The Produce Box

A great post from our Durham Area Manager - Cindy G! Our family has really embraced The Produce Box’s mission of supporting the farmers and philosophy of using and eating what is available locally...well we still buy bananas at the store every week but that just is what it is :-)  Inspired by buying local produce it only made sense to extend this mission to the meat and seafood we consume. After some research, we been purchasing our seafood through a few different local outlets who drive it in from the NC coast, choosing what we buy each time.  This winter we decided to take the plunge and participate in community supported fishery with Walking Fish .  They offer a few options: you can purchase a full (4 lbs) or a half-share (2 lbs) as well as your choice of filleted or “headed and gutted”.  We love our seafood and were excited for some adventure so we opted for the full share, filleted.  We enjoyed some old favorites like flounder, trigger fish and shrimp and had a blast preparing

Have you ever dyed your Easter eggs with  all natural ingredients?  We thought this might be a really fun way to create some  really cool eggs this year.  How to Make Naturally-Dyed Easter Eggs Makes 1 dozen eggs 1 dozen  hard-cooked eggs , room temperature 4 cups dye liquid made from any of the following: à   1 cup chopped purple cabbage /cup of water  makes blue on white or green on brown eggs à   1 cup red onion skins/ cup of water makes lavender  or red eggs à   1 cup yellow onion skins/ cup of water makes orange on white or rusty red on brown eggs à   1 cup shredded beets /cup of water makes pink  on white or maroon on brown eggs à   2 tablespoons ground turmeric /cup of water makes yellow eggs 1 tablespoon white vinegar per cup of strained dye liquid Neutral oil, such as vegetable or grapeseed 1.   Pour the amount of water you need for the dye you're making into a saucepan . 2.   Add the dye matter (purple cabbage, onion skins, etc.) and bring t

Kevin cooked up a great salad and some shrimp & grits this morning on WBTV!  Here's the recipe if you want to make it yourself: Strawberry Bibb Salad- Serves 4-5 1 head Bibb Lettuce 6-8  fresh strawberries (topped and sliced) 1-2 oz. Fresh Goat Cheese (flavored or not) 1-2 oz. Balsamic Vinegar Reduction (balsamic vinegar simmered, and reduced by 1/2)  Remove core from lettuce and wash. Arrange in large serving bowl around rim. Top with berries and sprinkle with cheese. Lightly drizzle with balsamic and serve.  Pamlico Sound Shrimp & Grits- Serves 4-5 20-25 medium shrimp (peeled and deveined)  1/2 cup diced sweet peppers 1/4 cup diced onion 1 clove minced garlic Two slices bacon, diced 1 cup heavy cream 1 tsp corn starch 1 tsp Cajun spice 4 cups cooked grits (per directions) 1/4 cup thin sliced scallions for garnish Stir cornstarch into heavy cream, place in small pot and simmer on medium to low heat until thickened. 5 

Thank you so much to those of our members who have purchased a Community Box for donation to local food banks, food pantries or soup kitchens!  Did you realize when you purchased this box you are supporting TWO sides of your community?  This dual impact on our communities comes from the assistance the food provides to those who are hungry and from the income generated for those who grow the food! TPB has been donating hundreds of pounds of bulk produce each week to the Interfaith Food Shuttle for years. Then it occurred to us we could help even more by getting members more directly involved so we started the Community Boxes.   These boxes are packed with fruits and veggies grown by and purchased from our local farm partners then are delivered to a variety of locations that help feed the hungry.  Soup kitchens cook the produce for those who have no kitchen. Food Banks offer them to low income families who could not otherwise afford fresh produce.  Sometimes they goes to

March 2 nd marked the birthday of Dr. Seuss, beloved children’s author and cartoonist. The Edible Schoolyard celebrated the day this year by preparing Green Eggs & Ham with a group of afterschool students. We still had some kale growing in the garden and added additional greens from the market.  This is a fun recipe for kids to make and eat- and, a great way to utilize some early spring greens. – Jennifer Bedrosian, Chef Teacher GREEN EGGS & HAM! Take a look at the recipe: 6 eggs 1 tablespoon butter Bunch of garden greens: parsley, spinach, Swiss chard, kale 1/4 cup cheddar cheese salt, pepper To get green plant food coloring: Gather green leaf plants like kale, parsley, chard or spinach. Wash and chop into small pieces. Blend with a bit of vegetable broth or water until smooth. Alternatively, if you have access to a juicer you may juice the plants! To make the best scrambled eggs: Crack eggs into a small bowl and beat with a for

"Saladifying" My New Year's Resolve! I've been living a vegan lifestyle for a number of years now, and it has had the opposite effect on me from what it has had on others. Most people get skinny very quickly (Bill Clinton, for example, is a smidge compared with his pre-vegan size). Not me. My heritage is one of hard- working farmers, people who for hundreds of years sustained themselves in south-central Kentucky by using their bodies to produce a living and the food they ate.  I am programmed—as we all are, technically—for rather constant movement, but I don't walk a plow behind a mule; I don't chop tobacco, don't chase chickens for Sunday breakfast. I sit. I type. I drag a pen across a notebook page. I wax poetic in front of university writing students. This year my New Year's resolution was to eat fewer high-calorie nuts and nut butters  and delicious breads and pastries my local gluten-free bakery makes. I resolved to sit less. I  resolved to