Good Food News Archive - February 4, 2003

Article: The Good Food Box Celebrates Nine Years
Featured this week... PARSNIPS
Recipes: Pureed parsnips, Stuffed peppers

Article : The Good Food Box Celebrates Nine Years

In 1991 two farmers, Jeff Wilson and Terry Daynard, and a community worker, Nan Hudson were on the Toronto Food Policy Council and over a beer came up with the idea of commissioning a feasibility study to find ways of linking farmers and inner city dwellers. The complex nature of our food system meant that farmers could have food rotting in the fields for lack of a market and they would be reading about people going hungry in the city. Mary Lou Morgan and Ursula Lipski were hired to carry out a feasibility study linking farmers and inner city dwellers.

People of all incomes living in the city are often disconnected from where their food comes from. We no longer understand what is in season, what pressures farmers face from government regulations, and how the encroaching cities turn the best farm land into suburban housing tracts. Farmers, on the other hand, have little idea of the ethnic nature of our cities and what vegetables, which are currently imported, could be grown in Ontario.

After a year's experimentation involving a travelling food truck Ursula and Mary Lou took ideas from Japan, India and the US and came up with the concept of a Good Food Box - a box full of fresh fruits and vegetables with an educational newsletter packed into the boxes. We wanted everyone regardless of income to increase their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and to learn about our food system.

In the basement of our Queen Street office, the first Good Food Boxes were packed. Delsie says that 40 boxes were packed that day in the first week of February and it took them all day. Nine years later, in the first week of February, we are packing almost 1000 boxes in the warehouse at the Field to Table Centre.

We have gone from 15 original stops in 1994 to approximately 175 stops in 2003. Coordinators change all the time, but the stops seem to get passed along to another willing volunteer coordinator ready to take over the box ordering for the group. We do still have some original coordinators who have been with us since the beginning. Norma from Portland Place, Ken from St. Gile’s Anglican Church, Karen from 519 Church, and Laura from the Harry Sherman Crowe Co-op. There are groups such as Oak St. Co-op, West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre, Windmill Line Co-op and Flemington Red Cross that have been buying from us since the beginning, but where the coordinators have changed.

Our first year's produce sales were $52,000. With the help of dedicated community coordinators, volunteer packers and lots of learning along the way our combined sales to schools and to neighbourhood groups in 2002 were $849,000. Our goal for this year is to keep growing. The idea of the Good Food Box has been adapted across Canada in at least 15 different villages and cities from Newfoundland, through the prairies of Saskatchewan, to British Columbia.

FoodShare Toronto currently has at least 40 farmers growing for us and we also supplement the box with imported produce. It seems a very satisfying completion of the circle that this year we are selling Jeff's potatoes - the drought caused them to be smaller than usual so the marketplace does not want them. We get a good price, the customer gets a good potato and our mission is fulfilled; working with communities to improve access to affordable and healthy food - from field to table.

Help us grow. Tell your neighbours and friends about the Good Food Box. Phone to see how to start your own stop and keep all your comments coming. We'll try to continually improve our service and and provide the city's residents with as much fresh and local produce as possible.

We are also happy to come and make presentations about the Good Food Box in your neighbourhood community centre, church or group. We always welcome your comments, quesitons and concerns, so please give us a ring. Finally, we thank you for all your support and loyalty over the years and hope that you will continue to support and promote the Good Food Box in your community and in turn support the local farmers in and around Toronto.

Featured this week... PARSNIPS

Parsnips are a delicious root vegetable resembling the carrot, only they’re white instead of orange. They have a sweet taste but can also have a stronger flavour than carrots.

Parsnips like the cold weather and that’s why you are getting them in your box now. It is said that parsnips harvested after the first frost or even after the first snowfall are sweeter. The cooler temperatures cause the starches in the parsnip to convert into sugars. The same goes for storing your parsnips - find a cold spot in your fridge such as the bottom shelf or near a wall. This way, they will keep for several weeks.

To cook:
Peel or scrub parsnips well before cooking. You can also cook them first and then remove the skins, but be warned that they don’t just “slip” off. Parsnips can be steamed, boiled, sautéed, baked, roasted or grilled. To speed things up you can parboil them first. It is best to keep an eye on your parsnips when cooking as they can turn from tender to mush in no time.

For your health:
Parsnips are extremely high in fibre about 6.5g in one large parsnip, more than you would find in most cereals with fibre. They are also a good source of folate, magnesium, potassium and vitmains A, C and E. Parsnips are also a source of calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, nicacin, and Vitamin B6.

Recipes :

Puréed Parsnips

8 parsnips, peeled and sliced into rounds
4 tbsp whole milk or cream (60 ml)
1 Tbsp butter (15 ml)
salt and pepper

Cook parsnips in top part of a double boiler in boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes. You can also just boil them in water until they are tender. Drain well.
Mash with a potato masher in the pot.
Place pot over bottom of double boiler filled with boiling water. Stir in milk, butter, and salt and pepper to taste and cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The further cooking and milk will bring out a sweetness in the parsnips.

Makes 6 servings.
from The Farm and City Cookbook

Stuffed Peppers

You can use either Green or Red Peppers for this recipe as well as any extra vegetables you may have lying around at the time.

3-6 large peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
6 tbsp chopped parsley
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice, cooled
1 tbsp paprika (optional)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 cups canned tomato sauce
1/2 lb round beef or pork
1 large egg
*you can add frozen peas for extra colour
Cut off top 1/2 inch of peppers and reserve. Scoop seeds from cavities. Discard stems and chop pepper tops.
Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, parsley, garlic, and chopped pepper pieces. Sauté until onions soften, about 8 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Mix in rice, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cool 10 minutes. Mix in 1/2 cup tomato sauce, then beef and egg.

Fill pepper cavities with rice and beef mixture. Stand filled peppers in single layer in heavy large pot. Pour remaining 2 cups tomato sauce around peppers. Bring sauce to boil over medium-high heat.

Reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and simmer 20 minutes. Spoon some sauce over each pepper. Cover; cook until peppers are tender and filling is cooked through and firm, about 20 minutes.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover and chill. Rewarm covered over low heat.)

Makes 3-6 servings (1 pepper = 1 serving). Recipe adapted from www.epicurious.com