CSA - Wood Duck Farms and Watermelon, Arugula, Feta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

I finally took the plunge and joined a CSA (community supported agriculture). After much research, I landed on Wood Duck Farm. I was attracted to Wood Duck Farm primarily because the CSA offered a mix of fruits and vegetables. In addition, they allowed members to order a partial share. Although V and I are vegetarian, the full share is still too much food for us to consume especially with our garden supplementing daily meals.

What are the benefits of a CSA?

- Cheaper way to buy organic produce. Doing the math, the CSA comes out cheaper than purchasing the same vegetables from Whole Foods.
- Being kind to the environment. The vegetables cover less transporation ground (farm to comsumer) resulting in fewer emissions. Also, no chemicals are used in the production of your delicious vegetables and fruits.
- Adding variety (and nutrients) to your diet. You are forced to incorporate vegetables into your diet especially ones that you would not have normally purchased.
- Supporting your local farmers!!!

There are numerous CSAs in Houston. Here is the link to Wood Duck Farm: http://www.woodduckfarm.com/

This week's CSA included: peaches, eggplants, tomatoes, potatoes, arugula, onions, and a watermelon. For a friend's BBQ on Saturday, I made watermelon, arugula, and feta salad with balsamic dressing.

Watermelon, Arugula, Feta Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

1/2 medium sized watermelon (cut in triangle slices without rind)
3 cups arugula
3-4 oz crumbled feta cheese
- Arrange watermelon slices on bottom
- Sprinkle with a little kosher salt on top
- Layer arugula on top
- Add crumbled feta on top

Dressing:
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
- Put ingredients in a jar and shake

- Sprinkling dressing on top right before serving.
- Also be sure to keep the salad cold.

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

I absolutely love brunch. I'm constantly experimenting with different recipes (expect Chai French Toast next!). I also love hosting guests. As you can tell, both of these loves marry together pretty well.

I want my home to feel like a comfortable bed and breakfast where guests are welcomed with little scented soaps and toilettries and freshly laundered linens. In the morning, I greet guests with a beautiful delicious breakfast spread. Here is one of the recipes that I recently made for a house guest. It's citrus season and the farmer's market is full of unbelieveably beautiful fragrant meyer lemons. I couldn't resist making these. The citrus flavor is vibrant and enhanced by the lemon curd. The egg whites lend a fluffiness to the pancakes and the ricotta adds a richness.



Meyer Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

2 large eggs, separated
1 1/3 cups milk
1/3 cup ricotta cheese (low fat or skim)
1 tablespoon grated Meyer lemon zest
1/3 cup lemon curd
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

(1) Mix flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
(2) In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until peaks form.
(3) In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk milk, egg yolks, lemon zest, and lemon curd. Fold in ricotta cheese and dry mixture.
(4) Gently fold in egg whites into the egg yolk mixture.
(5) Heat a non-stick pan. When hot, dot some butter into the pan. I measure pancakes using an ice cream scoop. This ensures perfect round pancakes every time. Cook until lightly brown on each side.

Enjoy!

Winter Gardening....

Below are pics from the seeds that I planted in November. I was worried that the plants would not survive the frost last week. However, the plants were cozy under blankets and made it through. Here are the most recent pics of the plants. Last week, I planted radish (watermelon, globe, french breakfast, and icicle), mustard, spicy lettuce mix, arugula, spinach (tyee and teton) and bok choy. The lettuce will be ready in a couple of weeks and the radish will be harvested in a month. Today, I planted sugar snap peas, radicchio, fennel, broccoli raab and parsley. Below are pics from the garden.

Moss growing in the backyard.....



Look what I came home to after my trip...the oranges ripened after 4 months on the tree! What a perfect Christmas present!!





Russian Red Kale



Curly Blue Kale



Parris Island Romaine Lettuce



Marvielle of Four Season Red Lettuce



Chiogga Beets





Rainbow Swiss Chard. The seed packet comes with seeds that are hot pink, red and yellow. In the past, the only seeds that germinated were the hot pink ones but I was dying for yellow and red ones. That's the point right...getting a rainbow of colors. It's not much of a rainbow if you only get one color ;-) This year, I finally got them all. Yay!!









Indian Mustard



Cilantro. I planted a purchased cilantro plant last year from the nursery. The weather became hot shortly after and the plant bolted. I let the plant go to seed and left it alone. I collected some seed and let the rest just disperse in the garden. This year, I have 6 cilantro plants which is great for me. Can't wait to make some salsa!!



Spring is around the corner...new chives sprouting....

Farmer's Market Dinner

last night, dinner made from the garden and the farmer's market on richmond and eastside.

soft goat cheese with dill...made my mouth pucker
roasted beets..sweetened the palate
wild arugula...bitter to the taste
greens from the garden..colorful and a myriad of tastes
meyer lemon vinaigrette..acidic

balanced perfectly.

simple things i forget-
how great cheese made from raw fresh milk tastes
how dill is the best wild weed
how harvesting from my land gives me such joy
how comforting it is to know where my food comes from

last week, i took a friend to the market and she was overwhelmed by the options. houston just isn't skycrapers and highways. outside our town lie hundreds of farms that sell food straight from farmers wanting to give us a taste of real food. the best thing she said to me was, "i always thought it was more expensive than the grocery store but its actually cheaper." i think she will become a regular visitor. that gives me happiness.

New Year, New Adventures

Hi everyone! The past few months have been very busy for us. In November, I planted the winter garden and then it was off to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. Kept my fingers crossed that there would be enough rain in my absence!

V and I jetted off to Morocco, Spain and Portugal to have new adventures with old friends. Of course, relaxed from vacation, I came back to a crazy work schedule. One week after returning, I needed another vacation!

Now, with my project done, I've been able to catch a breath. I set my New Year resolutions and am excited about the new adventures to come in 2011. I'm fanatical about my resolutions. Last year, it was to get over my life-long fear of water. I not only learned to swim, I even got a scuba license!

I want to wish all of you a wonderful New Year and hope that everything you wish for comes true!!!!!!!!

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One of my New Year's goals is to post more often on this site. Below is a recipe for breakfast tacos. The key to this recipe is in the ingredients. They have to be the best you can find, farm fresh.



"Sausage," Farmer's Market Eggs, with Avocados, Onions and Tomatoes.

1 Morningstar sausage patty
2 Farmer's market egg, beaten
1 tablespoon milk or half and half
1 fresh wheat tortilla
1 Farmer's market tomato
1/2 avocado, sliced
2 slices onions
3-4 small slices jalapeno
1 lime
salt and pepper

(1) Cook sausage patty in pan. Remove sausage and crumble.
(2) In same pan, add eggs and milk/half and half. Add salt and pepper. Stir until cooked.
(3) Heat tortilla on open flame on stove. This is another secret weapon. The firing adds a smoky flavor to the taco.
(4) Assemble the taco: Add eggs/sausage to tortilla.
(5) Top with tomato, avocado, onions, jalepeno, and a squeeze of lime.

Garden Update

The garden has been flourishing and has become quite the jungle. I have given up taming the beast. This week, we harvested beans, okra and zucchini. It appears that the cucumbers have succumbed to disease. The beans are also showing signs of disease. It looks like rust. I purchased some Organocide to combat the disease. Hopefully it will work.

Yesterday, I noticed tindoora (dondakai), tiny Indian melons. Tindoora is a root plant, meaning that it cannot be grown from seed, you need a root from the previous year. The roots are collected in the winter and stored until the spring. I looked for months for a root asking everyone Indian person that I knew and finally I found one (Thanks P!). Pictures of the garden as well as the most recent harvest are below.



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Tindoora:



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Harvest:



Thanks for visiting!!

Bees and Blooms

Bees are buzzing and the garden is blooming. Lured by the sweet nectar on the fragrant orange blossoms, families of bees visited my backyard over the past week. Hopping from one flower to the next collecting nectar, the bees unknowingly pollinated the flowers.

Eggplants:



Trellis' galore (Tindoora, Ridge Gourd, Indian Broad Beans, and Bitter Melon):



Okra, Sweet Peppers, and Squash:



Pole Beans, Basil, and Cucumber:



Blooms and More:

Okra Lee-



Eggplant-



Bitter Gourd -



Thai Pepper -



Jalapeno Pepper -



Bell Pepper -



Burgundy Okra -



Eight Ball Squash -



Lettuce -



Pole Beans - this plant is prolific. I harvest 10-15 beans a day.



Orange Tree (Honestly, I am surprised that this tree bloomed again. Apparently it is quite difficult to grow citrus. The whole backyard smelled like orange blossoms. I just sat outside with my Mom enjoying the fragrant air.)



The bees buzzed around and viola...we have tiny little oranges...





Cucumbers - I only planted these about two weeks ago and look how fast they grew. I attribute their growth to the monsoon we experienced recently in Houston.





I saved the best for last. This is a ridge gourd flower. When I spotted it, I couldn't stop staring at it. It's amazing how nature creates such beautiful things. It was like looking at white star with a floating halo. The tendrils reminded me of lace fraying at the edges. Hope you enjoyed this week's post!