Cooking With My Urban Agriculture

One more thing before the summer begins-- Let's not forget the most important lesson that this class has taught us: sustainability is possible. Everyone has their own role, whether being a mindful/organic producer or a conscientious consumer, knowledge is the key to doing your part. Kingsolver has taught us the value of home grown edibles and I have been looking forward to using this recipe since I planted those seeds in late February... It comes from The Soup Bible and I used the early tomatoes from my mom's garden, together with a handful of basil from my own gardening endeavors. Most of the rest of the ingredients came from the Farmer's Market.

Tomato and Fresh Basil Soup (serves 4-6) --I was only feeding 3 so I used a little less of everything

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs butter

1 onion, minced

2 lbs ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

about 3 cups chicken or vegetable stock (we used vegetable)

1/2 cup dry white wine (didn't use this.. oopsies.)

2 tbs sun-dried tomato paste (I actually got a package of them from the Veggie Bin and mushed em up/blended them together.. figured it was the same thing...)

2 tbs shredded fresh basil (I had about 1/2 cup), plus a few whole leaves on top to make it perty

2/3 cup heavy cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1) Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan until foaming. Add the onion and cook slowly for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft, but do not let brown.

2) Stir in the tomatoes and garlic, stock, white wine, and sundried tomato paste, with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat, half-cover the pan, and simmer slowly for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to stop the tomatoes from sticking to the bottom.

3) Process the soup with the shredded basil in a food processor or blender. Press through a strainer into a rinsed pan. (I didn't do this–just chopped about 1/2 cup of my fresh basil and added it into the soup pot).

4) Add the heavy cream and heat through, stirring: Do not let the soup approach the boiling point. Check the consistency and add more stock, if necessary. Adjust the seasoning to taste, pour into warm bowls, and garnish with whole basil leaves.

Environmental Crisis

All the front page news of greed and homicide doesn't seem as bad as what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico. I don't want to ruin anyone's mood, but this catastrophe has been on my mind a lot lately. It seems unreal. People refer to it as an oil "spill" like it's a contained or set amount of oil that has spilled and the action is through. There is no question about how devastating this will be. It makes me wonder what kind of policy those oil rigs adhere to. If the BP rig didn't have a back up plan, no mechanism to stop the oil in case of disaster, do you think they're alone? I imagine not. This is a serious flaw in the oil business because it seems like this could have been prevented or mediated by such restrictions.
The only thing to do from here is bring all the possible resources we have to fight the havoc that is being wreaked on our coastlines. One of those resources is our hair. I found an interesting site that detailed their plan to help out: http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_15040135?nclick_check=1
In the article, they say The Matter of Trust organization has a warehouse for all the hair that is being sent from all around the world. This could do a little to help the clean up because each strand has scales on it, and those scales attract oil molecules, letting the water filter out. They can stuff wads of hair in pantyhose and drag them along the coastline to sop up some of the oil, then wring them out and use again. I think the article should send an advertisement to all hair salons asking them to PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER.
This is the largest environmental crisis our generation has seen. It will continue to get worse before anything gets better, and support for these kinds of relief organizations is crucial. I have called my old barber and told her about the efforts, I encourage everyone to spread this word and find more ways to help out locally.

Begendings...

Hello Everyone:) It's summertime! Congratulations to all who are graduating this weekend!
I have really enjoyed this class. Barbara Kingsolver is a new favorite-- I've never rushed out to by other books by the author of a school text before! The life she has made in Appalachia seems ideal and while most of us will probably not be able to feed our families all year round locally, it's a nice goal to have. The climate we have here in Charleston also offers us more opportunity than most with two grow seasons for lots of produce. True we can't have cherry trees, but the loquats are pretty tasty this time of year! Also, the mulberries are ripe and juicy, right outside my house. It's at the corner of Smith and Bull if anyone feels like foraging. Yesterday I was raining berries on passerbys as I grabbed and picked at the branches above them.
The garden is looking great! I will also be here this summer and stopping by frequently to weed and water. I think a water collection system is a good idea. I've got my eye out for receptacles in the trash piles of people moving out. If we can find where the water falls most, I'll put one out as soon as I get my hands on something appropriate. Also, there's quite a bit of wood in the dumpster by my house, anyone want to make a sign with me? I know people are graduating and going separate ways, but I think I'll be painting on Monday.
One more thing-- I'll be in town for a month and I am very interested in putting hours in at Ambrose Family Farms. Tomorrow my mom and I will be going out there to check things out, but I normally do not have a car. Ande, do you have room in a vehicle? I work about 3 days a week so there's plenty of time to go get dirty (and fed)!
Anyways, have a great summer, I hope to be seeing everyone around town!

You are the best!

Thanks for such a good semester. I learned right along with you and from you (some of these blog posts are fascinating!). I love that you've left behind a garden. I will do my very best to keep it going, but if you are going to be around this summer, let me know so that we can share the labor and the fruits of our labor.

Happy summer!

TB

P.S. I'm teaching Environmental Sociology during Summer I. I'll waive the prerequisites for good students. If you know anyone who is looking for summer classes, please share this with them.

and one more thing

In GIS, Rachel, Jennifer, and I created a foodshed map. Check out our website:

http://sites.google.com/site/groupprojectgis449/

Class is finished, but there is more work to do

Hello everyone,

It's finally summertime! Hooray! But let's not forget about our garden. It will continue to need watering and weeding. If all of us who will be here in the summer will check in every once in a while, I bet we can get some really delicious tomatoes, squash, and peas. I'll be around for anyone who needs me.

My summer plans:
The Farm: I will be working long hours at Ambrose Family Farms, where we picked berries as a class. I am thrilled to be working on a farm. So far, I have spent prob five days total between exams and graduation things working in the fields and meeting new people. Please stop by some day this summer. It is a great place to be. We always have fresh picked vegetables to buy and something to U-pick. Soon we will have blackberries and blueberries. Delicious!

Volunteer: Also look out for Lowcountry Local first. They are around everywhere in our community and often have cool events happening. Continue to buy locally :)

Market: I also hope to see everyone at the farmers market. It's a wonderful venue for community interaction. I love going on Saturdays. And if you can't make it Saturday- there's a market on Tuesday in Mt. P and on James Island sometime and in N. Charleston too.

I have really appreciated the time to get to know others interested in growing food. I look forward to seeing everyone around. Thanks for the positive experience.

End of Class

As Im nearing the end of my college education Im thinking back on some of the most memorable classes. I would have to say that in addition to my archaeological field experience this class will rank right up in the top. Throughout the semester I always looked forward to going to this class and felt that all of the readings were so easy to get into that it never felt like homework. I enjoyed the guest speakers, our class book discussions and seeing our garden take shape. The field trip to Ambrose was an awesome way to end the class and tie in material to a functioning farm. I had always done the upick farms with my family but to be able to talk to the actual farmer and see how he thought was more than I ever expected. It was nice to take the time and see the different crops and methods that Mr. Ambrose was trying. Gardenening was a hobby that I had always shared with my father. But since his death I had just stuck to flowers. So for me personally this class took me back full circle and rejuvenated my love and interests in gardening/farming. I liked the comment Dr. Burkett had made as we sat at the bogarden for one class. It was something to the effect that she had grown up with a basis of environmentalism but it was her hope to add on to that experience and teach her little ones even more. I liked that because it sums up what this class has given me-a beginning and future additions to my love of the environment. The impact of this class is undeniable-one cant help but to view products in the grocery differently, and its a good thing. I find myself constantly talking to people around me about agriculture and food choices. I can see the impact it has made on those around me as they strive to become more aware and make better choices. The experiences of this class have not only affected me but those close to me as well. Its great to watch things grow!