food – Page 13 – branching out… on a limb

San Diego Earthworks- Earth Fair in Balboa Park…

San Diego Earthworks and 400 volunteers held the San Diego Earth Fair in Balboa Park with sights, smells, and spirituality on display today. I wouldn’t doubt the numbers that are said to attend- upwards of 50-70,000 people are estimated.

A view of the crowds... — A view of the crowds…

Grilled burgers and chicken sandwiches and we omnivores were outnumbered by the great vegetarian fare to be had everywhere. At the south end of the park, food vendors were cranking out the treats with some nice music to be heard while you eat- some good folk rock tunes.

I was hoping for more concrete information to be shared by vendors and city agencies. I’d like to know more about water conservation in our very thirsty, very dry state but I found very few of the 300 the booths were of this type. There were more hemp products and shea butter lotions than you could shake a didgeridoo at, many different Eastern religions and philosophies ready to share their beliefs of love and respect, but they greatly outnumbered the booths with active answers. There were some… but nowhere near as many as I hoped there would be. Show me real products that are sustainably produced, give me real statistics how America’s Finest City is doing well, and where we can improve. How can businesses and neighborhoods become more involved? I just couldn’t find these booths.

Once section was dedicated to vendors and educators working with recycled materials- way to go, folks, there were some really nice succulent planters for sale made from repurposed fencing wood. The blog “Cool San Diego Sights” got a photo of this booth, and a couple others that I missed but would have like to see- the Urban Farming activists and the Gleaning Queens in particular are two that I am really disappointed to have missed. Please read about The Glean Queens and ProduceGood.org on Richard’s blog Cool San Diego Sights!

There were alternative cars displayed, from hybrids and electrics to this nifty three wheeler- “an enclosed, soft-sided motorcycle” was one passing comment I overheard.

I didn’t get any photos (kicking myself) as we stood in a short line to enter and ask questions of a Tiny House owner who brought her home for all to see. She shared how she uses her composting toilet, altered a livestock watering tub to use as a shower, and how she used a hand-powered washing device for laundry. “It’s like a giant salad spinner and uses only two gallons of water to wash and rinse,” she explained to a couple of kids. She let one of them scamper onto her counter to access stairs to her loft- his big smile and wide eyes showed how much he liked being allowed to climb on the counter.

An Earth Day festival is usually associated with a lot of smaller movements all coming together to share information about themselves, but I think vendors and public organizations also miss a huge opportunity to educate a large number of people in what we all share- responsibility.

"Our own little bit of L.A." said The Husband — “Our own little bit of L.A.” said The Husband

Be Flexible- It Could Mean You Get Korean BBQ!

Tonight I had The Family all ready ~~to be forced~~ to come along with me to eat at the vegan restaurant that I tried last month, The Loving Hut.

It was closed. The Boy fairly rejoiced.

He was positively elated when we decided to try the Korean BBQ place nearby. “Because, MEAT, Mom!” was his reason. Actually, this is a restaurant we had been wanting to try for about five years. Sometimes it is hard to get out of your sushi rut, you know?

About eight side dishes... — About eight side dishes…

Shozen Korean BBQ was really delicious, with very helpful servers who are ready to offer all the aid newbies like us need… so we understand what we are doing… so we don’t burn down the joint cooking the bacon. Yes, that is bacon on the meat platter!

The meats we had cooking were brisket, rib eye, tongue (delicious!), chicken, and uncured, unsmoked bacon… and maybe some more. I can’t remember. I’m still in a meat coma. Even though I ate all my salad, the rice, and nearly my entire bowl of Korean Miso soup, that was still a lot of meat. Korean Miso soup at Shozen has several vegetables, meat and large tofu chunks. The miso base was different than Japanese miso soup, too. I wonder if they use red miso? Or maybe miso without the dashi stock? I’ve got to ask someone now… I dig on international foods and their ingredients, if you can’t tell.

The other side dishes included a bean sprout salad, scallion pancakes, broccoli and tofu, kimchi, a cabbage and carrot salad, potato salad (that one surprised me), and a rocking green salad with a home made dressing- spicy, but incredibly delicious. Shozen also has a couple of dipping sauces for your meats, a soy sauce/jalepeño sauce and another of sesame oil with salt and pepper. Both added a nice dash of flavor to the meats that cook on the table top right in front of you.

Shozen Korean BBQ- I highly recommend it.

Best By, Use By, Science Fair Project By…

Pierogis instead of macaroni and cheese... — Pierogis instead of macaroni and cheese… the pic *before* I opened the package

Mmmm! Wouldn't it be delicious to brown pierogis in the pan after these kielbasa? — Mmmm! Wouldn’t it be delicious to brown pierogis in the pan after these kielbasa?

Looking to try something different for dinner instead of the family’s usual mac and cheese? Be careful with pierogi, they probably have not only a Use By/Freeze By date, but also a Definitely Destroyed date and a Beware: Do Not Open- Science Fair Project In Process date to boot. Mine were well into the latter. Whoops.

Boo hoo hoo. I was really looking forward to using these in a layered casserole recipe, too, kind of like a pierogi lasagna. Doesn’t that sound good? I’ll try again another time.

Three boxes join the coffee grounds. P.U. — *After* I opened the package… three boxes of pierogi very quickly join the coffee grounds. P.U.

Chocolate Chip Cookies from the neighbor kid's fund raiser — The Husband saves the day and bakes Chocolate Chip Cookies from the neighbor kid’s cookie dough fund raiser.

Mac and Cheese it is!

Loquats from Richard (if that is his real name)

I met Richard when we lived in Indianapolis, when he was on a business trip to work with The Husband. A Chinese native, he said we should just use his American name, “Richard.” I remember joking, “Richard, huh. If that is your real name…” and this is how we have referred to him ever since.

Richard (if that is his real name) has a loquat tree, like just about every Chinese person in my neighborhood. They grow like weeds in the San Diego area. I didn’t know these were loquat trees until last week, when he sent some home for us to try, with me saying “So THAT’S what all those trees are.”

Does one peel a loquat? — Does one even peel a loquat?

Big, honkin', deadly, seeds, one to four per fruit — Big, honkin’, deadly, seeds, one to four per fruit

We were brave enough to try these tonight, after looking up a little info online. I stumbled onto Lisa Rawlinson’s blog Full and Content, where she has a boatload of information and recipes about loquats. Some of it is pretty funny… I like her sense of humor. That’s where I read about arsenic in the seeds. I’m surprised The Boy tried a loquat after learning this fact. A little further investigation on the Purdue Extension website, explained the amount is not enough to cause concern. But I didn’t tell him… a mom gets to have fun scaring her kid occasionally, and he’s getting harder to bluff. Teens can be pretty skeptical, sheesh.

Photo from blog Full and Content- click to go to the post about Loquats... — Photo from blog Full and Content- click to go to the post about Loquats…

This usually never happens, but all three of us liked these. We decided to peel them- no blanching, no problem, the peel slipped right off. We decided that loquats taste almost exactly like pears, with similar texture even. I wonder if they would be good in smoothies? That’s what I’m making everyone eat for breakfast tomorrow since I have too many over ripe bananas occupying valuable space in the freezer. No loquat seeds will be added, I promise.

Apple Tasting- Thanks for playing along, House Crew!

This weekend was spent hanging out at a high school theater with a bunch of students running almost everything. The parents just tried to stay out of the way, helping where the Kid In Charge told you to work, and when they found down time? To keep them from hazing the new students- it is fine for the make up girls to take a willing freshman boy and do him up, but not fine if duct tape is involved.

Sarah and and a Student-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless!

Toju contemplates how much he disliked that Ambrosia... — Toju contemplates how much he disliked that Ambrosia…

I bugged the kids to eat a bunch of different apples with me so I could cram in a new thing for the day. I deny going “on and on about a blog,” Student-Who-Shall-Remain-Nameless, but will happily try to embarrass you by posting photos of you and your friends, ha.

We had in our lineup the following varieties for the students running the front of the house and concessions to try:

Ambrosias- “oh gosh, that’s nasty!” and (indicating one of their friends) “she likes it, I bet she has a ‘refined palate’ and likes sophisticated foods,” and ” isn’t ‘ambrosia’ supposed to mean ‘food of the Gods’? Blech!”
Jazz- good
Cripps Pink- a favorite of several
Piñata- yum, but had a big bruise
Cameo- yuck, mealy, (insert soud of spitting into the trash… drama students can be dramatic)

Ambrosia wins for the best lines, Cripps overall.

I’m tired, the show is over, all the students are crying with post-show depression and this blog post is late.
It’s been a great weekend!

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