Jersey is HOT even in the winter...

Zone 7 - Winter from Brian Hedden on Vimeo.

VOICES OF A NEW ECONOMICS

Gus Speth's E. F. Schumacher Lecture from New Economics Institute on Vimeo.

Eat- In and Black Rice Greek Salad

Huewww! It has been so hot hot hot in New York. There is no way you feel like eating anything hot so I have been mixing up some grainy salads a lot lately. This one seems like a no brainer: Greek Salad + Rice - but its the black rice that makes it special.

Black Rice Greek Salad

1 cup black rice (cook to instructions)
chopped basil
halved cherry tomatoes
feta cheese (I used goat's feta)
sliced red onion
Kalamata olives
vinaigrette (1 lemon, 2-3 tablespoons good olive oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar)
season: salt and pepper


(picture of rice coming soon, camera cord connecter is mia :(

In other news:

1. All across the country concerned people are holding eat-ins to petition what children are being fed for school lunches as well as send a message to Congress that goes something like this: "We are not happy about the American food industry, so do something about it already." Check out an Eat-In in you hood

2. I am proudly spreading the word on Roofop Farms and rocking publicity it is getting, from Edible Brooklyn to BBC.

3. Here are some good resources for some grass-fed meat and some restaurants in NYC that use clean and nutrituous products and produce.

Fleisher's

Heritage Food USA

Knickerbocker Meats Inc

Grub Stops:

Roberta's and the Bees they keep

Franny's and their Larder

Back Forty

Savoy

La Cense


4. Check out this aMAZing new project: Brooklyn Farmyards and the video

5. Lastly, in case you missed all there salad recipes in the NYTimes I thought I would send you them again, in case your summer recipes inspiration in waning.

EAT- IN and Black Rice Greek Salad

Huewww! It has been so hot hot hot in New York. There is no way you feel like eating anything hot so I have been mixing up some grainy salads a lot lately. This one seems like a no brainer: Greek Salad + Rice - but its the black rice that makes it special.

Black Rice Greek Salad

1 cup black rice (cook to instructions)
chopped basil
halved cherry tomatoes
feta cheese (I used goat's feta)
Kalamata olives
vinaigrette (1 lemon, 2-3 tablespoons good olive oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar)
season: salt and pepper


(picture of rice coming soon, camera cord connecter is mia :(

In other news:

1. All across the country concerned people are holding eat-ins to petition what children are being fed for school lunches as well as send a message to Congress that goes something like this: "We are not happy about the American food industry, so do something about it already." Check out an Eat-In in you hood

2. I am proudly spreading the word on Roofop Farms and rocking publicity it is getting, from Edible Brooklyn to BBC.

3. Here are some good resources for some grass-fed meat and some restaurants in NYC that use clean and nutrituous products and produce.

Fleisher's

Heritage Food USA

Knickerbocker Meats Inc

Grub Stops:

Roberta's and the Bees they keep

Franny's and their Larder

Back Forty

Savoy

La Cense


4. Check ou this aMAZing new project: Brooklyn Farmyards and the video

5. Lastly, in case you missed all there salad recipes in the NYTimes I thought I would send you them again, in case your summer recipes inspiration in waning.

Rooftop Farms and a NEW new york

I have officially moved back to New York... and as you guys can see Charlotte is pit-stopping in Algeria before she passes through NY for a crazy visit with me. Nutty how different our worlds are right now!

Moving back has been kind of intense to be honest. I have been worried about falling back into old routines but (big fat BUT here) New York is feeling really new and fresh ever since I started volunteering at Rooftop Farms in Greenpoint with just about the coolest Brooklynites eva' and some great stragglers trekking in from Manhattan (me being one).

So in just a couple weeks I have met amazing people: the real farmers (Annie and Ben) and the volunteers (Kendra, Kate, Will, Spencer, Corey, Hannes, Erika, Margret, Alice and many more). Being up there on the farm and finally getting truly involved in the food movement feels freaking amazing. It feels like I have come home, like I have found my place.

Annie has let me help out with the Growing Chefs initiative she runs, which means I am teaching kids about our earth, getting them to stick their hands in the dirt and helping them understand where food comes from.... oh only if I could do this forever.

I have learned how to compost and I listen to everything Annie and Ben say about farming hoping that their crazy farming knowledge might rub off on me in an osmosis-like manner.

Volunteering at the farm has also led me to fall madly deeply in love with Greenpoint and north Willamsburg. Halfdan had been telling me to check GP out forever he said I would love. Oh how well he knows me. I think one of my favorite things is the constant sea of bikes floating about everywhere.

And OMG I met Cathy from Not Eating Out in New York on the roof this Sunday. I kind of sounded like an idiot but she was nice anyway. She is the reason I heard about the farm in the first place.

Rooftop Farms sells produce sold on Sundays as well as selling to restaurants like Eat Records and Marlow & Sons. But check out the market if you are in the neighborhood. 

Local, Organic, Grown with Love.

There is also a bees station on the roof, so hopefully honey will be available soon.

Us volunteer farmers grabbed some lettuce from the market for our rocking rooftop picnic, which we hope to make a weekly tradition.

Everyone made and baked amazing things. Will even made his own bread !

Kate, a fellow farmer, brought along this awesome purple cauliflower salad. I am still to get the exact recipe so I'll probably update this, but Kate said it is a simple recipe where the only major trick is marinating the veggies OVERNIGHT in a red wine vinegar/ extra virgin olive oil mixture.

July's Purple Cauliflower Marinade Salad

carrots (one, julienned)

head of purple cauliflower

chopped zucchini (one big one)

chopped parsley

red wine vinegar and e.v.o.o to taste

salt/pepper

edible flowers to garnish (optional)

Toss it all together and let is marinate for at least 24 hours. That process softens the zucchini and the cauliflower a bit. Don't worry the veggies didn't get soggy though, they were just right!

After the picnic and farming Will, Spenc, Alice and I headed over to a free concert in the East River park in north Williamsburg.

(Alice being her cute self)

Being involved in Rooftop farms feels like I can read Michael Pollan's books and not get discouraged (well completely) because I know there is a massive movement rumbling right under us, which is fighting back against corporate American monopolies and helping us restore our food system. Check out some more sites if you are into food politics and buying locally:

Food Inc

Just Food

CENYC

Take Part

Small Planet Institute

Grub

Take a Bite

Child Nutrition Act

Upstate Farms

Queens County Farm

The Edible Garden

And totally listen to this interview with Food Inc stars and food justice experts and activists.

bringing you information for the food revolution...

J

Cleansing Carrot and Watercress Soup

Hello Hello!

In a much better mood now, as you can see, but earlier this weekend I was feeling kind of sick, generally under the weather and ... to be honest, in a bit of a rotten mood. I called Charlotte (who lives the oh-so-far 20 minutes in a car away) and babied to her the way I would to my mom. She told me to take a walk and make that good carrot soup I like and 'forget 'bout it'! She said she would make her rosemary oat cakes to go with my soup- in spirit of course!

So enough about my mood lets get to the heart warming soup that is vegan, ultra healthy and high in 'super foods.' Now you all probably know carrots are good for you- you can just hear your mom's voice in your head telling you that eating carrots will improve your eyesight. Mom's know huh? Carrots are rich in antioxidant compounds and the andioxidants in carrots not only help safeguard against cardiovascular disease and cancers, but guess what else, your mom was right, they do promote good vision!

Watercress takes carrots and 'ups one' (as my seventeen-year older brother would say). Watercress is rich in vitamins C, B1, B6, K and E, iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese and zinc. It is also rich in antiozidants that are sourced from high contents of beta-carotene and Vitamin A.

Lastly, the bay leaves which flavor the carrots and the broth are healing in their own right. Since the ancient Greek and Roman times, bay leaves were valued with such high regard that during battle, sports and times of study the top finishers or winners wore a crown of laurel (the Latin term for bay leaf). The term "baccalaureate" originates from this, and now a days when people complete their schooling this term is used- funny no one knows they are being honored with bay leaves?




Bay leaves are traditional used to flavour dishes because beyond the distinct aroma they are known to help relieve chest infection, flu and coughs, promote perspiration in order to remove a flu or fever, and ease the body of pains and aches, as well as calm digestive disorders.

So cooking 'sicky soup' - as my mom calls it- with bay leaves will surly make you fell better. YUMM. Can you taste all the cleansing goodness going to your body already? This is a very simple and easy recipe, which makes a sicky body feel good as new by the morn'.

Cleansing Carrot and Watercress Soup:
Prep time 10min
Cook time 40-2 hours (the longer you let the carrots marinate the better)
Serves 6-8 people

Ingredients:
10 medium size carrots (1000 gm roughly)
3-5 bay leaves (depending on strength)
1 small salad bag of watercress (or 85 gms)
1 white onion
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sweat the chopped onion in a pot with olive oil and once the onions start to whilt add ALL those chopped carrots. I know that probably took a while. Don't worry about the size or even-ness, we are going to blend they all up anyway.

Then add the bay leaves (dried or fresh, dried are more flavorful though). Fill the pot with water to just above the carrots. Add some salt now so that the carrots absorb the salty flavor as they cook. Put the lid on and let the carrots stew and marinate for as long as you have time to. The longer the better. Make sure they are not on a high boil the whole time, but a nice (intense) simmer.

Once the carrots are soft, remove the bay leaves and blend the carrots with a hand-held blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Here add more hot water if too much of it has boiled or cooked off. I prefer to leave my soups quite thick and then add some hot water or broth after (before serving) so that I can decide the thickness on different days or store it away. Often I make soups in HUGE batches (as you can see) and then freeze them. This is an AMAZING time and money savor (as students both factors are important to me and Char). When you are super hungry with no time grab a frozen soup, but it in the sink with some cold (NOT hot) water, eventually try to crack it out of your tubberware, zip lock bag, etc and reheat it with some boiled water (depending on however thin or thick you like your soup). You can cook most soups down from a frozen state safely -not completely sure about ones with meat though.


Lastly- I almost forgot- turn the stove off and gently fold in the watercress. Folding the watercress in at the last minute means it will only cook in the heat of the already cooked and blended soup. This leaves the watercress closer to its natural raw state, where the watercress is more likely to maintain its optimal level of health and wealth for the body. Note: if you are going to freeze the soup, then I suggest throwing the watercress in and then freezing the soup because if you forget to do that, you may defrost your plain carrot soup one day next week and be disappointed you have no watercress . However, throwing other veggies in the carrot and bay leaf boil would probably taste good too.


(Information on ingredients thanks to www.whfoods.com; www.watercrest.co.uk, www.helpwithcooking.com)

Jacqueline

Charlotte on Jacqueline

Juice-drinking
Atlas-reading
Cake-making
Quinoa-eating
Ubuntu-thinking
Instant-loving

I just could not get the words New York in there! You know what they say…you can take the girl out of the city but you can’t take the city out of the girl - Jacqui manages to spread her love for-all-that-is-New-York to everyone she meets. How on earth have I heard of Century 21, Magnolia bakery and Williamsburg? I am so pleased she managed to leave home for 4 years and fly across the pond; St Andrews would not be the same without her and neither would I.

What have I learnt from Jacqui? How to walk in high heels (ok, I am still learning this one), how to use less butter in cooking (the food still tastes good), how to say agave (a-gavay), how to be brave and meet new people (she has made me hug strangers in the street), that a smile is infectious, that laughter is the best remedy, that I am not allergic to peanut butter, to just breathe…

A few of the best: Eating papayas with lime on plastic Tupperware lids in Lusaka with borrowed spoons and napkins… or maybe…finding a hidden birthday letter in my rucksack…or maybe…making s’mores for the children we taught in Zambia and seeing their faces light up as they tasted marshmallows…or maybe…going to the Ocean Basket restaurant and twice ordering a salad meant for four people and finishing it….

Charlotte

Jacqueline on Charlotte

Dark Chocolate.

Dark Chocolate, in the library, over two years ago that is how I met Charlotte. She offered me a piece, neither of us were that into it yet, but we were both trying to convert. ‘Hello’s’ here and there became weekly lunches after our Politics of Sub-Saharan Africa class and then somehow we found ourselves living with nuns in Zambia for a summer.



Charlotte is a Virgo, and she definitely is one – clean, careful, driven, determined, loyal, intellectual, meticulous, selfless and sensitive. Although many Virgo’s perfectionism take them down the doctor/lawyer route, the attention to detail in Charlotte’s stars has blessed her with a distinct ability to design, create, and cook up masterpieces both in the kitchen and around the house.


‘Guestamaker baker.’ That is the name I have coined for this girly. In Zambia we did a lot of baking for the nuns and I am pretty sure I can attribute my new love of baking to Char. She is a master guestamaker baker who has taught me that baking does not need to always be as (ridiculously) exact as it seems, and those of us with the looser hand, usually designed for free style cooking, can still bake up lovely goodies.

Back to the creature of mystery - learning about Charlotte is somewhat like studying a creature of the wild, the more you patiently watch and listen, the more mystery is revealed to you. She never ceases to amaze me. Alas, you will almost never get a good picture of Charlotte because she likes to blow her face up like a fish in heat, as a protection mechanism or something strange, you will see that I have mastered the rare ability to capture two absolutely stunning pictures that I am insisting on posting. I think I should submit them to National Geographic for catching the ‘guestmaker baker’ in action, which is not an easy task ;)

All foibles aside, Charlotte is absolutely wonderful and unquestionable unique. Without this sounding like a love story, I would like to say that she came into my life at a time when I was in desperate need of a real soul sista’ and I am fortunate to be in her sphere of energy. I believe, for both of us, it has been a wonderful two years of feeling free to get ridiculously excited over kitchenware together, discuss TV characters as if they were alive and dream about life in the Big City (and notice I wrote the not a). Feeling empowered about yourself and others can only truly come in the presence of an inspiring and loving person. So please do stop in for a story of fate (and banana cake of course). A story which I hope keeps on writing itself into a never ending book filled with tales of happiness, creativity, travel and food. Charlotte - the nester, crafter, guestamaker baker - is someone I hope you all get to know as well I do. See you for a whole lot of afternoons.

Jacqueline