Stir-fry blog
Powers Winery: Every bottle sold helps preserve farmland, forever
August 10, 2009 at 09:34 AM — foodetteEach day I work here it seems I stumble upon yet another good thing PCC does to help the community or environment (Look here and here and here and here for evidence). How exciting to discover that even our wine department is in on the act!
Above is one of two exclusive wines Badger Mountain Vineyards of Kennewick, Wash., produces for PCC Natural Markets under the Powers Winery label. Since May 2007, $2 from each bottle sold of the Powers Cabernet and Chardonnay goes to support the PCC Farmland Trust. The local, nonprofit land trust uses such donations to buy organic farmland and preserve it for future generations. It's a natural partnership, as Badger Mountain Vineyard has been certified organic by the Washington State Department of Agriculture since 1990.
Badger Mountain Vineyard
Thus far, all those bottles purchased by PCC members and shoppers over the past two years have raised nearly $40,000 to help preserve organic farmland, forever. Now that's one of the most pleasurable ways to help the environment I can imagine!
This week at PCC: Grillin' & Chillin', A Taste of Edmonds, West Seattle concerts, help the hungry
August 07, 2009 at 11:39 AM — foodettePlenty going on this week wherever you live in the region!
LEAVE THE GRILLING TO US and come on down to PCC Redmond and Edmonds for Grillin' & Chillin' community barbecues on weekends this summer (all meals include a vegetarian option). This month's proceeds benefit The Edmonds Art Festival Foundation and Friends of Youth.
WATCH Chef Lynne Vea cook up seasonal delights on KING 5 TV’s “Gardening With Ciscoe” show Saturdays at 10 a.m.. And check out our new PCC video library for additional cooking inspiration.
HELP FEED THE HUNGRY by volunteering your time at West Seattle PCC's food packaging work party 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10 at West Seattle Food Bank (3419 S.W. Morgan Street). Help package bulk foods purchased with PCC Food Bank Program donations from PCC shoppers. Contact Community Relations at 206-547-1222 for more information or email communityrelations@pccsea.com
ENJOY LOCAL TUNES every Thursday through Aug. 27, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in West Seattle at Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California Ave. S.W.) with the Admiral Neighborhood Association's Summer Concerts series. Stop across the street en route at West Seattle PCC for portable dinner fixings or catch samples at the Kid Picks Mobile all dates but Aug. 20. View the band schedule at westseattleherald.com
RELAX WITH US at A Taste of Edmonds, where we are the official wine garden sponsor. Our wine guy, Jeff Cox, has handpicked some of his favorites for the occasion. The taste runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 14-15 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 16. at 6th Street and Bell Street in Edmonds.
SIP FINE WINES AND BEER at tastings throughout PCC. Try wines from the Loire Valley 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 13 at PCC Edmonds and Fremont and sample beer the same time and date at PCC Greenlake and PCC Redmond. Cost is $5 per person. RSVP by calling the reservation line at 206-547-1222, ext. 191, or e-mail winetastings@pccsea.com. Twenty-one and over only, please. View all tasting events.
CATCH THE KID PICKS MOBILE for free healthy food tasting at noon Aug. 12 during Wonderstage at Lynndale Park Amphitheater (18927 72nd Ave. W. in Lynnwood) where a free summer performance series for kids will be underway, perfect for tots 5-10 years old. Learn more at ci.lynnwood.wa.us. The mobile will also be parked at Family Fun Night, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 14 at Northshore YMCA, 11811 N.E. 195th St. in Bothell. Learn more at seattleymca.org.
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We're making it easier to find our recipes
August 06, 2009 at 08:33 AM — foodetteHow do you organize your recipes at home? On a good day, I have file folders to hold all the pages I've ripped from magazines, notes I've scrawled on napkins and random recipe cards I've grabbed at stores. Some friends use binders, some use tin boxes and others tuck recipes hither and thither in the pantry or between the pages of dogeared cookbooks.
Organizing PCC's vast array of recipes online has turned out to be a similar process. On our end we've spent the past few months debating topics like "what makes an entree an entree?" and whether beans and grains deserve categories of their own or should get lumped together. We've scanned plenty of cooking sites for category inspiration. But perhaps the most exciting change to our database will be the ability to quickly search through all the recipes for a specific ingredient rather than combing through category by category. Look for these helpful changes in the coming months.
We've been busy bees at the co-op. Here's a recap of some of the handy functions we've added to the Web since spring:
- Our gluten-free foods and gluten-free health and beauty products databases
- Our bulk foods and healthy and beauty products database
- Our Kid Picks database (great for finding kid-tested and approved foods)
- Our online shopping list (now you can add products directly from our ads, too!)
- Our video library
- Two new online newsletters: PCC Wine: Drink This! and PCC Advocates
- And this daily blog :)
Not bad! Can't get too specific on dates quite yet, but just know that more good stuff is on the way.
Fresh Forecast: Local and organic cantaloupe, slicing tomatoes and more
August 05, 2009 at 04:40 PM — foodettePlenty of mouthwatering goodness in our produce departments this week (and I literally can say this, because my mouth is watering anticipating the local Inaba Farms cantaloupe awaiting at home). Here's a sampling of what's in store via my weekly chat with our produce guru, Joe Hardiman:
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- Tree-ripened organic red haven peaches from Twin Springs Ranch in Rice, Wash. (I sliced some up with Many Hands organic blueberries atop granola for breakfast with a splash of milk. Yum! FYI, those blues are $1 off per pint this week).
- Plenty of organic local greens from Rent's Due Ranch in Stanwood, Wash., plus organic zucchini (if neighboring gardeners have not already shared their bounty. I have one friend baking a chocolate and zucchini cake tonight!).
- Fresh carrots from Nash's Organic Produce in Sequim, Wash., along with field-grown organic cucumbers
- Organic black-rind watermelon from Inaba Farms in Wapato, Wash.
- LADYBUG slicing tomatoes from Pride of the Umpqua in Roseburg, Ore. (so popular they're hard to keep in stock. Ask in the produce section).
- Still plenty of organic Walla Walla onions, ripe for the grilling (or sandwich making, or adding to salads)
- Bicolor organic corn from Egor Farms of Scio, Ore.
Lucky us!
A poem for summer
August 04, 2009 at 12:43 PM — foodetteAugust heat bakes this earth. All around the Northwest, corn and tomatoes are ripening. Plums are growing fat on their branches. Watermelon, plump and happy, fills produce bins. And peaches flood our mouths with a succulence that has been growing, quietly, since the first breath of spring.
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A poem for today, in honor of this time.
"From Blossoms" by Li-Young Lee
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From blossoms comes
this brown paper bag of peaches
we bought from the boy
at the bend in the road where we turned toward
signs painted Peaches
***
From laden boughs, from hands,
from sweet fellowship in the bins,
comes nectar at the roadside, succulent
peaches we devour, dusty skin and all,
comes the familiar dust of summer, dust we eat.
***
O, to take what we love inside,
to carry within us an orchard, to eat
not only the skin, but the shade,
not only the sugar, but the days, to hold
the fruit in our hands, adore it, then bite into
the round jubilance of peach.
***
There are days we live
as if death were nowhere
in the background; from joy
to joy to joy, from wing to wing
from blossom to blossom to
impossible blossom, to sweet impossible blossom
Another reason to love PCC: We're tops in recycling!
August 03, 2009 at 10:56 AM — foodetteIt's a threepeat! King County has named PCC Natural Markets a"2009 Best Workplace for Recycling and Waste Reduction" -- the third consecutive year we've been the only grocery store in the county to qualify for this recognition.
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What does it mean, you ask? That we follow at least 10 good business recycling practices, including:
- Placing recycling bins at every desk
- Collecting food scraps for off-site composting (that's where my watermelon rinds will go once I post this)
- having internal green teams that support the organization's sustainable operations
All nine of our locations follow well more than two-thirds of the suggested recycling practices, even though some of them aren't necessarily conducive to running a grocery store. Read about many of them here. Congratulations to fellow winners, which include In Harmony Sustainable Landscapes, The Herbfarm restaurant, Honda of Kirkland, Pogacha of Issaquah and Yoga Centers of Bellevue.
Read more about the contest at www.kingcounty.gov/recyclemore
This week at PCC: Cooks fall schedule out, local music and Kid Picks Mobile in West Seattle
July 31, 2009 at 11:07 AM — foodetteOur marine breezes have never felt so good :) Now it's a great temperature for all the activity coming our way!
BRAG that you helped donate close to 500 bicycles that will help children in Africa ride to school at last weekend's Alaffia Bikes For Education Drive!
Angela, bike drive organizer extraordinaire! Read more about her efforts to help on her blog.
ENJOY A FARM-FRESH DINNER in Carnation at Dog Mountain Farm (7026 Tolt Highlands Rd. N.E.) Aug. 8, Aug. 22, Sept. 12 and Sept. 26. The five-course, farm-to-table menu is served with local wines in a fruit orchard with a view of the Cascades. PCC Cooks instructors Becky Selengut and Olaiya Land are among the featured chefs. Tickets are $75 per person. Visit dogmtnfarm.com for details.
Tastes from a previous farm dinner!
LEAVE THE GRILLING TO US and come on down to PCC Redmond and Edmonds for Grillin' & Chillin' community barbecues on weekends this summer (all meals include a vegetarian option). This month's proceeds benefit The Edmonds Art Festival Foundation and Friends of Youth.
WATCH Chef Lynne Vea cook up seasonal delights on KING 5 TV’s “Gardening With Ciscoe” show Saturdays at 10 a.m.. And check out our new PCC video library for additional cooking inspiration.
ENJOY LOCAL TUNES every Thursday through Aug. 27, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in West Seattle at Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California Ave. S.W.) with the Admiral Neighborhood Association's Summer Concerts series. Stop across the street en route at West Seattle PCC for portable dinner fixings or catch samples at the Kid Picks Mobile all dates but Aug. 20. View the band schedule at westseattleherald.com
SIP a variety of beer 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 6 during tastings at PCC Issaquah, Fremont and Edmonds.Cost is $5 per person. RSVP at 206-547-1222 x191 or email winetastings@pccsea.com.
Fresh Forecast: Beat the heat with local, organic watermelon
July 29, 2009 at 08:59 AM — foodetteHow are you beating the heat? Watermelon is my summer savior. Icy cold, from my fridge, cut into slabs, juice dripping from my chin as I munch it on the porch. Great timing, because we just got our first shipment of black-rind watermelon (so named for its deep green skin) from Inaba Farms in sunny Wapato, Wash.
Matt at PCC Fremont sliced one open for me last night. Check out that beautiful color. Even sweeter when it's been chilled.
It tastes as good as it looks!
Watermelon is great on its own. But it's also refreshing transformed into sorbet, in salads and in beverages. Check out this recipe from the latest Sound Consumer.
*****
Agua Fresca
Serves 4
Ingredients
3 cups fresh organic watermelon chunks
2 tablespoons honey (optional)
2 cups sparkling mineral water
3 limes
Purée the watermelon in a blender. Strain with a fine sieve into a pitcher, pressing on the pulp with the back of a spoon to extract all the juice. Discard pulp. Add sparkling water to the pitcher and season with honey (if using) and juice of 2 limes, to taste.
Cut remaining lime into wedges and use to garnish four glasses. Serve over ice.
Original recipe by Trina Kaufman, PCC Cooks instructor
Sound Consumer, August 2009
*****
That's one option for the watermelon I bought last night that's currently chilling in my fridge at home. He's a happy little guy. Matt advises you hunt for a watermelon that sounds hollow, like a drum. If the sound is too muffled, the insides may have collapsed. When in doubt, ask any of the friendly produce folks to help you choose, though Joe Hardiman, our produce merchandiser, loves this variety for its consistency. You can pretty much wander up to the display with your eyes closed and you will go home happy, he says.
We also have a huge selection of frozen treats at all our stores, including many that are vegan/gluten-free/dairy free. My new love? Cool Fruits, the natural answer to Otter Pops of yore.
Here's some other cool inspiration via Facebook and Twitter
- Add fresh mint leaves to your ice water (from Priya on our Facebook fan page)
- Stack a chunk of watermelon, cube of feta and a mint leaf, secure with a toothpick and you have an easy appetizer (from @dominiqueb via Twitter)
- Combine a pitted peach, half a tray of ice cubes and enough limeade to fill a 16 oz glass. Blend until smooth. Instant Slurpee! (from my pal Rhean via Facebook)
- Add basil leaves to lemonade for a twist on tradition (from my wedding reception menu ;)
- Pop a bunch of organic grapes, fresh Many Hands blueberries or other small fruit in the freezer for a chilly treat
Please chime in with your tips!
PCC Reads: Top 10 most popular books sold at PCC
July 27, 2009 at 03:40 PM — foodetteSome of the best book suggestions come from strangers. I'll peek at titles on the plane, on the bus, in waiting rooms, and on best-seller lists. So it's fun knowing what our PCC community is reading! This list is based on the past 12 months of sales at all nine stores. Have you picked up any of these on a shopping trip? How have they affected your life? I already know I want to pick up No. 10 as gifts for artistic friends and No. 3 and No. 9 for my pals obsessed with cooking with local and sesonal ingredients. No. 6 will be my sister-in-law's Christmas gift (no peeking, Kim!).
(courtesy Nikki McClure)
Glad to see so many local chefs, nutritionists, bloggers, artists, gardeners, PCC Cooks instructors and more in this list!
10. "Things to Make and Do: A Journal" by local artist Nikki McClure
9. "Local Vegetarian Cooking: Inspired Recipes Celebrating Northwest Farms" by Debra Daniels-Zeller
8. "Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back ... And How You Can Too" by Shauna James Ahern
7. "Prescription for Nutritional Healing" by Phyllis Balch
6. "Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook" by Isa Chandler Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
5. "Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing for Life: Unleash the Healing Power of Fresh Juices and Cleansing Diets" by Cherie Calbom, MS and John Calbom, MA
4. "The Juice Lady's Guide to Juicing for Health: Unleashing the Healing Power of Whole Fruits and Vegetables" by Cherie Calbom
3. "Washington Local and Seasonal Cookbook" by Becky Selengut, Jen Sayers Bajger, James Darcy and Jennifer Ogle
2. "Feeding the Whole Family: Recipes for Babies, Young Children and Their Parents" by Cynthia Lair
1. "The Maritime Northwest Garden Guide" by Rob Peterson and Carl Elliott
(Selection varies by store. Call your local PCC to check on supply).
Speaking of books, I'm still trucking through "In Defense of Food," Michael Pollan's latest food-related tome. I'm in the Bad Science section, cringing as I remember how much margarine I ate as a child. It makes me wonder what we're eating now that we'll regret 20 years into the future? Or perhaps it will be the vessels from which we eat it? Reading his timeline of "nutritionism" in this country makes me smile, thinking how even how as a third grader I sensed no one should eat that much oat bran!
On tap for next month: "Farm City: The Education of An Urban Farmer" by Novella Carpenter. Thanks to local Zagat Survey and Northwest Palate Magazine editor Alicia Arter (@aliciaarter on Twitter) for the suggestion! Ping me (@nwfoodette on Twitter) or comment on the blog to suggest future books we can enjoy together!
This week at PCC: Bike drive for African schoolkids, KiteFest, Grillin' & Chillin'
July 24, 2009 at 12:12 PM — foodetteLots to do in the week ahead, especially with more great weather on tap. Here's a sampling of the fun to come!
BUILD AND FLY A KITE at KiteFest, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Magunson Park's Kite Hill (7400 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle). Music, a juice garden and, of course, the Kid Picks Mobile. Visit kitefest.net for more info.
HELP AFRICAN CHILDREN GET TO SCHOOL by donating your used bike or spare parts to the Alaffia Bikes for Education drive Saturday, July 25 at PCC Edmonds and Sunday, July 26 at View Ridge PCC. Empty garage? Buy a raffle ticket for baskets filled with Alaffia's shea butter-enriched health and beauty products. Read more at in July's Sound Consumer.
LEAVE THE GRILLING TO US and come on down to PCC Redmond and Edmonds for Grillin' & Chillin' community barbecues on weekends this summer (all meals include a vegetarian option). This month's proceeds benefit Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center and YWCA Trinity Place Apartments.
- Raw Foods: Thai Extravaganza
- Sushi Rolls Made Easy
- Fall Harvest Juicing and Raw Soups
- The Gluten-free Kitchen
- Fall Equinox Detox
- Locavore's Holiday Table
- Vegetarian Holiday Feast
- Armenian Adventure