Edition 64

January 22, 2010

• Local Box Contents
• News & Updates
• Recipe Corner
• Greenling Tidbits

• Back- Local Meat, sorry for the craziness, the meat processor got backed up with deer and put our ranchers at the back of the line, but meat is aging and is back
• New - Freshly-chopped Bell Peppers & Onions, It can be an emotional experience to chop onions (well, make you cry at least) - so let us do it for you the morning of your delivery
• Not Producing - Goats! turns out they don't like cold. Milk in short supply and Chevre gone for winter
• Gone for Now -Local Herbes, Pure Luck wiped out by freeze, will be back in a few weeks
• Nope - Chard, it all froze - farmers have replanted
• Limited & Magical -Cheese Spreads, from Brazos Valley, here for a short time
• Back - Milk, from Remember When Dairy
• Back! - Olives, from Sandy Oaks (local)

Help Your Kid's School Learn to Garden

-Feb 6th, 8am - 4pm

-1600 Chicon (Austin)

Get Growing & Keep Going (GGKG) is a symposium that will provide teachers, administrators and parents with the tools to integrate gardens and nature areas into the school environment.

The symposium is themed "Greening Our Schools", and features keynote speaker Kevin Coyle, National Wildlife Federation Vice President of Education. Field experts will lead a variety of sectionals on topics including rainwater harvesting, vermiculture, double digging, schoolyard habitats, entomology, environmental stewardship, fundraising, and building a garden community.

Learn More Here

Register Here

Website Tip - Coming Soon - Product Search. It's within a week or two now. Until then browse over to All-products and hit ctrl-F

TOFGA TCOOPS Conference

-January 28-30th

-Embassy Suites, San Marcos

A must-do event for organic growers & enthusiasts, the conference features information for organic ranchers, farmers, commercial plant growers, retailers, wholesalers, processors, distributors, consumers, gardeners, and anyone desiring to support the organic industry in Texas. The conference features two days of lectures by many well-known organic experts including:

--Larry Butler, Boggy Creek Farm

--Dr. Patricia Richardson, University of Texas, soil ecology

--Leslie McKinnon, Organic Certification

--Patrick Lillard, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Programs for Organics

--Brad Stufflebeam, Home Sweet Farm

Friday night will feature an organic buffet, coordinated by Amanda Love, The Barefoot Cook. The Friday keynote address will be presented by, Brad Stufflebeam, owner of Home Sweet Farm.

Learn more & register here

Know Your Local Farmer - Pedro From My Father's Farm

As noble as a farm can get, we think, this amazing operation not only aspires to repair the environment with certified Organic agriculture, but all of the profits of the farm go to an orphanage in Columbia. Meet My Father's Farm:

On over 22 acres in Seguin, Texas, My Father’s Farm grows certified organic crops year-round, from basil and cilantro in the summer to turnips and radishes in the winter. Owned by Pedro and Dayana Schambon, the farm has a staff of two and a lot of volunteers.

After a volunteer trip to Haiti inspired him to discover what he could do to make a positive impact on the lives of others, Pedro walked away from a career in the Florida real estate market. He found his way in organic farming, and began operating My Father’s Farm in November, 2006.

The operation of the farm has two main goals: to improve the environment, and to help those in need. Taking a personal stake in the health of the planet, the Schambons feel a responsibility to be good stewards of the land and use organic practices to enrich it. A nonprofit farm, all profits made go to the foundation the Schambons founded to care for Latin American orphans.

Managed by My Father’s House International Foundation, or Fundación Internacional La Casa de mi Padre, the farm’s earnings go to La Casa de Mi Padre in Colombia, an orphanage that houses and educates children. In addition to an academic education, the foundation also teaches the children sustainable agricultural practices so that they can become self-sufficient while learning to take care of the land for future generations.

You'll find My Father's Farm produce in the Local Box throughout the year with turnips and collards appearing right now. These are also available individually in the veggie section.

California Floodin'....on Such a Winter's Day

OK people, this is huge. California farmers are completely under water. Non-local produce is going to be very volatile for a couple of weeks. Don't you just love winter weather? Check out this photo of one California broccoli field. Our supplier reports that instead of faxing in price sheets, farmers are calling and listing the few items they have left. Some produce will be destroyed, some will just not be harvested until the fields dry out.

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

Here's what will be available from local farms on our website this week (the best selection of local produce in the state - guaranteed):

In Local Boxes ($34.99) this week (Jan 25-29):

• Turnip Bunch - My Father's Farm
• Cilantro - Acadian
• Green Shallots - Acadian
• Portabella Caps - Kitchen Pride
• Kohlrabi - Naegelin
• Spinach - Naegelin
• Cauliflower - Naegelin
• Marrs Oranges - G&S Groves
• Young Collard Greens (or Pac Choi) - My Father's Farm
• Lettuce - Animal Farm
• Yellow Onion - Naegelin

Last Week's (Jan 18-22) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (Jan 25-29):

• Hand-tossed Pizza Dough - Pasta & Co
• Artisan Aged Mozzarella - Brazos Valley
• Soft & Fluffy Brownie - Love Puppie

Gluten-free Farmstead Box:

• Hand-crafted Pizza Crust - Wildwood Bakery
• Spiced Brownie - Green Brownie Co
• Artisan Aged Mozzarella - Brazos Valley

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

Dish #1 - Pecan & Bulgur Wheat Salad w/ Medjool Dates, Scallions & Preserved Lemon (1 pint - serves 1 for lunch) - see website for ingredients this weekend

Dish #2 - Feta & Chive Penne w/ Cauliflower Florets (1 pint) - see website for full ingredients this weekend

Produce from Local Farms

• Arugula, Baby - Animal Farm
• Herb, Asst - Pure Luck
• Herbs, Basil, Live - Bella Verdi
• Sunflower Sprouts - Groovy Greens
• Lettuce, Baby - Animal Farm and My Father's Farm
• Lettuce, Bibb - Bella Verdi
• Tangerines - G&S Groves
• Meyer Lemons - G&S Groves
• Kale - Naegelin
• Mars Orange - G&S Grove
• Cherry Tomatoes - Naegelin
• Grapefruit - G&S Grove
• Green Garlic - Green Gate
• Scallions - Lundgren and Acadian
• Pea Shoots - Bluebonnet
• Watercress - Bluebonnet

Produce from Local Farms

• Microgreens, Arugula - Bella Verdi
• Microgreens, Broccoli - Bella Verdi
• Mushroom, Crimini - Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, Portobello - Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, Shiitake - Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, White - Kitchen Pride
• Potatoes, Sweet -Naegelin
• Onion, Yellow - Naegelin
• Potatoes, Red - Naegelin
• Cabbage - Naegelin
• Tomatoes - Village Farm
• Red Radish - My Father's Farm
• Collard Greens - Naegelin
• Mustard Greens - Naegelin
• Cilantro - My Father's Farm
• Kohlrabi - My Father's Farm

Events & Local Food Happenings Around Town

Eco-series Discussion - Pecan Street Project Update III

-Feb 3rd, 6-8pm

-Big Red Sun (1102 E Cesar Chavez, Austin)

-FREE

This 3rd installment of the eco-series discussion events will feature Brewster McCracken (Executive Director of Pecan Street Project), Michael Webber from UT, and Deanne Desjardin from the Mueller development. Pecan Street Project is a pilot program for distributed energy systems or 'smart grid.' Come hear all about it and get updates on the progress (I'm assuming there is lots of progress since they secured $10 million in grant funding). See the invite here.

January Local Food Tasting Soiree & Local Box Workshop

-BOTH SOLD OUT

-Next Soiree Feb 19th

-Next Local Box Workshop TBD

These events are starting to sell out very quickly. We're very sorry if you tried to RSVP and it was too late. We'll work towards having them more often and make sure to RSVP early next time.

Bad to the Bone Chef Smackdown

-Stubbs Austin

-RESCHEDULED - Feb 27

-$35

Three of Texas' youngest and most acclaimed chefs - David Bull, Shawn Cirkiel, and Paul Petersen will go head to head in a high-energy, fun event with great food, live music and a competition that's interactive and exciting. DJ, el john Selector will spin bad-to-the-bone soul, funk and world beats to keep the tempo going until final votes for the chefs have been cast. Once the winner is announced, the evening melds into a rockin' live concert with Charanga Cakewalk, a seven-piece Latin band. This event benefits the Sustainable Food Center

For more information & reservations, click here

Sign The Petition

Back in 2007 the Austin City Council unanimously signed a resolution that Austin would be a leader in Greenhouse Gas reduction and clean energy. There was a big press release, some great speeches, and everyone felt good. At the moment it's looking like it was all just a publicity stunt. I saw Austin Energy COO Cheryl Mele talk about their plans. No mention of the resolution or of how they would decommission Fayetteville Coal Power Plant, the 5th worst polluter in Texas and the source of 70% of Austin's CO2 emissions and over 50% of our power. There's a group of dedicated citizens fighting to hold the City, and Austin Energy (the City owns the utility), to honor their 2007 commitment. Sign the petition asking them to do just that here:

Sign Petition

Help get the signatures to 500! We're so close at 480 right now. Every signature counts! Only 20 left. Make the rest of your family and friends sign it if you can.

Recipe Corner

Braised Kohlrabi

To me, Kohlrabi looks like some kind of alien spaceship. Around Greenling it's referred to as the Brocco-apple. There's a mild sweetness, but a vegetably texture. Also, don't throw away the greens. They're chock-full of nutrients too. Chop some up and throw in this dish or cook like collards.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2lbs kohlrabi
  
• 1lbs sweet potatoes
  
• 1 yellow onion
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
  
• 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, finely chopped
  
• splash of cream
  
• salt
  
• black pepper
  
• chopped fresh parsley
  

Instructions:

Trim and peel kohlrabi and potatoes. Cut kohlrabi, potato and onion either into 1/4 inch disks or strips. Place butter in skillet and melt. Over medium heat add the kohlrabi, potato and onion adjust heat if necessary so that butter does not brown. Toss to coat with butter. Sprinkle in tarragon and add the stock.

Cover and continue to cook approximately 10-15 minutes, until slightly tender.

Uncover and turn the heat up a bit. Cook until the kohlrabi is slightly colored and potato is soft. Add freshly ground pepper and salt and a splash of cream.

Remove to serving dish. Sprinkle with fresh parsley to taste.

For More Recipes Check Out The Eating Out of the Local Box Blog. Also make sure to become a fan of Greenling on Facebook to get weekly recipes from Woman With A Whisk & The Best of Thymes food bloggers.