Edition 44

September 4, 2009

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

• New -Veggies from Organic Valley, look for great deals on this super-fresh produce straight from the OV co-op
• New -Sirloin Steaks, from Betsy Ross, and they're on special too
• Sub -New Zealand Queens, for Gala Apples. American apples are in short supply until Fall harvest. For the carbon-footprint sensitive we suggest you switch to Oranges for your snacks for a couple of months (we have switched personally, but also feel Organic NZ apples are better than no apples so we will carry them)
• New -Lentil Sprouts - from Groovy Greens
• Gone - Pluots - will substitute with plums
• Gone -Local Blueberries - will substitute with non-local blueberries

Field Trip to a Farm!

Would you like to teach your kid more about where their food comes from? Do you participate in your school's PTA? Why not pitch a farm field trip for your kid's class?

Greenling can help make all the arrangements with the farm. Kids can see their food growing and hear about farming from actual farmers. Just call or email if you think your school would be interested.

Website Tip - Want to search for a product? Just click on 'All Products' in categories and hit Ctrl (Command on mac) + F. That's Ctrl-F. Then type away.

Austin Java Fires Up Their Green Roaster

Emission-free coffee-roasting? Sounds like a cruel joke to addicts who start to wake up with the smell of coffee, but it's great for the planet and Austin Java is the only group to do it in Austin. These guys are committed to Fair Trade, Organic coffee, and now environmentally-friendly roasting.

And did you know every morning they roast our beans to order and bring it over right before we send it out to you? Yep, you don't have to go straight to the roaster to get same-day roasted beans. Just add it to your basket.

Add Austin Java Coffee to your order here.

Thanks to Austin for Voting Us 'Best Local Food Company' for the 3rd Year in a Row!!!

This is one of our favorite awards, cause it's a Reader's Poll! Greenling has been been delivering the best quality and selection of Local food for 4 years and for 3 years you've honored us with this award. To say thanks I'm scrambling to put together an amazing party for you! We'll turn this month's Local Food Tasting Soiree (Sept 24th, tentatively) into a 'Best of Austin' Bash to thank you for your support! Are you an event planner who would like to help? Call or email us. Also to celebrate -

We're Giving Away Free Local Food for a Year!

We're bringing back the 'Share The Love' competition to give you some free food. We're doing our best to live the word, here, folks. The Sustainability word. We're creating real value for you and for local farms and we're doing it with as little impact on the environment and as much positive impact in the community as we can. So, help us spread the love! And we'll thank you with free food. As a special treat - to celebrate our 3rd year of winning 'Best of' just tell 3 people about Greenling and when they sign up you get a whole month of Local Boxes (or equivalent basket value) for free! And you'll help your friends eat healthier and help local farms thrive.

Tell the most people about us between now and November and win Free Local Boxes for a Year! It's the easiest free food we've ever offered.

See Details on how to do it here

Download the flyer to give people with YOUR coupon code here (read details page to see what your coupon code is)

Congrats to Kala's Kuisine for Austin Hot Sauce Festival Wins

When Kala's came to us with their brand new salsa line we were blown away and made them available to you as soon as we could. Well, they just got catapulted into the spotlight. Kala's Kuisine walked away with 5 awards at the 19th annual Austin Hot Sauce Festival and was the only company to win more than one first place award! All this in their first year to ever participate. Here's what they won:

Judges Awards

• First Place - Red Salsa - Curry-Chipotle Salsa (order here)
• First Place - Green Salsa - Mirchi Masala Salsa (order here)
• Third Place - Special Variety - Mango Chutney (order here)

People's Choice Awards

• Third Place - Red Salsa - Curry-Chipotle
• Third Place - Green Salsa - Mirchi Masala

Congrats again to Kala's Kuisine! Keep making the best salsa in town.

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

More Texas pears and peas this week. Cycling out summer squash for a week and putting eggplant back in the box. The cucumber melons are a very interesting treat - slightly larger and sweeter than a traditional cucumber. The long beans are getting rave review - we suggest just lightly sautéing them or chopping up raw in a salad for full flavor.

Several great items coming from our friends Katie and David at Tecolote this week including some edamame. Just steam and salt for a tasty treat anytime.

Here's what's 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 (September 7-11):

• Okra - Bradshaw Farm
• Edamame - Tecolote
• Black-eyed Peas - Lightsey Farms
• Cucumber Melon or Cucumber - Pure Luck
• Long Beans - Animal Farm
• Eggplant - Tecolote
• Asst Sweet Peppers - Tecolote
• Lettuce - Bluebonnet
• Pears! - Lightsey Farms
• Basil or Herb - Pure Luck
• Melons - Tecolote
• Shallots - Lundgren

Last Week's (August 31-Sept 4) Local Box Video

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (September 7-11):

• Goose Eggs - Purple Goos
• Bacon Cheddar Scones (Sub Bacon Cheddar Breakfast Bread from Wildwood in GF box) - Little Bluestem
• Yogurt - Lucky Layla

Produce from Local Farms

• Arugula, Baby - Animal Farm
• Herb, Asst - Pure Luck
• Herbs, Basil, Live - Bella Verdi
• Lentil Sprouts - Groovy Greens
• Sunflower Sprouts - Groovy Greens
• Anaheim - Arnold Organics/Lundgren
• Elephant Garlic cloves - Green Gate
• Lettuce, Baby - Animal Farm
• Lettuce, Bibb - Bella Verdi
• New Mexican Chilis - Tecolote
• Red Bell peppers - My Father's Farm
• Okra - Bradshaw Farms
• Parsley - Bluebonnet

Produce from Local Farms

• Limes - G&S Grove
• Microgreens, Arugula - Bella Verdi
• Microgreens, Broccoli - Bella Verdi
• Mushroom, Crimini - Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, Portabella - Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, Shiitake - Kitchen Pride
• Mushroom, White - Kitchen Pride
• Onion, Yellow - Naegelin
• Potatoes, Red - Naegelin
• Shallots - Lundgren Farm
• Jalapeno - Lundgren
• Serrano - Lundgren
• Eggplant - Ringger

News & Events

Local Box Workshop

-Tuesday, Sept 8, 6pm

-The Gruene Apple Inn (near New Braunfels - map)

-$25 - 3-course dinner w/ recipes

Well Seasoned catering is a talented group of folks in New Braunfels that seek to cook with seasonal ingredients using slow-cooking techniques that enhance the flavor of the food, not cover it. We're excited to partner with Nancy & crew to bring a Local Box workshop south. Learn how to cook the ingredients from your Local Box including Eggplant Parmesan! See more info here:

http://www.wellseasonedcatering.net/index.html

Farm & Food Leadership Conference

-Sept 14-15th,

-San Antonio

-$85

Join us at the Farm and Food Leadership Conference on September 14-15 in San Antonio, TX, for an exciting gathering of non-profit leaders, farmers and ranchers, local foods activists, and consumers. This two-day event will feature speakers on issues critical to both farmers and consumers, including the food safety bills in Congress, genetically modified foods, National Animal ID, organic certification, and more. You will get the latest information about these issues, as well as learning the tools you need to take action effectively. For more information and to register, go to
http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/conference-2009 or call the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance at 512-243-9404

Citizen Gardener Classes

-Starting Sept 5, 19, 26

-Various Locations

-$40 + 10 hr volunteer (or +$50)

The perfect compliment to receiving Greenling delivered to your door is having some foods fresh from your own garden!

Don't really know how? Get trained to be a Citizen Gardner. Here's what it is:

+ 10 hours of gardening instruction over two consecutive Saturday mornings with a Wednesday evening workshop in between

+ 10 hours of volunteering/apprenticing along-side a more seasoned gardener at a community garden or other installation

+ end-of season potluck to celebrate the harvest!

Read more about it here and register through the Eventbrite link. There is a $40 materials fee. If you opt not to volunteer you can pay an additional $50 for the class instead.

New classes starting tomorrow Sept 5, Sept 19, and Sept 26. Register now!

http://www.austineconetwork.com/content/register-now-citizen-gardener-classes

Recipe Corner

Roasted Pears with Blue Cheese

from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:

• 2-3 ripe but firm Texas Pears
  
• Freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (3 lemons)
  
• 3 ounces coarsely crumbled sharp Veldhuizen blue cheese
  
• 1/4 cup raisins
  
• 1/4 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
  
• 1/2 cup apple cider
  
• 3 tablespoons port
  
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  
• 1/4 cup Texas Olive Ranch olive oil
  
• 6 ounces baby arugula
  
• Kosher salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel the pears and slice them lengthwise into halves. With a small sharp paring knife and a melon-baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice away from the rounded sides of each pear half so that they will sit in the baking dish without wobbling. Toss the pears with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.

Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, raisins, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.

In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.

Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Divide the arugula among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.

Also Check out the Chicken & Sausage Squash Boats on Eating Out of the Local Box:

http://greenlinglocal.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/chicken-sausage-squash-boats/

For More Recipes Check Out The Eating Out of the Local Box Blog