June in Photos

The Growing Season

While I have yet to try my hand at gardening and growing my own vegetables, I do enjoy and regularly peruse local produce, whether from the Wednesday Farmers Market, Sunday's Chattanooga Market or that yuppie health food store on the Northshore.

Spring onion tart!

Last year I chronicled some of my adventures of eating my way through a half share of Community Supported Agriculture from Crabtree Farms. Kimchee, various slaws, incredible salads and GREENS. Lots of GREENS and other various fruits, veggies and herbs came through my kitchen, and I was sad when the challenge of cooking ended in October or so.

Over the season, though, I met different farmers at the market and was particularly impressed with Curtis and Letty at Circle S. I was MOST excited about the option to get a weekly egg share from them. Local eggs are hard to come by, and they're a dietary staple for me, not to mention a tasty, quick meal to pair with lots of veggies.

Enter the season's first two CSAs. Tonight, B crafted a onion tart with this week's green onions to pair with local pork chops. Delicious? I hope so. Tomorrow I'm going to battle the Sunday market to get a huge basket of berries for preserves, freezing and tasty additions to yogurt all week long.

Here's to many more months of adventurous use of local vegetables! Support our local farmers! It's worth every penny.

Only you, Suzie Q!

This weekend marked Mother's Day—a holiday I don't mind celebrating. I'm so blessed to be able to spend time with my MamaSooz who has passed on more than her good looks and great genes. She also raised three beautiful kids and taught me how to be a hospitable, loving, warm host—and a pretty decent cook.

(Though I can't leave out my sister, the other major female influence and kitchen whiz in my life!)

Regardless, the celebrating called for some local deliciousness! B and I drove up to M'boro to make strawberry ice cream with his mom on Saturday. Earlier in the week he scored some fresh milk from a friend in Ringgold. Of which we still have... practically two gallons! I've been devising delicious creamy things to make all week.

Sunday morning I got up early and collected the remaining ingredients for my quickee brunch prep. Using eggs, spinach and greens from my Circle S Farms CSA and mushrooms, goat cheese and spices, I made my favorite frittata, inspired by a Moosewood Cookbook recipe (and of course, the sister!).

My Mom's birthday conveniently falls right around Mother's Day, and no birthday is complete without birthday cake. Enter chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting (using what else but that heavenly local cream!) on top of toasted almond gelato and macerated strawberries. Big noms! I only regret not taking more photos.

Summer Games and Slaw

Inspired by—who else?!—Colleen, I'm going to be part of the Let's Go Ride A Bike Summer Games!

My first entry, a group ride, still awaits photos. But I have from now till June 6 to complete one other task:

• Go on a group ride
• Leave a friendly note on a bike, or say hi to a cyclist at a red light
• Schedule a bike date with a friend or partner — dress up!
• Recruit a non-biking friend for a ride
• Take a ride with your family

So many options! I would really like to aim for the last task—taking a ride with the family. My dad and stepmom are quite the athletes. Dad still logs about 6 miles every day, and he met his wife at a road race. While neither participate in the same kinds of triathlons as a few years ago, Dad rides his bike from time to time—they have matching road and tri bikes—and will probably commute to work if I coax him into it enough.

In fact, I doubt he's ridden to work since the bridge re-opened. Dad rocks this mid-80s Bianchi commuter. I wouldn't be surprised if it's an old Volpe, very similar to my own commuter workhorse.

Friday night I went on a small group ride of sorts. After watching some interesting presentations at Chattanooga's PechaKucha night, the city's sixth event, J and I were joined by two others and headed out to St. Elmo. After a few wrong turns and hills, we made it and were rewarded by some new friends who made AMAZING pot stickers. Big noms before the four of us pedaled back downtown and stayed out too late.

Yesterday Grace and I fully utilized my CSA from Crabtree. I'm in week two of produce. J and I are splitting it with friends/co-workers who live on the Southside. So far, I've gotten lots of greens (mustard, kale, chard, arugula, beets), some cute little strawberries, radishes, garlic shoots and the odd, single kohlrabi.

Using all the veggies takes some effort, though greens are easy to pair with many dishes. Yesterday for breakfast I whipped up a fritatta with

• mustard and beet greens
• onions
• mushrooms
• goat cheese

Grace and I were furiously rinsing, chopping, salting, tasting (repeat). She brought over two jars of sprouted lentils, and I HAD to use last week's kohlrabi. We went ahead and made a delicious slaw-like salad.

So after a day of sweating and moving, Grace brought over spring roll wrappers and homemade seitan (YUM!) and we whipped up the most amazing spring rolls stuffed with the day's slaw, which included:

• grated kholrabi
• chopped chard
• some beet greens
• apple
• sprouts
• grated carrots
• vinegar, salt, seasonings

It was a fresh, light oven-free way to end the long day. I need to secure some spring roll wrappers of my own this week. That is a fabulous way to make a delicious AND filling meal with CSA bounty.