This week the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) has asked me to share some information with you about the local food challenge that OFB is sponsoring for the month of August. As a member of our CSA, you’re supporting our livelihoods as we do the work we love. By purchasing a share at the beginning of the season you allow us to invest in seeds, harvest equipment, soil, and all the necessary infrastructure the farm needs to get going every season. As someone who already values local food and small family farms, we’re challenging you to take your commitment one step farther. The local food challenge is an opportunity for all of us to think about where our food comes from, how it gets from the field or factory to our plates. OFB is urging us all to keep track of our food purchasing and eating habits for a month and to contemplate a number of aspects of our food economy and the impact our spending can have. By buying locally and organically grown food we are supporting the local economy and keep our dollars working in our communities plus supporting a healthy world for ourselves and our children by reducing our carbon footprint and supporting healthy farmland. In addition we get to eat tasty, nutrition dense foods and build community by purchasing our food through CSA's and Farmers' Markets. So take the challenge. Keep track of your food dollars for a whole month and think about where and how you are spending them. Please follow this link for more information about the food challenge.
In this week's share you will find 1/2 lb of green beans. Pull out your wok and make this tasty recipe. Snap the ends off the beans but leave them whole. Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic very fine and set it aside. Add some oil to your wok and toss in the beans, keep stirring until the beans are nearly done. They will get a little blackened in places as you stir fry them, this adds to the flavor. Just before the beans are completely cooked, add the chopped garlic and keep tossing until the garlic is toasted but not black. Take off the heat and finish with a little toasted sesame oil and sea salt.
This week's share:
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1 head lettuce
- 1 napa cabbage
- 1/2 lb of green beans
- 1 leek
- 4 cucumbers
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1 tomato
'Til next week...