The Produce Box

We are now moving into the busy LOCAL growing season.  We are so excited to have blueberries, blackberries and (regional) peaches on the menu. Here are some tips and recipes for your delicious Spring produce! Storage tips for berries Remember with berries -- "dry and in the container in which you bought them." That means washing only the amount of berries you plan to eat, right before you eat them. Otherwise, store them without washing and be sure the container is breathable. Soggy or damp berries go downhill fast. When you're ready to eat, wash each berry differently. Blueberries can take about any method, apart from a long soaking. Strawberries, with their delicate, absorbent skin, require a little more care: Quickly swish unwashed berries in a bowl of water, move them to a strainer, then move them to paper towels, placed in single layers and let them dry. The freezer is your friend Say you can't possibly eat all those berries before they spoil....

The flowers are blooming, the rain has stopped (finally) and NC farmers are hard at work in the fields getting ready for their harvests! Kevin, our Crop Coordinator and resident chef, visits every farm we work with every year or so...7 so far this year....and always has great videos to share from the fields, so be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram posts for those! It’s hard to believe we’re celebrating our TENTH YEAR of supporting local farmers and we owe all of YOU a huge thank you for your enthusiasm, dedication, patience with Mother Nature and her antics and tactful feedback as we improve our program every year. This community of engaged and committed members has bought more than 10 Million pounds of fresh local goodness from our farm-partners over the years. That kind of impact really makes a difference! You've probably noticed that our boxes are included more and more LOCAL produce as the berries, lettuces, bok choy, greens and spring onions grow. We'll...

Shahane Taylor is a former Marine who takes his mushroom growing very seriously as one of the owners of Carolina Mushroom Farm. Shahane specializes in the cultivation of fresh Portabella, Baby Bella, Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms. Founded in 2016 and located in the heart of Willow Springs, Carolina Mushroom has made our members very happy with their tasty mushrooms! Shahane decided to incorporate unused parts of a family farm into his mushroom growing business. He saw a great need for more mushroom farms in our state. He and his business partner updated several unused buildings on the farm to start growing mushrooms. They added HVAC, lighting as well as many other modern upgrades. Contrary to popular belief several varietals of mushrooms (oysters and shiitakes) actually need a large amount of light to grow. A single Portabella mushroom can contain more potassium than a banana. Mushrooms are made up of around 90% water. The mushroom is used in many cuisines throughout the worl...