Leona Valley is for cherry lovers!

What can be better than farmer's market bounty? Pick your own fruit!

For one short month of June, beautiful Leona Valley is bursting with sweet cherries! There is absolutely nothing like picking a firm and lustrous cherry off the tree and letting the flavor explode in your mouth.

Copeland's orchard organic Utah variety ... small and sweet!

Copeland's orchard organic Bing variety ... dark and sweet!

Copeland's orchard cherries!

Mr Stein of the Stein ranch in Leona Valley informed us that July is apricot month!

Huge Impact

Last night I watched Collin Beavan's No Impact Man: The Documentary. Beavan's year long project into reducing his family's environmental impact, documented in this movie, had a profound impact on me. It reaffirmed for me that what is good for the environment is also good for me personally, or as Colin puts it, on his blog, "happier planet = happier people". And just like anything that is worthwhile watching - this documentary was not merely enjoyable and worthy of discussion, it propelled me to take immediate action.

Before I knew it, I had taken out my sewing machine, old cotton tablecloth and a tape measure and made drawstring bags for the greens and fresh herbs I pick up at the farmer's market every week. (Most weeks, I decline the plastic bag and just place the dill, parsley and cilantro directly into my shopping bag, often next to muddy beets, and later regret not having anything to shield them from the dirt. Also greens tend to last longer in the refrigerator when stored in a bag.)

As my reusable recycled cloth bags are drying on the line, I am inspired to completely do away with plastic bags. What are your thoughts about healthy and happy environment being inseparable from healthier and happy people? Have you seen No Impact Man or read Beavan's book by the same name?

Garlicky greens with cannellini beans

This recipe was remixed from One Bite At a Time cookbook by Rachel Katz, a gift from Fridy (Thank YOU). You can use any bunch of green leafy vegetables from your favorite farmer at your local market. I prefer to use red swiss chard because of the color and because it takes less time to cook than say kale or collard greens.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of swiss chard, roughly chopped with stems cut off (save the stems for veggie stock or soup)

1 yellow onion, finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 can of cannellini beans, rinsed

lemon juice

olive oil

salt

pepper

cayenne (if you like)

Saute the onion in plenty of olive oil until it is translucent with hints of golden brown. Add garlic and continue to saute for 30 more seconds. Reserve the onions with the oil. Deglaze the onion pan with some water. Add the swiss chard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cover and let cook until all of the swiss chard has wilted. Drain the swiss chard. Combine the caramelized onions and the oil they were cooked in, swiss chard and cannellini beans. Mix and add lemon juice. Enjoy cold as a salad or warm as the main dish.

Rainbow roasted vegetable salad

Yesterday, while working in my garden, I noticed that the house next door has a lemon tree full of large ripe lemons. I convinced my husband to go next door. He came back with 3 really large lemons. When I cut one in half, I realized that it was not a lemon - it was a grapefruit. I went ahead and used grapefruit juice in lieu of the lemon juice for the dressing. So, if you don't have lemons, use grapefruit... and if you don't have grapefruit, use rice, apple cider or pomegranate vinegar. And if you don't have a butternut squash or don't want to go through the trouble of trying to cut it in half, substitute with 3 white potatoes or leave it out.

Ingredients:

3 Beets, washed and ends trimmed (wash the greens well, wrap with a paper towel and put into a plastic bag to use in soup or to saute with garlic and onions)

3 sweet potatoes, washed

1 small butternut squash, washed and cut in half lengthwise

1/4 bunch of fresh or 3 teaspoons dry dill

olive oil

lemon juice, or grapefruit juice or vinegar

salt

pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 or 400. Put all the veggies into a lasagna type ceramic or stainless steel pan. Cover the bottom with 1 inch of water. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake until you are able to pierce the veggies with a knife with no resistance. Take out of the oven and let cool. Peel and cut into 1/2 - 1 inch cubes. Add olive oil, lemon juice, dill, salt and pepper and mix. Enjoy!

Summer Butternut Squash Soup

This week, the LA weather took a turn for the worse. And by worse, I mean, it turned ugly and reminiscent of an Arizona summer. I really enjoying making and tasting soups. In yesterday's 100 degree heat, I had to think of another way to enjoy my shapely organic butternut squash. I decided to make a chilled summer soup. I let my crock pot do the sweating, while I went to the beach. This soup came out really well and I am excited to share it with you!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash cleaned, peeled, seeded and cut into 1.5 inch cubes

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped

1/2 bunch dill, roughly chopped

1 twig of fresh rosemary, or 1-2 teaspoons dried rosemary

1 inch section of ginger, peeled and finely minced

juice of 1 orange

olive oil

salt

pepper

6-8 cups of water

Directions:

1. In a pan, saute onion in olive oil until golden brown.

2. Add celery, carrot, salt, pepper, rosemary, ginger, orange juice and dill and continue to saute covered for 10 more minutes

4. Put butternut squash in a crock pot. Cover with water and cook on low setting for 6-8 hrs. (If you don't have a crock pot, you can also simmer it in a soup pot on low heat for an hour)

5. Adjust water, salt and pepper

6. Pure in a food processor, blender or using an immersion blender.

7. Chill in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours

8. Enjoy!

Chinese Spinach Soup

At last week's West Hollywood Farmer's Market, I bought a big bunch of Chinese spinach. It looks a bit like basil, but tastes like spinach. I wanted to make a soup out of it, but couldn't find any recipes with Chinese spinach. I didn't want to see this green beauty wilt in my refrigerator or go to the compost bucket untouched, so I created this recipe. Jacob tells me that this was the best soup he's tasted, and second only to his Bubby's. I tend to think that the love you put into the meal you make is what makes it tastes so good, but this time it was a complete accident. I put the soup on the stove and completely forgot about it. I was consumed by some phone calls for about 45 minutes, while the soup was bubbling on the stove. This soup tastes yum with bits of matza. I plan on buying a different bouquet of greens every week and making a soup around it. Next week will be sweet potato greens week.

Ingredients:

1. 1 leek, washed and thinly sliced; remember to discard the dark green parts
2. 4 stalks of celery, washed and diced
3. 2 medium potatoes, washed and diced
4. 1 large or 2 medium carrots, washed and diced
5. 1 bunch of Chinese spinach, washed and chopped roughly, including stems and leaves
6. 2 tablespoons of miso
7. olive oil
8. salt, pepper, cumin
9. bragg's liquid aminos
10. 8 cups of water

Directions:

1. saute leek in olive oil on low heat
2. add celery, carrot, and potato; mix well
3. cover and let sweat
4. add Chinese spinach, salt, pepper, cumin; mix well
5. continue to saute under the cover
6. add water; cover and cook on low heat for about 45 minutes
7. turn off the heat, add miso and mix well
8. adjust salt to taste or add bragg's liquid aminos
9. enjoy!