AMBATALIA SAYS EAT YOUR FRUIT AND VEGGIES

Eat your fruits and veggies! And join a CSA program!

Danielle with our first week's share from CSA. Modeling an Ambatalia kitchen furoshiki.

A few weeks ago my roommate Jen and I were shopping at the local Logan Square Farmers Market on a lazy Sunday. Montalbano Farms CSA sign caught our eye. We saw happy customers leaving with giant bags of fresh produce, so we decided we must learn more. 

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. This is a program that has been in practice for over 25 years. Basically what happens is that a farmers offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. When you purchase a share you, in return you receive a box of seasonal produce throughout the farming season. CSA programs vary from farm to farm, but Montalbano Farms offers three options for their CSA program. You can either receive a vegetable and fruit share, a vegetable share, or a fruit share. And then you also get to decide if you want the box every week, or every other week.

This means that since we are signed up for the biweekly fruit and vegetable share, every other week we get to pick up a bounteous box of fresh produce with a wonderful mix of fruits and veggies. And a few days prior to pick up Montalbano Farms emails Jen and I a newsletter detailing what we can expect in the share that week, fun recipes to use the week's offerings, and updates on events at the farm. This week our menu looked like this:

Harvest season is upon us. Summer crops like tomatoes and peppers are finished while cool season plants are thriving.   In the Vegetable share this week, Chioggia beets Lettuce Radishes Turmeric Cauliflower Bok choy Cabbage Potatoes Shallots persimmons And in the fruit share:, Mix of Empire and Jonathan Apples from Earth First Farms Persimmons Cranberries Let these persimmons get a little soft and enjoy them chilled. They make great sorbet and they dry well too!

What is so great about the CSA program is that all the vegetables, herbs, and fruits arrive within days of being harvested. This means that it is as fresh as can be! Also it allows you to make a connection with your farmers, since Jen and I go to pick up the box every other week the farmers become familiar faces. I also love the fact that the CSA program is a great way to support local farms, but also receive quality produce at a reasonable price. 

Jen and I are both eating healthier and happier! Definitely check out the CSA options in your area. A great resource to find more information for a program to fit your needs is at your local farmers market. 

And don't forget to eat your fruits and veggies! Til next week! -Bridget 

5 SIMPLE WAYS TO WRAP THE AMBATALIA FUROSHIKI SCARF

Ambatalia furoshiki scarves are oozing with good vibes. This is why I bring mine everywhere. Each one is individually hand-stitched with love in New Mexico by artist Mikaela Kate Hennessey-Ambatalia owner Molly’s sister. "I am finding over time that it is not the art of perfect stitching, I seek. It is the act of sitting quietly, the meditation of handy creation and dreaming of good things while my fingers move," says Mikaela of the stitching. The beautiful running stitch along the edge of the scarves adds a simple and unique touch, to complement the simplicity of the cloth.

Jennifer with her furoshiki scarf

Furoshiki scarves hanging in New Mexico, Photo taken by Mikaela Kate Hennessey

This scarf will take you through fall, winter, spring, and summer. Made of 100% Irish linen, it keeps you warm when it’s chilly and lets you breathe when it’s hot out. It also can turn into an instant bag for a shopping spree, or an old-fashioned halter-top, among other creative things!

“Cloth has carried us all through generations until now.  For many of us, its about time we listen and begin using and reusing,” writes Mikaela on the use of the furoshiki. This week I wanted to illustrate how versatile this cloth is, and share with you some fun and creative ways it can be used. I asked my beautiful roommate Jennifer to model the Ambatalia furoshiki scarf for me. Purchase one here!

 

1. The classic scarf

2. The babushka

3. The tote bag

4. The halter

5. Boudoir style, no knots required

Those don't look too hard now, do they? The only one that might be puzzling you is the tote bag option. So here is a how-to on:

How to use the furoshiki scarf as a bag:
Step 1: Lay out the furoshiki with your object in the center. 

Step 2: If you are wrapping clothes it's nice to fold it beforehand.

Step 3: Take two opposing corners and double knot it, or for better security use a square knot. If you do not know what a square knot is, refer to the beautiful diagram below. 

http://l-36.com/sq_knot.gif

Step 4: Do the same thing with the other opposing corners, but place knot towards the end of the corners as to allow for a handle. 

Step 5: Voila! You are good to go!

There it is. 5 simple ways to wrap your furoshiki scarf. How do you guys use your furoshiki? What do you wrap up? I would love to hear-please comment!

-Bridget

AMBATALIA GOES TO NY

Hello NYC

"New York is the center of the universe!" declared the cab driver as Molly and I pulled up to the Javits Center to set our booth up for NY Now, New York's international gift show. With over 2,800 businesses representing their products under one roof, it did seem like we were at the center of something. 

We were assigned booth #2486 in the section of "Home Furnishings and Textiles" and had three days to prepare before the show started.  Ambatalia was extremely lucky to share the booth with Oakland-based artist Maria Schoettler. Ambatalia does a lot of collaboration with Maria, where her beautiful illustrations come to life on cloth, but Maria also has her own line of post-consumer paper goods that were on display as well. 

Prior to the gift show I was well aware that there was a lot of stuff in the world, but being there put this into a whole new perspective. Tchotchkes, knickknacks, doodads, and trinkets lined the shelves of the booths row after row. The buyers for Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters wandered casually by, and looked at our stuff. It all seemed so strange to me, and it made it quite real that Ambatalia, and the products we produce, are part of this international global market. 

Across from Ambatalia's booth was Pendleton, the company that made the blanket that sat at the foot of my bed as a child. In the main hall was Library of Flowers, the company that produces my favorite bubble bath. Downstairs, Yellow Owl Workshop had a booth, and for my birthday I just received a set of their stamps. Surrounding me were the faces of people who administer these products. Up to this point, I had bought into their realties. Their products and their displays at the show were perfectly tailored to my liking. There might possibly be a photo of me on the bulletin board in their office labeled: "target market." Is it a bad thing that we buy into these fantasies?

In a world where literally every sort of product exists, it is more and more important to make wise and knowledgeable decisions. We met a lot of people that really believed in Ambatalia. People wanted to know where we sourced our fabrics, if they were certified organic, and where they were being sewn. We are based out of San Francisco and everything is sewn locally. We know exactly where we are getting our materials from and select carefully. A lot of the buyers and consumers at the gift show really do care about these factors. They want to buy a long-lasting product that they can feel good about on a social and environmental level. This is exactly what Ambatalia wants to promote. I was extremely grateful that I was at Ambatalia + Maria Schoettler's booth standing behind products that I really believed in, aesthetically and also ethically.

Maria, Molly, and me at NY Now 2013

Ambatalia + Maria Schoettler's booth

Maria Schoettler, check out her work.

Set up.

The Javits Center.

Ambatalia Furoshiki Video

I made my first how to Furoshiki video. I hope it helps you use Furoshiki more and more in your everyday life.

Ambatalia Kitchen Furoshiki from Molly de vries on Vimeo.