Hospitality for the Coming Age

Cumin and other spices in a Hebron market stall

I tasted this most delicious salsa of my mother’s creation last week, and came back to Richmond with a craving.

I have all of the ingredients expect the bell peppers (I could use canned tomatoes). (Un)fortunately, I can’t buy peppers in January without a lot of guilt. So I sent a hope out into the universe, and found some dumpster diving yesterday! Salsa coming soon.

This salsa is thick, and the cumin gives it such a rich flavor.

Tags: cumin, diving, dumpster, eat, food, freegan, pepper, salsa, season, spice, tomato

I and the folks I hang out with are often distressed that we don’t have more/any (depends on who you ask) great local coffeeshops to hang out in, or other establishments that showcase local talent and products.

Our town is ~36,000 people.

The town I grew up in is ~6,000 people, and have a fabulous local coffeeshop. It’s not necessarily a money-maker, but it’s popular, and well-loved. It began with financial investments form many interested parties, a model that our food co-op is now exploring.

Read this delicious reflection from manager Zach, and dream big - if North Manchester can have KenapochoMocha, what can we create together?

tamarind date chutney

I feel a resistance to the idea that “most things are fine in moderation.” I am not a moderate person, and tend to enjoy experiencing things in extremes. For example, strawberries are my very favorite food. I have this idea that I would be a more enlightened person if I found the first strawberry of the season to be the most delicious delicacy of all time, and was totally satisfied with those two bites. But I prefer strawberries by the handful.
When I talk with people about eating locally, they often feel resistance when they think of the important foods that they simply can’t find locally: chocolate, coffee, many kinds of fruits, olive oil, etc. For me, it’s spices (and yes, chocolate).
But eating locally, whether by choice or by necessity (which may come sooner than we think), does not have to be an absolute. If we were able to supply the majority of our diets locally, we could certainly import the special stuff. Trade will never cease altogether, but we will have to learn to focus on locally available food (and then we’ll have energy resources for trade).
In honor of the special stuff, I offer this recipe that I love, that is completely non-local.

To make tamarind concentrate (the recipe refers to the glossary, which I’m not posting), soak 1/2 cup of dried tamarind (which is how you’re most likely to find it in the US) overnight. Strain the liquid and save the pulp. You may want to strain a couple times to really get concentrate (or just use less water in the recipe). And good heavens, save the juice too! Use it to make yummy drinks or put it in baked goods.

Donna, Anna Lisa, Al, Travis and Karen after sharing dinner.

Every once in awhile I hear a story about someone transforming a moment of violence or theft, and I am moved. It’s like a peace activist’s dream come true - to have an opportunity to put all those theories to the test and find a humanizing outcome.

I have learned a lot about sustainable living and expect to be eating well, even as the economic crisis deepens. Many of the people I love live on farms with strong food supplies. “What will I do when hungry people from the city come to my farm with guns and demand our food and water?” is a common question in my circle of friends. Continue Reading »

Tags: crisis, food, share, steal, theft, transformation, violence, water

Bread pudding recipe

Bread is often something I end up with too much of. Freezing it is always a simple way to avoid wasting it. This bread pudding recipe is another.

As you can see, there is no specification for temperature or time. I put the oven to 350, and baked it for about 40 minutes, followed by about 10 for the merengue.

I used extra bread, and lemon juice instead of lemon flavor.

I doubled the recipe and used a 9×9 casserole pan.

Tags: bread, egg, lemon, milk, pudding

The last bits of the soap bar that are way too small to use without annoyance melt down well to make new soap. I'll take anyone's soap and candle scraps!

“There is no waste, only creative challenges to find meaning and new opportunity,” I wrote last fall, as I developed my “metaphor for ministry.”

Throughout this year I have continually been drawn to the art of avoiding waste. I have planned many, many meals around food left to rot in seminary fridges (and therefore eaten much more dairy than I, an ex-vegan, would like to admit).

My arts-and-crafts projects focus on using materials that would often be thrown away. I’ve made windchimes from tin can lids and used dental floss. I’ve made purses and pads from fabric scraps and unmendable items. I’ve spent hours researching things to do with plastic bags that won’t send more poisonous gases into the atmosphere. (Any ideas? Other than crocheting, which I need to learn to do.)

I’ve nastied the Honda hauling food scraps from school and church to my worm bin, where the food you left on your plate becomes worm food, then worm poop, then earth food, then animal food again. (Wait, does that imply that earth poop is vegetables!?) Continue Reading »

Tags: food, garden, girls inc, recycle, reuse, richmond, soil, stories, time bank, upcycle, use, value, waste, worms

Butternut squash soup

I made this soup for company a couple months ago, hoping that the lack of discernable vegetables and sweet flavor would appeal to the kids there.

It didn’t really work, since I told everyone what was in it:-)

But I liked it, and recommend it as a light, healthfully creamy soup.

I used peanuts instead of pumpkin seeds as garnish. It would have made more sense to save the squash seeds and use them, but I didn’t read ahead. Has anyone else roasted butternut squash seeds? What do they taste like?

Tags: butternut, children, coconut, kids, squash

Fudge brownie

I made these brownies for the Bethany Board of Trustees about a week ago. I’m ashamed to admit, I usually make brownies from a box because I like the texture so much better than brownies from scratch. But these brownies are a winner - chewy and fudgy, and delicious.

The recipe is very easy to make organic, and mostly from local ingredients. I still don’t know anyone in my area growing cacao or vanilla….

This recipe comes from a fabulous cookbook - Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd. I doubled it, and put a cream cheese/sour cream mixture by spoonful in one pan. It was plenty for the ~65 people at the board lunch, since the recipe’s suggested serving size is unnecessarily large. Not that I don’t like 9 square inches of brownie:-)

Tags: brownies, butter, chocolate, dessert, eggs, local, organic

Rhubarb crisp

I made this for book club a couple weeks ago, with frozen rhubarb from last spring. I used honey from Centerville and molasses, rather than sugar, and extra rhubarb in place of sorrel.

This recipe comes from Simply in Season, an excellent cookbook that is a wonderful first step to eating and cooking more locally!

Tags: dessert, honey, local, oats, rhubarb, season

A Madhur Jaffrey classic!

This is a great time of year to eat eggs - the chickens start laying abundantly well before veggies and fruit are ready for harvest, and pantries and freezers may be getting bare.

So here’s a recipe that Chris and I enjoyed recently. It doesn’t require any fresh produce - I used frozen chilis and dry ginger.

Tags: cream, eggs, indian, spicy