Edition 53

November 6, 2009

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

• Lotsa - Baking Items, finally we've investigated and chosen the best of the best for baking
• New - Rome & Winesap Apples, Iocal treats for a short time - try something new
• Back - Granola, from Indian Hills
• Finally -Prepared TG Basket, available for ordering
• Back - Mustard & Collard Greens, from local sources - early season greens are the best!
• 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.
• New -Navel, valencia, & mars Oranges, from local & non-local sources

Host a Garden Party!

You may be wondering why the company that brings you veggies would encourage you to grow your own. Well, it's cause we think it's good for the community and good for you to better understand what goes into growing food. And even if you grow all your own veggies, you still can't beat our other groceries.

And having a garden can be fun! Hosting a garden party is a great way to get your friends together and do something meaningful. Garden therapy is better and cheaper than a psychiatrist. Read more here.

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

Give Thanks for Organics

Right now, the only way to completely avoid GMOs (genetically modified organisms) is to buy Organic. We're working with our local vendors who aren't yet certified to ensure all their ingredients are GMO-free. That's actually quite a task considering 90% of non-organic corn and 80% of non-organic soy is genetically modified. What's wrong with GMOs you may ask? Tons! So much I'm going to do a whole series on them. First I want to highlight that The Future of Food is available on Hulu!

Take a little time and watch this one. It's primarily about the politics of GMOs and what Monsanto's really up to (they are not Sustainable Ag as their ads claim). Here's a review of the movie if you're on the fence. Also, here's a document to help you understand more about GMOs, where they're found, and how to avoid them. The doc says 60% of corn, but at a recent conference I heard the number was up to 90%. Next time I'll share all the latest research linking GMOs to allergies, digestive disorders, and so much more.

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. (ordering available! Just click on the title)

Relax, we've got your TG dinner covered!

This Week's Box Contents & Local Items

One of our favorite farms - Acadian - is back in action bringing us bok choy and more coming soon. Rod takes a couple of months off to visit South American and help organic farms get started.

Fall crops are coming in with a wonderful variety of new items. I'm incredibly excited about Collard greens. Last winter we ate them at least 3 times a week. We noticed that the early season collards were the most tender and mild. The flavor gets stronger as the season goes on, which is great, but the early mild collards are a special treat. We've also got a very special treat of some late, late season corn! Eat em up cause they won't last long.

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 9-13):

• Corn! - Homesweet Farm
• Bok Choy - Acadian Family Farm
• Mixed Beans - Animal Farm
• Shallot Scallions - Lundgren
• Gala Apples - Apple Country
• Acorn Squash - Massey
• Persimmon - Indian Hill
• Greens, Spinach or Mustard - Lundgren
• Red Potatoes - Naegelin
• Red Radish - My Father's Farm
• Cilantro - My Father's Farm
• Grapefruit - G&S Groves

Last Week's (Nov 2-6) Local Box Video:

In Farmstead & Local Produce Boxes ($49.99) this week (November 9-13):

• Pumpkin Tortillas - Paqui Tortillas
• Artisan Aged Cheese - Brazos Valley
• Fresh-baked Cookies - Texas French Bread

Gluten-free Farmstead Box:

• Artisan Aged Cheese - Brazos Valley
• Cookies - Wildwood Bakery

Order Here

Fresh, Prepared Meal Selection for this week:

Soup #1 - Creamy Spinach Soup (1 pint - serves 1 for lunch) - see website for full ingredients

Pasta #2 - Hot & Sour Kale Soup (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
• 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
• Watermelon Radish - Ringger
• 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

Shredded Pork Tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (3-pound) Richardson Farm pork shoulder, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in juice
• 1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce (from a small can), minced (about 4 teaspoons)
• Paqui Pumpkin Tortillas
• 1 cup crumbled queso fresco, feta, or Pure Luck cherve
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• Crunchy Slaw with Radishes, optionald

Instructions:

In a large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add pork, tomatoes (breaking them up) and their juice, chipotle, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is very tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaves.

Using tongs, transfer meat to a large bowl; shred with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat or gristle. Return meat to pan, and simmer until sauce is thick, 30 to 45 minutes more. Season, if necessary, with salt and pepper. Proceed to next step, or cover and refrigerate, up to 1 day.

Spoon pork and sauce into toasted tortillas, using 2 tortillas for each serving; top with queso fresco and cilantro. Serve with Crunchy Slaw with Radishes , if desired..

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.