The countdown is on......that's the countdown to the first week when I'll get my wonderful bundle of spring produce. This spring, I again bought a share in a Community-supported agriculture (CSA) farm. I've been buying produce from this farm for some time at the Farmers Market and even in the dead of this winter, he was there selling a variety of produce. Buying a share of a CSA means you pay the farmer up front for the produce you will receive over the next few months. Farmers receive the needed cash from a specified number of "share members" to plant their crops.....some of which won't be harvested until late summer. One of the fun things about a CSA is you don't know what produce you'll receive each week but it's whatever is in season. Usually they will let you specify certain vegetables you don't want or you don't want a lot of. The CSA has made me experiment with a few vegetables that I wasn't very familiar with. It's a great way to support local farms and get wonderful nutrient-dense produce that's grown close to my home. God created us to live in community supporting one another.
You might be wondering whether all the produce from the CSA farm is certified organic? The answer is, NO. The farm I'm buying from has no organic certification. They're a small operation and it costs plenty of money to become certified. Buying directly from their farm, I've come to trust them and their farming practices. Becoming organic certified means a farm must follow certain government guidelines including lots of documentation but when we can have a conversation with the person who is actually growing our food, it doesn't matter whether or not that government enforced organic label is on the food. Having the ability to talk about the farming practices is worth so much more than any organic label. When I grow food in my own garden, it doesn't require an organic label because I know what kind of seed was planted and any chemicals that were put in the soil or on the plants. Seeing that label matters to me when I go into a store and I have no idea who grew the food and specifically where it was grown. In that case, I'll generally be looking for the organic label.
If you've bought much produce, you know that organic is generally more expensive than conventional. Having raised 4 children, I know the challenges of feeding a number of people on a budget. There is a tool available to help decide when to pay extra for organic and when I can buy the conventional in a grocery and feel comfortable with that decision. The Environmental Working Group (EWG.org) is a non-profit organization founded in 1992. Annually, this group tests the chemicals found on our produce. From their findings, they issue two very helpful lists: The Dirty Dozen (foods that should be bought organically) and The Clean Fifteen (foods where the conventional ones are okay to buy). After using these lists, you'll quickly learn what produce is best to buy organically. These lists help me save money on the produce that I can buy conventionally and "invest" in cleaner organic produce, when recommended. As a general rule, any fruit or vegetable that has a thick peel that you remove before eating, you can buy conventional (eg. avocado, cantaloupe, honeydew, etc.). Of course, when you don't know the farmer or the farm it's coming from, you will benefit from buying all organic produce if that's a possibility for you.
Along with money, each of us also has a limited resource and that's TIME! Recently, my nephew, Chris had moved into an apartment and was ready to experiment with some new recipes so we spent some time together cooking. We browned two pounds of meat even though he only needed one pound for the pot of chili he was preparing that evening. He had not thought about cooking extra and putting it in a freezer bag for another meal. That is one of the greatest time savers......cook and freeze! Chris thought about preparing an entire meal and freezing it but not just preparing and freezing some of the ingredients. He helped me realize that other cooks might benefit from some freezing suggestions.
Eating nutrient-dense foods absolutely requires spending some time prepping and cooking in your kitchen. In a restaurant, we can ask LOTS of questions about the ingredients but there are many "hidden" ingredients and methods of preparation that we won't know about. I eat out regularly with friends and I generally make the best choices available on the menu. But if we want to really know what foods we are eating, we must grow them or buy them from trusted sources and prepare them ourselves. Anytime I can double, triple, quadruple the quantity of food being prepped and then freeze it, count me in! If you have children in your household, be sure to pull them into the kitchen. It's a great way to have quality family time, talk about what we're eating and why, and we can all chop vegetables, put healthy snacks in containers, or de-bone chicken while having meaningful conversations. I'm praying this list below gets you thinking of shortcuts and ways to save money and time while resulting in nutrient-dense foods for your health, healing, and enjoyment.
The time we've been given is priceless. Look for ways you can multiply the quantity from the time you invest. Hopefully, this list below will get you thinking:
1) Bake two whole pasture-raised chickens. One for now. The other one gets de-boned, chopped, and frozen in 2 or 3 cup quantities. Put the bones from both chickens in a crock pot with some onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, and fill the crock pot with good quality water. Cook for 24 hours on low and you have "free" nutrient-dense chicken bone broth. I freeze the broth in 2 or 3 cup quantities in canning jars or other glass jars. To thaw the frozen broth quickly, set a jar in hot water.
2) Stock up at the Farmers Market on frozen meats (beef, poultry, pork, bones to stew).
3) Make batches of veggie, chicken, and beef broth. Homemade broth is the base for tasty nutrient-dense soups.
4) Squeeze lots of lemons & limes at one time. Pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze. When frozen, pop out the cubes and store them in glass containers in your freezer.
5) Chop & freeze your garden abundance. Onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes all freeze very well. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Freeze onions & peppers on the baking sheet. When frozen, transfer them to freezer bags so you can easily scoop out the desired quantity when cooking. This is also a great way to freeze blueberries, strawberries, peaches, etc.
6) Greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.) can be frozen in a large bag and used in smoothies or soups.
7) Cook a large pan of quinoa. Scoop out 2 cup quantities into quart size freezer bags.
8) Cook a large pan of beans. Measure out 1-2/3 cups of beans with a bit of cooking liquid into a quart size freezer bag. Lay the bags flat on a baking sheet to freeze. After frozen, you can stand them up in a box in your freezer. This quantity of beans equals the contents of one can.
9) Make muffins, mini breads, and breakfast casseroles. These are healthy snacks or breakfast on the go!
10) Make batches of salad dressings that you enjoy regularly.
11) Wash & chop a variety of vegetables. Store them in a glass container in your refrigerator so you always have a snack ready. Pull out the veggies & maybe some hummus or almond butter. This idea I learned from my sister, Maggie. That's an instant appetizer and one you can feel good about eating yourself and serving to others!
12) Roast several different vegetables....one batch after another (eg. diced sweet potatoes, bite sized broccoli or cauliflower, brussels sprouts cut in half, diced beets, etc.). Open a 1 gallon size storage bag. Add the prepped vegetable and pour in about 1-2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil. Close the bag & shake. Pour the vegetables out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven. For the next batch, wipe off the parchment sheet with a paper towel & roast another batch. Allow the vegetables to cool & store them in covered glass bowls in the refrigerator. Having a variety of vegetables ready gives you lots of variety for meals!
The 2019 Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists are below along with my daughter, Elizabeth's recipe for Homemade Vegetable Broth. I hope you enjoy cooking some of God's beautiful nutrient-dense bounty!
