Photo credit: Bob Durling
We are collecting recipes for a cookbook!
In our work as well as in our lives, food is a common thread that connects us all. Here at the Boston Area Gleaners we are obsessed with how food is grown, harvested, cooked & shared. We have the extreme privilege of visiting many different farms and handling many different kinds of produce, from which we draw a great deal of inspiration.
At the end of many gleaning trips there remains a small percentage of produce that doesn't meet BAG's quality standards. Staff and volunteers alike are often challenged by the prospect of leaving behind the eggplant with one bad spot or the golf ball sized apple. We recognize that these items still hold value, nutrition and flavor if only prepared appropriately. When we are in a position to offer these items to volunteers as a reward for their hard work, there is usually a frenzy of activity as folks fill up their pockets or backpacks and discuss tricks for transforming their spoils.
Sometimes we wonder..... What ever happened to those golf ball sized apples? How was that ratatouille volunteers discussed as an option for split tomatoes? Does that trick actually work? Can we come over for dinner?!
We're realizing that housed within our collective of food enthusiasts is a treasure trove of preparatory magic. We have folks who know which weeds in a farm field are edible and those who know that the sweetest part of a daikon radish is the tip while the middle is better grated in soup. We also have folks that know corn is best kept simple and eaten raw right after harvest, with some chopped onions and cherry tomatoes. We want to chronicle your food knowledge, stories and recipes in your own words, in your own style.
Simple or complex, innovative or an old standby, we want to know what gleaned dishes you love!
At the end of many gleaning trips there remains a small percentage of produce that doesn't meet BAG's quality standards. Staff and volunteers alike are often challenged by the prospect of leaving behind the eggplant with one bad spot or the golf ball sized apple. We recognize that these items still hold value, nutrition and flavor if only prepared appropriately. When we are in a position to offer these items to volunteers as a reward for their hard work, there is usually a frenzy of activity as folks fill up their pockets or backpacks and discuss tricks for transforming their spoils.
Sometimes we wonder..... What ever happened to those golf ball sized apples? How was that ratatouille volunteers discussed as an option for split tomatoes? Does that trick actually work? Can we come over for dinner?!
We're realizing that housed within our collective of food enthusiasts is a treasure trove of preparatory magic. We have folks who know which weeds in a farm field are edible and those who know that the sweetest part of a daikon radish is the tip while the middle is better grated in soup. We also have folks that know corn is best kept simple and eaten raw right after harvest, with some chopped onions and cherry tomatoes. We want to chronicle your food knowledge, stories and recipes in your own words, in your own style.
Simple or complex, innovative or an old standby, we want to know what gleaned dishes you love!
|
Meet our cookbook coordinator:
|