The Wellgro Co.

what do you think of okra?  i didn’t have much of an opinion until a few weeks ago.  but i found myself engaged in a conversation with someone who was growing it in his garden.  he was telling me tales of it’s bounty… how easy it was to grow in the hot texas sun… how tall it grew… and how much of it he had to pick + giveaway.  i was intrigued.  as we start to be more mindful about eating seasonally, it sounded like okra was something all texans should learn to love!  the following weekend, we picked up a few containers of okra from johnson’s backyard garden.

ed threw together a mixture of olive oil, ground chili, cumin, agave nectar, garlic, and salt.  mixed it all together with the okra in a large bowl, placed the okra on skewers, and put them on the grill.  the result was sweet + spicy… delicious!

contigo austin also makes a spicy okra appetizer.  you can find the recipe here.  

moral of the story?  you can change your opinion!  experiment… use fresh ingredients… research good recipes…eat your seasonal veggies + have fun!! 

in celebration of “movember” + men’s health we have a very handsome giveaway!  we will be awarding a mustache on a stick set, from the super amazingly talented shauna + stephen (somethings hiding in here), to one of our lucky wellgro-ers.   

it’s easy to enter… and the more friends who you direct to the wellgro co., the better your chances are to win!

for each time you do the following , we’ll add your name into the hat.  on november 5^th, we’ll draw a winner!

1.)    “like” The Wellgro Co.  on facebook

2.)    leave a comment on the wellgro co.’s facebook page

3.)    get your friends to “like” us

(make sure they let us know who recommended them to our facebook page)

4.)    follow @TheWellgroCo on twitter

5.)    tweet about @TheWellgroCo or retweet any of our info

let’s raise awareness about movember + the wellgro co.!!  may the most “handsome” networker win!!

*a special thanks to Chef Finn, for taking time away from dinner prep with his daddy, to be a part of our photo shoot!

want to know why we are launching The Wellgro Co.?  well, we have been working on our “elevator spiel’ for a few weeks now.  it has been a challenge to take all of our interest, inspiration + motivation and communicate it in a succinct message!!!  but we are excited to share the reason why below:

there is a childhood obesity epidemic in our country.  we want to be a part of the solution.

our mission is focused on raising funds to build school gardens (both locally and nationally) in order to re-engage school children with REAL food.  we want to educate + explore what food is (and what it’s not), show where it comes from, how it’s grown, and why it is important for health + well being.  

get to know us… our lives, our families, our opinions, our friends, our food.  join us… our mission, our conversation, our community.  be a part of the solution!

our dog, dex, loves carrots!  it’s true… he eats them as treats; taking them out of our hand, he’ll run across the room, lay down, and crunch to his hearts content.  i like carrots, but i want to love them.  i found this simple, spicy, and delicious recipe in the alice waters “the art of simple food” cookbook.  let me know if you give it a try!

peel + grate:  1 pound carrots // make the vinaigrette by stirring together in a small bowl: 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp fresh lemon juice, salt, fresh ground black pepper // whisk in: 1/4 cup olive oil // taste + adjust as necessary.  toss the carrots with the dressing and: 2 tbsp chopped parsley // let the salad stand for 10 minutes.  taste again and, if needed, add more salt, lemon juice, or oil.

last thursday, we attended the warby parker event here in austin.  oh my!  we admired the company before the soiree, but we are even bigger fans now.  this is a like minded group… doing good while looking good! 

[photo by amanda elmore girlskill.net]