I was lucky to spend a day in the kitchen of the Crooked Carrot CSK (that's Community Supported Kitchen) with my friend Mahra as well as Johanna, one of the three members of the enterprise.
The small kitchen, just outside Ithaca NY, gleamed with pots and ladles, jars and colanders - and the possibility of the ingredients of the day. The kitchen is housed in the farm building of Stick and Stone farm and is a very bucolic place to prepare food.
The CSK is part of the Full Plate Collective and is especially aimed at members with produce shares;
This morning, for the eating pleasure of the CSK members we would be making blackberry and blueberry custard and a black bean and cucumber salad. But first, to the garden.
We walked along one of the farm roads in search for blackberries. I was looking into the fields for the rows of brambles when Johanna said, 'over here, we are picking wild blackberries today'. Carefully, with varying levels of deftness, we plucked the ripest berries from the tangles of thorns. Back in the kitchen we washed and mixed these with blueberries.
I had never made custard before and was really keen to know the method. The smell of the vanilla bean infusing the slowly heating cream definitely whet my appetite. Mahra and I worked carefully together pouring the cream mixture into the bowl of egg yolks, whisking slowly and steadily.
There are many admirable things about the Crooked Carrot CSK. Firstly they are committed to allowing seasonal produce to shape their fortnightly menu. If cucumbers are weighing down the vines outside then they become a central player in a salad. An abundance of kohl rhabi becomes a delicious pickle, a glut of tomatoes is carefully transformed into a hearty pasta sauce for dinner. Less than perfect fruit and vegetables are often used to make delicious dips, soups and lacto ferments. This thriftiness if nothing new, but in a society that wastes 40% of the food produced for consumption it is certainly radical enough to warrant honorable mention.
Another admirable aspect of this CSK is their approach to packaging. Well, 'packaging' is maybe not the best word. All of the meals, dressings, dips, desserts etc. that are dispatched to the members come in a glass jar with a crooked carrot printed on the side as well as a label. These jars differ in size and shape, depending on what they are being filled with.
The members are required to return these jars which are washed and reused for the next round of goodies. Zero single-use packaging for pre-prepared food is so rare these days, at least in our culture. My friend Sam recently told me about buying yoghurt in China, which came in reusable ceramic bowls. We have a long way to go. Convenience need not be synonymous with wanton waste. I often dream of the day where all bought food is dispensed, bulk style, directly into our own containers which we bring from home, carefully selected for the ingredients it will hold.
Many food coops incorporate such systems into their shops. Source Wholefoods (Hobart, Tasmania) is one. It is really satisfying and curiously personal to bring along your favourite honey jar, since emptied and now being filled once more with a luxuriously thick flow of amber - your breath held while you concentrate on timing it just right.
The foods just looks great in the jars too.
On this day we also made a delicious black bean salad with juicy cucumber, onion, just picked corriander and a wonderful herby dressing which reminded me of the centrality of balance (and chemistry!) in good cooking.
I was pretty happy when lunch time rolled around. We feasted, with the Stick and Stone crew, on a smorgasboard of fresh salads, dips, two kinds of aioli, ferments, stewed fruit and yoghurt. I never appreciate lunchtime as much as when I am working and this was a meal to inspire all meals. Thanks for having me, everyone.
The small kitchen, just outside Ithaca NY, gleamed with pots and ladles, jars and colanders - and the possibility of the ingredients of the day. The kitchen is housed in the farm building of Stick and Stone farm and is a very bucolic place to prepare food.
The CSK is part of the Full Plate Collective and is especially aimed at members with produce shares;
"By pairing our share items with in season vegetables, our share supports your healthy home cooking. For example, in early summer your CSK share might include arugula pesto to toss with sautéed summer squash, Greek-style dressing for baby salad greens, fresh herb aioli as a dip for new carrots and cucumbers, and pickled turnips to eat as they are. Most share items are ready-to-eat as a simple meal, and our newsletters will provide recipes and ideas for ways to combine your share with seasonal vegetables and other local products."
- Crooked Carrot website
This morning, for the eating pleasure of the CSK members we would be making blackberry and blueberry custard and a black bean and cucumber salad. But first, to the garden.
We walked along one of the farm roads in search for blackberries. I was looking into the fields for the rows of brambles when Johanna said, 'over here, we are picking wild blackberries today'. Carefully, with varying levels of deftness, we plucked the ripest berries from the tangles of thorns. Back in the kitchen we washed and mixed these with blueberries.
I had never made custard before and was really keen to know the method. The smell of the vanilla bean infusing the slowly heating cream definitely whet my appetite. Mahra and I worked carefully together pouring the cream mixture into the bowl of egg yolks, whisking slowly and steadily.
There are many admirable things about the Crooked Carrot CSK. Firstly they are committed to allowing seasonal produce to shape their fortnightly menu. If cucumbers are weighing down the vines outside then they become a central player in a salad. An abundance of kohl rhabi becomes a delicious pickle, a glut of tomatoes is carefully transformed into a hearty pasta sauce for dinner. Less than perfect fruit and vegetables are often used to make delicious dips, soups and lacto ferments. This thriftiness if nothing new, but in a society that wastes 40% of the food produced for consumption it is certainly radical enough to warrant honorable mention.
"Since getting deeply immersed in the local foods movement, Silas (one of CSK founding members) has dreamt of a new model for food service: a model where the craftmanship of his favourite chefs and the progressive values of Community Supported Agriculture could meet the everyday food pragmatism of his mother - who fiercly put complete meals of wholesome food on the table, seven nights a week"
- Crooked Carrot website
Another admirable aspect of this CSK is their approach to packaging. Well, 'packaging' is maybe not the best word. All of the meals, dressings, dips, desserts etc. that are dispatched to the members come in a glass jar with a crooked carrot printed on the side as well as a label. These jars differ in size and shape, depending on what they are being filled with.
The members are required to return these jars which are washed and reused for the next round of goodies. Zero single-use packaging for pre-prepared food is so rare these days, at least in our culture. My friend Sam recently told me about buying yoghurt in China, which came in reusable ceramic bowls. We have a long way to go. Convenience need not be synonymous with wanton waste. I often dream of the day where all bought food is dispensed, bulk style, directly into our own containers which we bring from home, carefully selected for the ingredients it will hold.
Many food coops incorporate such systems into their shops. Source Wholefoods (Hobart, Tasmania) is one. It is really satisfying and curiously personal to bring along your favourite honey jar, since emptied and now being filled once more with a luxuriously thick flow of amber - your breath held while you concentrate on timing it just right.
The foods just looks great in the jars too.
On this day we also made a delicious black bean salad with juicy cucumber, onion, just picked corriander and a wonderful herby dressing which reminded me of the centrality of balance (and chemistry!) in good cooking.
I was pretty happy when lunch time rolled around. We feasted, with the Stick and Stone crew, on a smorgasboard of fresh salads, dips, two kinds of aioli, ferments, stewed fruit and yoghurt. I never appreciate lunchtime as much as when I am working and this was a meal to inspire all meals. Thanks for having me, everyone.
