Brokelyn » organic food

Who wins the better (natural) peanut butter battle?

Hannah Nordgren — Thu, 26 May 2011 13:03:39 +0000

Which one turns PB from a food of desperation to one of pure nutty joy?

One of my favorite foods (next to frosting) is natural peanut butter. I’ll eat it on stuff, in stuff, but mostly on its own, and destroy a jar of it a week. People who don’t care for natural peanut butter say it’s too goopy and not sweet. True, but only if you’re used to eating super sweet stir-free commercial swill found bodega-wide (even Serious Eats didn’t care for the purist variety). I say ground peanuts don’t need all that unhealthy stuff to make them shine. My panel of butter judgers set out to find which common natural brands are the best for the price. I even tried my hand at a homemade version to see if it’s worth the cost.

THE PROCESS
Two broken blenders later and multiple jars of store-brand natural peanut butter chilling in my fridge, I called some friends in to do a Peanut Butter Challenge. I set up five different samples consisting of three natural peanut butter varieties, one jar of Skippy as the “control” and my own homemade spread. I chose natural peanut butters that were readily available and cost less than $5. Could the taste testers tell the difference? And which peanut butter was the biggest crowd pleaser?

In our taste test, we had five identical sample bowls, then tasted everything and took our own notes and compared the results. Lastly, we ranked our peanut butter samples from most to least favorite.

THE BEST
Key Foods Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, $2.69
The panel agreed that the store-brand peanut butter was neither too sweet nor too salty. The Key Foods brand also scored high marks for its strong nutty flavor, minimal aftertaste and that it didn’t coat your mouth. Universally, everyone agreed that this peanut butter would probably be good in just about anything.

RUNNER UP
Brad’s Organic Peanut Butter, Smooth, $3.99 (Available at grocery stores, health food stores or at www.bradsorganic.com)
Brad’s peanut butter overall was highly rated as being very smooth, had a slightly smoky taste and naturally sweet but was second choice because stuck to your mouth more than the store brand peanut butter. Overall the crowd liked this peanut butter better though as it wasn’t as salty either. A good choice for pairing with sweet foods or on a sandwich.

A DISTANT THIRD
Maple Grove Farms Smooth Peanut Butter, $3.19 (Available at grocery stores, health food stores or online)
Most of the reviewers thought that this peanut butter had a strange odor with a slightly burnt (or fermented) taste, and one reviewer found it to be the greasiest peanut butter in the group. However, one lone reviewer ranked this peanut butter as a top choice due to the strong nutty flavor and that it was very well balanced in regards to the sweet to salty ratio.

Senor Jesus, patron saint of tasty peanut butter

DON’T EVEN BOTHER
Skippy Creamy Peanut Butter, $2.69
The resounding reviews were that Skippy was too creamy, too sweet and had a “processed” or “plastic” taste. I, however, gave this peanut butter a pretty high rating partially out of childhood nostalgia but mostly because I liked the undertones of toasted nuts and molasses. The group agreed that if left with a choice of buying this peanut butter or going without, they’d rather eat something else.

A FOR EFFORT, D FOR PRICE
Homemade peanut butter, $3-4 (depending on where you buy).
Granted, this peanut butter wasn’t finished properly because I burned out the motor on my blender mid-blending (twice), but the resounding reviews were gave high marks to the density of the homemade, which was much higher than any of the other samples. The panel also agreed that the nutty flavor was more intense on the than the store-bought varieties, which was another key selling point. The only downside is that this variety of peanut butter used an entire 16 oz jar or dry roasted peanuts to yield 8 ounces of finished product, which made it a lesser value than store-bought peanut butter, which comes in standard 16 oz jars.

IF YOU WANT TO TRY
Broken blenders aside, making your own peanut butter definitely has a “wow” factor while being fun and simple to do (just make sure to use a food processor instead). Here’s a crash course on how to make your own peanut butter and a simple recipe.

Basic Peanut Butter recipe

16 oz. roasted peanuts, unsalted

A mild flavored oil of your choosing (I like Sunflower Seed oil), just a little.

1. Chop the peanuts finely. Really. Even though you’re going to puree them, this is what burned out my blender. Learn from my experience or use a food processor.

2. Put all the nuts into your blender/food processor and chop until VERY fine, about a minute or so. Scrape down the sides of the bowl every so often.

3. Turn on the blender/food processor again and slowly drizzle in the oil to achieve the consistency you like for about 2 minutes. You don’t want to use too much oil or the peanut butter will break, resulting in a greasy, soup-like spread. When in doubt, keep it out.

4. Transfer the finished peanut butter to an airtight container and refrigerate it if you’re not going to use it immediately or if you like a firm peanut butter. Its good to go for a couple of months!

And that’s it. No chicanery and you could stir in any fancy components that you want to dress it up. In fact, you could do this with just about ANY nut you wanted to, or even soybeans (for those who are allergic).

Tuesday linkage

Tim Donnelly — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:54:02 +0000

$30 for a 2-hour Hollywood stunt class in Greenpoint [Yelp Deals]
When is it worth buying organic? [LearnVest]
Comparative grocery shopping guide for six stores [CG Patch]
Sidewalk rage is real, can lead to “intermittent explosive disorder” [WSJ]
Brooklyn Castle Grayskull igloo singlehandedly justifies winter [Boing Boing]
Beastie Boy Mike D now writing wine reviews [Grub Street]
BK Brewery’s new $8 million expanded brewhouse opened yesterday [TRD]

Join a CSA so you don’t miss a beet

Trevor Dye — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 20:39:41 +0000

A yield from Flatbush Farm Share. Photo via Sustainable Flatbush.

Ah, CSA season once again: overflowing boxes of mystery farm-freshness, that connected-to-the-earth feeling and giant zucchinis up the wazoo. Last year we gave you the lowdown on Community Supported Agriculture in Brooklyn and why every locavore, quasi-locavore and their mother seemed to be hopping on the farm wagon. Now it’s registration time again, and there are four new CSAs on top of last year’s already impressive list. A few are already sold-out for the season, but plenty are left to help you fill those crispers.

Brooklyn’s CSAs this year are offering far more than just veggies. You can sign up for fruits, eggs, honey, flowers, chicken… and then you decide if you want a full share every week, a half share every week, a full share every other week or your produce divided on to the backs of three mules delivered every third Thursday. You have options.

Here are the nuts and bolts of the CSAs still open for the season, hopefully to start you on your way. All prices are for shares of vegetables:

Bay Ridge
Yellow Hook CSA
2010 season: Jun. 10-Nov. 11 (23 weeks)
Full share: $516 ($22.43/wk)
Half share: $268
Requirements: 1 distribution shift per season (3 hours)
Location: Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 414 80th St.
Email: yellowhookcsa@gmail.com

Bedford Stuyvesant
Bed-Stuy Farm Share (choose Tues. or Wed.)
2010 season: Jun. 5-Oct. 30 (22 weeks)
Full share: $600 ($27.27/wk); low income: $475, $375
Half share: $325; low income: $250, $200
Requirements: 4 hours per season
Location: Bread Stuy Cafe, 403 Lewis Ave. (Tues.); 497 Quincy St. (Wed.)
Email: bedstuycsa@gmail.com

Brooklyn Heights
Sweet Pea CSA
2010 season: June-November (24 weeks)
Full share: $540 ($22.50/wk)
Half share: $280
Requirements: 2 shifts per season (3-4 hours total)
Location: First Unitarian Congregational Society, 50 Monroe Pl.
Email: sweetpeacsa@gmail.com

Bushwick
Bushwick Food Coop CSA
2010 season: Jun. 9-Nov. 17 (24 weeks)
Full share: $540 ($22.50/wk) (sliding scale possible)
Half share: $280
Quarter share: $135
Requirements: TBD
Location: probably Cathedral of Joy, 43 George St.
Email: csa@bushwickfoodcoop.org

Carroll Gardens
Carrol Gardens CSA
2010 season: June-November (24 weeks)
Full share: $540 ($22.50/wk)
Half share: $280
Requirements: TBA
Location: MTA Community Garden, 192 2nd Pl. at Smith St.
Email: carrollgardenscsa@gmail.com

Cobble Hill
Cobble Hill CSA
2010 season: Jun. 1-Dec. 14 (29 weeks)
Full share: $507.50 ($17.50/wk)
Half share: NA
Requirements: TBA
Location: Christ Church, 326 Clinton St. at Kane St.
Phone: 718-856-1882

Crown Heights
Crown Heights CSA
2010 season: June-November (23 weeks)
Full share: $585 ($25.43/wk)
Half share: $370 ($16.09/wk)
Requirements: 2 shifts per season (4 hours)
Location: Franklin Park, 618 St. John’s Pl. (Near Franklin Ave.)
Email: crownheightscsa@gmail.com

Central Brooklyn CSA
2010 season: 22 weeks
Full share: $485-$290 (income based); $120 (food stamps/SNAP)
Half share: $240-$145; $60 (food stamps/SNAP)
Requirements: 4 hours per season
Location: Hebron SDA Church, 1256 Dean St. at New York Ave
Email: centralbrooklyncsa@gmail.com

Crown Heights South CSA
Email: CrownHeightsSouthCSA@gmail.com
Location: St. Gregory School, 991 St. Johns Pl.

Ditmas Park
Ditmas Park CSA
2010 season: 20 weeks
Full share: $500 ($25/wk)
Half share: $350
Requirements: 1 shift per season (2 hours)
Pick-up location: Third Root Community Health Center, 380 Marlborough Rd. at Cortelyou Rd.
Email: ditmasparkcsa@gmail.com

Downtown Brooklyn
Brooklyn Beet CSA
Email: brooklynbeetcsa@gmail.com
Location: YWCA, 30 Third Ave.

Brooklyn Bridge CSA
2010 season: Jun. 8-Nov. 9 (23 weeks)
Full share: $688-$488 ($29.91-$21.21/wk) (income-based)
Half share: $353-$253 (every other week)
Partial share: $418-$318 (every week, less stuff)
Requirements: 2 shifts per season (four hours)
Location: Congregation Mt. Sinai, 250 Cadman Plaza West
Email: brooklynbridgecsa@gmail.com

DUMBO
DUMBO CSA
2010 season: Jun. 8-Nov. 9 (23 weeks)
Full share: approx. $25/wk
Half share: approx. $15/wk
Requirements: 2 shifts per season
Location: Phoenix House, 50 Jay St.
Email: core@dumbocsa.org

East New York
East NY Farms! CSA (2010 info TBA)
Email: janelle@eastnewyorkfarms.org
Phone: 718-649-7979
Location: ENY Farmer’s Market, Schenck Ave., between New Lots and Livonia Aves.

Flatbush
Flatbush Farm Share
2010 season: Jun. 3-Oct. 28 (22 weeks)
Full share: $595-$265 ($27.04-$12.04/wk) (income-based)
Half share: $315-$140
Requirements: 4 hours per season
Location: Flatbush Reformed Church, 890 Flatbush Ave. at Church Ave.
Phone: 212-741-8192 x7

Fort Greene
Fort Greene CSA
Currently sold-out of full-cost shares.
Email: csa@fortgreenecsa.org for info on limited shares for low-income households.

Kensington/Windsor Terrace
Kensington / Windsor Terrace CSA
2010 season: Jun. 12-Nov. 21 (24 weeks)
Full share: $540 ($22.50/wk)
Half share: $280
Requirements:
Location: Windsor Terrace Community Garden, 179 E. 4th St.
Email: kwtcsa@gmail.com

Park Slope
Park Slope CSA (Tues. or Thurs.)
2010 season: Jun. 8/10-Nov. 2/4 (22 weeks)
Full share: subscribe to PScsaALL-subscribe@yahoogroups.com for pricing
Half share: subscribe to PScsaALL-subscribe@yahoogroups.com for pricing
Requirements: 5 hours (full share); 2.5 hours (half share)
Location: Garden of Union, Union St. between Fourth and Fifth Aves.
Email: jjanda@igc.org
Phone: 718-707-1023

Prospect/Lefferts Gardens
Prospect Lefferts Gardens CSA
2010 info TBA
Email: info@plgcsa.org
Phone: 347-823-1076

Red Hook
Added Value Red Hook CSA
2010 info TBA
Phone: 718-855-5531

Sunset Park
Sunset Park CSA
2010 season: Jun.-Nov. (22 weeks)
Full share: $475/$315 ($21.59/$14.32/wk) (income based)
Half share: $245/$165
Requirements: 2 shifts per season (4 hours)
Location: St. Michael’s Church, 352 42nd St. at Fourth Ave.
Email: sunsetparkcsa@yahoo.com

Williamsburg
East Williamsburg CSA
2010 season: Jun. 5-Oct. 30 (22 weeks)
Full share: $510 ($23.18/wk)
Half share: $270
Requirements: 1 shift per season (2 hours)
Location: Red Shed Community Garden, 266 Skillman Ave. (Skillman Ave. and Kingsland Ave.)
Email: eastwilliamsburgcsa@gmail.com

South Side CSA
2010 season: Jun. 14-Nov. 8 (22 weeks)
Shares: $710-$320 ($32.27-$14.55/wk): almost endless combinations and prices available for veg., fruit, berries, eggs.
Requirements: various duties, time commitments
Pick-up location: The Woods, 48 S. 4th St., between Wythe & Kent
Email: southsidecsa@gmail.com

Greenpoint-Williamsburg CSA (Wed. or Sat.)
2010 season: June-November (24 weeks)
Full share: $540 ($22.50/wk)
Half share: $280
Requirements: several options (3-4 hours per season)
Location: McCarren Park, between the dog run and the Green Dome Community Garden (Sat.);
Lutheran Church of the Messiah, 129 Russell St. (Wed.)
Email: williamsburgcsa@gmail.com

New PLG food co-op needs geeks

Faye — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 08:29:57 +0000

Hey PLG/Crown Heights/Flatbush organicists—a nice man named Gabriel (OK, we think most all Brokelyn readers are nice) from the forthcoming Lefferts Farm Food Cooperative asked us to post his plea for volunteers:

The co-op is starting up and needs committed volunteers for various committees. Specifically, there is an immediate need for a web programmer with knowledge of Drupal. Also, if you’re currently a Park Slope Food Coop Member you can get work credit with us. For more information and to join our group go to: http://www.meetup.com/plgfoodcoop or contact leffertsfarm@gmail.com.

Kudos to you Gabriel & Co. After nearly 10 years at PSFC, we’d rather commit hari kari with a burdock root than start a cooperative venture of any kind, but we’ll be there on opening day. And we’ll probably already be suspended.

Park Slope-inspired food co-op in the works for Bay Ridge

Faye — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:49:05 +0000

Bay Ridge isn’t known for an abundance of self-righteous organicists, kids with food allergies invented by their parents or oddly sour New Agers. So the new food co-op they’re planning over there might not be as… interesting as the Park Slope one. Despite all of its nuttiness and petty annoyances, though, we love the PSFC like a batty old aunt with 17 cats, so another one is a grand idea, especially if about 5,000 current Slopers bolt for that one instead. In less than two years’ time, they may be able to. Over the past year, a core group of 20 to 25 people in and around Bay Ridge—many of them PSFCers—have been hatching a plan to open a food co-op. While they don’t have a location yet, founding member David Marangio said the group is roughly 16 to 18 months away, and they’re now making a pitch to sign up members who are willing to make a $200 investment and work an as-yet unspecified number of hours.

(The PSFC makes its members to work 2:45 hours every four weeks.) “We don’t know how much our work requirement will be yet,” Marangio says. “It could be more than Park Slope’s, at least in the very beginning.” The group also needs people to perform volunteer duties like marketing, passing out flyers, accountancy, and more, says Marangio, who adds that more than 100 individuals are already involved.

So who knew that Bay Ridge—which got its first greenmarket last year—is actually a mecca for flaxseed-oil sippers? Certainly not the co-op’s founders. “We started this process not knowing whether there would be enough people who were into food to make this happen,” Marangio says. “But there are more than people realized. The majority of us have been going out of the neighborhood to shop.”

For more info, email info@foodcoopbayridge.com or visit their web site.