Tofu with Lemongrass and Thai Basil

I braved our lemongrass thicket the other day to harvest a couple of stalks. They combined well with some Thai basil, serrano peppers and fish peppers from our garden to make our tofu dinner delicious.

Seriously delicious. Larry thought it was the best tofu ever, and he was an accomplished tofu-veggie stir-fry maker even before I met him.

It's a dry dish - no sauce to be soaked up by rice. I served it with a salad and some grilled vegetables for a light dinner that tempted the tastebuds on a hot summer evening.

Tofu with Lemongrass and Thai Basil
14 oz package firm tofu
2 stalks lemongrass
1 1/2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
4 red chiles - serranos and fish peppers are good
1 tsp tumeric
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scant tbsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup Thai basil leaves
3 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts

Rinse tofu and press in a towel for a few minutes. Pat dry and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

Peel the tough outer layers of the lemongrass, and grate the tender center part on a fine grater. Mix in a bowl with tamari, chopped chilies, turmeric and salt. Gently stir in the tofu and let marinate for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Warm oil over high heat in cast iron fry pan. Stir in onions, shallot and garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Push them to the sides of the pan and place the tofu cubes and marinade in the middle. Turn the tofu cubes occasionally as they cook until they are browned around the edges. Stir the onions too so they cook but don't burn.

When the tofu is lightly browned, and the onions are cooked, stir it all together, and add the coarsely chopped basil and peanuts.

Serve immediately.

Serves 2-3

Sunday Shopping

The seasons have changed in the weeks since I last wrote. The greens and radishes of spring and early summer have gone and we're now into the season of stone fruit, melons and corn. At the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants glowed in the slanting August light.

This is the organic food we came home with:
1 cantaloupe, 4 small plain yogurts, cilantro, carrots, 2 shallots, 3 slender leeks, 1 yellow onion, 1 red onion, 1 cucumber, 1 very small butternut squash, 1 lb san marzano tomatoes, 2 early girl tomatoes, 3 limes, a small bag of mixed greens, heirloom cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, 9 oranges, 3 mountain-grown peaches, 1 bunch of beets with their greens, tuscan kale, 1 dozen eggs, 2 yellow zucchini, 2 avocados, 4 gala apples, 4 zestar apples, and 3 tsunga apples, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper, green beans, 6 ears of corn.

And we rounded it out with a watermelon!

Isn't summer great!

Sunday Shopping

It was overcast this morning at the Hollywood Farmers Market - June gloom was in full effect - but as we were finishing up our shopping at the St. Benoit yogurt stand, a few rays of sun filtered through the clouds.

We came home to sunshine, and breakfasted on the patio - Larry squeezed fresh tangelos and oranges for juice, and I cooked cheerful yellow potatoes and eggs with turmeric.

Here's what we brought home from the market: 

3 lbs yukon gold potatoes, 1 romaine lettuce, cilantro, basil, 1 red butter lettuce, red spring onions, 4 peaches, 2 pluots, 1 yellow summer squash, 3 green zucchini, 1 tomato, cherry tomatoes, 8 mushrooms, 1 quart and 5 cups of plain St. Benoit yogurt, strawberries, feta, eggs, 1 cucumber, 6 tangelos, 10 oranges, 4 pickling cucumbers (I'm going to try a quick pickle this week), 4 limes, 2 grapefruit, 1 haas avocado, 4 pink lady apples, and a few pecans in the shell - they will be fun to crack while we barbecue this evening.

Fava Beans with Mint

Our fava beans are producing well this year. I'm pretty proud of this, because I grew the plants from seeds we saved from last year's crop. I think this is the one vegetable I have good garden success with.

Up until now, Larry has not been impressed with fava beans as food. I pod them and blanch them and peel off the tough skin, and still he says meh. But when I served him these fava beans sautéd in olive oil with a little fresh mint from the garden, he said they were delicious. He even had a second helping.

So if your fava beans are not being appreciated by your family, give this recipe a try. It has the Larry stamp of approval.

Fava Beans with Mint
1 cup shelled fava beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 handful mint

Blanch the fava beans in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, put in an ice water bath, drain again. Pop the tough outer skin off each bean until you are left with bright green beans - most will split in half. Set these aside until just before dinner.

Warm the olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the fava beans and mint, and let warm over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Barbecued Pineapple

Our local independent grocery store had organic pineapples from Hawaii just before Memorial Day. I snagged one to grill for dessert.

I also picked up some organic vanilla ice cream (Three Twins from Petaluma) to go with it.

I'd never barbecued pineapple before, but it turned out great. The grilling made it warm and extra sweet, like a decadent dessert.

Leftovers made it into the next morning's breakfast fruit. They were sweeter than the ungrilled pieces - cooking is an interesting thing.

Here's what I did:

I cut the top and bottom off the pineapple, then cut down the sides to remove the peel and the outer layer of flesh which has the prickles embedded in it. I quartered the pineapple lengthwise and cut out the tough center core. Then I cut the quarters lengthwise into 1/2 inch wedges.

Dessert in the dark

After Larry had cooked the main course and cleaned the grill, I laid the pineapple over some ashy coals. I flipped them after 3-4 minutes, when there were nice grill marks.

And that was it - warm, sweet pineapple served with cold creamy ice cream. A delicious way to end a holiday feast.

Sunday Shopping

It was overcast at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning, and our list was short. We zoomed around the market in no time, then screeched to a halt when we saw the Koda Farms stall. They only come once a month, and the location of their stall varies, so I'm always happy to catch sight of them. We still have some of their brown rice in the freezer (I buy 5 pounds at a time so I don't run out), but I stocked up on their excellent hull-less barley, chickpeas and black-eyed peas. That weighted down our bags enough that we decided it was time to go home.

Here's what we bought:
1 quart and 3 cups of plain St. Benoit yogurt, 3 bunches of asparagus, a 3-pack of strawberries, 2 pomelos, 2 onions, 1 haas avocados, 1 red butter lettuce, 1 zucchini, 1 bunch radishes, 1 dozen eggs, 2 lb barley, 2 lb chickpeas, 2 lb black-eyed peas, 6 potatoes, 15 oranges.

Another reason to eat organic

There was one of those ridiculous articles in the LA Times last week - the ones where the benefits of organic food are questioned. In this one, a columnist asked shoppers if organic food was worth the price. Most said no, of course, because we're used to cheap food in this country.

But what made it really sad was that on the front page of the same newspaper was a report on the oil spill in the ocean off Santa Barbara.

What's the connection? Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are made from petroleum. (As are plastics, dishwashing soap and countless other things one wouldn't suspect.)

Non-organic farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. So if you're eating non-organically grown food, you're giving money to the petrochemical industry that devastates our natural environment.

That alone is reason enough to switch to organic food, even without the health benefits (organic produce has been found to be higher in nutrients than non-organically grown produce) and the environmental benefits (run-off from chemical-using farms pollutes rivers, groundwater and wells, and the soil).

Yes, organic produce is more expensive than non-organic. But it's worth it. If we are what we eat, wouldn't you rather be solar-powered than oil-powered?

(By the way, now is a good time to switch from petrochemical-based dishwashing soap to one made with coconut surfactants. Read the label to make sure - Planet and Seventh Generation are good brands. If your dishwashing liquid does not list its ingredients, it most likely is made with petroleum. Gross, eh?)

Asparagus Frittata

It was cool and overcast Sunday morning, so I made this sunny asparagus frittata to brighten us up. I served it with simple fried potatoes and a bowl of strawberries and pomelo. 

The frittata is beautiful. If I'd used a non-stick pan, I could have tipped it out onto a plate to serve. But I prefer my trusty old cast iron, even if eggs do seem to stick to it. (Maybe I need to re-season it.)

The asparagus to egg ratio is high, so this very healthy dish would also make a great light lunch. In fact I plan to serve leftovers for Memorial Day lunch.

Asparagus Frittata

1 lb asparagus

2 tbsp olive oil

3 shallots, diced (about 1 cup)

7 medium eggs (or 6 large)

1/2 cup parmesan

1/4 cup chopped basil leaves

Bring an inch of water to a boil in a saucepan large enough to hold the asparagus. Rinse the asparagus and snap off the ends. Cook, covered, in the water for 5 minutes until tender-crisp. Drain, refresh with cold water, and drain again. Chop into one-inch pieces and set aside.

Warm the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet with an ovenproof handle. Add the shallots and sauté over medium heat until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add asparagus and warm through.

Lightly whisk together the eggs, parmesan, basil and a little pepper. (I find the parmesan is salty enough, but add more salt if you're used to eating restaurant food.)

Pour the eggs into the pan and stir gently to mix the eggs with the vegetables. Cook over medium-low heat until the sides of the frittata and most of the top is set, about 10 minutes, making sure not to let it burn on the bottom.

Preheat the broiler to high. Put the skillet under the broiler and cook until the top is golden brown and set, about 2 minutes.

Serve immediately, or let cool to room temperature and serve in wedges.

Serves 4

Strawberries and pomelo wedges

Sunday Shopping

It was cool and overcast at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning - good weather for hauling a lot of heavy vegetables home. I bought a beautiful green cabbage from Finley Farms which probably weighs 5 pounds. Fortunately it will last well in the fridge as we munch our way through it over the next couple of weeks. Also, we needed the black beans without which Larry's Memorial Day barbecue is not complete. (See his favorite bean recipe here.) They come in 2-pound bags, and there's a discount if you buy two bags of beans, so I bought a 2-pound bag of white beans as well. You can never have too many beans.

Here's what we brought home with us:
2 heads garlic, 6 shallots, 7 potatoes (some for brunch and some for potato salad), a bag of spinach, 7 pink lady apples, 1 portabello mushroom (my burger choice for the barbecue), 8 oz cremini mushrooms, 2 bunches of asparagus which I made into a frittata for brunch, 2 lbs white lima beans, 2 lbs black beans, 1 yellow zucchini, 1 green zucchini, a 3-pack of strawberries, 2 dozen eggs, a bunch of red onions, broccoli, a small cauliflower, 3 small plain St. Benoit yogurts, 18 oranges for juice with brunch, basil, parsley, green cabbage, kale, 1 pomelo, red butter lettuce, 4 plums.

Also, Russ sharpened a knife for us while we shopped. And I bought a beautiful buddleia for the garden.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

It's been chilly in LA this week - in the high 60s - great gardening weather. And in the cool evenings, the warmth of this baked lentil casserole has been welcome.

Green lentils are a good substitute for ground meat in chili - they add a similar texture. In this version of shepherd's pie they replace the ground lamb (or whatever meat is generally used). This is a filling casserole that is even better the second day.

Feel free to vary it by adding corn (traditional in the French Canadian version inexplicably called Pâté Chinois) or other vegetables. And if the mashed potato topping is your favorite part, double the number of potatoes you use. Add chiles or hot pepper (or serve hot sauce on the side) if you'd like a dish with a little kick.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie
1 cup green or brown lentils
4 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp olive oil
14-oz can tomato sauce (not spaghetti sauce)
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp chopped parsley
paprika
2 tsp nutritional yeast flakes (Bragg's is a good brand)

Pick over lentils, discarding any small stones or clumps of dirt. Rinse them, then add to a pot with at least 3 cups of boiling water. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 30 minutes. Check occasionally and add more water if necessary to keep them well covered. Drain and set aside.

Peel and chop potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with cold water and a sprinkle of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes depending on the size of the potato chunks. Drain and mash. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Chop onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Warm olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the vegetables for a few minutes until the onion is starting to get translucent. Add a splash of water, cover the skillet, and let the vegetables simmer until tender, another 5 minutes or so. Stir in the tomato sauce, soy sauce, parsley and cooked lentils. Put in a 2-quart casserole.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the lentil mixture. Pat down with a fork - making a decorative pattern if you like. Sprinkle with paprika and nutritional yeast.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until bubbling.

Serves 6-8

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich

Continuing the theme of thank goodness there are farmers to grow my food for me, I planted zucchini seeds in our vegetable garden this afternoon and then served a simple supper of grilled vegetable sandwiches made with zucchini from Finley Farms. I am optimistic that in a couple of months I will be serving home-grown zucchini, but in the meantime we won't starve.

These sandwiches taste of summer - tomato, basil, arugula for kick, and the grilled zucchini adding substance. It's best to serve these on whole wheat sandwich bread that you can squeeze together so the filling doesn't slide out. I have used Whole Foods rosemary boule before, which adds more flavor but also more difficulty in handling the finished sandwich. Toothpicks are helpful.

I was happy to find first-of-the-season organic tomatoes at the Givens Farmstand. While the arugula adds enough interest that flavorful midsummer tomatoes are not necessary, this sandwich won't taste good with a flavorless winter tomato.

I served the sandwich with potato salad and iced tea - a true summer meal in mid-May. Kind of amazing.

Grilled Zucchini Sandwich
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp minced basil
1/2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices
2 slices red onion, about 1/4 inch thick
4 slices bread
1 cup arugula, thick stems removed
1 tomato, thinly sliced

Combine mayonnaise, basil and lemon zest. Set aside. (This is more than you will need for the sandwiches, but it's good on pretty much anything you would use mayonnaise for.)

Warm a grill pan over high heat. Brush zucchini and onion with oil and grill until tender but still slightly crunchy, 3-4 minutes per side.

To assemble the sandwiches, spread mayonnaise on the slices of bread. Top two with zucchini, onion, arugula then tomato. Season with salt and pepper. Top with the the remaining bread slices.

Makes 2 sandwiches

Potatoes with Rosemary and Sage

Eggs and potatoes are a Sunday staple around here. The eggs from the happy hens at Ha's Apple Farm are so delicious that even simply poached they taste better than any eggs we've eaten in restaurants.

Yesterday I served them with these Mediterranean-inspired herb-roasted potatoes. Whenever I eat these I remember that their pungent herbal flavor would be great for dinner too - with a crisp salad and an omelet, or a bean burger. Or even with a lentil stew.

The potatoes are flavored with rosemary, sage and bay - which, if you live in Southern California and have even a small patch of sun, you can grow. They are drought tolerant and can be snipped year-round for an extra pop of flavor in whatever you're cooking. Rosemary and sage can be overpowering, so a little goes a long way. (The plants grow in winter-y climates too - the sage will go dormant outside, but the rosemary and bay will need to be taken in as house plants before the first frost.)

Fresh eggs, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and potatoes aromatic with herbs from the garden: there is nothing like good simple food to start the day off right.

Potatoes with Rosemary and Sage
3/4 lb potatoes (2 medium)
1 heaping tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 bay leaf

Peel the potatoes and place in cold salted water for 15-20 minutes. This reduces the amount they will stick to the pan when you roast them.

Preheat toaster oven to 500°F.

Drain the potatoes and cut them in 3/4 inch cubes. Place on a baking dish and toss with the oil, garlic, rosemary, sage and bay leaf. Spread the potatoes in a single layer and bake 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Lower the heat to 375°F and cook until tender, about 10 minutes longer. Turn them occasionally while they cook.

Serve hot.

Serves 2

Sunday Shopping

It was cool and moist at the Hollywood Farmers Market this morning - I'm looking forward to a week in the 60s - good gardening weather.

But in the meantime, I had to buy food to eat while my garden grows. (The fava beans are excellent, but slugs ate the lettuce seedlings, and my peppers and eggplants are still very tiny.)

Fortunately, there are professional farmers who produce masses of produce to feed me. Here's what we bought from them this week:

15 oranges, 2 tangelos, 14 potatoes, 2 red onions, a bag of baby arugula and a bunch of big arugula, scallions, red butter lettuce, 2 small zucchini, 1 pomelo, 1 dozen eggs, 4 small plain yogurt, 4 tomatoes, asparagus, 1 avocado, raisins, 7 pink lady apples, 8 satsuma tangerines, carrots and a cucumber.

Braised Beets

It's so easy to toss beets in the toaster oven to bake that I rarely cook them any other way.

But I recently tried pan-braising them in a little water and oil, and was so impressed I'll be doing it more often, especially in the summer when it's too hot to turn on the toaster oven.

I did peel and chop them before I cooked them, which was messy, but the red stains on my fingers wore off eventually, and the finished beets were really beautiful.

I contrasted them with an easy pistachio pesto that stayed bright green for days. I'm not sure why because it was my regular pesto recipe with pistachios instead of pine nuts. I guess the nuts helped the basil stay a bright spring green.

This dish served four and left them wanting more.

Braised Beets

2 bunches beets, roots only

2 tbsp olive oil, divided use

Scrub the roots and peel off any rough spots at the stem end. Chop into quarters (or 1/2 inch rounds if the beets are large). Place them in a heavy saucepan with 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp oil. Place on medium-low heat and cook, covered, until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Add a couple of tablespoons of water if the pan is getting dry. But if they're young beets they'll release a surprising amount of water while cooking. When they are tender, toss them with the other tbsp of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Arrange on a platter.

Pistachio Pesto

1/4 cup shelled pistachios

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup basil

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp parmesan

Toast the pistachios lightly in a heavy skillet. Pour them into the food processor and add the garlic, salt and basil. Grind coarsely. Add the oil and purée until relatively smooth. It will be a thick paste. Stir in the parmesan.

Arrange the beets on a platter and dollop the pesto on them.

Serves 4

Millet and Arugula

I got in from the garden this evening completely uninspired about cooking dinner. But I opened the pantry cupboard and saw millet, and remembered I had arugula in the fridge, and suddenly dinner became easy.

Arugula is a zesty green that adds spice to even boring millet. This recipe can be made with other greens like chard or purple mustard greens, but arugula really is the best.

Lightly toasting the millet before cooking it helps the grains stay separate. Millet is faster to cook than brown rice, so it makes a quick and easy dinner after a busy day.

Millet and Arugula
1 bunch arugula (about 3/4 lb)
3/4 cup millet
1 tbsp oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)

Wash the arugula and chop it coarsely. Set aside.

Toast the millet in a heavy skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. The grains will start to pop slightly as they cook. Remove from heat.

Sauté the onion in the oil for a minute, then add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, another 5 minutes or so.

Stir the arugula and salt into the onion and cook, covered, 5 minutes. Add the millet along with 1 1/2 cups water and the tamari. Stir well, then cover and cook over medium-low heat until the millet is tender and the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Serves 3-4

Roast Cauliflower

"Cauliflower steaks" seem to be popular at the moment, so when I saw organic cauliflower at the Hollywood Farmers Market, I picked one up to make into "steaks".

I used the oven-roasting technique Marie Simmons describes in her book Fresh & Fast Vegetarian. It's still cool in the evening these days, so turning on the oven felt good.

The "steaks" are actually thick slices of cauliflower. This only works in the center section of the cauliflower. The outer florets fell off and got put back in the fridge to be steamed another day as a side dish.

Roasting the cauliflower until tender, then seasoning with lemon juice and mint from the garden, made for a really delicious side dish. I served it along with roast asparagus alongside a dish of millet and arugula. Vegetables are great!

Roast Cauliflower
1 medium cauliflower (about 1 lb)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1/2 lemon

Place a cookie sheet in the oven and preheat to 450°F for 10 minutes.

Rinse the cauliflower and place it, stem side down, on a cutting board. Cut straight down into 1/2 inch slices. The edges will probably crumble into florets. That's okay - save them for another dish. I got three good steaks out of my cauliflower. Brush the steaks on each side with olive oil.

Remove the hot cookie sheet from the oven and place the cauliflower steaks on it. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Roast until the cauliflower is getting golden on the bottom, about 10 minutes. Turn it over carefully using a wide spatula, and bake another 10 minutes until golden on the other side and tender.

Put the cauliflower on a serving dish. Sprinkle with mint and lemon juice.

Serves 2-3

Sunday Shopping

The spring sunlight slanted through the Hollywood Farmers Market at 8 a.m.. The produce glowed and beckoned. This is what we brought home:

snap peas and slender carrots from Finley Farms
4 pink lady apples and a dozen eggs from Ha's Apple Farm
5 small containers of plain St. Benoit yogurt
3 limes, 1 pomelo, 3 tangelos, 4 grapefruit and 1 haas avocado from Jorge
1 bunch of radishes from Flora Bella
a kabocha squash, parsley, 2 onions and 1 sweet potato rounded out the load

Russ sharpened two knives for me while we shopped

Greens and Rice

There is nothing better than looking in the fridge and seeing a container of cooked brown rice. Stirred up with some greens, it makes an easy dish for dinner.

The other day I cooked up a bunch of purple mustard greens along with the greens from a bunch of red radishes, then stirred in some cooked brown rice to dampen the heat a little.

It's a simple technique that can work for any cooked grain and any greens you have in your fridge.

Greens and Rice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, diced
1 clove garlic
1 bunch purple mustard greens
greens from 1 bunch red radishes
2 cups cooked brown rice

Warm the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until tender, about 3 minutes.

Wash the greens and cut into one-inch strips. Add to the pan, sprinkle on some salt, stir well and cover the pan. Let cook 5-10 minutes until the greens are soft and tender. (The time will depend on the type of green you are using.) Stir in the brown rice, cover and cook until the rice is hot and the flavors are blended.

Season with salt and pepper, lemon juice or hot sauce to taste.

Serves 2-3

Poached Eggs

One of my goals for 2014 was to learn to poach eggs.

I've tried a few times over the years - swirling the simmering water in a pan, adding a splash of vinegar to keep the egg intact, gently sliding in the egg - but I always ended up losing half the eggwhite in the water.

However, I was determined to master this technique because I really enjoy poached eggs. I often order them when we eat breakfast out, and I was aggravated that I couldn't eat them at home.

Then I found these nifty little egg poachers. They're ceramic non-stick dishes that keep the eggs intact while they cook in the water. I suppose technically the eggs are steamed, not poached, but the result is close enough for me.

First I butter the little pods, then crack in the eggs, I place them in a skillet of simmering water and cover with a lid. I check the eggs after 5 minutes - trying to remember that the whites will continue cooking after the eggs are removed from the pan.

We've enjoyed these poached eggs on toast, on cooked greens, on a bowl of rice, and on roasted root vegetables.

Very satisfying. I'll check that goal off my list.

Sunday Shopping

Vegetables, tulips and seedlings of peppers and tomatoes.

Spring has sprung at the Hollywood Farmers Market. Snap peas, asparagus, and more greens than I can name: It was tough to limit myself at the market today.

Larry would say I didn't - many pounds of produce came home with us. This is what we bought:

From Finley Farms I bought excellent heirloom spinach (to be used this week in stir-fries and salads), snap peas, tiny zucchinis and slender carrots (excellent for the lunch box) and 3 fennel bulbs.

Ha's Apple Farm had fragrant Pink Lady apples - I bought seven along with a dozen eggs (the picture at his stall of the hens eating their vegetables is priceless - we need to remember that chickens eat greens, not just corn, and that the more greens they eat the better the eggs are for our bodies). And Mr. Ha gave me an Easter gift of a bunch of lilacs that remind me of spring (May/June) in Montreal where they grow in hedges of scented purpleness. Our garden doesn't get enough chill for lilacs - Ha's farm is in the mountains where they get the chill they need to flourish. The bunch is on our hall table - sweetly scenting our whole house.

From Jared we bought a red onion, a yellow onion and 2 potatoes.

From Jorge we bought 16 oranges which made the most delicious juice ever for our brunch, 2 pomelos (including a really gnarly one which should provide me many ripe seeds for my future pomelo plantation) and 3 grapefruit for our breakfasts this week.

We bought 5 organic tangerines for Larry's lunches this week.

From Flora Bella in Three Rivers we bought beautiful bunches of chard and purple mustard greens.

South Central Farmers Cooperative had enormous bunches of curly kale that Larry had a hard time fitting into our cloth bags.

Two bunches of asparagus from Lompoc, a cabbage and small cauliflower, and a bunch of radishes rounded out the produce.

We also bought pistachios and walnuts. The walnuts are from a farm in Santa Rosa that has been growing walnuts since the 1800s. You might have heard we're in a drought. The biggest water consumers (farm-wise) are almond farmers - many of which have recently planted trees hoping to sell their nuts overseas for big bucks. Young trees are water hogs. Older ones have sent their roots deep into the earth and can handle drought better. So I try to buy nuts from old established orchards. I'm not sure about our pistachio supplier though. This eco-responsible thing is tough.

(Did you know residential - indoor and landscape - water use accounts for less than 10% of the water used in California?)

We also bought a loaf of bread so we could have toast under our Easter brunch poached eggs. And hot cross buns. Not healthy, but delicious.

And Russ sharpened three pairs of scissors for us while we shopped.

It was a good day at the Hollywood Farmers Market.