Venison Stew

I just started subscribing to Full Circle Farm, which is an organic produce distributor located in Washington. Every week or every other week you can get a box of fresh, seasonal organic fruits and veggies. Last night I picked up my first box (they actually have a distribution site on Sawmill Circle just 2 minutes away!). You'd think this is an expensive luxury, but compared to the prices here in Kodiak for regular vegetables, I doubt I will be spending any more than usual. Anyway, back to the point - the contents of my box were beautiful! I got apples, pears, avocados, cabbage, potatoes, celery, onions, a tomato, cilantro, oranges, and even a mango. And they were all in perfect condition - much better than I'd expect for produce grown without pesticides! Many of their products come from their farm or the Pacific Northwest, except for that mango.

In order to celebrate our bounty of beautiful produce, I am making venison and vegetable stew tonight. With any kind of red meat stew, I sear the stew meat over high heat, and then boil for about an hour before adding the other ingredients. I always include celery and onion, and cabbage and potatoes, and then whatever else I feel like or have on hand. For spices, I'll probably throw in some garlic, cumin (which I put in just about everything), oregano, and a little chili powder for warmth. I may or may not add canned tomatoes - that would make the stew not totally organic, but I do love the tanginess of canned tomatoes in stew. Well...45 minutes left before I start adding veggies. I am hungry already.