runner's highs and lows

As some of you do (or don't) know, I am currently training for the Marine Corp Marathon in October. It's in Washington, D.C. I am excited and scared at the same time.

Well last weekend was an 18 mile run. It was grueling. It took me 4 hours to run 18 miles. (for those of you who don't run, that qualifies as sucking. Sucking Wind.) 

Well, this past weekend -- Sunday actually -- was my 20 miler. I was scared. No, really, scared. Do you know how long 20 miles is? Next time you're in your car for longer than 5 minutes, look at the odometer and clock 20 miles. For those interested in my route (and to get an idea of just how far 20 miles is....) we started in a neighborhood about 2 miles north of the Lowe's off of SR 70. Then ran all the way up Tara Blvd. to Linger Lodge, to Lakewood Ranch Road (through River Club) all the way to the Hospital. AND BACK. (it's the "and back" part that Kills ya.)

Well, I ran. And ran and ran and ran and ran. I did it in 3 hours and 31 minutes. That averages 10:16 per mile. It's not going to win me any medals, but it's respectable. Definitely respectable. More importantly, I learned that it really IS all in my head. I can do this.... even if I have to crawl the last 6 miles, I know that I can do it. Even MORE importantly, I felt great afterwards.

Isn't that the way life is? When you believe that you CAN do something you usually DO. And that's my zen-mantra for the day. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

By the way, I finished out the evening later with a HUGE grass fed cheeseburger with homemade sauerkraut and a large glass of real milk. :)

Whatever happened to our cookbooks?

I am extremely lucky to come from a family that cooks. My father's family (while not chefs themselves) were in the restaurant business, and my mom's family is Italian. (nuff said.) So when I moved out on my own..... many, many years ago..... my mom bequeathed upon me a boat load of cookbooks. Many of which came from the 1960's and before. Yes, they had paper then. 

Now here's the interesting comparison.... 

The cookbooks that I purchased myself in the mid 1990's, in a misguided attempt to eat healthy (read: vegetarian and low fat....) are full of "stuff". You know, start with one can of fat free cream of mushroom soup. Add two packets of ranch dressing mix. Stir in 3 T. of preservatives. Add 1.5 c. of chemicals, etc, etc, etc. -- and these cookbooks are supposed to be HEALTHY!! Ha!

The cookbooks from the 60's, well, just for comparison, let me share with you the recipe I made last night. This comes from "The Around the World Meat Cookbook" published in 1964.

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Swedish Pot Roast

1 Beef Roast (I used a shoulder roast from Peaceful Pastures - grassfed organic beef)

2 T. Butter

2 c. Beef Stock or Broth

1 Chopped Onion

2 Bay Leaves

Salt and Pepper to taste

4 anchovies

2 T. sugar

2 T. cognac

1/2 c. heavy cream

2 T. arrowroot powder (optional) ::note: the arrowroot is not in the original recipe. I added it to thicken the gravy a little::

Melt the butter in a dutch oven. Brown the beef on all sides. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add broth to pan and bring to a boil. Add sugar, onion, bay leaves, and anchovies. Add meat back to the pot. Cover and cook on low until tender, at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. (I cooked mine for three.) ::note: after browning your beef, you could just as easily put this in a crockpot.::

Remove beef from pot and keep warm. Bring broth to a boil. Add cognac. Boil for 2-3 minutes to evaporate the alcohol. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add heavy cream and arrowroot (optional). Simmer 2-3 minutes until gravy is thickened.

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I served it with hot buttered whole wheat noodles, a big green salad, and carmelized cauliflower. (cauliflower, butter, garlic salt in a frying pan on the stove at med high heat for about 15 minutes. stirring regularly until the cauliflower is brown on most sides and tender.)

It was fantastic. Did you notice that there wasn't one boxed, prefab, preservative-laden item anywhere on that list? As a side note, there wasn't a speck of beef, noodles, or cauliflower left on my table at the end of dinner.

hmmmmmmm..... interesting.

September & October Order Dates

Howdy everyone!! 

Just wanted to update you on the delivery dates for the rest of September and October. Jackie from the CBC has graciously volunteered to have her house be the pickup point for those of you in Sarasota. She lives near University and Lockwood Ridge Road. Directions to follow later via email.

Please Note: If you do NOT pick up at the Central Buying Club in Sarasota, your delivery location will not change.

Deliveries for September and October will be as follows: 

9/12 (CBC)

10/3 (Jackie's House)

10/17 (Jackie's House)

11/7 (CBC) – and back on schedule!

Life Lessons and other things...

Sometimes I wonder if God deliberately puts situations in our path to ensure that we learn a lesson.... My lesson: I am really bad a delegation. (no, really. bad. bad. bad.)

So my husband and I fell into two free nights in Orlando. Here's the catch: it had to be THIS Thursday and Friday. My first thought was: well, that stinks. I can't do that. I have to sort and deliver vegetables on Friday. And then I began to sulk. no, really. sulk. sulk. sulk. And then my DH looked at me and said, "can't you delegate this to someone?" And so I thought. (insert Winnie the Pooh melody here...) think.think.think. (Ok, enough with the Pooh.) Who could I delegate this to? More importantly, should I really be chained to being here EVERY Friday to make sure that veggies can go out? What happens if one of my kids gets sick? What happens if I get sick? What happens if there is an emergency? and so on (Anyone ever read "Very Worried Walrus?")

And then I started thinking about the fact that no one could ever do the veggie sorting as well as I do. and then I started laughing. It's vegetables for goodness sake..... it's not rocket science. What's the worst thing that happens? Someone doesn't get as many plums as they ordered and gets an extra mushroom. No one is going to die. No one is going to get angry (hopefully). So, with that being said, I am delegating. (I woke up in the middle of the night with cold sweats about my delegation...) but I am delegating. Yup. I am.

That being said: 

...MANY THANKS TO MY WONDERFUL FRIEND RENA FOR HELPING THIS WEEK...

...THANKS TO SHARON FOR HELPING EVERY WEEK AND DONATING HER GARAGE FOR OUR SORTING ENDEAVORS...

...THANKS TO JESY (OUR FANTASTIC AU PAIR FOR HER HELP WITH EVERYTHING AND ENABLING US TO DISAPPEAR FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS)...

...THANKS TO KIM FOR HER SORTING HELP...

...AND THANKS TO YOU FOR BEING A PART OF OUR COOP AND BEING PATIENT WITH US WHEN WE MAKE MISTAKES... :)

Have a great week!

Weekly Order for September 12th.

Our Weekly Order: 9/12/2008

Unit Price	Product Description
$2.17	Beans, Green (per lb)
$2.14	Broccoli (per 2-3 heads)
$0.95	Cabbage, Green (per lb)
$1.16	Carrots, Baby Peeled, Bunny Luv (per 1 lb bag.)
$1.25	Celery (per head)
$1.32	Cilantro (per bunch)
$0.82	Corn, Bi-Color, Local (each)
$1.85	Cucumbers (per lb.)
$5.10	Garlic, White (per lb.)
$1.37	Herbs, Basil (each)
$1.92	Lettuce, Romaine, Red, Cal Organic (per head)
$4.59	Mushrooms, Portabella (per lb.)
$2.42	Onions, Yellow (3 lb bag)
$1.93	Peppers, Bell, Green, Extra Large, New Jersey (per lb)
$6.26	Potatoes, Yukon Gold (5 lb bag)
$1.61	Squash, Zucchini, Fancy (per lb)
$2.75	Tomatoes, Heirloom, Mixed (per lb)
$1.21	Yams, Garnet, Medium (per lb)
$4.53	Apples, Gala, U.S. Extra Fancy, Grateful Harvest (per 3 lb bag.)
$1.81	Banana, Breaker, Del Monte (per 2 lb bag)
$2.32	Berries, Raspberries, Driscoll (per half pint)
$3.14	Berries, Strawberries, Driscoll (per 1 lb container)
$3.48	Pineapples, Gold (each)
$1.41	Plums, Red, Grand Rosa (per lb)

Welcome!

To the first official post of the Wilderness Family Co-op!!

You know, a friend of mine (thanks Andrea) says "Be careful what you wish for." and good gosh, it's true in this case. I was whining that I couldn't find a decent co-op for veggies and that I was just going to have to start one up myself. Well, darn it all if I didn't do it. And now... we have.... drumroll please..... 29 actively ordering members.

Welcome everyone. This is a new endeavor of mine to help keep everyone informed without using email constantly. As such, I will try to post weekly on this blog with at a minimum our weekly order and also a few interesting recipes using our items. 

Happy Veggy-ing everyone.

Vee