Spring 2009 - The Belated/Abridged Version

    So, spring sort'a came and went before I knew what happened.  I bought a house.  I proposed to my girlfriend.  I bought a puppy.  I expanded the business.  I canned a lot of stuff.  I planted a vegetable garden in my backyard with over 25 different vegetables.   I neglected my blogging.  I aim to remedy this by posting this summer and fall not only about the farmers market but also about my experiences farming my own vegetables.  Hopefully the added subject matter will make up for the total absence of three months of posts. 

   Asparagus is the first sign that our food palate is about to get large and varied.  This year it really came in the first week of May.  In my cooking lessons, I am often asked about seasonal eating/local eating, and how that works.  I use asparagus as the perfect example.  I eat it everyday for the 6 weeks it's around and then I don't eat it for 10 1/2 months.  I make soups, saute it with lemon, custards, omelets, grill it, roast it, steam it, put it on seafood, sandwiches, even make it into ice cream.  It seems a little bizarre at first, but after eating local asparagus and walking into Upscale Grocery Store and buying Peruvian asparagus in the middle of December and you will see why I eat the way I do.

    For those of you who read this often you should remember Erin, she is one helping at all the demos and is the one in the blue coat above.   Well Erin has brought Matt, below, into the Eat & Smile Family and you will start seeing/hearing more about him this summer.  Unless we scare him off.   He works as our bartender, server, food taster, and general all around helpful guy.  

    This spring Eat & Smile Foods also started offering meal delivery in the DC Metro area.  We use all local ingredients from the markets, make delicious and healthy food, vacuum package it, and deliver it to your door.  I started doing it for a single client with many health problems but it quickly grew to include new moms who don't have the time or energy to cook, diet restriction like gluten free, vegetarian, and low calorie meals, office lunch deliveries, and healthy lunch alternatives.  I underestimated the need for locally sourced healthy food that require little mess or clean up delivered to someone's door.  It has taken a while but I feel like we are finally finding our groove.  You can check it out at the top of the page under "Weekly Meal Delivery."

    One notable difference this year was the preponderance of farm stands selling baby vegetable plants for peoples home gardens.  The more I thought about it though the more it seemed like good business sense.  With the economy the way it is with food costs rising, growing your own food is a great economic decision.  After your initial $3 for a tomato plant, you can expect hundreds of cherry tomatoes or dozens of larger tomatoes off any given plant.  That would cost easily $100 if purchased from the market.  All you needed to do was look at it everyday and water it occasionally.  I talked to a few sellers and found that their sales of plants had more than doubled this year from last.  As I mentioned before, I am growing a vegetable garden and already I am harvesting zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, sweet peas, bell peppers, jalapenos, herbs, and even a raspberry.  It is incredibly satisfying to grow your own food, you should try it sometime.

 Spring 2009 Recipe 

Asparagus Soup

Ingredients

• 3 Pounds Asparagus
• 3 Cloves Garlic (minced)
• 1 Onion (diced)
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1 cup Cream
• 2 cups Stock/Water
• 2 Tbl Butter
• 1 Lemon
• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Blanch Asparagus in boiling water for 3 minutes, then remove to an ice bath and soak till cold, remove and drain.
• Heat a high sided sauted pan till almost smoking.
• Add butter and let melt.
• Add onion and cook for 5 minutes or till soft and translucent.
• Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add white wine and reduce till almost gone.
• Add stock/water and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add cream and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.
• Turn off heat and let cream seep for 30 minutes
• Pour cream mixture over asparagus and let steep for 30 minutes.
• Puree mixture in blender, IN BATCHES, till smooth.
• Pass through a strainer to remove fibers.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add lemon juice.
• Eat & Smile

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