This week's recipe and photo kindly contributed by Ahmad Watson. 

Keep it simple using quality ingredients to make the foods you like! When I eat, I try to think about the ways that I can use different ingredients to maximize the nutrient density in order to give my body the fuel it needs to perform at an optimal level. The second I saw my CSA box this month, I knew I had the perfect blend of ingredients to make a Buddha Bowl. A Buddha Bowl is a tasty way to give your body a power pack of nutrients, while leaving you full for a long time—which is everything you could want in a healthy meal! Between the light quinoa, the protein-packed lentils, the lemony crisp leafy greens, the hearty sweet/savory root vegetables, and the sweet and tangy avocado cream sauce, you will be making this recipe again and again, and your body will THANK you!

Follow me @trainerahmad for more healthy recipes and health and wellness tips. I’m all about doing the good things for yourself, to get you a great body, so you can live your best life!

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ROASTED ROOT VEGGIES 4 turnips, diced 3 carrots, diced 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp garlic powder 1 tbsp chili powder 1 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

FOR THE LENTILS 1/2 red onion, diced 1 poblano pepper, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 (15 oz) can lentils (drained and rinsed well) 1 tbsp cumin 1 tsp salt

FOR THE KALE 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp lemon juice 3 leaves of kale, thinly sliced 3 leaves of rainbow chard, thinly sliced

FOR THE AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE 2 ripe avocados 1/4 cup oat milk 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp honey The juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup torn fresh cilantro 1/4 cup torn fresh parsley Salt and pepper (to taste)

FOR THE QUINOA 1 cup Tricolor Quinoa 2 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS ROAST THE SWEET POTATOES Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the diced turnips and carrots into a mixing bowl with the oil, honey, and spices and stir to combine. Line a baking sheet with foil and pour the vegetables in a single layer and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and set aside.

COOK THE LENTILS Heat a pan on the stove with one tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and peppers and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Add in the lentils and cumin and stir. Cook for 2 minutes then remove from pan and set aside.

SAUTEE THE GREENS In the same pan you used to cook the lentils, heat one tbsp of olive oil. Toss in the sliced kale and rainbow chard and stir everything together to coat with oil until warmed through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with lemon juice.

MAKE THE AVOCADO CREAM SAUCE Place the avocado, oat milk, apple cider vinegar, one tbsp olive oil, honey, cilantro, parsley, lime juice, salt, and pepper into a blender and blend on high until it forms a creamy sauce.

COOK THE QUINOA Bring quinoa and water to a boil and reduce to simmer covered for about 15 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.

BUILD YOUR BUDDHA BOWL Divide the roasted turnips, lentils, sauteed greens, and quinoa into bowls. Top with some of the avocado cream sauce and garnish with a Chioggia beet, if you'd like! Enjoy!

CSA Box Contents Week Of Feb 8th

Individual: Spring Onion, Bok Choy, Red Lettuce, Dinosaur Kale, Beet, Collard Greens

Small: Beet, Carrot, Bok Choy, Red Lettuce, Collard Greens, Farmer's Choice Herb, Fennel, Cauliflower

Medium: Arugula, Carrot, Watermelon Radish, Beet, Dandelion Greens, Swiss Chard, Dinosaur Kale, Farmer's Choice Herb, Bok Choy, Spring Onion

Large: Spinach, Carrot, Watermelon Radish, Beet, Dandelion Greens, Dinosaur Kale, Spring Onion, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Red Lettuce, Collard Greens, Farmer's Choice Herb

Our farm-photographer, Scott, has likely seen over 500 sunrises at our Garfield, Texas farm. The sunrise, and subsequent clouds, were particularly beautiful this week. Scroll below to see what we're talking about.

A blanket of orange and lavender clouds, think like cotton. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

The first light of the day, making those greens pop. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

 

And now for the clouds. And carrots. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A tunnel of clouds. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Red and green mustards, made more red, and more green, by their partnership. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Fruit tree cuttings, rooting in our fields. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Dino kale looking good. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Tiny romaine lettuces, destined for greatness. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Kale transplants, awaiting their moment to shine. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Gianna's office, our greenhouse, is especially full and especially busy these days. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

This makes us giddy with excitement! Transplant sale announcement is coming sooooon! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Photo by Scott David Gordon.

A rainbow of puree! Photo by the Migoni Kitchen.

Recipe and photo and baby by the Migoni Kitchen 

We have been so ecstatic to introduce the world of food to our little one. I think many new parents are intimidated by preparing food for their children, and we wanted to share how we use our box of organic fresh veggies to make tasty purees for our baby Mila!

General Tips:

• No special equipment needed! We have been using our mini food processor and it’s worked great. So, don’t waste your money on special “baby food makers”.
• Make small batches and then freeze leftovers. We use these jars for storing.
• If the consistency is too thin, you can add some baby cereal to thicken it. If too thick, thin out with reserved liquid from steaming or boiling or breastmilk/formula.
• Don’t be afraid to add in some herbs or spices (non-spicy, i.e. cinnamon, cumin, curry powder) to add more flavor. Avoid adding salt or sugar, however.

Method:

• Thoroughly wash and (if needed) peel your desired fruit or vegetable.
• Roughly dice and add into a small saucepan with just enough water to cover the fruit or vegetable. Do not use more water than needed.
• Next, simmer with the lid on for 10-20 minutes or until the fruit or vegetable can easily be pierced with a fork.
• Strain and reserve the liquid.
• Add fruit/vegetable to the food processor and pulse. Add reserved liquid in small quantities until desired consistency is reached.
• Finally, place into jars and refrigerate until ready to use or freeze once cooled.

The pre-puree version of this dish looks pretty delicious, too! Photo by Summer Migoni.

Favorite Combinations:

• Apples and Carrots (1/2 apple, 1 large carrot = 2 jars)
• Cauliflower and Potato with Rosemary (1/4 large russet potato + 1 cup cauliflower florets = 3 jars)
• Pear and Spinach (1 pear + handful of spinach = 2 jars)
• Sweet Potato and Kale (1/2 small sweet potato + handful of kale = 2 jars)
• White Beans with Chard
• Red Lentils with Collard Greens

Mila looking extra cute enjoying white bean and chard!

CSA Box Contents Week of Feb 1st

Individual: Cauliflower, Beet, Carrot, Chard, Collard Greens, Baby Bok Choy

Small: Cauliflower, Roasting Bag, Dry Herb, Spinach, Mustard Greens, Spring Onion, Dinosaur Kale

Medium: Cauliflower, Beet, Red Leaf Lettuce, Fennel, Spring Onion, Dry Herb, Spinach, Collard Greens, Carrot

Large: Cauliflower, Beets, Red Leaf, Fennel, Spring Onion, Farmer's Choice Herb, Cabbage, Mustard Greens, Carrot, Baby Bok Choy, Swiss Chard, Radish

In 2004, Brenton Johnson grew the biggest backyard garden of his life. This garden, in fact, overtook his front, side, and back yards. Initially, Brenton sold the first official JBG produce at SFC’s Downtown Farmer’s Market, but soon after that, Brenton started our CSA Program. The neighbors, after all, were curious and wanted to know how they could sample some of the produce they had been admiring from the Holly Street sidewalk. This early iteration of our CSA had just 30 members, and its origins inspired our farm’s name as well as our nearly 17-year CSA history! But, where did CSA Programs, themselves, originate?



The earliest roots of CSA Programs in the United States can be traced back to Dr. Booker T. Whatley (pictured below), a horticulturist, author, and professor at Tuskeegee University in Alabama. In addition to advances in the field of regenerative agriculture, horticulture, plant breeding, cover cropping (and so much more), Whatley published what he called the “10 commandments” for a successful farming enterprise. One such commandment was the idea of a “Clientele Membership Club” in which members paid upfront for a portion of a farmer’s harvest. By signing up members at the beginning of a season, farmers are able to pay for necessary season-starters like seeds and equipment…. without having to take out a loan from a bank. Sound familiar? Whatley’s model included options for Pick-Your-Own memberships, and both the CSA and Pick Your Own movements of today can thank Whatley for his ingenuity in the 1960’s and 70’s.

Booker T. Whatley

After graduating from Alabama A&M University with a B.S. in agriculture, Whatley was drafted into the Army during the Korean War where he traveled to Japan and managed a hydroponic farm that was established to feed the U.S. troops in the area. In 1957, Whatley finished his service and enrolled at Rutgers University where he earned a doctorate in horticulture. (In 1989 he earned a law degree from Alabama A&M, as well). At around the same time Whatley was developing his Clientele Membership model, women in Japan founded the Teikei system - another cooperative-based system that connected farmers directly with consumers. During this same period, farm cooperatives and mutually-supportive systems of agriculture were gaining popularity in Europe, largely influenced by Rudolph Steiner’s writings on the subject.

In 1986, a farm in Massachusetts called Indian Line Farm was established as well as one in New Hampshire called Temple-Wilton Community Farm, both of which used the term CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, for the first time. Many cite these two farms and their European influence as the origins of the CSA Model in the United States, an attribution that grossly overshadows Whatley’s contributions and ingenuity which blossomed years before. Sadly, this overshadowing is a common theme for BIPOC farmers in our country. It should be no surprise that we’re superfans of the CSA Model, and we aim to shed some light on the true history of this farming model. And maybe we’re the only ones who geek out on the history of CSA models? The remarkability of Dr. Booker T. Whatley is hard to deny, however.  We’re looking forward to a bountiful spring, which is almost here.  This season, we raise our farm coolers to Whatley - without whom the CSA movement may have not taken off in the United States. If you're a CSA member reading this, we hope you know how genuinely thankful we are for your decision to support our farm and our Community Supported Agriculture program. There are around 100 farm employees and around 200 acres of farmland that are grateful for your support. As always, thanks for reading!