Edition 33

June 19, 2009

• Blueberries?
• Local Box Contents
• Recipe Corner
• Featured Farmer

• New - Biodegradable disposable plates & cutlery
• Warning - The heat has cut a lot of growing seasons short this year - say goodbye to things like green beans
• Sadness - For the 3rd year in a row the melon crops took a major hit from the weather - hail damage ruined many melon fields in Centra Texas
• New - Tabbouleh from Mediterranean Chef
• New - Orzo Pasta, Garden Time
• New - Several varieties of tomatoes including slicers from Urban Roots, our favorite youth farm

Animal Farm

Cas & Gita Vanwoerden

Cat Springs, Tx

Animal Farm is about 100 miles east of Austin. Cas and Gita have been farming since 1992 and run a sustainable farm using organic methods. They went completely off the grid before it was even cool. They even use solar to pump their water. They grow vegetables and raise all sorts of cuddly animals....hence the name.

They built a learning center to spread the good word about everything from gardening to straw bale construction to geothermal pumps and eco-design. They were also selected as a location for Outstanding In The Field, an awesome traveling supper club.

Apples are thought to be the first tree to be cultivated and the center of diversity is in Turkey. The fruit has been improved through selection over thousands of years. Apples were brought to north America by colonists in the 1600s.

Apples also happen to be one of the most dangerous fruit around. No, no, you're not going to get e coli from them. But they are the worst offenders for something called Ethylene gas. It makes everything ripen faster. It can turn your perfect strawberries into a moldy pile of mush. But there's an easy secret to keeping your berries safe and sound.

To keep them from spoiling the fun for the rest of the fruit put them in a sealed plastic bag in the coldest part of your fridge. That's it. Just remember that those granny smiths don't play well with others. Your real granny? Well, I bet she's a real peach.

What's So Special About Blueberries?

A lot, as it turns out. And these little tasty multivitamins are in season right now. Blueberries are native to North America and grow wild in woods and mountain regions all over. In Texas we're lucky enough to have a large Organic farm over in La Rue.

Personally, I never liked blueberries. As a fresh fruit I thought they were sub-par and rather bland. Yeah, they're great in pancakes and muffins, but that's after they've been dried and concentrated. This all changed one afternoon at Greenling a couple of years ago when I tried my first Texas, Organic blueberry. In an instant it changed my opinion of this nutritional powerhouse. If you haven't specifically had a Texas, Organic blueberry, well, I suggest you add them to your Greenling basket, of course. Or get a Local Box, which features them this week.

In a recent Tufts study of 60 fruits and vegetables, blueberries came out on top for levels of antioxidants. It's an excellent source of vitamin C and the much underrated manganese. They also have gobs and gobs of a phytonutrient called anthocyanidins, a powerful antioxidant that helps protect us from pesky free radical damage.

Blueberry season in Texas usually only lasts June-July so go ahead and gorge on this treat while you can.

Greenling News & Events

Local Box Workshop with David Ansel

-Thursday June 25th

-6:30pm

-$10

-VENUE HAS CHANGED

Our first collaboration with David was awesome! See videos and pictures (on facebook, sorry those who don't have an account....it's just so easy there), but they don't do the experience justice. This venue is warm and intimate, the food is incredible, and the chefs are so knowledgeable and entertaining. This class will be the last ever at Whisk as they have closed down as a business. Don't miss this amazing opportunity. Limit 25. RSVP via email or by calling Devon at 440-8449.

Stay tuned for the new venue. We just lost Whisk as the venue and need to find a new one. If you know of a good venue, please let us know and we will update RSVPd guests as soon as we secure a place.

See More Here

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This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

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

In Local Boxes ($34.99) this week (June 22-26):

• Blueberries - Berry Best Farm
• Pickling Cucumber - Acadian
• Juliette Tomatoes - Acadian
• Slicing Tomatoes - Urban Roots (youth farm)
• Yellow Squash - Naegelin
• Lemon Basil - Acadian
• Corn - Acadian
• Onion - Lundgren
• Red Potatoes - Guinea Hill
• Peaches - Caskey Orchard

Last Week's (June 15-19) Local Box Video

The hail storm made this week's local box different every day as farmers tried to salvage crops.

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (June 22-26):

• Rosemary Olive Ricotta - Wateroak Goat Farm
• Ciabatta Bread - Texas French Bread
• Rejuvenating Herbal Iced Tea - Barefoot Botanicals

Produce from Local Farms

• Arugula, Baby - Animal Farm
• Beets, Bunch -My Father's Farm
• Berries, Blueberries-Berry Best Farms
• Carrots, Baby Bunch - Buena Tierra
• Garlic - Naegelin
• Garlic, Green - Green Gate
• Grapefruit - G&S Grove
• Herb, Asst - Pure Luck
• Herbs, Basil - Buena Tierra/My Father's Farm
• Herbs, Basil - Live Bella Verdi
• Leeks - Acadian Family Farm
• Sunflower Sprouts - Groovy Greens
• Tomatoes, Slicing - Walnut Creek
• Elephant Garlic - Green Gate
• Radicchio - Buena Tierra
• Green Tomatoes - Rinnger Family Farm
• Heirloom Tomatoes - Rinnger Family Farm
• Lettuce, Baby - Animal Farm
• Lettuce, Bibb -Bella Verdi

Produce from Local Farms

• Limes -G&S Grove
• Mangos -G&S Grove
• Microgreens, Arugula -Bella Verdi
• Microgreens, Broccoli -Bella Verdi
• Mushroom, Crimini -Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, Portobello -Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, Shiitake -Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, White -Kitchen Pride
• Onion, White -Naegelin
• Onion, Yellow -Naegelin
• Onion, Red-Acadian
• Orange, Valencia -G&S Grove
• Peaches -Caskey Orchards
• Potatoes, Red -Naegelin
• Squash, Yellow -Naegelin. My Father Farm, Walnut
• Squash, Zucchini -Acadian Family Farm , Walnut
• Green Beans -Naegelin, Acadian Family Farm
• Shallots - Lundgren Farm
• San Marzano Tomatoes - Acadian
• Kennebec White Potatoes - Guinea Hill

Recipe Corner - Cooking Raw to Beat the Heat

Tomato Basil Soup - From Gone Raw

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cubed cucumber
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 zucchini
• 1/2 avocado
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 cup tightly packed spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons unpasteurized mizo
• 1 teaspoon tamari
• juice of one lemon
• 1-2 cups water
• juice of one lemon
• salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Just place everything in a blender. Start with the cucumbers and peppers and blend until smooth. That's it and that's the beauty of raw 'cooking.' Serve cold with extra chunks of tomato, cucumber, and avocado.