This Week - September 12, 2011

Aren't they something? Those are farmer Gary Lantz's Belted Galloways. Some people call them Oreo cows, for obvious reasons. I took this picture in June and it seems like yesterday, but here we are under the Harvest moon already!  Are you all getting in your change of season groove? We are and we're pretty excited about new projects and ideas that we're turning into realities. Stay tuned!

In the box: 

Here are a couple of ideas for a few of the items that are in the box. Be sure to check in with us on Facebook and Twitter as the recipes and ideas are flying all week long!

• Someone just requested this recipe for Sweet Potato, Black Bean and Chard Chili the other day. It's a recipe that I created in our Facebook notes. I'll get it on our website sometime this week, but here is a link to the recipe.It's easy to make, with or without chard and the sweet potatoes in the box are beauties!

• Mmm, How about a pear, Silton and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla. No recipe needed, just put it all together. Try it with the beautiful pears from Kaufmann's Orchard in PA. 

• it's easy to forget that Romaine lettuce is a dark leafy green and not just something for your salad bowl. It's pretty amazing in smoothies, and fresh juices. Try it tossed through pasta or go UK and slice it and saute it with butter, peas and mint.  

Add to the box:

• One of the tastiest ways to get your probiotics is with naturally fermented foods and these lacto-fermented pickles from Real Pickles out of Massachusetts fill the bill. I've been eating these pickles since I discovered them a few years ago in a coop in Great Barrington, MA. On first pop of the lid, you'll see and smell the deliciousness that will also make your tummy jump for joy!  The dill pickles ($8.50) are halved and the beets ($7.50) are thinly sliced making them perfect for adding to salad or heaping on sandwiches. They make some great ginger carrots that I'm hoping to get too! Yum.
   
• This week's recipe kit is Thai Beef with Chiles and Basil over Coconut Rice. It is delicious and a tried and true recipe that the whole family will love. You'll get 1 pound of local, organic and humanely-raised ground beef, 6 jalapenos, 1 pound carrots, 1 head garlic, 1 red onion, 1 lime and a bunch of basil.  The whole kit is $15.00 and serves 4. Click on the recipe to see what pantry items you'll need.

• You're loving the luscious lemon yogurt from Pennsylvania's Toy Cow Creamery, so we're keeping it on our list. Tow Cow uses hormone-free, whole milk from grass-fed Jersey cows to make their yogurt.  Like our other yogurts, its $4.00 for a quart.

Out of the box:

• Washington's Green Grocer is a proud supporter of the DC State Fair and it just so happens that Hurricane Irene caused this year's event to be postponed to an.. ahem..."rain date". The silver lining because the rain date is October 1st and will be a part of the annual Crafty Bastards - an exhibition of local, handmaid crafts and arts run by The City Paper and  AND, the most exciting part is that for the first time Crafty Bastards is expanding into showcasing craft foods, and DC State Fair will be powering the first-ever Crafty Food Awards in homebrew, pickles, and preserves!