Death of a Crock Pot

It feels like the end of an era.

My trusty old Crock Pot has finally bit the dust.  I don't know exactly what happened, but this morning while putting it away I noticed a hairline crack extending clear across the bottom of the heavy ceramic bowl and up the side.  The crack may have been there for some time, and might even be perfectly harmless, but I'm not particularly inclined to continue using it in its present state.  

It had been on a bit of a slow decline for a while now.  A couple of years ago I made the mistake of putting the lid in the dishwasher, causing the knob to warp. Then the screw that held the (still somewhat functional) warped knob in place, removed for cleaning, went into the garbage disposal, thus dispensing with any further use of the knob. This was provided an unexpected improvement in the form of a steam vent, via the now permanently exposed hole in the lid. I used it this way for a while, until I dropped and shattered the glass lid, sometime earlier this year.  

After that I was using a salad-sized plate for a lid, but now, finally, it's time for a whole new unit.

The Crock Pot was a gift from my mom in the early 2000's. I used it only occasionally before going paleo. After that transition, it became an indispensable part of my kitchen arsenal, and throughout 2011 it got its heaviest workout ever.  At the beginning of that year, I used it to make lots of tendon stew and bone broths while I was recovering from surgery on a tendon in my left hand. Later that fall, it ran nearly constantly, stewing up pig feet, which were the only thing I could get my dear old hound Todd to eat in his final stages of terminal cancer. I nearly threw it out after that, but in time the unpleasant associations with that episode faded to where I could make use of it once again, without being upset by it.

And so now, having properly eulogized my cherished slow cooker, it goes off to the rubbish bin, to be returned to the earth whence its raw materials originated. I will toss it into the black bin with a salute of "Thank Capitalism" in my heart.

I've decided to upgrade with my next slow cooker purchase. The old one was a basic round 4-quart model; I think I will replace it with a 6-quart oval one. I was a bit surprised by all the choices available on Amazon, and after a bit of looking it has come down to a choice between these:

Rival Crock Pot, 6-qt. with locking lid, $37.99 on Amazon.com

Hamilton Beach, 6-qt. with locking lid, programmable timer,
and temperature probe, $49.99 on Amazon.com

Cuisinart, 6.5-qt. fancy rectangular slow cooker, $99.95 on Amazon.com

I suspect I'll end up with the Hamilton Beach, even though it seems like a betrayal to not stick with the Rival Crock Pot brand. I like that it's programmable, with start time and stop time; it has a warming mode to keep your dinner hot without overcooking it; and I really like the temperature probe for roasts and such.  All that for fifty bucks seems like a pretty good deal, and Rival doesn't have one with the temperature probe at all, that I can find. The Cuisinart looks great (a very important consideration in my household), but has almost half as many 1-star reviews on Amazon as it has 5-star reviews, and that's a terrible ratio.

Thankfully, I had just finished a big batch of carnitas when the crack was discovered. I should be up and running with the new 'Pot by next week. As sad as I am to see the old Crock Pot go, I recently discovered nirvana in the form of braised lamb shanks (at the Elephant Bar in Burbank), and can't wait to get my hands on my new, bigger, programmable, temperature-probing slow cooker and give them a try at home!

Thus, the end of an era, and the beginning of a new one.

Amazing Gluten-free, High-fat, Semi-paleo Mac & Cheese Recipe

I grew up with Mom's made-from-scratch, baked-in-the-oven Macaroni and Cheese, which was always a favorite in our house. I never even tasted the stuff from the box (that strangely goes by the same name but is almost completely unrelated) until college.

Her basic cookbook, then and now, has always been the 1963 Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

In more recent years, Mom has managed to track down additional copies of that exact same edition...

...and now my sisters and I all have our own.

The recipe presented below was adapted from the "Basic Baked Macaroni and Cheese" recipe from that cookbook. 

Mac + Cheese is one of the things I have missed after going paleo a couple of years ago.  I won't say I never made it again, but I have definitely gotten out of practice, with a recipe that had become something of a specialty. After discovering gluten-free pasta at my local Trader Joe's, I've made it a few times over the past several weeks, and I think I've managed to get my Mac + Cheese Mojo back.

Thanksgiving Feast: Weber Grill Turkey

For the past few years I have been making my Thanksgiving turkey in the Weber grill.  It is so easy, and makes the most delicious bird ever.

Last year, I was relatively new to Twitter, and decided to live-tweet the whole process, complete with photos.  It was also the largest Thanksgiving I had ever hosted at my house, with 20 guests (plus one infant).  Here are the photos and captions as I tweeted them:

Easy Slow Cooker Chuck Roast

Here's a quick write-up of how I make chuck roast in the slow cooker, presented by special request. 

This is one of my favorite fall/winter dishes and I could easily enjoy it weekly without tiring of it.  In fact, I'll probably be making this again in the coming week, and will update with pictures at that time.

Tuesday Night OLists Happy Hour: Paleo Food Discoveries

I just realized that it's Tuesday, which means tonight is OList Happy Hour on Twitter.  I've spent the day running all around the county (actually 2 counties, skillfully avoiding having to drive all the way to Knoxville just to have one piece of steel cut, but I digress) for tasks related to the house I'm building in Tennessee.

Last week I realized that one of the most active of the OLists has yet to be represented on the Happy Hour Menu, and that OList would be none other than OEvolve.  OEvolve has a special place in my heart since it was the first of the OLists to which I subscribed.  I also think it's the one from which I get the most practical advice.

Raw Milk Event Rescheduled and I Can't Go :(

Great news from the folks over at my favorite local paleo foodsource, Figueroa Produce. The Raw Milk Event has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 17th, at 5:30 p.m.

The not-so-great news is that it looks like I will not be able to attend. I am very disappointed, not only because I wanted to see the presentation myself and taste the samples, but also because my earlier post on the event seemed to generate some real interest, both over at Modern Paleo and on the OEvolve Google group.  I hate disappointing my gentle readers.

Then I had a great idea this morning at the gym. (I do some of my best thinking at the gym, and am planning a whole blog post on why I think that is. Stay tuned.) The idea I had is to get a guest blogger to cover the event for Creatures of Prometheus! How cool is that?! So, I'm putting it out there. If you would like to cover the Raw Milk Presentation for C of P, and have your guest post appear here (and probably over at Modern Paleo also, although I have to check with the admins over there before I can promise anything) please email me thru (my first name)DOT(my last name)AT gmail DOT com.  You don't particularly need to have your own blog or any blogging experience per se.

I have a few specific questions I wanted to ask at the Q&A session, which I would like to have addressed by my correspondent, and I also want the post to have pictures. I would be more than happy to help with resizing, editing etc. of the photos if that's not in your bag of tricks.

Also, I would prefer to have someone who shares either (or preferibly both) my Objectivist and/or Paleo views of things in general.

So, if you can attend, take some pictures, ask some questions, and write up a short report, please be in touch!

In other related raw milk news, Fig Produce has expanded their product line to include Caravale Farms raw Jersey milk and cream:

Pure, Raw Jersey Milk - Mmmmmm

I have had milk from jersey cows before, and I can tell you that if you like milk, you haven't lived until you try pure Jersey Milk.  I don't know what those jersey cows have going on that makes their milk so delicious, but it is definitely an experience!  That, combined with this milk being raw, makes this stuff a true delicacy.

And, as an aside, it's a true delicacy that you won't find at that big expensive national organic supermarket chain store that no longer sells raw milk, for reasons completely unrelated to the wholesomeness of the product, and in spite of the growing demand for it as more and more people realize how much better it is for you than regular milk.

Raw Cream, how great is that?

Raw Butter too!

In addition to the Claravale Farms products, they have expanded their Organic Pastures section as well (those are the folks who are presenting on the 17th.) Now they have raw butter, raw cheese (which you can see the edge of in the cream photo above) and I think a few other things I'm forgetting about.

Also, the produce at Figueroa Produce has been particularly lovely lately.  These chiogga beets were so beautiful I hated to cut them up and eat them!

Who knew beets would be so photogenic?!

All I did was coat them in olive oil and roast them for about 45 minutes at about 350, stirring and turning them about every 15 minues or so.  I think I covered the pan with foil also, to help keep the moisture in.

Here they are with the sea bass they shared the oven with.  The sea bass was drizzled with the juice of a grapefruit I picked from my own tree, as well as olive oil, and then baked.  The beets took longer to bake than the sea bass.

This was a pretty good pairing, and the sea bass was quite affordable at only about $3.59 a pound.  The beet greens got cut up and mixed in with lettuce for salad.  They were slightly firm, almost like spinach, but not at all tough.  They could be served sauteed, but I think they were delicious raw.

Good stuff!

Yet Another Homemade Yogurt Tutorial

I have been making my own yogurt for a while now, and highly recommend it.  I first learned how based on this tutorial.  The beauty of this method is in the heating pad.

Usually, yogurt recipes/tutorials tell you to put the warm milk and yogurt starter in the oven, and let the pilot light warm it.  My problem is that I don't have a pilot light on my oven.  And I'm not about to go cluttering up the place with a yogurt maker.

I'm actually kind of looking forward to being able to make yogurt in August and September and just leave it out at room temperature (I live in L.A. and have no air conditioning.  At least yogurt making will give a little bit of productive purpose to all the misery of living in triple digit heat 24/7.)

I have made yogurt by this method so many times that, at this point, it is a pretty easy routine for me:

1. Set it up before bed,
2. Let the yogurt culture overnight,
3. Transfer it into the strainer the next morning and refrigerate,
4. Let the whey separate out during the day,
5. Move it into a storage container(s) that evening.

So, although it takes about 24 hours, it is really just 5 simple steps, as you can see above.  Actually, 2 of the 5 steps don't even involve any action on your part.  Also, I am giving you the instructions for my method of making yogurt.  Feel free to consult any of the gazillion other web tutorials on the topic and mix and match or adjust the method to suit your own needs.  It is really a very flexible process, and those yummy little cultures don't need much more than a little bit of encouragement to do their thing.

Here are the supplies you need:

• A gallon of whole milk
• Optional: extra pint or quart of heavy whipping cream
• A pot to warm it in, with a lid
• A thermometer (although, if you are brave, you could probably get it to work without this - read on)
• Some yogurt starter.  I use a little bit from my last batch, or Greek Gods Yogurt if I need a new starter.
• Optional : a large cutting board
• A heating pad
• A collander
• A lightweight cotton kitchen towel
• A few extra towels
• A large baking dish (a bowl would work)
• Storage containers for the delicious yogurt and whey you are going to end up with.

I like my yogurt very thick, hence step 4.  If you follow these instructions, you will end up with something in between what you commonly think of as yogurt, sour cream, and cream cheese.  I can typically scoop up a spoonful and turn it upside down, and the super thick yogurt clings to the spoon.  You will also end up with extra whey.  I use mine to make protein smoothies, by blending it with protein powder.  I would like to find something more exciting to do with the whey, so if you have a good use for leftover whey, please tell me in the comments.

So, let's see how it's done!

1. Set It Up Before Bed

This week, I had consumed some of the milk already, but happened to have some heavy whipping cream on hand.  I added it to the milk, and I think I will make that a regular part of the process, because it transformed the yogurt from really really good, to absolutely heavenly.

 

Use low heat.  Heating the gallon of milk to 100 degrees usually takes me 15-20 minutes.  Stir it about every 5 minutes.

Use your thermometer to check the temperature.  I have a candy thermometer that I use:

Like I said, you want the temp around 100.  If it goes over a little bit that's ok.  If it accidentally boils because you are distracted reading blogs in the other room, it's still ok.  You just have to let it cool down.

Here's how I think you could get it to work without the precise thermometer temperature reading:  body temperature is pretty much the same as yogurt culture temperature.  Your body is 98.6 and the yogurt needs to be around 90-100 to work.  So, if your hands are at normal body temperature, and you stir up the warming milk and stick your finger in it, and it feels just barely warm, but not cold and not hot, you are probably close enough to the right temperature.  Also, remember that the real action takes place with the heating pad overnight.  The stove part is very preliminary.

Like I said, the low flame shown above takes about 15-20 minutes, with occasional stirring, to warm a gallon of milk from 'fridge cold' to 100.  I will probably quit messing with the thermometer at all after a few more yogurt-makings.

Then, I transfer the pot of warm milk/cream over to the counter where I have set up the heating pad.  I use a large cutting board and lots of extra towels in between all the parts.  I'm all about protecting my countertop from the heating pad, even though it doesn't get that hot, really.  I set the heating pad on medium.

Mix the starter:
I take the last bits of  yogurt from the last batch I made and scrape it all up with the spatula.  You only need a couple tablespoons, or no more than a 1/4 cup.

Add a cup or so of the warm milk from your pot and mix it up:

Pour the starter into the pot of warm milk/cream and mix it together:

Then I cover it with a couple more towels just to tuck those yummy little cultures in for the night, and then I go to bed.  Or go read blogs for a while.

And you're done with Step 1!  Easy!

2. Let the Yogurt Culture Overnight

When  you come downstairs in the morning, it should look something like this:

My thermometer tells me that we're holding steady at right around 90 f.

And you're done with Step 2 - super easy!

3. Transfer it into the Strainer and Refrigerate

Here's where it gets interesting.  My basic strainer setup is as follows:  I have a large colander, which I prop up on some little supports I made from cutting up a bamboo chopstick.  This is an optional step, but I think it helps the whey drain out more easily.  Don't agonize over it if your colander is just sitting on the bottom of the bowl or dish.  It will be fine.  Trust me.

Line your colander with the thin cotton towel like this:

and then pour in the yogurt:

If I start with a full gallon of milk/cream, it just comes to the very top of my colander.  Here it is a bit below because the gallon wasn't a full gallon at the beginning.  They whey starts immediately streaming out:

Now the whole thing goes into the fridge, and you're done with Step 3.


4. Let the Whey Separate out During the Day

Here's what it looks like several hours later:

Look at all the whey that has separated out!  Oh, and here's an important tip:  tuck the ends of the towel into the dish, otherwise, through the miracle (not really) of capillary action (I think), the towel will wick the whey out of the yogurt and dribble it all over the inside of your fridge.

5. Move the Yogurt and Whey into Storage Containers

Now it's really thick, and at the same time ultra smooth and creamy.  These photos don't do it justice.

Then it's just to transfer it into containers and enjoy!

I have also found some other links on making cream cheese, and sour cream, that I would like to try out.  And here's one on home made ricotta cheese.  I once tried making ricotta from all the leftover whey and it was a massive fail.  These days I make protein smoothies with the whey and some protein powder.  Given how fabulous this super thick yogurt is, it seems kind of anticlimactic to not have something just as amazing to make with the leftover whey.  So, as I said earlier, if you have a way with whey, please share it in the comments.

Anticlimax: Raw Milk Event Postponed

I was all ready.  I was set.  I was going to cover the Raw Milk Event for two blogs.  Two!  (Since my paleo-lifestyle posts here at C of P usually get cross-posted to Modern Paleo.)

Today having been primarily a work-from-home-in-an-old-comfy-t-shirt type of day, I had gone upstairs and had a brief wardrobe crisis due to lack of clean laundry (I almost tweeted "What does one wear to a Raw Milk Event?" but thought better of it).  I didn't just want to show up in a shlumpy old t-shirt, if I was going to be a Reporter On The Scene.  I settled on my red shirt since it was clean festive and I was going to a Cinco de Mayo thing afterward.  Then I found my camera, composed my list of questions, in case I forgot when I got there, and finally made it out the door for the 3-minute drive over to Figueroa Produce.

Upon arrival, I got rock star parking.  Normally this would be seen as a Good Thing, but my immediate thought was more along the lines that this didn't particularly bode well as an indicator of strong attendance for the event. They weren't exactly lined up down the sidewalk or anything.  I only tweeted this thing about a million times - where was everybody?

Then I saw it: there was a sign on the door.  "Event canceled, we hope to reschedule soon."  I had to read it like 5 times.  Apparently Organic Pastures had canceled that morning.  Wanting a better explanation of some kind, I went on in anyway, and, not seeing any of the owners hanging around the front area, headed back to the meat department.

I figured that if there wasn't going to be any raw milk sampling or raw milk information to be consumed, then I might as well gaze at the beautiful grass-fed beef in all it's glorious array.

Rick, the chief butcher peopleguy, was there.  We chatted and he didn't seem to know much about the Raw Milk Event or why it had been canceled.  By now, my disappointment was sinking in.  I had been really excited to take pictures of the Raw Milk peopleguy in action, and check out the sample table, and explain in a really cool voice that I was covering the event for my blog (two blogs, actually).

I decided that some retail therapy was in order, of the grass-fed kind!

I checked over the meat in the case and there was a fantastic, thick chunk of gleaming red meat right there, calling to me.  "What's that one?" I asked.

"Chuck" said Rick.

"Will you grind it for me?"  I asked.

"Sure, no problem!" he answered.

That piece turned out to be 3 1/2 pounds, which was a little much.  The piece next to it was only just over 2 lbs. and I settled for that instead.

He put it in the grinder.  My gloom lifted as I watched it emerge from the nozzle.  He expertly caught the whole mass of it with one hand, and put it back through a second time before he bagged it up and put the sticker on it and I was on my way.

I got home and pulled off a small hunk of the freshly ground chuck, salted it, and popped it into my mouth.  I've always liked my beef rare, but I'm beginning to think that cooking it at all pretty much ruins it.  (Plus it's a lot easier to eat this way when you've recently had a tooth pulled, which is my case.)

I guess if my big event for today isn't raw milk, the next best thing is a little raw grass-fed chuck.  I'm still a little disappointed, but what can you do?  Stay tuned for future updates...

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, they are looking to hire a part-time butcher peopleguy, experienced only.  If that's you, call Anthony, Luis, or Ruben at Figueroa Produce at 323-255-3663.

Upcoming Raw Milk Event at Figueroa Produce

I just found out that there will be a special educational event on raw milk this week at Figueroa Produce.  I shop there often, and wrote a separate post about them here.  You can check out their website here.

The event will feature a powerpoint presentation by Mark McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures Dairy Company.  The event is free and will feature free samples.  Here is the info from the flyer at the store:

Location: Figueroa Produce Market, 6312 North Figueroa St., Los Angeles, CA 90042
Phone:  323-255-FOOD (3663)
Date:  May 5th, 2010 (Wednesday)
Time: 5:00 p.m.

Come learn how to build and nourish your immune system through raw milk!  Share the Secret is an exciting Raw Milk educational outreach program provided free to the public by Organic Pastures Dairy company and its founder Mark McAfee.

Share the Secret combines colorful power-point presentation, free raw milk samples and high energy speaking...to enlighten and inform.  Armed with the truth and knowledge your health will never be the same again.  Join the 50,000 raw milk consumers in CA that have made this choice and have never looked back.

I have purchased Organic Pastures raw milk on more than one occasion, and found it incredibly wholesome and delicious.  Raw milk advocates argue that it is healthier than regular milk, and that it contains beneficial nutrients and properties that are destroyed in the processing that regular commercial milk undergoes. 

Currently, the FDA seems to have stepped up its war against raw milk producers.  The truth is that individuals are capable of making their own choices about what is good for them and what is not, and they (we) have the right to make such decisions for ourselves, and we have the right to buy from and sell to each other freely, by mutual consent and to mutual advantage, without government intervention or coercion.  The FDA is in violation of these rights when it seeks to ban products like raw milk from the marketplace (in fact, the FDA is in violation of these rights by its very existence.)

Also, consider that regular milk can be produced under unsanitary conditions that make it drinkable only after it has been processed; whereas raw milk can only be successfully produced and sold under extremely sanitary and healthful conditions (otherwise, you would open the bottle, take a whiff of the contents, and promptly empty it down the drain.)  I'm not saying that all regular milk is produced under unsanitary conditions, but is does give one pause to consider the implications of this difference.

I'm looking forward to the presentation, and will give a full report here at C of P next week!

This Week's Paleo Recipe: Pork in Yellow Curry

In an effort to expand my diet and get more nutritional variety from the foods I eat, I am going to post a weekly new paleo recipe here at C of P. 

The other day I was at Figueroa Produce, and, wanting to try something new, I picked up a 1-1/2 lb chunk of pork cushion meat.  It looked similar to a piece of beef chuck roast, in terms of size, shape, and fat percentage.  I figured I could at least throw it in the crock pot if I was out of time or didn't really want to spend that much effort worrying about it.  Turns out that the crock pot was an excellent choice.  

These diagrams explain a little more about where the cushion meat comes from on the pig.  It comes from the shoulder area, and is also called a 'picnic shoulder roast' or 'Boston butt'.  (I can't help but chuckle a little to myself on that last one!)

This one is from the National Pork Producers Council.

 

 Here is the diagram from Aus-Meat Limited (from Austrailia)

In the end, all I did was brown it on both sides in my cast-iron frying pan and throw it in the crockpot with a can of coconut milk.  I used about 2 tablespoons of this really great yellow curry paste I discovered, called Mae Ploy.  I think I over did it a bit on the curry, but you can easily adjust it to your taste.  Also, after browning, I always throw a little water (about 1/4 cup) in the frying pan and scrape up all the tasty bits that get stuck there.  I believe fancy chefs call this 'deglazing' the pan.  This gets added into the crock pot as well.

After I cooked it for 3-4 hours, I stirred it around and pulled it apart with a fork. Then I let it simmer for a couple more hours and voila!  It was really tender and delicious.  I ate it on a plate with greens, I ate it with fried eggs, I ate it cold with a spoon out of the tupperware!  (one of the advantages of living alone!)

Do you have a preparation method or recipe using Boston butt picnic cushion?  If so, let me know in the comments!

Cross-posted at Modern Paleo

Figueroa Produce: Provisioner for my Inner Caveman

For several months, I have been transitioning my food intake (I dislike the word 'diet' because it is usually used to connote a short-term change of eating habits in effort to lose weight, which is neither my strategy nor my goal here) to correspond to what it generally described as 'paleo'. 

In short, the paleo diet food intake strategy is based on the idea that there were certain foods at the center of the diet of our ancient ancestors, as they emerged from the primeval jungles, millions of years ago, to become hunter-gatherers.  These are the foods that our bodies' DNA is coded to respond favorably towards, because these are the foods that our DNA itself was mutating and evolving in response to.  Foods in this category include fresh meats and veggies.

Then there are other foods that entered the diet later, which, although easy to grow, turn out to be pretty bad for you.  These include grains and legumes, which entered the human diet at the onset of the agricultural revolution, which was only about 10,000 years ago, roughly.  Apparently there is lots of anthropological evidence that human nutrition took a nose-dive when this happened.

Lately (and here I mean the past several decades), there have been even more additions to the diet that are also highly destructive to your metabolism, like all the modern oils derived from grains, sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, processed starches, trans-fats, and the like.  For more in-depth info on all things paleo, including a blog and lots of links + resources, check out the website Modern Paleo.

So I have been transitioning to this mostly-meat-plus-some-veggies diet, and haven't felt this good in a long time.  I used to have heartburn, indigestion, and all kinds of stomach discomfort.  Now these are very rare, and are pretty much confined to lapses of judgment when I eat something completely ridiculous like pizza or pasta (and which happens less and less.) My weight has stabilized around 178, which is pretty good for being 6'-1" tall, and my body fat is pretty low.  I don't know exactly how low, but you can kinda see my abs peeking through.  My energy has been great, and I feel, overall, really healthy.

One thing that has made this whole new way of eating a really fun part of my everyday routine has been the discovery of a great little market, right in my neighborhood, called Figueroa Produce.

 They sell everything a modern-stoneage caveman could want!  

The produce is gorgeous, and they have a wide selection of both organic and regular:

 
They sell raw milk, Lurpak butter, and Greek Gods yogurt, in addition to a great selection of other dairy products:

But the thing that is the most amazing of all, to me, is the meat department.

They have both regular and grass-fed beef.  The grass-fed comes from a local California family farm called Open Space Meats.  I have really enjoyed the grass-fed beef, and it doesn't seem strong or gamey at all to me, like I have heard some people describe grass-fed beef can be.

 Check out that giant grass-fed marrow bone! 

But wait - it gets even better: they make all their own ground beef right there in the store, daily.  Even their regular, non-grass-fed ground beef is better than any ground beef I have bought outside the Midwest (and I have lived in California for 19 years.)  Or, if you prefer, you can ask Rick, the friendly butcher peopleguy, and he will take any cut of meat right out of the case and grind it for you on the spot!  And their prices are far lower than a certain well-known, big organic supermarket chain (that no longer sells raw dairy products by the way.)

I realize at this point this blog post is starting to sound a bit like a commercial.  That's because it is!  Seriously, I have a selfish interest in seeing this store succeed, so I can keep shopping there.  Also, there's my natural enthusiasm for seeing an enterprise start up from scratch, and watching the owners, Anthony, Luis and Ruben, in there working hard day in and day out to make it succeed.   I really value their efforts.  If anyone deserves success, they do.

One last thing, I almost forgot.  If you give them your email address, they'll email you a coupon for 10% off your entire order.  So if you live anywhere near Highland Park, South Pasadena, Pasadena, or Eagle Rock, start getting your caveman supplies at Figueroa Produce!