peach cobbler

Just finished a second bowl of peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream that I made for a family cookout this afternoon. I have a hard time showing up to chow down on other people's food without bringing something. I've got a double whammy combo of good old fashioned Irish Catholic guilt and Southern Tradition spurring me on to do more and to make it look perfect.

The lure of summer in Georgia was too much to overlook so I decided on an easy to impress peach cobbler. I am certainly not above going by the recipe, so I headed straight to my favorite recipe site. I was pretty surprised at how complicated folks wanted to make a peach cobbler. Leave it to my friend Paula to leave it simple enough to bake even after sipping on mint juleps on the side porch all afternoon. After a late brunch we wandered over to the grocery store for ingredients and I found a huge stack of local peaches from Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley, GA.

The cobbler was super easy to make, very simple ingredients and a very simple process. It is important to note that the only complication with this recipe is the type of flour you use. You must use self-rising flour or you'll get a goopy, flat mess. I wasn't sure what I had in my pantry so I added a tsp of baking powder for safety's sake. If you're not sure adding baking powder will only make your dough a bit more fluffy. Fluffy = good, so no loss there. With the rising flour keeping down the amount of stirring/mixing is super important to make it all fluff together the right way.

Overall the cobbler worked out very well. The dough was a little much - maybe I had self-rising flour after all! I think next time I would either cut down on the amount of dough or increase the amount of fruit. This said, I still ate two bowls of the stuff, so it wasn't that much of an issue. I'm glad to have put some local, seasonal fruit to use the way god intended (i.e. mixed together with sugar and butter).

menus

Every week I simultaneously dread and look forward to making a grocery list. I love planning meals and even love making meals once I get started. But the reality of most days is tired and drab and tasteless and forces me into jammie pants way before bed time so that dinner doesn't get made but purchased and that keeps me in jammie pants instead of getting me into a bikini where I belong.

So I thought I might try posting my menus here not because they are exciting or remarkable, but as a way to monitor and discipline myself. I'll make a few interesting things this week, so I will do my best to blog about them and take pictures.

• Monday - Shrimp tacos with avocado and Green Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad
• Tuesday - standing night out at trivia
• Wednesday - Tofu Lo Mein
• Thursday - Pasta (I'm working late, so it has to be a boy-friendly recipe)
• Friday - Veggie Burgers and Roasted Cauliflower
• Saturday - Black Beans and Rice (my favorite slowcooker recipe)
• Sunday - I might be passed out from all the cooking, so I'm not making any promises

Community Profile: Farmers' Fresh

Every week, I would like to profile an organization or company I think contributes to the Atlanta community. This week, I was absolutely tickled to chat with Cory Mosser, General Manager of Farmers' Fresh Food Network. I have participated in their CSA program for a couple of years and while I don't always love every veggie I get in my weekly bag; I feel more connected to the food I eat and more aware of how eating well affects every aspect of my life. Cory generously answered some questions about Farmers' Fresh.

How do you think CSAs in general and Farmers' Fresh specifically support urban growth and sustainability in Atlanta?

"CSA's started in post WWII Europe and Japan as a way for communities to find reliable, affordable produce against a backdrop of scarce resources and increasing prices. Communities partnered with farmers who could provide a safe, steady supply of produce to meet the basic needs of the community. Today, the situation is almost the opposite. Food is plentiful and cheap. The advent of industrialized agriculture means that you can find on any given day, exactly what you are looking for. What is interesting is that given all this choice, people are increasingly searching out local options, because they want a connection with the food that they eat. They want to know how it's grown and who grew it. Our farmers (and other local farmers) are dependent on people who make their choices based on these desires. So I would say Farmers' Fresh doesn't, per se, support sustainability in Atlanta, but rather the urban sustainable movement in Atlanta makes a company like Farmers' Fresh possible. Local agriculture by its definition promotes sustainability. CSA's are simply a vehicle for those interested in sustainable living to realize their goals."

Why should people sign up for a local CSA? What are the individual benefits?

"CSA's aren't for everybody. It requires a commitment, a trade-off. It is difficult to reorganize your eating habits from convenience to seasonality, but it is a sacrifice worth making. In exchange for not having a tomato in December, you get to taste everything that a tomato should be in July. Besides experiencing the true taste of food, you also get incredible health benefits from eating freshly harvested produce. During the fall and winter, your body calls for nutrient-dense food that is specifically high in iron. Well, guess what's in season? Collard greens, broccoli, kale and spinach- all very high in soluble iron. When summer comes around, your body craves foods that are high in phytochemicals to protect you from free radicals in the environment. Highly pigmented blueberries, watermelon, and peppers come to the rescue to meet your body's needs. The benefit of buying locally is amplified by the fact that your food is, on average, 1-2 weeks fresher than supermarket produce, which means that all those essential nutrients haven't leached out while languishing in a storage cooler. There is also the benefit to the local economy, food security, and farmland preservation, but I've gone on long enough..."

Why is Farmers' Fresh relationship with local and regional farmers so important to the mission?

"Farmers' Fresh is a farmer owned cooperative, which means all the "big" decisions are made by the farmer members. Farmers' Fresh was created to ensure local producers could sell their products at a price which would allow them to keep farming. There is a cautious relationship between the farmer and the urban dweller. On one hand, local farmers are almost completely dependent on customers who have the education, the resources and the desire to contribute to a local food infrastructure. On the other hand, the swell of our urban areas generates enormous pressure on development driving land costs skyward, which in tern makes starting as a new farmer cost-prohibitive, as well as making it extremely tempting for a farmer facing mounting debts to sell out. To say that the life of a small farmer is tough is an understatement. Security is something rarely found. This year, farmers in our region experienced the worst drought, latest freeze, and longest heat wave in recorded history. Despite all these pressures, our farmers continue to plant fields for next year, hoping that it will all balance out. No one is looking to get rich, but to at least be able to continue to do what they love. Some might call that stubborn, or even foolish. In my estimation it comes from a contrarian spirit, which only a farmer can have that has no other option than to answer every 'you can't' with a 'watch me'."

Can you tell us about something new and exciting for Farmers' Fresh coming up soon?

"This weekend (Saturday, October 13th) we are hosting a Farm Field Day at one of our member farms. This will allow customers to meet the people growing their food face to face, and have the opportunity to try some amazing dishes. One farmer will be barbecuing one of his heirloom breed pigs for the event; you have never tasted BBQ until you've eaten pork from an animal that didn't have the flavor bred out of it. Next year we'll unveil a new model that will provide customers with the option of ordering what they want, when they want, in the quantities they want. We are basically starting an online farmers' market, where customers can place orders at their convenience and gradually immerse themselves in local food. One problem we've identified is that urban customers want local food, but they want it to be somewhat flexible with their schedules. Signing up for a season means you get a set bag of produce every week for 14 straight weeks. It's very hard for most folks to plan meals around that type of schedule. We want to find a way where everyone wins. The farmer gets to sell their produce, and the customer can support them and enjoy the benefits of eating locally without 'CSA burn-out'."

What is your favorite community spot in metro Atlanta or regionally and why?

"I don't get to experience the metro area as much as I would like to, so as far as a community spot though, I would have to go with what I know, and that's Carrollton. We have a nice square with good places to eat, we have a growing university. There is a strong sense of community, and a diversity that keeps things interesting. It can almost be considered a young, slightly pubescent Athens We are far enough off the major thoroughfares that rampant development hasn't sucked the uniqueness out of the town (yet). The person who graduated high school here 10 years ago and couldn't wait to escape would kick me for saying this, but Carrollton is kind of a cool place to live."

If you are are interested in signing up for Farmers' Fresh or would like more information about the program, visit www.farmersfreshfood.com. Cory noted, "The price listed on the website is for the full 14 week session. We are currently in week 5, so you would be paying roughly 2/3-1/2 of the price you see on the site. If you sign up, I will send a confirmation email with the correct price." You can also contact Cory directly at freshtastesbest [at]gmail[dot]com.