Edition 56

November 27, 2009

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

• New- Lemongrass, locally grown by Millberg farms
• New - Prime Rib, from Richardson's - just a few of these beauties so order soon for your Holiday feast
• New - Gluten Free Miles of Chocolate
• Coming Soon - Green Garlic, from Green Gate Farms
• New - Local Broccoli Raab
• New - More Pork Cuts, Richardson's Farm

Operation Turkey Huge Success

Thanks to your amazing generosity...and the pretty cool convenience of us picking up your donations...together we filled over 50 bins of donations for Austin's homeless!! That's 50 Greenling bins full of clothes, household items, blankets, jackets, & more. This was the largest single group donation they've ever received. So pat yourself on the back for helping Austin's less fortunate.

And consider volunteering next year. My father and I spent the first half of our Thanksgiving day helping make plates of goodness for Operation Turkey and we've decided to make it a tradition. The experience really accentuated the holiday & helped us better understand just how much we have to be thankful for.

Website Tip - Have you tried our Live Chat yet? It's a great way to ask us a quick question or just chat with your favorite food fairies

Click here to try it

Eat Local Week

This week packed full of activities celebrating local food starts next Thursday, Dec 3rd, with a Local Food potluck. There will be a screening of Fresh, farm tours, tea festivals, & much much more. Read more about it here.

Smooth as Butter....nut Squash

Ok, so that's a stretch, but you might be surprised at how smooth this winter squash can be. And have we got a treat for you. The Organic Valley farmers had quite a bumper crop this year and we have received some of these Organic beauties for a pretty awesome price. Worth learning a lot more about how to cook squash, we think. We've already been playing with soups, pies, fries, & more. We'll even be baking it whole and throwing the whole thing into a VitaMix for the extra nutrients in the skin.

Butternut squash (& acorn) is on sale right now and we're even selling it by the case! What would you do with a case of butternut, you may ask? Don't let the thought of it squash your enthusiasm. Next week we'll share the results of our experiments and don't forget that they can store for months and you can cook, freeze, and reheat them for almost better flavor the second time.

Oh, and by the way, winter squash are AMAZING powerhouses of nutrients! Some of the highest vitamin A (powerful anti-oxidant) levels of any veggie and a whole list of nutrients just behind it including Omega-3s, potassium, manganese, Bs, & more. And unlike carrots, it's safe to eat every day without turning orange.

Think 'Sustainability' This Holiday Season

Does anyone really need more STUFF? I'm sure a few people do, but behavioral psychologists say we're moving to an 'experiential' economy and that with every thing available to us we seek out experiences instead. So, this holiday season give an experience that is also good for the planet! A Greenling Gift Basket! Check out these cool compilations and feel good knowing they're the most environmentally friendly holiday gifts you'll give this year. The baskets are hand-made from sustainable forests in Georgia (the closest we could find), the packing paper is recycled office paper and Chronicles, and many of these baskets have completely local contents:

Rise & Shine Basket

Put a smile on their face and a spring in their step with enough local breakfast items for the whole family with extra to share! Or send to your favorite business contacts to brighten their workday.

Chocolate Overload

How many ways can you enjoy it? With the famous Miles of Chocolate, Fat Turkey, and other local treats with some Dagoba (not local) hot cocoa you'll put someone into chocolate bliss for the whole season.

Wine & Cheese

Already an instant favorite, the Sustainable wine & local, artisan cheese basket will wow anyone.

Beer & Snacks

This all-local basket will get you straight to the heart of any sports fan or beer-drinker. Throw in some spiced nuts and jerky to make it a memorable holiday.

Hot & Spicy

Perfect for anyone who thinks the holiday season is bland. Spice up their day with local sauces, dips & chips.

Italian Dinner

Fresh, local pasta & local sauces with everything you need for dinner? What's not to love. Unique gifts are always the most memorable.

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

Some unique and tasty treats are starting to arrive with over 60 days of fair weather behind us. Broccoli Raab is the perfect compromise between people who love the florets and people who love the stalk. The sweet corn still coming out of the fields needs no cooking at all - just cut it off the cob and eat raw! Some brave farmers have even kept their tomato plants around and as long as it warms up in the day they'll keep putting on more fruit giving us this very late-season addition.

Kale and Collards have been making spotty appearances in the local box for some people but they're here to stay now. Get em from Naegelin now and Texas Naturals in a few weeks. Join my family in gorging on these nutrient dense greens for the winter and then abstaining when they go out of season. It makes the next season so much more tasty.

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 (Nov. 30-Dec. 4):

• French Breakfast Radish - Acadian
• Broccoli Raab - Home Sweet Farm
• Tomatoes - Various
• Scallions - Lundgren
• Gala Apples - Apple Country
• Slick Escarole - Acadian Family
• Bibb Lettuce - Bella Verde
• Corn or Squash - HomeSweet Farm
• Kale or Collards - Naegelin
• Tangerines - Orange Blossom
• Yellow Onion - Naegelin
• Cilantro - My Father's Farm

Last Week's (Nov 23-25) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (Nov. 30-Dec. 4):

• Sweet Texas Dreams - Zhi Tea
• Buttery Fresh Croissants - Sweetish Hill
• Fruit Jam - Brazos Valley
• Local Honey Bear - Good Flow

Gluten-free Farmstead Box:

• Sweet Texas Dreams - Zhi Tea
• Fresh Breakfast Bread - Wildwood Bakery
• Fruit Jam - Brazos Valley
• Local Honey Bear - Good Flow

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

*Looks like it's going to be a surprise this week as they haven't sent us what they're dreaming up. I'll post this on Facebook on Monday.

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
• Tangerines - Orange Blossom
• Meyer Lemons - G&S Groves
• Okra - Bradshaw Farms
• Mars Orange - G&S Grove
• Persimmons - Indian Hill Farm
• Corn - HomeSweetFarm
• 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 -Naegelin
• Onion, Yellow - Naegelin
• Potatoes, Red - Naegelin
• Shallots - Lundgren Farm
• Jalapeno - Lundgren
• Serrano - Lundgren
• Eggplant - Naegelin
• Pickling Cucumbers - Naegelin
• Red Radish - My Father's Farm
• Collard Greens - Naegelin
• Purple Plum Radish - Millberg
• Lemongrass - Millberg
• Watermelon Radish - Ringger
• Mustard Greens - Naegelin

Holiday Soiree Cancelled

Sorry folks, December is just shaping up to be too busy of a month. You're welcome to send us your favorite local, holiday recipes and we'll feature them in our newsletter & possibly in the cookbook, but we'll pick up the soirees in January with lots of winter treats.

Join Greenling's Kiva Team

Our team is off to a great start! We've had 8ppl join and 9 loans so far. Remember that every loan should come back to you and you can re-loan it out. The benefit of the team is that we can join in on loans, making an impact together, and we can find loans specifically related to sustainable agriculture. If one person finds an agriculture loan we can all jump in and make it happen quicker. Join our team here.

Thanks Austin for Voting Greenling 'Best Place to Buy Fresh Fruits & Veggies' for the 2nd year!

The last 2 years we have been honored to win this Statesman reader's poll. Thanks so much for all of your votes! We're happy to be Austin's favorite place to get local and organic goodness. We'll high-five each other and then get back to the business of making sure we always deliver on these awards by bringing you only the best of the best. See Michael Barnes' commentary on the poll here. Austin Farmer's Market came in a fairly close second, but we completely blew away every grocery store in town.

Recipe Corner

Turkey Broth

Do NOT throw away that turkey carcass. Pick all the meat you can off of it and save for other dishes or chop it up and freeze it in 2 cup portions. If you don't want to make the broth now, you could freeze the carcass as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey carcass
• water to cover
• 2 cloves garlic (optional)
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp parsley
• 2-4 peppercorns
• 1-3 tsp salt
• a few shakes of pepper
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 onion, halved

Instructions:

Put the turkey carcass in a big stock pot and cover with water. You can break up the carcass a bit to fit the pan. Add everything else.

You don't have to peel or neatly slice anything. Just break it up into chunks. And don't worry if you don't have something; broth is very flexible! Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer (with barely a bubble breaking the surface) for a few hours. Simmer longer if you have time, but it will be good after a few hours. Strain the soup using a colander or cheesecloth or whatever you have around. Pour the broth into a large jar and refrigerate it overnight.

The Great After-Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 3/4 cups finely chopped onions
• 1 28-ounce can enchilada sauce
• 5 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped canned chipotle chilies
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 cups coarsely shredded cooked turkey
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas

Instructions:

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups onions and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add enchilada sauce, tomatoes and chipotles. Cover; simmer 20 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 cup cilantro. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Mix turkey, 11/2 cups cheese, sour cream, 1/4 cup onions and 1/2 cup cilantro in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 1/2 cup vegetable oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 tortilla until pliable, about 20 seconds per side. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Spread 1/2 cup sauce in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup turkey mixture in center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas. Arrange seam side down in dish. Spoon 2 1/2 cups sauce over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake enchiladas until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Rewarm remaining sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat. Transfer to sauceboat. Serve enchiladas, passing sauce separately.

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.