Here is a great idea for next year – fresh vegetables straight off the farm delivered to your door, if that is what you choose!

Baskets of Plenty by Pam Vukelic
Winemakers call it “terroir” – the taste of the place from which the grapes come. I’m pretty sure that my palate does not have the level of sophistication that would allow me to distinguish between the growing region of one grape from another, or one potato from another, if one can apply the same process to vegetables. I do know, however, that food grown closer to home tastes wonderful, is better for me, and helps our economy.

Nutritionists encourage us to fill half of every dinner plate with vegetables. That’s a pretty tall order and to pull it off takes a concerted effort. This summer that task became much easier at our house as we were on the receiving end of fresh, locally grown vegetables cultivated and cared for by “Jay the Farmer” or Jay Basquiat.

My summer enrollment in Baskets of Plenty with Jay gave me the opportunity to savor the flavor of locally grown produce, to get it at the peak of ripeness and freshness, and to try a number of foods new to me.

Jay’s passion is Community Supported Agriculture. He didn’t set out to be a farmer. Rather, he intended to be a college professor, hence his bachelor’s degree in English, master’s degree in philosophy and theology, and doctorate in ethics. As I visited with him, standing in his garden patch, it became clear that what he learned pursuing those degrees permeates his farming practices. His first commitment is to the earth, maintaining a balance of what is taken with what is put in.

To partake of Jay’s bounty, I became a shareholder before spring planting, choosing whether I wanted a small or large portion, a weekly or biweekly portion, and if I preferred to pick it up or have it delivered. That’s when the anticipation began!

The first produce was ready in early July and every delivery offered up the excitement and intrigue of packages under the Christmas tree. I never knew exactly what to expect, but quickly realized I could count on it being flavorful and nutritious. I chose the pick-up option, so met Jay in the K-Mart parking lot. Using the wooden bushel basket he provided, I loaded up the assortment that was my designated allotment. In addition to the predictable potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, and corn we could choose from a wide variety of squashes, various leafy greens, assorted root vegetables and usually a couple of herbs. The options were different each time, depending on what was ready in the garden, so I had many opportunities to look for new recipes to take advantage of produce I don’t regularly use.

Kale became our new favorite vegetable, most often prepared as a slaw-type salad combined with red bell pepper, carrots and chopped peanuts, then tossed with a dressing of vinegar, sugar and peanut butter. I bought a wonderful “homemade” peanut butter at Hell’s Kitchen restaurant in Minneapolis, but that’s another story! Suffice it to say, if you’re in the cities, you should put it on your list of eateries to visit for a memorable experience.

Beautiful, colorful Swiss chard showed up in the deliveries more than once, affording opportunities to try different methods of preparation. My new favorite – toast some nuts or seeds (e.g., almond slices, pistachios, sunflower seeds) in a dry skillet and remove for later use. Heat a flavored oil (orange is great) in the skillet, or make your own flavored oil by adding a couple cloves of slightly smashed garlic. Remove the garlic and add a whole panful of one-inch strips of Swiss chard. Cook until just slightly wilted, toss with the roasted nuts, and serve. Couldn’t be easier, nor more tasty!

The benefits of a Community Sustainable Agriculture program are broader than getting chemical-free food with better flavor and health benefits. You support the local economy and a local farmer. You eliminate the energy expenditure of transportation and storage. You know where your food comes from and how it is grown. Jay’s blog (web.me.com/basketsofplenty/) offers advice on using and preserving the produce. It also offers insight into his philosophy, for example:

“As I clear the garden of pea vines, heaping them upon the compost pile,
they rustle, shake, and break. They look spent, withered, used. All the nutrients
they pulled from the water and soil now begin the great return: first, to your body
as you ate the snow peas; now, as the vines decompose to black soil. Once more,
this soil will bear the seeds of a new crop down the road, richer for having held this
death, this dying. Without the death, there would be no life.”