the
Abundant Harvest Organics
Seasonal Update an AHO Guide to
ORGANIC POTATOES
Spring!
Do you Zoodle?
the art of making veggie “noodles” at home
the History of
STRAWBERRIES
17
Seasonal Recipes
Organic plum blossoms and green winter weeds on Uncle Vern’s farm in Kingsburg, California Photo by Jessica Lessard
contents 4 Who’s Your Ladybug Lady?
27 Staff Spotlight! Blanca Acosta
6 The History of Strawberries
28 In the Field: Asparagus
10 Berry Delicious!
32 Pork and Green Recipes
Gathering ladybugs for biological pest control on the farm and in the home garden.
How long have people loved strawberries, anyway?
Strawberry, raspberry, blueberry recipes galore!
16 Brunch: A Spring Gathering
Kezia Nuesch of The Whole Food Diary brings a beautiful spring brunch to the table.
23 Permission to be Parsnipity
Customer service with a smile and all around oversight. Blanca brings the love!
Couture Farms organic asparagus fills our AHO produce boxes in spring. See how it’s harvested!
Green like peas and asparagus. Rachel Oberg brings us two veggie-full spring meals.
34 Potatoes!
What’s up with sprouting potatoes? How do I know the best way to use them? Find out!
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Do You Zoodle? How much do you know about this sweet spring AHO Staffer Jessica Lessard shows us the way of taproot? the spiralizer.
24 From the AHO Kitchen
Prepared foods from the fields of our farmers to your table, hassle-free.
44 Hometown Honey Bees
On pollination and honey making in Uncle Vern’s orchard.
ON THE COVER AHO Small Box in March Photo by Jessica Lessard
Abundant Harvest Organics is a 100 percent organic produce delivery service in California. We work with an alliance of California organic family farmers to bring a weekly delivery of fresh certified organic fruits and vegetables to communities across the state. Also available from our farmers are certified organic meats (grass-fed and finished beef, free range chicken and turkey, wild-caught Californian and Alaskan seafood, and pastured pork), organic dairy (including butter, raw cheese, raw milk), pastured eggs, nuts, beans, herbs, and other dry goods. This magazine is published for Abundant Harvest Organics subscribers and we are happy to share it with the rest of the world’s food lovers.
?
who’s your Ladybug Lady
Trinket Anderson connects California and Nevada farmers and gardeners alike with a delightful method of biological pest control—and, yes, ladybugging is just as magical as it sounds.
Trinket’s daughter Tiffany at age 9, collecting ladybugs in the spring as the snow melts.
Even the least bug-loving among us usually have a spot in our hearts for cute little ladybugs. They’re not so cute, however, to aphid, which are often a gardener’s or farmer’s biggest springtime problem. Ladybugs have a voracious appetite for aphid and other common garden pests such as scale, mealybugs, and spider mites. It’s thought that just one ladybug can eat up to 5,000 aphid in one year. One legend even connects the naming of the ladybug with her beneficial appetite: The medieval European tale credits a prayer offered to the Virgin Mary for bringing 4
Seasonal Update Spring 2015
in swarms of what became known as “Our Lady’s Beetle” that saved farmers’ crops from destruction by aphid. Today’s organic farmers are fond of introducing these beneficial insects to their fields as a way to control pests in their crops. Uncle Vern releases pillowcases full into his orchards every spring. Trinket Anderson is our lady of the ladybugs here at Abundant Harvest. A woman of the woods, Trinket grew up hunting, fishing, and gathering ladybugs on her family property in Northern California. Trinket’s family ladybug gathering
Photos courtesy of Trinket Anderson
business started about sixty years ago when her parents discovered a ladybug colony hibernating on their property. She was five years old then, and the ladybugs have been back every year. Ladybugs follow air currents during their annual migration, and are able to return year after year to the same mountainous areas to hibernate in large groups and wait for the warm temperatures to bring out the aphid in the valleys below. Gatherers come upon them before they’re awake and gone. Ladybug gathering is a mysterious,
secretive business, like mushroom hunting; you have to know where to look and have access to the land. The tools of the trade are the same as they were back when Trinket started gathering in the 1950s: a kitchen spoon, a bucket, and pillowcases. Trinket, her husband Allen, and their nine-year-old granddaughter Freesia run the family business. They do all the gathering, cleaning, separating, selling, and delivering to nurseries and farmers in California and Nevada. Don’t bother looking for a website—the Andersons keep it simple and don’t have what they don’t need. Gathering ladybugs sometimes involves long hikes in and out of canyons, dodging rattlesnakes, hornets and ticks, and avoiding poison oak (unless the ladybugs are nesting there—then it’s enduring the poison oak). But to balance the challenges, there is the aroma of the ponderosa pine and cedar, and the sounds of the mountain creeks and wildlife in woods. Yes, encountering a bed of ladybugs with that backdrop is just as magical as it sounds. “Sometimes you find the ladybugs in the wild roses, or they’re in a wild strawberry bed and we’re eating wild strawberries while we’re bugging,” Trinket said. “It’s an excuse to get out in the woods and I love it, I absolutely love it.” The quote Trinket chose from the book of Job to share her impression of the experience with the home gardeners and ladybug lovers who buy her bugs sums it up nicely, “...stop and consider God’s wonders.”
Photo courtesy of Trinket Anderson
Above: Nine -year-old Freesia is the fourth generation ladybugger in her family. Right: Uncle Vern releases pillowcases full of ladybugs into his fruit orchards each spring to get a head start on controlling the aphid population. Our spring farm tour guests usually get to participate! Below: Trinket and her family separate the ladybugs into containers with wood shavings spritzed with water. As long as they’re kept in cool temperatures, the bugs will keep hibernating.
Trinket’s ladybugs are available in containers of 1,500 bugs each as an add-on with your Abundant Harvest Organics subscription.
Ladybugs for your garden!
As long as your ladybugs have a food supply in your garden they’ll stick around. If you want to make them feel extra welcome, plant marigolds, sweet alyssum, dill, and coriander—the ladies love them! Another trick for keeping the ladybugs around from a 1950s era farmer and Trinket’s family’s first ever ladybug customer: Ladybugs like beer! Try setting out a jar lid full, and make sure it’s organic!
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by Jessica Lessard
T
o some the strawberry is the iconic fruit of spring. Its bright red berry and lush green leaves are a stark contrast to the bleak colors of a winter past. Growing wild on almost every continent, it is no wonder that this fruit has long been enjoyed as a sweet treat and frequently and equally revered for its beauty in art and literature. It’s a bit peculiar, however, as to how the fruit earned its unusual name.
What’s in a Name?
The earliest Greek and Latin words for strawberry echo its sweet fragrance. The Roman poet Virgil described them as “humi nascentia fraga” or the “fragrant fruit of the soil,”and Fragaria, the scientific classification for the strawberry, is derived from Pliny the Elder’s description of the fruit as “terrestribus fragis” or “ground fragrance” recorded in his work Historia Naturalis written in 77 BCE. The Romans enjoyed strawberries for both eating and for medicinal properties and early accounts tell how they cultivated wild strawberry in their gardens.
Love of the fruit and its sweet fragrance continued through later generations as we see even in language—the name for the fruit comes down to us in similar terms in the modern Romance languages —French (Fraise), Spanish (Fresa), Italian (Fragola). So it begs the question, why do we English speakers refer to them as strawberries and not say…fragrant berries? We have our language ancestors, the Anglo-Saxons of Great Britain, to thank for this. It was they who, in the 10th century, began using a different term for the fruit—streabergan—derived from the Anglo-Saxon “stregdan” meaning
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streabergan straboberries
strebere streoberige str awberian “strewn-about or spread about, ”a description that likely alluded to the way strawberries grows along the ground. Over time, the berry’s title took on many manifestations: streoberige, strebere, strawberian, straboberries among others, eventually landing on our modern spelling of strawberry. (Wilhelm and Sagen, 21-26).
The Strawberry in Art and Literature
Luxurious yet delicate, sweet and juicy, the strawberry became both symbolic of sacred purity and conversely the sin of pleasure. The 15th century painting, the Garden of Earthly Delights by the Flemish artist Hieronymus Bosch, illustrates the sinful nature of the fruit by depicting 30 people collectively feasting on a giant strawberry. In contrast, a contemporary 15th century German painter, Stephan Lochner, emphasized the sacred nature of the fruit by seating the Virgin Mary comfortably upon a bed of strawberries in his work, the Madonna of the Rose Garden. Even the great artist and scientist Leonardo di Vinci was fascinated by the fruit; so much so he included a color sketch of a strawberry alongside depictions of cherries and peas in his 16th century Manuscript B. This cultural fascination with the fruit certainly continues today. We see the proliferation of strawberry sensory imagery in everything from the Beatles tune, ”Let me take you down, cause I’m going to… strawberry fields forever,” to one of the 8
Seasonal Update Spring 2015
icons my generation, Strawberry Shortcake cartoons and the accompanying scratch and sniff collectible stickers.
Strawberries in America
Speaking of Strawberry Shortcake, we have the native Amerindians to thank for the invention of this sweet treat. They were baking wild strawberries into bread long before the Europeans arrived in the 16th century and started adding cream to the concoction. It was also thanks to this interaction that we have the origin of our modern American cultivated strawberry. It is derived from a cross between a strawberry grown in Virginia known as the Virginia Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and a strawberry that was discovered in Chile (Fragaria chiloensis). The two were unintentionally crossed in gardens of France in the early 18th century resulting in a hybrid berry that was large and sweet. This variety made its way back to America in the late 18th century and by the mid-1800s strawberry production in America was in full swing.
Strawberries in California
Several species of wild strawberry were native to California and were documented by European explorers as early as the 1720s. Annual strawberry festivals began after the Spanish settled in the area—these involved week long celebrations of camping and picnicking near strawberry patches ready to be picked. (Wilhelm and Sagen, 165). While some entrepreneurs arrived in California in
Strawberries strewn about at Rancho Piccolo in Atwater, California
the 1850s for the Gold Rush, others came for the farming and few 19th century orchards were found without at least one strawberry patch. Los Angeles County became the largest producer of strawberries in the early 20th century, producing almost 11 million pounds of strawberries for sale between 1909 and 1910. (Wilhelm and Sagen, 181). By this point, over 200 varieties of strawberries could be found in fields across the state. Today, California is the largest producer of strawberries in the country, with over 40,000 acres planted mostly along California’s coastline (Salinas and Watsonville now host the most planted acreage) collectively producing over 2 BILLION pounds of fruit each year.
Strawberries Go Organic
Organic strawberries are a particularly new phenomenon in the industry. Jim Cochran of Swanton Berry farm in Santa Cruz is credited as the pioneer of the organic strawberry market in California. Strongly believing in the importance of eliminating the use of synthetic
pesticides, fungicides, and fumigants, Cochran received organic certification for his strawberries in 1987 and has been growing them this way ever since. As of 2015, the California Strawberry Commission reports that 3,184 acres out of 40,000 are currently growing organic strawberries, more than any other state. Good news: they report that the use of harsh soil fumigant methyl bromide will be eliminated from conventional farming by 2016. Even better, today almost all California conventional strawberry farmers are regularly adopting various forms organic farming methods (such has hand weeding and bug vacuums) providing hope that organic certification is not far in the future for many more California berry farmers. For more information on the future of organic strawberries in California head here. NOTES 1. Stephen Wilhelm and James E. Sagen, A History of the Strawberry: From Ancient Gardens to Modern Markets. University of California, 1974.
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Berry Delicious! Strawberries may just be a magical fruit. Not only are they sweet, sometimes a bit tangy, and evoke an instant goosebumps-on-the-arms feeling of spring, they are also good for you. These little rosy gems are packed full of vitamins and minerals – Vitamin A, B, E, manganese, iron, zinc to name a few – and they are also rich in antioxidants, which fight the free radicals in our bodies, helping to keep our cells happy and prevent cancer. But strawberries can’t take all the spotlight. Other berries pack an equal nutritional power punch. Blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries are all known for their health benefits. Berries not only help keep your brain mentally fit but your gut happy too, as they are a good source of fiber. Easy to enjoy simply by themselves, when the moment warrants, berries can be transformed into fabulous desserts. If company is coming, a birthday party is on the horizon, or you simply want a fancier sweet treat, give one of these recipes a try and you won’t be disappointed. Photo by Jessica Lessard
Strawberry Pizza
Find the recipe on following page
Gluten-Free? No problem. We made this recipe gluten free and found it worked great to sub in 1-1 gluten free our and gluten free cornstarch. The recipe is delish either way. www.abundantharvestorganics.com 11
1/3 cup melted butter 1 cup white sugar 4 Tbsp lemon juice 2 eggs 1½ cup flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt ½ cup milk 2 Tbsp grated lemon zest ½ cup walnuts (optional) 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries Glaze: 2 Tbsp lemon juice ¼ cup powdered sugar
Preheat Oven to 350F�. Lightly grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter, 1 cup sugar, juice and eggs. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; stir into egg mixture with milk. Fold in lemon zest, nuts and blueberries. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool bread for 10 minutes. Combine lemon juice and ¼ cup sugar in small bowl. Remove bread from pan and drizzle with glaze.
Photo by Jessica Lessard
Lemon Blueberry Bread
Strawberry Pizza Crust 1 cube butter 1 cup flour Can easily sub in 1-1 Gluten Free flour ¼ cup powdered sugar Topping 8 ounce cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar Glaze 1-2 baskets strawberries 3 tbsp cornstarch ⅔ cup sugar ¼ cup water For crust: soften butter, mix in flour and sugar. Spread in pizza pan. Bake at 325�F for 15 minutes. For Topping: mix together topping ingredients until smooth. When the crust is cool, top with topping mixture. Mash one basket strawberries and cook with sugar, bring to boil. Add cornstarch mixed with water, cook until clear. Add additional sliced berries. Spread on pizza and chill. You can also use Marie’s strawberry glaze
Photo by Jessica Lessard
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
and add sliced berries.
Raspberry Trifle Layer whipped cream, raspberries and brownies. Repeat until serving dish is full. Top with slivers of chocolate and serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
Need a Brownie recipe? We like this one from AHO subscriber Jessica David of www.iconveyawareness.com Makes 24 mini brownies (I used a mini muffin pan) Preheat oven to 350F 1 cup organic raw cane sugar 1/2 cup organic whole wheat flour 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp baking powder 2 eggs 1/2 cup organic coconut oil 1 tsp real vanilla extract Combine in order. Blend by hand, about 6 minutes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then to wire rack. Note If you use liners, please spend the extra few dollars for quality liners or you risk them sticking to the brownies.
Photo by Jessica Lessard
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Berry Jam by AHO subscriber Rachel Oberg of www.de-ma-cuisine.com 12 C blueberries or strawberries (strawberries: hulled and chopped) 4 C honey 1 C maple syrup 3 T lemon zest ž C lemon juice Bring berries through lemon zest to a boil. Mash with a potato masher. Once mixture comes to a rapid boil, cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, and let stand for 5 minutes. Ladle into jars, leaving about ½ inch of space at the top. Cover with the lid and let stand for 15-30 minutes. Store at room temperature if jars have sealed, or in the freezer if they haven’t (or if you just want to). Makes about 6 pints. Note To sanitize jars, place in a large pot and cover with water (about 1 inch over the top of jars). Bring to a boil and boil for about 10 minutes.
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015 Photo by Rachel Oberg
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
brunch a spring gathering
Recipes and text by AHO Subscriber Kezia Nuesch of The Whole Food Diary Photos by Leah Valenzuela of Leah Märi Photography
I I meal was brunch I would absolutely do that. To me there’s no more perfect way to spend a weekend morning (or any morning for that matter) than sitting down to a feast of eggs, veggies, sweet bites, and a few rounds of coffee while bright morning sunshine streams through the windows. There are no rules as to what is allowed on the brunch table, making it the perfect moment for a collaboration of all the seasonal favourites. Personally, I think as long as there are eggs somewhere and coffee is abundant, it passes as brunch. The name itself suggests different meals merging together and that’s what it should be. An indulgent breakfast, slowly becoming mid-morning coffee and treats before rolling into a relaxing lunch— giving you the perfect excuse to eat three meals in one gloriously long and lazy setting. With the spring arrival of berries, and the avocado, without which no egg dish is complete, I knew that a big morning spread was on the cards. The table was decorated seasonally with box greens, shed antlers, wildflowers, and succulents, and then piled high with different dishes ready for hands to
pile in and load up plates. As always, running my eye over the list of seasonal ingredients I want to make food for an army, how can you leave any one of these ingredients off the table? Arugula blossoms, chocolate mint, cherries, lavender….Spring is such a wonderful food season! For the main dish I gathered lots of the seasonal green vegetables in a spring hash served with poached eggs. Lighter and brighter than the hearty winter-style root vegetable hash, this is perfect topped with avocado slices and then for an extra freshness, a good dose of pea and basil pesto. You have to have a sweet treat at the table, so I decided on using some of the berries in a berry-filled, almond-topped, gooey, but not overly sweet slice. To put a spring twist on the coffee, I made a lavender cashew milk for lavender lattes. It’s so simple, much cheaper and healthier than buying your own nut milk, and absolutely wonderful in or out of coffee. The milk also found a home poured over the crunchy granola with grilled peaches and plums. Everyone found their own way to mix and match the different plates on the table making their own perfect brunch meal. www.abundantharvestorganics.com 17
Lavender Milk 1.5 cup raw cashew nuts 1.5 cups unsweetened shredded coconut 3 dates ½ tsp vanilla ½ tsp culinary grade lavender flowers 4 cups filtered water
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
Soak the cashews and dates in water for 2 hours (or leave them overnight). Drain the water and add them to a good blender with the coconut, vanilla, lavender and the filtered water. Blend everything for 2 to 3 minutes, starting slowly then working up to high power. Finally strain the liquid into a bowl through a nut milk bag and transfer to a sealable jar to store. Keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
Pea & Basil Pesto
Berry & Almond Slice
2 cups fresh basil leaves (not packed down, just loose) ½ cup raw walnuts ½ cup raw cashews ⅔ cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp nutritional yeast Juice of ½ lemon 1 cup fresh peas (steamed until tender, or defrosted frozen peas) Salt to taste Water to thin as desired
½ cup local raw honey ½ cup softened coconut oil 3 eggs at room temperature 2 tsp vanilla 2 cups almond meal 3 tbsp coconut flour 4oz blueberries 4oz strawberries, chopped into small pieces 1½ tsp baking powder Makes 12 squares
Throw the cashews, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, olive oil and lemon juice in a blender and pulse until it’s finely chopped and mixed. Then throw in the basil and peas and pulse again until they are all incorporated. Depending on whether you want a dolloping-style pesto or a sauce, you can add more water (or oil) as needed until you reach the desired consistency.
Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 7x7 cake pan with parchment paper. Mix the honey and coconut oil together until well combined then one by one beat in the eggs. Add in the vanilla, beating again. In a separate bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients and then fold into the wet mixture with a spoon until combined, then finally stir in the berries. Spoon the muffin mixture into lined muffin tins and bake for 35 minutes or until the tops are browning and they are springy to the touch. This would also be divine if you added a few drops of almond essence, and switched the berries for cherries!
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Spring Veggie Hash Really you can use anything you want in this, thrown in a skillet with lots of garlic and then topped with poached eggs, creamy avocado and a bright pea pesto you really can’t go wrong! In our house, egg-topped plates of veggie hash usually happen to empty out the fridge before our next produce box arrives! This one was a little more thought out though, and is full of all the wonderful greens that are in season.
3 tbsp coconut oil 1 bunch asparagus small head broccoli 2 cups kale 2 cups spinach 2 cloves garlic 2 leeks 1 cup fresh peas ½ small onion 6 eggs ½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped Salt and Pepper Sliced avocado to serve To feed 6 Start by chopping all the veggies. Finely dice the onion, crush the garlic and chop the broccoli into small florets. Cut the asparagus on the bias into inch
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
long sections (after discarding the tough base of the spear) and thinly slice the white and the lighter green section of the leeks. Heat the oil in a skillet to a medium heat then add in the leeks and onion, stirring regularly, saute them until they are nicely softened. Add in the garlic, salt and pepper, give it a little stir and then add the broccoli, asparagus, peas. Continue to stir intermittently over a medium heat for about another 10 minutes until all the veggies are softened but still have a little bite. Finally stir in the spinach, chopped kale and cilantro, cover and take off the heat. The spinach and kale will cook just as much as they need to while you poach the eggs. Bring a skillet with an inch of water to a gentle boil and crack in all your eggs, evenly spread. When the whites are cooked and white, gently spoon some of the hot water over the yolks until they are sealed in, or cooked as much as you want them. Take of the heat and you are ready to go! Take the lid of your veggies, pile them on plates and use a slotted spoon to transfer the eggs on top. Finish with some slices of avocado, and a good dollop of pesto.
Cauliflower & Goat Cheese Fritters ⅓ cup almond meal 2 tbsp coconut flour 1 small clove of garlic (crushed) Salt and pepper 2 eggs 2 tbsp soft goat cheese (sub 1 tbsp nutritional yeast for a dairy-free option)
½ tsp baking powder ¼ cup almond milk (or water) ⅔ cup very finely chopped raw cauliflower. Makes 8 small fritters Set the cauliflower aside and place all the other ingredients together in a bowl. Beat the mixture with a fork until it’s smooth and well combined. Then stir in the finely chopped cauliflower. (You can also chop the cauliflower by breaking it into small florets, placing them in a food processor and pulsing it about 10 times for a second each time). Next, heat a skillet over a medium heat with a little coconut oil. When the pan is hot, scoop 2 to 3 tbsp sized amounts of the batter into the pan. Flatten them down a little and cook for about 2 minutes on each side or until nicely browned.
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Grilled Peaches & Plums with Yogurt and Granola 5 peaches 5 plums 3 tbsp raw honey You favourite granola To feed 6
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
Chop the peaches and plums in half and remove the stones. Place them cut side up in a skillet or baking dish and drizzle with honey. Simply place the pan under the broiler for 5 to 10 minutes or until the fruit is just beginning to brown nicely. Top with a good dollop of yogurt and a sprinkle of your favourite granola.
permission to be
arsnip-ity P
On first encounter, it’s ok to think of a snack with hummus or parsnip as a white carrot, but as you dip. prepare for the second date, and before
You can eat the skin
it’s time to take them home to meet of your parsnips (The the family, you might want to consider skin is actually where the digging a little deeper to get to know this most nutrients are), but the sweet spring veggie on its own terms.
texture is not smooth like that
Parsnips spend almost twice as much of a carrot. It is more fibrous time in the ground as their cousin the and bumpy, so some people carrot. Mid-spring season’s parsnips might prefer to peel them for the are sprouting in November, that’s four aesthetic appeal of certain dishes. months of growing going on under the
Peeled or cut parsnips tend to
soil! The kiss of first frost bestows some brown quickly. To avoid this, either extra sweetness.
cook immediately or set them in a bowl
Methods for cooking parsnips are: of water with a little bit of lemon juice sautéing, roasting, grating raw for until you’re ready to start cooking. salads, using in soups or stews, steaming,
Complementary herbs in parsnip
boiling, simmered and puréed as a side dishes include dill, parsley, thyme, and dish, cut into sticks and served as a raw tarragon.
Organic Farmers David, Joseph, Antonio, and Michelle Silviera of Rancho Piccolo in Atwater, California show off a family sized bunch of parsnips.
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Photos by Jessica Lessard
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
AHO Kitchen prepared foods
from the fields of your farmers to your table T
he organic certification system is in place to provide a trust structure for folks who want to be sure what they’re eating and feeding to their family is what it says it is. We like that. But we also like the old-school, relational way of trusting where your food comes from: knowing your farmer. We think making a way for those relationships to happen is what makes us different here at AHO. This year, we’re hoping to extend the same farmer to co-producer relationship we’ve built over the years through our produce boxes into our new AHO Kitchen’s prepared foods—all of which are made with organic produce and ingredients sourced from the farmers and suppliers we’ve been working with for years. The big difference for the co-producer is, we’re doing the work: chopping, mixing, rolling, filling, and par-baking seasonal dishes made with ingredients from the farms of our farmer friends, men and women we are proud to support.
Current Kitchen Offerings Include:
Apple Pie A WORD FROM THE CHEF “Fresh hand-cut organic apples, hand-squeezed organic lemon juice, specially picked organic spices, Europeanstyle organic butter, and fresh-milled organic wheat, now that’s a recipe for delicious.” FEATURED FARMERS Smit Ranch Cliff McFarlin Farms
Chicken & Rice Soup A WORD FROM THE CHEF “I actually grew up eating this soup and it’s one of my favorites! There’s something so beautiful about its simplicity. We all have those go-to recipes and this is definitely one I use and enjoy tweaking as the seasons change.” FEATURED FARMERS Pittman Family Farms KMK Organic Farms
Pot Pies A WORD FROM THE CHEF As being an athlete and coach for many years I’ve noticed a misconception in some people’s train of thought and perception of ‘healthy’ eating, that is you have to have a diet of dull food that has no flavor. This pot pie is a great example of something that has everything you need to nourish your body for your activities along with some great flavor that you won’t feel guilty for having. You can take it to work, have it for a family dinner, take it to a friend to brighten their day, or have your athlete gobble it up after a long day at a tournament. The possibilities are endless. FEATURED FARMERS Pittman Family Farms KMK Organic Farms
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AHO Staff Spotlight If you’ve been with Abundant Harvest very long, you are likely to have had an email exchange with Blanca, our stellar customer service person. Blanca has been with the Peterson Family and Abundant Harvest Organics off and on for about ten years. Her very first summer job was working counting packed boxes in the fruit packing shed. Over the years she’s worked as packer, sorter, in shipping, and managing inventory. In her words, “Anywhere they needed me, I would go.” She’s been helping with Abundant Harvest Organics since the very first box was packed and now works full time for Abundant Harvest as the go to person for managing customer feedback. She helps keep up with add-ons, keeps our community hosts updated with weekly pack info, is on call for problem solving with truck drivers en route at all hours of the day (5 a.m. calls!), and steps up to fill in around the packing shed as needs arise. All of this she manages to do with a smile. Thank you Blanca for all you do!
Best Part of the Job “Everyday coming and seeing the people who work here. I know I would enjoy it if I could see the customers too, but it’s fun being here with all the staff.”
Favorite Season “Spring. I love the colors and the food is so fresh— salads, and have you seen those strawberries that are in the box!”
Blanca Acosta
“I feel really proud when we get good feedback, proud of the company. It’s not my own company, but I treat it like it is part of my family, because we are all a family. We all have to stick together. The bad emails aren’t as fun to get, but when I do get them, I want to solve the problem, and we always do our best to take care of people.”
Hobbies During free time, you can find Blanca tearing it up on the soccer or volleyball field, playing with her nieces and nephews, or spending time with the rest of her family.
Fun Acosta Family Fact Blanca’s dad was the first to work at the Peterson Family fruit packing shed, and, working at the fruit shed has been the first job for Blanca and her six sisters. Her mom works here too. www.abundantharvestorganics.com 27
Organic Farmer Chris Couture harvesting asparagus at Couture Farms in Kettleman City, California Photo by Caitlin Couture
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
In the Field
ASPARAGUS he organic asparagus in the Abundant Harvest produce boxes each spring is grown on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley at the Couture Family’s fourth generation family farm. (The Coutures supply the pomegranates for the AHO boxes in the fall too.) Asparagus plants send up as many as twenty spears per plant, which are harvested by hand using long handled asparagus knives. “In the early spring this is just a bare field, there’s nothing happening. And then one day you see little spears start to emerge, and we’ll start harvesting when there are enough of them nine www.abundantharvestorganics.com 29
inches tall. And then you have to come every day for about two and a half months,� farmer Chris Couture explained. During harvest season, under ideal conditions, asparagus stalks can grow as much as ten inches in just one day and plants can produce for up to twenty years. The Coutures’ asparagus field was planted in 2006, and is still considered to be a young field. The Couture family’s asparagus is harvested and bundled by hand from March through May. Each year after harvest the asparagus stalks are allowed to grow all summer long to full flower. The full grown ferns are incorporated back into the soil with compost in the winter when cold temperatures move the plant into dormancy. In the spring when the soil temperature reaches about 50 degrees, the plant starts pushing up new asparagus stalks.
(Top) Asparagus being harvested by hand at Couture Farms (Bottom) After harvest, the asparagus stalks continue to grow to full maturity. Like pistachios and kiwis, asparagus is dioecious, meaning there are male and female plants. The female plants produce red berries. Photo by Caitlin Couture
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
Photo by Caitlin Couture
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P Greens ork
and
Green like asparagus and English peas!
Roasted Asparagus with Almonds and Crispy Bacon by Rachel Oberg of www.de-ma-cuisine.com 1 bunch asparagus, ends trimmed 4 slices bacon 1 T olive oil salt pepper Ÿ C almonds (I used roasted and salted), chopped ½ lemon, juiced Pre-heat the oven to 425F. Place bacon strips into a cold skillet. Turn on heat and cook until crispy. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Toss asparagus with oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 5 minutes. Turn and roast 5 to 8 minutes more, or until they are as crispy as you would like. Top asparagus with bacon and almonds. Pour lemon juice over. Serve immediately. 32
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Photos pg 32-33 by Rachel Oberg
English Peas with Ricotta and Ham Over Pasta by Rachel Oberg of www.de-ma-cuisine.com 1 pkg pasta 1 T olive oil 1 heaping C English peas (shelled) 2 carrots, in long thin ribbons (use a vegetable peeler) 1 bulb green garlic (just the edible part), minced 3/4 t to 1 t salt pinch cayenne pepper, to taste 1/2 to 1 t fresh thyme 1/4 C water 1-2 T lemon juice 3/4 C ham, cooked and thinly sliced 2-3 C chard, roughly chopped 10 oz. ricotta cheese parmesan cheese, grated (for topping) basil, chopped (for topping)
Cook pasta in salted water. While pasta cooks, heat skillet, and add oil. Add English peas through thyme. Cook over medium or medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add water. Cook 8 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Add lemon juice, ham, and chard. Cook for 5 minutes (or until ham is heated through and chard is wilted), tossing occasionally with tongs. Taste and adjust seasonings. Toss cooked pasta with ricotta and a pinch of salt. Serve pasta topped with veggies and some parmesan and basil.
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Potatoes A Living Food Organic potatoes are alive. Even without soil, they are eager to restart the cycle of life. And though potato sprouts are sometimes viewed as a nuisance for the home chef, they could also be seen as a little miracle— an organic sign of life. A potato is actually a tuber of the potato plant and not a true root. It is the vessel the plant uses to store all of its nutrients and water while growing, with the intention of using those resources to regenerate itself. Potatoes beget more potatoes, and though there is such thing as a true potato seed—produced by the fruit of the matured plant—sprouted potato cuttings are most commonly used as the seed. It is impossible to know whether a potato is ready to sprout just by looking at it, but understanding the natural dormancy cycle potatoes go through is helpful. In the field, as the potato vine dies off before harvest time, the tubers enter a natural state of dormancy, which can last several months. Potatoes harvested at the same time, from the same farm aren’t necessarily going to be on the same dormancy calendar because the length and intensity sleep is dependent on a
“A potato doesn’t die. It doesn’t get harvested like a melon or an artichoke or squash. It goes into a dormancy period. That’s the neat thing about a potato: it’s never dead, it is always alive, even though it may not have sprouts, it’s still a living thing, that if you bring it to the right temperature, and the right conditions, it will push out eyes and it will regenerate itself.” -Farmer Dave Mendrin
Potato planting with sprouted, cut potatoes as seed at T&D Willey Organic Farms in Madera, California 34
Seasonal Update Spring 2015
complex variety of factors including: variety characteristics, daytime and nighttime temperatures during the growing season, soil moisture levels, tuber size, and storage conditions post harvest. A farmer’s job is to catch that dormancy period at the right time and know when to get the potatoes out of the ground. Conventional grocery store potatoes are treated with chemical sprout inhibitors, and for this reason they can be stored for months and months without sprouting, since their physiological tendency to sprout is being chemically suppressed. Organic potatoes also have options for applied sprout inhibitors, such as clove oil or peppermint oil, but, the potatoes that come in the Abundant Harvest boxes are completely untreated. Proper storage helps potatoes keep longer, but when a potato is ready to wake up, the cold temperatures of fridge is the only way to slow its emergence from dormancy. The ideal temperature to store potatoes is 45 to 55 degrees, though while dormant they can be stored for weeks at room temperature without a problem. Potatoes that have sprouted but are still firm are completely safe to eat once the sprouts are cut away.
Waking Up The emergence of one dominant sprout is a sign that your potatoes are waking up from the slumber of dormancy. Breaking off this first sprout will encourage the other eyes on the potato to start pushing sprouts also. Spring potatoes are more likely to have a shorter dormancy window because the temperatures during growth and harvest are warmer.
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Potatoes In the Kitchen Common Potato Types Reds Waxy
Fingerlings
Type Cast The amount of starch a potato contains makes a difference in the kitchen because of the way starches absorb liquid. Floury potatoes have a higher starch content and absorb more liquid, making for a fluffier, looser texture when cooked. Waxy potatoes have a lower starch content and retain their shape better than floury potatoes. Waxy Potatoes
Floury Potatoes
smooth, creamy texture desired holds shape when cooked
drier, fluffy texture desired breaks apart when cooked
Soups/Stews (in pieces) Salads Roasting Gratins
Soups (puréed) Mashing Baking French Fries
Waxy
How can you tell the difference between the two? Waxy potatoes tend to have a thinner, more delicate skin and leave little to no milky residue on a knife when cut.
Yukon Gold Dual Purpose
Purple Majesty Floury
Russet Floury
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
Keep the Skin in the Game Most of a potato’s nutrients are in the layer just below the skin, so it’s best to eat them with the skin on. Bake to a crisp with olive oil and salt, or stir skins into mashed potatoes for texture. Blackening Darkening of potatoes after cooking is caused by a chemical reaction brought on by increased sugars in the potato. When potatoes sprout they begin to turn starches into sugars, and the same thing happens when potatoes are stored below 45 degrees (i.e. in the fridge!). Blackened potatoes are still safe to eat, they just don’t look very appetizing. Greening When potatoes are exposed to light for a prolonged period of time, they will develop solanine, which can be seen in the greening of the skin. Solanine is poisonous, but you can cut out the green spots, making sure to remove all green areas in the flesh of the potato and then cook the potatoes normally. Greening can happen even in the field if potatoes create cracks in the soil which expose them to the sun as they bulk up in size.
Digging up new potatoes at JND Farms in Madera, California www.abundantharvestorganics.com 37
Do You Zoodle?
AHO staffer Jessica takes a spiralizer for a whirl in the kitchen and brings us a whole new twist on veggie-filled dinner by Jessica Lessard 38
Seasonal Update Spring 2015
ZOODLES. OODLES and OODLES of ZOODLE recipes are bound to populate if you do any type of Internet search these days for “zucchini recipe.” If you’ve never heard this term, it’s actually a reference to the proliferation of devices on the market that help turn vegetables into noodles. Some people swear by them. There is even a whole host of cookbooks dedicated to the subject, filled with recipes for everything from pasta to hamburger buns made entirely out of veggies. This new technique has been revolutionizing how people consume vegetables, so naturally, I needed to check it out. I ordered up a spiraling device (mine is a mid-level device about $30) and got turning: zucchini, yellow squash, carrots, parsnips, cucumbers, jicama, eggplant, beets, potatoes and more. Here’s what I learned.
Watery veggies don’t make for good noodles. I failed by starting off with eggplant. Eggplant is a challenge for me, as someone who struggles with textural issues in food. I thought perhaps that spiraling it into noodles would help, but unfortunately it proved a bit too watery and the gorgeous purple Japanese eggplant I used pretty much resulted in white mush. I quickly learned that the key to successful veggie noodles is to pick veggies that aren’t super watery. Cucumbers were an exception, but I had to press them with paper towels over and over to get them to a place where they were good for mixing with sauce.
Texture issues can be overcome. I love zucchini. I love cucumbers. I love yellow squash, but I really don’t like their mushy centers filled with seeds. My spiraling device also removed the seeds in the middle of the veggies, helping me conquer some texture issues. This could be a good bonus for kids who can’t get past the potential mushy nature of some of these veggies.
The more you spin the less you waste. I found that for my device, flat and round shapes worked best. So even things like jicama and beets were easily turned into fun noodles and potatoes into hash browns. Figuring out the right shape to match with how your spiraling device works can lead to quick prep for things like slaws, stir fries, pasta salads and more. There were some leftover parts but my dogs happily stood by to scarf down the extras. These bits of course would be great to add to vegetable soup stock or can be tossed in the compost pile. Photo by Jessica Lessard
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Greek Pasta Salad
2 zucchini, spiraled 1 cup cucumber, spiraled ½ – 1 red onion, sliced thinly ⅓ cup green or black pitted olives, halved ½ cup olive oil ½ cup lemon juice 2 Tbsp fresh basil or 2 tsp dried & crushed
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4 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried & crushed ¼ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground black pepper 1 cup feta cheese (4 oz) Tomatoes, chopped
oregano, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover and shake well. Meanwhile, combine zucchini, cucumber, red onion, and olives in a bowl and toss. Pour in dressing and toss again. Divide mixture into two serving bowls. Top with feta cheese and tomatoes if desired. In a jar that can be sealed, combine Serve immediately or refrigerate the olive oil, lemon juice, basil and until you’re ready to serve.
Photos pg 40-41 by Jessica Lessard
Bonus: veggie noodles are a super replacement for pasta for those needing or wanting to go gluten free. Simple Carrot Parsnip Stir Fry
Cooking veggie noodles is fast and easy. Replacing pasta with veggies not only removes the carbs/gluten but it saves time. You don’t have to wait the 10 to 15 minutes it takes to boil water and cook pasta. I like saving that time. It only takes about 2 to 3 minutes stirred in a sauté pan with a little oil or butter to cook them and maintain the crunch. Too much and they go soggy. If you plan to add a sauce to your noodles, you might consider cooking
the veggie noodles separately so that the water from the veggies don’t make the sauce too watery.
Keep a pair of kitchen shears nearby. The device created noodles that were super loooooong. A simple snip snip with kitchen shears helped make the veggie noodles more manageable and easier to twirl with my fork or chop sticks.
3/4 lb parsnips, spiraled 2 Tbs butter 1 lb carrots, spiraled 1 Tbs dried minced onion In a skillet, sauté parsnips in butter for 3 to 4 minutes. Add carrots and onion: cook and stir until vegetables are crisp tender. Serve immediately.
Easy Cucumber Salad 1½ cucumbers, spiraled 1-2 Tbs of soy sauce ¼ tsp sesame oil sesame seeds Combine cucumbers with soy sauce and sesame oil. Sprinkle with desired amount of sesame seeds and toss.
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Capellini al Pomodoro is one of my go-to simple meals. The angel hair pasta can be easily subbed out for yellow squash noodles (and you save time not having to boil water). Just heat some olive oil and garlic in a skillet. Toss in fresh chopped tomatoes, cook lightly, toss in yellow squash for 2 to 3 minutes until desired softness. Top with chili flakes and fresh basil and serve. Photo by Jessica Lessard
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Seasonal Update Spring 2015
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Cornett Farms’ bees pollinate the summer fruit that comes in your AHO produce box AND they make the honey we have available as an add-on. (Above) Cornett bees get busy in Uncle Vern’s plum orchard. (Below) Mary Cornett sells honey at a farmer’s market in Fresno, CA. (Opposite) Cornett Farms homegrown honey.
Hometown Bees In the Land of Fruit and Honey Cornett Farms bees pollinate blooms and make their year’s worth of honey all in their own backyard Honeybees are in high demand during bloomtime in the Central Valley when the billions of fruit and nut blossoms make their debut each year in early spring. Beehives are trucked in from as far as Florida to 44
Seasonal Update Spring 2015
contribute to the pollination needs of California’s agricultural areas. This makes Cornett Farms, which is right down the road from Uncle Vern’s fruit orchards, a honeybee hometown hero. Located right in the heart of stone fruit country, surrounded by citrus on all sides, the Cornetts never have to move their bees more than 20 miles from home. Organic orchards can make a bee keeper’s life a little easier because they tend to have cover crops and seasonal weeds that can provide additional forage for the bees after bloomtime is past. This is especially helpful during this time of drought, when not as much forrage is growing elsewhere. After stone fruit bloom is over, sweet scent of orange blossoms beckons to
the Cornetts’ bees. Much of the surplus honey production comes during this part of the pollination season. Citrus blossoms, in their opinion, make the best honey. The Cornett’s honey is available as an add-on with your Abundant Harvest Organics subscription.
Photo by Jessica Lessard
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Coming Soon Tasty-Rich Apriums are a cross between an apricot and plum. They roll in toward the end of spring, welcoming stone fruit season.
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