Edition 46

September 18, 2009

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

• New - Fresh Prepared Items, from Dishalicious
• Sale - Ribeyes, from Bastrop Cattle Co
• New - Winter Squash
• Back - Meyer Lemon, from G&S Groves
• Back -Oyster mushies, from Kitchen Pride
• New - More Local Artisan Cheeses
• New, Limited Supply - Pomegranates, Local and non-local

Awesome Chocolate Freebie in Your Box This Week!

Nourishing Delights introduces its newest flavor: Mayan. It's a surprisingly unexpected mélange of ancho and habanero peppers blended with a cinnamon mole. It's a little bit of sweet, a little bit of savory and a little bit of spicy all in one delectable bite! It’s a scorcher! You’ve been warned!

This treat will show up in your box for free this week as long as you have ordered something that requires a cold bag - milk, cheese, meats, etc.

See all of the Nourishing Delights Treats Here

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.

The Magic of Purslane

Dispelling another myth! Purslane is thought of as a weed, but you can go grab this delicacy right out of your yard and throw it in your salad. It's a succulent and has a wonderful peppery & slightly sour taste that compliments most leafy greens.

Purslane is also a superfood! It contains more Omega-3 than any other land vegetable. You didn't even know salad greens could have omegas, did you? Well this one is packed with it. It also contains many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Enjoy Purslane in your Local Box this week and be on the lookout for it in your yard and garden beds.

Pure Luck, a Favorite Greenling Vendor, Wins Awards

Each year the American Cheese Society holds a conference that brings together 1300 cheeses and hundreds of cheese artisans to celebrate, well, cheese! This year Pure Luck Farms absolutely stole the show. Winning first place in two categories and third place in another, Pure Luck took home the most awards of any farm. Their winning cheeses were the Hopelessly Bleu (1st), Basket Molded Chevre (1st), and Feta (3rd). If you see Amelia or the team out at the market or around town be sure to congratulate them.

And as a special treat, the Farmstead Box this week will contain a one-of-a-kind Basket-weave Garlic Chevre in olive oil with sun-dried tomatoes. This one is not available in stores and we only get 110 so we might not have enough - make sure to request it specifically. Order the Farmstead Box Here.

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

Yep, it looks like Fall might actually start around the celestially-correct time. The rains have been nice and even gave us some treats like this. They allowed farmers to plant for the winter and the moist ground helped the seeds and transplants really take hold. Also, you may not have realized, but it's pretty darn special to get corn this late in the season. The corn, beans, and peas have all been quite a treat and people are raving about them.

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 21-25):

• Eggplant - Naegelin
• Summer Squash - Naegelin
• Beefsteak Tomatoes - McCall Creek
• Purslane - Bradshaw
• Sweet Corn - Lightsey Farm
• Serrano Peppers - Lundgren
• Green Chile Peppers - Lundgren
• Bibb Lettuce - Bluebonnet
• Pears! - Lightsey Farms
• Basil or Herb - Pure Luck
• Radish - My Father's Farm
• Mushrooms - Kitchen Pride

Last Week's (Sept 14-18) Local Box Video

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (September 21-25):

• Garlic Basket-weave Chevre in olive oil with sun-dried tomatoes- Pure Luck
• Baguette Rolls - Sweetish Hill
• Orange Oolong Tea - Zhi Tea
• Bakery Sweet - Texas French Bread

Gluten-free Farmstead Box

• Garlic Basket-weave Chevre in olive oil with sun-dried tomatoes - Pure Luck
• Sweet Pastry - Wildwood Bakery
• Orange Oolong Tea - Zhi Tea

Order Here

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
• Purple Hull Peas - ANimal Farm/Lightsey
• Meyer Lemons - G&S Groves
• Okra - Bradshaw Farms
• Pea Shoots - 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 - McCall Creek
• Pickling Cucumbers - Naegelin
• LARGE Watermelon - Lightsey
• Texas Hard Pears - Lightsey

Celebrate With Us Our 3rd Year of Winning 'Best Local Food Company' in the Austin Chronicle Reader's Poll

Tasting Soiree/Best of Austin Bash

-Saturday, Sept 26, 7:07pm

-Brazos Loft Penthouse (map)

-FREE

We're combining our Monthly Tasting Soiree with our a Best of Austin Bash! See Best of Austin list here.

UPDATE - There's a lot of excitement about this soiree, so you don't want to miss it.

-Tito Beveridge will be joining us and bringing some of his handmade vodka that we'll make some special drinks with

-Jesse Griffiths, of Dai Due fame, will whip up some local goodness

-Dustin Karnes, of Summermoon Coffee, will bring some fresh grinds and his famous Moonmilk

We've added a raffle supporting Urban Roots. Tickets are $5 and the package includes:

- Greenling Wine & Cheese basket

- Milk + Honey Spa gift certificate

- Dance Lessons from Go Dance

- Paggi House gift certificate

- Already valued at almost $400 & more to come

Entrance to the venue is between 3rd and 4th on San Jacinto (1 block east of Brazos). Park anywhere you can and RSVP soon - we're reaching fire code capacity.

See the Venue Here and Event Details Here

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

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. And to celebrate 3 years of being the 'Best Local Food Company' in the Austin Chronicle tell just 3 people about us and win a month of local food!

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)

Recipe Corner

Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 2 cups zucchini, unpeeled & grated
• 1 cup corn
• 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• Chopped zest of one lemon
• 2 large eggs, well beaten
• 1/3 cup goat cheese, crumbled
• Drizzle of olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325F degrees, racks the middle. Butter/oil a 7-inch springform pan.

In a strainer, toss the shredded zucchini with the salt and let sit for ten minutes. Now aggressively squeeze and press out as much moisture as you can. Set aside.

In the meantime, combine the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, shallots, garlic, dill and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Stir in the eggs and continue mixing until well combined. Now stir in the shredded zucchini. Fill the springform pan with the ricotta mixture and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and bake for sixty minutes. If there is any moisture left on top of the cake at this point, carefully use a bit of paper towel to dab it off. Now sprinkle with the goat cheese and return to the oven for another 20 -30 minutes or until the goat cheese is melted and the cake barely jiggles in the center (it will set up more as it cools).

At this point, if the cake is baked and set, but the top isn't quite golden, I'll zap it with the broiler (just about a minute) to get a bit more color on top. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes, then release the cake from its pan. Cool completely, serve at room temperature drizzled with a bit of olive oil and a few sprigs of dill.

Corn & Herb Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 ears sweet corn, husked
• 1 big handful lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
• 3 big handfuls green beans, blanched for 20 seconds in boiling salted water, cooled completely under cold water
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch of chives, finely chopped
• 1 handful cilantro, loosely chopped
• 1 small handful of small/medium basil leaves
• 1 handful of pepitas, toasted
• Fine-grain sea salt
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon meyer lemon juice
• 1 serrano, finely chopped
• 1 medium avocado

Instructions:

Cut each ear of corn in half and carefully cut kernels from cobs. Combine the raw corn, lettuce, green beans, red onion, herbs, and pepitas in a large bowl.

Now make the avocado dressing by sprinkling a big pinch of salt on the garlic clove. Chop and crush it into a paste. Place the garlic in a medium bowl along with the yogurt, lemon juice, and avocado. Puree with a hand blender. Taste, add salt one pinch at a time until properly seasoned. If you aren't dressing the salad immediately, cover with plastic, pressing into the top of the dressing to prevent browning.

Gently toss the ingredients with a couple big dollops of the avocado dressing. Taste, add a bit of salt and/or more dressing if needed.

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