Edition 188

July 16, 2010

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

• Out, for a while - Dewberry Farms Chicken, and they will only offer whole birds when they come back. Cut up birds are not available at all in Central Texas now. Someone please get us some mobile processing!
• New -Chicken, certified Organic cuts from non-local sources, to replace Dewberry
• New -Local Certified Organic Milk, Greek Yogurt, Crumbled Feta, local from Texas Daily Harvest
• New -Empanadas, local by mmmpanadas
• New -Kettle Corn, local from Lonestar Corn
• New - Jalapeno, Cayenne, Anaheim, colored Bells, from local farms
• Gone -Mangoes, local from G&S. We'll have non-local mangoes until they come back in season locally

Organic Updates

I am going to always try to give you good news with the bad. We'll start with the good:

Organic Milk linked with reduced heart attack risk - It's all about the CLA's baby! Organic milk has more and CLAs protect against heart disease.

Washington Potato farmers applying most toxic pesticide ever created - Seriously! This sucks because potatoes are so prevalent in our foods, but the way the pesticide, called aldicarb, works is by absorbing into the plants. So it's IN THE POTATOES by design and incredibly toxic to all mammals (that's us). Any detectable level in food poses risks even EPA acknowledges. There's a group trying to get this horrible poison banned. Until then, please only buy sustainably grown or Organic potatoes (all we carry!)

Check out this table on Washington potato farmer chemical applications. It's scary

More Time to Change Your Order

As Greenling grows and more and more fresh, local, food moves through our doors every day we get better and better at managing the goodness. Some suppliers come daily now since they're just down the road and our orders are getting bigger. This is good for you because as we grow we'll continually shrink the time between when you have to place an order and when it arrives. Previously, orders have been due by 11:59pm 3 days before a delivery.

Now, orders are due at NOON, two days before your order arrives. So, for Thursday deliveries, orders must be in by Tuesday at Noon. Here's the full schedule:

Monday Deliveries, Changes due by Saturday at Noon

Tuesday Deliveries, Changes due by Sunday at Noon

Wednesday Deliveries, Changes due by Monday at Noon

Thursday Deliveries, Changes due by Tuesday at Noon

Friday Deliveries, Changes due by Wednesday at Noon

Look for this to shrink again as you tell your friends about us and we grow!

Discover 'My List'

Don't you wish when you walked into a store you could go to a section of everything you have bought before? Might be a ways off for retail, but at Greenling we just launched this magical feature and called it 'My List.' All your previously ordered items in one place. You can sort them alphabetically or by which ones you've ordered most. Browse to the list in the middle of shopping or build a basket directly from the list. And your existing previous orders are already loaded into it! So, go ahead & check out what you order most. Look for shopping cart improvements, check-out simplification, and many more features coming this fall!

Vote Greenling 'Best Local Food Company' By Monday, July 19th!

Just a couple more days to vote! And not just because we ask nicely (pretty please?). We're working hard to grow the local food movement & are the largest single source for local food anywhere and are still able to work with any size farmer or producer - from a backyard gardener to hundred-acre farms. We also threw an awesome party last year when we won! We collected the best local food and beverages and threw a bash that hundreds of people attended and were able to sample what makes Austin food so good. We'd love to throw another party and need your votes! Here's what makes us the 'Best Local Food Company:'

• We have the largest selection of local, sustainably produced foods of any retail outlet, anywhere!
• We have 2x-10x the local produce of any grocery store
• We bring it all right to your door!
• We're the best outlet for local vendors with flexible receiving and the ability to work with any size producer from a backyard gardener to large local farmers
• We even work with many CSAs and buy crops before and after their CSA season to increase the farm income
• We help new producers get started with purchasing commitments and growing, year-round demand
• We also support local operations through fund-raisers and behind-the-scenes efforts like drafting legislation to make local, Organics easier and helping form Slow Money Austin which aims to bring more investment capital to the local food system

We hope it's an easy vote for you. Go here to cast it and ask your friends to vote for us too!

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

Fresh pinto beans are said to have the texture of a chocolate truffle. We'll find out this week as we can't find anyone here who's ever actually had a fresh one. The heat finally setting in has brought us a pepper bounty! from hot peppers galore to multi-colored bell peppers. Every different color of pepper brings a different nutrient profile...and adds texture to dishes.

Here's what will be available from local farms on our website this week (the best selection of local produce in the state - guaranteed). Items with a (*) are only available in the Local Box:

In Local Boxes ($34.99) this week (Jul 19-23):

• Eggplant - Animal Farm
  
• Arugula or mixed lettuce - Acadian
  
• Fresh Pinto Beans - Just Peach Farm
  
• Tomatoes - Acadian
  
• Key Limes - G&S
  
• Mixed Bell Peppers, Purple, White, Green - Comanche Creek
  
• Blueberries - Berry Best
  
• Peaches- Caskey Or Figs - Oasis Gardens
• Mixed Squash - Texas Natural
  
• Cucumber - Acadian, Tecolote

Last Week's (Jul 12-16) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead Boxes this week (Jul 19-23):

• Savory or Sweet Empanada - mmmpanadas
• Cream Cheese Brownie - Sweetish Hill
• 4oz Farm Honey - My Father's Farm
• Refreshing Tea - Zhi Tea

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

Dish #1 - Fried Shallot & Garlic Rice w/ Summer Veggies(1 pint - serves 1 for lunch) - Delicious fried rice scented with gently fried shallots and garlic, and filled with fresh summer squash, sweet peppers and eggplant. Keep it in the fridge at work for a quick lunch, or make it an easy side to a homemade dinner.

-Ingredients: rice, onion, ginger, garlic, market vegetables (squash, peppers, eggplant), organic peas, soy sauce, sesame, canola oil, herbs, spices, salt, pepper

Dish #2 - Zucchini & Corn Fritters w/ Greek Tzatziki(1 pint) - A fun appetizer, snack or side based on classic Greek zucchini fritters. Zucchini at the peak of season, fresh summer corn, crunchy walnuts & feta are folded together with fresh herbs and lightly fried until golden on the outside and moist on the inside. Paired with a cool cucumber tzatziki on the side for dipping.

-Ingredients: fritters: zucchini, corn, scallion, garlic, feta, organic walnuts, lemon, organic egg, organic flour, breadcrumb, herbs, spices, salt, pepper tzatziki: non-fat yogurt, cucumber, garlic, herbs, organic olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper

Produce from Local Farms

• Arugula-Bluebonnet
  
• Arugula, Baby-Animal Farm
  
• Basil-Various
  
• Basil, Live-BellaVerdi
  
• Chard-Texas Natural
  
• Cucumbers-Acadian Family Farm/Tecolote
  
• Garlic-Ringger Family Farm
  
• Green Cabbage-Naegelin
  
• Herbs-Pure Luck
  
• Parsley-Tecolote
  
• Lettuce,Bibb-BellaVerdi
  
• Microgreens-BellaVerdi
  
• Mushroom, Crimini-Kitchen Pride
  
• Mushroom, Oyster-Kitchen Pride
  
• Mushroom, Port caps-Kitchen Pride
  
• Mushroom, White-Kitchen Pride

Produce from Local Farms

• Okra - My Father's Farm, Tecolote
  
• Pepper,Cayenne -
• Pea Shoots-Bluebonnet
• Pepper, Jalapeno-Acadian
• Peas - Just Peachy Farms
  
• Pepper, Bell Assorted - Comanche Creek, Ringger
• Potatoes, Red-Naegelin
• Shallot-Lundgren
  
• Sprouts, All-Groovy Greens
  
• Summer Squash-Various
  
• Tomato, Cherry-Acadian
  
• Tomato, Slicing - Oak Hill
• Tomato, Green-Ringger Family Farm
  
• Watercress-Bluebonnet
• Berries, Blueberries -Berry Best Farms
  
• Limes - G&S Grove
• Cantaloupe -Massey
  
• Peaches-Caskey, Lundgren
• Watermelon - Ringger

Events & Local Food Happenings Around Town

Greenling Austin Soiree - Summer Grillin' & Chillin'

-July 24th

-FREE

-chef Dzintra Dzenis' home & supper club (location)

Mix, Mingle and Munch! Join us  this month for our community potluck. You're welcome to bring something, but you don't have to. All dishes should please include at least one ingredient of locally produced, organically grown food. Dishes will be in the running for inclusion is our upcoming cookbook. Plus, the dish that gets the most votes overall that night wins a FREE Local Box!! You get to be famous and get a free box of $34.99 of local, seasonal veggies. RSVP by calling or emailing Greenling.com (512-440-8449) or emailing jevans AT greenling.com.

Exciting Updates:

chef and Next Food Network Star finalist Dzintra Dzenis will host. See her website here

Bastrop Cattle Co & Menzie's Farm are donating beef and lamb for Dzintra to teach us grilling techniques with!

See the facebook event page here

Barr Raising, Fundraiser for Barr Mansion

-July 18th, 5pm-9pm

-Consider donating

-TDS Exotic Game Ranch

11507 Carl Rd, Creedmoor, TX 78610 (more info on facility)

A fundraising event will be held to help raise funds to rebuild the Artisan Ballroom at Barr Mansion (burned down June 9th from lightning). Even with the aid of insurance, Barr Mansion needs help rebuilding.

This event is organized by friends, family and fans of Barr as a thank you for all they do. Guests will enjoy an evening at the wonderful Exotic Game Rance and have an opportunity to sample local artisan food and beverages from Austin restaurants and chefs. Donations can be made out to Barr Mansion and brought to the event or mailed to 10463 Sprinkle Rd, Austin, TX, 78754.

Farm Camp for Adults

-Starting September 12th

-$50

-Green Gate Farms

Let out your inner-farmer! Green Gate is graciously opening their farm to people interested in knowing how an organic farm works. Yep, you'll get to be a farmer for a day (Sunday) and learn about tractors, tools, irrigation, and how to care for vegetables, flowers, 150 animals, and other critters on the 5-acre Organic farm. Future classes available as well on Oct 10th, Nov 14th, and Dec 12th. RSVP by emailing greengatefarmsevents@gmail.com.

Natural Epicurean Professional Training Program, Open House

-July 24th, 11:30am-2:30pm

-Free

-Natural Epicurean, Austin

The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts is proud to offer one of the only plant based professional chef training programs in the country, training chefs in macrobiotic, classical vegetarian, vegan, Ayurvedic and raw & living foods techniques and recipes.

In this open house session, held at the brand new kitchen facilities at 1700 S. Lamar Blvd, learn about our unique 900-hour chef training program, meet the instructors and directors, and realize your future as a certified chef in the rapidly growing field of natural and whole foods cooking.

This program will give you the education you need to be competitive and savvy in this ever-expanding market. Come experience something uniquely different with The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts.

click here to learn more

Recipe Corner

Fresh Pinto Beans w/ Tomatoes

Ingredients

• 1 lb Fresh pinto beans
  
• 1/4 c Fruity olive oil
  
• 1 Onion
  
• 2 lg Ripe tomatoes; peeled,
  
• 1/4 ts Sweet paprika
  
• 1 pn Ground cumin
  
• 1 lg Garlic clove; minced
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• Sugar; if necessary
  
• 1 c Water
  
• 1 tb Lemon juice
  
• 1 tb Parsley, chopped
  
• 1 tb Cilantro, chopped
  
  

Instructions:

Rinse the beans off and put them in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes, then drain and return the beans to the pan. Add the oil, onions, tomatoes, paprika, cumin, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper and a cup of water. Cover and cook over a low flame until the beans are tender, about an hour. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. If the tomatoes are too acidic, add enough sugar to balance the flavor. Remove from heat and season to taste with the lemon juice. Turn beans, and their juices, into a serving dish. Garnish with the parsley and cilantro.

Wow! you made it all the way to the end of our newsletter! Thanks for reading. Put the word 'Banana!' in your packing notes for your next order and get a free 'Surprise Me.'

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.