CAROL'S BROKEN ANKLE - UPDATED

Thank you to everyone at Farmers Market this week who was so caring and concerned about my ankle. Yes, I did mis-step off the ladder while stringing tomato hangers in the high tunnel last Monday - and after a long-postponed xray, I discovered I have a broken fibula. Argh....

Great thanks to Taylor, Stephanie, Tara, Kevin, Steve, Sharon, and Jonathan who have been working with Dennis this past week to make up for my absence. Without you guys, I do not know what we would have done.

I got casted today - I am now sporting a new air-cast boot! Gone are the days of old plaster casts - this thing has a rugged sole, is removable for showering and sleeping, and will allow me to start bearing weigh in just a few days. YEA!!!

Until then, please send your wishes to Dennis who is carrying all of the farm-weight on his very capable shoulders. Thanks.

RADICAL RUEBEN

Tiffany, one our Farm Share members, sent this recipe along – more for the name of the dish (RADICAL Rueben) than for the recipe itself. Although it sure sounds like an interesting take on the classic Rueben sandwich. And we will be harvesting beets before too long!

Radical Reuben
Vegetarian Times

SEITAN
• 1 lb. seitan, thinly sliced
• 1 cup pickle juice
• 1/2 cup beet juice or beet borscht (or pureed cooked beets)
• 1 tsp. pickling spice
• 3/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

REUBEN SAUCE
• 1/4 cup soy mayonnaise
• 3 Tbs. ketchup
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped pickles

SANDWICHES
• 8 slices rye bread
• 4 slices Swiss or soy cheese
• Sauerkraut, for garnish

1. To make Seitan: Place seitan in baking dish. Bring pickle juice, beet juice, pickling spice, garlic powder, pepper, and 1 cup water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 15 minutes. Strain marinade, and pour over sliced seitan. Cover and cool. Chill overnight.

2. To make Reuben Sauce: Combine all ingredients in bowl.

3. To make Sandwiches: Preheat oven to broil. Set bread slices on baking sheet. Top 4 bread slices with drained Seitan and cheese. Broil 5 to 7 minutes, or until Seitan is hot and cheese is melted. Transfer Seitan-topped bread slices to serving plates, and garnish with sauerkraut. Spread remaining 4 bread slices with Reuben Sauce, and place on top of Sandwiches.

The Food Game in the US is Rigged

For those of you who do not get the Rutland Herald or Times Argus (and therefore, cannot read the column on-line or in print), here is the text of Carol's latest Weekly Planet column entitled: The Food Game in the US is Rigged.

The Food Game in the US is Rigged
Carol Tashie

Published: June 12, 2011
Rutland Herald/Times Argus

Last summer I created a (not-entirely-positive) buzz with my “Overweight but hungry” column, which pointed out the seemingly paradoxical news that Rutland has one of the highest obesity rates — as well as one of the highest rates of hunger — in Vermont. You may remember that I admitted to only grazing the tip of the iceberg and promised to quickly follow up with a bit more substance. Well, after only nine months, I am finally fulfilling that promise with another look at the topic that sparked so much controversy.

Speaking of controversy, the great news about that column was that it gave me the incentive to learn more about this issue (kudos to writer Michael Pollan for information and inspiration) and the opportunity to share my thoughts with civic and school groups around the region. To those of you who sat through any of my presentations, you may recognize this column as a bootleg of those talks.

A few years ago, Dr. Adam Drewnowski, a world-renown obesity researcher from the University of Washington, wanted to understand why, in this country, the greatest predictor of obesity is wealth or lack thereof. The facts were crystal clear: The less money someone had, the greater their chances of being obese. The question was, why? The overweight-but-hungry scenario seems incongruent and certainly flew in the face of history, when poverty meant a scarcity of calories and a sign of wealth was a rotund belly and a few extra chins. So Dr. Drewnowski set out to research why people with the least amount of money to spend end up with the most number of calories in their bellies (my word, not his).

As part of his research, he went into a supermarket (well, a hypothetical supermarket) with one dollar (a hypothetical dollar) to purchase as many calories as he possibly could. He quickly discovered that in order to buy the most calories for his dollar he needed to hang out in the soft drink and processed food aisles. His dollar could buy 1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips, but only 250 calories of carrots; 875 calories of soda, but only 170 calories of orange juice.

Unfortunately, those cheap calories are also the least healthy calories. They are chock full of sugar, fat and chemical additives. They are so unhealthy we “affectionately” call them junk food. But they are also the best calorie-bang for your buck.

From this research, Drewnowski concluded that the rules of the food game in the United States are organized in such a way that if you are eating on a budget the most rational economic strategy is to eat badly.

For this to be true, things must be seriously flawed with the U.S. food game. And many of those flaws can be summed up in two little words: Farm Bill.

In a devastating example of “do as I say, not as I do,” Americans are told to eat more fruits and vegetables while American tax dollars are used to subsidize the very building blocks of the junk food industry. Massive subsidies for corn and soybeans, for example, keep the cost of soda, chips and processed food low. Soda, chips and processed foods contribute to the ever-increasing rates of obesity, especially among those with the least amount of money to spend on food.

When we hear of American obesity rates of 30 percent (almost 20 percent in children), we should be dismayed and concerned. But we should not be surprised. As taxpayers, we are subsidizing — to the tune of billions and billions of dollars — the very corn that gets turned into high fructose corn syrup, the very soybeans that get turned into the fat in processed food. We are making it possible for junk food to be cheap. And we are de facto making it economically logical for people to use their limited food dollars to buy these cheap calories.

No matter how many food pyramids or public service announcements we create, the economic effects of our subsidies speak louder than our words. The food game is rigged in the favor of cheap junk food.

Carol Tashie, co-owner of Radical Roots Farm, lives in Rutland City and tries hard to find a balance between what is possible and what is impossible to ignore. Her column explores ways ordinary people can and do make the planet a healthier, peaceful and more just place to live. She can be reached at carolweeklyplanet@yahoo.com.

NEW PHOTOS OF THE FARM

We added some new photos of the farm on our Facebook page .

Although we would love to have you come visit us and see for yourself, these photos give you a little taste of what is happening on the farm in June.

Here is a sampling.....

ESCAROLE - Delicious and Healthy

If you grew up in an Italian or Greek family, chances are you ate escarole. Maybe you didn't love the way your mother or grandmother cooked it (boiled? yuck!) - but now you know better and can enjoy this delicious and incredibly healthy vegetable.

Escarole is actually a member of the Endive family and its taste is similar to radicchio (at half the price!). High in folic acid, fiber, and vitamins A and K, escarole can be eaten raw or gently cooked. The darker outer leaves have a distinctly different taste than the inside paler leaves - and so it is almost like getting two veggies for the price of one!

Our favorite way of cooking escarole is to sautee it in olive oil (with garlic, scallions, leeks, onions, whatever you prefer) until it is cooked down and soft. We often add hot peppers and/or tomatoes (sometimes shrimp or tofu) and always add a little salt and pepper. We then toss it with some cooked pasta, using a cup or so of the pasta water to make a nice sauce. If we are feeling adventurous, we add some basil or pesto for a special treat.

Delicious! Nutritious! Make your grandmother proud!

Of course there are many other ways of preparing escarole. Include it in a salad. Add it to soup. Make escarole with white bean (a traditional favorite!). Check out our RECIPE page for some ideas.

We will have escarole at Farmers Market this Saturday. Please stop by and see us!