Raab is cheap, green and good: Cooking from box, garden, market

Ok, I'll 'fess up: I've been casing out overgrown kale plants in my neighborhood, considering knocking on doors to offer my services as a volunteer harvester. The kale, the broccoli, the arugula and collards and brussels sprouts that have overwintered are now going splendiferously to seed. And what's shooting up like green and yellow fireworks is delicious. It's called "raab" or "rapini" or "rapa," and this is not the first time I've sung its praises.

Last weekend at the farmer's market, I asked about the price of some bunches of raab at the Viridian Farms booth. It was only the middle of the day but her veggies were already picked-over; the farm focuses on berries and peppers, so April is a quiet month. "Two dollars," she said. The bunches were huge and my eyes lit up. "No, $1, they're looking pretty limp." I handed over two dollars before she negotiated further (heh), and asked what kind of raab it was. "Arugula."

I always thought I didn't like arugula, but I sauteed one bunch up as soon as I arrived home, relegating to the pantry the booty of two bunches of kale raab and one of brussels sprouts raab ("it's only available this time of year!" the farmer said as another customer considered a bunch, critically -- some varieties, like Italian broccoli, produce raab year-round and are very easy to grow in a NW garden).

Unlike most veggies that can be prepared so many ways, I believe there is one best way to eat raab -- unless of course you have a garden, and you should just nibble straight from the stalk; the not-quite-open florets are the best part, along with the tender new leaves. I call it "raab one way" and I've detailed my method here at Culinate. Once you've cooked it, you can eat it straight, or toss into scrambled eggs or a frittata; with raw, chopped garlic or green garlic, white beans or lentils, and olive oil for a warm salad; as a bed for poached or fried eggs, with hollandaise, if you're the sort of person who makes hollandaise sauce; on a homemade pizza (I think a white pizza or pizza formaggi would be perfect); tossed with pasta (strozzapretti or gemelli would be fun, or fusilli), garlic and some sort of good hard cheese or fresh chevre; or with smokey blue cheese and canned roasted peppers or dried tomatoes.

Raab, more than anything, is a simple spring vegetable, full of newness and tender sweetness, a burst of spring, reminiscent of the plant underneath but mellower, brighter, its winsome little sister. You'll fall in love, like me, and chances are your children will too. (Everett, seeing a pot of sauteed raab on the counter: 'Oooh! Greens!' and makes himself a plate.)

Veggie Growing 101: Starting Your Kitchen Garden in Portland

My neighbor, Camellia Nieh, is a great gardener -- I often admire her skills from my window and have tasted many of her cherry tomatoes and other goodies. She offered to write an introduction to vegetable gardening in Portland, and I said, yes please!

As weather begins to warm, Portland gardeners begin to anticipate the joys of the growing seasons. Waking up on a sunny morning, strolling outside, and harvesting a basket of fresh tomatoes, basil, spinach, and chives for your morning omelet. Sending the kids out into the yard to graze on sugar snap peas, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes when they clamor for a snack. Browsing a bounty of ripening cucumbers, eggplants, and summer squash as you decide on a vegetable for dinner. Snipping a bowlful of baby greens to bring to a dinner party and garnishing it with edible gem marigolds, day lilies, and sweet violets.

The gardening buzz is everywhere. You’ve heard about the Obamas’ breaking ground for their vegetable garden at the white house, and about the resurgent victory garden movement. You know all the reasons. There’s the statistic about how our average meal travels 1500 miles to reach our plates, and the fact that switching to a local diet is equivalent to driving about 1000 miles less per year. And you’re painfully aware that the average American consumes a pound of pesticides a year, and that we don’t yet know how that chemical load will affect our kids’ growing bodies.

But if you’ve never grown your own food before, perhaps you’re not sure where to start. Not to worry. Growing edibles in Portland is easier than wrangling a wild banana slug. There are tons of resources in this town to help you get started, many of them inexpensive or free.

Lowly cabbage goes glamorous: Cooking from box, garden, market

Spring is late this year, but everyone still has heavy, wide-eyed piles of one of the original, most thoroughly lowly, peasant foods: the cabbage. I can't believe it took me so long to discover the cabbage. I always treated the bulbous lady so badly, pushing her red fronds aside in college salad bars; eschewing the smarmy cups of coleslaw for her mushy cousin, potatoes and gravy; recoiling in horror from sauerkraut. I hate cabbage, I thought.

Oh me. You were so, so wrong. Or perhaps you were right; that cabbage wasn't loved, not the way my cabbage is now. The first farmer's market of the season I spent the better part of $10 on cabbage, and it's a good bet it will be all eaten within two weeks, and I haven't even made kim chi.

The first, best, most wonderful way to enjoy cabbage is a recipe I adapted from The Paley's Place Cookbook. Trust Vitaly Paley, with his Russian heritage and his local, seasonal mien, to deliver cabbage in its sweetest, truest form. I like savoy cabbage or red cabbage for this; the big heavy pale green heads don't turn as jammy, although sometimes I mix some green in with the red for a play of textures. Here is the recipe for honey-braised cabbage; it also calls for a little bacon fat (or olive oil), an onion and an apple, some vinegar and honey. I serve it with everything; with corned beef or sausages, spooned into lentil or potato soup, heaped into a bowl of pasta, mixed with leftover potatoes and grated beets and lots of fresh garlic for a surprisingly perky fried potato cake. It kind of disappears into soups, even as it adds sweetness, so it's great for kids (yes! mine have now eaten cabbage, and liked it!).

How does your garden grow? Part II

It's that time of year again.  In fact, we may even be a little late to the game to start thinking: how does your garden grow?  An urbanMama recently emailed to glean ideas for their new family garden:

My family and I have the opportunity to garden a 400sq ft plot starting in the next couple of weeks.  Since we have no dirt of our own, or even any attached to our apartment, we are really excited to get started.  I am hoping that the gardening-mamas out there might be willing share their experiences in order that we can make the most of ours.  Any suggestions about what grows really well here (the plot is in close-in SE) and what doesn't grow well here even if it should?  I would also welcome book titles, websites, etc. that people have found they can't live without.  Lastly, I recently aquired my MIL's large canning pressure cooker and would love to put it to use.  I haven't the foggiest idea how to use it and don't think I should go another summer without learning if I even need the pressure cooker.  Is anyone interested in scheduling/hosting some canning parties this summer with the understanding that some of us will need a little instruction? 

Healthy & Environmentally-Friendly Shopping in the Recession: What gives?

It was almost a year ago when we started talking about our weekly grocery bill, finding ways to trim.  Now, with our local unemployment as one of the nation's highest and with many of our families in the throes of the recession, cutting costs is more important than ever.

With the economic downturn, I'm wondering how mamas and families are weighing shopping for healthy and sustainable food on a budget. I used to buy the organic milk, no question. However, our family often can't drink a half-gallon before it goes bad, and I haven't found organic milk in half-gallons. So now that I'm on a budget, I'm buying the quarts of local, hormone-free but non-organic milk. Same with eggs. The enviro side of me says go for the organic, but the thrifty side says the cage-free eggs are a good compromise. (Yes, backyard chickens are a good solution, and we're working on it, but that isn't for everyone.)

Do others have the same conflict? And if anyone has good leads where the two meet I'd love to hear. For example, I found the whole-wheat organic bread made at New Seasons is good stuff for $2.99 a loaf, cheaper than other organic breads and locally made. And if they happen to have some cooling in the back before they put it in bags, I can reuse the bag from the last loaf (if I remembered to bring it). You have to keep it in the freezer or it gets moldy fast.

Are you buying less organics due to the cost?  Are you finding organic products are increasingly available as affordable options?  Or, is the point moot because you find yourself shopping at discount supermarkets anyway, where organic goods are hard to find?  Are there economical ways to find healthful, minimally-processed food options?

The one in which we start cooking from the box (and garden)

It's time.

Today is the first day of the Portland Farmer's Market for the 2009 season, and chatting with other urbanMamas I discover that lots of you are expecting your first box of food from a CSA sometime in the next several weeks. And there are questions, mostly, what do I do with this? This weird knobby vegetable (if it's huge, it's celeriac; if it's tiny, it's a Jerusalem artichoke; both should be peeled and can be diced and used in soups or gratins); these four heads of cabbage (one for braising, one to chop and put in soups, two for kim chi, of course!); this enormous quantity of kale (rinse well, chop roughly, and put in a large cast iron or stainless steel pot, with several cloves of whacked garlic, a glug of oil or butter or bacon fat, and some salt, cook, stirring often, over medium heat until almost crispy, put in everything or serve alone).

But let me start over. I am here to help you with your quest to cook more vegetables (and the occasional fruit) and figure out what to do with what seems like way too much of something. Also, it would be good if your children ate some, too. Each week (or thereabouts) when I come home from the market I'll write a post about something that's in season and link to some recipes I love, and present a few for you. If you've just received a CSA box or a gardening neighbor's gift, or harvested a bumper crop, of some particular vegetable, leave a comment and I'll try to come up with some great (and easy) ideas. And hopefully I'll have a few sentences of gardening too.

This week, I'm getting a second round of peas planted outside, and a few kinds of onion seed; a bed of lettuce; and hopefully some carrots and potatoes, too. I'll start tomatoes, jalapenos, celery and artichokes inside -- this year I've promised myself I'll use a flourescent light to help them germinate, we'll see if it works out! What are you planting, harvesting, buying, and eating this week? I need to make some of the aforementioned kim chi, so I'll be picking up an extra cabbage or two at the farmer's market, a jar of jalapenos, some carrots, and some collard raab. I love that stuff.

Local lunch on Think Out Loud - TODAY!

If you can't make the national Farm to Cafeteria conference this weekend in Portland (drats) but are interested in the topic, you can learn what's going on and weigh in on OPB's Think Out Loud today, Friday 3/20 from 9 to 10 AM.  The title of the show is Local Lunch, and here's how they describe the issue:

Grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup may not seem like the advance guard of a revolution, but that's exactly what Representative Brian Clem (D-Salem) is hoping for. Along with Rep. Tina Kotek, he's sponsoring House Bill 2800, which would provide up to $19 million in state money for schools that spend some of their federal dollars on Oregon food. What's Oregon food? Anything that was "produced, packaged, packed or processed" in the state. This is where the grilled cheese sandwiches come in.

Portland Public Schools is one of two districts taking part in a Kaiser Permanente-funded pilot program to see what happens when schools are given seven extra cents per meal to spend on local lunches. PPS chose to concentrate those pennies into monthly "local lunches" (grilled Tillamook Cheese sandwiches and Pacific Natural Foods' tomato soup were on offer this week). Gervais Schools decided to spread their grant money around more broadly. According to a recent report, the grant money triggered more in-state spending from the schools' existing coffers: grants of about $66,000 dollars turned into more than $225,000 spent on local products. What's more, argues Clem and other Farm to School supporters, that money in turn will itself have a multiplying effect as it makes its way around the state. The result, they say, will be healthier students, healthier farms, and a healthier economy.

If you can't listen this morning @ 9, you can always catch the rebroadcast tonight.  And of course you can join the conversation online, too - they regularly raise questions on the show that were posted online.

PS - They had another relevant show earlier this week on what books, plays, and other media are appropriate for school, and which are being censored right here in Oregon.  Check it out.

What's for dinner? The age-old question

One of my new year's resolutions is to get more creative and interactive in the kitchen at dinnertime.  The kids have poured through their cookbooks, and I've told them we can choose any of the non-sweet recipes and we can give it a try.  We've had one recent recipe that is an overwhelming hit - both to make and to eat - an easy version of pad thai.

We've shared our dinner favorite recipes and we've also drummed up your inspiration for dinner meals.  We've even tried the freezer food assembly productions.  On the mama circuit of late, I can sense that we can use even more inspiration.  Have at it, mamas.  Please share some of your fool-proof, easy-to-make, well-balanced, and crowd-pleasing dinner tips.  We could always use some fresh ideas.

Mama, can I have a snack?

The hour is hovering bedtime, and it's already been a long day.  I can't wait for the kids to slumber, so I can get a little down time of my own.  In the mayhem of it all - dinner, bath, reading, and music - they always seem to ask, "Mama, can I have a snack?" right after I ask them to brush their teeth.

Growing up, every meal experience was an opportunity to bond and share quality time, snacks included.  I had a "midnight" snack at 9pm almost every night with my brothers and parents.  Chat and munch, chat and munch.  Sometimes, we had more conversation over snack than we did over dinner.  We have been big fruit & cheese lovers, so maybe we shared fruit or a slice of cheese and crackers.  And, a drink.  Formerly milk or water, now I may have some wine with my snack of berries.

To this day, I am a *horrible* nighttime snacker.  I think my midline is starting to tell me to reconsider my ways.  Nostalgia or hunger, I often give into the requests for the 7pm snack.  Milk and a cookie, fine.  Water and some pita chips, ok.  A bowl of cereal, sure.  I know, I know - it's horrible.

I can't be the only snacking culprit out there.  Am I dooming my kids for bad habits for years to come?  Like I am now a culprit of snacking?  I swear it's all the running and biking around makes me so ravenous at the 9pm hour!

On charitable giving (and receiving)

Charity is very much top-of-mind this week. My husband is in the Army Reserves, and either we are the only large-ish family in his unit and thus deemed needful of charity based solely on the number of mouths to feed, or perhaps he has slightly exaggerated our financial plight (I'm freelancing as our main source of income right now, and while the work is plentiful, my time is not so much). Either way we have received two gift baskets in the past week, both stocked with hams, a pound of margarine, and various canned goods and other nonperishables. I am grateful. And yet, given my now year-long commitment to feed my family organic, fairly traded, as-local-as-possible food, it's been a challenge deciding how to face a six-year-old who I found hoarding two boxes of cake mix and a package of Sara Lee dinner rolls in his bedroom. Among other things. One day I'll let the boys gorge themselves on Trix, Campbell's chicken noodle soup, and chocolate icing straight out of the carton, the next day I hide it all and force-feed them sourdough whole wheat baked goods and raw milk. As a culture, we believe that one should not look a gift horse in the mouth and that those receiving charitable assistance should be pleased to eat whatever GMO-ridden, conventional, processed, sugar-packed, wrapped-up-in-excess-packaging goods the givers choose.

I am torn. I wish to be grateful and am thrilled that such largess exists. I know that those who assembled the gift packages did so out of a genuine and generous wish to make our lives better. (And the PGE gift card that was included in one of them will, indeed!, make our lives better. If anyone should be struggling over what to get for a needy family -- go with the PGE gift card!) And at the same time I wish I could somehow send a message to all those who shop for holiday gift baskets and ask if they might consider getting big bags of Bob's Red Mill organic whole wheat flour, and a dozen eggs from Kookoolan Farms, and perhaps a nice local ham from Sweet Briar Farms or the Pacific Village cooperative.

Food @ your door: Everyone's doing it, right?

There's something really appealing about having food magically appear on our front porch, especially given the multiple barriers between me and the grocery store these days.  Plus, somehow I figure that if it lands on our porch, we'll eat it, brussel sprouts and all.  My husband says no, it'll just rot.  And he's the cook in our house, so his opinion carries serious weight. 

One friend introduced me to the Noris Dairy idea (my kids drank that r-e-a-l milk like it was a narcotic), and someone else raved about her Organics To You delivery (and after a quick visit to its web site, I admit to liking the varied options re box size and contents).  And then there's Azure Standard for bulk items. 

It's (really) nice to have so many options, and in the slow food capital of the country, I'm not surprised.  But which to choose?  47th Avenue Farm is right in town (and a true CSA), and then there are those groovy new businesses that'll farm your yard - or someone else's - and give you the edible results.  Like The Backyard Farmer.

So have you signed up for one of these services?  If so, which one?  Thumbs up or thumbs down?  Eating more veggies or just composting more on the back end?  'Cause I'm ready to sign me up.  If for no other reason than the excitement for the kids of ripping open the box to see what's there. 

Reminder: Eat local at lunch today

Are you ready for something healthy and sustainable after that talk about childhood obesity? Remember: today is the Local Lunch at Portland Public Schools cafeterias all over town. I'm heading to Pioneer School today to eat lunch with Everett (and pay penance for having screwed up the dates and missed his annual Thanksgiving Feast parent lunch yesterday, ouch!). The menu appears to have changed slightly and is now "Oven Roasted Glazed Chicken featuring Draper Valley Farms Natural Chicken." Either way, I'm looking forward to having lunch with my little boy; as Aliza Wong wrote so eloquently in her entry on Culinate, eating lunch with your child is good no matter what the ingredients.

Think out loud: Childhood Obesity

This morning, the OPB call-in radio program, Think Out Loud, will discuss the issue of childhood obesity (at 9am and 9pm).  According to the Oregon State Physical Activity and Nutrition Program, one in four of our children are overweight.  The proportion of overweight children in our state is increaing.  The percentage of children who don't eat enough fruit & veggies is high (60%).

Despite the fact that we like to model good behavior with all our biking, homemade food, and additive-free cereal or bread choices, obesity remains a reality in our community.  The Think Out Load episode explores:

Have you struggled with childhood obesity? Are you the parent of an overweight or at-risk kid? Are you a teacher or school counselor? What barriers do you see for kids who are fighting the battle of the bulge? Who is ultimately responsible for preventing childhood obesity?

Feel free to listen, call in, or discuss here or there.

Unsustainable morning sickness: Nine months of junk?

I was nauseous in the face of herbs with my second pregnancy; with my first, I craved coffee milkshakes. I generally believe that nausea is our body's way of telling us what we should be avoiding, whether it be liquor (which I've never, not for more than a passing second, wanted in any of my pregnancies), coffee, or fresh salsa (who knows what bacterial dangers could be lurking?). Some of us can eat everything and do -- maybe those bodies are just made of sturdy stuff and don't need any special treatment? Who knows.

But many of us have been turning away from the simple carbohydrate junk food that filled our blissful teens and twenties and working to eat more "sustainably," whether we're following the lead of gurus like Sally Fallon or just trying to eat more local veggies. A mom from one of the listservs I subscribe to asked this question:

I'm pregnant and having a rough go of it.  I was sick for 9 months with my first baby with hospitalizations and all that because of the severe vomiting.

After a year of long, hard work, all the healthful food in my pantry and freezer makes me vomit, and the only things I want is crap from the store.  I am beside myself with guilt and unsure what to do.

Any advice from those of you out there who've been adopting Nourishing Traditions-style food practices in your household? Here is our previous discussion on horrible morning sickness.

Halloween treats: Who do you trust?

Do you mind if I have a bit of a rant?

As the news rolls in about melamine in children's candy and I prepare to write a book about "inconvenient food," I consider our society on Halloween. We talked last week about all the ideas for what to give away on Halloween, some of us bemoaned the problem of not being able to hand out homemade treats because of scares (for the record, I heard a piece on NPR in the last few years about how there had been maybe two cases in all of history of people getting poisoned/hurt from Halloween treats -- less than chances that a hurricane will rip through our city).

I've given up sugar and am trying to greatly reduce my children's intake, though I let them eat whatever they get given (within reason) by teachers, relatives, friends. But really, my values these days are "prepare food with love" and I can see no love for anything but profit in the contents of the candy aisle (or the cereal aisle, or most of the aisles in the grocery store). My go-to treats are honey lavender shortbread, hazelnut butter cookies, apple pie (sweetened with maple syrup), sourdough carrot cake, and the standby: homemade oatmeal whole wheat bread with lots and lots of butter and honey. Why would I go to the store, buy something I don't believe in that very well could poison you (if the sugar isn't poison enough -- now that I've given it up even a "fun size" bar would give me a two-day headache), just because my neighbors can't trust ME?

I start to wonder if the proscription against homebaked food has gone on long enough. How did our society become this insane place where we trust a corporation unquestioningly but we don't trust our neighbors? How is it that we have grown so ill-confident of our kitchen skills that we don't even dare challenge rules against bringing homemade food to public school? (Let's leave aside allergies for the moment -- that's not the reason schools banned baking.) Damn it, I trust you to know enough about cleanliness not to get my food all poopy!

So I'm going to hand out lavendar shortbread cookies for Halloween today. I'll have an alternative (we have leftover candy on a high, high shelf) because I haven't yet gotten to the place where I want to force my neighbors to trust me. Next year maybe.

Organizing a dinner coop: Do you have advice?

Ever since I read a post by one of my fellow Culinate bloggers, who's written a book on dinner coops, Dinner at Your Door, I've been toying with the idea of trying to start a neighborhood group. But I'm shy about commitment (when it comes to other people relying on me to show up on time, that is). Unless my neighbor (cough, cough) starts one, I'm a little reluctant. Lori isn't though: she's ready to go! Can you help her with advice?

I really like to cook but not every night and I am not a big leftovers fan.  I have been talking with a few of my friends about setting up a dinner swap once a week where we portion out the food for each family.  At the moment we are mainly focusing on stews, soups and casseroles.  Does anyone have any experience or suggestions with this? How do you handle special dietary restrictions, storage containers, etc.

Eat local at Portland Public Schools: Come to lunch?

We've had a lot to say about the sorry state of our schools' cafeterias, both here and on Activistas, and the criticism is certainly not limited to the Portland Public Schools boundaries; it's a terrible issue nationwide. Movement is slowly grumbling toward a better way, though, and last year the addition of Harvest of the Month (one ingredient per week from local farmers -- this month it's sweet corn on the cob) was, while a small step, still: progress!

This year's small step forward is the Local Lunch: a whole menu, once each month, featuring local foods (defined as Washington, Oregon, and California up to San Francisco -- a generous "local"). The first offering, last Wednesday, was quesadillas with Tillamook cheese and Don Pancho quesadillas. November's offering is barbecued chicken with Draper Valley Farms natural chicken -- yum! I encourage those of you who send lunches with your PPS students to have them buy lunch on these days; or go have lunch with your child. Whole list of dates and menus after the jump.

Emergency! Pediatric hospital food could be dangerous to your health

With three young boys, all who have a distinct love for risk, big sticks, sharp things, loud noises, and anything with wheels, it's amazing this weekend marked my first ride in an ambulance. On Saturday Monroe, not quite 15 months, cut his eyelid horribly after banging two wine bottles together (and I thought I'd got all the recycling out). The sweet, speedy firemen and ambulance techs quickly determined that he wasn't in mortal danger and it was off to the pediatric ER at Legacy Emanuel.

Given that Daddy was away at Army Reserve drill and neither of my sisters were answering their phones, I ended up alone in the ER, holding a loopy bloody baby for hours while I endeavored to entertain the other two boys. I was desperately hungry: I hadn't eaten lunch, my Blackberry wasn't charged and I'd forgotten my wallet in the mess, and besides, you're kind of stuck in that little space when you're waiting for stitches. ("Here, hold my bloody child, I'm off to get some soup!")

So we ate pediatric ER food, which consisted of: Scooby Snacks (really), Saltine crackers, popsicles, peanut butter and jelly. The PB & J were the little single-serving packs, all stuffed with sugar, and I've given up processed sugar; if I have much more than a teaspoonful, I have a hangover for two days. I had a lick of peanut butter and suffered through the next few hours. There wasn't a single option that was without copious quantities of sugar, white flour and/or trans fatty acids. All my biggest food enemies.

I don't judge other people for eating sugar (and boy do I miss Saint Cupcake). But it's widely accepted that large quantities of sugar isn't really great for a body, especially a little one. Especially one in a pediatric emergency room. Would it be so, so expensive just to have a bowl of apples and some organic, natural peanut butter (or maybe sunflower butter for the allergy-sensitive)? Shouldn't healthy food at least be available in hospitals? Really! I don't know what I'm going to do about this yet. For now: I just want to complain. Who's with me? [Photo is of dinner served to me while I was recovering from Monroe's birth, same hospital.]

Veggies: how much do they eat in a day?

The American Heart Association recommends, among other things, that children eat...

a variety of fruits and vegetables daily, while limiting juice intake. Each meal should contain at least 1 fruit or vegetable. Children’s recommended fruit intake ranges from 1 cup/day, between ages 1 and 3, to 2 cups for a 14–18-year-old boy. Recommended vegetable intake ranges from ¾ cup a day at age one to 3 cups for a 14–18-year-old boy.

In our household, that's a whole lotta veggie.  We're curious to know: how much in fruit & vegetables do your kids really consume? 

Need help getting fruits veggies into their food?  Check out some great suggestions and offer more up here.

Canning mamas unite on NPR tomorrow

I know I'm not the only mama out there who's been crazy for preserves this harvest season. I've been jamming (heh) since June and have decided that I have redefined my wealth in the quantity of tomato pints in my pantry. Over the past few months, I've gotten together several times with other lovely mamas to can tomatoes or make jam or pickle dilly beans. Just thinking about it makes me warm all over. Isn't this what community is supposed to be? (And who wants to have a quilting bee?!?)

Tomorrow on OPB's 'Think Out Loud' radio show at 9 a.m., Harriet Fasenfest of Preserve and LeAnn Locher of Lelo in NoPo will be talking with another guest about the resurgence of canning (have you noticed that all the stores are out of canning jars?). In my opinion, doing one's one preserving is not just a way to keep summer around for months longer, and to eat locally, but also to control what goes into my body and my kids' bodies; I'm going to make my own ketchup with maple syrup instead of sugar, for instance, and this year I won't have to worry about BPAs in tomato cans (ack!) when I make pasta.

What do you have in your pantry from this summer's bounty?

Making positive changes in the school food environment webcast

We know you want change in our school food system; I'm only one of millions of moms desperate to improve its current state, although admittedly I'm extra loud and whiny about it. Portland is even one of the lucky ones; our Farm to School program is a model nationwide. Now if we could only expand it to more than one ingredient a month...

But you've got to start somewhere. As part of Ecotrust's Western Regional Assembly today, Rebecca Gerendasy of the Cooking Up a Story video project will be interviewing Deb Eschmeyer from the Farm to School Network, "about farm to school, policies being made toward this, how parents are getting involved, what needs to be done toward bringing fresh, clean, good food to our kids in school..." Her interview will be broadcast on Ustream starting at 12:15, and she'll be taking questions from the online audience. If you have a webcam and a microphone, you can participate. The recorded video is after the jump.

Seeking your grocery suggestions

Many of us mamas can remember when we were brand new in town. If you were new to Portland, what would some suggestions be for supermarkets and grocery stores? A new urbanMama emails:

We just moved to Portland recently from Bellingham, Washington. I've been shopping at the same co-op grocery store for the last 15 years and am feeling a bit wistful for all the local produce, dairy and meat products that I used to take for granted. I know that Portland has a bevy of wonderful food options, just not sure where to go. We live close(ish) to a New Seasons Market and a Trader Joe's. both good for different things. But, would love to find a more local food co-op. Could be near where we live (NE) or where my daughter will be going to school (in Milwaukie). We're also interested in where to find raw dairy products, shares in local veg/fruit harvest, and other sustainable options!

Recommendations: Grocery Delivery Service

We've raved here about the New Seasons delivery service, which can be such a great tool for some of our families.  There has got to be more grocery delivery services out there, too.  Have you tried any others?  Care to share?  An urbanMama emails:

There was a post a while back that mentioned another grocery delivery service that was cheaper then New Seasons and had delivery options that included drop-off spots. I can't find the comment after an hour of searching. Does anyone remember the name?

Food: The Series [on Activistas]

Since I became a mother, food has become a sort of obsession of mine.  Not just the what and how much of what the kids are eating, but the where did it come from and how was it grown.  In the beginning of my motherhood food journey, my primary focus was on buying and eating organic products.  This seemed like a good start for us.  I was clear on the benefits: no chemical pesticides, more sustainable farming practices (in theory), no antibiotics/hormones in meat.  Sounded great. But the more I learned, the more my attitudes about food and it's production have shifted. 

So, in the manner of a semi-obsessed person, I will be writing about some food thoughts in a series of posts over the next few weeks.  I hope you'll feel free to add your thoughts and comments, as this is still a journey, and I'm learning more all the time.

Part I: The truth about organics.

[Thanks to local food guru cafemama for the pic]

Menu Labels: Should we know what we're ordering?

The other day, we went to one of our favorite chains - Burgerville.  I usually cannot order a thing from fast food joints.  On this day, however, I was famished from all the biking, running, and berry-picking that summer weekends bring.  I needed to eat.  In a hurry at the counter, I chose a Tillamook Cheeseburger.

Once the tray was set in front of me, I wondered if I made the right choice.  I asked my girls to go to the counter to ask for "information on nutritional facts."  I told them to repeat the request, to make sure they could say "nutritional facts".  They came back to report that the nutritional facts were on the back of that paper placemat on the tray.

Sure enough, on the back of the paper placemat, there was almost all the nutritional data on all the menu items. ...

Continue reading "Menu Labels: Should we know what we're ordering?"

Celery & cream cheese? Mmm, mmm, good.

Today I busted out this snack-from-the-past for a little post-nap pick-me-up (not my nap, unfortunately).  As I spread the cream cheese into the little celery U, then cut them into tidy little bites, all I could think was how very much of our own  childhood we repeat  - for better or for worse.  Introducing my daughter to this tasty treat is in and of itself no big deal.  Who really cares what we're snacking on late on a summer afternoon, anyway.  But what struck me was that when at a loss for my own individual idea, the first thing I did was delve into the familiarity of my own past. 

Of course this could just lead to a wacky snack, but there's potential for something far greater.  Generational everything is a possibility, right?  From bad/good eating habits to racism to education aspirations and far, far beyond.  It's big stuff, and I, the parent, am setting the tone.  Yikes.  Now that's food for thought. 

So, before I try that cream cheese & olive sandwich on my kids (it's true, I did), I better think whether falling back on my own childhood experiences (and tastes) has a positive or negative impact on them and (gulp) future generations.  So aside from my late-in-the-game realization that the past ain't always good for the future (duh), what I really wanna know is whether you draw on any bizarre, potentially offensive snacks from your past when feeding your kids.    Cottage cheese & catsup, anyone???

What's for breakfast?

We've talked about what's for lunch and what's for dinner, but we haven't yet talked about what's for breakfast.  Allison emails:

How about some thoughts on breakfast foods for the kiddos that are healthy, yummy, easy, and/or portable?  I need some motivation and ideas to get out of the carb-heavy breakfast rut that we're currently in.

What are your standby nutrious easy fixes for busy mornings?

Cutting Coupons in the Internet Era: Do You?

When I was in middle school I gave my Mom a 'coupon caddy' for her birthday.  Just what every mother wants (second best to the microwave bacon cooker my dad got her - eek).  Details: it was a beige felted coupon holder with dark brown animal pictures on it.  Oooohhh, so womanly.  But she used it.  And I used it.  Wondering what on earth I'm talking about?  A coupon organizer for the mom purse, of course.  We cut, we filed, we saved.  It was our frugal way. 

But in 2008, we Google, we print, we stuff in our purses and hope we find ourselves in the grocery store with the coupon when we need that item - tall order!  Time to resurrect the caddy, me thinks.   So it came full circle today when I opened the mailbox to find an envelope from my mom with a newspaper about CouponMom, aka Stephanie Nelson.  Ever visited?  The article says that some stores look down on internet coupons as fraudulent.  As a very online kinda mama, I'm wondering how this modern schtick really works.  Worth it?   The solution to our rising grocery costs???   I'm all ears, mamas, 'cause I've got coupon caddy on the brain.

Eating Healthy on the Road

Over Memorial Day, we started the summer off with a little road trip to Vancouver, BC.  We found a last-minute deal at a downtown hotel.  Knowing that we would be away from home for three full days, I got nervous about what to eat.  I hate to be caught off guard, with ravenous children unwilling to wait.  I, myself, cannot function when hungry; low-sugar is not a good state.  Two hungry kids, too tired and poorly fueled to walk around and sightsee, can be a real downer.  Under such circumstances, it is easy to resort to junk/fast food, just to make it to the next destination or activity.

So, I packed food like a mad-mama.  I brought bananas, apples, carrots sticks, granola bars, some milk in a cooler, packets of instant oatmeal (made with hot water out of the in-room coffee maker), string cheese, pretzel sticks, a jar of peanut butter, a couple of yogurt cups, and a water bottle for each of us to refill all along the way.  Once at our destination, I am a fan of hitting up the local market to restock with fresh local produce, milk, and other healthy snacks.

We don't have many trips planned for the summer, but I'm sure lots of you do (lucky mamas!).  Can you share your best tips and tricks on eating well while on the road?

Sustainable living on a budget: Am I inspired yet?

Monique Dupre was, as everyone seems to agree, not what we expected. She's too lovely, too pulled-together, too funny, too American. (For the record, she is married to a Frenchman, grew up near Astoria, and now lives in Vancouver, Wash.) I half-expect her to start her insanely popular 'Sustainable Living on a Budget' workshop with a little ledger for us to add up our errant spending and lots of judgment, but that's entirely not what she does.

She starts by saying that she just wants to inspire us, reminds us that inspire means "in the spirit," and that we don't have to do everything, just start where we are. And begins to talk about where she is.

It's at once devilishly inspiring (I will admit to having called Comcast to cut off my cable the next day, and removed the TV from the living room, although it was only minorly influenced by Monique) and crushingly overwhelming. Monique, through lots of hard work, much ability to be present and inquisitive, and the oh-so-useful French husband questioning all that is America, has created a life that is truly my dream. She gets all her food locally and organically, creating healthy and whole-foods-y meals for each and every bite her family eats. She leaves her home each morning with a clean kitchen and a small pile of laundry. Her children want nothing for Christmas because they have everything they need. Her eldest daughter can recognize fennel plants when they're an inch tall. She loves fennel!

How many dinners do you make?

Our grocery bill conversation has led me to realize that we often make more than one dinner every night: something the girls like and something the adults like.  Just last night, inspired to cook up something fresh and new and only use the bits and pieces in the pantry or fridge, I made a big pot of soup.  We set the table and sat down to eat.  My oldest child doth protested: "I want Chinese Chicken!" referring to the three packages of the stuff that we bought from Trader Joe's the day before.  Deflated, I made some.  But, she ate some of my homemade lentil potato soup also.  I think she could sense my deflation.

I am so glad I'm the only one who makes different dinners for the different palates around the table.  Shannon shared:

I totally get what you're saying.  I'm so sick of being a short order cook that by the time I've made the boys what they'll eat, I just don't cook and tell the man, who busts his arse everyday, to suck it. No, not really...but close.  I'm this close to doing the "this is what's for dinner, eat it or not" but, one kid is vegetarian, kind of, and one likes bland, the other spicy,etc...it's so overwhelming.

Then, says Leah:

I think the "short order cook" issue is a big one for a lot of families...how do you tackle that? One thing my mom did when we were kids (there were 5 of us, and she never made a special meal for anyone--we ate what we were served, period) was she would ask us what we wanted for dinner that week and she cooked accordingly. Maybe getting your kids on board with the menu for the week would help?

How many dinners do you make to meet the needs and preferences of all the family members?  Do you just make one big meal?  What if some don't eat or "don't like" it?  How do we make it easier on ourselves so as not to make dining a completely a la carte experience?

How much is your weekly grocery bill?

Last week, the Oregonian's FOODday featured four families that put their family food budgets on a diet, ranging from $100 to $300 a week.

Why are we paying so much more at the store? Blame rising energy costs that make it more expensive to transport food and run a farm; spiking corn prices that inflate the cost of feeding animals we use for meat, eggs and dairy; and a run-up in what food manufacturers pay for wheat, soy and corn sweeteners, the main ingredients in bread, cereals and most processed foods on your grocers' shelves.

One family slashed their eating-out budget and planned their darndest to keep within their budget and scheduled meals.  Another family stopped frequenting all their favorite speciality food shops, opting - instead - to one-stop shop, saving on time and gas and impulse purchases.  The third family, raising two teenage sons, became masters at finding steals and deals, scoring enough milk for the boys' gallon-a-day needs and cheese or fruit for their constant appetite.  And the last family tightened their belts even tighter and focused on from-scratch cooking.

These days, we're talking about tightening belts, but we're also talking about lower-sugar, less processed cereal, peanut butter, and bread.  How do we balance the food budget with all these factors in play?  What is your family's weekly food budget?  What are tips and tricks to keep you within budget?

This Mama loves JIF

In light of all our sharing about favorite bread, O's, and about our ziploc-reuse habits, I thought I'd share with you my peanut butter problem: This mama loves JIF.  That's right.  I love that sinfully homogenous thick stuff, made of "roasted peanuts, sugar, molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, and salt."

I ought to know more about this stuff that I'm putting into my body daily by the spoonful, but I haven't done the research or given it much thought.  Do you stock nut butter in the house?  What kind?  What factors into your choice of nut butters?

Your preferred "O"?

We're pretty sure that most of our households have consumed some variety of the "O", Cheerios, Trader Joe's Oh's, Kashi's Heart to Heart, and there are so many others.  While traditionally a breakfast item, these cereal items are toted in our bags and the kids bags as snacks, meals, and everything in between.

What O's do you stock in your household?  What do you look for in an O?  Price?  Does nutritional content vary widely from product to product?

The best sliced bread

Sliced bread is a great thing.  Our household does toast for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch and munch on it on many points in between.  BUT, when it comes to picking good, wholesome, affordable breads, I'm curious how you choose?  At the store, a wall full of packaged bread is overwhelming. 

A friend once told me that the rules of 3s apply to bread: no more than 3 grams of fat, at least 3 grams of protein, and at least 3 grams of dietary fiber.  I would add that we shouldn't have to spend over $3 for a loaf of sliced bread. 

What's the difference?  What do you look for?  Doyou grab and go or do you compare ingredient lists?  Do you go local over all else?  Lower carb?  Lower cost?  Any go-to brands that you always pick up?

Vegan Support

I am sure there are a plethora of resources that chose the vegetarian and vegan lifestyle in Portland, from preschool options to grocery stores dedicated to that choice.  Diana who is entering this realm is seeking those who can provide information and / or interested in sharing support.  She writes:

I've recently become a vegetarian (working toward vegan) and am hoping to incorporate the diet slowly for my kiddos as well. I was wondering if there are any other families that might want to get together to be supportive and discuss ideas, or is ther a good resource that other families have used for information on being vegetarian/vegan families. If not I'd like to start some sort of group. Do any of the local vegan grocery stores have classes or groups? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Holiday Cookies: Share Some of Your Favorites

The other day, my husband gently nudged me to host a cookie exchange so he could dust off his rolling pin.  When we would spend the holidays with our families in the Midwest, we would indulge in the once-a-year favorites such as Baklava and Banket. I'm not sure of the tradition of baklava, but Banket is one of those tasty Dutch pastries that my mother-in-law loves to bake.  His grandparents were Dutch immigrants.  It was also that time of the year to make Peanut Butter Kisses, Sugar Cookies, and of course the Gingerbread People. 

Since I'm right on schedule (sent out the email invite four days ago, and the exchange is tomorrow) I need some ideas on some great holiday cookies.  I got the ix-nay on the Pecan Sandies - they didn't quite meet holiday muster according to the resident cookie authority. Biscotti was also met with a lukewarm response.  Do you have suggestions for terrific holiday cookies that would pass the scrutiny of our family cookie-snob?  Do you have any family favorites and ethnic cookie recipes?  Lastly, as I'm always looking for ways to streamline the cookie exchange, how do you go about hosting yours?

Entertaining the Foodie Visitors

In recent weeks (months, years), we've had the pleasure of hosting friends and family who hail from our hometowns of San Francisco and New York.  We've always been fond of eating out, and I find that there is no shortage of deliciousness to be had here in Portland.  Even when we can't always manage to eat out, we still stay on top of the Portland gastronomy via our favorite Portland food blogs.

Of course, when we're entertaining out-of-towners, part of the purpose is to have them spend time with our girls.  And, we are often inclined to eat out, even though we rarely now eat out with the girls since it's just that much more fun to make a big home-cooked meal and entertain at home.  (Plus, the cost!)

So, where to go?  There's "kid-friendly" with ample high chair stock and kid menus, but there's also "kid-welcoming" with staff who go out of their way to make the kids comfortable, quickly fed, and happy. For us, the key to enjoying dining out with the girls is to pick a spot where there is: 1) room to wiggle and spread out tons of paper for drawing, 2) attentive staff who understand that the kids' patience runs a bit shorter than the adults', 3) food and drink choices to make both the kids and adults happy, 4) an ambiance that allows for kids to make the noises that they make at the volume that they do, and 5) as little wait as possible.

Some of our great successes have been:

Gino's.  Seeing as we live in Overlook and Gino's is in Sellwood, we find Gino's to be a bit further of an excursion.  Still, it's great Italian food, and what kid doesn't love Italian?  My girls could certainly eat the stuff day in, day out.  The best thing about Gino's is that they immediately bring the kids individual platters of apples, cheese, and crackers.  That is quick attention.

Nostrana. They don't take reservations unless your party is 6 or more, so try to score a reservation with a larger group. Waiting with hungry kids is not often a good idea. It appears that Nostrana knows that hungry kids are not happy kids because, like Gino's, they whisk out individual plates for the kids with cheese, apples, raisins, and this lovely, lovely nutella-esque dallop for dipping. The atmosphere is bustling and busy, so I don't mind if our kids are equally bustly or busy. They blend. A table near the front door on a nice days allows bigger kids to go play out on the patio once they're done nibbling.

Pause. This one is a new neighborhood joint, and the only link I could find to it was in BarFly. It should be noted, however, that it's not just a bar, it's really a full restaurant, something like a kid-friendly tavern or pub. What I loved about Pause and why I include it here, is that they immediately asked "what can I bring the kids?", like seriously at the moment we sat down. They offered butter noodles on-the-house. Sometimes, free butter noodles are the antidote for the hungry kids at 6pm.

We know lots of families who love Laurelwood (who wouldn't?), but the wait is often unbearable. Plus, we sometimes want something different than pub grub.

Mamabee just emailed:

Okay, so my foodie family is coming to town and usually that means big dinners at Portland's finest dining establishments.  Now I have a beautiful little two month old, I am rather clueless as to where to go.  What nice restaurants in town are cool with a quiet 2 month old?  What about breastfeeding?  Is it totally uncouth to nurse my little one under a shawl?  Any suggestions?

Where have you had success with a nice dinner that pleased the adults AND the kids?  Any establishments that you would avoid?

Seeking Baby-Friendly Restaurants

Mamas, where have you gone with the little itty-bitty baby to enjoy dinner out?  Liz emails:

I have an 11 week old and the husband and I are trying to take advantage of this time when she is still portable to eat out – what are some baby friendly restaurants around town? We have been to Screen Door a few times and since it is very noisy in there, no one ever seems to notice if she cries – BUT no changing table in the bathrooms so I improvised and changed her on the benches outside. Any other favorites for urbanMamas that get sick of being cooped up in the house?

Bringing Healthy Food to the Classrooms

Meg poses an interesting question and seeks some wisdom from urbanMamas:

I am a high school teacher and I teach a course called environmental issues.  As part of the on-going guiding question of “How do you impact the environment and how can this be measured?” I wanted to do a weekly bit on healthy eating; healthy for the planet and healthy for the student.  My idea was to get a local farm or grocery store to donate organic fruit that was all locally grown.  I approached my administration with this idea and was told that I could only serve prepackaged food in class…. In other words, soda, chips, pizza, doughnuts, candy are all a-ok, but not organic fruit.  What are your experiences with what is acceptable to serve in the public school classroom?  Are there any loopholes I could squeeze through?  I know I can’t cook anything, but I thought raw foods were ok.  What would be the best way to go about changing this policy in a time efficient manner?  Lastly, does anyone have any connections with Washington County organic farms just in case I get this off the ground?

Finally: Water & Juice in a box

Thank you so much Leah for passing on this most excellent info!

"I have looked for 4 years for a juice box I can live with.  The average juice box for kids has as much sugar and as many calories as a soda.  I bought the smaller size which helped.  I bought the refillable tupperware containers that are shaped like juice boxes, but I still wished for the simple answer. And, today, I found it.   At Target.  Tthere is now "Motts for Tots"....it is juice plus purified water, which is what our pediatrician had always reccomended: cutting the juice in half with water.  Anyway, I bought 4 cases of it.  It's finally here.  Cheers!"

It's raining plums!

Fruit is ripening on the trees of Portland and dropping on the ground in buckets.  We're going plummy!  Through my neighborhood yahoo group, I found about: the Neighborhood Fruit Tree Project and they are hosting Harvesting Parties that begin this Saturday!  You can sign up for a Harvesting Party in your area.  They'll be picking in a different part of town every Saturday through mid-September. As a Harvesting Volunteer you can take home free fruit and help make fresh food available to those who need it most...A portion of each harvest will be donated to a local food pantry.

To sign up, please call 503-939-4914, or send an email to fruitproject@gmail.com and you will receive the address for our meeting site and other details when you sign up.

Harvesting Party Schedule:

• Saturday, August 4th, 10am - 1pm, Inner SE Portland
• Saturday, August 11, 10am - 1pm, N/NE Portland
• Saturday, August 18th, 10am - 1pm, Outer SE Lents Neighborhood
• Saturday, August 25th, Time & Location TBA
• Saturday, September 1st, Time & Location TBA
• Saturday, September 8st, Time & Locaiton TBA

For more information, contact Katy Kolker at the Portland Fruit Tree Project: fruitproject@gmail.com or 503 939 4914.

"Empowering  neighbors to share in the bounty and care of urban fruit trees."

Do you S.I.G.G.?

What's with the hot new water bottles? At $20 a pop for a new liquid vessel, is it worth every penny? It is highly possible that the aluminum bottles (like SIGG bottles) are safer than those containing polycarbonates (like Nalgene bottles)". Studies show that a chemical in plastic may be dangerous even in the small amounts that seep from plastic bottles and food packaging.

So, have do you have SIGG bottles for yourself and family? Have you found an aluminum bottle lined with non-leeching product that is the SIGG alternative (i.e., more affordable)?

Share the Shopping Fun

Heading to the supermarket has never been more fun than finding those darling little pint-sized real-life-looking metal shopping carts.  My girls have loved, loved, loved them.  They feel so responsible and part of the marketing process when they get to push their own cart.

Not all supermarkets carry these treasures, and we have only stumbled upon them by chance.  Below is our list of markets where we have found the child-sized shopping carts.  Unfortunately, none of them are in our neighborhood!  So, it is a real treat when we do happen upon one of these markets:

Food Front Coop (NW) - Not only does Food Front have the little carts, but it's such a great community coop grocery.  Great selection of produce and I do love their bulk section.  Plus, it's a perfect place to grab drinks, wine, cheese, and other picnic items on our way out to a summer concert.

Whole Foods Market (NW) -  I know, I know - aka, "Whole Paycheck."  We will find ourselves at Whole Foods when we want some hot, fast food that will please each family member's palate.  Plus, they've got the carts!  Usually stored over in the corner behind customer service.

Wild Oats - Laurelhurst (NE) - Not sure why one Wild Oats would have the prized carts, while another Wild Oats location didn't.  When we were living in the NE, we'd sometimes come to the Laurelhurst Wild Oats where they had the carts, even though the Fremont Wild Oats location was more convenient (but they didn't have the carts!).

Anyone else have kids who love to push carts their own size at the supermarket?  Where'd ya find 'em?  Do share, do share!

Feeding a 6mo when he 'hates' solids

Oh, wise urbanMamas, can you share some of your experiences with introducing solids to your childrens' diets?  Vivian emails:

We're trying to transition into solid foods with my 6 mo son -- cereals, pureed fruits, etc. -- as it is definitely time and i notice that i sometimes have trouble keeping up with him in terms of supply and demand... one problem: he has decided that he categorically HATES all solid food.  This is not just 'eeewww, this is a weird texture' or something, he really flips, and this from one of the most mild-mannered little guys around.  It has gotten so that he clams up whenever he sees something approaching his mouth, even though we've tried to keep our attempts low-pressure and light-hearted. Normally, I'd be very into just letting him do it in his own time, but his doctor says he needs the extra iron, and I certainly need the help in feeding this little bottomless pit!  Has anyone encountered such things? do you recommend any really 'big winners' in the baby food department?  Or should I just work on really increasing my milk supply right now and waiting until he decides to make the step himself?  Thank you so much for any ideas at all!

Veggie Booty recalled in OR

If you have (or have had) a toddler, you've likely purchased your fair share of Roberts Veggie Booty, the kidlet green snack of choice. Be careful: Today's Oregonian says Oregon among 17 states for Veggie Booty contamination cases

6/28/2007, 4:13 p.m. PDT The Associated Press PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Veggie Booty Snack Food, a popular snack product, is being recalled nationwide due to reports of salmonella poisoning cases in Oregon and 16 other states possibly linked to the product.

All Veggie Booty Snack Food products are being recalled, according to the manufacturer, Robert's American Gourmet in Sea Cliff, N.Y.

At least 51 cases of salmonella poisoning have been identified nationally that are believed to be linked to the product, almost all are among toddlers or infants, according to the Oregon Department of Human Services.

Seeking Babyfood Cookbooks, Recipes, Websites

More on  getting kids to eat fruits & veggies, especially in the earlier years, an urbanMama asks:

I am wondering if any mama's out there have come across any baby food cook books or websites that do a good job of combining veggies, proteins, good fats, whole grains, fiber, etc to maximize vitamins, fiber and all that.  I know its so important when starting solid foods to remember that they are not a replacement to breast milk but a supplement.  Pound for pound nothing can come close to the nutrition of breast milk of course.  I would love to find some ideas for creative recipes that help develop their little taste buds (combining nutritious with yummy to appeal to that sweet tooth most babies have, etc) and still have well rounded meals.

Are there any go-to favorites for kid-friendly cookbooks or websites, especially for early eaters?

Mommy & Me Cooking Classes

It's never too early to start nurturing love for cooking and crafting nutritious meals:

Hi, my name is Tami and I have a soon to be 5 year old that is very interested in cooking and baking. She loves Martha Stewart! I thought it would be fun to take a baking/cooking class together. Are there any "Mommy and Me" baking/cooking classes in Vancouver/Portland area that would meet our needs? I bought her an EasyBake Oven for Christmas but I think she has exceeded it's culinary limits. Thanks!

Git yer strawberries!

Before the blueberries, there are strawberries. Where do you go? Sauvie Island or elsewhere? Sarah emails:

I'm looking for recommendations for u-pick strawberries, preferably organic or minimally treated. we've been to Kruger's on Sauvie Island but I'm not sure of their pesticide policy... does anyone know or know of other good places to pick with kids?

Pregnancy-induced dairy intolerance

One week ago on the nose, which was (according to my calculations) day one of my third trimester, I suddenly got terrible heartburn. I almost never get heartburn, so at first I thought I was about to go into labor, or was struck with an awful pregnancy-related disease. But no: it was just heartburn.

The next day I finally started taking Tums (for some reason my addled pregnant brain is fearful of pharmaceuticals of any kind) after my OB's nurse said cheerfully, "you can take seven or eight a day no problem!" Once I'd downed eight without marked improvement, I made the connection between my consumption of dairy and the onset of symptoms. I stopped eating ice cream, milk, and cheese, and I was fine.

Here's the thing: dairy is more than just a food group for me. It makes up a good third of my diet most days, and eliminating it is not easy. Today even a bit of butter is causing symptoms. My friend-and-colleague Julie suggested I try Tofutti and Rice Dream (works for me). Any other suggestions? Has anyone else experienced this bizarre third-trimester-induced dairy intolerance? Any natural remedies for heartburn I may not have already tried (papaya enzymes, vinegar, almonds, raw apple, chamomile, mint tea, and black tea were all unsuccessful)?