Foods I miss in Austin....

....would be far, far too long. I did a similar list when I left Wichita, but for Austin, it will have to be a top ten.

1. Breakfast tacos--yes, I am addicted and just this morning suggested to my little diner on the corner that they add them to the menu. Particularly, from Elsi's.
2. Protein 2000 from Veggie Heaven.
3. Hot dogs from Dog Almighty.
4. Central Market. Sigh. Do I need to say more?
5. Vietnamese food, particularly Sunflower by my house.
6. The pastry case at Mandola's, particulary the angenetti (cakey, lemon cookies.)
7. The Steeping Room--if you haven't been, then get yourself there.
8. Boxes of vegetables from my CSA.
9. Having friends over for dinner.
10. The giant Asian market up the street.

Mangez!

First Box of Organic Love

Today I picked up my first box from the Hairston Creek Farms CSA. It was chocked full of organic, delicious goodness: tomatoes, small onions, new potatoes, Japanese eggplant, small bell peppers, hot peppers, okra, cucumber, squash and a cantaloupe. So what did I create with it? What any good, southern boy raised eating out of the garden would cook:



-A tomato salad with onion dressed with a little pomegranate vinegar, a drizzle of olive oil and some blue cheese to sprinkle on top.
-Steamed new potatoes with a little butter and some dill.
-Oklahoma hushpuppies a.k.a. okra pancakes. Fried and fried.

I bought some popcorn tofu from Wheatsville Co-op earlier this week and it was the perfect accompaniment to the fresh veggies. It was all delicious and I can't wait to cook and eat the rest of the box.

Mangez!

CSA

What is a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture. It's basically a subscription for food. You pay a small farmer a certain amount and in return receive a share of the harvest. Its like going to the farmers market, BUT you don't have to go to the farmers market. Instead, you pick up your weekly or bi-weekly share at a neighborhood location. Some even deliver. Its good for the farmers because they have guaranteed income. It's good for you because most are organic and you're eating seasonally and locally. What could be better?

I've been reading about CSAs for a while now, but Michael Pollen had a link to Local Harvest in one of his blogs for the New York Times. Local Harvest was started by Guillermo Payet, featured in this months Gourmet in an article about Peru and its return to native foods. (More about Local Harvest here.) You can search for stores, farmers markets or CSAs in your area by zip code. Easy!

From the site, I found several CSAs in the Austin area and corresponded with one to work out the details of a subscription. Next Wednesday, I pick up my first box from Hairston Creek Farms. They've been growing organic certified produce since 1993 and it sounds wonderful. I'll keep you posted not only on what is included, but also what I make with it. Can't wait!

Mangez!