Monday, February 9, 2015

Passionfruit & Banana Muffins {Where Do You Get Your Food?}

Passionfruit & Banana Muffins {Where Do You Get Your Food?}

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/passionfruit-banana-muffins-where-do.html

Where do you get your food? 

Between articles in National Geographic Magazine about the evolution of diet and observations during the 4th annual Montgomery County (Ohio) Food Policy Coalition Summit last year, I think Michael Malone of Hungry Toad Farm sums up the answer perfectly:

"Either somebody brings it to you, or you go get it."


http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/passionfruit-banana-muffins-where-do.html

The theme of the summit was Distribution--Connecting Producers to Consumers. I sat in on a few sessions* and it was interesting to hear from Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farmers as small as Michael Malone's couple dozen subscribers on up to Carl Bowman of Bowman & Landes Turkey's multi-state reach.
What I learned was there is romance in knowing where your food comes from (I agree with Dennis Chrisman of Dorothy Lane Market's sentiment). Over the past 9 years I've enjoyed meeting the farmers who grow our food. At first it was 'oh look, kids, this is what an eggplant looks like in the field' but it has morphed into wanting to understand the motivations of folks who want to work so damn hard to feed me.

Ben Jackle, together with his wife Emily, had 475 planting sessions last year at Mile Creek Farm. Holy cow! In order to balance what grows best in the climate and soil of their spread with what their customers want to buy, the Jackles must balance diversity with efficiency. It would be easiest to grow rows of the same crop and systemize the planting/growing/harvesting of a product, but as a CSA subscriber I wouldn't want to get a box of only tomatoes one week or only lettuce another week or only beets . . . ever. I appreciate the extra efforts that crop diversity requires.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/passionfruit-banana-muffins-where-do.html
Chickens go RVing at Keener Family Farm. Photo taken by my spouse.
"Convenience is a commodity itself"--another gem from Michael Malone. When he says "I don't sell peanut butter or toilet paper" he's right. I don't do all of my shopping in one place, nor would I want to do so. Everyone has skills, and while I appreciate our farm's ability to grow giant kohlrabi and my neighbor's buddy's ability to grow happy chickens and tasty beef, I also appreciate the volume discount on sharp cheddar cheese at Costco.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/passionfruit-banana-muffins-where-do.html
Keener Family Farm--photo taken by my spouse.
In addition to getting vegetables that have been grown near you by folks you've met, there are less tangible benefits to joining a CSA. George Mertz of Patchwork Gardens reminds me there's an aesthetic value of agriculture. Seeing farmland in production is pleasing to the eye, an having a box brimming with (pre-paid) brightly colored vegetables is so much prettier than a cart full of packages waiting for the final total price.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/passionfruit-banana-muffins-where-do.html
A typical late summer box: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, corn and greens.
People want local food, and according to Dan Carmody of the Detroit Eastern Market, the breakdown isn't in food production it's in food distribution. Folks all over are developing new ways to connect consumers to producers. In Seattle, Janelle Maiocco started Farmstr. Producers/Farmers can list their offerings on a central site online, and consumers can order the quantities and pick up locations that fit their needs. In Champaign County (Ohio), a Virtual Farmer's Market set up by Pam Bowshier and Mark Runyan meets in a YMCA. Folks order their items over a multiway period, then come once a week to pick up their orders.

Even CSAs are evolving. CSA models don't have to be just vegetables, or meat, or cheese. Heck, there's a beer CSA in Chicago--started by a former intern at our CSA, Patchwork Gardens. I'd love to have to empty my firkin before the next pickup date! According to a recent survey by Local Harvest, farmers are teaming up with other local businesses to sell add-on products (bread, meat, eggs) in addition to vegetables. Multiple payment options and varied length seasons are helping to reach new subscribers. Shoot, back when we started eating from a CSA we stopped getting food in late September. Now we get deliveries into December--and yes, now in February I've still got locally grown squash in the Strategic Winter Squash Reserve as well as put up vegetables in the freezer and pantry.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/passionfruit-banana-muffins-where-do.html
One of these items is local to me. Can you guess?
And now for the recipe--and something completely different. After all this talk about local foods, I'm sharing a recipe with decidedly non-local foods. I love bananas, tea, avocados, chocolate, olives and salmon too much to limit my diet to only local foods. I also like to try new things. Today's new thing was inspired by passionfruit--something I have never found in my farm share or my garden.

The passionfruit used in today's recipe was provided by Melissa's Produce.

Passionfruit and Banana Muffins (makes 12)

2 passionfruit
1 large banana
1 egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups (8½ ounces by weight) unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon Baking Spice, or cinnamon, or cinnamon/nutmeg blend

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 12 well muffin pan with vegetable oil spray, or line with paper lines or silicone cups. In a large bowl, combine fruit, egg, oil, vanilla and brown sugar with a whisk until thoroughly mixed.  The whisk will have a bit of passionfruit clinging to it--shake it off [shake it off, ooo ooo ooo]. Dump the dry ingredients on top, and stir gently to combine. Scoop** (Amazon affiliate link) the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake for 15 minutes until tops begin to brown, then remove from oven and let sit in pan for 5 additional minutes before serving.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2015/02/passionfruit-banana-muffins-where-do.html

*Why did I miss part of the summit? Robert Barker came to our family the day before, and I wasn't about to abandon him all day long on his first day with us.

**My scoop holds 3 Tablespoons (1 ½ ounces) by volume, though the muffin batter is mounded in the scoop so I'm pretty sure I'm putting a good 3 ½ Tablespoons into each muffin well.  The muffin wells in my regular muffin pans each hold 3 ounces by volume.

14 comments:

  1. I'm intrigued. I love passion fruit and for whatever reason it never occurred to put in in with banana bread. Looking forward to trying it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barrett,
      And I had never even seen a passionfruit before Melissa's sent some to me--nor have I seen any since!
      I didn't think Ohio was under a rock, but maybe it is ;)
      Thanks!

      Delete
  2. I recently signed up with a local CSA. Such fun to receive a delicious and fresh box of produce at my door. I happen to have some passion fruit in the freezer. It is something I cannot find locally. Time to use it to make these delectable muffins.

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    Replies
    1. Christie,
      Good for you! For me signing up for a CSA was a HUGE change--reacting to the food in my house vs proactively planning a menu then shopping--but I like to keep my $ local and support farmers and, most of all, I like to eat food that tastes good.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  3. I want to support our local farmers as much as I possibly can, AND I too appreciate our trips to Costco and the unique finds at our local Asian market - it is a balance.

    I love passion fruit, and would love these muffins!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kristina,
      In life as in yoga (huh? where did that come from?) balance is everything. Except on the days that my balance sucks. Then it's everything in moderation.
      You're reminding me that my weekly trips to the Cincinnati Asian Market are coming to a close with the approaching end of sled hockey season, and I need to think about my stock up list.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  4. Very interesting! I don't think I've had bananas and passionfruit together but I'm betting it's really delicious!

    -Julie @ Texan New Yorker

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie,
      Seriously, how are all you people eating passionfruit when I've never had it? I get around, or at least I used to get around. I'm an adventurous eater. And now I have a complex--wondering what else I've missed out on!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. I love Taylor Swift made her way into your recipe. I think you did her proud.

    My CSA actually works with 13 farms in the area, which is how we get such variety, and I believe this means the farmers can focus on a few key crops without the consumers getting the same thing all the time. I need to find a cheese CSA. I can share with your beer CSA and we'll be in business.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      My spouse commented that every single song on this new album is good, which has not been his experience with Taylor Swift in the past. I think she consistently brings good songwriting to the table. Then again, I think Eminem is a poet so consider that when you take my opinion into account.
      A cheese CSA is a terrific idea, as is the idea of farmers working together to bring diversity to a CSA. You can probably have a larger subscriber load that way as well.

      Delete
  6. I think you did this perfectly--and what an interesting post (and boy I wish I could handle bananas because these sound awesome!).

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    Replies
    1. Laura,
      As you know from all our chats on FB, it was a real struggle for me to not feel like I'm selling out by posting a recipe using an item I didn't pay for, so thank you. I appreciate it.

      Delete
  7. I really do need to look into finding a CSA here in Texas, I know they have many. I belonged to one when I lived in LA and it was wonderful. Even better, I'd love to find one similar to the beer CSA - a wine one would be perfect.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Joanie,
      Try going to localharvest.org and typing in your zip code for their CSA search function (I've got a box up on my Left side bar). That ought to point you in the direction of what is available near you.
      I'd love either wine or beer--must talk with one of the craft breweries here in Dayton and see if they want to model the Chicago example.
      Thanks!

      Delete