Week 37 CSA Newsletter

This week you can expect to receive:
Summer squash, cauliflower, arugula, green boston lettuce, red boston lettuce, light red leaf lettuce, pok choi, broccoli, endive, and strawberries.
Large shares get extra quantities of the above items.

We planned to offer pumpkins this week, but the squirrals have been feasting on them and there are only about a dozen intact pumpkins left! We grew sugar pie pie pumpkins, which are great for eating. Next year we plan plant the pumpkin fields away from the eucalyptus trees where the squirrals live.

Courtney is a Los Osos local who offers cooking classes for vegetarians. She has lots of yummy ways to cook up some of the more unusual vegatables that we can grow on the farm. She offers classes at New Frontiers and will also teach private classes to a group of friends or an individual.

Here is her newsletter for this month.

Hey beautiful people! Don & I hope things are well & wonderful with you, and that you’re looking forward to the holidays. Just living here on the Central Coast feels like a huge blessing to me, especially with such a friendly, conscious community which includes people like you. Thanks for being a part of it with us!
 In this newsletter, I’ve given you the symptoms lists for gluten intolerance, lactose intolerance and casein allergy, so you can decide whether you or a loved one needs to steer clear of these foods. I’ve listed our Nov/Dec CookWell class schedule (note the new time for session #1 at New Frontiers Sat, Nov 5th AND our new whole foods grilling class at Sage EcoGardens Sat, Dec 3rd). And, of course, I’ve included two of our favorite recipes: chipotle beans with sea veggies, and sugar & gluten free, sweet cultured coriander cornbread - participants in our CookWell series at Cal Poly LOVED these recipes!
 Whether you want to have both Don & I, or just me (Courtney), come to your kitchen for a private or small group CookWell session, OR if you just want to show up to one of our group classes listed below, we look forward to meeting you and helping you incorporate the whole foods diet & lifestyle that works best for you. We’re now offering out entire series with hands-on practice in the teaching kitchen at Cal Poly each spring and fall - stay tuned to these newsletters for registration info if you’d like to join us. An outline of exactly what you’ll learn and what we can cook together in each session is posted on The Course page of my website www.cookwell.org.

Nov/Dec CookWell Class Schedule

classes in the demonstration kitchen at New Frontiers, SLO
please RSVP with Dusty: 785-0106 x125 or marketing@newfrontiersslo.com

CookWell Session #1: Whole Foods Cooking for Health & Happiness at New Frontiers SLO
Sat, Nov 5th, 2-4PM cost: $30 per person (includes meal!)
We’ll discuss: 1) whole foods diet, cooking and lifestyle as preventative medicine, 2) the basics of macrobiotic theory and individualizing your diet, 3) sprouting & simmering the nutrient-dense whole grains, 4) better digestibility of beans, 5) the CookWell list of wholefoods preparation staples for your kitchen including the best cooking oils for various temperatures, 6) the importance of drinking enough re-mineralized water daily, and 6) blood type basics
We’ll demonstrate cooking then eat together:
 beautiful pot of black beans with cumin, coriander & ginger
 sprouted then simmered whole grain millet & amaranth
 ghee to use as a stable cooking oil
 dark leafy greens & seasonal veggie stir-steam
You’ll get 4 handouts for reference:
 list of whole foods preparation staples
 recommended reading list
 blood type basics
 fantastic recipes #1

Whole Foods Cooking For The Holidays at New Frontiers SLO
Sat, Nov12, 10AM - 12noon cost: $30 per person (includes meal!)
We’ll discuss food combining principals for better holiday meal digestion. We’ll explain why a whole foods diet & lifestyle acts as preventative medicine, and how to discover your unique needs to maintain personal balance. We’ll talk about emotions as they relate to food and how to become more mindful of why we make the choices we do, as well as how to be gentle with ourselves in incorporating whole foods diet and lifestyle practices.
We’ll demonstrate cooking then eat together:
 yam & portabella mushrooms with ginger, coriander & nutmeg (better than candied yams!)
 ginger-orange-cranberry relish (with maple syrup & stevia instead of sugar)
 delicious dark leafy greens to alkalize and balance heavy holiday meals
You’ll get 3 handouts for reference:
 whole foods recipes for the holidays
 whole foods staples for your kitchen
 recommended reading list


Whole Foods Grilling For Health and Happiness
at the beautiful Sage EcoGardens,1188 L.O.V.R., Los Osos

Sat 12/3, 11:30 - 1PM $35per person
We're excited about teaching a new technique in a great new location, and we hope you'll join us to learn how to make healthy marinades for grilling grass-fed meats and seasonal veggies. We'll review the fundamentals of whole foods diet & lifestyle, eat an amazing lunch together in the gardens, and you'll return home with several fantastic recipes!
PLEASE RSVP with me by 11/29: courtney@cookwell.org or 528-8837 Thanks!


November Recipes:

Chipotle Black Beans with Kombu or Hijiki Sea Veggies: Soak 2 -3 cups dry black beans overnight under 3-4 inches filtered water (they'll swell to twice their size). The next day, in a bowl on the side, combine 2 cups of hot water with 1/4 cup dried hijiki and/or 1/4 cup dried and chopped (into 1/8" pieces) kombu sea veggies - let soak for 30 minutes. OR, to incorporate sea veggies which don't require soaking, just throw in a handful of dried arame sea veggies with the ground spices near the end of cooking. Any of these 3 kinds of sea vegetable are 1) full of trace minerals, 2) help tenderize beans when cooked into them for 20 minutes which makes the beans more easily digestible, and 3) bind and remove both heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body. Amazing, right? Okay. Rinse off the old soak water from the beans and replace with fresh filtered water (enough so the beans are covered by at least 2 inches of water) in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, skimming excess foam off the top for the first few minutes. Reduce to simmer, then after 40 minutes of simmering, drain the sea veggies if soaked, and add them to the beans. Stir, put the lid on at an angle, and simmer another 20 minutes. When beans have simmered for 1 hour total and are soft, add 1 tsp each ground spices: chipolte, ground ginger, cumin, coriander, granulated garlic and 1/2 tsp cayenne. Stir and simmer another 7 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in 1 bunch bite size chopped collard greens or kale, 1 tsp ground sage, ½ tsp marjoram, and 2 tsp dill or chives. Stir and simmer 2 more minutes then turn off heat. Add 3 Tbsp ghee, butter or olive oil, 3 - 4 Tbsp shoyu or tamari soy sauce to taste, and 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar. Garnish with lemon or lime juice & Enjoy!

Sugar & Gluten Free Sweet Cultured Coriander Corn Bread: Combine 2 cups fresh ground amaranth OR millet flour AND 2 cups organic corn meal with 1 cup plain, cultured yogurt and 1 cup water (OR, for a dairy free alternative to yogurt, mix 1.5 cups water with content of 2 capsules any live probiotic). Mix flours, water and cultures until just blended and let sit covered at room temperature for 24 hrs. You see, the probiotic bacteria neutralize the phytic acid in the whole grain flour so it can't bind with minerals in your intestines & inhibit their absorption. Another benefit is that the bacteria break down the complex carbohydrates, making the grain's nutrients more assimilatable and much easier to digest. Okay, the next day, in a separate bowl combine 1 cup melted butter, ghee or coconut oil, 2 eggs, and 2 tsp Nu Naturals brand liquid vanilla stevia OR 2 tsp Nu Naturals brand non-bitter stevia powder OR 1 tsp of each kind (best!). Then mix in 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 tsp ground coriander, 1tsp nutmeg, and 1tsp whole sea salt. Mix well and stir into cultured flour mixture. When the two are mixed until smooth, add 1 cup fresh, canned or frozen organic corn kernels and stir. Pour into 2 buttered loaf size baking pans or a buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 -40 minutes (the deeper the dish/pan, the more time needed to bake - when a wooden skewer stick comes out dry, it’s done). This cornbread goes great alongside beans, and it’s so sweet & moist I almost called it "Corn Cake".

As always,
 Don and I welcome any questions you may have via phone or email. For more information on the ancient whole foods philosophies we teach about, see the “about the food” page of my website www.cookwell.org.
 We hope to see you sometime soon to share lots of learning, laughter and incredible food!

Namaste ~
Courtney & Don

 Thank you all for your support this year.

 Thanks for supporting local, fresh organic produce.
Clark Valley Organic Farm.
clarkvalleyfarm@gmail.com