Mac and Cheese--comfort food at its best!

The weather has turned cold, so it's time to break out the woolly sweaters, light a fire and eat something that makes you feel like you've been hugged.  For many of us, mac and cheese is THE dish that we turn to when we need a little food love. I made this dish for my family last night to highlight the gorgeous Cheese pumpkins that are available in markets now.  So called because they resemble a wheel of cheese, these squash have orange, sweet flesh. In this recipe, it's simmered in milk and vegetable stock until tender, then baked with pasta and cheddar cheese. Paired with spicy sausage and a kale salad, it's a hearty winter meal.

Macaroni and (Long Island) Cheese (Squash)s

http://www.thenheathersaid.com/2010/10/07/macaroni-long-island-cheese-squash/

Ingredients
1 lb long island cheese squash, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups skim milk
1 lb macaroni, or other pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar, (I used Cabot reduced fat cheddar)
3/4 cup low-fat ricotta
3 Tablespoons breadcrumbs

Instructions
1. Preheat Oven to 375
2. Heat squash cubes, milk and stock in a medium pan. Bring to a Boil, and reduce head to simmer.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. I like to cook my pasta a bit al dente, as it will be baked in the oven as well.
4. When squash is tender, remove from heat and mash squash.
5. Mix spices into mashed squash.
6. After pasta is done cooking, transfer it to a large bowl. Stir in squash mixture as well as cheddar and ricotta.
7. Transfer to a 9×13 baking dish and sprinkle breadcrumbs over top of dish.
8. Cover with foil & bake for 25 minutes.  Remove Foil and bake for 45 minutes. Dish is finished when the top is browned and crispy, heated well throughout.  Let cool slightly before serving.

Sausage for Dinner or Breakfast

Now that cooler weather has arrived, I want something hearty and spicy for my meals.  I developed these recipes to use the ground pork, from pasture raised pigs, that we carried on Arcadia's Mobile Market this year.  The Pork and Lemongrass Sausage would pair well with a ginger and shitake mushroom based broth, with bokchoy or spinach thrown in.  The second recipe, Breakfast Sausage, is a take on the more traditional herbed English style meat.  This is delicious with buttered grits, fried green tomatoes and biscuits.  Make a pot of tea, cozy up to the fire and feast on goodness.

Pork and Lemongrass Sausage

JuJu Harris

2 pounds ground pork

5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 Tablespoon fresh lemongrass, chopped*

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

1/2 to 1 teaspoons salt

1/2 to 1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and knead it together with your hands.  Form into patties and fry over medium heat until done.  Unused sausage can be refrigerated up to one day.  
*To prepare lemongrass, cut off the root end, discard the stiff, outer leaves, and use the tender core. 

Breakfast Sausage

JuJu Harris

2 pounds ground pork

5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

2 Tablespoon fennel seeds

6 teaspoons fresh oregano

4 teaspoons fresh thyme

2 teaspoon fresh sage, finely chopped

1 to 2 teaspoons salt

1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and knead it together with your hands.  Form into patties and fry over medium heat until done.  Unused sausage can be refrigerated up to one day.  

Lessons from the Mobile Market, by Gene Buonaccorsi

In my opinion, one of the most frustrating tendencies of the human mind is to dilute long engagements to a single distinct memory, rather than maintaining a log of different occurrences. Luckily pen and paper allowed me to keep track of some of the more fleeting, but noteworthy experiences that I had working on the Mobile Market this summer. As a farewell, I’d like to share three lessons that I only fully realized upon reading back over my book of notes. 

1. You can always find more space.

For those who have been inside the Mobile Market bus during the day, the chaotic facade is familiar. However, what initially looks like a mess of crates, coolers and tents is in fact the organized contents that become a functioning farm stand. Operations are highlighted by a constant desire to carry more products, provide better service and streamline efficiency. If our customers want more plums, we will find a place to store them. If we need a second table for display, we will figure out a way to bring it along. One of the most satisfying challenges of the summer was loading the bus at the end of each market -- finding just the perfect spot to store a crate, or seeking out the last nook of space for a folded sign. No matter how much the market grew, we always managed to pack it in.

This attitude is key in any progressive organization. At Arcadia, new opportunities to help fix the D.C. food system appear almost daily. I learned very quickly that satisfaction was trumped by ambition. Whether finding space for more local children at farm camp, or seeking new spots to grow on the Woodlawn Estate, Arcadia is constantly moving forward into new avenues. Much like the inside of the bus, the capacity of the organization seemed to grow over the course of the summer. There is always more room to work with for those who are willing to look for it.

2. No problem or opportunity is too small to address.

Working with Mobile Market Director Benjamin Bartley was an exercise in attention to detail. Even after weeks of helping to operate markets, Benjamin was always one step ahead of me, making plans and tweaking things in order to bring optimal service to our customers. I’m reminded of one instance when a customer returned a watermelon, claiming it was sold unripe. Taking the care to listen to the concern, refund the customer, and prepare for the possibility that others might have the same complaint seemed to be second nature for Benjamin. He described to me how customers taught him what to look for in a ripe watermelon, and how he addresses potential issues with quality. A problem others may have brushed off, or solved hastily turned into a thoroughly addressed improvement to operations in this case. The attention that each small piece of the Mobile Market gets was eye-opening for me.

Of course, this translates to a larger scale. Arcadia’s work is holistic as well as thorough. For example, the times that I got to work with Farm Education Director Morgan Maloney, she stressed how important it is to connect each individual child with the origins of healthy food. This is indicative of Arcadia’s overall mentality, and is why the nonprofit produces such successful results. Thorough, attentive work is paramount when making change. No problem can be ignored, because Arcadia’s work affects people on an individual level.

3. People love good food.

For all the attention, money and time that is spent on advertising and marketing practices, nothing I have seen compares to the success rate of someone sampling a slice of a peach at the Mobile Market. The looks on people’s faces were revelatory when they realized that they were spending their money on fresh, delicious locally grown food. While we faced obstacles like exposure, permits and space, there was no question about Arcadia and our partner farms’ quality once the food was in the customers hands. In speaking with customers throughout the summer I found that the Mobile Market is not only an option, it is a solution. One conversation in particular stands out. A customer at our Kenilworth-Parkside stop told me “Good food is enemy number one. You guys are the saviors.”

There were times this summer when I wondered at the number of programs that Arcadia is able to sustain, and the number of people that they are able to touch. Eventually, though, I realized that a small nonprofit can have long arms if the work is as powerful as sustainable food. Having faith in the work you are doing is contagious, and those who have strong connections to their cause accrue help and support from those they encounter. When the work produces something as necessary as healthy food, the converted public can communicate the success of your work. My summer with Arcadia taught me that people know good food when they taste it, and once they have tasted it, they will demand it. The vision of honest work reaching out from dedicated people is a lesson that I will take with me into my future.

An Arcadian Fellowship, by Mae Humiston

Mae doing a dramatic reading of her favorite
kids farm book: Wiggling Worms at Work

Internships have become known for their low pay, long hours, menial tasks, and general exploitation. “They’re great stepping stones!” people tell interns, but when you’re smack in the middle of a four-hour pencil sharpening campaign, it’s hard to believe you’re gaining any significant life experience or making any meaningful connections.

I never thought that during my time at Arcadia. As internships go, working as Arcadia’s Farm-to-School Fellow was different.

The Dynamic Duo -- Mobile Market Volunteer Spotlight

Ky overseeing the enchilada sauce at JuJu's cooking class.

As a small but growing nonprofit, the staff at Arcadia are extremely grateful for all the work that our many volunteers perform to make our organization run smoothly.  Whether it's helping to serve meals at our Farm Dinners, build our website, pull weeds, staff tables at community events, or assist with our Mobile Market, volunteers can be counted on to make our goals realities.

I manage Arcadia's Mobile Market stop at the Congress Heights National Children's Center, and am ably aided at this stop by two wonderful volunteers, Pafilvie Amisial and Ky Vaugh-Cooke.  Pafilvie, a social worker at a nearby dialysis clinic, found Arcadia when she looked for more nutritional food resources for her clients.  Ky, a home renovation contractor, wanted to further his knowledge of healthy eating.  Both Pafilvie and Ky help with the set up and breakdown of the market shelves and bins, aid the customers with choosing produce, and process transactions.  Recently, they also assisted me at the Get Growing! cooking class I taught at Arcadia Farm.  Besides being my favorite volunteers, they've become friends with whom I look forward to sharing social time.

When asked if working on the Mobile Market has influenced the way they eat, they both replied "Yes."  I thank them each week with produce and bread, or with containers of whatever I've made that day for food demonstrations.  The other week Pafiulvie said that she is learning more cooking techniques and recipes, and that I've showed her how many vegetables that are in season at the same time can be combined in recipes.  They are both now aspiring to have their own garden soon, too.  It's rewarding to know that the help and support is a two-way street.  We're so thankful to all of our volunteers like Pafilvie and Ky who help make our work possible!

Become a Farm Education Intern or Volunteer this Fall!

Our interns and volunteers are an essential part of the Arcadia family. We love the energy and talents they bring to the farm, and they're involved in all aspects of our small operation. 

We have two positions within the Farm Education Programs that are open for the fall. The Farm Education Interns and Farm Education Volunteers are vital to the continued success of the Field Trip program. 

The Arcadia Farm Field Trip program helps students make the connection that healthy, fresh food comes from the earth. It also familiarizes students with new fruits and vegetables that grow near Washington, DC, so that they will be more likely to eat those healthy foods when they see them in the cafeteria or at home.

Our fall Farm Education Interns play an integral role in our Farm Field Trip program and Farm to School initiatives. Interns gain important skills and knowledge that help prepare them for careers in sustainable agriculture, outdoor education, nutrition, nonprofit management, and more. Interns commit to two days from 9:00am to 2:30pm each week from Sept 9 to Nov 15. Deadline to apply has been extended to August 31.

We also have openings for Farm Education Volunteers. As a part of the Educators team, they provide instruction during Field Trips. We provide Field Trip specific training as well as work days on the Farm to learn more about sustainable agriculture. Volunteers commit to one Wednesday, Thursday or Friday from 9:00am to 2:30pm each week from Sept 16 to Nov 8. Deadline to apply is September 4.

 

Helping kids discover where their food comes from is quite magical. Experience that splendor for yourself and become a Farm Education Intern or Volunteer this fall. Follow the links to see full job descriptions and how to apply.

Partner Spotlight - Common Good City Farm

Nestled into the Western side of LeDroit Park near Howard University is Common Good City Farm, a half-acre garden that couples education outreach with food production. A non-profit, their mission is to increase food access for low-income DC residents and to provide training in production, sustainability, and nutrition. With rows of vegetable beds alongside fruit trees and herb plants, the farm is visibly and tangibly achieving these goals.

Common Good is the epitome of an urban garden

Much like Arcadia, Common Good is committed to providing an affordable and sustainable alternative to the conventional food system. Many of their efforts are focused on encouraging active citizenship across all age groups. One of their ongoing programs is the Summer Youth Program -- a six-week session that employs high school age students, teaching them about farming, the environment, and life skills.

The number of beds contained in the small space is impressive

We are thrilled to bring our Mobile Market to LeDroit Park every week in partnership with Common Good, where their food can be sold on a hyper-local level to our customers.  Red Russian Kale and Swiss Chard are some of our customers' favorites out of Common Good's garden.

Ben harvests some of Common Good's herbs

From the first time I set foot inside Common Good's gates, I knew that it was a special place. With vibrant and disparate communities surrounding the park, a garden is the perfect place for people of all walks of life to congregate and work side by side. As the plants grow, so do the connections to the area's residents. The result is a beautiful garden that always has an array of smiling faces amongst the beds. 

The business from both our Wednesday 4-7pm Mobile Market stop at LeDroit park and our two earlier market stops that day often leaves us sold out of some products, so we are always thankful that Common Good is there to help replenish our stock.

The beloved leafy greens

We are proud to be associated with the great work that Common Good does, and thankful that we get to visit their site on a weekly basis!  Be sure to stop by the garden the next time you're filling your market basket at our LeDroit Park Mobile Market stop.