Edition 165

February 5, 2010

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

• Back, but volatile - 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 some 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
• New -non-Local Organic Meats, from Greatful Harvest, Field to Family Beef
• New -Local Brownies, We've not carried these before because they don't contain any Organic ingredients, but overwhelming requests have prompted a new shopping category - Local, Not Organic
• Help for the Hopeless - Romantic Items, in the Seasonal category you'll find many things to help celebrate Valentine's
• Limited & Magical -Cheese Spreads, from Brazos Valley, here for a short time
• New - Salsas, from The Salsa Queen Kelly Jo & Co
• Back! - Olives, from Sandy Oaks (local)
• New - Flavored Balsamic Vinegars, from Texas Olive Ranch

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

Have you met our Lemon Aide?

A huge part of our Customer Service team, Jessica is here to help you with whatever ails you - cut into a lemon and discover it wasn't sour? She can credit your account. Want to rave about the young collards? She can share your enthusiasm. Just want to vent about that co-worker who keeps interrupting your real work to tell you the latest Tiger Woods joke? She's here to listen.

Watch her intro video here

The Best Valentine Is Homemade

I used to dislike hallmark holidays. But with busy, never-stop lives I appreciate the calendar reminders to do something special for loved ones. We're partnering with Barr Mansion's certified Organic kitchen to bring you a new kind of Romantic experience for Valentine's - Be a bona fide chef but skip the Next Food Network Star tryouts. We bring you portioned ingredients for an easy-to-make, delicious Local and Organic Valentine's dinner for two. Here's how it works:

We've prepared 2 courses and measured out ingredients for a 3rd so that you just follow the included step-by-step instructions:

Course 1 - Barr Mansion's famous Pink Hummus & flatbread crackers

Course 2 - Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Texas Natural's Kale, Texas Pecans, & Sage Brown Butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano (this one you make yourself - no measuring and no last-minute trips to the store for that ingredient you forgot or corn starch cause your demi-glace is looking more like a demi-broth)

Course 3 - Chocolate Stout Cake Truffles

Order it here and don't forget to add a bottle of our Vida Organica Sparkling Chardonnay (Travis County Only). We've also got some favorites from the top ten aphrodisiacs collected in our Seasonal Category. If you're not into Gnocchi, we've also procured some special organic filet mignons.

So skip the reservations & restaurants. Make a local, organic meal for your sweetheart and spend this Valentine's in your skivvies.

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 (Feb 8-12):

• Napa Cabbage - Pleaston
• Cilantro - Acadian
• Green Shallots - Acadian
• Purple-top Turnips - Acadian
• Baby Pac Choy - My Father's Farm
• Curly Kale - Naegelin
• Mixed Lettuce Head - Bluebonnet
• Meyer Lemon - G&S
• Button Mushrooms - KP
• Sweet Potatoes - Naegelin

Last Week's (Feb 1-5) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (Feb 8-12):

• Pink Hummus - Barr Mansion
• Small-batch Kettle Chips - Little Bluestem
• Special Variety Cookies - Sweetish Hill

Gluten-free Farmstead Box:

• There is no Gluten-free Farmstead this week

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

Dish #1 - Spinach Almond Orzo w/ Feta & Olives (1 pint - serves 1 for lunch) - This is without a doubt one of our favorite spinach recipes. Tasty Texas spinach (from Oak Hill Farms in Poteet, TX) is pureed with roasted almonds, basil and olive oil into a fine pesto, then tossed with warm, al dente orzo. As it cools, we fold in creamy feta and Kalamata olives for a delicious pasta salad, perfect for lunch on the go.

Dish #2 - Couscous w/ Caramelized Sweet Potato & Herbs (1 pint) - The first dish that comes to mind when you think Thai. A sultry, peanut-laced sauce tossed with rice noodles, fresh local vegetables and topped with more crushed peanuts, green onions and a squeeze of lime. The national dish of Thailand brought home to your kitchen. Great as a one-dish meal, or add a Bibb Salad with Carrots, Beets & Ginger Vinaigrette for a delicious first course or side.

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
• Cauliflower - Ope's Farm
• 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
• Red Radish - My Father's Farm
• Red Spring Onion - My Father's Farm
• 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

February Local Food Tasting Soiree

-Feb 19th, 6:30 pm

-Rio's Brazilian Cafe (map)

The January Soiree was so much fun and we've got another event planned at the super-cool East Village. For February we'll head down the street to the brand new Rio's Brazilian Cafe. Ben & Eli have been making awesome Brazilian treats for us and now they have a restaurant for everyone to enjoy! Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner you can get their sauces and Yuca recipes anytime. And we'll gather there for a Soiree where you can pair your favorite winter recipe with their yuca fries! The group will decide which ones get to go in the Greenling Central Texas Seasonal cookbook (name to be improved later) and the creator will get featured in the book.

So bring your best recipes and let Greenling make you famous. Or not...it is Austin, after all so there's no pressure or dress code or any of that. All you really need to bring is yourself. We'll also have some Greenling beverages, desserts, and some great company!

RSVP by visiting our Contact Us page and emailing Jessica, or RSVP here (facebook) - corrected link

Local Box Workshop

-Saturday, Feb 27th

-9:30am - 2:00pm

-$8

-Faraday's Kitchen Store (map)

Join Chef Andrew Brooks (spiritedfood.com) for our Local Box Workshop at Faraday's Kitchen Store, as he shows you easy recipes and storage tips for using fresh, seasonal produce. You'll leave armed with a variety of ways to use what's local and in-season right now!

We will offer three sessions of this workshop with 15-person capacity for each at 9:30 am, 11:15 am, and 1:00 pm (1-hour sessions). Call 266-5666 TODAY to reserve your spot! These classes sell out fast.

Tipsy Tech - The History & Practice of Cocktail Mixology

-12-day course at Twin Liquors Hancock (Austin)

-Starts Feb 16

-$350 for full course, single classes available

The Tipsy Texan, an Austin-based beverage consultancy, bartending team, and well-known voice in the blogosphere, have announced a 12-week intensive academic program covering all aspects of recreational tippling. The course will begin with the origins of alcohol in pre-modern medicine, travel through cocktail history from the golden age of the 19th century to the “noble experiment” of Prohibition and its aftermath and conclude with the modern cocktail revival of the last decade.

Details:

• Registration deadline for full program is February 9, 2010.

• Regular classes will be held on Tuesday evenings from 6:00-8:00 at

Twin Liquors Marketplace at Hancock Center—1000 E. 41st St.

• Student enrollment fee is $350 for the full course, $250 for members of the United States Bartenders Guild.

• For students not seeking program certification, individual classes may be audited for tuition of $35 per class, when space is available.

• “Walk-in” registration for single classes may be made up until noon of the class day

• Register through PayPal at Lara Nixlon’s blog, www.theblueruin.com

Read More about the course here

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

Recipe Corner - V-day Menu

Pan Sauteed Filet Mignon w/ Caramel-Brandy Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 (6-ounce) filet mignons
  
• 1 teaspoons kosher salt
  
• 1 teaspoons coarsely cracked black pepper
  
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 1 cups sliced mushrooms
  
• 1 head roasted garlic, cloves separated and peeled
  
• 3 tablespoons brandy
  
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
  

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Season beef with salt on all sides. Place coarse pepper in a shallow dish and dip the cut sides of the filets into the pepper, pressing lightly to coat.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and sear on both sides until well browned, 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the steaks to an oven-proof baking dish and place in the oven. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes for medium-rare.

While the steaks are cooking in the oven, add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the same saute pan used for the steaks. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and reserve.

Remove the skillet from the heat and add the garlic cloves and 6 tablespoons of the brandy to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any browned particles from the bottom of the pan. Return the skillet to the heat, being careful that the brandy does not flame up. Cook until reduced by half; this will happen very quickly. Add 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter and the brown sugar, stirring to combine. When the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbly, whisk in the cream, reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture is sauce consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Add the reserved mushrooms to the pan and season with the salt, and pepper. Remove from the heat and whisk in the remaining tablespoon of butter and the remaining tablespoon of brandy. Serve immediately over warm steaks.

Kale Salad with Pinenuts, Cranberry, & Parmesan

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries
  
• 7 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, divided
  
• 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  
• 1 tablespoon honey
  
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 bunches Tuscan kale (about 1 pound), center ribs and stems removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise
  
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
  
• Parmesan cheese shavings
  

Instructions:

Place cranberries in small bowl; add 5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar. Let soak overnight. Drain cranberries.

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, honey, oil, and salt in large bowl. Add kale, cranberries, and pine nuts; toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese shavings over salad and serve.

Deep Chocolate Coffee Brownies

Ingredients:

• 16 chocolate graham crackers
  
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 large eggs
  
• 1/3 cup sugar
  
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  
• 2 tablespoons instant coffee
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  
• 2/3 cups dates, pitted, chopped
  
• 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8-inch by 11-inch prepared baking dish.

Place the graham crackers in an encloseable bag and lightly crush with a rolling pin or the bottom of a saucepan until you have crumbs. Pour into a bowl then add the cocoa and salt. Mix well with a wooden spoon and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the instant coffee and vanilla.

Fold in dates, chocolate chips and the graham cracker crumb mixure. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and spread evenly.

Bake brownies for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out clean. Let cool completely in the pan. Frost if desired.

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.