The Produce Box

It's the week before the holidays, our last week of deliveries, and the end of our SEVENTH season of supporting our NC farm-partners and helping our friends and neighbors eat healthier. WOW!     What I’ve learned from being a part of this community is that while having year-round grocery store access to fresh fruits and vegetables seemed like a good thing, it came with a price, we didn't know who grew our food and didn’t make informed decisions about what impact our money made in the world.    And DURING THE GROWING SEASON, our small to medium local farmers compete with national and international growing operations that sell at such low prices that the stores HERE can sell produce for crazy-low prices.....strawberries for $1-1.50 for example, in the spring. Can you even imagine the price the FARMER gets?  It’s not right.    In the end, when we buy produce from grocery stores, we may not have the opportunity to know the real costs of ...

By ALISON LADMAN, AP For simplicity, every recipe idea assumes you've peeled and seeded the squash. Patties : Cut squash into 2-inch pieces. Microwave until just tender. Allow to cool slightly, then arrange small mounds of cubes on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Use bottom of a bowl or mug to gently smash each mound into a patty about 1/2 inch thick. Brush top of each patty with olive oil & season with salt, pepper & smoked paprika. Bake at 450 F until browned and crispy, flipping after 10 mins. Hummus: Boil 2 cups squash cubes in water until tender. Drain well, then combine in a food processor with 1/4 cup tahini, 2 cloves garlic, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, salt and pepper, to taste. Process until smooth, then spoon into a bowl. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped peppers. Serve with pita chips.  Salad: Boil 2 cups squash cubes in water until just tender. Drain thoroughly and set aside to cool. Toss the cooled squash with...

Put a local spin on your Thanksgiving staples this year and have a farm-to-table holiday with The Produce Box! Here are a few recipes from our talented co-owner, former Chef Kevin O'Connell and our HUB Manager and former Chef Joe Welsh.  There's no better time to thank a farmer than Thanksgiving! Roasted Root Veggies - NC style! Use whatever delicious root vegetables you ordered from The Produce Box -- including Beets, Turnips, Onions, Radish, Sweet Potatoes (did you know that North Carolina is the LEADING provider of these in the entire country?).  Dice the veggies or cut them into wedges. Toss them with olive oil, garlic salt, kosher salt and pepper. Put them on a flat sheet pan and roast at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5-8 minutes. Not only do these taste wonderful but they also make a beautiful, colorful display on your holiday table! Sweet Potato Soufflé a Chef Kevin specialty! 4-5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and...

Apple juice and apple cider: you might be surprised to learn that they are technically  the same! Both consist of 100% juice from apples.  Some apple juice manufacturers use processes to clarify the juice, resulting in a transparent (less cloudy), lighter  appearance. The greatest volume of apple juice sold in   the United States is  clarified  apple juice.  "Cider" is a broad term encompassing different products: apple cider, sweet cider, hard cider and so on. For example, in the United States, the word "cider" refers to the freshly expressed juice of the apple. In England and Australia, "cider" describes fermented  juice, which Americans refer to as hard cider. When allowed to fully or partially ferment, cider develops that distinct tart taste and dark, cloudy appearance.  Now you know!

At TPB, our conviction is to BUY LOCAL FIRST, above all else. We advocate for supporting our NC farm-partners, and every week, we choose to buy from our neighbors, rather than ship products from California or other countries, organic or not. We are transparent about our farmers' practices, and leave it up to our members to determine their value system as it relates to buying organic, pesticide free, local, etc.  Here's a quick run-down of several farming methods and classifications you may see at farmers' markets, grocery stores and on our weekly menu as well. We identify these growing methods if they are applicable on the website ordering page:  ORGANIC:  This certification prohibits the use of chemical fertilizers, various synthetic substances, irradiation, sewage sludge, or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in organic production.  It also prohibits antibiotic and synthetic hormone use in organic meat and poultry, requires 100% or...

We're so proud to partner with the 10% Campaign -- a statewide initiative led by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems and NC Cooperative Extension promoting locally grown food, farmers and the businesses and people who grow, prepare, distribute and sell food in NC.  The campaign's goal is to encourage individuals, restaurants, retailers, universities, and schools to commit 10% of their existing food dollars to locally produced foods. As a member of The Produce Box -- this is NO PROBLEM! You have so many choices for local, fresh, delicious food each week. And did you know? North Carolinians spend  about $35 billion a year on food. If individuals spent 10% or just $1.05 per day locally, about $3.5 billion would be available in the local economy! How YOU can join: The Campaign works as an interactive webpage & personalized data tracking system for local foods. Step 1: Join the Campaign at www.nc10percent.com Step 2: Use the Campaign’s sear...

The crops of the fall season are usually not quite as exciting to most of us as those we get in the spring and summer.  BUT, the health benefits of these wonderful items will take you far in helping ward off colds and other illnesses.  Take a good look at how beneficial these crops are for you! Broccoli is rich in Vitamin C to help fight off colds and helps fight high blood pressure. Cauliflower is also rich is Vitamin C, has a powerful impact on our detoxification system and is a super source of potassium which helps keep your heart beat regular.  Cabbage has cholesterol lowering benefits when it is steamed!  Savoy cabbage, in particular, has received attention in cancer prevention research. Romaine lettuce has Vitamin C and beta carotene to make it heart healthy and it’s Folic Acid helps to protect against heart attack and stroke.  Lettuces can help with INSOMNIA! The white fluid that you see when you break lettuce leaves is called lactuc...

The “Big White Grape”, or Scuppernong, was originally discovered growing in the wild in Northeastern North Carolina and was our nation's first actively cultivated grape. The Scuppernong, a greenish or bronze, variety of the muscadine grape .  Most southerners refer to bronze muscadines as a Scuppernong and the purple or black varieties as muscadines - in spite of there now being some newer varieties available. All the good things Scuppernongs have to offer! *   Scuppernongs are one of the BEST sources of ANTIOXIDANTS found in nature. *   A leading source of cancer fighting resveratrol. *   These grapes are high in Vitamin C. *   You will find potassium, Vitamin B, and trace minerals. *   They are naturally low in sodium and high in fiber. *   They are fat free and cholesterol free. *   Scuppernongs only have  95-100 calories per cup. Just Want to Snack on Your Grapes? Most people prefer not to eat the thic...