We've been picking up our CSA allotment for a few weeks now + the vegetables are getting plentiful. I really wanted to see if we could eat from just this box, our garden + just a few of the basics from the grocery store this summer + into autumn. This week was certainly proof that it can be done...depending on the assortment we receive.

Above is one perhaps odd, but tasty meal we ate this week. The rolls, jam, cabbage, potatoes, cauliflower, onions + eggs all came in our CSA box. We've received surprises as varied as honey, herbs, vegetable broth, cornmeal, popcorn, zucchini bread + pickled beets along with all those beautiful, local fruits + vegetables. There have also been a few vegetables that I don't usually purchase...like celeriac, green tomatoes, stinging nettles + patty pan squash...which are interesting to incorporate into our meals.

I've learned that I need to not only wash all of the vegetables, but also chop them as soon as we get home (because I need to find all of the critters before they do their thing in the broccoli...it's gross...and disappointing). It takes a while up front, but is pretty great day by day. (Plus I almost have one of those instagram-able fridges.)  :) 

Along with vegetables + fruit from the box...the staples we buy from the grocery store include avocados, rice, pasta, bread, chickpeas, beans, granola, nuts, peanut butter, olive oil, spices, cheese, milk,  + butter. (There are others, but these are the basics.) This week's grocery bill came in much lower than usual! Yippee!

I'm enjoying this way of eating...local...in-season...use what we have. Meal planning is a little out of whack + I'm having to improvise + make my menus after the food is already in my possession...but it's a nice switch.

Love,
​Jane

A couple of weeks ago...before the vegetables from the fields were quite ready...our CSA box included a jar canned beets. Feta seems like the perfect compliment to beets...so I put some feta into a container I brought from home at the grocery store salad bar. This meal utilizes lots of the goodness available at the beginning of the growing season + it's really tasty (and pretty) as well! Use what's available...this is what is on this plate.  :)

Beets + Feta Bowl
1 jar of canned beets (or roasted beets)
​spring onion
greens
brown rice
feta
chickpeas
olive oil
lemon
salt + pepper flakes

Whisk together a dressing from 1 part olive oil, 2 parts lemon juice, salt + pepper flakes to taste (I use a fork to mix...no mini whisk necessary). Combine + enjoy!

Love,
Jane

Strawberry season is not around for long, but while it's here...it is glorious! We have one 4 x 8 foot garden bed dedicated to strawberries. Once planted, they come up every year (for about 7 years, we were told) without much extra care. Freshly picked strawberries in my breakfast granola + yogurt is about as good as it gets.

Once the strawberries really start rolling in, there are enough that I need to freeze some in order to keep up. This fact makes me feel rich, because...this means strawberry smoothies for later...and...this year...ice-cream!

I don't buy cream very often...pretty much only at Thanksgiving for the pumpkin pie...but zero-waste ice-cream seemed like a good enough reason to indulge.

2 cups frozen strawberries + 3/4 cup cream + a bit of honey or sugar (very rough measurements) blended = amazing! I don't have a fancy blender, but mine worked just fine with a little coaxing + stirring.

Save some for later, if possible!

Love, 
​Jane

Zero-waste coffee can be made (at home) a number of ways...
-french press
-cloth (reusable + compostable) filters 
​-or our new favorite way...a simple cold brew filter that fits into a jar we had already

Grind up the beans, scoop them into the filter already in the jar, add water from the tap, put the top on + refrigerate overnight. Simple. I love that no electricity is used thanks to our hand grinder + the fact that there is no hot water to heat.

The set up is the ultimate in simplicity as well. I chose this stainless steel filter because it is very sturdy, + I liked the fold-over seam (as opposed to other models). The company sells special lids, but I don't think they are necessary. It seemed like the negative reviews came from leaking when shaking...just swirl if desired + skip the shaking (because it's unnecessary).

Cold brew is stronger than regular coffee, so it is best enjoyed over a glassful of ice or with milk. Mr. Tribe is the real coffee drinker in our tribe, + he says that it is strong enough to enjoy this way. This strength also makes it last (a little) longer.  :) (I really just like a little coffee in my skim milk...and love this because it's already cold!) 

Love,
​Jane

There are lots of ways to acquire low waste food...buying bulk, growing our own, shopping the farmer's market, dumpster diving, foraging, trading, making it from scratch + more. One of my favorite ways to buy low-waste food is to get it straight from the farmer who grew it.

I had loved our CSA in London (shout out to Abel + Cole)! It was delivered in a cardboard box that we left out to be collected + reused, when the next box arrived. I learned about + cooked things like celeriac + parsnips for the first time (I know...I'm American).  :)  We didn't meet a single vegetable that we didn't like...partly because the website connected with the CSA offered recipes + cooking suggestions. When we moved here, I couldn't find a single CSA that was accepting new members.  :(

I met Steve for the first time at a Food Circle event where he was promoting the benefits of preying mantises...wearing a worn pair of overalls + a very worn straw hat. Once I realized that there were sellers at our farmers market stocked with vegetables that they bought wholesale...and had not grown themselves...I became very picky about who we bought from. I noticed one booth advertising organic vegetables + there was Steve...same worn overalls + same very worn straw hat. As we became regulars, he started to ask me if I'd heard of some of the less common things he offered...like spaghetti squash + gooseberries...I'd ask how to cook them + take some home to try. 

Steve lives near Amish farmers + offered to sell some of their homemade jams, pickles + pasta (!). He, like the Amish, uses no gas-powered machinery on his farm...opting for heavy horses instead.

This year we are participating in Steve's new CSA program. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture + it allows us to have a mutual beneficial relationship! Steve and his family can depend on regular income + my family and I can depend on regular, local, seasonal food May through October. This family is thrilled!

These first couple weeks have involved a lot more plastic (+ styrofoam- yikes!- but I know that it's a reused one) than I would prefer, but the cold spring has slowed vegetable production + they are making up for that leanness with some other goodies. They told us to return all of cartons, jars, + plastic for reuse.

We have a garden, so I'm interested to see how all of this works out. I'm feeling like I want to still be part of a community that supports one another. That was initially something that I resisted about the self-sustainable movement. I don't want to be isolated or non-contributing. Just as I want to support some of the good work that is being done in the garment industry (by buying some clothing even though I can sew), I want to support the quality work that Steve is doing (even though I can grow my own vegetables).

I'm thinking that if I have too much of something...I can always preserve some for the colder months to come. Nothing will go to waste...but we might just eat a few more salads + green smoothies...nothing to complain about there!

So...yes...we are fans of Community Supported Agriculture...and we are very excited to see what's in our box each week! Thank you for growing our food, Steve...and I like your new straw hat!  :)

Love,
Jane

While making the grocery list last week, it was noted that we had some cornmeal...so polenta went on the menu. I wasn't so sure how these ingredients would come together, but thought it was worth a try. It turned into something a little different than what I had envisioned...in a delicious way. I don't want to forget this combination, so here it is.  :) 

Zero-waste Polenta Dumplings + Chickpea Stew
part of a red onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped not peeled
chickpeas
tomato sauce or chopped tomato
cinnamon
salt
pepper flakes
polenta (1/2 cup cornmeal + 1 Tbsp. butter + 2 cups water)
cheese, grated

Saute chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato sauce (or chopped tomato), chickpeas, carrots + spices. Add water to almost cover the ingredients + simmer (with the lid on) for around 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, make polenta by boiling water + butter. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium, pour in cornmeal + whisk until bubbling up...remove from heat. Whisk to make sure there are no lumps, cover + set aside. Assemble + top with a bit of grated cheese (because cheese always makes Julia smile).  :) Enjoy!

Love,
Jane

It's still a bit brown + coldish outside, but I'm trying to remind myself + my tribe that we are almost out of the winter woods. A few happy hints that spring is here ::

Lightening up in the closet:
-My knits, hat, scarf, + gloves have been packed away in my suitcase with some lavender.
-It may be a few weeks until my wool blanket coat joins them, but I'm stitching up the holes in it now. The navy really hides the patches well.
-Not as many regrets when I go without socks (because I pretty much always do).  :)

Sunshine on a plate:
-Mangos. Alone or like this...add some yogurt, honey, cinnamon, pecans, + chocolate chips!
-Spring reminds me of the simple goodness of egg salad on toast with a sprinkle of greens.
​-Golden beets. With kale, onion, chickpeas, wild rice, + avocado.

Getting some fresh air:
-Spotted: crocus + daffodils + tree buds + blue bird
-Trying to get outside for a walk or just to sit in the sun for a bit on those rare warmer days.
-Or at least rolling down the car windows with some good tunes blasting.
-Welcomed fresh air indoors via an open screen door + also received a spider + itchy allergy eyes.

It's spring!

How are you experiencing it?

Love,
Jane

"At the end of the rainbow you find a pot of gold."  ~Jo, regarding this soup

Here is another subtle change on a regular around these parts. This was an experiment in left-overs gone oh, so good.  :) Left over spaghetti squash (we probably had about 2-3 cups- but the amount is pretty irrelevant) + half of a can of coconut milk (uncharacteristically grabbed on a whim) + a little switch in the spices = yum. Had to capture it here, so I don't forget. Hope you don't mind.  :)

Pot of Gold
part of an onion, diced
olive oil
4 cups water
left-over cooked spaghetti squash (or any squash/sweet potato)
potato, diced not peeled
2 carrots, sliced not peeled
handful or two of uncooked rice
​jar of cooked beans
1 Tbsp. boullion
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper flakes
1 tsp. grated ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
half of a can of coconut milk

Amounts are approximate. Use what you have. Saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Whirl squash or sweet potato in a blender with a cup of water. Add water, squash (that Julia + I thought looked identical enough to a pineapple smoothie that it could be a good prank), + all the rest (except the coconut milk). Bring to a boil. Turn heat down + simmer until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, stir in coconut milk, + enjoy!

Love,
Jane

My mom probably gets quite a kick out of this, because I was the girl still sitting at the table well after the dishes were done + everyone else had moved on to other things...still sitting there with a plate of cold squash to finish before I could leave the table. But now...we love spaghetti squash!  :) Our favorite farmer asked if I knew about it years ago. He told me how to make it + sent me off with one. That year, Julia asked for it for her birthday meal.  :) Thank you, Steve! We appreciate you in so many ways!

Spaghetti squash fits right in with my no fuss meal prep preferences. Cut it in half...scoop out the seeds+ loose goop...rub a bit of olive oil onto the cut sides...place it face down...bake at 375F for one hour...and scrape it with a fork to release the pasta like strands. Add tomato sauce + cheese (+ whatever else makes spaghetti at your house) + you've got a delicious meal!

This dish was amazing thanks to The First Mess Cookbook by Laura Wright. I don't feel like I should share her exact recipe, but it's on page 166 + I made it with broccoli, spinach, cashews, chia seeds, + her delicious peanut sauce. It was fantastic + so full of flavor! Check your library.

Please excuse the blurry, off-center photo featuring my sock...the days have gotten long enough to take photos at dinner time...but only outside. It was freezing + I had to be quick.  :) 

Love,
Jane

It often feels like we buy the same zero-waste ingredients over and over again, so part of the reason that I record some of our meals here is to remind myself of the different ways that they can come together. Some of those differences are a little more subtle...like this one...but they are noteworthy just the same (to me).  :) I've been wanting to come up with a few sauces to top bowl-type meals...and we enjoyed this one.

Sweet Potato Salad 
1 sweet potato, peeled, chopped, + roasted in a little olive oil at 425F
1 cup dry wild rice, cooked while the potato roasts
spinach, chopped
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tsp. brown sugar or honey
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. pepper flakes
salt to taste
handful pecans

Amounts are approximate, so adjust to taste or availability. Mix yogurt, sweetener + spices to make a sauce. Top rice, spinach, sweet potato, + pecans with it. Enjoy.

Love,
Jane