Accountability time.

I’m doing okay. Been walking with the dog. Haven’t stuck to my podcast and book plan. Haven’t really counted my calories…and if we are being honest, I ate the chicken nuggets my kid didn’t finish tonight. I can’t leave a chicken nugget on the table…ever. I also can’t resist ordering fries, but that’s a story for a different time. I have, however, been more intentional and I’m writing this post now, so that is worth celebrating.

Something super cool happened this week. I stopped by Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s downtown farm to say hello to my colleagues. It’s kind of hard to do this as often as I’d like given the EIGHT locations we operate. Yes, eight. It seems I’m always running from one place to another. The truth is, I don’t get to see the sites as often as I’d like and  I rarely make enough time to stop and get the produce we grow, which is absolutely ridiculous. So when Jesse, our Senior Farm Manager, asked me very simply, “Do you want to get some produce while you are here?” I was like, “YES. YES, I DO.”

When I first started Food Revival, it was all about documenting the CSA box I got each week from Jones Valley Teaching Farm (then Jones Valley Urban Farm). This was NINE years ago. I volunteered my time at the farm and I got a box of produce in exchange for my efforts. Little did I know that this blog would be a platform to highlight the vegetables I got each week. I called it the CSA Challenge. Nine years and two kids later, I’m the Executive Director of Jones Valley Teaching Farm and I’m barely finding the time to pick up the veggies much less cook them. Thanks to Jesse that changed this week.

Look at this broccolini. It is delicious and yes, you can eat the flowers. I followed THIS Barefoot Contessa recipe and even though the recipe worked perfectly, the broccolini was truly the star.

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And look at this Romanesco. What is Romanesco? (I asked the same question.) It’s a member of the cruciferous family (think broccoli, cabbage, kale), but it is MOST like cauliflower. I simply cut its florets off and sprayed with a little olive oil, sprinkled some salt and pepper over it, and roasted on a sheet pan for 20 or so minutes. Then I seasoned it with some chili lime seasoning I got at Trader Joe’s.

Speaking of cauliflower, look at these beauties I got from the farm! I roasted them  whole. I used olive oil and butter as the base and on one I sprinkled with cumin and the other with the chili lime seasoning I mentioned earlier. I think I’ll try a garlic Parmesan recipe next (like this one).

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So, no I haven’t found the perfect balance. I have, however, found SOME balance and if you remember what I said when I first started this new year, that’s just fine. Some is better than none. As I close this post I want to say THANK YOU to Jesse for reminding me to get my favorite veggies on the planet. I want to say THANK YOU to the farmers I work with because they grow the best food.  I also want to celebrate the fact that I’m still connected to Jones Valley Teaching Farm and that FoodRevival still exists. This journey has been wonderful and hard and all the things in between and beyond.

P.S. We also did a fun family taste test between store-bought carrots and the carrots I picked up from the farm. You’ll never guess the winner (unless you’ve had JVTF’s carrots because then you already know).