Homemade Fast Food

"Mise en place" is the french term for "putting in place."
Setting up all your pre-measured ingredients helps you stay
organized in the kitchen (and feels like a cooking show!)

Make ahead meals is the topic for our March cooking workshop here at The Hub. Soups, stews, pies and baked dishes work well to make ahead in large batches, and freeze for later use. Our workshop utilizes a set of core ingredients to build 3 dishes that differ in flavor, texture and presentation. Participants helped prepare the dishes, then packaged them up for freezing at home. Spending a few hours cooking ahead allows for convenient "fast food" meals, without sacrificing quality, nutrition and taste.

From a big pot of chickpeas (garbanzo beans) a batch of brown rice, plus a few other basic ingredients like fresh spinach, vegetable stock and canned tomatoes, we made Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie, Chickpea Spinach Soup and Chana Masala (served with Brown Rice). Each of these affordable dishes can serve as a complete meal, and they all taste great. 

Homemade vegetable broth is simple to make with veggie scraps
and lend rich flavor to soups and other dishes. photo credit: Ayana Brown

You could do something similar with another type of bean or meat, and different grain and vegetable choices. Another approach is to make several pans of one dish, such as enchiladas or lasagna, and freeze enough for several meals. 


Some things to consider for Make Ahead Freezer Meals:

·       Suitability There are a few items that don’t freeze well: lettuce, cucumbers, bean sprouts, raw potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Egg based sauces like mayonnaise will separate and curdle when thawed. And many dairy products such as cream, yogurt, cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese will sometimes go watery when thawed. However sour cream or cottage cheese in a dish that will be baked is usually fine.

·      Appeal. Will you want to eat this meal again? If you didn’t like the food the first time, you probably still won’t like it a few weeks later.

·       Timing. Make sure you set aside enough time to prepare the food, let it cool, and package it for the freezer. A few hours (or less) are all you need for most meals. Some people like to make a day out of it, and cook several different dishes, for a variety of choices.

photo credit: Ayana Brown

·      Space. How much space do you have in your freezer? This will determine how much food you can make ahead and store, and what kind of packaging you choose.
·       Containers.

Ziploc-type plastic bags bags Make sure and get out as much air as possible, and seal it tightly to avoid any spills or freezer burn (double bag for extra protection).  

Aluminum Foil Baking Pans or your own baking dishes. Look for these at dollar stores where you can often get a 3 pack for $1.

Plastic Tupperware or other plastic containers with sealed lids. These work well for soups. They can take up a lot of room in the freezer so consider space when using them.

photo credit: Ayana Brown

·      Serving Size. Unless you are freezing large portions for a family meal (for example, a lasagna or a pan of enchiladas), small serving sizes are usually easier to thaw and reheat.

·     Ease of Reheating. Choose meals that are easy to defrost and reheat. Pans that can go directly in the oven are perfect. For soups, let it thaw a bit in the container, then you can transfer it to a pot to heat up.

·       Label. Make sure to label and date all meals in the freezer. Place older frozen foods towards the front of the freezer so you are more likely to see them and eat them. Another idea is to make a list of all frozen meals and place this list on the outside of the freezer so you always know exactly what you have without having to search.

Early Spring Gardening

Early spring is a beautiful time for getting the garden started!While sunny days provide a chance for soil to warm up, chilly temperatures mean cold-loving crops are happy as can be!

These vegetables love cold weather, and can either be started inside and then transplanted, 

or directly seeded as soon as the soil isn't frozen: 

Spinach, Lettuce, Endive, Arugula, Collards, Kale, Brussels Sprouts

Turnips, Rutabaga, Radish, Parsnips, Carrots, Peas

Kale and peas grow in one of our raised beds outside the pantry

While cold weather crops can be directly seeded into the dirt, spring is also a great time to start warm-weather plants inside. For seed starting instructions, click here!

Low Tunnels and Cold Frames

Last week we were bested by the weather, when an unexpected, last minute winter storm covered our garden in a beautiful, but unworkable, blanket of snow. 

Rather than be put out, however, by this burst of cold and the unpredictability of the season's end, we're utilizing some of our finest "who knows what the weather will bring today?" tools! 

So what are these tools you ask? 

Low tunnels and cold frames!

These two handy structures are useful all winter, and into the spring as well. The general idea is that by enclosing a space under clear plastic or glass, the sun's light will pass through, become trapped, and warm the area underneath. This simple process brings many benefits, including...

• Solarizing the soil! At the end of winter, soils may remain frozen from cold temperatures. This can make it difficult to begin planting. Solarizing the soil with a low tunnel creates warmth that will help avoid both these problems by making the soil workable enough to transplant and warm enough for germination to occur.  
• Creating livable temperatures for your plants! Even if the soil isn't frozen solid, it may still be too cold outside for plants to survive - particularly at night. Low tunnels and cold frames raise the temperature underneath their coverings - by as much as 30-50 degrees on a very sunny day! - which can make a huge difference for crops. In fact, it's advisable to vent both structures on very sunny days, to avoid overheating your plants.
• Protect plants from surprise frosts! We've all been there, when you think the cold weather is finally finished, and then one last frost surprises you! Don't let bad weather sneak up on you and harm your plants - low tunnels and cold frames provide frost protection.
• Enjoy cold weather crops! Some plants actually prefer the cold - spinach, kale, radishes, arugula and lettuce for example. In fact, they taste better if they've been hit by a bit of chilly weather. Utilizing cold frames or low tunnels gives you the chance to start them early so that they get a little of that cold weather that makes them deliciously sweet, but avoid withering during a frost. 

So how do you build these systems?

• Low tunnel kits with all the necessary components and building instructions are available in the MHC Tool Share, and come in multiple sizes to fit any garden. 
• Find instructions here: How To Build a Low Tunnel 

• Building a cold frame can be as simple as placing four straw bales in a rectangular shape, and placing a glass window pane over the top. 

From Garden Intern to Farmer: the Jennie Rasmussen Story

Over the years Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard has hosted a number of incredible Community Garden Interns. Some move on to programs like FoodCorps, while others go on to farm, teach, enroll in Food Studies programs, or work in the non-profit sector.

This winter I had the delight of visiting former Community Garden Intern Jennie Rasmussen, who now farms with Alex and Betsy Hitt at Peregrine Farm in North Carolina’s Alamance County. I took a beautiful walk around the farm, marveling at the mild North Carolina winter and tasting spinach and chickweed from one of the many hoophouses.

I then visited with Jennie at the Carrboro Farmer’s Market. It was a wet and chilly day, but the market was bustling. Peregrine Farm was clearly a favorite stall, and I had to fight the crowd to offer Jennie a taste of my homemade apple cider doughnut. After seeing Jennie learn the basics of vegetable gardening in the Banneker Garden years ago, it was fabulous to see how her knowledge has expanded and added to the food security of her North Carolina community.  Learn more about Peregrine Farm here, apply to be an MHC 2015 Garden Intern here.

Garden Planning

At the Hub, we revel in the excitement of planning for the coming garden season, especially during the cold months of January, February, and now into March!  As we map out and plan our own community gardens, we offer in-pantry demonstrations on garden planning and mapping, as well as multiple Garden Planning workshops. 

The first step in garden planning is to know your zone, as well as the plants that thrive during each part of the growing season.  We like to share information about the needs of different plants, and an essential part of the planning process is knowing the difference between plants that need warm soils, and those that prefer cooler weather.  Many wait to plant a garden until May, missing the opportunity for all the cool weather veggies that love early spring in Indiana.  See our Cool and Warm Seasons Crop Chart to start planning your garden!

Starting Seeds Indoors

 Daydreaming about your summer garden in the midst of winter's last weeks? 

No need to wait to get started! The last weeks before spring are a fantastic time to begin planning your garden and getting seeds started inside. Crops with a longer maturity date benefit from indoor starting, which can help counter a shorter growing season than may exist outdoors. So do plants that enjoy cool spring weather when fully grown, but need more warmth to germinate than winter provides. Not to mention, starting seeds inside can be a lovely way to experience some greenery without having to wait on the weather. 

Here's a helpful how-to and some troubleshooting tips that will lead to good health in your seedlings, which will in turn lead to stronger plants once they're moved outdoors. 

How to Start Seeds Indoors

1. Collect the materials necessary for starting seeds - pots, soil, seeds, light, warmth, water and a fan. First you'll need pots or containers. The containers can be anything, so long as it provides roughly 3 inches of depth, and has holes in the bottom for drainage. 
2. For soil, try to use a potting soil mixture, which is lighter than garden soil and will allow new roots to grow easily. Wet your soil to the dampness of a wrung out sponge before planting, and then fill your containers to the very top, to provide as much room for root growth as possible. 
3. Sow your seeds. Most seeds should be buried to a depth of 2 times the diameter of the seed - thus small seeds are close to the surface and larger seeds are buried deeper. 
4. Once your seeds are covered with an appropriate amount of soil, water them thoroughly with a gentle sprinkle of water, careful not to disturb the seeds. As the days pass, water your seedlings wen the soil feels dry to the touch. 
5. Jot down the type of plant and variety somewhere on your container, to remember which starts are which later into the season. 
6. Place the containers somewhere warm indoors to germinate - most seeds require 60-70 degrees to germinate, or specify otherwise on their seed packet. 
7. Once your seeds germinate, sunlight is very important. A sunny window will do, or a fluorescent shop light with plant grow bulbs. The light should be suspended 2 to 4 inches above the seedlings, and on for roughly 16 hours a day. 
8. Set up a fan to lightly move air around your starts. This helps to reduce the formation of harmful fungus in the soil, and also encourages tougher stems, making for stronger plants - a little training for the real world! 
9. When the seedlings have grown their first set of true leaves (3rd or 4th leaves to emerge), they should be fed with diluted liquid feed. At this time they can be potted up into larger containers if their initial pots are too small, or transplanted outside if the weather permits.

Still having trouble? Some common problems are...

• Poor germination: you could have used old seed, or seed that had been stored in poor (warm/moist) conditions. Some seeds take a very long time to germinate (celery takes 2-3 weeks). If your soil temperature is too cold seeds may remain dormant. Eggplant and peppers like 75 degree soil! If you have over watered the seed could have rotted. 
• Damping-off: When your seedlings grow normally and then drop over at the soil line they have most likely been attacked by this disease. To avoid this, always use a sterile seed starting mix and clean your containers between uses. Be careful not to overwater and keep a light fan on the starts to minimize the chances for this disease to develop. 
• Pot bound: If seedlings have been kept in a small pot too long, their roots will get crowded and start growing out the bottom of the container. These seedlings will become stressed and need to be transplanted into your garden beds, or, if it is too soon, they need to be potted into larger containers. Take care not to damage roots during transplanting1
• Too leggy (tall and weak): If your starts are spindly they may be growing with insufficient light. The plant is reaching for light. When transplanting leggy starts into the garden bed plant them very deep ("sink" them), most plants will form new roots along the stem working to make the plant more robust and productive. 
• Yellow or sickly looking seedlings: If your starts aren't looking very green they probably need to be fed more or watered less. Allow the mix to dry out, then feed and water with a liquid food at the appropriate diluted strength. 

Happy planting, and may all your seeds grow into beautiful and bountiful plants!

Seed Starting with Recyclables

Garden season is nearing, and with it the time for seed starting! In fact, at the Hub, we've already started some of our cold-hardy and 100 day crops, including leeks, onions, kale and spinach. While traditional plastic seed start containers and flats can be useful for this task in some ways, they can also be pesky. Popping transplants out of them can lead to root damage, and purchasing new trays or replacing broken ones can be expensive. 

Luckily there are other options - and you need look no further than your recycling bin to find them! 
Old lettuce containers, milk cartons, plastic bottles, and newspaper can take on a new life holding your seedlings while they germinate and grow ready to move outside. 

For cans, bottles, or containers, simply clean them well, make sure there are several, small drainage holes in the bottom, fill with potting soil, and plant your seeds! 

For easy transplanting (great for plants with fragile root systems, like peas!) try newspaper pots. Once the seedlings are ready for transplant, newspaper pots can be planted directly into the soil. Over time, the newspaper will break down in the soil, and your plant's root system will be able to push through and continue growing. Just make sure to use only non-glossy newspaper, as glossy ads will not break down as easily.


To make your own newspaper pots, follow these simple instructions...

You will need:

-       Newspaper sheets (one sheet = one seed starting pot)

-       A 10-15 oz. can or small mason jar

-       Potting soil and seed

1.  Fold a sheet of newspaper lengthwise to create a strip. Press along the folded edge. 
2. Set the can on its side at one end of the strip, with the base of the can about 2 inches up from the edge. Roll the newspaper around the can to create a cylinder.
3. Starting at the outer seam, fold the free end of the cylinder inward. Make three more folds inward to create the base of the pot, pressing firmly to make the folds as flat as possible.
4. Slip the pot off of the can or bottle. Starting at the outer seam, fold the top 1/2 to 1 inch of the pot inward to create a stable rim.
5.  Hold the pot with one hand, with some of your fingers on the bottom to keep it closed, and fill the finished pot to the top with moistened potting soil. Plant a seed into each pot, and if desired, place the pot onto a tray to catch any leaks that may happen during watering.
6.  Once your seeds have sprouted and are ready to be planted, simply place the entire newspaper pot into the ground! The newspaper will break down quickly, leaving your plant’s roots free to grow!

Sprouting Seeds for Fresh, Year-Round Goodness

Mung beans and sunflower seeds sprouting in the Hub kitchen

One way eat fresh local veggies year-round is to sprout seeds.  Sprouting seeds is the simple, quick and cheap.  Because of our need for these fresh "live" foods and the enzymes and healing properties these foods contain, it is encouraged that a variety of sprouting seeds be a part of every diet. These would include wheat and other grains, lentils, peas, beans, and small seeds like alfalfa, clover, radish, cabbage, broccoli, sunflower, etc.  It’s easy! 

We really enjoy the succulence of mung bean sprouts in stir fries and ramen noodles, and the spicy flavor of radish sprouts to liven up sandwiches.  You can purchase small amounts of seeds, beans and nuts in the bulk bins of our local grocery stores, and experiment to see which sprouts you like best in your household!

Supplies needed:
Sprouting containers. Use wide mouth quart jars for alfalfa and other small leafy greens; trays for beans and wheatgrass, as well as buckwheat or sunflower "lettuce."
*the Hub Tool Share has sprouting jars available to check out! 
Sprouting lids. (available at health food or preparedness stores), create your own out of cheese cloth or a piece of fiberglass screen to cover jar opening. (In dry climates, a piece of nylon stocking works well.)
Sprouting seeds. Any seed capable of growing into a plant will sprout.


Ready, Set, GO!
1. Sort and soak dry seeds. All seeds should be sorted, removing broken seeds and small pieces of debris. Place in a quart jar. Place sprouting lid or fabric (see suggestions above) over the top of the jar. If using fabric, secure with a jar ring or wide elastic band. Rinse seeds well, then pour off water and add soaking water-twice as much water as you have seeds. (Because of the excess salt in softened water, and the chlorine in city water, it is best to use purified water for soaking and rinsing.)
2. After soaking, pour off water and drain well. Whether you leave seeds in the jar or transfer to a tray, tipping the container slightly will help seeds drain better. Most failures at sprouting occur because seeds are not drained properly. (After soaking beans, pour onto sprouting tray and remove any seeds that have not expanded and are still hard; they will not sprout.) When no water drips from sprouts, roll jar so that most seeds coat sides of jar. To sprout in trays, spread seeds evenly, drain well, and cover with a lid or cloth to retain moisture and keep out light. Move to a warm (about 70°F) place and rinse with lukewarm water 2 times a day (or just often enough to keep moist, for small seeds like alfalfa) until sprouts have reached the desired length.
3. Harvesting. Any seed CAN be eaten when the sprout has pushed through the outer shell of the seed. Most grains, beans and larger seeds are best when the sprout is as long as the seed. For instructions on growing "lettuce," wheat grass, and long, fat bean sprouts, see Natural Meals in Minutes, pp. 84-85.
4. "Greening." When leaves have appeared on small seeds like alfalfa, and sprouts are about 1" long, place jar in a light place (not in direct sunlight) to "green" for 3-4 hours, allowing the chlorophyll to develop.

Store sprouted seeds in a covered container with paper toweling on the bottom and between layers. Use within 4-5 days. Sprouted beans and grains can be frozen for later use. Mung and soy beans that are sprouted to about 2" long turn limp when thawed, but can still be used in cooking. I put 2-cup portions of sprouted grains or legumes in quart zip-loc bags, force out excess air, then stack flattened bags in the freezer where they store well for 1-2 months.