January 23 | 2023

EATING SEASONALLY

EATING IN SEASON

DURING AN IN-BETWEEN SEASON

I'm not sure if that title makes sense, but we are going to go with it.

Eating in season. What is it all about?

Eating seasonally has many benefits, including supporting your local farmers and getting the highest nutrients your fruits and vegetables have to offer. The longer a fruit or vegetable is separated from the plant, the less nutrients it has available to you. Therefore, it is best to buy your produce from farms as close to your home as possible, if not right from your own garden.

Plants put all of their effort into filling their "fruit" with as many nutrients as possible, and the height of this nutrition happens when fruit is allowed to mature and ripen while still attached to the plant. Most fruit and vegetables in big chain grocery stores are picked long before they are ripe so that they are not spoiled by the time they arrive at their destination; hence, less nutrients are available in what you are eating.

I have gathered some recipes that utilize the seasonal fruits and vegetables that we currently have to offer. When I am meal planning for the week, I look at what is here in the store and find recipes that center around those items. Maybe you can try your hand at this, as well, and treat your body to the most nutrients seasonal produce has to offer. The produce list included in every newsletter can give you a starting point.

Sardinian longevity minestrone
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This recipe is great because you can pretty much add whatever you want or substitute ingredients for ones that you have available. It is also easy to make in a slow cooker, which gives you more time with family and doing the things you enjoy, and less time standing over the stovetop. Bonus: this dish is chock-full of nutrient dense ingredients. 

We have the majority of the ingredients here in the store including: olive oil, yellow onion, carrots, celery, broccoli, sweet potatoes, parsnip (instead of fennel), great northern beans, white quinoa (instead of couscous), dried basil and parsley (instead of fresh), salt, pepper, and we thought adding some fresh chopped kale before serving would be a nice addition!

Check out the full recipe here.


Creamed spinach stuffed butternut or  Spaghetti squash

Similar to the minestrone recipe, this is one you can add to and adjust to your liking. You can even make this with spaghetti squash, if you prefer. We've made this recipe at home and it always provides more meals than we expect. Adding some ground pork or sausage and some mushrooms amp up the flavor profile of this already filling dish.

We thankfully have all of the ingredients you will need: butternut or spaghetti squash, yellow onion, garlic (always a necessity), salt, pepper, milk, heavy cream, spinach, Ashe County Cheeses of choice (I suggest jack mild and/or tomato basil), and ground pork or sausage, if desired.

You can find the (starter) recipe here.
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Mandarin Orange Almond salad

For a lighter recipe, this mandarin orange salad is super refreshing. The recipe also includes a simple homemade dressing that you can double and keep the extra for another dish. To add some protein, you can add seasoned chicken breasts or some sliced flank steak.

We have everything you need: Bradford Farm mixed salad greens, red onion, mandarins, almonds, sugar, avocado oil, lemon, mustard, salt, honey, oranges, and protein of choice.

You can find the full recipe here.

This Week's Local + Seasonal Produce

VEGETABLES

Bradford Farm - organically grown

  • Arugula
  • Red Russian Kale
  • Salad Mix
  • Swiss Chard

Green Thumb Gardens - Concord, NC - organically grown

  • Carrots (arrive Tuesday)
  • Collard Greens
  • Garlic

Street Fare Farm - Concord, NC - organically grown

  • Baby Kale
  • Baby Spinach
  • Broccoli Shoots
  • French Breakfast Radishes
  • Pea Shoots
  • White Green Onions


Organic Baby Bella Mushrooms - PA

Organic Blue Hubbard Squash - NC

Organic Broccoli - CA

Organic Butternut Squash - NC

Organic Carnival Squash - PA (arrives Friday)

Organic Celery - CA (sale!)

Organic Covington Sweet Potatoes - NC

Organic Fair Trade Avocados - Mexico

Organic Fair Trade Delicata Squash - Mexico

Organic Garlic - CA​

Organic Green Cabbage - NC

Organic Mini Sweet Snacking Peppers - FL

Organic Murasaki Sweet Potatoes - NC

Organic Parsnips - NC

Organic Pie Pumpkins - PA (sale!)

Organic Red Cabbage - NC

Organic Red Grape Tomatoes - FL

Organic Red Onions - CA

Organic Red Potatoes - WI (arrives Friday)

Organic Russet Potatoes - WI (arrives Friday)

Organic Shallots - CA

Organic Shiitake Mushrooms - PA (sale!)

Organic Spaghetti Squash - CA

Organic Yellow Onions - CA

Organic Yellow Gold Potatoes - WI


FRUIT

Low Spray Arkansas Black Apples - NC

Organic Biodynamic Navel Oranges - CA

Organic Biodynamic Raisins - CA

Organic Blood Oranges - CA

Organic Fair Trade Bananas - Honduras

Organic Fuji Apples - WA (arrives Friday)

Organic Gala Apples - CA

Organic Granny Smith Apples - WA (sale!)

Organic Green Anjou Pears - WA

Organic Honeycrisp Apples - WA

Organic Kiwi - CA

Organic Lemons - CA

Organic Minneola Tangelo Mandarins - CA

Organic Pink Lady Apples - WA

Organic Ruby Red Grapefruit - CA (arrives Friday)

Fact of the Week: Eating seasonally helps the environment. Growing food out of season takes an immense "amount of resources in one of two ways: either it takes a lot of extra energy to recreate the natural growing season in an artificial way, or it uses a tremendous amount of fossil fuel to transport the foods across the world to you" (Darien Olien, nutritionist and superfood guru). Eating in season reduces your carbon footprint.

Check out our new (in progress) website HERE​!
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By shopping with us you are in-turn  supporting your local farmers, artisans,       and economy.

We thank you.


Correne + Frank LaRoche

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