Curing the winter blues
When it is 12 degrees the first week of March, you have to wonder whether spring will ever come. Though the grass might be brown and the ground still hard, there is green to be found in East Central Illinois.
With just under eight and a half weeks until the start of the Market at the Square in Urbana, trays of seedlings are sprouting and thriving in the greenhouses on several area farms.
Though most of these plants won't be ready until May or June, there is one local greenhouse crop that is ready now. As he has for the last several years, Jon Chernis of Blue Moon Farm has overwintered spinach. Pickings from these plants have been showing up at Strawberry Fields and Common Ground Food Coop throughout the winter on a somewhat sporadic basis; sometimes it has simply been too cold to harvest the plants without damaging them. However, as we head into warmer days Chernis says the crop is beginning to take off and should be in good supply.
Blue Moon's organic spinach is the perfect cure for the winter blues. Pit it against its plastic boxed cousin from California and you can't help but taste the difference. But taste isn't the only difference. Even if spinach from California were to have been kept at 39 degrees since it was picked — and likely it hasn't due to transporting and warehousing — it will have just over half its folate after eight days. If it was stored at 50 degrees, that loss might occur in six days, and at storage temperatures around 68 degrees, the loss will take only four days, according to a 2005 Penn State study. Additionally, non-organic, fresh spinach regularly makes the Environmental Working Group's Dirty Dozen list of pesticide-laden foods to avoid.
As with most really great produce, the less you do to Blue Moon spinach, the better it will be.
Steam-Sauteed Blue Moon Spinach
- ½ pound Blue Moon spinach
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 clove thinly sliced garlic (do not mince or it might burn)
- Pinch of salt
Rinse spinach. (Blue Moon's spinach doesn't really need rinsing because it is already washed. But, it is necessary to have the spinach leaves wet for the recipe to work.) Heat a heavy, lidded 3-quart skillet or 6-quart Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add 1 T of olive oil. Add garlic. When you can just start to smell the garlic, add the spinach and salt, and stir briskly until the leaves are coated. Yes, it will sputter as you have just thrown water on a small amount of very hot oil. This is exactly what you want. Place a lid on the pan and shut off the heat and let the sputtering-steaming go on for three to five minutes. Check seasoning. Serve immediately.
Local Food Tip of the Week:
If the warmer temperatures forecast for later this week have you jonesing for fresh tomatoes, start your own with these directions from Horticulture Magazine. Note that of the tomato varieties listed in the article, only Glacier gets consistent marks for flavor and texture.
Most Recent Food Comments
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
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Most Recent Comments
High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
This makes me so sad. (Happy to live in Urbana, though!) Crave Truck has been a GREAT addition to the food choices in C-U, and it’d be a travesty to chase them away. This town should be supporting small businesses. I’m glad to hear that they’ll still…
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High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.