Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Hi Everyone,
Well the plants survived the heat. Now for the heat on delivery day. It's supposed to be hotter tomorrow than today so if we're dropping off your bag on the doorstep, we'll look for a shady spot. Every bag will also have ice packs in it to keep all your delicious veggies fresh. If you want to leave a cooler out we can transfer the ice packs and produce to your ice chest.
We've heard lately from some of our friends that it's hard to "keep up" with the vegetables and we totally understand. I find that if I wash and prep everything at once and have it handy in the fridge, I will be way more likely to use it. I also like to have everything ready for a quick salad or lettuce leaves washed and ready to make a lettuce wrap. Our kids love tuna wraps and it's not like eating another "boring" sandwich. We also use a lot of our vegetables in one meal. Here's an example : this week we'll have broccoli, baby bok choy, carrots, and gr. cabbage so... what I do is make a stir fry with all these vegetables and add them to pad thai noodles--super inexpensive at trader joes-- if I have extra spinach I'll add some too towards the end so that it stays crisp. Then I sprinkle the spring onions on top. This is so fast and easy.
For salads this week I plan to pair arugula with strawberries and some type of citrusy dressing.
I know it's so hot that it's hard to imagine having soup but I've added a soup that I think will be easy and delicious. so Kath and Cath there are no more excuses--eat your veggies.
Adapted from The Basque Table by Teresa Barrenechea (Harvard Common Press, 1998).
This soothing soup is from the colorful Basque region of Spain. The recipe gets its rich, creamy texture from pureeing the ingredients, not from dairy or fat. Fresh young spinach and spring onions give it lots of mineral nutrition, and the preparation is simplicity itself.
INGREDIENTS
4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
1 bunch of spring onions both white and green parts, cut into 4 or 5 pieces, crosswise
3 medium carrots, cut into chunks
1 bunch spinach
6 cups water
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Croutons for garnish (optional)
1. In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the potatoes, onions, carrots, and spinach with the water and bring the contents to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, until the root vegetables are fork-tender. Add the oil and season to taste with salt. Cook for about 5 minutes longer so the flavors blend.
Bread, Flowers, Eggs, and Plants
We have a great local baker that is willing to make organic whole wheat delicious bread for our CSA members. he has been working on the perfect formula and I have been cooperating by trying every batch. If your interested email us and we'll put a fresh, organic loaf of bread in your bag next week.
As some of you might know, we are collaborating with our friends at Growing Grounds this year. Growing Grounds is a great place where clients from Transitions Mental Health work on a 3 acre farm on Foster Rd. This year we have taken over the planting of the vegetables and Ariela and Chris from Growing Grounds are growing their amazing flowers. This gave us an opportunity to expand our CSA since we had more land to plant and it's a good way for Growing Grounds to cut down on their costs. So now if you need beautiful flowers just let us know and we can put those in your bag too.
We can also get free range eggs from a farmer in Nipomo if you are interested. Our chickens are keeping us very happy with their eggs but we don't have enough to offer to our members. I guess we need more chickens.
If there is anything else tht you would like to be able to purchase that is organic and local, let us know. We have a lot of friends that have wonderful products to share with our members.
Jerry has finally given the okay to sell the summer starts for your gardens. He didn't want them to go in too early. So if your interested come by on Monday when Jerry is here. He can show you what we have and give you some tips. Tim(our 12 year old) also wants me to tell you that if you don't want to water your garden very much, he has beautiful succulents for sale.
We are planning on having an Earth Day Our Way this month but are not quite sure of the date. (probably the last weekend in April) If you have anything you would like to share with other members please let us know.
On April 4th we had the children from Los Adobes de Maria plant the Children's Garden you can see more at
http://web.me.com/blosserurbangarden/El_Jardin_de_los_Ninos/Welcome.html
Have a great, healthy, happy week.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Here We Go Again
Hello Everyone,
It is amazing to us that it's time to start again. We hope that you've missed the veggies as much as we have.
It has been a busy week getting ready for our first CSA day. Thank you to all of you that joined us for our second year. We really appreciate you telling your friends about us because our CSA has really grown this year. It's so exciting to have so many new members. Our community continues to grow just like the garden.
I thought I would go over the rules and regulations =) since we do have so many new members. First of all, please feel free to contact us at any time. If there is something not right with your order or you want to change your delivery or you have a question just email us or call us. My email is alejandramahoney@gmail.com and phone# si 878-1456. Jerry's is jerrymahoneyjm@yahoo.com and phone# 878-1744. if we are delivering to you and you won't be home, just leave your bag by the front door and we'll pick up the empty and give you a full one.
This week in your bag--oh by the way we chose the Trader Joes bags because they are durable and hold a lot of fruits and vegetables. We don't need to manufacture more bags just so they'll have our name on them. It's more sustainable this way. So.... in your bag..
Broccoli Raab- the big leafy stuff that has tiny broccoli buds on it. It is so nutritious and you can put it in anything. Blanch it in salted water first and then you can stir fry it add it to soup, or eat it like spinach
Carrots- I'm lucky if I can wrestle one of these away from the kids.
Green /Red Onions - these are great grilled- just sprinlkle a little olive oil and salt on them, grill and eat.
Parsley and Cilantro-it's fun to have the kids try and figure out which is which.
Kale-- the dark green kinda bumpy leaves- great in soups
Strawberries- from our very own garden-- we couldn't believe our first planting would do so well. They'll just get sweeter and sweeter.
Blueberries-- the blueberries are the only item that is not certified organic. Our friend Gary Teixeira is a local farmer and they are so good we couldn't pass them up.
Beets- you can boil the tops and bottoms. Our favorite way to eat them is to roast them with the carrots--A little olive oil drizzled over the top and put them in the oven until they're tender.
Cabbage- We make a coleslaw with a cilantro dressing. Just blend some cilantro, lemon juice and mayo in the blender and pour over thinly sliced cabbage. We also put this cabbage salad in out tacos.
Red Leaf Lettuce and Green Leaf Lettuce-- these two lettuces were picked right before we delivered. They are so tender and sweet. If they were wilted or crushed in your bag please let us know. It does happen sometimes. We mixed them together with coarsely chopped carrots and some roasted beets for dinner tonight- everyone loved it.
Broccoli- tiny florets and carrots are a great lunch time snack.
Again, Thank you so much for your support. We are so happy to be able to share our harvest with you.
Alejandra
It is amazing to us that it's time to start again. We hope that you've missed the veggies as much as we have.
It has been a busy week getting ready for our first CSA day. Thank you to all of you that joined us for our second year. We really appreciate you telling your friends about us because our CSA has really grown this year. It's so exciting to have so many new members. Our community continues to grow just like the garden.
I thought I would go over the rules and regulations =) since we do have so many new members. First of all, please feel free to contact us at any time. If there is something not right with your order or you want to change your delivery or you have a question just email us or call us. My email is alejandramahoney@gmail.com and phone# si 878-1456. Jerry's is jerrymahoneyjm@yahoo.com and phone# 878-1744. if we are delivering to you and you won't be home, just leave your bag by the front door and we'll pick up the empty and give you a full one.
This week in your bag--oh by the way we chose the Trader Joes bags because they are durable and hold a lot of fruits and vegetables. We don't need to manufacture more bags just so they'll have our name on them. It's more sustainable this way. So.... in your bag..
Broccoli Raab- the big leafy stuff that has tiny broccoli buds on it. It is so nutritious and you can put it in anything. Blanch it in salted water first and then you can stir fry it add it to soup, or eat it like spinach
Carrots- I'm lucky if I can wrestle one of these away from the kids.
Green /Red Onions - these are great grilled- just sprinlkle a little olive oil and salt on them, grill and eat.
Parsley and Cilantro-it's fun to have the kids try and figure out which is which.
Kale-- the dark green kinda bumpy leaves- great in soups
Strawberries- from our very own garden-- we couldn't believe our first planting would do so well. They'll just get sweeter and sweeter.
Blueberries-- the blueberries are the only item that is not certified organic. Our friend Gary Teixeira is a local farmer and they are so good we couldn't pass them up.
Beets- you can boil the tops and bottoms. Our favorite way to eat them is to roast them with the carrots--A little olive oil drizzled over the top and put them in the oven until they're tender.
Cabbage- We make a coleslaw with a cilantro dressing. Just blend some cilantro, lemon juice and mayo in the blender and pour over thinly sliced cabbage. We also put this cabbage salad in out tacos.
Red Leaf Lettuce and Green Leaf Lettuce-- these two lettuces were picked right before we delivered. They are so tender and sweet. If they were wilted or crushed in your bag please let us know. It does happen sometimes. We mixed them together with coarsely chopped carrots and some roasted beets for dinner tonight- everyone loved it.
Broccoli- tiny florets and carrots are a great lunch time snack.
Again, Thank you so much for your support. We are so happy to be able to share our harvest with you.
Alejandra
Monday, October 20, 2008
The End Of the Season
Hi Friends,
The end of the season has arrived. We have had such a great time this year getting to know all of our great CSA members and growing good food for such good people. We want to thank you for your support. We weren't really sure how this would go but it has been better than we imagined. We are really excited about next year too. We will be giving up our 25 acre farm and expanding our urban garden. We will also have a new farm site that will be bigger than our home site but small enough to be manageable. There are many exciting changes coming and we will keep you updated.
This Sunday Oct 26th from 1-5 we will be picking our final harvest. We invite you all to come out and help and take some veggies home. Please bring the kids out to the smallest pumpkin patch in Santa Maria. They may be small pumpkins but they make the best pumpkin pie!
Thanks again for a great season.
Jerry, Alejandra, Gerald, Kate, Tim and Lita
The end of the season has arrived. We have had such a great time this year getting to know all of our great CSA members and growing good food for such good people. We want to thank you for your support. We weren't really sure how this would go but it has been better than we imagined. We are really excited about next year too. We will be giving up our 25 acre farm and expanding our urban garden. We will also have a new farm site that will be bigger than our home site but small enough to be manageable. There are many exciting changes coming and we will keep you updated.
This Sunday Oct 26th from 1-5 we will be picking our final harvest. We invite you all to come out and help and take some veggies home. Please bring the kids out to the smallest pumpkin patch in Santa Maria. They may be small pumpkins but they make the best pumpkin pie!
Thanks again for a great season.
Jerry, Alejandra, Gerald, Kate, Tim and Lita
Monday, August 4, 2008
Hi Friends
It's been a while and there's a lot going on on the farm.
First we'd like to welcome all of our new CSA members. Thank you to all of you who have recommended our CSA to your friends and family. We are now at maximum capacity for this season so if someone you know would like to join please let them know that we will start up again next year and we can take their information and put them on the list now to assure them a spot in March.
On the farm... We will continue to have spring mix, squash and green beans. Fingerling potatoes will be ready next week and the tomatoes are stubbornly appearing. I'm sure they will be worth the wait. The flowers are adding some great color to the garden and the herbs are finally growing. If you need basil or mint let us know and we'll put some in your bag. The cukes are going crazy so we'll have them for awhile. Fennel is coming and our good friend Kohlrabi.
Our friend's farm...
Our friends at A&A have been providing us with some great organic produce. The strawberries, blackberries, brocccoli, and cauliflower have come from their farm in Santa Maria. The corn this week also came from their farm. It was not organic. We will rarely put non organic fruits or vegetables in your bag and when we do we will always let you know.
Our community...
All of our members have become a very special community. We have shared times on the farm and in the garden. We have shared recipes, stories and food. We continue to be so grateful for this experience. If you have anything to share with other CSA members please email the info and I'll add it to our blog.
Have a great week.
Alejandra
First we'd like to welcome all of our new CSA members. Thank you to all of you who have recommended our CSA to your friends and family. We are now at maximum capacity for this season so if someone you know would like to join please let them know that we will start up again next year and we can take their information and put them on the list now to assure them a spot in March.
On the farm... We will continue to have spring mix, squash and green beans. Fingerling potatoes will be ready next week and the tomatoes are stubbornly appearing. I'm sure they will be worth the wait. The flowers are adding some great color to the garden and the herbs are finally growing. If you need basil or mint let us know and we'll put some in your bag. The cukes are going crazy so we'll have them for awhile. Fennel is coming and our good friend Kohlrabi.
Our friend's farm...
Our friends at A&A have been providing us with some great organic produce. The strawberries, blackberries, brocccoli, and cauliflower have come from their farm in Santa Maria. The corn this week also came from their farm. It was not organic. We will rarely put non organic fruits or vegetables in your bag and when we do we will always let you know.
Our community...
All of our members have become a very special community. We have shared times on the farm and in the garden. We have shared recipes, stories and food. We continue to be so grateful for this experience. If you have anything to share with other CSA members please email the info and I'll add it to our blog.
Have a great week.
Alejandra
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