A Plot of Community Food Security: one patron’s story

Here at the Hub we’re always encouraging folks to grow food at home, or in community gardens. We provide education and tools for gardening in our workshops and tool share program. We also promote the benefits of home food preservation, to extend the harvest beyond the growing season and into the winter months. One of MHC’s patrons, Pearl Patton, is doing just that.

Pearl and Carl in front of the giant bed of beans in Pearl's garden.

A few of the jars of beans Pearl has already pressure canned this summer.

With the help of friends, family and neighbors, Pearl, age 72, planted the plot next to her house with corn, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumber, two varieties of bush beans, and cabbage.  Last week she called on her community to help with the snap bean harvest, and has already canned thirty-five quarts with several pairs of hands picking and prepping.

“People are good to me,” Pearl admits.

She shares the food with her helpers and has donated beans to the MHC Food Pantry through the Plant a Row for the Hungry program.

Pearl is retired from 24 years at the Westinghouse plant in Bloomington.

“Those capacitors weigh a hundred pounds. I only weighed one-fifteen,” Pearl reminisces.

She says this is the first year she has planted the whole length of the plot since she gardened with her husband and children many years ago.  She says the high food prices last winter inspired her to expand from the quarter-plot she had been tending in recent years. Her housemate Gordon helped plant the garden and is keeping up with the weeds. Carl, who proxy-shops at the Hub for Pearl each week, spent the day picking beans with her last Saturday. “I’d say we picked twenty gallons, and there’s still more coming,” Carl remarked, shaking his head, “that’s a lot of beans!”

While home gardening and canning may be growing in popularity with a younger crowd, it’s nothing new for Pearl.

“I grew up on a 321 acre farm near Harrodsburg. You had to work or go hungry,” she remembers.

“One time I got the measles and had to stay home from school. My dad said ‘oh good, we got three hundred pounds of taters to plant.’“  Pearl recalls that being out in the early May sun made her measles itch more, but her dad told her, “don’t stop to scratch, keep droppin’ taters.”  The next day she still itched, but decided she’d rather go to school.

Pearl expects to harvest “a truckload” of cucumbers, and plans to donate a portion of those to MHC, as well as any other excess produce she doesn’t put up or give away. Pearl’s garden is a good reminder that building community food security isn’t rocket science, it’s just good ol’ fashioned common sense.

Know Any Good Green Bean Jokes?

“Green Beans, or string beans as they are usually called, must be done [boiled] till very tender -- it takes nearly an hour and a half.”

Sarah Josepha Hale, 'The Good Housekeeper' (1839)

Neither do I. And I couldn't think of any cute, catchy titles for this post, either, even after I googled green bean jokes and green bean quips and green bean quotes and a couple more things along those lines. But I do know some good green bean recipes!

I grew up eating canned green beans, just plain from the can. Heated, of course, but plain. Not at all fancy or exciting, but not bad, either. Just sort of there. And that’s pretty much how I’ve always thought about canned green beans. Fresh green beans are better, though. There’s more scope, more things you can do to them to fancy them up while retaining the green beaniness. Here are a few of my favorite ways to fix them.

First, of course, is green beans with bacon or ham. Southern Style cooks the beans to death – at least one or two hours, maybe more – with a ham hock and some extra lard or butter or something like that. The idea is that the beans absorb all that delicious flavor. Maybe they do, but they also end up way too mushy for my taste. I prefer the beans fully cooked – tender, but not tender-crisp and not mushy. And with a few slices of bacon or some ham. I don’t know that there’s a name for beans cooked this way. Maybe Northern Style Green Beans? You can add some potatoes to either version and kill two sides with one dish, or even have just the beans and potatoes for supper.

Something that I just learned about a couple of years ago is fried green beans. The recipe I’ve been using calls for frying them on top of the stove, but I just found a recipe for ROASTED GREEN BEANS, and I’m going to give you that recipe instead, just because it’s easier. And cheaper and healthier because it uses less fat. But still good.

I belonged to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) when I lived in California, and we used to get lots of green beans. I don’t remember where I got the tomatoes, but I made GREEN BEANS HELLENIKA a lot with the CSA beans. I’d still make it today if I had lots of green beans and tomatoes, because it’s really good. Since I have to buy them, though, and they’re both pricey at the Farmers Market, I’d rather eat my green beans and tomatoes separately, so I can concentrate on how good they are individually. If you have a garden and lots of beans and tomatoes, give this a try.

I always thought that succotash was corn and lima beans, and since I don’t like lima beans, I didn’t like succotash. Turns out that it can be made with green beans instead of or in addition to the lima beans. Like in this recipe for GREEN BEAN SUCCOTASH. The Joy of Cooking is a classic cookbook. Pick one up if you happen to run across one. Mine is one I inherited from my grandfather’s sister. I like old cookbooks.

One final dish that combines fresh green beans with another summer vegetable, GREEN BEANS WITH ZUCCHINI. An added bonus is that the cost of the green beans offset by the much cheaper, at least this time of year, zucchini.

I just looked through my oldest cookbooks – going back as far as 1815! – and most of them said to cook the beans to death, though that may have been because the varieties of beans that they had back then weren’t as tender as the ones we have today and they had to be cooked longer. Most of them called for cooking the beans for an hour or more, draining them, then adding salt and pepper, butter, and cream. Some of the recipes called for adding a bit of flour to make a thin white sauce, but most of them just called for cream. I think I’ll give it a try the next time I have some fresh green beans.

What’s your favorite way to cook green beans?

Summer Veggie Retrospective and Weekly Specials with Mary Anne

Don't have time to do a full regular post with new recipes and menus and costs and all, so instead I'm going to do a retrospective of summer veggie recipes that have been published on the new blog.

Have you been to the Farmers Market recently? It's in full swing with heaps and piles and boxes and truckloads of bright, vibrant, fresh veggies. Zucchini. Summer squash. Tomatoes. Cucumbers. Peppers. Eggplant. Green beans. Lettuce. Greens. And lots more. Plus the usual eggs and meat and honey and flowers and bedding plants and prepared food. And all the people and the buskers and the whole ambiance. It's wonderful. It's Bloomington.

And don't forget that you can exchange up to $18 of food stamps for twice as many Market Bucks! That means you can get the wonderful fresh veggies, meats and dairy for half price. What a deal!

But back to the specials at the grocery stores.

Marsh has family packs of ground beef for $1.99 per pound and family packs of boneless skinless chicken breasts also for $1.99 per pound. Seedless grapes are $1.99 per pound. “Colossal” Vidalia onions are 89 cents a pound. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are “buy one get one free” but they don’t say how much that first one costs. Prices are good through Wednesday, July 2.

Aldi has blueberries for 99 cents a pint and strawberries for $1.49 a pound. Seedless watermelons are $2.99 each. Avocados are 69 cents each. Peaches, nectarines and plums are all $1.98 for a two pound package, or 99 cents a pound. Prices are good through Tuesday, July 1.

Kroger has peaches for 88 cents a pound. Tomatoes on the vine, green beans, and red, orange and yellow peppers are all 99 cents a pound. Half gallons of milk are four for $5.00, or $1.25 each, or $2.50 per gallon, with a limit of four half gallons. Barbecue sauces are ten for $10.00, or $1.00 each. Cheeses are $2.99 for 12-16 ounce packages. Cottage cheese is two 24-ounce cartons for $4.00, or $2.00 each. Chicken drumsticks or thighs are 99 cents a pound. Prices are good through Wednesday, July 2.

IGA has chicken drumsticks and thighs for 99 cents a pound. Vidalia onions are 89 cents a pound. Zucchini and yellow squash are $1.49 per pound. Corn on the cob is six ears for $2.00, or 33 cents an ear. Prices are good through Sunday, June 29.

When the first of the summer veggies come out, I usually want to just savor each one individually for its uniqueness. But pretty soon I'm looking for more ways to incorporate them into my menus. That's what these recipes are for, after you've had the first green beans just plain or with butter, or the first tomatoes with just a dash of balsamic vinegar, or the first zucchini lightly sauteed with a touch of dill. I hope some of these will make it onto your roster of go-to summer recipes.

By the way, did you know that there's an index of sorts to the recipes on the blog? I say "of sorts" because the blog is still a work in process as we move posts from the old site to the blog and try to get everything linked everywhere it should be. Bear with us! But anyway, to get to the index, start by clicking on the COOK icon right under the picture of the carrots and all, which will take you to a list of broad categories - FOOD PRESERVATION, PASTA, VEGGIES & SALADS, etc. And a link to get you to all of my columns, too! Click on the VEGGIES AND SALADS link and it will take you to a list of - you guessed it - recipes for veggies and salads. All of these recipes are on that list along with lots more, and more will be added almost every week as we find more recipes to post and as we finish migrating recipes from the old site. Or you can enter the ingredient you want in the search box and find your recipes that way.

Happy Cooking and Eating!

Mary Anne

PS - Turns out that trying to pick my favorite old summer veggie recipes is a lot like picking my favorite child! (Well, not that I have any kids to pick my favorite from, but you get the picture.) So I've just listed all of the recipes for cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini and summer squash. Some are mine, some Kayte and others posted. Enjoy!

CUCUMBERS
Creamy Gazpacho
Cucumber Salads
Easy Greek Yogurt Cucumber Sauce
Panzanella Bread Salad
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper Salad

EGGPLANT
Easiest Eggplant and Sausage Casserole
Eggplant Casserole
Eggplant Chili
Eggplant Tempura
Moussaka
Sichuan-Style Eggplant
Simplified Moussaka

GREEN BEANS
Cheesy Beef and Green Beans
Green Beans Almondine
Savory Bread Pudding with Vegetables and Cheese

PEPPERS
Crock Pot Ratatouille
Fajita Salad
Italian Sausage and Peppers
Panzanella Bread Salad
Roasted Red Pepper Soup
Smoked Sausage and Peppers
Stir-Fried Italian Sausage and Peppers
Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper Salad
Unstuffed Peppers

TOMATOES
Crock Pot Ratatouille
Eggplant Casserole
Panzanella Bread Salad
Provencal Tart with Gruyere and Herbs
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Tomato Bread
Tomato, Cucumber and Pepper Salad
Tomato Salads
Tomato Soup Three Ways

ZUCCHINI AND SUMMER SQUASH
Chicken and Vegetables
Crock Pot Ratatouille
Italian Sausage and Zucchini
Microwaved Summer Squash with Garlic and Dill
Sausage Squash Casserole
Savory Bread Pudding with Vegetables and Cheese
Taco Summer Squash Casserole
Veggie Manicotte with Tofu Ricotta
Zucchini and Carrots
Zucchini Spice Bread

What Do We Do With the Veggies, and the Weekly Special with Mary Anne

Marsh has meat this week. Family pack assorted pork chops are 99 cents a pound. Hormel Cure 81 Spiral Sliced Half Hams are 99 cents a pound. Sugardale hams (water added) are 69 cents a pound. And they have iceberg lettuce for 99 cents a head. These prices are good through next Wednesday, February 26.

Aldi has some great buys on produce. Green peppers are three for $1.49. Mushrooms are 99 cents for eight ounces. Roma tomatoes are 99 cents for twenty ounces, or 80 cents a pound. Red potatoes are $1.89 for five pounds, or a little less than 40 cents a pound. Onions are 99 cents for a three pound bag. These prices are good through next Tuesday, February 25.

IGA has turkey breast for $1.19 a pound. Ten pound bags of chicken leg quarters are $5.99, or 60 cents a pound. These prices are good through next Sunday, February 23.

Kroger has their regular one-week sale and also a special four-day sale. The four-day sale ends Sunday, February 23. On sale for those four days they have milk for $1.98 a gallon (limit 2) and ten pound bags of russet potatoes for $1.98, or 20 cents a pound (no limit). On sale for the week ending Wednesday, February 26, they have iceberg lettuce for 99 cents a head and leaf lettuce for 99 cents a pound. Celery is 99 cents a head and Roma tomatoes are 99 cents a pound. Ragu spaghetti sauce of various types is $1.29 a jar after a 50 cent discount for buying six of various things. Split chicken breasts (including bone and skin) are 99 cents a pound. Various cheeses are $3.49 a pound. Cottage cheese and sour cream are $1.99 for 24 ounces. 

I’ve given recipes for all of the types of meat that are on sale this week, so I’m going to do something a little bit different. I’m going to focus on the veggies instead of the meat. I’ll still give recipes and menus that come in at about $1.50 per serving for the whole meal, though, and they will all include meat. I just won’t limit myself to one kind of meat.

The first recipe, SMOKEDSAUSAGE AND PEPPERS uses Bar S Smoked Sausage that’s $3.99 for two and a half pounds, or $1.60 a pound, this week at Marsh. There are a few different kinds at this price. I’m going with the Polish sausage. In case you’re wondering why I say to cut the sausage on the diagonal, it’s because it makes the pieces look bigger! This will cost about $5.15 and will make four servings. You could add a lettuce salad and stay under $6.00. Or a can of fruit. Or carrot sticks and dip. Or you could add some more veggies to the sausage and peppers. Carrots would be good, or cabbage, or mushrooms.

One of my favorite vegetable dishes is MUSHROOMS AND ONIONS. It seems to go over well with guests, too. It goes with just about any kind of meat. Here I’ll pair it with pork chops. You’ll think this makes a huge amount, but because the mushrooms and onions cook down so much you’ll end up with a lot less than you expect. It makes four servings as a side dish. With the mushrooms and onions on sale, it will cost about $2.50. Add four 8 ounce pork chops for another $2.00, and a salad of iceberg lettuce, carrots, green pepper, and a diced Roma tomato for another $1.50, for a total of about $6.00.

And finally, PEANUT STIR-FRY. You can use whatever meat you want with this – IGA’s turkey breast or chicken leg quarters, or Marsh’s pork. It's the PEANUT SAUCE that's important here. Let’s go with the pork, shall we? Pork is so good in a stir-fry and goes well with peanuts, too. You can use pretty much any vegetables you have on hand. I just chose these because they’re on sale and the colors look nice together. Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are good in a stir-fry, too, as are fresh green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, etc. Pretty much anything goes. This will come to a little over $5.00 and will make a lot. You shouldn’t need anything to go with it.

Isn’t it great when veggies go on sale? These are good, but I can hardly wait till summer!

Roasted Green Beans

(howsweeteats.com/2010/10/roasted-green-bean-fries/)

1 lb fresh green beans, washed, tipped and tailed, but left whole

1 t olive oil

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Put the beans on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the oil. Use your hands to rub the oil on every bit of each and every bean. If you absolutely have to, you can use a bit more oil, but don’t use too much or they won’t get as crisp. Lay them out in a single layer on the baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once during cooking. Don’t worry about getting each and every bean turned. Just use tongs and try to get most of them.

Green Beans Hellenika

(The New Laurel’s Kitchen, by Laurel Robertson, et al, 1986)

1 lb green beans, cut in bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)

1 small onion, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

1 T olive oil

1/2 t salt

Dash pepper

About 1 c water or stock

Cook all ingredients together at least 20 minutes, until beans are tender, using just enough water to prevent sticking. Stir from time to time.

Green Bean Succotash

(The Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer, 1931)

2 c corn

2 c finely shredded green beans

Butter

Paprika

Salt

Heat the corn and green beans, then season to taste with butter, paprika and salt.

Green Beans with Zucchini

(adapted from a recipe in Southern Living, November 2002)

1 lb green beans, in 1-1/2” pieces

2 T butter

1/2 small onion, diced (about 2 ounces)

1 medium zucchini, sliced

3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 t salt

1/4 t pepper

Cook green beans in boiling salted water until tender-crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter, then sauté the onion for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Add the zucchini and sauté another 3 or 4 minutes, or until just tender. Stir in the beans and remaining ingredients and cook for a few minutes, until thoroughly heated through.

Green Beans Almondine

Pick green beans that are about the same size and not too fat. Top and tail them and wash them. You’ll probably need to cut them. If you can leave them in about 6” lengths, do so. Otherwise, go ahead and cut them in about 1-1/2” pieces. The longer ones look more elegant but aren’t as easy to eat. Cook them in boiling salted water until tender-crisp. I like all of the raw taste gone but I want them to still have a bit of bite. Mom likes hers cooked to death. Cook them however suits your family. As soon as they’re done, drain them and set them aside. Throw out the water. In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter. Add 1/2 cup of slivered or sliced almonds. Heat for a couple of seconds, add the green beans, toss everything together, and serve. You can cook the beans ahead of time, if you want, and then reheat them in the butter at the last minute. 

Pork and Vegetables

Most vegetables go well with pork. Ones that are traditionally associated with pork include:

Cabbage
Sauerkraut
Mushrooms
Acorn and other winter squash
Green beans
Peas
Broccoli
Corn
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Greens
Sweet potatoes

Dried beans and other legumes go well with pork, too, specially split peas and white beans.

Cheesy Beef and Green Beans

(based on a recipe from grace2882.wordspot.com)

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup chopped)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
2 14-oz cans green beans, drained (or about a pound of fresh green beans, cooked)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large skillet, cook the beef and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink and onions are tender. Drain. Stir in tomato sauce, green beans, garlic powder and chili powder. Cook until heated thoroughly. Add 1 cup cheddar cheese and stir until cheese melts.

Ham, Potatoes and Green Beans

(the way my Mom used to make)

2 pounds potatoes

2 pounds fresh green beans (or 2-3 cans of green beans, drained)

2 c ham, diced

Ham broth, if you have it
Salt, but not if you use ham broth

Peel the potatoes and quarter them. If they’re big potatoes, you’ll need to cut them again. Tip and tail the green beans and cut them into about 1” to 1-1/2” pieces. Cook the potatoes, green beans and ham in ham broth, if you have it, or in water if you don’t, until the potatoes are done. Serve it in bowls, with some of the broth.

Actually, I'm just pulling quantities out of the air, here. The real recipe is however much ham you have, and how every many green beans you have, and enough potatoes to make it feed however many people you expect for supper. It's a very flexible and forgiving recipe.