Spring Greens

Mar 15, 2022

Photo: Unsplash

Early spring is prime time for leafy greens in the garden and at the farmers market. Here are a few recipes that can be made with a variety of different greens: Garlicky Sautéed Greens, Kale Salad with Bitter Greens and Lemon, and Chimichurri Sauce. Recipes courtesy of chef Laura Doyle.

Garlicky Sautéed Greens

This is a great, basic way to cook greens. You can use any greens you want and store them in a container in your fridge to throw in any dish you feel could use them.

Ingredients:

1 large bunch of greens
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
5 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)
crushed red pepper flakes

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Add a couple big pinches of salt and the greens. They should hiss and spit a bit when they hit the pan. Stir continuously until their color gets bright green, and they just barely start to collapse — two, three, maybe four minutes, depending on how hot your pan is and how much structure your greens have. Then, just 30 seconds before you anticipate pulling the skillet off of the heat, stir in the garlic. Sauté a bit, remove the pan from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, and add a big pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Taste; add a bit of salt if needed.

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Kale Salad with Bitter Greens and Lemon

Ingredients:

1 large bunch kale, washed
4 ounces Pecorino Romano, grated
2 lemons, juiced
1 garlic clove, pressed or minced
1/2 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh black pepper, to taste
1-2 cups bitter greens (chicory, endive, and radicchio)

Mix the garlic and lemon in a bowl with the salt.

Roll several kale leaves lengthwise and using the point of a chef’s knife, cut away the thick center stem. Discard. Roll the remaining stack of de-veined leaves into a tight cigar shape and slice into thin ribbons.

Toss the shaved kale with the cheese. Whisk the olive oil into the lemon juice and pour over the salad. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Let the salad sit at room temperature for an hour before serving.

Just before serving, toss in the bitter greens.

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Chimichurri Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup firmly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, trimmed of thick stems (you can also use a mix of parsley and cilantro or other spring greens or herbs)
3-4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsps fresh oregano leaves (can sub 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Finely chop the parsley, fresh oregano, and garlic (or process in a food processor several pulses). Place in a small bowl.

Stir in the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Adjust seasonings.

Serve immediately or refrigerate. If chilled, return to room temperature before serving. Can keep for a day or two.

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Learn how to make these recipes by watching the cooking class below

 

Feb. 28, 2022: Preparing for Installation

Mar 3, 2022

We will provide periodic updates on the process of creating two sustainable pilot sites at Hampton Bay HOA.

After finalizing the designs for the two pilot sites with the HOA, Permaculture Designer Michael Wedgley and landscaper Jerry Saitta met at the site to talk over the designs. Both sites will replace the grass with sustainable, low-maintenance, waterwise landscaping that captures rainwater and incorporates native plants.

At the larger site, Michael marked the location of the swales — in-ground trenches that will capture rainwater and roofwater from the nearby building so that the water can sink into the ground, build healthy soil and provide on-site water for the plants. The smaller pilot site will also have a swale that captures roofwater.

Jerry and Michael discussed digging the swales, plant spacing and other aspects of the project. The next step will be to begin the installation.

Large pilot site
Small pilot site

New Program to Focus on Air Quality in Fairfield

Feb 25, 2022

Sustainable Solano Awarded 3-Year, $260,000 Community Air Grant

By Sustainable Solano

Photo credit: Visit Fairfield

A new program that will focus on air quality concerns, causes and solutions will help Fairfield residents to address air pollution within the community.

Sustainable Solano was recently awarded a $260,000 Community Air Grant that will support the planning and implementation of this new program over the next three years. The goal of the program will be to build public awareness around air pollution, its environmental causes and health effects, and engage community members in ways to monitor and mitigate air pollution on an individual and community scale. It will launch later this spring.

“From the crosswinds to the local environmental conditions, poor air quality impacts the population of Fairfield greatly,” Sustainable Solano Executive Director Elena Karoulina said, citing the grant and highlighting its importance. “Our goal is to increase public awareness and strengthen community capacity to monitor and respond to air quality issues in real time with help of local youth leaders.”

The program will engage high school youth leaders through a Youth Air Protectors program. These youth will research the air quality challenges for their communities, create outreach campaigns and support community-based projects centered around air quality. The program also will increase the number of air monitors in and around Fairfield, and will build community resilience through air quality mitigation projects, such as planting trees or improving community spaces to make them more appealing for foot and bike transportation.

Ultimately, the youth involved in the program will create an air quality plan for the City of Fairfield that incorporates what they have learned through research and community engagement and could set the foundation for future air quality improvement projects. This plan could serve as a model for other Solano County communities, as well as the greater region.

Sustainable Solano was one of 33 community organizations and five Native American Tribes that received a total of $10 million in grant funding from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for projects that would help reduce air pollution in communities.

The Community Air Grants program is part of CARB’s overall efforts to implement Assembly Bill 617. Community Air Grants are designed to establish a community-focused approach to improving air quality and reducing exposure to toxic air pollutants at the neighborhood level. AB 617 is unique in that it requires CARB and air districts to work with residents, businesses and other stakeholders to tackle air pollution at the community scale. The current grants elevate community voices and their specific priorities regarding air pollution where they live.

As a result, the projects funded will help communities identify areas with the most harmful air emissions and then take actions to reduce exposure or address the underlying cause of the pollution.

“The Community Air Grants provided by CARB are an important tool to help residents and Tribal communities throughout the state identify and combat the harmful effects of local air pollution — and create a cleaner environment for their families,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph.

Read more from CARB’s press release about the Community Air Grants program and find additional resources here: https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/carb-awards-10-million-grants-dozens-communities-statewide-fight-air-pollution

 

About Sustainable Solano

Sustainable Solano is a countywide nonprofit organization that is dedicated to “Nurturing Initiatives for the Good of the Whole.” The organization brings together programs that support and sustain one another and the Solano County community. Initiatives include sustainable landscaping, local food, resilient neighborhoods, youth leadership, sustaining conversations and community gardens.

For more information, visit sustainablesolano.org

About CARB

CARB is the lead agency in California for cleaning up the air and fighting climate change to attain and maintain health-based air quality standards. Its mission is to promote and protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through the effective reduction of air and climate pollutants while recognizing and considering effects on the economy.

Dixon Partnership Brings Together 2 Programs to Create New Garden Site

Feb 17, 2022

By Sustainable Solano
We are excited to build upon two of our garden programs to support a new demonstration food forest and community garden in Dixon that will provide produce for the community, educate children about connecting with food and the local agricultural community, and build another example of waterwise, sustainable gardening that can inspire and educate others.
This Dixon Community Church site will soon be converted from grass to a lush, waterwise community garden

The new Dixon garden, Gracious Garden, will be developed in partnership with Dixon Community Church and the Neighborhood Christian School. Neighborhood Christian School serves preschool through eighth grade and has been a part of the community for more than 40 years. The school partnered with Dixon Community Church in relocating the campus this past year. The church has served Dixon for more than 100 years and is on East A Street, where the garden will be highly visible to passers-by.

“We anticipate creating a first in the community food forest, filled with perennials and other diverse crops,” Principal Eden Callison said. “As much as 80% of the yield would be donated to our local food bank partners: Dixon Family Services, CornerStone Baptist Church … as well as in the future create a farmers market style event to continue to highlight and provide opportunity for students and families to sell items made from the garden and provide a full circle educational experience to students within our school and community.”

The vision is to combine efforts through Sustainable Solano’s Solano Sustainable Backyards and Solano Gardens programs to develop different aspects of the completed garden, creating a more robust demonstration site in the process. This is the first time the two programs would work together on a site from design through installation, and we hope it can create a model for future projects.

“I am thrilled that this will be our second demonstration food forest in Dixon and it will serve to educate a large population on how to replace a lawn with a water-efficient food forest garden that includes a section for annual food production,” said Solano Sustainable Backyards Program Manager Nicole Newell.

Tour a Demonstration Food Forest March 12

Solano Sustainable Backyards previously brought a demonstration food forest to a Dixon home in 2020, transforming that lawn into a sustainable landscape.

On March 12, the public can tour that two-year-old residential demonstration food forest garden, named Pollinators Paradise, and see how the site captures rainwater and roofwater in the ground to build healthy soil and provide more readily accessible water to the plants in the garden. This site was originally a water-hungry lawn, but now provides food for the occupants and habitat for wildlife, particularly through an abundance of plants to support pollinators. During the tour, permaculture designer John Scott will go over the steps to transform a lawn into a thriving, water-efficient ecosystem.

Learn about how to install a food forest garden by watching the series of videos below created during the installation of Pollinators Paradise.

 

Learn Hands-on Garden Techniques March 19 & 26

The installation of Gracious Garden will create an opportunity for hands-on learning about creating gardens that grow food, build community and support a healthier environment. On March 19 and March 26, hands-on workshops will install the first phase with a water-efficient demonstration food forest garden through the Solano Sustainable Backyards program, funded by the Solano County Water Agency. Designer Phil Gray will lead those workshops.

The community garden portion of the design will begin installation in April, and is supported through the Solano Gardens program, funded by Solano County. Designer John Davenport will lead workshops for that part of the project on dates that will be announced soon.

Bean Basics

Feb 8, 2022

Photo: Unsplash

Put versatile beans to use in these two recipes: Black Bean Burgers, and Cannellini Beans with Garlic & Sage.

Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients:

2 – 15 oz. cans black beans, rinsed
2 large eggs
2 T. flour
4 scallions, minced
3 T. minced cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. hot sauce (optional)
½ t. ground coriander
¼ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 oz. tortilla chips, crushed coarse (1/2 cup)
Neutral cooking oil (avocado/sunflower), as needed
6 burger buns for serving

Line a rimmed baking sheet with about 3 layers of paper towels and spread drained beans on top. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.

Whisk eggs and flour together in a large bowl until uniform paste forms. Stir in scallions, cilantro, garlic, cumin, hot sauce, coriander, salt and pepper until well combined.

Process tortilla chips in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add black beans and pulse until beans are roughly broken down, about 5 pulses. Transfer black bean mixture to bowl with egg mixture and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.

If making burgers right away: adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. If desired, place a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and put into the oven (to keep the cooked burgers warm). Divide bean mixture into 6 equal portions. Firmly pack each portion into a tight ball, then flatten to 3-1/2” patty.

Heat a little oil in a large, nonstick skillet. Carefully place 2-3 patties in the pan and cook until bottoms are crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Flip, add a little more oil and cook second side until well browned and crisp, another 3-5 minutes.

Transfer burgers to the wire rack in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining patties. Transfer burgers to buns and serve.

Makes 6 burgers.

Chef’s Note: Raw patties can be wrapped in plastic, placed in a freezer bag and frozen for 2 weeks. Thaw before cooking.

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen.

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Cannellini Beans with Garlic & Sage

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried cannellini beans (or others, i.e. Navy beans)
Water, as needed
2 T. olive oil + extra for drizzling
1 large head of garlic, unpeeled, root area washed or trimmed down, top ½” cut off
1 large sprig of fresh sage
¼ t. whole black peppercorns
1 t. kosher salt
1 ham hock, trimmed of excess fat (optional)

Sort through beans if needed to remove any dirt or stones. Place beans in a colander and rinse, stirring, to release any dirt. Transfer beans to a large bowl. Cover with cold water by 2 inches (about 8 cups) and set aside to soak for 8 hours or overnight.

Drain beans, and place in a heavy pot. Add 8 cups fresh water, 2 T. olive oil, head of garlic, sage, peppercorns and optional ham hock. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer partially covered 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, and skimming any foam that accumulates at the top.

Mix in 1 t. salt. Continue to simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if needed to keep beans covered, about 45-60 minutes longer. Spread beans out in a shallow pan to cool for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, (if using ham hock) remove ham from bone, and shred/tear into pieces.

Discard sage, peppercorns, and garlic (or squeeze out the now-soft garlic cloves into the bean liquid). Season beans to taste with additional salt & ground pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

Makes about 6 cups.

Download a printable version of the recipe here

Learn how to make these recipes by watching the cooking class below