Edition 166

February 12, 2010

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

• Improving - 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 - Non-local groceries, like Liquid Amino Acids from Braggs, Panko Breadcrumbs and Lite Coconut Milk
• 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
• Still hanging in there - Lettuce, Beets, Broccoli, they've taken a beating in the fields, but are still producing
• Gone for Now -Berries, we were able to get some non-local, but they just weren't good quality (it's winter!) so we're taking them off for a while until they can get back in shape
• New - Salsas, from The Salsa Queen Kelly Jo & Co
• Back! - Local Herbs, froze a few weeks ago, but have returned
• New - Flavored Balsamic Vinegars, from Texas Olive Ranch

The Thing about Local Milk

Reminders for when you're considering ordering the Way Back When Local Dairy:

The milk is non-homogenized. This means you have to shake it each time you drink it because the cream will naturally separate from the milk.

Also, it's low-temperature pasteurized which means it's going to sour quickly. The milk retains some of the good enzymes & bacteria, but it's these things that also sour the milk. Keep it in the coldest part of your refrigerator and Please drink within 2-3 days of receiving. It's not like normal milk. If you don't drink it quickly, it will sour.

Website Tip - Product Search and basket merge is now live! Give em a shot.

USDA Drops NAIS!!

Unless you've been trained in government acronyms this may sound like nonsense, but it's actually incredibly wonderful news and a testament to grass-roots action. Always research what cause people are asking you to join, but when it's legit never underestimate the power of individual action.

With only help from citizens and concerned ranchers, Judity McGeary worked tirelessly for several years fighting NAIS (National Animal Identification System) that the USDA was planning to make mandatory for all animal producers. It was spurred by things like bird flu & mad cow disease. Even if you have 1 chicken in your yard you would have had to pay to have a computer chip implanted and report all activity of that chicken.

The USDA has officially given up on this ridiculous program that would have driven vast amounts of small farms out of business (through cost, enforcement, or principle). And it was never the small farms causing the problems. It was factory farms that were the source of all of these pathogens. Anyways, it's great news and if you found ways to support the efforts, please pat yourself on the back.

Read more here

Product Search, Limited Items, & Basket Merge

We are constantly working on features for the website to make your shopping easier. Granted, product search should have come a long time ago, but, well, it's amazing how priorities shuffle with limited budgets. Our site is built completely from scratch and is more complicated than about 98% of websites out there. Our complicated website is how we're able to bring thousands of people farm-fresh food that is sometimes only hours out of the ground. Here are some of the features we launched this week:

Product Search - pretty self-explanatory. It can be any word in the title, or description so just enter whatever you know. It will pull up all related products.

Limited Items - This is one of the most exciting pieces of what Greenling does. It made a brief appearance last year and now it's back for good. Some of our artisan producers may only make a very small batch of a particular product. To small to leave up for everyone to order because we'd have too many orders. Limited offers allow us to give you products on a first-come, first-serve basis and they disappear when they've all been ordered. So we'll be carrying even more items that you won't find anywhere else because they're just too rare (and delicious, of course). Order quickly to reserve yours. Look for these symbols:

Remember that with limited items you may need to schedule them independently. We may have a certain amount each week for several weeks so you can schedule these items in advance. Watch this short tutorial on ordering limited items:

http://screenr.com/11x

Basket Merge - Have you already created a basket, but want to add one of our quick-shop baskets to it? This is made for you. When you go to any of our baskets you will have the option of ordering just that basket or adding it to your existing basket. This is going to be really, really cool as we create more quick-shop baskets for specific recipes or groups of products. You can keep your staples in your basket and just add these to it. Here's what it looks like:

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 15-19):

• Broccoli or Cauliflower - Acadian, My Father's, or Opie
• Cilantro - Acadian
• Green Shallots - Acadian
• Sweet Carrots - Various
• Collards - My Father's
• Curly Kale or Swiss Chard - Naegelin
• Mixed Lettuce Head - Bluebonnet
• Citrus - G&S
• Red & White Spring Onions - My Father's
• Herb - Pure Luck

Last Week's (Feb 8-12) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead Boxes this week (Feb 15-19):

• Duck Eggs - Purple Goose
• From Scratch Sausage Kolaches - Little Bluestem Bakery
• Stone-Cellar Aged Cheese - Brazos Valley

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

Dish #1 - Farfalle Puttanesca w Tomatoes, Capers, & Olives (1 pint - serves 1 for lunch) - Ah, the power of the anchovy. These guys have gotten a bad rap, carelessly strewn on pizzas over the years. But, used correctly, high quality anchovies can lend an "umami" character to dishes: a complexity of savory flavor. Pasta puttanesca is the perfect example of balance between ingredients. We gently infuse garlic and anchovy into warm extra-virgin olive oil, then add tomatoes, capers and olives and toss with farfalle (bowtie) pasta. A hefty dash of lemon and fresh herbs, and you have a bright yet piquant pasta salad. Try it chilled or slightly warmed as a pasta side or Mediterranean lunch.

Dish #2 - Rustic Cauliflower Soup (1 pint) - When you have an abundance of fresh Texas cauliflower, you must make cauliflower soup. It's a given. But instead of a smooth, blender-pureed soup, we take a more homely approach by simmering the cauliflower with our homemade vegetable stock, market carrots, celery and onions until it beings to melt its flavor into the stock, creating a rich and full-bodied soup. Finished with a little organic whole milk and fresh herbs, it's perfect for lunch at work.

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, Portabella - 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

Greenling Ambassador Training

-Feb 24th, 7 pm

-Greenling Office (map)

Become a Greenling Ambassador and Help Spread the Word about Eating Healthy, Eating Locally, & Eating Organic!

The Greenling Ambassador is not an employment position, but rather a way for current customers to get more involved with Greenling and with the Sustainable food community. You will be the first people we call when there's news or volunteer opportunities and you'll be our eyes & ears in the community. You'll also be on our list to work paid projects like event staffing or community projects.

We're having an orientation on February 24th at our office. Please check out our website to read more & apply, or just RSVP to the training by emailing Jessica - jevans (AT) greenling.com

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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

Crispy Swiss Chard Cakes w Mascarpone-Creamed Spinach

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 2 shallots, minced
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
  
• 5 pounds Swiss chard (about 3 bunches), thick stems discarded
  
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
  
• 1 1/2 cups panko or coarse dry bread crumbs
  
• Dijon mustard, for brushing
  
• 1 pound baby spinach
  
• 1/4 cup mascarpone or Cream Cheese
  
• 1/2 cup pure olive oil
  

Instructions:

In a large pot, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add half of the minced shallots and all of the garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened. Add the Swiss chard and cook, tossing, until wilted. Transfer the chard to a colander and let cool. Press out as much liquid as possible and coarsely chop. Season with salt and pepper and press the chard into 6 patties; don't worry if they don't hold together.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of salt. Sprinkle the mixture onto a work surface and set the chard cakes on top. Turn the cakes, pressing and squeezing them into compact patties and working in a little of the flour mixture as you go.

Spread the panko on a plate. Brush the tops of the cakes with mustard and invert them one at a time into the panko. Brush the bottoms with mustard and sprinkle panko on top; press to adhere. Transfer the cakes to a wax paper–lined plate and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the remaining minced shallot and cook over moderate heat until softened. Add the spinach and cook, tossing, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a colander and press out as much liquid as possible. Return the spinach to the skillet. Stir in the mascarpone and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chard cakes and fry over moderately high heat, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. Spoon the spinach onto plates and top with the chard cakes. Serve right away.

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.