Cooking is alchemy

Cooking is alchemy

So is a sink full of dirty dishes, or an empty one? I have finished my Monday Apothocreations and am, for the first time in a few weeks, feelings energized and relaxed by the completion, versus rushed and concerned about the next step. This week, and next week, I will only have two customers. It means my Sundays are mine, my Monday mornings are relaxed and there isn’t even any work on Tuesdays. Holy Cow! I will resume full delivery services on Nov 17th and will move into a bi-monthly delivery service.

This has been a crazy two months. It has been frightening, exhausting, and stresfull, but also so rewarding, exciting and successful! I am learning the balance of perfecting business practices and harnessing potential growth. I want to make sure I am keeping this sustainable, personal, and detailed. I am also excited for the future of Apothocurious. I have been making really exciting connections around the city. I am meeting folks leaving their jobs to create their dreams, building local gardens and urban farms, and everyone is cooperating and sharing the abundance of the bay area!

I am most stoked about:

The awesome farmers market down the st. from my house, grove and divis, every Sunday, every awesome veggie!
The free farmers market at 23rd and treat, you can donate abundance and take up gold!
My friend Allison is making and selling delicious custom ice cream and we trade!-ask me how you can get ahold of a quart!
SourFlour, this guy is giving away 1,000 loaves of bread, he is try to figure out funding to continue to give away bread for free!
Other fun friends who are in to sharing/trading goods for goods!
Experimenting with turning raw goods into tasty treats!

November is looking mighty tasty!

Apothocurious!

Www.Apothocurious.com

October!

I am sending you a little of the info that will be going up on the (currently being created) website! Including the menu for October! Wohoo! I am ready to take on a few more customers, so feel free to spread the word!





For those of you who don’t know…Apothocurious is my dream: The CSCA, a variation on the theme of the Community Supported Agriculture veggie box, a popular food sourcing model in the Bay Area in which local farmers supply our communities with tasty, local veggies. Apothocurious, a Community Supported Culinary Adventure provides you with a weekly (or bimonthly) supply of freshly made spreads, sauces and salads to fulfill your nutritional needs, and dazzle your tastebuds!



In each delivery you receive 4 products: a hummus, a pesto (or other equally delicious dip), a salsa, and a salad. Each week will feature a different selection of the spreads ranging from Honeyed Hummus to Peach Salsa to Arugula Pesto to Sweet Potato Avocado Salad.



The ingredients are selected by season and as local, as organic and as sustainable as possible. Apothocurios creations will not include meat, often include nuts, and occasionally include dairy. However, special dietary restrictions will be accounted for.



In the future we will include other local artisan goods such as a variety of baked goods, kombucha, and even local yogurt!



Here is how it works.



its like a combo milk man & CSA box, a Hummus Chick...Pea...if you will...



Once a week (or every other week) you receive four beautiful jars filled with a variety of gourmet; locally, organically, and personally inspired food.



each week will come with:

16oz of uniquely flavored hummus

16 oz of seasonally inspired salad, often vegan and/or raw

8 oz of decadent pesto

8 oz of wild salsa



All you need to provide is a secure and cold location for your deliveries each week.



Most customers have an off street space with a cooler, a basement, a gate between the street and the front door, etc. Each household is different, and we will work with you to provide you the easiest delivery possible!



The cost is a sliding scale of $25-$35/wk with a $14 jar deposit.







Jar Deposit



This is where the milk man comes in, each week I will deliver 4 jars to your house and pick up 4 jars from the previous week. The $14 is for four 16 oz jars and four 8 oz jars and makes for an easy jar swap each week! At the end of your service you can either keep your jars or receive your deposit back.





Probably the motivation to read through the whole e mail:



What’s cooking this month



October Week 1:

Polenta Hummus

Watermelon Heirloom Salad

Cucumber Salsa

Cilantro Pesto



Week 2:

Basil Hummus

Heirloom Salsa

Broccoli Salad

Red Pepper Pesto



Week 3:

White Bean Hummus

Roasted Zucchini Salsa

Beets and Carrots Salad

Basil Pesto



Week 4:

Sept Hummus

BNS Salsa

Tabouli Salad

Cranberry Pesto



If you are interested in subscribing please get back to me quickly, the spots tend to fill up fast and I hate saying no to friends!



Smiles,

Rose

Apothocurious@gmail.com

Apothocurious.blogspot.com

apothoCRAZY:)

So I totally spaced on taking a picture of the fleet this week and the deliveries are done. But they looked oh so beautiful. And I could have made it a group shot because I had two amazing helpers this Monday. And whooooo did it make things run smoother. My awesome roommate brad washed dished the entire time, it just goes to show how many dishes there are to be done. Elisa helped with the jarring and pesto perfecting. Next week maybe max and ruby will be my Sunday crew!

It is great to have a lively kitchen, friends fed, fresh food being creating into magic, and the power to explore, learn, and practice! This week we had honey hummus (my secret (not so secret anymore) favorite) capRAZY salad (vegan, with grilled zucchini), garbanzo bean salsa, and arugula pesto, which was a a little bitter, but can be heated up to tone it down. Brainstorming on the menu for next month and how to take it to the next level, both in service and quality! Wohoooo!

the apex of apotho

wooohooooo

I have the slightest hint of internet through my windows in my apt and it makes me so happy to be able to connect. I have been reading up in the blog world these days, yay for blogs! right? Its friday, im in between week 2 and week 3. getting the feed back, dreaming about the future and mashing on some surplus hummus and salsa:)

to be honest i am feeling like this project is way bigger than i am, and its a crazy amount of responsibility. the demand is unbelievable. i think i could sign up 15 new customers today if i wanted to. and i want to, but i cant. i don't have the fridge space. that's my first limiting factor. its also crazy to think about the risks involved with feeding people. i started this because i love it, but i think i would stop immediately if i ever got anyone sick. i am using my best practices, washing things every time i use them, washing hands, table tops, everything, as much as possible. but its still crazy. it makes me think about going vegan, perhaps that would eliminate some risks? the third issue is quality. it is just so much harder to make a slamming hummus that has to reach out and make 13 customers happy! So im working on it. my PR bestie is encouraging me to keep track of ingredient, but i am just not that diligent (she knows it, thats why shes pushing so hard. if you really want the details, this week, to attempt to increase efficiency i am going to jar as i make instead of storing in a larger container and then storing morning of. i will see if this affects freshness, and will douse with olive oil to ensure.

this weeks menu is exciting!!

Honey Hummus and Arugula pesto are two things i am so stoaked about! also a caprazy salad, a variation of the standard capreezy salad that is just gunna get a little crazy, and it gives me the freedom i thrive on! this is where i hope no one actually reads this, because i am going to make roasted corn salsa and i have never made it before! wish me luck! (or send recipes and tips!)

my other job with the after school bike program isnt really happening this week and is very part time till oct, which is a blessing for getting apotho of the ground, but im excited to go back. even though i sure have been enjoy my really really under employed life style.

today i will cook some lunch with some buddies, check out park(ing) days (if i was really good, i would link that to a website so you could learn more about it-but like i said earlier i really dont think anyone reads this) and hopefully get a chance to volunteer for a gala i wish to attend tomorrow!

Smilesssss
rose
i hope you find your dreams in your days.

Wowzers. Never have I ever made a gallon of hummus, but yesterday I did! And what a joy it was! I made ½ gallons of pesto and salsa and another gallon + of cucumber salad! I am looking forward to all of the learning I get to do while working on this project! So far people are stoaked about it! I have 12 customers, I had about 4 oz of extra hummus this am, and I am going to deliver all of these tasties in a bit, amongst other fun errands!

I wrote that mid process on Tuesday morning. Monday was my cooking/prepping day, Tuesday my jarring and delivering day. The process was successful. I managed to make all 9 deliveries (some customers are add ons and every other weekers) and feel great about having 11 folks to get to next week! The menu next week is exciting! A wild rice salad, ginger hummus, peach salsa and a tziki sauce.

I am feeling great about the future of this and being able to juggle it with my other job. So I am figuring out publicity, website stuff, and where to go from here! But I suppose I should wait and see how week 2 goes…