Wednesdays at the CSA: Recipes at Last! 4th of July Potato Salad with Green Beans and Salsa Verde
For years now, I’ve been blogging about my wonderful CSA. I love it. I love everything about it. The biodynamic food, of course, is delicious – out of this world good. The atmosphere is more Berkeley than Bethesda. It’s like a mini-vacation into another world every time I head over there, a few short blocks from my home.
But cooking?
That’s what my husband does. I really don’t know how to cook.
Now I have a wonderful surprise for you: each week this summer I’ll be featuring a recipe and post from guest blogger Mattie Kahn. A green teen and foodie, she’s also, as you’ll see, a wonderful writer. And she knows how to cook! She’ll be at culinary school in the fall, but for now, we get to enjoy her explorations with my weekly CSA share.
– Lynn
Think summer picnic. Go ahead. Picture it, you can close your eyes if you need to. If you’re like me, you’re probably envisioning a rolling, green lawn, a checked blanket, friends, family, kids–company of some kind, anyway, maybe, if you’re feeling optimistic, a warm mid-summer breeze, and definitely a picnic basket. The picnic baskets that dot my childhood memories were always filled with some variation on sandwiches, salad, brownies, and watermelon. My siblings and I munched on PB&J in Central Park, tuna-cucumber along the pier on the Hudson River, even an adventurous spread of hummus and veggies on a pebbly Cape Cod beach.
But my most persistent summer picnic memory is the sweet, salty taste of the perfect, cold potato salad, carted along in some container to satisfy every picnic participant, every time. My family’s trademark German-style potato salad–meaning, a mustard-based dressing–was so pervasive, that it wasn’t until I was ten or eleven that I’d ever tasted a potato salad made with mayonnaise. Since then, I’ve been to many more picnics, with families other than my own, and sometimes just with friends. I’ve tasted a LOT of potato salads.
With fourth of July around the corner, and this week’s CSA share list boasting delicious, flavor-packed new potatoes, and brimming with other potato salad ingredients, I thought I’d introduce you all to a potato salad that’s a little more adventurous than your average picnic side-dish fare. This one’s lightly adapted from the geniuses over at Food and Wine magazine, and it’s been a staff favorite over there for ages. Embrace the vibrant flavor of salsa verde as a delicious and unexpected dressing for this salad. In it’s original Food and Wine incarnation, the recipe is made with green beans, but being a green peas lover as I am, and because peas appeared on the CSA sharelist this week, I decided to sub out the beans for peas. Enjoy!
Potato Salad with Green Beans and Salsa Verde:
Ingredients:
1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 1/4 cup minced chives
3. 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (another CSA sharelist goody!)
4. 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint or cilantro, or a mix of both, depending on your taste preferences
5. 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
6. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
7. 1 large garlic clove, minced
8. Salt
9. 1 1/4 pounds new red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
10. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
11. 1 1/2 pounds green peas, fresh if you can find them! They’re in season.
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil with the chives, parsley, mint or cilantro, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic and season with salt. Let the salsa verde stand at room temperature for 15 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold water, add a large pinch of salt (Kosher salt, if you have it on hand) and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes over moderately high heat until just tender, about 8 minutes; drain and return them to the saucepan. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the peas and cook until tender, but not mushy, 3-4 minutes; drain. Return the beans to the pot and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Season with salt.
- Add half of the salsa verde to the potatoes and half to the peas, stirring to coat. Transfer the peas to a serving bowl. Top with the potatoes, and serve. Keeping this potato salad warm lends the potatoes and added velvety texture, but from my trial experience, it’s just as delicious after being cooled in the fridge!
Enjoy your holiday weekend!
- Mattie
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
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Filed under Bethesda, CSAs, Food, Holidays, Recipes | Wordpress Comment (1) |Do Dads Get a Bum Deal on Father’s Day?
“Just look at this!” DH exclaimed, gazing at the selection of grilling guides artfully arranged in the bookstore in anticipation of Father’s Day .
“You Moms get spa outings and retreats on Mother’s Day! Us Dads? We’re expected to fire up the grill. And now, we can’t even do that right! You Green Moms are telling us we have to learn how to grill green!”
I laughed, but then I reconsidered. Gee, I realized, school’s even out for Father’s Day. No artfully decorated gifts from the kiddos, carefully project-managed by the kids’ teachers. No, it’s all up to the kiddos and/or Mom to figure out how to commemorate Father’s Day.
What do you think? Do we need to reinvent how we celebrate Father’s Day? What are your traditions? And what are your favorite “green gifts” for a green Dad?
I may also update this old post about what Green Dads want for Father’s Day! If you want to be included, leave a comment below or @ me on Twitter @organicmania!
– Lynn
(Note: This is a reprint of a blog post from 2008. Figured it stood the test of time, so I’d re-spin it! What do you think?)
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Filed under Holidays | Wordpress Comments (6) |This Memorial Day, Remember Why We Celebrate Memorial Day
Thought you’d find another “keep it green” post here, huh? I’ve done that before.
But what I hadn’t done until recently is realize how few people actually take the time to truly commemorate Memorial Day.
Of course, every holiday is a bit like that. The religious complain that Christ has been left out of Christmas. Thanksgiving, for some, is just a prelude to “Black Friday.” And Memorial Day…well, it’s the official launch of summer.
The beach beckons.
Coolers must be filled.
Grills must be fired up.
But it’s also a time when veterans, and those who love and respect them, come together to honor the ultimate sacrifice – laying their lives on the line for this country.
Today, just steps from a busy boardwalk, I observed a sparsely attended ceremony honoring those who fought battles long ago…and the battles of today.
I wasn’t surprised to hear the Master Sargeant from Dover Air Force Base talking about receiving fallen soldiers from overseas, but I was a bit surprised to hear him talk about a time in the future, a time “when our youth are no longer asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.”
Too late to visit a wreath laying in your community? If you do nothing else, consider donating to the Memorial Day Donation Challenge from Paralyzed Veterans of America (donations are doubled up through today). And be sure to head on over to Twilight Earth to read this poignant post from DC green guy Adam Shake, a veteran of the war in Bosnia.
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
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Filed under Holidays | Wordpress Comments (5) |Earth Day Reverie
For a green blogger, what one chooses to post on Earth Day carries quite some significance.
I debated.
I thought about adding my voice to those expressing disgust at the commercialization of Earth Day. But I tried that two years ago.
And this year?
The same company that I took to task on Earth Day 2008 had their PR firm approach me about publicizing their tactless displays…
I thought about writing an update about “A Travesty on Earth Day.” It was two years ago Earth Day when a Bethesda developer chose to chop down eight beautiful, healthy, four-story high, towering trees in the heart of downtown to make way for a condo building….
Two years later…and those trees are gone forever, with no luxury building in sight.
I thought about writing an update post on the launch of my client, Green My Parents.
But heck, I spent the better part of the day tweeting about Green My Parents anyway!
Instead, I decided the best thing I could do for Earth Day was to get outside.
Watched as my eldest boy admired a tree branch.
Let my younger son think that leaves were a type of “toy” from the Earth.
And me? There’s nothing like lying in the soft, sunlit grass – enjoying Mother Earth. (Even when reminders of the constant pull of our commercial culture are literally right at hand).
And your Earth Day?
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
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Filed under Bethesda, Consulting Business, Green Kids, Holidays | Wordpress Comments (3) |Happy Easter, Chocolate Face!
I had to share this pic of Boo, because it just encapsulates the joy of a little one, doesn’t it?
Of course, as per usual, I had great plans to write well researched posts about the dearth of fair trade chocolate, easy tips for an eco-friendly Easter, and more.
But at the end of the day, as we all know, you can’t do it all. Face in front of the computer, or face in front of your loved ones?
I opted for love.
Hope you did too. Enjoy the day!
(Now my DH’s cheese souffle beckons…)
– Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
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Filed under Holidays | Wordpress Comment (0) |10 Tips for a Really Green Saint Patrick’s Day
Note: This is a lightly updated post I run every year at this time. I guess every year I hope the Giants and Safeways and other grocery stores and mass merchandisers will stop hawking so much crap on Saint Patrick’s Day. But as this picture I snapped yesterday attests, they’re still at it….
Flowers are great….green plastic hats and plastic wrapped flowers – not so much!
The “green” holiday is becoming anything but green. Back when I was a kid, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day was simple. You put on some green clothing, perhaps a “Kiss Me I’m Irish” button, and made sure to down some beer that night. If you truly had the Luck of the Irish, you got to watch or march in a St. Patrick’s Day parade.
But like everything else in our consumerist society, we’re being prompted to buy more “stuff” to celebrate properly. I’ve admitted to loving the tacky, tacky side of Christmas, replete with blow-up inflatables and lighting, but decorating for the holidays is a longstanding tradition. Do we really need more inflatables barely three months later? This year, St. Patrick’s Day inflatables have popped up on suburban lawns, biding their time till they end up in our landfills. (Check it out here). And more and more, the retailers are offering special Cheap Plastic Crap for St. Patrick’s Day. Cheap Plastic Crap is bad enough in kid’s goody bags. Do we really want to encourage it on St. Patrick’s Day too?
Here are 10 tips for celebrating a truly green, eco-friendly St. Patrick’s Day. Have fun! Luck o’ the Irish to you!
1. Wear Green
2. March in or Watch a St. Patrick’s Day Parade
3. Enjoy Some Irish Spirits (and if it’s beer you’re drinking, opt for organic!)
4. Sing Irish Songs
5. Visit an Irish Pub or Restaurant (Walk or take public transit if you can!)
6. Bake and Decorate Some Green Cookies or Cupcakes
7. Skip the Corned Beef, Go for the Cabbage (Why? Cattle farming is a contributor to global warming).
8. Say No to Cheap Plastic Crap for St. Patty’s Day
9. Say No to St. Patty’s Lawn Decorations and Inflatables
10. Smile and Say Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Have fun!
– Lynn
Copyright 2010 OrganicMania
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Filed under Holidays | Wordpress Comment (1) |Green Valentines for Your Little (and Big) Kids
With all the focus on “Snowmageddon” “Snowzilla” or whatever you decided to call the two storms that hit the DC area this week, I actually forgot Valentine’s Day is coming up…!
Heck, between snow days (6), illness (2 days) and holidays (2), my kids will have missed 10 out of 11 consecutive school days! So I think I can be forgiven for forgetting that those darling little Valentines need to be dutifully addressed to each classmate and brought into school next week!
But when I checked the school listserv today, I realized apparently I was the only one who had forgotten…a bunch of other parents had actually spent constructive time during the snow storms making Valentines cards with their kids!
What a great idea….and it’s not too late…
You can get fancy if you want, but in earlier years, when I’ve had my act together (no snow), I got rave reviews from the preschool teachers with just the simplest of Valentines. Before my son could even cut out a heart shaped valentine, he cut circles, squares, oblong odd shapes – whatever he could muster – from red construction paper. Then I either wrote his name on each one or he stuck a sticker with his name on each Valentine.
The teachers and kids loved the home made Valentines. I loved doing a simple, easy craft with my child from materials that we already had at home. What’s more, I didn’t waste gas, consume unnecessary plastic, or have to spend bucks on silly Valentine’s cards.
C’mon…join me – it’s not too late – we can still get those Valentines cards made! And making – rather than buying – is just one simple way to show love to Mother Earth this Valentine’s Day!
Does your family have a Valentines tradition? Leave a comment and share!
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
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Filed under Holidays | Wordpress Comment (0) |It’s International Ice Cream for Breakfast Day on Saturday!
Here in the DC region, people are counting on being snowed in tomorrow as we wake to more than two feet of snow. But if you’ve got any ice cream in your freezer, you can call over to your closest neighbors (who are sure to be home!) and throw an Ice Cream for Breakfast Day party!
Held the first Saturday in February, Ice Cream for Breakfast Day is exactly what it sounds like. A great excuse for a party! What began as a small gathering in upstate New York is now a worldwide event, but still very much under-the-radar!
Here’s more on the story from the “official” Ice Cream for Breakfast Day website.
Once upon a time there was a little girl named Ruth and a little boy named Joe. Ruth and Joe grew up in the
back of beyond in New York state where it was very very cold. Every winter between New Year’s Eve and
Passover, life in up-state New York got extremely boring, so their parents invented a holiday to brighten
up the dreary days of winter. It was called Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. This was a wonderful holiday for
children and parents alike because to celebrate you had to eat ice cream for breakfast on the first Saturday in
February.
Well, Ruth and Joe grew up and went away to a university. They made many friends and taught them all
about Ice Cream For Breakfast Day. After college Ruth had a roommate named Barry to whom she also told
about this tradition. Many years later, Barry met Itzah C. Kret in Washington, D.C. and converted him into an
Ice Cream For Breakfast Day observer.
Nobody has kept precise track but through word of mouth ICFBD has been celebrated in many homes, states
and countries all over the world. Some people give parties with musical instruments, others simply
celebrate with family members. There is no right or wrong so long as you follow the 3 plus 1 simple Ice
Cream for Breakfast Day Rules
(1) Eat ice cream
(2) for breakfast
(3) on the first Saturday in February
(4) spread the word
The rest is up to you!
As for me, I’m fortunate to be invited to the famous Barry’s party! But I’ve got to trek through all the snow, which may come up to Boo’s shoulders….so we’ll see if we make it. Actually, nothing keeps me from my ice cream, diet or not (at least not on Ice Cream for Breakfast Day).
Let me know if you spring for Ice Cream for Breakfast Day! (And yes, make it organic!)
Have fun!
– Lynn
Copyright OrganicMania 2010
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Filed under Bethesda, Food, Holidays | Wordpress Comments (3) |Greener New Years Resolutions: Tackling the Big One – Weight Loss
I’m sure she didn’t mean to offend me, but when my friend saw this photo up on my Linked In page, her reaction was swift: “When did you have that picture taken? Ten years ago??”
Ack. Do I look that bad? Did I really age 10 years in just three?
Actually, thanks to the blessings of good genes, I know it’s not wrinkles or skin flaws that make me look older.
It’s weight.
I had that picture taken when I first discovered I was pregnant with Boo. I knew I’d gain weight during pregnancy, and I wanted a good photo on hand for professional purposes.
But nearly four years later, and well you guessed it…the “baby” weight is still on. In fact, I’ve gotten heavier.
And I’m not the only one.
It’s blogging’s dirty little secret. Go to any blogging conference or blogger get together and you’ll see that I’m not the only one using a picture slightly more flattering than reality.
What do you expect from an avocation that encourages sitting around on one’s arse?
A more recent picture – tweeting from the opening of the White House Farmers Market.
There I am in pink next to FRESHFARM Markets co-founder Bernie Prince.
I’ve struggled with weight my whole life. I’m one of those gals that has a wardrobe than spans five sizes, for my “ups and downs.” Unfortunately, the ups are far more prevalent lately than the downs. And it’s impacting my life in many ways – as a self-employed marketing consultant, press opps are important. Yet I’ve turned down several offers to appear on TV. Why? Well, for someone who blogs about “healthy green living,” isn’t it a bit hypocritical to be so heavy? Everyone knows that’s anything but healthy or green.
And the TV interviews? Well, everyone knows TV adds ten pounds – the result would be horrifying, I’m afraid. Movie cameras add pounds too, so I was secretly relieved when Canadian film maker Mihn Sook Lee cut me out of her My Toxic Baby Film – although, heck it would have been fun to see the footage of Boo and my Green Mom friends. (We were all filmed at the Blogher DC conference a year ago).
So what to do? More importantly, what can I do that’s DIFFERENT? What can I do this year that will work?
I know I eat for emotional reasons, and neglect exercise due to the same competing life/work pressures every parent faces. Intellectually, I know the basics of good nutrition and the benefits of regular exercise.
Yet I’ve had nothing but a series of false starts and stops over the past couple of years I’ve tried to shake the baby weight. Worse yet, once I start dieting, I have a tendency to GAIN weight. All that focus on food makes me…eat!
So here’s what I’m doing this year: focusing on what’s worked before. When I’ve faced major changes in my life – parenthood, entrepreneurship, loss of a pregnancy, going green – I’ve turned to online listservs for support and camaraderie. We all know history repeats itself. So this same model should work for weight loss. I’m giving it a shot anyway. Care to join me?
Here’s how it will work. I’ve already recruited a small number of women to join in – I’ll set up a listserv and there we’ll share the trials and tribulations of losing weight, helping each other achieve our goals.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
Maybe I’ll even update that Linked In picture. After all, I intend to look even better!
Happy New Year!
This post is for the Green Moms Carnival on Green New Years Resolutions, hosted by Katy of Non Toxic Kids. Head on over to check out some other fabulous posts about Green New Years Resolutions from the wonderful women of the Green Moms Carnival as well as other contributors.
- Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
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Filed under Food, Holidays | Wordpress Comments (17) |For Some, There is Truly Sustainable Christmas Decor. And Then There’s the Rest of Us…
While making the second of two treks to Big Boy’s elementary school yesterday (don’t ask), I noticed this gorgeous outside Christmas display. What’s not to love? Sustainable, creative, festive, merry, bright….
And then there are those of us who are just used to things a bit more, shall we say, bright?
Let’s face it. You can take the girl out of New Jersey, but you can’t take the New Jersey out of the girl. I may be able to pass myself off as a Washington, D.C. sophisticate from time to time, but when it comes to deep-rooted traditions like Christmas, I’m well…I’m tacky. I confessed it two years ago in this post, Green Tacky, Tacky.
At Christmastime, I dream of New Jersey lights: big, honking, obnoxious, BIG LIGHTS like at the “Elvis House” in Mahwah, New Jersey and the Koenig Christmas House in Lodi, New Jersey, which features 43,000 lights synchronized to music and a bowling Santa scene.
I tried to use only the most tasteful LED lights, like the white icicles that look like a picture straight out of Southern Living Magazine. But they were…boring. So I compromised with these multi-colored LED strands we string through our bushes.
But they’re still….too boring.
I just…needed more….something tacky.
I tried to explain to my reserved British-born husband that next to those crazy light shows back in New Jersey, our display was positively modest. Why, all we have is a Christmas countdown clock (pictured above), towering eight foot tall inflatable Santa
flanked by another towering inflatable snowman,
blinking choo choo train, miniature lighted Santas up the front walk, Mr. and Mrs. Claus sitting on our front porch, and of course the bushes accented by tasteful energy-efficient LED lights. Why, I doubt we even qualify for a listing at tackylighttour.com!
Of course, as a self-professed “Green Mom,” I’m keenly aware of all the waste engendered by this display. I published this plea two years ago for tacky, tacky energy-efficient, recyclable, LED Christmas light displays. But two years later….still nothing in the stores. Yes, I have tacky LED Christmas displays, but they’re hardly sustainable. You can’t even replace a bulb! They’re designed to be thrown away after just a few seasons’ use. My gosh, there’s got to be at least one or two other conflicted Tacky Greens out there who would buy sustainable tacky Christmas decor!
So why do it? Well, just as we have our Greener Traditions like Ye Olde Advent Calendar and the Reading of the Christmas Books, our tacky, tacky lawn has become a much anticipated annual event in our Bethesda neighborhood. I now have a reputation to keep up! Ours is the house that the children come to visit – to look and to gawk at Santa, Snowman, and the rest of our artificial friends. We look out the front window and laugh at their pointed fingers and smiles. And to me, albeit a lot less green than I’d like, it sure does bring a lot of joy to us during this season of joy.
By the way, if you see any tacky, tacky LED outside Christmas light displays with replaceable bulbs, PLEASE let me know where to find them!
– Lynn
Copyright 2009 OrganicMania
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