Sunday Shopping

The weather was brisk this morning, although the sun was bright at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

It being the Sunday after Thanksgiving, we did not need a lot of food, and the farmers did not expect a lot of customers. (The Hollywood Christmas Parade doesn't help – it goes along Hollywood Blvd. at 5 p.m. but roads are blocked off at 11 a.m., making getting to the Market difficult. Fortunately we were in and out before 8:15 a.m., so we had no troubles.)

After doing our shopping, we always stop at the newsstand on Cahuenga near Hollywood Blvd. to buy the Sunday New York Times. Over the years, the cashiers have entertained us with stories of overnight police activity and crazy party-ers. We often navigate people leaving clubs (scantily-dressed, blinking in the morning light, waiting for their ubers) as we make our way to the market wearing flannel and carrying cloth shopping bags. This morning, as I stood in line waiting to pay for the paper, the young hipster in front of me grabbed it and insisted on paying for it.  I resisted, but the cashier indicated he just wanted to end the transaction with this addled party-er who couldn't say which cigarettes he wanted because he was so busy talking (talking!) on his phone. So I thanked the nice young man, took my paper, and went on my way. He wished me a good night. I wished him one too.

Just another Sunday morning in Hollywood.

Here's what we bought at the market:

1 red butter lettuce; 4 bunches of scallions; 1 bunch cilantro; 1 bunch radishes; 1 celeriac; 1/4 lb each of cremini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms; 5 cameo apples; 2 anjou pears; 2 bartlett pears; 1 dozen eggs; green beans; 1 bunch red russian kale; 13 oranges; 1 bunch parsnips.

Thanksgiving

Filo tart before the top is added

I thoroughly enjoy Thanksgiving – a holiday centered around food. No gifts to buy. Minimal decorating to do –flowers and candles on the table, a pot of mums on the patio and you're good to go.

Just food, food and more food.

That I can handle.

Wednesday night found me dicing pumpkin, making pie, and stirring together relishes. All while watching hockey. It felt good and winter-y.

Thursday, Trace arrived at 11 a.m. and we enjoyed Thanksgiving lunch on the patio. Larry had moved the table into the sun – there was a cool breeze and temps in the 60s, but it was lovely to be outside under the blue sky.

I thought I had restrained myself this year, but Trace allowed as to how I had made too many dishes for her to fit on her plate. Hmmm. Isn't that the point?

Our fridge is now full of a week's worth of leftovers – awesome!

This is what we ate this Thanksgiving holiday:

Appetizers while I did the last of the cooking:

corn chips with this year's salsa

orange-cumin almonds

Main course:

Whole Foods honey-roasted ham for Trace and Larry

filo-crusted spinach and mushroom squares (technically for me, but everyone enjoyed them)

pomegranate relish (instead of cranberry sauce)

green beans with lemon-mustard dressing

scalloped potatoes

roast pumpkin and cipolline onions

creamed corn and poblanos in the slow cooker

salad of butter lettuce, arugula and nasturtium leaves with oranges and cranberries

Dessert:

Apple Tart with Maple Creme Brûlée

I cooked while listening to Lynne Rossetto-Kasper's Turkey Confidential on NPR – my personal holiday tradition whether I'm cooking or gardening. That woman has spontaneous creativity: What do you do when your jello won't set – call it jello spoon-sweet, of course!

I love this because my cooking rarely turns out the way I expect. Wednesday morning I tried roasting walnuts with hot paprika and rosemary in the toaster oven, but I let them cook a minute too long – blackened! The creamed corn got lumpy in the slow cooker – not sure why, it's worked fine before. Fortunately it tasted great.

I went out in the cool of the morning to harvest the finishing touches for our meal: lemons, basil, arugula, rosemary, thyme, mint, marjoram, nasturtium leaves, tarragon. But I left the small young arugula leaves on the table and they wilted before I put them in the salad. I added them anyway, because we grew them and even though they were limp they were still spicy.

The highlight was when I opened my new butane torch to brûlée the tart. In the past I have used the oven broiler, but I have always yearned for a torch. This year I treated myself to one. I didn't actually get around to opening the package until we had eaten the main course. It was a little challenging to get the butane into the torch – the instructions were very unclear – it took both Trace and me together to get it to work. But we managed to brown the sugar on the pie, and then we took a stroll around the garden while it hardened. Larry made excellent coffee and we had a lovely dessert. Maple sugar and maple syrup really improve apple pie.

Then Trace went home and we passed out on the sofa in front of football. Isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?

Thanksgiving on the patio

Thank You

Larry and I eat really well. And we are healthy because of it.

For this, I thank the organic farmers whose produce I buy each week at the Hollywood Farmers Market.

It's a lot of work to leave home at 7:20 every Sunday morning, drive the dangerously curvy 110 freeway and the Hollywood Freeway, walk through the homeless and hipsters to get to the market, and then haul pounds of produce to the car.

But the farmers work even harder. I am in awe of the bounty they bring to market. As I revel in the single excellent tomato Larry picked in our garden this week, the farmers steadfastly produce bushels of them from their fields.

It takes hard work, knowledge, intuition, courage and commitment to grow food organically – in rhythm with the seasons of the earth; in harmony with the organisms of the soil; in these times of drought.

I think organic farmers are the bravest people in our culture. They should be rewarded far more than they are.

Which is why on Sunday mornings I go to the Hollywood Farmers Market and put money directly into their hard-working hands.

And today, Thanksgiving, I thank them. As I do every day of the year, at every meal, when I prepare the healthy food Larry and I love.

Thank you Ha's Apple Farm for apples, eggs, pears and chestnuts; T and D farms for onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash and more; Finley farms for world-famous spinach, lettuce, peppers, cukes, parsnips, greens, strawberries, corn and more; South Central Farmers Cooperative for amazing collard greens, amaranth, cabbage, beets and more; Jorge for the grapefruit we eat every morning and the oranges we squeeze on Sundays, as well as limes, pomegranates, persimmons and my favorite pomelos; Flora Bella for nettles, chickweed, arugula, turnips and other greens; the Lompoc Farmers for the excellent beans including barbecue beans and heirloom pinquitos; Kuroda Farms for the brown rice that is unlike any other, along with barley and chickpeas; and the other farmers whose produce we buy and enjoy. We are lucky to have you in our lives.