week (weak) in each hand

It’s hot in Brooklyn.
Really hot to keep having the oven on in the evenings. 

Since I can’t rush through that part, since I’ve done this backwards and keep making things that come together quickly but bake for a long time — I’m rushing through this part. 

Week 9. 12 August 2009.

Spoils: (only) 15 apples and a banana

We beefed this up with some things we got from the CSA, eggs and peaches and actually had a nice load of 29 lunches with fruit, hardboiled eggs and zucchini bread in all. And sandwiches, 19 “chicken” salad, and 10 PB+J. 

Week 10. 19 August 2009.

Spoils: more zucchinis, apples, peaches, plum (1), pear (1), celery (5 stalks), lemon, grapes, strawberries and 2 green peppers

Shopping list: butter, eggs (3), PB and jam, and some pantry items (wax paper and lunch bags)

(truly) no harm in asking

We asked. Got our answers (yes!) and want to give due thanks.

We wrote to 3 companies who make products we buy each week, to supply the pantry, asking if they would be interested in making a donation in kind to our program. The answers were swift and sweet, and we are gratefully watching for delivery in the coming weeks. 

Thank you for the:
wax paper 
tofu

BACK and on the back

It wasn’t much but it was something. Something that outlines what to make, even if it is the same old same old. We’ll try to find something new to do with those zucchinis (although there seems to be a lot of rootlevel support for that zucchini bread, and we do like to listen).

As luck would have it I decided to ride my bike this week and take my pack, so I was lucky, in a way, that it was a small load. Although last week did give me the idea that it might be.

Week 8. 5 August 2009.

Location A.

Spoils: 11 apples, plum (1), nectarine (1), zucchini and red pepper.

I also carted off a couple of buckets for next years planting, but those had to ride in the basket on back.

0 (Zero)

Week 7. 29 July 2009.

If this project were a swimming pool, and it had walls, and a deep end, it would also have a shallow end. This week our feet touched bottom. And we debated what to do.

I went for the pickup this morning and there was nothing there. More accurately there was nothing there that we could put to use. Boxes of muskmelon and a large bag of granola, some leafy greens. There was no fruit for lunches, no vegetables for salad, no eggs or bread. 

This is a good thing, there is less waste to offset today.
But it left us with a question: we always buy some items, should we buy all items this week and make the lunches from our own pockets.
Was it more important to get the meals to those who need them, or to make the meals from re-purposed ingredients?

We finally decided neither. They are equally important. 

There are many food programs available, but ours is about using food that otherwise would go to waste, not buying fresh food and re-packaging it. True, we often have to supplement, but fundamentally our menu, and our project, relies on “waste” food. 

So this week belongs to those other programs.

haul it on home on your back

Week 6. 22 July 2009.

Location A.

Despite my love for my hand-truck, this week I decided to take my pack. I just didn’t feel like listening to the rattle of wheels and flagstones all the way home so early in the morning. I also took a garbage bag to line the inside, because: things leak.

Spoils: apples (16), 3 pints of grape tomatoes, yellow peppers, red peppers, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, bananas (6), 2 zucchini, 3-1/2 dozen eggs, cucumber

The eggs will be for hardboiling. The bananas for banana bread. The zucchini for zucchini bread, and the apples for everyone.  I think we’ll make more crumble bars too.