Why vegetarian?

Reason # 4,689: www.cnn.com/2008/US/01/30/undercover.slaughter.video

As my friend Justin says, "I'm sorry, this is news to some people?"

In other cow news, this one and her little friend nearly killed me:

by KCzarzasty

Eee! :)

Humpday Honeys!

1. Life. Love., 2. Patternz Clothing Co. Workshop, 3. now I'm in trouble, 4. fdr_010508_12, 5. Desktopahh, 6. Willes room, 7. Kitchen Sink, 8. Fallen Angel, 9. Farmscape, 10. AMİK'İN IRGATLARI-XVI, 11. Shipyard Kitties, 12. Sutro, 13. woodstove cookery, 14. I am a Peaceful Protester, 15. a Red 紅衫軍, 16. Bogota Stencil Art, 17. spring, 18. the receipt project, 19. DSC00752, 20. Nick and me, 21. Bon Appetit, 22. 365 - Day 31: 4 months, 23. Smoke'em if you got 'em, 24. Peace, 25. Subway Graffiti
> Created with fd's Flickr Toys.

Home fries!

This eclectic collection of Blooming Glen Farm potatoes served fabulously as a yummy breakfast treat on a chilly weekend morning.

So often, I get a little panicky at the thought of actually using my preserved food. I'm pretty sure I get this trait from my dad. He recently admitted to buying canned tomatoes from the market. An appalling revelation due to the fact that a quick look in his pantry reveals oh, approximately four hundred quarts of garden tomatoes he jarred this summer.

I know. I don't understand it, either. I mean, I get it, I know what he's thinking -- because I'm thinking the same thing -- but, it's still completely illogical. I see Nicole mentions the guilt of using frozen veggies in a previous Farm to Philly post. That's encouraging, because surely we're not the only ones... right?

Anyway, somehow I managed to let it all go, and use some potatoes I've been hoarding from last season's CSA shares. I even broke out some frozen peppers and greens, too!

Home fries
Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 sliced onion
2 cups julienned peppers (use your preferred combination of mild-to-spicy; bell, poblano, jalapeño, et. al.)
1 packed cup sliced or torn-up greens (kale, spinach, collards)
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until soft. Add peppers and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add potatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook until almost cooked through. Remove cover and continue cooking for 5 to 10 minutes until golden brown.

These are great sprinkled with some fresh chopped herbs right before serving, I just didn't have any on hand.

Note too, especially as we find ourselves merely days before Farm to Philly's exciting and sure-to-be-thrilling Tofu Challenge Month, that these 'taters are great served with tofu scrambler. Either side-by-side on a plate, or as companions inside a yummy breakfast burrito :)

> Cross-posted at www.farmtophilly.com.

desktopahh

I just uploaded my desktop capture for Mighty Girl's tiny project. It was wicked easy and I'm loving everyone's submissions. God, I love the internet :)

Really?

(Photo of guilty flip flops by victim, Kerry Stiles.)

http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/flipflop.asp

Big surprise here, right? Cheap shoes bought at Wal-Mart were poorly manufactured, resulting in chemical burns to several wearers. That's terrible for the consumers and luckily no one has lost limb or life. I think we're kind of missing the point here, though.

The real question is, do we actually think that we can buy a pair of shoes for $2.44 with no repercussions?

Really?

Please.

If I am spending less than three dollars for flip flops, I can bet someone somewhere is paying the true cost for me. It's only news in this case because consumers in the USA are suffering, not just some nameless foreign worker.

So, this woman's feet are burned, now imagine the burns the workers who manufactured the shoes must've received. And the pollutants caused by that manufacturing. And the energy used to package, ship and distribute the flip flops. All so we could save a few dollars on some plastic shoes?

And why the hell are we wearing plastic shoes to begin with? I'm pretty sure that we've all received the memo on plastic, right? The one that says plastic is not so good for oh, any living anything on the planet? Human, bird, tree, ocean or otherwise?

Do we really think that a company can turn a profit humanely and safely by designing, producing, distributing and then selling shoes for TWO FREAKING DOLLARS?

Really?

Whether or not these flip flops caused physical injury to the end user is so not the point. Even if they hadn't, the damages and costs associated with their creation, sale and disposal are the same.

Externalized cost. Embodied energy. Think before you consume, http://www.storyofstuff.com/!

Spiced blueberry pancakes

Over the holiday break, my son had a friend who, last time he was over, I promised blueberry pancakes for breakfast. The blueberries I had on hand were of the preserved Delaware Valley College grown organic sort. Lucky us!

During the spring and summer weeks, I usually make it to The Market at DelVal College once every week or two to stock up on locally-grown fruits and veggies. Although some of what I purchase on these trips supplements my CSA produce for meals, I mostly go with a mission to find foods that I will preserve. Berries and peppers are ridiculously easy to freeze, so often I'll search for them first.

Choosing foods that are easy to put up makes the weekly chore of preservation simple and fast. Of course, simple and fast means that my chances of burning out halfway through the season are lessened. I like the efficiency of this system :)


The blueberries I used for the boys' pancakes were purchased in June, on sale for $2.99 for two pints. Taking them out of the freezer, I remembered just what a fabulous idea it was to stock up on six pints of these organic, locally-grown dark blue lovelies. They were absolutely divine, literally bursting with flavor inside the piping-hot pancakes.

Spiced Blueberry Pancakes
Serves 4 (eight pancakes)

1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons canola or safflower oil (plus some for pan)
1/3 cup water
1 cup plain rice or soy milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons real maple syrup (plus some for serving)
1/2 - 3/4 cup blueberries (plus some for serving)

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Reserving the berries, add all other remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Add to the wet mixture to the dry mixture, taking care to not overmix. Let batter sit for ten minutes. Stir in berries. Using a ladle, pour scoops of batter into a preheated, well oiled pan or skillet. When the pancakes start to bubble (about three or four minutes, depending on their size), flip and fry the other side for a minute or two. Stack pancakes and top with all natural maple syrup and whole blueberries.

In my kitchen, making pancakes is reserved for the less-scheduled and less-rushed weekend mornings. I usually double or triple the recipe however, so we can eat homemade pancakes during the next couple school/work days. You know, that way we at least have the illusion of calm and leisurely mornings. Enjoy!

> Cross-posted at www.farmtophilly.com.