Edition 47

September 25, 2009

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

• New - Fresh Prepared Items, from Dishalicious
• Coming Soon - Pumpkin Tortillas, from Paqui Tortillas (Local)
• Coming Soon - Gala Apples, from Local sources
• Back - Meyer Lemon, from G&S Groves
• Big Harvest - Hard Squash, from Local & non-local sources
• New -Whole Wheat Ground Flour. from Richardson Farms (Local)
• New, Limited Supply - Pomegranates, Local and non-local

Greenling Fresh, Prepared Meal Weekly Selection

Until now if you wanted prepared meals, especially delivered, you either order from a restaurant or you get it frozen. And good luck finding local ingredients. Greenling saves the day again! Every week we'll have select FRESH, prepared meal options for you that feature some local ingredients. They will get delivered to us daily and arrive at your doorstep fresh and ready to eat. The dishes will change weekly so if you have a standing order it will change each time. This week's selection:

Indian Spiced Chickpea Salad w/ Yogurt & Herbs

Quinoa Tabouleh w/ Toasted Almonds & Parsley

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.

New Yelp Review

"I have been super impressed with this company from my first delivery. I love everything that they stand for and their commitment to supporting local vendors and farmers. I have received 3 deliveries from them thus far (all Local Produce Boxes) and the produce has been wonderful! Okra (who knew there was purple okra!), Meyer Lemons, enormous portobello mushrooms, fragrant basil, bell peppers, squash, zucchini, etc. the list goes on and on. I even added some local dog biscuits to an order for my four legged companion.

I love that you can completely customize each and every delivery and also set your own delivery schedule. It's really a dream come true to be able to take less shopping trips to the store and instead have everything delivered to you. Did I mention that they also have farm fresh eggs, local roasted coffee, chocolates and other tempting items as well? Its a win-win situation.

I also used their Chat Now feature on their website to talk to a Customer Service representative and that was super easy and I love that they have that feature for us geeks who are chained to their computer and too lazy to pick up the phone or send an email. :)

Great produce, great service, and a great idea! Give them a try - you won't be sorry that you did."

Khanh N.

Thanks Khanh! See all of our completely unsolicited reviews on Yelp here.

You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Buy Local

The vibrant support for buying local is a huge reason why Central Texas faired better than the rest of the country in these tough economic times. It creates a diverse community more flexible and responsive to change. Local food is under constant attack from mega-ag, however, and their lobbyists are keeping it from even being a fair fight. It seems like you should be able to buy what you want, when you want, from whoever you want. Not the case. There are forces working to restrict further local dairy production and sales, egg sales, and the very fabric of local food - local produce farmers. There are good people who often defeat these attacks, but they need your help.

Here are some people fighting the good fight and great resources for finding out what you can do:

Edible Austin - Marla Camp is an industry leader fighting for local food. She worked to create the local Sustainable Food Policy Board that meets every 4th Monday at City Hall at 12:30. They need your input!

FARFA (Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance) - Judith McGeary has almost single-handedly taken on NAIS (National Animal Identification System) which threatens all small animal farmers. The group has also recently taken on the raw milk fight.

Sustainable Food Center - Mason (me) sits on their Policy Task Force, led by Andrea Able & Jessica Winslow, which is working at the city and state level to increase your access to local food.

There's a lot that needs to be done to ensure food security, but always remember the best thing you can do is buy local food from local companies (like Greenling)! Voting with your wallet is the most powerful activism there is.

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

We are deep in seasonal transition now and the box will be more variable over the next few weeks as some crops head out of season and some start to come in. Last week for corn & peppers are winding down. Local apples will be available for order next week, but not enough yet for the Local Box. Some leafy greens, green beans, & more citrus are on their way in the coming weeks.

Right now farmers are planting carrots, lots of greens, fennel, sweet potatoes, and a few other treats that will arrive in 60-90 days depending on weather.

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 28-Oct 2):

• Okra - Various
• Summer Squash - Naegelin
• Beefsteak Tomatoes or Grape Tomatoes - McCall Creek
• Elephant Garlic - Green Gate
• Red Potatoes or Corn - Naegelin/J&B Farm
• Bell Peppers - My Father's Farm
• Citrus or Persimmons - G&S Groves
• Bibb Lettuce - Bluebonnet
• Pears - Lightsey Farms
• Rosemary or Herb - Pure Luck
• Radish - My Father's Farm
• Crimini Mushrooms - Kitchen Pride

Last Week's (Sept 21-25) Local Box Video

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (September 28-Oct 2):

• Brie - Brazos Valley Cheese
• Fresh Pecan Halves - Rio Grande
• Whole Wheat Walnut Bread - Texas French Bread

Gluten-free Farmstead Box

• Brie - Brazos Valley Cheese
• Fresh Pecan Halves - Rio Grande
• Wheat Boule - Wildwood Bakery

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
• Red and Green Bell Peppers - My Father's Farm/Walnut Creek

Produce from Local Farms

• Limes - 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, 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 - This has ballooned into an incredible local food showcase.

Participating Chefs & Vendors -

Summermoon Coffee (http://www.woodfiredcoffee.com)

Dai Due (Jesse Griffiths - http://www.daidueaustin.com)

Tito's Vodka (http://www.titos-vodka.com)

Rio's Brazilian Food (http://www.riosofaustin.com)

Daily Juice (http://www.dailyjuice.org)

Richard's Rainwater Cloud Juice (http://www.rainwatercollection.com/richardsrainwater/)

Little Bluestem Bakery (http://stores.tlbbakery.com/StoreFront.bok)

Dr. Kracker (http://www.drkracker.com)

Round Rock Honey (http://www.roundrockhoney.com)

The Med Chef will bring her famous 'Grandma's Hummus' (http://www.themedchef.com)

Borboleta's (http://www.borboletasgourmet.com)

Margarita's Tortillas will bring their award winning tamales (http://www.margaritastortillas.com)

Brazos Valley Cheese will bring some specialty artisan cheeses

Jade Leaves Tea House (http://www.jadeleaves.net)

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. We have taken on more space to accommodate the large # of RSVPs.

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

Chicken Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 pound crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 7 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 pound roasted vegetables, roughly chopped
• 3 cups grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for coating casserole dish
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1 pkg lasagna sheets
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 8 pieces

Instructions:

Cook Pasta according to package instructions.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often until the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, to make a light roux, about 2 minutes. Whisking constantly, slowly add the milk and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until thickened, 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, pepper, nutmeg, roasted vegetables and 1 1/2 cups of the Parmesan and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the bechamel sauce until ready to assemble the lasagna.

Set a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Season the chicken and place in the hot pan. Sear the chicken, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside. When cool, cut into bite size pieces.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Coat a 9 by 13 by 3-inch casserole with olive oil, and spread about 1/2 cup of the bechamel sauce on the bottom of the dish. Lay 3 sheets of pasta across the bottom of the dish and spread 3/4 cup of the bechamel sauce over the pasta. Add sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken over the bechamel sauce, then sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the remaining Parmesan. Lay another 3 sheets of pasta over the chicken. Repeat 2 additional times with the remaining bechamel sauce, chicken, Parmesan, and pasta, ending with a layer of pasta covered with bechamel sauce. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the bechamel sauce and scatter the butter pieces over the top. Place the casserole on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake, uncovered, until bubbly and well browned, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

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.