The Produce Box

Baby, it’s been COLD outside! Waking to see the frost on the ground again this morning, I immediately thought of our farmers.  It is EXTREMELY challenging to be a farmer in NC in February!   ·   The warm days get the plants all excited and growing like spring has sprung.   ·   Then BAM! another cold front comes through, the temps drop like a rock and the farmers are scrambling like crazy to protect and hopefully save their crops.  So, what happens at TPB if a farmer suddenly loses the crop we planned to buy from him?  Two weeks ago, we were supposed to have spinach but just before harvesting, the temps dropped low enough that Dave could not save his spinach.  When things like this happen, we do our best to help this farmer by buying another crop from him if possible.  Two weeks ago, it worked out great as Dave still had kale, a bit heartier plant than spinach so it survived the temperature drops.  We see this as turning a bad ...

post by our guest blogger Mary Beth Cotterell (also our Cary Area Manager!) Eating locally and in season is one of the BEST ways to eat. Best why? I can think of two very healthy  reasons right away: produce picked and eaten at its peak generally has more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than foods harvested before they’re ripe and then shipped long distances locally grown foods are better for the environment: they support small and midsize local farmers, cut down on pollution from shipping and trucking food and reduce your carbon footprint BUT sometimes eating seasonally means you are exposed to vegetables that you might not ordinarily pick up at the grocery store.   The turnip, I’m sorry to say, must be one of those because I have seen a large amount of them swapped out of your Boxes in the past few weeks!  I am also someone that wasn't a big fan of the turnip until I decided to try it again. The Turnip has so many wonderful qualities -- it needs another c...

Carotene antioxidants, the pigments that give kale, carrots and other foods vibrant colors, have powerful cancer-fighting properties. The challenge is that most carotenoid-rich fruits and veggies are low in lipids (fats) so it's difficult for the body to absorb these antioxidants. The good news is that you can significantly increase absorption or “ bio-availability ” of lycopene and beta-carotene (two key carotenoid antioxidants) by eating avocados! Avocados are full of unsaturated or “good” fats. This time of year the word “fat” sends people running for the hills, but fat is a major source of energy that helps the body absorb nutrients. Replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats from foods like avocados and nuts can increase heart health and keep your energy up.  See below for Chef Joe’s quick and easy Avocado Vinaigrette recipe to help you get the most out of your winter and garden salads!  References: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15735074 ...

Greenhouses are full of veggie sets (baby plants) for the spring season!  All of the seeds for the first half of the season have been purchased and we hope to continually expand on the additional produce items as well. We plan  to offer new varieties of existing heirloom tomatoes, melon varieties and we are looking forward to new commitments from farmers for specialty crops, that were suggested by our members, such as several carrot varieties and more produce options during the shoulder season. The shoulders are the times when the crops from one season are ending and the next season is just getting started producing. During the summer season you will normally see more colorful fruits and veggies, and we are working to offer more choices during leaner times each shoulder season as well. So far we are experiencing a wet winter, wetter than the average with milder than usual climates. The farmers need soil temps above 40 degrees to promote root growth before transplanting t...

"Easy & really good!" -Kristin, TPB Marketing Green B eans Simmered with Grape Tomatoes ·   2 Tablespoons Olive oil ·   2 Small Onions sliced thin ·   1 garlic clove, chopped ·   1 ½  pounds green bean s, tips cut off and cut into 2 inch lengths ·   ½ pint grape tomatoes cut in half ·   2 teaspoons chopped parsley ·   1 tsp chopped dill or ½ teaspoon dried dill ·   salt and pepper Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the onions and cook over medium heat until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, beans, tomatoes and enough water to just cover. Simmer until the beans are nice and tender, then add the herbs and simmer just a few minutes more. Serve and enjoy!

Until last year, we stopped all deliveries December thru March because there weren't enough veggies to fill the boxes.... there were "some" available, but not quite enough variety to make the program work in the winter. Plus, we had to lay off 50 hub workers and all our wonderful Neighborhood Coordinators each winter. We also knew that there were many members who wanted to buy veggies year round. So, last year, we made a decision to buy regional produce February through early April, to offer more choices along with our local offerings. This helped us fill and sweeten the boxes and we realized that we sell WAY more NC produce than we would have without the added regional items. So, here we go for 2015! Kevin has been back to Florida and visited with 4th generation farmers Tommy and Brandon at V&B farm, who we met through our farm partners in Winston Salem. We will be working with these guys to buy REGIONAL during Feb and March, and then go back to 100% loca...