Edition 52

October 30, 2009

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

• New - Baking Items, finally we've investigated and chosen the best of the best for baking
• Lotsa - Apple Varieties, Iocal treats for a short time - try something new
• New - Mars Oranges, from Local sources
• New -Thanksgiving Baskets, from local & non-local sources
• Coming Soon - Gift Baskets & plantable Gift Certificates, the best eco-gifts in town are not only environmentally friendly, but our gift cards are made of seeds you can plant!
• New -Shoulder Roast & Breakfast Sirloins, from Bastrop Cattle Co.
• Short Supply - Berries, they're just not a winter thing
• New -Navel Oranges, from non-local sources - local navels coming soon

The Next Generation of Greenlings

We've gotten a few great pictures, like the one above from Carissa S., showing us what happens to the Greenling bounty after arrival.

What do you do with your Greenling box when it arrives? Upload your best pictures to facebook or email them to us to upload and the cutest pic will get a FREE Local Box! Carissa's setting the bar pretty high, but we believe in you.

Website Tip - Learn more about the delivery schedule and how to set up advanced delivery schedules with our quick video tutorial

Click here to watch it

Behind The Curtain Spotlight

Ryan Adams -Fleet Admiral

His bio on our website says he was raised by wolves. We can neither confirm nor deny this here. What we do know is that he's vital to getting all of our bundles of joy to your doorstep.

A typical day for Ryan includes helping out in the packing room to stay on schedule, scheduling drivers, routing all of our deliveries, maintaining our vehicles, & much, much more.

When his head is not full of maps he's a pretty serious Texan. He likes to camp, go down to the beach, fish, & spend time with his family. You may remember Grace, his wife, who was our first CS department (Keeper of the Peas) and left to have and raise their son, Griffin.

Read more about the team here

Turnip the Heat

With a scientific name as cool as Brassica rapa rapa, you'd expect the turnip to get more respect. But it's just not in the cards for this relatively forgotten root veggie. We don't even really know where they came from, though the Romans seemed to fancy a good turnip stew. Pliny the Elder considered turnip one of the most important veggies of his day, rating it 'directly after cereals or at all events after the bean, since its utility surpasses that of any other plant.' Where are the parades, Pliny? Where are the turnip festivals? Well, there are a few...but only in Europe & Vermont.

These beauties will also turnip in your Local Box for the next couple of weeks. Eat both the root and the greens. They can be chopped up into salads, raw, or cooked and replace potatoes in many dishes. If you'll be cooking well, blanch them first to avoid a bitterness that comes with overcooking.

Turnip roots are high in Vitamin C and the greens are a great source of Vitamins A, C, K, folate, & calcium. The greens are also high in lutein, a recently discovered carotenoid that's a powerful antioxidant.

Mason Joins the Board of the Sustainable Food Center

I've been a long-time supporter of SFC and their mission. They first introduced me to the concept of food security and they've been helping Central Texas strengthen its local food system since it's roots were formed in 1975. I'm so happy to have been nominated and elected onto the board. They've seen a lot of growth in the past few years and I look forward to helping the SFC expand its mission, which is as important as its ever been with stirring battles on fresh produce, GMOs, & the industrial food system. Check out their many programs here.

Thanksgiving Turkeys & Baskets

Gobble, Gobble! Gobble, gobble gobble-gobble. Gobble.

Turkeys are here. Well, we actually reserved them early summer, discussing their humane treatment and juicy flavor with the Richardson's who have been raising them just for us out in an open pasture with no chemicals or GMO feed or anything nature never intended. We'll also have plenty of certified Organic birds from Organic Valley, which is a co-op of small farms. They just won't be local.

You can order Turkeys here and don't forget to schedule delivery the week of Thanksgiving or the week before. Here's a short, video tutorial on how to order a turkey by itself!

We're also bringing you the best Thanksgiving baskets ever! We've been working hard to put together 3 special baskets for you (don't forget to add a turkey to these baskets, they don't automatically come with one):

Traditional Basket - All the ingredients that have become American staples for the holidays. Start with the basket and adjust quantities as needed.

All-Local Basket - We'll include recipes to help you turn 100% local items into traditional holiday treats.

All-Prepared Basket - We're partnering with a caterer to create pre-made assortment of side dishes using mostly-local ingredients and may include green bean casserole, stuffing/dressing, sweet potato caseroles, & more (available for order soon)

Relax, we've got your TG dinner covered!

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

So...now that it's raining a bunch some farmers are actually having trouble planting. There will be a big late-winter bounty since some farmers are just getting to putting winter crops in the ground. Our farmers are getting more adventurous and planting special crops just for us like brussels sprouts, unique broccoli varieties, & more. We'll have the first batch of greens coming next week & fresh sweet potatoes too. This cold snap has completely ended the season for many things like okra & tomatoes.

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 (November 2-6):

• Yellow Beans - Animal Farm
• Turnip Bunches - Hands of the Earth
• Cucumbers or Eggplant - Naegelin
• Arugula or Watercress - Bluebonnet
• Gala Apples - Apple Country
• Beet Leaf Bunch - My Father's Farm
• Green or Grape Tomatoes - Green Gate/Pedernales
• Bibb Lettuce - Bluebonnet
• Butternut Squash - Massey Farm
• Serranos - Lundgren
• Mars Oranges - G&S Groves

Last Week's (Oct 26-30) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (November 2-6):

• Cranberry kombucha - Buddha's Brew
• Pumpkin Muffins - Little Bluestem
• Sopapilla Popcorn - Cornucopia

Gluten-free Farmstead Box:

• Cranberry kombucha - Buddha's Brew
• Cookies - Wildwood Bakery

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

Soup #1 - Back by Popular Demand - Cumin Scented Butternut Squash Soup (1 pint - serves 1 for lunch) - see website for full ingredients

Pasta #2 - Spicy Vegan Arabiatta w/ Lentils over Linguini (1 pint) - see website for full ingredients

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
• Habanero - Arnold Organics
• Gala Apples - Top of Texas
• Lettuce, Baby - Animal Farm
• Lettuce, Bibb - Bella Verdi
• Green Beans - Animal Farm/Lightsey
• Meyer Lemons - G&S Groves
• Okra - Bradshaw Farms
• Mars Orange - G&S Grove
• Grapefruit - G&S Grove
• Pea Shoots - Bluebonnet
• Watercress - Bluebonnet
• Butternut and Acorn Squash - Massey Farm
• 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, Red - Naegelin
• Potatoes, Sweet -Lightsey
• Onion, Yellow - Naegelin
• Potatoes, Red - Naegelin
• Shallots - Lundgren Farm
• Jalapeno - Lundgren
• Serrano - Lundgren
• Eggplant - McCall Creek
• Slicing Cucumbers - Naegelin
• Red Radish - My Father's Farm
• Mustard Greens - Naegelin

Let's Share the Bounty

Local Food Tasting Soiree

-Thu. Nov 12th, 7pm

-Mason's House (map)

-FREE

Save the date for the 8th in our series of Soirees where we highlight your best in-season cooking recipes along with some chef-created ones and vote on which are good enough to go in the Greenling Cookbook. So bring your best recipes and let Greenling make you famous. Or not...it is Austin, after all so there's no pressure or dress code or any of that. All you really need to bring is yourself. We'll also have some Greenling beverages, desserts, and some great company!

See More Details Here or RSVP by calling 440-8449 or emailing jevans@greenling.com

Get a Month of Free Local Food Just for Referring 3 People to Greenling

It's still anyone's contest to win Local Food for a year! There are a few front-runners, but it's far from over. Here are some tips on getting people signed up:

• Host a Greenling soiree! We're still looking for a venue
• Have Mason come speak to your HOA or PTA group
• Have your own dinner party with your Local Box

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)

Build a Greenhouse with Urban Roots!

Come on, we know you've always wanted to. Like the cool barn-raising from The Real Dirt on Farmer John, here's your chance to make a lasting contribution to the local food system. You'll get one hour of instruction and lots of time for Q&A. Then you'll get your hands dirty and actually build a greenhouse. This is a 2-day event on the 14th and 21st. See more details here.(big file, wait for it)

Recipe Corner

Butternut Squash Gratin

Ingredients:

• 1 whole butternut squash, about 1# each
  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  
• 3 cups halved and sliced onions
  
• 3 cups peeled, cored, sliced apples
  
• 3 tablespoons flour
  
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken broth
  
• 3/4 cup fresh breadcrumbs
  
• 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 1/2 pound sliced bacon, crisp cooked, drained, and crumbled
  

Instructions:

Peel squash and cut in half lengthwise. Remove center seeds and strings, and then slice thinly. Heat butter in a skillet, over a medium flame. Add onions and sauté for 10 minutes.

Combine apples and flour-toss to coat well. Place half of the squash into a buttered 9x13x2-inch baking dish or hotel pan. Arrange half the apples in a layer on top of the squash place the remaining squash on top of the apples. Cover with the remaining apples. Top with the sautéed onions. Pour stock over all.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes, until squash is tender combine bread crumbs, cheese, and bacon-mix well. Spread mixture over the gratin. Bake @ 350 degrees for 15-25 minutes, until lightly browned remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve hot.

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.