Colorado now has a New Food Council Bill

Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter just signed a bill to create a 13-member Colorado Food Systems Advisory Council, which will begin meeting later this year to set state-wide goals on access to healthy foods.  Read more about this bill here, and note, at the very end of the short article is a little shout-out to LOCAL FOOD!  What do you think about this piece of news?

CSA talk at KAFM tonight!

Please join us tonight at 7pm at KAFM's Radio Room for a talk by Melanie Ettenger from The Cameron Place CSA. You can learn more about the farming practices at one of the Grand Valley's main sources for local/organic veggies and fruit. Come out to show your support for this important movement and to satisfy your appetite and curiosity about where your food comes from!

more info. here:http://kafmradio.org/beyond-radio/learning-series/2010/cameron-place-csa

Mmmmmm mmmmmm good!

Here's a recipe (see below, courtesy of PCC Natural Markets) for using some of the things we have in abundance in the garden.

Chive Blossoms - check!
Peas - any week now!
White beans - coming...one day (probably not until fall to be honest...!)

And before the peas and pods join us, feel free to take a few of the young pea shoots and tendrils here and there! Here's how:

Once your pea plants are about 6 - 8 inches tall, you can snip off the top growth including one set of leaves. This will be your first, small harvest, but cutting off the growing tip will encourage the plants to branch out and continue growing.

After that, you can continue harvesting the top 2 - 6 inches of the pea plants every 3 - 4 weeks. You can harvest shoots, leaves and tendrils as well as any flowers or buds that may have formed. Once they stop tasting tender, stop harvesting the shoots and pods will still form on those plants! Don't harvest the shoots from every plant. Try one out of every 3. We can work together to harvest some shoots at our work session on Thurs. after we pull weeds, create a trellis for the pea plants, and fill in the spaces where we left off from Planting Day with more transplants.

Tuscan Pappardelle with Spring Peas, Hazelnuts, White Beans and Chive Blossoms
Serves: 4 to 6
The textures and flavors of this dish are so bright and fresh, and the combination of the sparkling green peas with the deep purple chive blossoms is gorgeous! It can be served as a side dish with roasted meats or as a simple one-dish meal on its own.
Ingredients
· 3 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 cup shelled green peas
· 3 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
· 2 cups cooked white beans (cook your own or use organic canned beans)
· 2 to 3 cups cooked pappardelle pasta
· 1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts
· 1/2 cup sun-dried or oil-cured tomatoes (or use fresh tomatoes or sweet red peppers)
· 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
· 1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley or fresh basil
· 2 tablespoons chive blossoms (or substitute rosemary blossoms or pea blossoms)
· Juice of 1/2 lemon
· Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
· Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Preparation
In a wide sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the peas, garlic and sage. Cook for a few seconds until aromatic. Toss in the white beans, pappardelle, hazelnuts and tomatoes. Add the chicken or vegetable broth and cook gently until heated through.
Toss in the parsley or basil and chive blossoms. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with shaved Parmigiano.
Recipe by Lynne Vea, PCC Chef
Source: Demonstrated at the Pike Place Market Flower Festival, May 9, 2010.

We pull our weeds by HAND!

This article in the NYT talks about the threat of Round-up resistant weeds that have been cropping up throughout the US since 2000. “It is the single largest threat to production agriculture that we have ever seen,” said Andrew Wargo III, the president of the Arkansas Association of Conservation Districts. All the more reason to grow our own organic veggies!