebook fan base of almost 900 (only 3 away!) translate to the member-owner base required to make this happen. The answer, less than a week into this critical member-owner time, is yes. As of this writing, the South Philadelphia Food Co-op has 34 members in good standing. That's 34 households who filled out their applications and made a payment of at least $25 (on their way to a full equity share of $200). That's 34 households who are now eligible to run for a position on the inaugural Board of Directors and are able to vote in the election on June 29 (stay tuned!). Best of all, that's 34 steps closer to that time when we'll all be standing around watching someone with a giant set of novelty scissors cut through a ribbon draped over the front doors of the South Philly Food Co-op. If you are waiting for everyone else to make the move so you can just show up at the ribbon cutting and start shopping for that high quality, reasonably priced, organic and/or local food and other sustainably made products, we might never get there. There are plenty of ways you can help - join one of the committees, write for this blog, volunteer to staff a table at an event - but the most important thing you can do is become a member. Now. Oh, and that group of folks mentioned at the top of this post? You can add one more word to describe them... friends. Join up. Be a part of it. ============================================================= Nominations for the inaugural Board of Directors are being accepted right now. If you have made the move to become a member you can nominate yourself for the Board. Simply answer the following questions: 1.Tell us about yourself, your work, beliefs and values. Include your experiences and accomplishments with any of the SPFC organizing committees if applicable. 2. Why do you value Cooperatives? 3. What is your definition of a Cooperative? 4. What is your vision of growth for a South Philly Food Cooperative? Please keep it to a total of 300 words for all four answers and submit your answers to David Woo woo3d (at) earthlink (dot) net by the end of the day on June 15. These questions and your answers will be distributed by email to all members and a copy will be located at the South Philly Food Coop website for at least two weeks before the membership meeting and general election June 29.

On which committee do you serve?

Steering Committee.

What do you do for a living?

Associate Relationship Manager within PNC Bank's Commercial Banking Group in Philadelphia.

How did you get involved with the food co-op?

I met Glenn and Ned from Weavers Way through work and told them that they should open a store in South Philly so I could be a member. They informed me about the South Philly Food Co-Op and told me that the co-op is always looking for help. I met with Cassie and Alison and began getting involved.

Why do you want a food co-op in South Philly?

To have access to better quality food and to help bring the community together.

Why should people join a food co-op?

People should join a food co-op for the reasons I described above. In addition, people should care about what they eat because it effects their health and ultimately their quality of life.

What is your favorite meal to cook and why?

I love to cook period but my signature dish is definitely spicy homefries with onion, peppers and bacon with over easy eggs on top. Yum.

I found my first tomato!

It's really only a little bigger than my thumb:

but that's okay.  It's from the first flowers; actually, these here:

that I wrote about two weeks ago.  Neat!  They're on the biggest beefsteak plant which is over 5' tall.  It's the one in the corner that's, well, the tallest.

So yeah, that wall's about 5' tall, maybe a little taller.  I must say, I wasn't expecting such tall plants but hey, I'm not complaining.  They smell GREAT - just like fresh tomatoes.  And the stalks are really thick!  Here is one, not the plant with all the tomatoes, but another beefsteak:

Now I need to admit something.  When I moved all the tomatoes outside, I didn't bother to label which were beefsteaks and which were beauty queens (a smaller - thank god - heirloom variety) because I was all like "I know all these plants as intimately as my [non-existent] children, of course I will be able to tell which is which!  Pshaw, I don't need labels."  Well maybe I didn't think exactly that, but I definitely figured that I would be able to tell the plants apart at the very least by where I placed each pot.  There's only so much room, ya know?  Well, that was a month ago; since then I've moved the pots around so much trying to get them all enough sun and water that beyond the 4 or 5 biggest beefsteaks and two pots that I remember are beauty queens, I actually can't tell the rest apart.  So:  label your plants even if you are sure you'll remember!

But hey, I do have other plants besides tomatoes.  Here's one of the eggplant, with a weird shot of my hand and arm that was supposed to be for scale but kind of just looks weird:

I heard and read that eggplants are really picky and hard to grow and compared to everything else I've planted I'd say that is definitely true.  They apparently need very warm soil to actually grow, which is why they didn't do much the first few weeks I had them outside.  I had to take them inside or cover them outside because apparently temperatures under 50 degrees can kill them.  This black container is all eggplant:

and, even though I took that about a week ago, that's pretty much what they still look like.  The ones in the bigger containers are definitely doing better (or at least are bigger) so this weekend I'm going to repot the smaller eggplants in much larger pots to give their roots lots of room.  Hopefully I won't kill them.  Fingers crossed.

I am really impressed with how fast the sunflowers and squash are growing.  Here's the squash now large enough to hold its own (hopefully) against the mint:

And here are the sunflowers and a few more squash growing nicely:

I like that with the squash you can still see the two original leaves at the bottom of each stem.  Hopefully the sunflowers will be tall enough that the squash can grow on the ground around them and they can both live in harmony. That's right, my garden will be harmonious.

This weekend the plan is to move things in smaller pots to larger ones so that I don't freak out as much when I can't get home to water them and it's 95 degrees and sunny.  Right now I'm watering everything twice a day since it's been so hot and the smallest pots are still completely dry by the afternoon.  That said, they survived the hot Memorial Day weekend with only being watered Friday afternoon, Sunday and Monday night when I got home and everything was fine.  I am thankful for my raised bed, though, since it takes a while for that to dry out and the roots can go nice and deep.

I'm leaving you with a picture of the second tomato, which is so cute I couldn't help but take a picture of it.

See you next week!

Sarah DeGiorgis has lived in Philly for five years and is finally starting to feel like a true Philadelphian, though she still detests cheesesteaks.  She enjoys reading, watching bad tv, eating and cooking good food and digging in the dirt. Catch up with her continuing efforts to grow food in South Philly by clicking here.

Yesterday, I posted the faux-tandoori chicken from last night's dinner, as well as the greens, up on Saturday's Mouse.  Here's the garlic naan side dish that became the star of the show.

There are a ton of naan recipes floating around there, with wide-ranging ingredients and prep methods. I read a lot of them. Some call for just flour and water, others are more complicated. They're cooked in frying pans and on pizza stones, over open flames, etc. The goal is fast high heat.

I started with two tablespoons of warm water and a teaspoon of honey, mixed together until well incorporated and then swished in a tablespoon of yeast and waited for it to get fluffy.



Then I added a half cup of whole wheat flour, a cup of white all purpose flour, two tablespoons of yogurt, a half a cup of milk, a pinch of salt and a half teaspoon of garlic powder. And turned on the machine.



It was sticky. Shapeless. Un-ballable. I added a dusting of additional flour. And another dusting. I used close to two cups here, in total. It was really sticky. It was a very hot and humid day. I rolled it into a sticky and imperfect ball, covered it and left it t rise for two hours.



I don't have a picture of the risen ball, but it fluffed up nicely. We divided it into five balls (aimed for six, got distracted).



The dough was still super sticky at this point, so the naan-balls went on a baking sheet spritzed with olive oil and covered with a towel.

We preheated a cast iron stove-top grill to medium-high, and rolled the balls out flat. I also melted some butter with grated garlic to brush on top of these mid-way through cooking. I spritzed the grill with olive oil and laid on the naan. It sizzled immediately, and began to bubble.



After about two minutes, I flipped them over. The first side had nice grill marks and the whole bread was starting to feel firm. Of course, this will vary based on your cooking technique and temperature.



After both sides have light grill marks and it feels like cooked bread, brush on the garlic butter, flip the bread butter side down and grill another 30 seconds or so...flip again, brush again, flip garlic side down and give it another 30 seconds. You want the bread to be white overall with grill marks.



Mmm. Naan. This was super-soft and fluffy inside with the right amount of crisp on the surface and a decent chewiness.

This recipe is cross-posted at Saturday’s Mouse, where I’m working on making food out of food.

 Garlic Naan

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast


• 2 tablespoons warm water


• 1 teaspoon honey


• 2 tablespoons low fat yogurt


• 1/2 cup skim milk


• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour


• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (divided)


• 1 teaspoon garlic powder


• dash kosher salt


• 2 cloves garlic (minced)


• 2 tablespoons butter (melted)

Instructions

• Mix water and honey until well incorporated. Add yeast and let proof 10 minutes or until foamy.


• Add in all other ingredients - being cautious with the AP flour. Start with 1 cup AP flour and add more if needed.


• Knead by hand 10 minutes or in mixer for 5-7. Form into a ball. If too sticky, add more flour.


• Cover and let rise in a warm place for 2 hours until doubled. Mix butter and garlic, and warm.


• Divide into 6 or so balls. Roll out flat, to about a quarter inch thicknesss.


• Preheat stove top grill (or actual grill). Grease grill lightly.


• Grill each flatbread for 2 minutes or so until firm with grill marks. Flip over and grill other side. Then brush each with garlic butter and grill each side for another 30 seconds or so, until soft but crispy.

With a year of organizing and planning under our belts, we’re pleased to announce that we have completed the incorporation process and are now able to accept member-owner applications and equity investments! This is a huge milestone for SPFC and the result of a lot of time, hard work, volunteer hours, and dedication. Thank you to everyone who has supported us along the way. Join us for the next stage of the journey by becoming a member-owner today! As a member-owner you are the bedrock of the co-op. You will form the vision for what goods and services the co-op offers because you own the store – quite literally. So the most important thing you can do to get this co-op open is demonstrate your support by becoming a member-owner. Your equity investment will convince banks and other funders that this is a viable business worthy of financing. Join now by downloading the application on our website. Bring it, along with your equity investment, to one of our committee or volunteer meetings, community events, or mail both to: South Philly Food Co-op, P.O. Box 31506, Philadelphia, PA 19147. Member-Owner Investment Our membership investment is set at $200 (for your entire household) which can be paid in full or installments with a minimum initial payment of $25. This is not a fee, or a donation, it’s a one-time investment in the store. If you are able to contribute your full $200 equity up front, we strongly encourage you to do so. Member Benefits As a member owner RIGHT NOW, you are entitled to:

• The opportunity to run and vote for the Board of Directors
• One vote on items up for general vote at all co-op general meetings
• Ability to petition for policy changes
• Educational Classes, Workshops
• Discounts at participating local businesses (coming soon!)

In addition, you WILL be entitled to these once the store opens:

• Member-only specials and sales
• Have a say in the variety of products offered
• May receive yearly rebates based on total household purchases and the profits made by the store - these rebates, often referred to as “patronage refunds,” are issued at the discretion of the Board of Directors
• And, of course, we will continue to keep you well informed of our progress through regular emails and on our website so you know exactly how your investment is being used.

Please join the co-op today.

Finally, some sun!

And what goes with sun?  Sunflowers!

I started these sunflowers inside because I didn't want the rain to hurt them.  But it turns out that sunflowers are pretty strong and I probably could have just planted them in the ground ("ground" being my raised bed.)  Oh well.  Just look at their nice roots!

Along with the sunflowers I also started some summer squash inside.  Again, it probably could have been sown directly in the ground but I like to baby my little seedlings.  Like the sunflowers, these little ones seem pretty hardy and the leaves are a nice shade of dark green.

I don't have too much space left for plants outside (or at least space that is sunny) so here's where the sunflowers and some squash will go:

The rest of the squash is going to the right of that picture, to compete with the mint (just kidding, I'll help the squash out until it gets big enough to fight for itself.)

Here are some droopy, newly-planted sunflowers with a few squash:

And here's the rest of the squash

It's a little late to be planting squash (probably should have done it about a month ago) but I think the growing season here is long enough that it shouldn't matter too much.  Here's the squash again, this time with my new little rosemary I bought at Urban Jungle on Passyunk Ave.

The rosemary was so cute and looked nice and healthy and I couldn't resist, even though I have rosemary seeds.  But I would have had to have waited to plant the seeds in the fall and I wanted rosemary now, dammit.  What can I say, I am prone to impatience.

Oh, hey.  While I was prepping the raised bed for the squash and sunflowers (basically grabbing handfuls of dirt and worms and mixing some compost it) I found something interesting:

Hmm.  Not a rock!

Some little animal skull!  My picture is sadly not too great but those front teeth mean business.  I probably should have mounted it on a stick as a warning to all other animals Lord of the Flies-style but it kinda freaked me out so I threw it out.  I know, I know.  Or I could have just kept it in there and let it fertilize the soil and decompose on its own - do skulls even do that? - but I didn't really want to come across it again.  I might have screamed when I found it.  Maybe.

That was the excitement for this week!  Still lots of flowers on the tomatoes:

And, well, lots of tomato plants:

My grandmother warned me that some of the flowers might fall off the tomatoes without any fruit but I think that's okay because there are many, many flowers now.

I'm going away this weekend so I'm kind of hoping it rains here a bit.  If not, though, I've got a backup waterer.  Thank you!

Sarah DeGiorgis has lived in Philly for five years and is finally starting to feel like a true Philadelphian, though she still detests cheesesteaks.  She enjoys reading, watching bad tv, eating and cooking good food and digging in the dirt. Catch up with her continuing efforts to grow food in South Philly by clicking here.

No doubt about it, market season is here, and sign-up deadlines are fast-approaching for community produce shares. CSA, or Community-Supported Agriculture, is a model of food distribution where community members pledge their support to a local farm by purchasing a share. Boxes of produce are picked up weekly or every other week by customers, and usually contain a variety of in-season vegetables, fruit, herbs, and in some cases, dairy and meat products. Participation in CSAs not only boosts the local economy, but also saves the consumer money on produce in the long run, according to research from the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Despite these benefits, many are still hesitant to sign up for CSAs for fear of wasting precious produce they feel they might not be able to eat within a week’s time. Below are some ideas that will help you use up all your weekly goodies before your next pick-up. Kebab night - This is something I used to do when I was new to farmers market shopping. The night before going to the farmers market was reserved for kebabs, so I could use all the leftover produce on hand. Slice up any extra squash, onion, pepper, really any produce will do, and skewer them up. Cover the assembled kebabs in whatever seasoning suits your fancy (I usually sprinkle on some cayenne pepper for a kick), line them up on the grill, or place on a foil-lined baking sheet and roast on 350 for 10-15 minutes, rotating periodically. You can vary this recipe by adding pieces of chicken, shrimp, or other meats. Now, you’re clean out of produce and ready to stock up at the stand the next day. Crock-pot - Truth be told, I was a little afraid of the crock-pot until recently. Being a vegetarian, I assumed this was a kitchen appliance reserved for slow-cooking meat dishes, but a little research proved me quite wrong. Stews and soups can be slow-cooked in the crock pot with any starchy vegetables, like potatoes, and greens that will add density and flavor, such as cabbage, leeks, and onions. Below are two crock pot recipes that are quick and easy. Crock-pot recipes usually yield a lot of servings, so put a few portions in the fridge, pack up the rest in Tupperware, and freeze it until you’re ready to eat. One of my favorite crock-pot recipes is Sweet Potato Lentil Stew. Here’s another for Easy Italian Chicken. Smoothies - Smoothies aren’t usually the first thing to come to mind when you’re pondering what to do with your leftover spinach and kale, but it really is a tasty way to get your daily dose of greens. Adding fruit masks the taste of the greens, and you’re getting your daily dose of vitamins and minerals to boot! A favorite recipe: In the blender add:

• 1 banana, cut into 4 or 5 pieces—I find it blends easier this way
• A few handfuls of whatever frozen fruit you desire—try mango, pineapple, or berries
• Several leaves of kale (no stems), or handfuls of spinach, or both
• Sprinkling of coconut
• Blend

Here is a variation on the kale smoothie from Anna! Salad - When I’m looking to finish off any leftover produce, I make what I like to call a dump salad. Seriously, nowhere near as disgusting as it sounds. It’s pretty simple, really, just chop up all leftover produce (fruit included!), and dump it over a bed of greens. You can even incorporate leftovers from dinner, like a cold pasta dish or rice. My latest salad included spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers goat cheese, leftover veggie burger, quinoa, dried cranberries, and was covered in homemade vinaigrette. Below is the recipe I use. These measurements are for one serving. 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons of balsamic vinegar 1 tsp. Dijon mustard ½ tsp. of honey or agave nectar Salt and pepper to taste Chopped cilantro (optional) Whisk together until emulsified either by hand or in a blender or food processor. Drizzle over salad. For another homemade dressing variation, see Becca’s recipe for Balsamic Lemongrette. Soup - This is the simplest soup recipe for leftover squash. Any type of squash will do, acorn, butternut, even a pumpkin! Slice the squash into pieces and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, and by this time the squash should be soft enough to pull the rinds off. Toss the squash into a food processor or blender with: 1 ½ cups of veggie broth ¼ cup of cream 1 tsp. curry powder a sprinkling of cayenne a pinch of salt. Blend and eat. Simple and delicious. Tips for herbs: For those of you who commit to the full CSA share, you will likely receive a few bunches of herbs in each box. It’s not always easy to use them up before they go bad. When the bunches begin to look like they’re wilting, I always think pasta. Heat some pasta sauce or tomatoes over the stove and cook in the leftover herbs. Serve over pasta, spaghetti squash, pizza, or freeze it for later. For big batches of leftover basil, pesto is always a great option. Freeze in ice cube trays, covered in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to use, pop out a few cubes and melt into your cooked pasta. You can also wash and dry your herbs. Cut open your grocery store paper bags and lay them flat on a table, and spread out your herbs. Once dry, store them in emptied spice jars on your spice rack until you need them. See Becca’s herb garden post from last summer for more inspiration! Please don’t hesitate to sign up for a CSA this year. Mega-Agribusiness destroys the environment by wasting precious resources, and is harmful to human health as a result of their overuse of toxic pesticides. Supporting local farms means you are supporting sustainable business practices, biodiversity and your local economy, as well as protecting the environment and your health. Here are some of Philadelphia Magazine’s picks for the best CSA programs in the area. Find a pick-up location near you!