On The Table August 2, 2007
We discuss the mysterious and yet common, and highly nutritious, purslane.  Plus 2 recipes to get you started on your share.
Book Review: Organic, Inc. By Steven Fromartz
ASTORIAÂ CSA PICNIC THIS SATURDAY 12-3:30, ASTORIA PARK
Apologies for the delay in posting, I had internet access problems.
August 2nd, 2007 at 8:13 pm
I just made a very simple purslane “salad” that would be great over meats, falafel, hummus/ veggie sandwich, topping a salad:
2 (packed) cups purslane (plus smaller, soft stems)
1 cup plain yogurt (Greek would be tasty too or combo sour cream and yogurt)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt/ pepper
1) Mix yogurt, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper until blended.
2) Wash purslane and pick off leaves/ smaller leaf stems. Chop roughly and mix into yogurt.
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:35 pm
btw, (see book review on newsletter), Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivores Dilemma, also touches on Industrial Organic and how it’s practices are not very far off from industrial agriculture (w/ of course the absence of the pesticides). But the more I read, the more I realize I need more evidence of where my food comes from. Case in point: organic milk. Example: Horizon is owned by Dean and many of the cows, while they have “pasture access” never see a blade of grass– they eat organic corn. In my eyes, this is just as bad as an industrial diet of non-organic corn!
August 2nd, 2007 at 11:56 pm
I was at Whole Foods yesterday and they had frozen chicken (”Free Bird” I kid you not) described as ‘running free in the barns’ or something like that. Not exactly my idea of free range. An improvement over farms where they cram them into cages but I bet those chickens would have some arguments with the name “Free Bird.” Peter Singer visits a farm like that in The Way We Eat and it doesn’t sound so terriffic for the birds. I don’t buy Horizon unless it’s my only option, or Silk which is also owned by Dean.
August 3rd, 2007 at 3:40 pm
A recipe for this week’s basket:
Potato-White Bean Salad with Parsley and Purslane
Note: the amounts here are approximate. It’s more of a loose formula than a recipe.
Eight small or ten very small potatoes, washed, skins on, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
half a Walla Walla onion (from last week), diced small
two cloves of garlic, minced
two ribs of celery, diced
two carrots, peeled and diced
leaves and flowers from three or four stems of purslane
leaves of two or three stems of parsley, chopped coarsely
one can of Cannellini or other white beans, drained
Boil potatoes in just enough water to cover, for about 10 minutes or until just tender. Drain and rinse in cold water. Mix with other ingredients, then toss in the following dressing and chill.
Dressing:
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil (you may want to add more oil than this; I prefer a fairly acidic dressing)
juice of two or three limes and a lemon
1-2 tablespoons of cider vinegar
a good fat teaspoonful of brown mustard
a clove of garlic, minced fine
a teaspoon or two of honey (to taste)
a pinch of red pepper flakes
a pinch of sea salt (optional - I prefer to just sprinkle a little on the salad itself)
a couple of pinches ground paprika (sweet, not hot)
a pinch of celery seed
some fresh-ground black pepper
Put all ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake vigorously.
August 3rd, 2007 at 4:43 pm
the farm suggested a challenge to make recipes for everything in the box.
My recipes for:
Purslane Gazpacho, Garlic Basil Tomato Sauce, Zucchini/Carrot Pasta,Marinated Kale, Raw Potato Salad, Blueberry Pie, Peach Ice Cream
are at:
http://prettysmartrawfoodideas.wordpress.com
Margaret