Orange Pie

We have lemon pie, apple pie, key lime pie, pear pie, fig pie, banana cream, and on and on. However, let's not neglect the orange.

If your oranges are sweet enough, you don't need sugar in this pie. Yep, that's right, no sugar. Just pure deliciousness.

However, if you are a sweet tooth hound, or your oranges aren't oozing with sweetness you can add 1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of sugar.

This is what you are going to need:

2 oranges

1 stick butter, melted.

6 eggs

1 pie crust

Here is what you do:

zest your oranges, peel them, and take out the seeds and as much pith as your motivation allows.

Cut up the oranges and put them in the blender with your zest, eggs, and butter. (if you are using sugar, add it in too).

Blend until smooth.

Poor into an unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Divine when warm. Delicious when room temp, and totally ok to eat for breakfast.

Enjoy!!

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

The People I Feed.

Want a laugh, need a chuckle? Read this email, it's why I love my customers. They crack me up!!! I got this email response after I told her that I was sold out of Dragon Fruit and talking about the Bald Guy Brew Coffee Company.

"Boo hoo. HISSSSssss...(sniff)

Boo ...hoo...(sniff)... HISSSsss

That is the sound of my dragon's tears as they drip into her fiery breath. Whatever will she eat this week, after being denied the fruit that is her namesake?

Hahahahaha. Oh boy how I crack myself up!

Seriously, though, Lucinda, no worries about me missing the dragonfruit boat. I was just jumping --if a little too slowly--at the opportunity to scratch another beauty off my exotic foods bucket list.

As for the Bald Guy, I checked out his website and watched the video about the coffee bike program in Rwanda and I am a big fan now, too. Sleeping with a bald guy for the majority of my life has worked out pretty great, so I figured I'd try some java roasted by one. :o) If I may make a suggestion for a future coffee selection, he describes his Bolivian as "liquid Nutella". Ooooh yeaaaahhh.

It is probably weird to have strong feelings for cabbage, but I think the one in last weeks box might have been the tastiest I have ever eaten. And that was before knowing it's sweet story, too.

Off in search of alternate dragon kibble...Heather"

Key West Burgers

This recipe was sent to me by Kimberly Ascroft. It looks delicious, so I had to share!!!!!!

Here it is:

Key West Burgers with Green Goddess Spread: serves 4
1 lb ground beef
1/4 C fresh chopped cilantro
3 T key lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mix ingredients together, divide into 4 patties, and grill or use cooktop. Place on hamburger bun and garnish with lettuce and Green Goddess Spread.

Green Goddess Spread:
8oz softened cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/4 C fresh chopped scallions

Blend ingredients together, cover and chill for 30 minutes (flavors have time to blend together better), spread on hamburger bun

The Life and Times of a Cabbage Box.

This cabbage box is waxed, as most produce boxes are, because the wax makes the box waterproof which helps maintain the quality of the product inside in case it "sweats."

This box came to me from an Amish family in Wisconsin, filled with lovely organic cabbage.

I sent the cabbage out to my customers.

Now, I have a bunch of empty cabbage boxes, as well as other empty waxed produce boxes. What shall I do with them? Well, I could recycle them and I will, just not in the way you think.

They will go to Pamela over at House of Joe in West Melbourne (which by the way is one of the most fabulous bakers I know).

She will fill them, as well as hundreds of other boxes, with supplies collected from her friends and church family. Then they will get loaded on a container and sent to third world countries.

In the slums of third world countries and even in the homeless communities of America, shelter is built with anything they can find. Often times, cardboard boxes.

Since these boxes are waterproof, they will be a higher quality building material.

So, once the supplies are unloaded out of them, they will be distributed as building material.

And I bet you thought that cabbage was only good for slaw. :-)

Cheers and Happy Cabbage Eats!

Lucinda

Get on the Happy Train. :-)

Eleanor Roosevelt said: "Since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give."

True story, my friends.

Happiness is a disease worth catching and I am one of those lucky people that are surrounded with others that have it. I love it when they spit in my general direction. :-)

When it comes to customers, my are, bar none, some of the most wonderful people a person could ask to work with. They are great. They send me funny emails and sweet letters. They leave notes for my driver and make sure to tell me when my employees do great things. They share with me their struggles and disdain/love for certain foods. Although I haven't personally met hardly any of them, I feel connected to them because of our interactions via email/ phone/ or even just by what they put on their "never sends" list. On the other side, my employees get all kinds of giddy when our customers do something sweet for them, or leave donations for the Daily Bread. When my friends, a few of which work for me, get together we sit around and chat about the great/ funny/ sweet things most customers do. I, personally, smile a lot over this. I feel pretty lucky.

With that said. October is a rather sad month for me. To get through it, I generally try to put as much fuel in the happy train of others as I can. Hoping that by doing so, I won't even have the time to wallow in my own drama or sadness. This year.... I brought my foodie family in on the fun. (The letter I put in their boxes is listed below). One thing, I didn't expect was the heartfelt, tear jerking emails they sent me personally. I am going to put up another post with a few emails I got. Just so you can see how great people really are. It just so happened that I got those emails right when I needed them. I am so blessed. So very very blessed and the happy train has lots of coal in the fire now.

Dear Fresh Box Foodie:

October is a special month for me.

This Friday will mark 15 years to the day that my father took his own life, leaving my mother with 6 children to feed and a farm she couldn’t pay for. That was a very sad time for my family, and happiness was hard to come by.

I don’t know a lot about depression, but what I do know is that for those that are depressed, happiness is not an emotion that frequents them.

I can’t bring my father back or erase the sadness that surrounded that time of my life, but what I can do is to try to share and show and spread as much happiness as possible. So, I thought I would bring y’all in on the fun. Spread some happiness with me, as so many of you already do, week after week with your sweet notes, emails, generosity with the Daily Bread, and your patronage

With that said, in the month of October I will be putting things in your boxes to help with the cause.

When my gran was in the hospital battling breast cancer she always loved it when my grandfather would bring her mail. She loved the cards and letters. She also loves to sends cards, and as someone that gets them frequently from her, I can tell you that they make my day!!!

So in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month and my gran (her being a survivor and all), this week I have put postcards in your boxes. Send them to someone. Send them to your children, or your parents, or your gran, or your friends, or write your significant other a note and put it on the refrigerator.

Sunshine and Happiness,

Lucinda

(A very extra special thank you to Suzanne Clements and Beth Ann Hall for taking the pictures on these lovely little cards).

Boar Taint.

Right now my younger brother is sweating bullets. Why? Something you have probably never heard of before called boar taint.

Let me explain.

Boar taint is a really disgusting smell and taste that comes from male hogs. It is really nasty. Trust me, I know.

Generally boars are castrated during week 1-3 of their lives. The removal of the testes guarantees the removal of the possibility that they hog will have boar taint. This is done in all the gamuts of hog production. Factory farms do it, family farms do it. Nobody wants to take the chance.

Even Polyface Farms castrates. Yes, you have heard of them. They are the face of the "f you" movement challenging conventional agriculture and the government. They were featured in the book "The Omnivores Delimema" and the movie "Food Inc".

Factory farms HAVE to do it. Why? Because they way they raise their animals in confined spaces virtually ensures that the hog will have a taint. (Hogs raised in confined spaces are much much more likely to have taint).

Family farmers do it because they financially can't take the risk of the loss of income from a boar with taint. To them - it could mean the difference of making their farm payment or not. Furthermore, it has been done for years. It's "what you do."

Here's the problem with castration. Of course, nobody likes to talk about it. It isn't a fun topic. Animal rights activist are up in arms about it. We, as a family, are too. I absolutely refuse to castrate a pig. So does my mother. My brother will do it, but he would prefer not to.

The only person that is really comfortable with the job is my sister in law. She used to work at a hog confinement building. It was her job. She's good at it, if you will.

However, after years of research and my mother reading every book under the sun about outdoor pig production, things have changed at the Turpin Farm. Hogs are no longer casterated.

Raising your hogs outdoors on pasture significantly reduces the chances of boar taint. Check. We do that.

Butchering the hog under 300 lbs reduces the chances. Check. We do that.

Breeding plays a role. Lighter colored hogs have less of a chance of taint. Half check on this one. Some lighter colored hogs but we have been breeding in more Duroc genetics over the past few years. (The duroc gives the right marbling and flavor that consumers enjoy).

Tuesday Cole took a boar to the locker for a customer of ours in Kansas City. We won't know until we taste it if it has taint. (I am not there, thank goodness, as I don't want to take the chance of tasting taint. Poor Cole. hehe).

Even Barb from the locker called me thinking we had made a mistake. "You do know that this is a boar, right? Elvin said it has two seeds so it is a strong possibility that it will have taint."

Yep, I knew.

This is a big deal. Cole just quit his day job to be a full time farmer. Taking these sort of risks when he financially really can't afford to is stressful. If the boar has taint it is more than, "Oh we tried that and it didn't work." It is his livelihood.

For the sake of the hogs at the farm, Cole, and the customer that is expecting her hog to be delivered next week, I really hope it doesn't have taint.

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

Let it Go. Let it Be.

This is a picture of Fiona on her second birthday. Isn't she cute? (sorry, couldn't resist doing the "oh look how cute my kid is" mother thing all us mamas do.)

I am in the blue shirt. For the purposes of this post, I want you to look behind me at the painting on the wall. That painting has special meaning to me. It was a gift from the grandparents of my best friend that past away when we were 16.

It hung, as the only item of decoration, on the living room wall of my marital home. It was the first thing you saw when you walked in the door. It now hangs on the wall of my home in Florida, again as the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

Last night, as Fiona's father came to pick her up, he commented on it. "That is a really nice painting, where did it come from?" he asked.

Hmmm. "It is from our home. The Bearden's gave it to me. It hung on our wall for years." I responded.

In my mindset, the mellow dramatic one that us women can sometimes be prone to specifically towards the males of our present and past, I couldn't understand how he could ask such a silly question. I mean, after all, he did live in the same house with the same painting on the wall for years. What the frizzle?

I closed my eyes tight so that nobody could see me roll them. Let it go, Lucinda, let it go.

Later in the evening as I was reading Harry Potter (yes, I read Harry Potter and love it...want to make something of it?), I realized I have read this series 5 times now (yes, I have read it five times. Again, want to make something of it ;- ) ? ) and just noticed that my maiden name is used in the book. Aha moment.

If I am allowed to read the same book 5 times without judgement and not notice that my maiden name, which is not actually a common name, is used who am I to pass judgement on someone that doesn't notice a painting for 5 years?

Humans are silly, aren't we? We waste a lot of our life getting all worked up about some of the most pointless things... like paintings.

I let it go.

In my quest for a more simplistic heart and life, I keep finding that when we embrace those around us as they are, we not only remove 90% of the drama from our lives, we allow ourselves to be who we are without judgement. Oh the freedom.

So let it go, and let it be. :-)

Sunshine and Happiness,

Lucinda

Where does milk come from?

Oh Snap, what have I done? I think I have scarred my child for life. Or at the very least I have created a food snob. Product of her environment, I suppose.

When given a glass of milk this happens;

Fiona: What kind of cow is this from?

Me: I am not sure. Most likely a Holstein but possibly a jersey or Guernsey or Brown Swiss.

Fiona: Is it from Uncle Cole's cow?

Me: No, his cows are not milking cows.

Fiona: Who's cow is it?

Me: It's Organic Valley so it could be from one of many different farmers. Organic valley is a co-op.

Fiona: How did you get it?

Me: I bought it at the grocery store.

Fiona: lets go there and see the cows.

Me: You can't. They don't have cows there.

Fiona: Where do they get the milk?

ME: From cows.

Fiona: What cows?

Me: Organic Valley Cows.

Fiona: Is this goat's milk?

Me: No, cow milk.

Fiona: I want water.

Carrot, Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins.

This summer Gran, Gramps, Fiona, the king carnivore, and I went for a trip to the middle of nowhere Iowa. For what? Well, a produce auction, a cheese factory, a commune, and an Amish store. On our great adventure I bought melons, cheese, citric acid and poppy seeds.

(Yes, I understand how absolutely random that entire last paragraph is.)

Moving on - today I noticed some rather sad looking carrots wanting to be eaten and a lonely orange begging for attention. Put them all together with the poppy seeds and the above was born. Carrot, Orange, and poppy seed muffins.

Get all your ingredients together:

You are going to need:

Muffins:

2 carrots

1 orange

1 egg - beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 pinches salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup sour cream

3/4 brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

4 tablespoons poppy seeds

1 cup flour

Glaze:

3 heaping tablespoons of powdered sugar

rest of the juice and pulp from orange.

Skin and slice carrots put in a skillet with water and simmer until the water is gone and carrots are tender.

Turn off heat, add butter to skillet so it melts.

Put carrot butter mixture in blender with the juice of one orange (use your hands to squeeze out the orange - don't go crazy because you'll want some juice for the glaze), 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 2 pinches of salt, 1/2 cup of sour cream and blend it all up.

Don't you love the color? (and my little helper?)

Add the egg, sugar, and vanilla. Then stir in the drugs. (For those that don't get the reference...poppy seeds will make you fail a drug test.)

Stir your flour and baking powder together and add it to the mixture to get this:

Fill muffin pan 3/4 full and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes (until tooth pick comes out clean.) The king carnivore likes to say that looking aint cooking. I would heed his advice on this as they might "fall" in the center if you open the oven door too many times. Ok, I did it like 4 times and they didn't fall, but I was playing with fire by doing that. I made mini muffins because I knew I wouldn't be able to resist opening the door and they would be less likely to get messed up.

While those are in the oven make your glaze by mixing the rest of the juice and pulp from the orange into the powdered sugar:

Glaze em and eat em. Yum.

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

Apple Bread Cake Pie Thingy.

I am not really sure what to call this: Apple bread cake pie thingy or - I accidently made this and it was yummy.

Here is the recipe:

Dough:

1 package yeast

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup half and half (alternatively you can use milk but this is just what I had on hand).

1 egg

3 tablespoon honey

1 egg

1/4 cup butter melted

1 teaspoon salt

3.5 -4 cups flour

Activate the yeast in 1/4 cup warm milk (let yeast sit in warm milk about 15 minutes). Add all the other ingredients except flour. Stir it all up.

Slowly add in flour until dough is slightly sticky. Knead it into about 1/2 cup flour. Roll it into a ball, rub the outside with some sort of oil (coconut oil, butter, vegetable oil.. all will work).

Let rise an hour.

Punch it down and seperate into 3 dough balls. (This recipe makes three of these apple bread cake pie thingys- or you can refrigerator the extra dough, which is what I did and bake it into something else tomorrow).

Push it into a pie pan and cover with topping:

1. put down a thin layer of butter.

The stir up and sprinkle half of this mixture on top of the butter:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

Then dice an apple and put that on top of the mixture. Sprinkle a little bit more of the above mixture. Then dot with a few tiny pieces of butter.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Of course, I like to put more butter over the edges while it is warm.

Cheers and Happy Apple Eats!

Lucinda

Peppermint Oil - Miracle in a bottle

If you don't have a bottle of this - get one. Now.

It is a bottle full of miracles.

Got a headache? No problem, put this on the back of your neck and skip the pain pills.

Sore muscles? They ain't got nothing on peppermint oil. (yes, I just used ain't).

Car sick? Put a touch of this on your wrists and you'll be able to set in the backseat with no worries.

Got a sinus infection and can't breathe? Put some on your chest and you'll be having airflow in no time.

Use like you would an icy hot, but know that it is strong stuff. A little bit will go a long way and there is a delay of about 45 seconds between the time you put it on and the time you start to feel it.

I don't go anywhere without it. I travel with it. Again - miracle in a bottle.

Cheers and Good -bye ailments.

Lucinda

Feel Better Soon- Thai Coconut Smoothie

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is merely experience and wive's tales talking. Take it for what it is.

I have been sick. Very sick. I suppose a 30 degree drop in temperature over night, and traveling by car 18 hours from the midwest to the east coast had something to do with this. Not to mention playing nursemaid to sick friends right before leaving. Fever, cough, green funk coming out of my nose, and a chest on fire, oh and I feel like I got hit by a truck.

I am not a fan of traditional medicine and I would have to be on my death bed before even considering antibiotics. So far, it seems to have worked for me. I have overcome swine flu, pneumonia, and the occasional sinus infection without the need for an arsenal of pharmaceutics (In general I get sick about once a year). I prefer to give my body the tools it needs and have faith in its ability to fight whatever it is I am fighting. I suppose I learned this as a child, growing up over an hour from any town with any sort of civilization. You couldn't just run to the pharmacy in the middle of the night and with options limited you learn to deal with what you have on hand.

With that said, food can play a very important role in recovery. I keep an arsenal of "feel better soon" recipes on hand. The following smoothie recipe is easy and can take you from zero to hero in the span of a few hours. That is because young thai coconuts supposedly have the same chemical make up as blood plasma. In fact, it is rumored, that it was used for blood transfusions in WWII.

Note: Young thai coconuts are supposedly drenched in formaldehyde to keep them white. I can not confirm or deny this, but I can tell you that it is nearly impossible to find the certified organic leading me to believe it is true. SOO... scrub the daylights out of the outside of one of these bad boys before cutting it open.

Here is the recipe:

1 young thai coconut

1 banana

This particular coconut had a lot of water.

I used 1 cup and froze the rest. Put the coconut water, meat, and banana in the blender. Blend for a minute or so.

Consume and feel better soon.

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

Uncle Learns to Cook.

This is my uncle. He is single. He is going to kill me for posting this.

When he finds Ms. Right or she finds him, they will eventually need to eat. He wanted to learn to cook so he would be prepared for that day. I felt like I was doing some sort of good deed for the females of this world by taking on the task of teaching him.

It wasn't an easy task. His refrigerator is like this: One shelf of beer, one shelf of mountain dew, one shelf of bottled water and some processed sliced american cheese, individually wrapped.

So here is how it went.

Me: Meet me at Whole Paycheck at 4. Dinner will be ready for guests by 7.

Uncle doesn't like Whole Paycheck, I can't blame him. I don't particularly care for the place either. However, I was away from home... 600 miles from my produce den. The farmer's markets were closed. We were out of options.

We get there and the conversation goes like this.

Uncle: I want to make a spinach salad with walnuts and strawberries and then Fettucini Alfredo w/ chicken.

Me: Do you know how to make any of that?

Uncle: No, that is why you are here.

Me: Sigh. (trying to remember the recipe for alfredo sauce on the fly)

In the cheese section:

Uncle: Please explain to me why I can't just get the stuff in a jar?

Me: The dinner will be a sum total of the quality of the ingredients. Start with good ingredients and you have more leniency to screw things up.

Uncle: Is Adam (King Carnivore) getting a cheese journal?

Me: Yes. He is weird. I like weird. Don't pay him any mind.

At the house:

Uncle does a fantastic job of assembling the salad.

He boils the water and grates the cheese and gets all set up. He is doing wonderful. Until... he overcooks the chicken and this conversation ensues.

Me: You over cooked the chicken. Now it is going to be dry.

Uncle: Ok go buy more chicken.

Me: NO that is wasteful. You need to learn what to do when you screw things up.

Uncle: I do know what to do- go buy more chicken.

King Carnivore: Heckling and laughter.

Uncle: Can you get him out of here, please. I need him to go away.

I don't blame uncle for feeling this way considering how smug King Carnivore is being:

He is being smug because: He has already endured the wrath of the Produce Queen. He has had redemption for his funky chicken fiasco. He understands that margarine is not food and everything is better with butter. Plus, he has a home made smoker. He knows how to use it.

He can't help himself. He is happy it isn't him getting put through the ringer. His refrigerator doesn't have sliced processed cheese (anymore). He takes joy in exaggerating the word Uncle because they are only a few years apart.

We put on a movie for him and like a kid he got quiet.

Back to the chicken. Covered it with a damp towel to lock in remaining moisture. It was edible.

Realized we didn't have bread.

Uncle: Can we just go buy some.

Me: NO

Found some croissant rolls in the refrigerator. Laid them out on a cookie sheet added cheese and Italian spices. Uncle learned to adapt and overcome. He understood the concept, because was once in the military.

Uncle did a great job of cooking the noodles and didn't even freak like I thought he would when I told him he had to throw one at the refrigerator to see if they were done (he is a rather tidy individual and the idea of throwing food was not really within his comfort zone).

The tricky part of alfredo sauce with the recipe I was using was the timing. The sauce is cheese and raw egg and cream. The egg is cooked by the heat of the pasta after it is drained. His guests arrived just as all this was suppose to happen (noodles come out, get mixed in with the sauce ingredients, blah blah blah). However, all is well. He carried a conversation and made the sauce without trouble.

In the end it turned out alright. The sauce was a bit bland and could have used more of a kick (my fault for assuming he would have an arsenal of spices to work with). However, all things considered...it was great.

Uncle's turn to be smug:

Recipe:

1 egg.

1 pint heavy cream

8oz high quality parmigiano reggiano.

parsley

salt and pepper

Shred cheese, stir in whisked egg and cream. Use a heavy hand with parsley. Salt and Pepper.

Cook the noodles and strain. Immediately add to the above mixture and stir until the cheese melts. It will thicken as it sits.

Notes: cream cheese would have made this better. As would have a heavy hand with spices such as pepper and garlic. Alternatively you can leave out the egg, melt butter(1/2 stick) in sauce pan, add the cheese and cream and stir over low heat until thickened and cheese is melted then add spices.

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

Okra-What not to do.

Last week I was at the King Carnivore's house and wanted to make fried okra. He didn’t have buttermilk or eggs. Hmm… what to do? Well, I added vinegar to milk which made buttermilk. Ok, problem 1 solved. Then, I realized he didn’t have cornmeal – no worries because he had some sort of breading batter.

I dipped the okra in the fake out buttermilk and then rolled it in the breading. Attempted to fry it and – EPIC FAILURE!!! It was clumpy. It was weird. It was disgusting.

I got out the colander washed off all the breading and decided to go to my old standby “everything is better with butter.” Once I washed off the breading I fried it in butter with salt and and narrowly avoided having to order pizza. And to think.. some people actually believe I know how to cook . I sure have them fooled!!!

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

Rhubarb

Fiona and I spent the morning at my gran's house and we cooked fresh rhubarb.

Don't be sceered - this stuff is delicious.

Cut up about a 1 to 1 1/2 pounds and cover with water, cook until tender and then add sugar (she added about a cup to suit my grandfather's tastes. I think a 1/2 cup would do it the same amount of justice- use your taster to find the right sweetness).

Simmer for what seems like forever (maybe 45 minutes?), and you will get this:

Slather it on toast, over ice cream, on top of cheesecake, or eat it by the spoonfuls. It is marvelous.

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

The Night of the Funky Chicken.

There once lived a veggie loving fruit queen named Lucinda who birthed a little pixie named Fiona. In the kitchen of their castle was an abundant supply of fruits, vegetables and butter.

They were carnivores by definition but their meals consisted primarily of vegetables. This is because the queen is a budget conscious woman and produce is economical. Furthermore, both the pixie and the queen prefer to eat meat produced in a way that it was given a life worthy of it's sacrifice and a steady supply was not available at their castle in far far away from farmtown.

Then one day the queen crossed paths with the King of Carnivores. He wooed her with his knowledge of agriculture and his home made meat smoker. And when he took her to farmer's markets and gifted her with farm fresh eggs she knew that he was a man after her own heart.

The King's meals consisted mostly of meat and a meal was not a meal to him without a large portion of animal protein. Why? Because he is carnivore hear him roar.

The Queen took domain over the produce and the King was in the charge of the meat. The little pixie was official taste tester and cookie monster.

All was well in the Land of Food...

Then came the night of the funky chicken and best intentions gone awry.

The Queen was in her chambers working away and the King decided he would make supper for his fair lady. Smoked Chicken on a Beer Can.

He labored away on the chicken making sure the temperature was perfect on the smoker and even incorporated produce into cooking the chicken.

When complete the flavor was wonderful but the queen, being an expert in the taste of good ingredients, did not need to see the empty Purdue packing in the trash to know that this chicken was a funky chicken. Although the King cooked it to perfection, she explained to him that part of the meal was the experience and eating tortured chicken did not make for happy hearts.

She was grateful for his efforts but respectfully requested that he refrain from purchasing funky chicken. He reluctantly agreed but in his adolescence ways could not refrain from leaving clucking noises on her voicemail with the message, "it's the funky chicken calling."

Emotional Eating.

I am an emotional eater. I use food as a way to bring full circle an emotion I may be feeling or to take me to a place I want to be. Food, to me, is a gateway for expression and an experience.

If you come to my house for dinner and find that I have made something creamed (peas, turnips, and even asparagus) then you can be assured that I am home sick for my grandmother - she makes the best creamed peas.

If creativity strikes me then you will find some sort of off the wall creation or a new twist on an old favorite (like adding bananas to my chocolate chip cookies - YUM!).

With that said, this week I have been yearning for a bit of stillness. Fiona and I spent last week in North Carolina cooking traditional Midwestern holiday cuisine for my Uncle, my beau, and their/ our collective friends. Yes, even Fiona helped. She is an expert noodle maker (picture at the top of this post).

I returned home Sunday only to step full force into a hectic week.

I must admit that I have been taken aback by the overwhelming feedback as a result of LivingSocial. I have been showered with kind words of encourage and cute little organic love notes which, without fail, make me smile big and occasionally do the happy dance- not to be confused with the potty dance. Then, of course, as with anything in life, there have also been the occasional rants and haters...but such is life. At any rate, all said and done I have had more emails/ voicemails/ phone calls than the total population of my hometown which means I have been chasing my tail trying to catch it since the word go. :-)

So my stillness and zen this week has come through food. One night, Fiona and I ate sliced tomatoes with salt, corn cut off the cob , fresh berries, and this amazingly wonderful cheese made by Organic Valley. No, I didn't put much effort into the creation of the meal, but the result was effortless communion between mother and daughter. I could have spent more time laboring away to enhance flavors, but instead I let them stand on their own and spent that extra time chatting away with Fiona - she loves stories, so I spent that particular evening telling her about the people that grew her tomatoes.

So, what is cooking in the Clark kitchen? Simplicity. Time to stop and smell the fruit. :-)

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

What happened to humanity? The Daily Bread.

I was slated to meet Dylan and David at 8:15 and so my day began with an extra sense of urgency to get Fiona fed, dressed, and out the door for school without an extra moment to spare. We had oatmeal with fried apples for breakfast. I was in a rush so I didn't finish mine.

Dylan, one of my dear friends and pseudo assistant, had arranged for me to take a tour of the Daily Bread facilities with his father David, who sits on their board.

Unbeknownst to me before the tour, the Daily Bread is in a highly heated battle with the City Council about expanding/moving their facilities. In fact, it was the day after an extremely intense council meeting that we were touring the facilities. The issue seems to be that the council, area business owners, and community surrounding the Daily Bread soup kitchen facility doesn't want the Daily Bread to expand operations in their neighborhood. The same is the case for the new location that they are looking at moving to. The council’s position is that there are drug dealers, prostitutes, and low-lifes attracted to such a facility and it decreases the safety and economic value of the area that it inhabits. A raid had been performed at the Daily Bread soup kitchen a few weeks prior in which swat teams rushed through the facility and arrested 9 drug dealers on the premises. Press cameras were in attendance and captured the entire ordeal for the 11:00 news.

At the council meeting videos of lewd sexual acts being performed by prostitutes and drug deals were shown, as well as the findings of the raid discussed in detail. The assumption made from the material provided was that "those people" were in the neighborhood because of the Daily Bread and therefore if the Daily Bread were allowed to expand it would increase such activity. Furthermore, the area on Sarno Road that the Daily Bread wants to move to would be in jeopardy of "invasion" by such people.

I was filled in on this information briefly by David prior to our tour for the sake of explaining that I might be walking into a situation of intense emotions by Daily Bread volunteers and employees (The organization is run by 500 volunteers and only 5 paid employees).

We started with the warehouse facilities which is where food is initially brought before being distributed to various charities and food pantries throughout Brevard County (there are about 30 that rely on the Daily Bread to stock their shelves). The operation was impressive to me: highly organized, smoothly run, and exceptionally clean. The volunteers were all too happy to explain to me how the process works. Different organizations pick up food from the facility and if there is an abundance or shortage the volunteers get on the phone to help get the food to the right place or solicit new donations. Here at the warehouse is where they coordinate with the chefs at the soup kitchen to decide what will be on the menu in the upcoming weeks based on what food is available and donations anticipated.

Our next stop was the soup kitchen facility and I can assure you that I was in no way prepared for what my eyes would see and heart would feel. When we pulled into the parking lot there were about a dozen or so people in the "yard" waiting for the one hot meal the kitchen provides on a daily basis, even though it wasn't to be served for a few more hours. My first thought was of my brothers and uncles and how they congregate in the kitchen around the table waiting for the women of my family to put the finishing touches on a meal at the holidays. As soon as I got out of my car I realized that this was no holiday because the overwhelming joy I associate with such was nowhere to be found.

As we made our way inside, Ed Welch, the assistant director, kindly took on the task of showing us through the different parts of the operation. The impact the prior night's council meeting had had on him was obvious. He seemed flustered, protective, and maybe even a little defensive - justifiably so considering those less fortunate that he felt so passionately about had come under such scrutiny without, what he felt, was ample enough opportunity to defend themselves.

He and David discussed the subject and Ed made some very valid points. He explained that he has no authority to arrest anyone and that signs are posted everywhere about unacceptable behaviors and consequences thereof (being banned). Furthermore, he has no authority over the sidewalk directly outside the premises and has often felt like his requests for help from the police have not been followed up with the sense of urgency they require. After all, as he pointed out, the ones that are a threat to the neighborhood are also a threat to the majority of the people that come to the soup kitchen with honest intentions. He feels that those he considers to be in his stead are at their most vulnerable and that they unfortunately make easy targets to those who would prey upon them. He also explained that some of the tapes that were shown at the city council meeting were not taped on the Daily Bread's premises and was at a loss at how to respond to accusations that the Daily Bread be held responsible for such crimes.

Through cramped quarters we made our way into the "hub" of the facility where volunteers could be found coordinating logistics and doing day to day tasks such as background checks on potential volunteers. We then saw the laundry and bathroom facilities, which combined were still smaller than my very modest guest bathroom. Ed explained that the showers are on a first-come, first-served basis and a set of clothing (shirt, shorts/pants, underwear, and socks) is provided if someone chooses to shower. When finished, their dirty laundry is washed then recycled back through for the next person in need. All of the clothing, travel size toiletry, female hygiene products, as well as blankets for when it gets cold are stored in an extremely small storage room next to the mail room.

The mail room in and of itself was something that made me stop and ponder the plight of the homeless. The facility offers a place where the homeless can have a mailing address, which is an obvious necessity once you think about trying to get a state I.D., receive Social Security benefits checks, VA benefits, or Disability with the address of "park bench #2."

As we moved through the small dining area I learned that each person must check in to eat and a small camera takes their picture so the next time they check in, their identity can be confirmed. This helps for the staff to keep banned people off the premises. Of course, I wonder how effective they are at getting people to leave with words as their only weapon and without the police there to back them up.

The previous day’s count of people served was listed behind the check-in desk and was nearly 300. It was explained to me that not all of the people that come here for a hot meal are homeless. Some are just barely on the fringe of being homeless and the one meal a day helps them keep from becoming such. The clients are also varied with the elderly, middle-aged, families, and even children coming through the line. As I absorbed all of this I thought about my unfinished breakfast and felt shame like I had never felt before.

Walking back toward my car at the end of the tour I made eye contact with a gentleman sitting alone at one of the tables. The gaze we held for a moment told of humiliation, heartbreak, remorse, regret, and sorrow. His eyes and the emotion they enveloped cut through me to make a resonating sound against my soul, because I had seen them before in my own reflection. I felt shame for the second time that day. Although I have never suffered from a drug problem, been homeless, and prostitution is definitely not becoming of me, I have visited the deep darkness of my own personal hell a time or two.

In spite of my past regrets, I stand where I am today not on my own accord, but because in my time of darkness a friend, a stranger, a family member put their hand in mine and helped me find my way. I felt shame that this man was not afforded that same right -the right to be treated with dignity and respect despite past transgressions.

The Daily Bread is not asking for us to condone criminal activity they are merely asking for us to see that we are all bound by the common strand of humanity. It is not your world or their world it is our world.

If you are one of the few people that have not felt the weight of sorrow, or the humiliation of defeat, if regret is an emotion you are not familiar with then I ask you to realize your blessings and not allow vanity to be the downfall of humankind. With your blessings you have a responsibility to reach your hand to those less fortunate.

Furthermore, if like me, you know what it feels like to have your confidence shaken and your faith falter, can you not see that you are best equipped to help another who has lost their way because you have been down those dimly lit roads of life?

Progress cannot begin until the fighting ends. Pride must be set aside and common ground be stepped on so that the real issues of homelessness, hunger, and crime can be dealt with. We must join together and create an environment in which the police respond quickly to criminal activity, the citizens do not turn a blind eye to the plight of others, and the Daily Bread has the freedom to provide for those in need. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “A house divided cannot stand.” However, banded together with our fellow humans we can overcome any struggles we may face either as individuals, communities, nations and eventually our world.

Lucinda

Citrus Royalty

The first thing I noticed about Mary Mitchell, owner of Eagles' Nest Organic Citrus grove, was the power of her commanding presence.

As Rodney Scaman (one of the owners of Goodness Greenness Sustainable Foods who had flown in especially to facilitate my introduction) and I walked into the restaurant, I had no doubt as to whom we were meeting. Her posture was nearly perfect but not so stiff as to be unapproachable. Seated at the table, she was flanked on either side by men who worked with/for her and their body language told me immediately that she was not one whose wrong side they or anyone else would ever want to be on.

She hails from Paducah, Kentucky, having been a city girl before her husband bought the grove about 30 years ago and as she says, "didn't have a damn bit of sense about how to run it which means I had to figure it out because all our money was tied up in it." He passed a way a few years ago but "run it" she has.

Over lunch I was mesmerized as she told me her story and the 30-year journey she has had in the organic industry. You can't help but yield the floor to this woman as words sounds like honey when spoken with her southern accent. It is because of Mary that organic citrus in the state of Florida is where it is today. In the 80's she fought in court to overrule fumigation laws that made shipping organic citrus across Florida state lines illegal. She stood her ground when state inspectors were sent to shut her operation down because they felt organic was a threat to other citrus growers whose money lined their pockets. John Mackey, the CEO of Whole Foods, started in the industry by selling out of a garage; Mary was one of his initial growers. Her roots in the industry run deep and she is on a first name basis with all the important power players.

She is a woman in a man's world but this isn't something that bothers her. She holds her own and holds it well. I pity the man who attempts to speak to her with sexual inneuendos as she will put them in their place and shame them without ever raising her voice or looking away. She once told a buyer from a large grocery chain, "I am flying up next week to take you to supper because I need to find at least one thing I like about you or you won't be buying from me anymore." I asssure you it wasn't an empty threat considering she has been known to stop selling to companies even as large as Whole Foods or Albert's because their buyers didn't respect her. She doesn't care how big they are or how much money she stands to lose, her dignity is not for sale. She lives alone and is often targeted by thieves and low-lifes having even been kidnapped at gun point, but she has a solution for this - her Smith & Wesson or shot gun which she not only knows how to use but has a track record of not being afraid to.

After lunch we headed to the grove and I learned that they paint the trunks of new trees with organic milk to keep them from getting sun burned. I ate a fresh Honey Bell off the tree and was convinced I had ended up in orange heaven as it was so full of juice and by far one of the sweetest oranges I have ever tasted. Traditionally, citrus is picked green and gassed to be made orange, but not Mary's. They are tree ripened and not picked until naturally orange. She tests her citrus on a regular basis for acid and bricks levels using some sort of complicated math formula with the two numbers to find out the exact perfect time to pick and ship the fruit. She has seasonal help that works in the packaging house and picking but does all the tree maintance herself such as pruning and picking tree moss by hand.

Back at her house she offered us some of her homemade orange cake and oh, my soul was it wonderful! It was there, in her modest home, that I got to see the other side of Mary's personality. She made sure my coffee cup was filled to the brim and that I felt welcome. She had a conversation with Rodney about how to best help me get with other growers in the state, offered sensible advice about how sticking to your convictions is the key to success, and gave words of encouragement about my new business.

As the day came to an end Rodney and I strapped our precious cargo into Fiona's car seat and headed back south.

I am a firm believer in making the family farm the story behind our food and Mary is a perfect example of what story I wish my food to tell.

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

A Girl on a Mission

For those of you that have been following the "Lucinda World" saga over the past few years, (If you don't know me personally you can find an abridged version in this post) you know that I am in Florida working towards opening my new business.

Launching Fresh Box Organics isn't just a career move, it is also personal endeavor. Even if I didn't have two mortgage payments, massive medical bills, Fiona's school tuition, and rent to pay thus making it necessary for me to work, I would still spend my free time doing what I do. My work is my passion.

When I started my first business in Kansas City, it was almost on accident that it became a success. Of course, I wanted to create something wonderful and make a difference but I didn't know if I could or not. This time around, not only do I know that I can make a difference, I feel I have the responsibility too.

With knowledge comes responsibility. I have seen what differences a company like mine can make for small family farms and consumers alike. I understand that in the long run, if the logistics of our food supply aren't massively overhauled, we face serious troubles as a nation and as a people.

In terms of helping the small family farm, there is one common issue that they face: the infrastructure is not in place to allow small scale organic farmers an outlet to move their products from farm to table. When a conventional farmer grows row crops such as corn or soy they are guaranteed a place to sell it. They merely need to take it to the local elevator, and although the price may fluctuate, they are guaranteed a buyer. This is not the case with produce, or small scale organics. If a person were to grow only 5 acres of tomatoes, who would buy them? They could take them to a farmer's market, but there is no guarantee that what they take will be sold. Shouldn't farmers who grow food we can consume in it's natural state (not the case with field corn) be afforded the same right as a conventional farmer? I think so. So that is where I come into play. As was the case in Kansas City, and now in Florida, I am able to leverage the collective buying power of my customers to create a market infrastructure for the farmer. They can grow 5 acres of tomatoes knowing that they have a place to sell it

When it comes to social issues, I make no qualms about being a flaming liberal. (I'm a fiscal conservative..."By all means, do what you want, as long as I don't have to subsidize something I don't agree with." OK, tangent over.) However, and this is a very big however, I do believe that one should at least look at a situation from all view points before jumping to conclusions about anything. For example, after reading this article about how children in Africa are dying from Malaria because insecticides are banned in the farming communities that provide organic cotton to Walmart, I was nearly sick to my stomach. Kids dying so Americans can have organic clothing? I was ready to go naked. Then I thought about it more and did some research. If Walmart actually gave these organic cotton farmers a reasonable price for the cotton they produce, their community would benefit economically, and then they could buy mosquito nets. I would pay a few more cents for a shirt if it meant I could save a child. Wouldn't you? If a consumer understands who grows their food, who is profiting from their purchase, how it is produced, and how far it has traveled from farm to table but still chooses conventional products, it is their choice. I just want to make sure you know all the information, alternatives, and opinions on the subject before you make your choice.

One of the comments that I hear time and time again, after I explain the motives of Big Ag to people, is that they don't like that they support companies like Cargill, Monsanto, or even Walmart. However, it is too difficult for them to find other options and when they do, it is out of their budgets. Once again, that is taken care of with companies like mine - the price is reasonable and we deliver. It can't get any easier than that.

When you have an infrastructure in place for the farmer and an educated consumer with easy access to big agriculture alternatives, what you end up with is a force to be reckoned with. When corporate giants start losing market shares, they have no choice but to take notice. Want to send a message to a large corporation? Speak their language - dollars.

I have been diligently working on the the nuts, bolts, and infrastructure of the company. I have overhauled my website three times (the newest and most up to date version will be live at the end of this week), been visiting local farms, recruiting the right employees, finding the best location for my warehouse, and mulling over every little detail.

Being as I am within a few weeks of starting deliveries, I decided last week that I was ready for the next step in the process. I needed to head to Washington to see what, if any, connections I have left in that city. After all, if one really wants to overhaul the food system in this country there are many laws, corporate subsidies, and programs that will need to be scrutinized and changed. Furthermore, there is a very specific person who lives there that I wanted to get on board with my team.

So Saturday morning, I got on a flight and headed to DC.

To be continued...

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

Eat...Read...Sleep

Ashley and Hannah (friends here in Florida) and myself are on a personal improvement mission for 2011. Bucket lists have been established for the year (being all zen and everything we will take care of next year, when next year comes). We are also all "Eat Pray Love", "The Love Dare", "Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway", "The Happiness Project", and just for kicks "Think and Grow Rich." What can I say...we are multi-taskers. We are mothers, so that is how we roll. Ashley, being a shrink turned Batista, likes to make us see the picture in three dimensions while keeping us jacked up on caffeine. I like to keep everyone's belly full, and Hannah is there to show us how to keep it real (she is excellent at calling BS when she sees it).

Today was an Eat, Read, Sleep and repeat sort of day, with a little happiness project thrown in. Scott had Fiona, so I have an empty and quiet house.

EAT (while trying to keep pace with Bruno Mars' mood swings - First he loves her just the way she is, then he wants her to tell the devil he says hey when she gets back from where she is from, and finally as he wants to be a billionaire so freaking bad (his girl is rich) and has completely forgotten to take his meds "Girl, I wanna marry you."

Makes me feel rather sane.

I digress.

Mushroom/ Potato Soup:

1 onion diced

2 carrots peeled and diced

1 clove of garlic

sea salt

stick of butter

4 cups of chicken stock

few lbs of potatoes

2 large portabellas chopped

rosemary- lots of it.

3/4 cup white wine (more if you want to get sloshed while making this).

1/2 cup heavy cream

shredded cheese... and sour cream for topping.

Cut the potatoes up and boil or steam until al dente.

Soften the carrots, onions, garlic in a skillet with some butter and rosemary.

Add some salt.

Add more butter to the skillet

Add the portabellas.

As shrooms start to soften add the wine... and let simmer until reduced some.

Put mushroom/ carrot/ onion mixture in large pot with chicken stock.

Add some salt.

Let this cook for a while took so it infuses the stock with flavor.

Add cream.

Let simmer for a bit.

Eat it.. with cheese and sour cream.

If you want the base to be thicker add flour to the mushroom/ carrot/ onion mixture before putting in the wine. Or, blend some of the cooked potatoes with stock and add it in.

READ - Harry Potter for the 6th time, and Jeffrey Archer's "Kane and Abel".

SLEEP -Initially I had intended to work on number 9 on my bucket list which is to be completely still and silent for two hours without going to sleep but that didn't work. However, sleeping falls into my home work category for The Happiness Project, so it's all good.

REPEAT - I had a great dream about apple cake. I got up and made one. I had to because I'm a "make your dreams come true" kind of girl. I will post the recipe later.

Cheers and Happy Eats!

Lucinda

Pizza on the Fly

I once thought that I would never be able to make pizza, because it was my understanding that the pizza dough took a day to ferment, rise, and do its thing. In my world things can change day by day and moment by moment, and my plans always seem to go awry. Thus, planning one day what I am going to have for dinner the next, just isn't something I do. Don't get me wrong, I have a general idea of what I am going to cook for the week, but what day I eat what is decided by the many variables in my, sometimes, hectic life.

With that said, I am now in pizza making heaven, done on the fly, without any planning required with my recipe below. I like my crust crispy and haven't tried to make this any other way, so if you want thick and gooey...sorry, but you are going to have to plan ahead.

Crust:

2/3 cup warm water

(not too hot or you will kill the yeast. It should be warm to the touch, unless you have poor circulation and your hands are always cold, in which case, you should use a thermometer and have your water between 110 -115 degrees.)

1 package of yeast

a spoonful of sugar (this is not required, but helps feed the yeast)

mix the above together and let it sit for a few minutes or more (you will see it start to foam slightly)

pour this in a mixing bowl and add flour. I am not sure how much, but if you pressured me to guess.. I would say around 2-3 cups. (should be doughy but not sticky).

If you want to get fancy you can add herbs or seasonings to your crust while it is still sticky.

Roll it out to a very thin and put on a pizza stone.

Bake for about 5 minutes. (sometimes I get lost in thought and forget to do this step, still tastes wonderful but just isn't as crispy)

Add sauce and toppings.

Bake until done.

Yum Yum.

Cheers and Happy Pizza Eats!

Lucinda