hello Merced

Hey Merced


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Ericka

Who Says March is a Slow Month?

Another fabulous exchange! We had kumquats, sunchokes, banana bread, oranges, sour oranges, fresh eggs and herbs. Next month are planning a get-together for all members!

Our January Exchange!

Well, if January is any indication, we are off to a great start for 2011. We had limes, lemons, oranges, orange marmalade and banana bread! Thanks everyone! I'm planning to juice the citrus, freeze and save for some delicious marinades this summer! Here is the recipe for the banana bread:

1.5 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons vital wheat gluten(optional, makes for a less dense loaf)

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 cup coconut flour

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup butter(you can use all coconut oil if you want, but it ain't cheap)

3/4 agave syrup

1/4 cup walnuts(optional)

1.5 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

5 medium overripe bananas, mashed

Mix flour, flaxseed meal, coconut flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder. Make a well in the center. In another bowl, mix bananas, oil, eggs, butter. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture all at once and mix just until moist. Batter will be lumpy. Grease bottom and halfway up the side of loaf pan. Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees or 45 in medium loaf, or 55 minutes to one hour in large loaf pan. Stick a toothpick into center to make sure there is not wet liquid left. Put aluminum foil on top last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning.

It just keeps getting better....

For this month's exchange, our members shared: Green and red tomatoes, peppers, Meyer lemons, sour oranges, walnuts, tangerines, pomegranates, rosemary, persimmons, basil, banana bread and sage. I tried a persimmon for the first time ever in a green salad with pomegranate dressing and it was fabulous! Someone recommended that I try dried persimmon-that it's like candy! Let me know what you did with your items if you get a chance!

Our October and November 2010 Exchanges!

As usual we had a great exchange of veggies, fruit and herbs! We shared pears, eggplant, basil, green onions, zucchini, green tomatoes, roma tomatoes and more! Three MercedShares members went to the farm tour for the TD Willey Community Supported Agriculture(CSA) and it was so inspiring to see where they grow our food and how they grow it. Then we went and had delicious fresh pressed pomegranate juice at the farm next door.

Our next exchange happens on Saturday, November 20.

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 7!

Our next exchange is Saturday, October 30!

Hello, life got a little hectic and we didn't have an exchange in September, but we are on for October! One purpose of these exchanges is to reduce wasted food. Recently I heard about a blog created by Jonathan Bloom that discusses some practical and interesting ways to prevent the food waste in this country. Go to http://www.wastedfood.com and click on the tab that says Act! I'm also adding the link to our page.

Who knew this could be so much fun?

Another amazing exchange! This time we had HOMEMADE fresh pesto, kabocha(japanese pumpkin), nectarines, zucchini, yellow squash, organic Kokuho Rose brown rice from Dos Palos, roma tomatoes, apples, rosemary, thyme, basil, cucumbers, and sweet yellow peppers.

What I love about these exchanges is that they are fun! We talk about food(of course), learn about the produce and how it is grown, and catch up on what's new since the last time we saw each other.

Thanks to everyone that participated! Our next exchange: Saturday, September 25!

De-lish!

Despite the oppressive heat, MercedShares friends came out to represent! We had nectarines, peaches, plums, cherry tomatoes, red cabbage, green onions, yellow squash, zucchini, red onions, chives, basil, rosemary, oregano and mint. Isn't summer wonderful? Got an abundance in your garden? Don't toss it out or let it go to waste. Come and join us next month!

Our next exchange will happen on July 17, 2010

Is your garden in full bloom? Sometimes you have to just accept that you didn't get to have the garden you wanted for this season, but isn't the process still fun? Did you plant anything new? Or did you stick with the tried-and-true? Share your ideas with us!

We are still here!

Merced Shares is still alive and kicking! Last month we had a great exchange- homemade bread, herbs, sour lemons, oranges and more!

Members, stay tuned for news of our April exchange. Interested in joining us? Send an email to mercedshares@yahoo.com and let us know. We are approaching the summer season and will have lots to share!

A Brand New Year of Exchanges!

Welcome to 2010 and a new year of Merced Shares exchanges! We took a break in December for the holidays, however we will be having our first exchange of the year on Saturday, January 23. Take a look below where you can listen to the latest episode of KCRW's Good Food program. It's a great program where you can learn about the movers and shakers in the world of food. This is where we got inspired to start Merced Shares! Please see the link to the left to contact us and find out more about what we do.

Another fab exchange!

Tomatoes, spaghetti squash, figs, carrots, serranos, chard, zinnias, zucchini, asian pears, bell peppers, and more! Thanks everyone!

Share with Merced Shares!

Tell us what you like to make with your summer vegetables and fruits! Here's what we like to do with almost any vegetable-greens, zucchini, carrots, you name it! Slice 'em or chop 'em and stir fry in olive oil with minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and soy sauce, Braggs Aminos or a little hoisin sauce. Yum!

Check out this NYT Article!

Here 'tis! The article that mentions the Hillside Produce Cooperative, the organization that inspired us to get started! Go to nytimes.com for Wednesday, June 10, 2009 and check out the dining and wine section. The article is titled, "Neighbor, Can You Spare a Plum?"

Hooray for Hillside Produce Cooperative!

Hey Everyone! I found out that Hynden Walch, founder of Hillside Produce Cooperative, our "mother" organization, was interviewed by the New York Times and her interview will be published on Wednesday, June 10 in the dining section! Congratulations HPC!

Our First Exchange showed promise!

Can't wait to see what kind of yummy things we have next month. Today we had chard, beets, cherries, zucchini, cucumbers, rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme.

Who's in for next month?

Our First Exchange Date!

We are planning to hold our first produce exchange on Saturday, June 6, 2009! We've already gotten emails from those who'd like to participate and are very excited about all the yummy items we'll be sharing/receiving that day. Stay tuned for more details and please send an email to mercedshares@yahoo.com if you would like to join us!

How did this all get started?

First, we would like to acknowledge where the idea for this produce exchange came from. We heard about the HillsideProduceCooperative.org through the Good Food Radio Show on KCRW.com in Los Angeles. Hillside Produce Cooperative was started by Hynden Walch, an actor, and we thought it was a great idea! Hey, who says you have to be the first to think of everything!

We would like to follow the example of the HPC by helping to eliminate or reduce waste, overripe, rotting fruit, gas used for trips to the grocery store, bags used for carrying food home, and fuel used to truck in or fly in produce.

We will increase opportunities to know our neighbors, cook with and eat fresh local produce, get outside and walk around, share and practice generosity. Free means free.