Edition 172

March 26, 2010

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

• Short Supply - Chicken, local from Dewberry Hills - will be subbed with Buddy's All Natural Chicken
• New - Chicken, local from Buddy's
• New - Peach & Pecan Pastry, local from Little Bluestem
• New - Easter Items, for a short time...obviously
• New - Celery & Artichoke, rare treat from local sources
• Going Away - Fruitabu, they stopped making our Organic fruit snacks (can you believe it?!) so we'll stop carrying the brand
• New - Non-fat Yogurt, local from White Mountain
• Peak Season - Spinach, Chard, Carrots, & Beetsfrom local sources

Food Talks Abound in TED Conferences

TED conferences are simply gatherings of people with amazing ideas and stories. 'Ideas worth spreading' is their new tag line and I keep seeing incredible talk after incredible talk (they're usually 15-20 minutes). A recent talk, by Jamie Oliver, won the coveted TED Prize...basically they said his talk was the best of the year. Jamie's Idea -

Teach every child about food! Simple, yet so powerful. Watch the original talk here, and see the progress of the idea here. Apparently he's going to get a prime-time TV show about it! We're so excited.

See a bunch of TED talks about food here.

A couple of my favorites are by Dan Barber cause he's pretty hilarious -

See how he fell in love with a fish (and learned about sustainable agriculture)

See his story on Foie Gras

Also, Michael Pollan gave a talk on a plant's eye view - and asks if we're really the culmination of evolution or if we're just a pawn in corn's plot to rule the earth...

Finally, TED came to Austin in February with it's TEDx series. There was another great talk about food by Rip Eppelstyn that they haven't posted yet, but hopefully will soon. Pretty sure they'll do it yearly and We'll let you know when the next one comes.

Cauliflower Tips & Storage

Cauliflower is a close relative of Broccoli, but leaves that cover the buds to protect them also block light so the buds stay white (we're actually eating the flower buds of this plant). It's mild flavor can be enjoyed cooked or raw and subbed for broccoli in any dish.

Cauliflower should be eaten within a week and stored in an open or perforated plastic bag if it comes unwrapped. It doesn't store well frozen, so either cook it and eat it or add it to some kim chi!

Alkaline water or aluminum & iron pots can turn this treat yellow and steaming or stir-frying preserves the nutrients better than boiling.

Dan Barber & Sustainable Fish

I mentioned Dan last week in the TED talks blurb (in left column again this week), but I want to dig deeper because his video on fish is really profound and I've been frequently asked about fish recently. While Greenling has a couple of small supply logistics challenges with seafood I've also not been convinced that any seafood is really sustainable - our oceans are severely over-fished and fish farms pollute water sources sometimes worse than chemical plants. There just didn't seem to be a good solution...until Dan showed us one.

He found a fish farm in Spain that produces amazing-tasting (his foodie opinion) fish in a way that is improving the environment instead of depleting it. It's truly revolutionary that he's revitalizing marsh wetlands and creating a bird sanctuary as part of his fish farm! He loses 20% of his fish each year to birds and is happy about it because he says a healthy ecosystem creates healthy fish. I've been dreaming about how to pull something like this off on the coast of Texas. As amazing as this fish farm is, it obviously doesn't justify shipping the fish from Spain. We've got lots of wetlands on our coast, however.

This story is worth so much more than the 19 minutes it takes to watch:

Dan Barber's talk on fish

Come to the Slow Money Austin Showcase

Slow Money Austin is a newly formed group I'm helping launch with the goal of bringing our money back down to earth and into our backyard. SMA is hosting a pair of events this April to talk specifics on how to do this and how to help the local food system thrive! On April 21 is a conference at City Hall featuring a keynote by Woody Tasch, author of Slow Money, experts from around the country joining local leaders to help us envision the future of the local food system as well as Showcase companies that are using or in need of Slow Money (if you know someone needing money for local food ventures, please send them to the Slow Money Austin website).

Then on April 22, Earth Day, SMA has teamed up with the award-winning Dai Due supper club and Barr Mansion Organic events center for an amazing local food fundraising dinner. Join us and help support this cause.

Register for either event here

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

Artichoke actually takes 2 years to produce and takes a lot of room to grow and not many people grow it so savor this delicacy. As I mentioned before, with the sun starting to shine in between rains there's lots going on in the fields. Another local treat we'll see for a short time is celery. Keep browsing our new products section and check back here for some really special products this spring.

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 (Mar 29-Apr 2):

• Green Shallots, Acadian
• Cilantro - Acadian
• Romaine Lettuce - Ringger
• Carrots - Acadian, My Father's Farm
• Cauliflower - Finca Pura Vida
• Beets, Red or Gold, My Father's Farm
• Celery - Finca Pura Vida
• Citrus - G&S
• Mustard Greens - Naegelin
• Artichoke - Miguel Farm

Last Week's (Mar 22-26) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead Boxes this week (Mar 29-Apr 2):

• Spring Veggie Quiche - Little Bluestem
• Rich Olive Tapenade - Humble House
• Cute Bunny & Duck Easter Cookies - Sweetish Hill

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

Dish #1 - Creamy Broccoli Soup w/ Sharp Cheddar (1 pint - serves 1 for lunch) - The quintessential way to enjoy the best of this season's broccoli. We turn these sweet florets into a hearty soup that's rounded with a splash of extra-virgin olive oil and cream. Delicious with a sandwich, as a starter to your meal, or on its own for lunch or a snack.

Dish #2 - Wheatberries, Pecans, Cranberries, & Herbs (1 pint) - Crunchy Texas pecans, sweet-tart cranberries and a fruity vinaigrette dress up our nutritionally delicious wheatberries, which are grown by our friends at Richardson Farms. Without wheatberries, there would be no flour. These little jewels are grinded down into the various flours we use for baking and cooking, but many people have never experienced them whole. Once cooked, the kernels pop open and have a chewy bite with a subtle, nutty flavor that can be used in a lot of delicious ways. This is just one of them! A tasty grab-on-the-go lunch or perfect dinner side.

Produce from Local Farms

• 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
• Meyer Lemons - G&S Groves
• Kale - Naegelin
• Mars Orange - G&S Grove
• Grapefruit - G&S Grove
• Limes - G&S Grove
• Green Leaf Lettuce - The Farm Patch
• Romaine Lettuce - The Farm Patch
• Red Leaf Lettuce - The Farm Patch
• Spinach - Naegelin
• Baby Spinach - Animal Farm
• Green Shallots - Lundgren and Acadian
• Pea Shoots - Bluebonnet
• Watercress - Bluebonnet
• Artichoke - Miguel Farm
• Celery - Finca Pura Vida

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
• Daikon Radish - Green Gate
• Green Garlic - Green Gate
• White Spring Onion - My Father's Farm
• Onion, Yellow - Naegelin
• Arugula - Acadian
• Baby Arugula - Acadian
• Green Cabbage - Naegelin
• Tomatoes - Village Farm
• Broccoli - Various
• Collard Greens - Naegelin
• Mustard Greens - Naegelin
• Cilantro - My Father's Farm
• Kohlrabi - My Father's Farm

Events & Local Food Happenings Around Town

Local Food Tasting Soiree

-March 28th, 4pm-7pm

-Beets Cafe (map)

A super-cool new raw food restaurant in town, Beets creates some amazing vegan dishes. My favorite is the asian salad. They also have this amazing chocolate almond milk that is only sweetened with dates. But anyway, they're going to share some of their awesomeness with us for our next Local Food Tasting Soiree.

Bring you favorite local ingredient recipe (with a focus on VEGAN) and get voted into our cookbook! The group will decide which recipes are good enough to go in our seasonal cookbook. So bring your best dish and let Greenling make you famous. As an additional reward, all recipe winners will get a free Local Box! With all these local food potlucks asking you to bring food, we figured we could give a little back to you.

RSVP by emailing jevans AT greenling.com or clicking here.

Check out pictures from the last one.

Stone Soup Party

-April 10th, 3-6pm (kid friendly)

-$10 donation to Sustainable Food Center

-1 vegetarian ingredient

You know this story! It's time to share it with your kids. David Ansel (aka The Soup Peddler) and Mason Arnold of Greenling are throwing a party on April 10th from 3-6pm for friends and families to celebrate together for a cause: healthy, local, affordable food for all - the mission of Sustainable Food Center! Bring a vegetarian ingredient, no more than will fill your belly, to contribute to the pot. Soup Peddler provides the stones and Greenling brings the libations. We’ll have a reading of Stone Soup story for kids. Outdoors, weather-permitting.

RSVP here

Family Clean Water Festival

-March 28th, 10am-2pm

-Free

-LCRA Redbud Center (map)

The Colorado River Foundation is hosting this family-friendly event to celebrate the Colorado river and learn about water. Greenling will be there with a booth and a very special guest - a goat kid from Pure Luck! We're sure to be the center of the festival attention with this cute little addition so drop by, learn about some water, and say hi to your Greenling team.

See more here.

Recipe Corner

Customer-submitted Recipes

Lela's Tamale Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken stock cube or 2c chicken broth
  
• 4-6 corn tortillas
  
• 2 tamales
  
• Leftover veggies such as potatoes, beans, corn, squash, etc.
  
• Dash of cumin
  
• Splash of milk
  
• Grated cheese & sour cream if desired
  

Instructions:

Put 2 cups of water, chicken stock cube and the tortillas into the crock pot and turn it on high for about an hour or so. After an hour, stir the mixture -- the corn torillas will have turned into a nice hearty base.

Cut up the tamales into bite-sized chunks and add to the crockpot.

Throw in all the leftover veggies and add a dash of cumin.

Put the lid back on, turn the crockpot to low and allow to cook as long as you like, although it will be ready to eat as soon as all the veggies are warmed up!

Add a small amount of milk before serving to give it a creamy texture. Top with grated cheese and a dollup of sour cream if desired!

Thanks Lela! Lela also shared with us a video about Hana Hou, very inspirational

Cristina's (Chef Veggie) Thai Green Broccoli

This delicious dish is raw and vegan! Cristina featured it in her cooking demo she did for us at the San Antonio Home & Garden Show

Ingredients:

• 2c Broccoli, chopped
  
• 1 kale bunch, ribs removed and chopped
  
• 1c almond butter
  
• 1T raw coconut butter or oil
  
• 1/2c mint
  
• 1c cilantro
  
• 1/2c raisins
  
• 1T lime leaf, minced
  
• 1T ginger
  
• 1 meyer lemon, juiced
  
• 1T agave nectar
  
• 2 tsp salt
  
• ½ to 1c water or coconut water
  

Instructions:

Soak raisins at least 30mins. Blend almond butter, mint, raisins, some cilantro, lime leaf, ginger, coconut butter, salt and water in blender until smooth. Toss the kale and broccoli with the marinade. Massage liquid into veggies well. Pour mixture into 1 large casserole dish. This can marinate for several hours and keeps 1-2 days in the fridge.

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.