Meet Brandi, our new Education Coordinator

We're pretty excited to welcome Brandi Redo, our brand-new Education Coordinator, to the Arcadia team. This fall, she'll be working with the Mobile Market on educational visits, on the farm with farm tours and helping out with farm field trips. She'll also be working behind the scenes to coordinate logistics.

Read on to learn more about Brandi.

Tell us about your past experiences and what brought you to Arcadia.
I grew up in Hayward, California where our high school mascot was the Farmer. Chris, my husband, (who I met in high school) and I always joke about how we weren't even nerds we were agrarian. I have always loved being in wide open spaces and eating food fresh out of the earth. I believe that the energy you put into the food you will get back and so I love making things grow with my own hands, chopping and preparing food and teaching others to slow down and do the same.

What about the position are you most excited for?
Before I came to Arcadia, I worked and continue to work as a Health Coach. I do weight-loss challenges, teach folks to prepare healthy meals in their homes and do group cooking demos and wellness seminars for all ages. I have taught classes in a number of notable locations from McDonalds Corporation to the USDA and I really want to contribute what I know about group nutrition education to the wonderful programs going on at Arcadia.

Every time I visit the farm my nose is greeted with the fragrance of beautiful flowers and fresh herbs and my tummy rumbles knowing that there is wholesome, delicious, real food at my fingertips. I am excited to introduce this feeling of connectedness and wholeness to communities where real food is scarce. I have had an opportunity to witness the magic Ben and JuJu work at the Mobile Markets and am thrilled to be a part of that.


If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
If I were a plant food I would probably be a winter squash. Either a butternut or a spaghetti squash because they make people happy and are tough on the outside but naturally sweet on the inside. The spaghetti squash is particularly appealing because it is unique and surprising.

What’s your favorite season for growing produce and why?
I really like the fall growing season because the weather is milder and I feel more motivated to get out in the yard and garden. I also like the vast variety of fruits and vegetables you can grow in early fall and the idea of the large harvest around Thanks Giving. I am a big fan of the leafy greens that grow well in the fall, especially kale and collards which are the most important part of my diet.

Eggplant, Peppers and Tomatoes an All-Around Hit

Eden Garber is a doctor at Unity Health Clinic in SE DC, as well as a repeat customer at our Mobile Market.  She runs an eight week Exercise and Nutrition program for her clients, who recently received gift certificates for fresh fruits and vegetables at our market.  

A few weeks ago, Eden invited me to speak to her clients about healthy eating and to do an on-site cooking demonstration.  With summer vegetables in full swing, I decided to share a delicious and easy eggplant dish with this wonderful group of women.  It proved to be a hit, with many of Eden's clients saying that they'd now start to include quinoa in their diets. 

I also had the privilege to prepare this dish for USDA Undersecretary Ed Avalos when he visited the Mobile Market on Thursday.  Having grown up with these hot-weather staples in Southern New Mexico, Mr. Avalos enjoyed this dish with similar gusto. 

Eggplant with Peppers and Tomatoes

About 1 pound of eggplant (2 small or 1 large)

Salt and pepper

4 small sweet peppers, or 2 big peppers

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

3 large ripe tomatoes, chopped OR

4 cups cherry tomatoes left whole

1/2 cup slivered basil

1 small can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

Cut the unpeeled eggplant into 1 inch cubes.  Core the peppers, discarding the seeds and membranes, and cut into pieces.

In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the eggplant cubes in the oil until they are brown.  Remove them from the skillet and set aside.  Lower the heat to medium low and add the peppers, onion, and garlic to the pan.  Cook gently until the peppers and onion are soft.

Return the eggplant to the skillet, along with the tomatoes, stirring everything together.  Cook for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick sauce.  Stir in the basil, salt and pepper, and the garbanzo beans, if desired.  Serve with brown rice or quinoa.

USDA Under Secretary to Visit Arcadia's Mobile Market - Thursday, August 2, 2012 at 1:00 p.m.

Mobile Market Stop at Ledroit Park, Washingon, DC 

USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Ed Avalos will visit Arcadia's Mobile Market stop at the Fairfax County South County Center in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday, August 2 at 1:00 p.m. to learn about our efforts to provide nutrition education and outreach programs and increase access to fresh, local, nutritious foods in underserved communities. 

We hope you can join us at the Market to shop for some incredible local produce, meat, eggs, and milk, and an opportunity to meet Under Secretary Avalos.

WHO:    Agriculture Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Ed Avalos

WHAT:  USDA Under Secretary Ed Avalos Visits Arcadia's Mobile Market

WHEN:  Thursday, August 2, 2012, 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

WHERE: Fairfax County South County Center

               8350Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA 22309

  

Help out with our fall field trip program!

Have you been looking for a way to get involved with Arcadia? Have a flexible schedule? Like working with kids? Then read on...

We're looking for Volunteer Farm Field Trip Assistants to help make field trips to Arcadia Farm safe, educational and fun. Field Trip Assistants will,provide instruction and supervision, help monitor the space, and assist with general garden maintenance.

Here's what some former Volunteer Farm Field Trip Assistants had to say about their experiences:

"I enjoyed learning and teaching about sustainable farming just as much as the children did. It was so nice to meet and work with the team of women on the farm and the children were delightful. Tasting the honey straight from the hive was a thrill as was picking up the chicken and her fresh eggs." - Volunteer Field Trip Assistant, Spring 2012

"Watching kids see a carrot pulled from the ground for the first time is something special. Their eyes light up and and you can almost witness the synapses in their brain fire. Before your very eyes, their schema for a carrot has changed. That's pretty awesome." - Field Trip Assistant, Spring 2012

We’re looking for volunteers who can commit to one Wednesday or Thursday from 9:30am to 2:30 per week for the duration of the Arcadia Farm field trip program, which runs from September 5 to October 31. For more information, read the full description here.

To apply, email Liz (liz@arcadiafood.org) with your resume and a note describing your interest.

Dispatch from Week 2 of Arcadia Farm Camp

by Tom Chalmers, ACS Summer Fellow
Here we are, well on our way through another session of camp! With plenty of sun, plenty of food to be harvested, and plenty of bright campers to do it, our days have passed by at an amazing rate.

This week, 29 campers have joined us on the farm, immersing themselves in the excitement that accompanies daily life at Arcadia Farm. From turning soil to planting seeds, to watering plants to picking produce, they have become experts on growing and preparing healthy food from scratch.

Farms + Food + Fun = Arcadia Farm Camp

We're halfway through the very first week of Arcadia Farm Camp - and what a week it's been! From water games to chef demos, we've been busy beating the heat, exploring the farm, and having fun.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Chefs Ed, Christina and Shannon from DC Central Kitchen stopped by to show us how to make huge delicious meal with seasonal fruits and veggies: okra and tomatoes, chicken florentine, coleslaw, and crepes.
  
• We had a visit from Farmer Ben and Arcadia's own Mobile Market on Tuesday, which included a tour of the bus (so many fridges!). He also enlisted our help in harvesting herbs and Swiss chard.
  
• Elizabeth from Chipotle did an awesome fresh salsa demonstration today - and brought us free burritos! (Extra special thanks go out to Chipotle for donating eight scholarships to farm camp for kids from low-income families).
  

More shout-outs go to staff members Rachel, Carling, Matt, Natalie, Sophie and Kat for keeping everyone safe, happy, and healthy. Check out the photos below and stay tuned to our blog for more updates! Created with flickr slideshow.

Jewels of Summer

What do we want?!  Tomatoes!  When do we want them?!  Now!

From the start of market season, we've been asked, "Do you have tomatoes?"  As a gardener and Vegetable Snob (only the best will do!), I've been waiting, too.

Well, dear friends, tomatoes (or as I affectionately call them, the "Jewels of Summer"), are finally in!  Purple Cherokees, Yellow Brandywines, Amish Paste reds, and Green Zebras were the stars of last week's market.

To highlight their long-anticipated arrival, I've been preparing some Tomato Jam as our featured Mobile Market recipe, using several kinds of Arcadia's heirloom tomatoes.  I think Tomato Jam does an excellent job of highlighting the outstanding taste of these beauties, and have been told by a number of market participants that I should sell the jam itself!

That being said, what's more delectable than a perfectly ripe, freshly-picked tomato?  Not too many things come to mind.  So, come on down to market and pick up some home-grown, heirloom tomatoes today!

Heirloom Tomato Jam  

Makes 1½ cups

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 small cloves garlic, minced

1 one-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced

1 small red onion, peeled and finely diced

4 cups diced heirloom tomatoes

1/2 cup rice wine, balsamic or red-wine vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

2 whole star anise

Directions:

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add olive oil, garlic, ginger, and red onion, sauting until translucent.  
3. Add tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. 
4. Add vinegar, honey, brown sugar, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and star anise.   
5. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have dissolved and liquid has evaporated (about 60 to 75 minutes).   
6. Discard cinnamon sticks and star anise before serving.