The Taste is EGGS-quisite 

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Eggs are making a comeback. They’re a relatively inexpensive, delicious, and readily available source of protein. But, truly pasture raised eggs aren’t always easy to get your hands on. Luckily, we have access to the eggs from some of the happiest pasture raised flocks of laying hens in Virginia. Thanks to Saddle Ridge Farm, Keenbell Farm, and Meadow Run Farm, we’ve got eggs coming out of our ears! If you haven’t had eggs from hens that happily munch on bugs, frolic in the grass, and lounge in the sunshine – you’re in for a treat. Need some persuading? Here are some egg-citing facts that might just have you adding a dozen or so ovular beauties to your basket this week.
Compared to store bought eggs, pasture raised eggs contain:
  • 1/3 less cholesterol
  • 1/4 less saturated fat
  • 2/3 more vitamin A
  • 2x more omega-3 fatty acids
  • 3x more vitamin E
  • 7x more beta-carotene
  • 3-6x more vitamin D (thanks to all that lounging in the sun!)
  • Plus, more B-vitamins, protein, and minerals!

Release the Ladybugs!

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Have you been missing the hydroponic bibb and romaine lettuces the past couple of weeks? We know the feeling! For those of you who ordered hydroponic romaine a few weeks ago, you also might have received some aphids who were along for the ride. While aphids are essentially harmless, and easily rinsed off with water, no farmer is keen to share their crops with these hungry pests (although, we really can’t blame aphids for their good taste, local lettuce IS pretty irresistible.)
Sion House Farm, the hydroponic greenhouse in Farnham, VA who supplies many of our favorite greens, decided to hold off on sending us more lettuce until they could get their aphid situation under control. The first order of business was to release thousands of ladybugs and a hoard of parasitic wasps, both of whom naturally combat aphids without harming the crops themselves. Then, after consulting with their greenhouse advisor, the team at Sion House Farm sealed off some of the more aphid-friendly entrances into the greenhouse, removed a couple of plants that seemed to be aphid-home-base, and misted the plants with an organic spray to keep the pests from returning. With the combination of these efforts, the greenhouse thinks they’ve got the situation under control which is excellent news for lettuce lovers far and wide!
Of course, finding an insect or two in your basket is no big deal, and is indicative of the fact that our farming partners use natural and sustainable farming practices. So, if a lady bug makes it into your basket, simply help it find a new home in your own back yard, where it will help keep aphids off your plants too! Thank you for your continued support, and thank goodness for lady bugs!

New Market Plantation

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One of our new partners this year is also one of our largest! Newmarket Plantation has 540 acres of fertile farmland in Milford, Virginia. The original plantation house was built in the 1750s, and many of the original structures still stand today (albeit with the help of a bit of necessary TLC). The farm has been owned by Robby Caruthers for 20 years and is currently managed by Philip Smith.
Historically, the plantation has grown and harvested grains, but recently Robby expanded his operation to include vegetables (lucky us!) Newmarket Plantation grows corn, broccoli, cabbage, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, turnips, and potentially grapes! This season, they’re also trying their hand at both “Yummy Yummy Peppers” and Jalapeños. The plantation is GAP Certified and uses water-conscious irrigation drip lines for some of their thirstier crops. To help make sure that their crops flourish, Newmarket Plantation is also home to a dozen bee hives that happily pollinate the plants when they’re in bloom.
New Market Plantation-10-2
With over 500 acres to farm, Newmarket Plantation employs 16 people! Perhaps the most enthusiastic of these employees is Robby’s son, known around the farm as “Junior Junior.” He’s so passionate about farming that he took extra classes in high school to graduate early. He’s ecstatic to be done with high school, but not so that he can hang out with his friends, or move away for college. He graduated early so that he could start working on the farm full time as soon as possible. A third generation farmer, hard work is in Junior Junior’s blood, and now he can spend his days continuing the family tradition and doing what he loves – farming.
Most of the business that Newmarket Plantation gets is through small customers, so it’s no wonder that partnering with them is the perfect fit. They have the opportunity to make sure their sustainably grown food makes it into customer’s homes all across Virginia. We try and make it easy though, after they drop off their harvests at our packing facility we do the heavy lifting of the “last mile” transportation! It’s a win-win! The past two weeks the farm has been harvesting their gold bar zucchini for us. Deep yellow (like squash) we hope you’ve been enjoying this less common variety of zucchini – it’s perfect for all your zucchini recipes!
New Market Plantation-7 copy

Watermelon, Blueberry, Mint Salad

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I hope that everyone had a safe weekend and enjoyed celebrating the Fourth of July.  Our festivities included some quality time with the family, and little rest and relaxation, and of course, plenty of delicious food! In fact, this past week’s Seasonal Roots basket was full of some of our summertime favorites and it was so nice to be able to enjoy them as we celebrated the birth of this great nation.

In keeping with the patriotic theme of this weekend’s festivities, I decided to add a little more RED, WHITE, and BLUE to our menu with this delicious Watermelon, Blueberry, Mint Salad. I have seen so many different variations of this salad for the past couple of summers, so I decided to finally give it a try for myself. I was initially a little skeptical of the flavor and texture combinations, however our family found the result to be a refreshingly light and healthy salad that was extremely easy to make and would be the perfect addition to any summertime celebration.

As are most of the recipes that I share, this salad is very versatile. You can substitute another type of berries for the blueberries, goat cheese for the feta, basil instead of mint, and lemon juice instead of the lime juice. Just have fun experimenting with the ingredients that you have on hand and the flavors that taste best to you and your family.

Watermelon, Blueberry, Mint Salad

Ingredients:

6 cups cubed seedless watermelon

1 pint fresh blueberries

4 Tablespoons chopped mint

½ to 1 cup of cubed feta

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

Local honey, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place watermelon, blueberries, mint, and feta in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add just enough honey to reach the desired amount of sweetness. Whisk again, drizzle over salad, and toss. Serve and enjoy!

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.

Collard Greens – A Southern Staple

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Chances are, if you are from the South you have been around a pot or two of collard greens. I can still remember the smell of them cooking on my grandmother’s stove on Sunday afternoons. Fast forward many years later, I am standing in my own kitchen with a beautiful bunch of fresh collard greens from my Seasonal Roots basket, wishing that I had paid better attention to grandma’s recipes and methods all those years ago. In fact, up until this past week, I had never cooked or eaten collard greens on my own as an adult.

Thanks to some tips and encouragement from my fellow Market Manager, Brian, I decided to tackle collard greens once and for all using this crock-pot friendly recipe. I am happy to report that the final result was a hit, and that the smell of them cooking all day brought back some wonderful memories of being in my grandmother’s kitchen. Thank you, Brian!

Crock-Pot Collard Greens

Ingredients:

Collard greens, stemmed and chopped

1 medium onion, quartered

Garlic, minced (I used about 2-3 cloves)

Vegetable stock and water (half and half, enough to cover ingredients)

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Ham hock (if desired)

Directions:

Wash greens and cut out thick stems. Stack greens in a pile, roll up like a cigar, and then slice. Place sliced greens into crockpot with remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Enjoy!

Just for the fun of it, here are some of the Health Benefits of Collard Greens:

  • Collard greens contain a both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber which can help control LDL cholesterol levels and offer protection against colon cancer diseases.
  • Collards are a rich source of phyto-nutrients, which have potent anti-cancer properties, such as di-indolyl-methane (DIM) and sulforaphane that have proven benefits against prostate, breast, cervical, colon, ovarian cancers by virtue of their cancer-cell growth inhibition and cytotoxic effects on cancer cells.
  • Collard leaves are also an excellent source of folates, vitamin C (a powerful natural anti-oxidant), Vitamin A (required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin, and is also essential for healthy vision), Vitamin K (has a potential role in the increase of bone mass by promoting osteotrophic activity in the bone and can have a beneficial effect in Alzheimer’s patients by limiting neuronal damage in their brain), Vitamin B, and minerals like iron, calcium, copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc.

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.

Tomāto, Tomăto: Either Way, A Healthy and Delicious Summertime Staple

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Tomāto. Tomăto. No matter how you say it, there’s no denying that summer has arrived once vine-ripe tomatoes begin to grace your garden, local farmers’ markets, and your Seasonal Roots basket. I grew up in a family that was dedicated to summer gardening, so I learned to appreciate and love a homegrown red, ripe tomato from an early age. Whether we were eating them by the slice or baked into a tomato pie, it wasn’t a complete summertime meal unless a tomato was on the table.

In addition to tasting delicious, tomatoes offer a wide range of health benefits. They are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and fiber. Tomatoes are also high in lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant that works with other vitamins and minerals to aid in disease prevention.

Here are more fun facts about the health promoting nutrition of tomatoes:

  • Lycopene is well known as a preventer of prostate cancer, which makes tomatoes high on the healthy food list for men.
  • Lycopene is not just important for men. It also helps to protect the cells in our bodies from damage.
  • Studies in humans have shown that lycopene is protective against a variety of cancers including prostate of course, but also colorectal, breast, lung, endometrial, pancreatic, bladder, cervical and skin cancers.
  • Lycopene has also been shown to help prevent heart disease and may slow the development of cataracts and macular degeneration, an age related vision problem that can lead to blindness.
  • The vitamin B6, niacin, potassium and folate found in abundance in tomatoes are potent protectors against heart disease.
  • Niacin can lower high cholesterol levels and potassium has been shown to lower high blood pressure and to reduce the risk of heart disease.
  • Vitamin B6 and folate also work to convert the homocysteine in our bodies into harmless molecules. High levels of homocysteine are associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
  • The fiber in tomatoes also helps lower cholesterol levels, helps prevent colon cancer and helps to keep blood sugars at a low level.
  • Tomatoes are a source of riboflavin which has been shown to be helpful for migraine sufferers by reducing the frequency of their headaches.
  • A helpful note about tomato nutrition: lycopene is actually more available to the body when tomatoes are cooked, so cooked tomatoes are just as nutritious for you as raw.

This Raw Tomato Sauce is one of my favorite summertime recipes. With just a few simple ingredients (tomatoes, garlic, basil, olive oil, salt and pepper) and less than 10 minutes, you can prepare this healthy and versatile “sauce” to enjoy over pasta, as a bruschetta topping, or alongside your favorite pizza pie. Just chop, stir, and let the ingredients take over.

raw tomato sauce 2

Raw Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:                                                                                                   

4 large tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

6 fresh basil leaves, slivered

1/3  cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

To make, chop tomatoes and place (with juices) into a large bowl. Add garlic, 3 basil leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir until well blended, cover, and let sit at room temperature for up to 10 hours before serving (10 hours isn’t necessary, but the longer the better). Sprinkle with the remaining basil and serve.

raw tomato sauce on zucchini noodles

Raw Tomato Sauce served over fresh Zucchini Noodles

Here are a few more ways to add the benefits of fresh summer tomatoes to your diet every day:

  • Add fresh tomatoes to your favorite soup or stew.
  • Try a salad of sliced sweet tomatoes, basil leaves and sliced mozzarella cheese. Just sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with a high quality olive oil for a tasty treat.
  • Eat them raw, just like an apple, for a healthy snack.
  • Add chopped raw tomatoes to dips like guacamole and hummus for color and added nutrition.

 

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.

What’s Next, Purple Cows?

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Industrialized agriculture in the U.S. focuses on high yield crops that last well on store shelves which is why you see pretty run of the mill crops at your average grocery store. But, as the consumer, you care about more than that!
You want the best taste, lots of nutrients, and real food.
That’s why we love supporting our local farmers, because they focus on real food, that’s really good tasting and really good for you. One of the best ways to reap the most health benefits from your food is to eat a wide variety of local food. Our suggestion?
Focus on a colorful plate. 
Luckily, our farmers grow some of our favorites in a variety of colors. But, is there a difference in the nutrients you gain from white cauliflower vs. the purple variety? Or, what about multi-colored carrots, they’re all the same right?
Actually, the color of fresh produce is a great indicator of the types of vitamins and minerals it contains. For example, our ever popular purple cauliflower gets its vibrant purple hue from anthocyanins, which are the same flavonoids that give dark berries and red cabbage both their color and their super food health benefits. That means that noshing on purple cauliflower gives you a boost of antioxidants in addition to the fiber, vitamin K and vitamin C you get from traditional white cauliflower.
Colored Carrots
Another perfect example of the different nutrients that can be found in different colors of the same vegetable are multi-colored carrots. Orange carrots have been cultivated and consumed for centuries, but this root vegetable can now be found in reds, yellows, whites, and purple. This breeding process has been about more than aesthetics – it’s about the nutrients too! You can always rely on carrots for their crunchy texture and sweet flavor, but here’s a breakdown of what you can expect based on its color:
  • Orange – The classic carrot has both alpha and beta carotene, which gives it the vibrant orange color. Since carotene helps the body to produce vitamin A, orange carrots are known to promote eye health.
  • Purple – Like purple cauliflower, purple carrots have anthocyanin in addition to the typical alpha and beta carotene pigments. These purple beauties give an added antioxidant boost and can help prevent heart disease.
  • Red – A combination of beta-carotene and lycopene (the nutrient known best for its concentration in tomatoes) gives red carrots their hue. Lycopene is linked to lowering risk for some cancers!
  • Yellow – This light colored variety gets its yellow color from xanthophykks and lutein which are two nutrients that have been linked to both eye health and cancer prevention.
  • White – Absent of color, white carrots aren’t absent of health benefits. The white variety is packed with fiber which helps promote the feeling of fullness and healthy digestion.
As you can see, in this case you can judge a veggie by its cover – to an extent, since there are trends in the vegetable world (lycopene and beta-carotene = red and orange produce, whereas anthocyanin and antioxidants = blue and purple produce.) Regardless of which variety you choose, all fresh vegetables have merit. But hey, if the bright purple cauliflower tempts your kids (or you!) to eat more of it, then that’s the variety you should choose!
The important part is that you eat your fresh produce – we’re just lucky that our local farmers make it easier by growing colorful varieties that are so darn nice to look at.
Have a burning question about local food? Submit it to info@seasonalroots.com, and we’ll answer it! Or, even better, maybe we’ll write a blog about it.

What Size Basket Should I Order?

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Based on customer feedback, this season we created 3 basket sizes – small, medium, and large, to better suit the needs of households of varying sizes! We can describe to you all day long how many items are in each basket size, but it helps to simply show you.

For our deliveries on June 1 and June 2, here’s what our default baskets looked like:
Small:
Small Box-1
Medium:
Medium Box-1
Large:
Large Box-1
As a reminder, small baskets have room for 4 types of items, medium baskets have room for 8 and large baskets have room for 12. The boxes above are designed for folks who like to be surprised with their default basket, but Members are able to customize their baskets based on their preferences.
Fill your perfect size basket each weekend starting Friday at 2:00 p.m. Learn more at seasonalroots.com

Root to Stem, Root to Stalk: Getting the Most Out of Your Produce

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Are you getting the most out of your produce each week? Did you know that the leaves, greens, stems, and stalks of many of the vegetables that we tend to throw away are edible and often contain even more beneficial nutrients than their other, more popular, half? Before you toss out the beet greens, carrot tops, and broccoli stalks from this week’s Seasonal Roots basket, consider using these culinary castaways to add texture, interest, and flavor to your next meal.

Here are a few suggestions from One Green Planet to help get you started:

  • Blanch Away the Bitterness – Although you can eat green tops raw, some people might find them a bit bitter. Blanching is a useful technique to help remove any bitter taste. To blanch the greens, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil and drop the greens in. Stir them around a bit. In just a few minutes, the greens will start to soften and become a beautiful, bright color. You don’t want to cook them too long or they will lose that color and get mushy. Then transfer the greens to an ice bath to shock them. This will stop the cooking process and help them keep that beautiful, bright color. If you don’t want to set up an ice bath, at least transfer the greens to a colander and run cold water over them for a minute. When they are cool enough to handle, drain any excess water and continue with your recipe.
  • Make Pesto – While pesto is traditionally made with basil, I often make ours using kale, spinach, or any other greens that I happen to have on hand. This Beet Greens Pesto is a simple way to make use of those leftover greens: In a food processor, combine 4 cups of beet greens (remove the stems), 4 cracked garlic cloves, ½ cup walnuts, 3 Tbs. grated parmesan, ½ tsp. kosher salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Process the ingredients while drizzling in up to ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil until you reach the desired consistency. Store the pesto in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  • Make Vegetable Stock – Vegetable stock is a great way to use up any leftover vegetables and their green parts, and it eliminates the fear of bitterness or overcooking. Just add green tops or stalks to into your pot with whatever vegetables, herbs and spices you are using to make your stock and follow your stock recipe directions.
  • Make Smoothies – Smoothies are a great way to use vegetable greens. Try starting off by just adding in a small amount of greens and gradually add in more as your taste adjust. If you are new to smoothies, try adding carrot or beet greens to this Beginner Green Smoothie* to get you headed in the right direction.    * Place the following ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth: ½ cup green grapes, ½ apple (peeled and cut up), 1 banana, 2 cups baby spinach, ½ cup green tea, 1 slice of ginger, ½ cup ice cube.
  • Sauté the Greens – Sautéed greens are an easy and delicious way to put those leftover green tops to use! I love greens sautéed in a pan with olive oil, garlic, shallots and a pinch of red pepper flakes, cooked just long enough to wilt and turn crisp-tender.

Sarah Young is a wife, mother of three, Certified Health Education Specialist, and healthy living advocate. She has a background in Dietetics and a B.S. in Health, Fitness, and Recreational Resources with a concentration in Health Promotion. She is also a writer for several local and online publications, an ambassador for the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, and a health contributor for ABC 7 News/WJLA. In her spare time, she enjoys running, hiking, gardening, and spending time with her family and their dog, Maple.

How Much Rain is Too Much Rain?

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Potato Field 1-1
If you’ve spent any time in Virginia the past month, you know that sunny days have been few and far between. Some of our farmers received between 8 – 11 inches of rainfall in May alone. We know… you would think that rain would be good for crops. But, this much rain has been too much. The fields above are at Harvest Hill Farm, our packing facility in Montpelier, VA. The corner of the field closest to the camera is also the most low-lying. This means that when we were inundated with rain the ample rainfall gathered there. The result? Drowned potatoes. See how the rest of the field is covered in green? The low-lying corner isn’t doing as well because of how much rain we’ve been receiving. Luckily, it’s a relatively small amount of the overall land that Jimmy at Harvest Hill has planted, but it is a perfect example of how farmers are sometimes at the mercy of Mother Nature.
While at Harvest Hill Farm, Jimmy’s potatoes were affected at the beginning of their cycle, rain has a different affect on crops when they’re already started producing. When we visited Westmoreland Produce this week, we were sad to see that the rain had caused lots of the farm’s cauliflower to spoil right on the plant! Cauliflower that has this much water damage can’t be salvaged, which is one of the challenges small local farmers are faced with every season.
water damaged cauliflower - Field trip-5
Warning, the following image may be disturbing to some berry lovers. The strawberries at Flores Farm on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, have not been able to survive all of these rainy days. Luckily, because of the weekly support from our Members, Gerado and Omar Flores diversity their crops. That means that when their berries don’t survive, they can still harvest lots of other hardier crops. Phew!
rain damaged strawberry - flores
Don’t think that farmers are totally helpless when it comes to the weather though. Those who farm without the aid of greenhouses can combat both too much rain, and not enough. The tomato fields above are also at Harvest Hill Farm. Similarly to the potato fields, any extra rain will run to the low lying part of the field. In this case, that’s a man-made trench that Jimmy dug in the middle of the field. From experience, Jimmy knows that too much rain sitting on the tomato plants will cause root-rot, so he was able to be proactive before the wet weather to help protect the tomatoes plants.
Tomato Field trench-1
While it hasn’t been an issue yet this season, in the case of draught, farmers usually have some sort of irrigation system or plan in place. Of course, too much rain can cause issues but water is crucial for successful crops. Mother Nature is unpredictable, so it’s lucky that our partners are seasoned farmers who know how about the importance of diversifying their crops, and have the know-how to help their crops flourish.