It's CSA Day: the first of fall

I'm very excited about today's delivery. There are more greens, and the potatoes are back! I never thought I'd get so excited about potatoes, but these fingerlings are delicious. I'm also quite happy with the whole spread, and those raisins look really tasty. They'll be good added to salads.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. It's a great idea if you want to eat fresh, local, organic produce, but can't seem to get to the Farmer's Market. Our CSA (Auntie Em's) delivers right to our door in an insulated bag. It also posts recipes and serving tips for each week's produce on their website.

This week we got (roughly clockwise from the back): watermelon, collard greens, fingerling potatoes, loose baby greens in bag, chocolate chip brownie, dried thyme and marjoram bundle, yellow peaches, pluots, raisins, brandywine tomatoes, sun gold tomatoes, tongue of fire beans, red flame grapes, music garlic, cippolini onions, red leaf lettuce, acorn squash, and leeks.

I think I'll make a Meatless Monday dinner of Baked Squash with Heirloom Tomatoes and Pine Nuts and a red leaf lettuce salad. I'll post the recipe below. It calls for butternut squash but I'm going to substitute the acorn squash and I know it will be just as good. I'm also going to roast some of the cherry tomatoes until they're sweet for the side salad.

If you see any ingredients that just scream out a recipe or preparation to you, please share in a comment. I'd love to hear your ideas. And tell us about your CSA or Farmer's Market routines and experiences.

Auntie Em's Kitchen, Catering and Local Organic Produce Delivery

Auntie Em's Kitchen, Catering and Local Organic Produce Delivery: "Baked Butternut Squash with Heirloom Tomatoes and Pine Nuts"

yield: Makes 4 servings

1/2 large butternut squash (1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 medium onions, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 heirloom tomato-diced
1 teaspoons chopped fresh margoram
1/4 pound crumbled feta (scant 1/4 cup)
1/3 cup pine nuts

Accompaniment: extra-virgin olive oil

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Take ½ of a butternut squash and peel it then salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook squash, in batches if necessary, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add water to skillet and cook squash, covered, over moderately low heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Gently transfer squash with a spatula to a 2-quart gratin or other shallow baking dish, overlapping slices if necessary, then pour any juices from pan over squash.

Cook onions and garlic in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until soft, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with juice, margoram and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 3 minutes.

Cover squash with tomato mixture and crumble feta on top, then sprinkle with nuts.

Bake gratin until heated through and cheese is softened, about 10 minutes.

Serve gratin drizzled with oil.

A Note About Recycling

Keep in mind that most city's recycling rules are constantly changing.

For example, we had a list up on our refrigerator of what could be put into our blue recycling bin for pick up, which included plastics #1 and #2. But I recently went to the Department of Sanitation website for something else, and found out we can now recycle ALL numbers of recyclable plastics, plus a lot of other things, including some styrofoam. Good to know.

Click here for the link to the Department of Sanitation in Los Angeles. There's a complete list of everything that CAN and CAN'T be recycled. Otherwise, just do a google search to find the Department of Sanitation in your area.

Does your city have a recycling program? I remember the old days of saving newspapers and bringing them to a recycling center. I'm so glad Los Angeles has progressive recycling policies.

Food Waste Friday (X2)

This is last week's food waste. Yucky! My husband and I both forgot about the lettuce, and we don't put greens out on the Eat Me! shelf. This grapefruit was very old, from a tree in the neighborhood. It had been forgotten in the hoopla of the CSA and the more sexy fruit contained in the delivery box.

On the good side, it all went in the compost bin. Also, I was able to save two other bad grapefruit by squeezing them into juice, and it was delicious.

This week I was very disappointed (angry) to see a moth fly out of the oatmeal box when I went to make granola. It's the Quaker big round cardboard box, and the moths had penetrated it. I think I forgot to put new moth traps out, which I did this week after almost all those oats went to waste. I was so irritated I forgot to take a photo before tossing it. The moth traps generally work really well and help us avoid a lot of food waste, you can click here to read a post about them.

Why am I trying to waste less food, and even taking photos of rotten produce? Because keeping food out of the landfill is not only good for the environment, it saves money. Visit Wasted Food to find out all the facts about how the food we toss turns into pollution, and go to The Frugal Girl if you want to start wasting less by taking photos of your food waste every week.

We're wasting less mostly by buying less food and paying attention to leftovers. What are your best tips to waste less food? Please share them in the Comments section.

Friday Freebies

FREE STUFF ALERT: During the month of October, CVS pharmacy is giving out free flu shots if you're unemployed. There are some conditions, and you need to pick up a voucher, so click here to get the details.

Next, click here to get your Free Evening of Theater. This is a nationwide program with over 650 theaters in 120 cities participating in sharing the joys of the theater. Click here to find a performance near you, on the house! Dates and times vary, so check it out now so you don't miss out. Thanks to Katy at The Non-Consumer Advocate for that awesome tip. Have fun! I will definitely be taking advantage of this one.

And finally, don't forget about Bank of America's ongoing Museums on Us program. You can get into participating museums free on the first weekend of the month, just by flashing your debit card. This month, that's Saturday Oct. 3rd and Sunday Oct. 4th. Click here for details.

I'll be back with a Food Waste Fridays post.

Thrifty Threads

Welcome to another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y Outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, or a consignment shop.

Today's model is Marylyn, wearing the fantastic striped pants she bought at the local Salvation Army for $4. Marylyn says they're a really well-made German label called Zerres Design. The top is from a local vintage clothing store and cost $3. The most expensive part of the outfit is the shoes, which were $5 at the Salvation Army. Here's my favorite detail: she's wearing a leopard-print bra that she bought at Value Village for $1.50! Marylyn says she's been shopping secondhand for decades, and that probably only about 5 percent of her wardrobe was bought new (that includes the cute green socks.)

Marylyn is a full-time art department secretary and part-time English teacher at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. I think she's also a really good writer. She's very modest about it, but I've seen a few of her stories and poems. Marylyn writes a blog called "Missing Marylyn," which she describes as "personal but not private." She says it's "about her FEELINGS, nothing more than FEELINGS... And a few thoughts." (That's from a 70s song by Morris Albert, for those of you too young to get the reference.) Check out her blog, you'll get a flavor of her writing talent and idiosyncratic personality (and I mean that as a compliment.)

Thanks Marylyn for the fun photos! How cool is it that almost any day of the week she's wearing an outfit that could be featured on Thrifty Threads? Not just cool, but very smart. And very thrifty. It occurs to me particularly with Marylyn's photo that shopping secondhand is not only more affordable, but it gives us a chance to put together our own outfits and express ourselves in a more creative, original way. I used to love doing that back in college, but got away from it. I think buying new clothes makes us look more like cardboard cutouts, reflections of fashion's latest whim, rather than of our own style.

Readers, I need more photos! I've been doing this as a weekly feature, but I've run out of photos so you won't see it again unless I start getting some emails. Please put on your favorite secondhand outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at: barton.angela@gmail. com. We all want to see your fabulous finds, so please don't be shy. It really is so much fun to see what great clothes people are buying secondhand. Photos of your husband or child would also be welcome. So far, I've only had one man brave enough to model for Thrifty Threads, I'd love to see another.

Do you shop secondhand? Tell us about your best scores in the Comments section. And feel free to give a compliment to Marylyn. Click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

Make your own envelopes

I made all these envelopes from an old World Wildlife calendar in about 10 minutes! I love them!

It was actually fun, and I can't wait to use them. My mom is definitely getting the panda face.

One of my favorite things I've been doing this year is making greeting cards, mostly for birthdays and holidays. Usually I use a photo and print it out on photo-quality paper, or make a color copy from an old photograph, like this card I made for my dad on Father's Day. They're fun to make, more personal, and people have told me they really enjoy them. And of course, I'm not purchasing new (as per The Compact) and I'm saving money.

Now I'll be making my own envelopes too. The sky's the limit as far as what to use, but old calendars work great. Other options are catalogs, sheet music, maps, and just about any kind of junk mail, as long as it's at least 8 1/2" X 11".

I used the tutorial from this post on the great blog Compact by Design. Leigh is a fellow Compacter, plus she's a designer so she often posts fun DIY projects.

Did I mention that it's super easy? And you hardly need any supplies. Basically just your paper plus scissors and scotch tape. If you get really good at it, you won't even need the scissors. You'll see what I mean when you try it.

I love this because it's a perfect win/win: I get to recycle the old calendars or other paper products, and I get some "free" envelopes. Oh, and since it's also fun, I guess it's a perfect win/win/win.

Have you ever tried making your own envelopes? I promise you, it's even easier than making a paper airplane! Tell us about your favorite easy DIY projects in the Comments section. And let me know if you try the envelopes!

Your Charitable Giving Makes a Difference

People are tightening their belts in a lot of areas. So it's no surprise that charitable giving is down 6% this year, the biggest plunge in decades. There are people out of work, and many others are cutting back to the bare minimum.

During my Buy Nothing New year, I've cut out almost all discretionary spending for clothes, books, gifts, etc. I'm only buying necessities. I've also cut our food budget by approximately 25%, which I attribute to using what we have and wasting less food. Thanks Frugal Girl and Wasted Food! But what I haven't cut back on is our charitable giving. We still don't give anywhere near as much as I'd like, but I'm doing everything I can to keep our donations at the level we'd been giving in previous years. That means it may be a bit more as a percentage of our income, but it's the same dollar value to the charities.

Nonprofits and charities are really hurting. A lot of people rely on these services to get their basic needs met. And endangered species, the environment, human rights, and education - all these causes aren't just going away because there's a recession or because we've got a Democratic president.

I usually allow a certain dollar amount per year to give to charity and causes I believe in. It comes out to a monthly amount that's spread around. I also allow a few hundred dollars for things that come up that year: a friend does the AIDS ride, or I find out about a great charity I've never heard of.

I've never done this on my blog, but I'd like to ask you to consider helping out a friend of mine. Because of the problems with our healthcare in this country, which can drive hardworking people to bankruptcy, this person has to pay for her own cancer treatment. And her kind sister, my friend Jill, is taking it upon herself to raise the money on her blog and through word of mouth.

Please click here to read my friend Jill's post about her sister Lisa, a woman in the prime of life who has to deal not just with this devastating illness, but with the stress of paying for her treatment. In my opinion, it's untenable that anyone should have to deal with raising money on top of fighting cancer.

I know my readers are non-consumers, frugalistas, an all-around thrifty sort. But I also know we're a generous bunch who wants to spend our money on things that really make a difference. And I promise you that whatever amount you can afford to give to this kind family will be truly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity.

More Meatless Monday recipes

If you haven't signed up for Meatless Mondays yet, click here to visit their website and find out why you should. When you pledge to go meatless on Mondays, you'll receive a weekly email that contains news of the week, plus some great recipes. They've got a new feature that I love, which is a video demonstration. I can't wait to make the spinach and corn enchiladas, she makes it look so easy!

I've been sharing some of our favorite meatless meals, since we go meatless several times a week, and it's no deprivation for us. Think stir-fry, scrambles, pasta, and soup, and the possibilities are endless.

Here are a couple of our favorite main dish salads:

1. Greek salad. This is a great summer dish, but it's delicious year-round as a light meal. Arrange thinly sliced English cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion in an attractive pattern on a plate. Layer with crumbled feta and 6 or 8 pitted and sliced kalamata olives. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and oregano.
2. White bean/escarole salad. Tear escarole and saute with olive oil and garlic until soft (cover and add broth or water if necessary). Add white beans and cook another 5 minutes. Serve with a generous squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper.

And here are a few meatless recipes from Reader's Digest:

3. Tagliatelle with veggies & blue cheese. Cook 8 ounces of spinach tagliatelle (or other pasta) al dente. Add a cup of broccoli florets and another of cauliflower during the last 3 minutes of cooking time. Then drain pasta and vegetables in a colander. Rinse pot and over low heat melt 6 oz. blue cheese and stir until it's a smooth sauce. Then add the pasta and vegetables back to the pot and stir to coat and heat through. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
4. Open-Face grilled vegetable sandwich. Preheat grill or broiler. In a small bowl whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Brush sliced portobello mushrooms, asparagus, and red pepper with mixture. Grill or broil veggies until tender (about 10-12 minutes). Let cool and slice pepper. Grill bread just until warm. Spread goat cheese on bread, top with mushrooms, bell pepper, and asparagus. Serve warm.

There are an infinite variety of meatless meals to enjoy. The only limit is your imagination. And your palate, I suppose. I know from experience that the more you eat this way, the more you will come to love it. And the fresher the produce, the more delicious eating meatless will be.

I don't have any reader suggestions this week. I'd love to keep sharing them, so if you have any great meatless recipes that are easy to explain, please send them in a Comment. We'd love to try them! And click here if you want to check out the recipes from previous installments.

Paul Newman reprise

I can't believe I forgot my favorite Paul Newman quote in this morning's post, so here it is:

"We are such spendthrifts with our lives. The trick of living is to slip on and off the planet with the least fuss you can muster. I'm not running for sainthood. I just happen to think that in life we need to be a little like the farmer, who puts back into the soil what he takes out."

Beautifully said.

In memoriam: Paul Newman

It was a year ago today that Paul Newman died. I couldn't write about it at the time, my emotions were too strong and I couldn't sort through my feelings.

This reaction to a celebrity death is vaguely embarrassing to me, but I think most of us have experienced it. What does it mean when we feel the loss of someone we don't even know so personally? I'd never met Paul Newman, so I was essentially grieving for a stranger. But really I was mourning the loss of the person I thought he was, and what he represented to me.

Which was a beautiful human being. There are rumours that he wasn't perfect, but I refuse to believe them. In his case, his outward good looks were a reflection of his soul. He was, in my opinion, the most handsome man who ever lived. Does that sound overblown? His face and physique were perfect. And it wasn't just the famous blue eyes. Even in a black and white film like Hud, the man was drop-dead gorgeous. I fell in love with his looks and charm as a child, while watching him and the Sundance Kid jump off cliffs and blast their way through Mexico. Who could resist the mischievous smile and sparkling eyes of Butch, or Cool Hand Luke, or the con artist from The Sting? No actor of my generation could begin to take his place. Brad Pitt? No way. Tom Cruise? Give me a break. George Clooney? Well, he comes closest, but he's still not PN.

Mr. Newman was known as a major philanthropist and 100% of the proceeds from his "Newman's Own" line are donated to charity. The list of causes to which he contributed his time and money would be longer than this post. He was a friend to animals and a champion of the downtrodden, a hero in my eyes. His life as a humanitarian was deeply inspiring; he was a person who truly lived his values.

And there was his relationship with his wife, Joanne Woodward. Hardly a typical Hollywood couple, they were together for 50 years and shunned the celebrity lifestyle. How about the charm of a man who says of his wife, when asked about the temptations of other women, "Why go out for a hamburger when you have steak at home?" I'm sure Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward weren't non-consumers, but they may have started me on my journey during an interview I watched decades ago. When asked about the amount of money they give to charity, Ms. Woodward said that at some point you have enough, and you just don't need another set of bath towels, or something to that effect. I think the sentiment made a lasting impression on me.

So I will continue to miss the man who has represented so many things to me: beauty, charm, class, grace, talent, humility, character, loyalty, generosity, integrity, strength, courage, and dedication. I'll miss the perfect man I never met. But I'll always have his movies.

Less is More Balanced: One of my favorite blogs

I've been meaning to write a post about recycling electronics for awhile now, but my friend Danielle over at Less is More Balanced has done it so well, I'm just going to send you over there. So click here to find out where you can recycle cell phones, computers, and all your electronic gadgets, and in some cases even get cash for them! It's easy, you might make some money, and it's the right thing to do. I think that qualifies as a win/win/win.

I can't say enough good things about Less is More Balanced. Danielle is a great writer, and it's a fantastic resource for all things green and eco-friendly. Plus she has an excellent sense of design, so the blog not only looks great, she often posts about beautifully designed spaces or objects that are also eco-friendly. And if you love DIY design projects, there are plenty of those. On her blog you'll find everything from a movie review of Food, Inc. to where to buy stylish eco-friendly lunchboxes to how to use less water or have a restful staycation. And that just scratches the surface. It was on her blog that I found out that Origins, where I buy skincare products, will accept and recycle any used cosmetics containers, not just their own.

Some of you may have read Danielle's interview with me a few months back for the Los Angeles-based website Your Daily Thread. If you missed it, you can read that article here.

Danielle also writes children's books, short stories, and articles about green living and green travel, and I appreciate her excellent writing. So don't delay, head over to Less Is More Balanced today.

And I'll be back with a regular Food Waste Friday post next week.

Thrifty Threads

Welcome to Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y Outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, or a consignment shop.

Today's model is April from the U.K. She and her husband enjoyed a babymoon in Malta this summer. I love it! Everything about the photo is gorgeous.

April said she was 30 weeks pregnant in this photo, but that didn't put any damper on their holiday. They also did it budget-style, since the whole trip, including their flight from Europe, lodging, food, and transportation, cost only $1000 for a week. April said they accomplished that by bring 17 pounds of food in their suitcase, cooking in their room, and hitching rides from locals.

They also learned the local bus system and walked 45 minutes past the end of the bus line through hilled farmland to reach the beach. When they heard someone was driving back up the hill, they'd ask for a ride. April says they thoroughly enjoyed their English vacation in Malta, and she highly recommends a babymoon. They kept a journal and wrote down all their favorite memories.

I don't have any details about where April got this beautiful dress or how much she paid for it, because I haven't been able to reach her since she sent in the photo. I guess she's been busy, maybe with a new baby! But the dress is fabulous, she looks fabulous, and I'm so happy she sent the photo. It's so smart to buy maternity clothes secondhand, after all you're only going to fit into an outfit for a few months.

Thanks April! Readers, now it's your turn. I need more photos, so keep them coming. Put on your favorite thrift store outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at: barton.angela@gmail.com. Remember, we all want to see your fabulous finds. It's so great to see what people are finding at thrift stores all over the world!

Do you shop secondhand? What's your favorite thrift store score? Tell us all about it in the Comments section. And send in those photos! And click here to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

I'm On a Roll

Last week, I wrote this post about how I had saved $201 with one phone call. I suggested that if you looked over your accounts, you might be able to save some money by calling and asking for a better deal.

So I decided to take my own advice. I felt flush with the success of lowering our home insurance premium, so I called the cable company and asked why our "bundle" price on telephone, Internet, and cable had gone up over the past few months, from about $112 to about $135.

The agent looked at our account and told me that our $99/mo "all-the-best" package was a 12-month deal and that it had run out. But she said she could offer me another deal for $104 a month plus tax and box rental, essentially saving us $15 a month. There would be no change in our service and I would have to do nothing. So just by asking, we'll save $180 over the course of the year. Not bad. My next call is the Department of Water and Power. That bill is the big enchilada, around $350 every 2 months. Yikes. Marine-style showers may be in my future.

If you're ready to test out your negotiating skills, check out this article that claims it's a lot easier to get a bargain these days. Apparently it's a buyer's market, and that goes for the doctor's office as well as boutiques and department stores, hotels, and yes... the cable company. It's a haggle-fest out there.

What deals have you been able to score just by asking? Tell us all about your great bargains in the Comments section.

How do you judge success?

When I embarked on my experiment with nonconsumerism this year by joining The Compact, I assumed I would be successful. That is, I thought I would be successful at eschewing material comforts and making do with what I already had, with maybe a few slip-ups.

What I didn't realize was how much the whole endeavor would subtly work on my entire value system and worldview: what I care about, how I spend my time, and my definition of success.

I've been thinking about continuing with The Compact after this calendar year. That hadn't occurred to me when I started, but lately it seems very feasible. What's certain is that I'm not chomping at the bit, just waiting until I can go on a shopping binge come January 1st 2010. My Buy Nothing New commitment has changed me, because I've become aware of every purchase I make, and I could never go back to being an unconscious consumer.

And becoming conscious in this way has made me see more than ever how empty a value system that judges success based on material possessions really is. It's not that I didn't believe that before, it just wasn't quite as strong a conviction.

Sure, I like nice things. And having the bills paid and money in the bank helps us sleep at night. But once you're past that threshold of survival, does another pair of designer jeans really make you happy? A fancy car? A bigger house?

These questions aren't new or original, and each of us has to find our own answers, live our own lives, make our own discoveries. But I ask you: are people happier when they have more things, more possessions, more stuff? I've never seen any evidence of it. So why do so many people pursue that course so relentlessly? Sometimes I think we're a nation of people searching for salvation in a mall. Even some places of worship are turning into megachurches, mall-like entertainment centers that I can't begin to fathom.

And how do we buy all these things? We work more, to earn more money, to buy more stuff. I remember once back in the 1980s talking to a student from Germany. He couldn't understand why everyone was running around from one appointment to the next, their busy-ness an apparent measure of their success. He said that in Germany, people viewed success as having time to design their own schedules, and that included lots of coffee house lounging and intense conversation.

My idea of success squares more closely with this one than it does the materialist one. Lately I've been thinking that in our culture, the people we consider successful - namely because they make a lot of money - rarely have a moment to themselves. No time for introspection, goofing off, or just plain hanging out. They're slaves to their Blackberries. Maybe not at the level of Oprah or Bill Gates, but for many professionals who live in nice neighborhoods and drive Mercedes it's become the norm.

Certainly working at what you love, being good at it, and making a contribution in your field would constitute success. But that doesn't necessarily translate into material wealth. You could work for the Peace Corps, design a public space, be an excellent nurse, invent a labor-saving device, compose beautiful music, perform life-saving surgeries, write inspiring plays, discover a vaccine, or a million other things, and you may or may not be financially rewarded for it. It's nice if you are, but it doesn't prove whether or not you're successful.

My definition of success includes rewarding work (paid or unpaid), close relationships, an ability to appreciate and be grateful for what you have, having time to live an "examined" life and do the things you enjoy, achieving something you set out to do, doing a little extra when it will make a difference, and not always taking the easy way out. It would also involve a realization that you do make a difference, that we all do, and to resolve to work for what you know is good and right. To live your values. For me, successful people have made the world a better place.

In the end, I don't think anyone has said it better than Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."

How do you judge success? Please let us know in the Comments section.

CSA Delivery Day

What a great way to start the week. This is what was delivered to our door this morning. It's like receiving an incredible gift every other Monday: you know you're going to love it, and you know generally what it will be, but at least part of it will be a surprise.

Like those dates, for example. What a nice surprise! And I was expecting tomatoes, but look at them. They're gorgeous. I'm going to make the incomparable "Tomato Tart with Parmesan Crust" tonight for the 4th or 5th time this summer. It might be my last chance. Click here if you missed that recipe. It really is divine, and it's simple too.

Here's what we got, roughly clockwise from the back: Frog Skin melon, red peppers, white scallop squash and yellow squash, sun gold tomatoes, green beans, pluot, nectarines, cookie, crimson grapes, heirloom tomatoes, dates, caliope eggplant, white garlic, red onions, red butter lettuce, baby carrots, and watermelon.

I'll post a recipe that will use up all your late summer produce below this post (hint: it's the name of a Pixar film), plus an article called "30 Days of Ripe Tomatoes" for all of you who grow your own and can't eat them fast enough.

It's almost impossible NOT to eat healthfully when you get a CSA delivery. Produce this fresh makes it easy to turn down the junk.

Are you a member of a CSA or do you go to a Farmer's Market? Either way, you're supporting local farmers, and doing a big service for the environment and for your health. Please share your thoughts, plus preparation ideas for anything you see in this photo in the Comments section.

Julia Child's Classic Ratatouille

Click here to try "The Perfect Ratatouille Recipe," according to Terri Wahl, the brilliant chef at Auntie Em's, who organized a CSA delivery for the entire Los Angeles area.

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes

If you're still swimming in tomatoes, this L.A. Times article offers some great ideas on how to use them up. 30 Days of Ripe Tomatoes. Sounds delicious.