2016 - Page 4 of 5 - The Veggie Fairy Team

Is it [insert your favorite fruit or veggie] season yet?!

July 25, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

In Virginia, we’re really lucky because of the span of seasons we experience each year. A lot of other regions don’t get the same range of temperatures annually. As a result, we also have access to a wide variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables, within just 150 miles! With each passing season, comes a new slate of crops that are ready to be harvested. Some fruits and vegetables have a nice long growing season, and others we have access to for just a few short weeks!

Being committed to eating local food means that sometimes you have to wait for your favorites to come in season. Let me tell you though, absence really does make the heart grow fonder. A peach-less fall, winter, and most of spring, makes the arrival of local peaches each summer just that much sweeter.

Grocery stores have unfortunately tricked lots of folks into thinking that “fresh” fruits and vegetables are available year-round. By importing produce thousands of miles and using cold-storage, grocery stores have access to produce items that just aren’t available locally. Since we source from a small radius of local farms we don’t have peaches in March, strawberries in October, or corn in April.

Just can’t wait for your favorites? We hear ya! Check out Virginia Department of Agriculture’s availability calendar. While we are able to extend some of these seasons by partnering with local greenhouses, this is a great resource to give you an idea when you can expect some of your favorites.

What are YOU most looking forward to this season?

A Salad Worth Celebrating

July 25, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

I love salads, especially during the spring and summer months when fresh ingredients are plentiful and I find myself craving a lighter, more simplistic, fare. I’m also a big fan of healthy dishes that require little prep time, yet they still dress to impress. Bring on those last-minute cookouts and warm weather festivities!

Healthy + Simple + Delicious = A summertime WIN in my book.

This Berry Spinach Salad is that kind of dish. It takes minimal effort to prepare, is full of wholesome, healthy ingredients, and it shouts SUMMERTIME CELEBRATION!

Spinach and strawberries were among the bounty of last week’s Seasonal Roots basket, so I decided that this particular salad would be the perfect addition to our family’s Memorial Day dinner. Aside from its deliciousness, the colors fell right in line with the patriotic theme for a day of remembrance.

As with many of the recipes that I follow and share, this one is easily adaptable to your personal preferences or ingredients that you may already have on hand. Don’t have strawberries or blackberries? Blueberries or raspberries will work. Don’t like pecans? Give walnuts a try. No feta? No problem. I’m a fan of crumbled goat cheese, myself. Just don’t skip out on the Strawberry Lime Dressing. If you don’t already have all of the ingredients at home, it’s worth a quick run to your local grocer. Trust me on this one. You don’t want to miss out. It’s the cherry on top!

Berry Spinach Salad with Strawberry Lime Dressing

Salad Ingredients:

spinach

sliced strawberries

blackberries

¼ red onion, thinly sliced

½ cup candied pecans *

feta cheese or crumbled goat cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

½ cup chopped strawberries

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup lime juice

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1 tablespoon honey

salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients.
Place all of the dressing ingredients into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Drizzle over salad just before serving.

*For candied pecans: Place pecans, about 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, and a pinch of sea salt into a shallow pan over medium-high heat. Sautee for approximately 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly until pecans are lightly toasted and syrup has caramelized. Remove from heat and spread pecans out on parchment paper to cool and harden.

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.

The Market is Closed?!

July 25, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

You: What?! My Market isn’t open! But, I want to check out all the local options!

Us: We hear you! We get as excited as you do to shop the weekly market.

You: So, what gives?

Here’s the deal…Our market changes each week based on what our farmers and artisans are harvesting, raising and baking at any given time. That’s why we can’t post a static menu – it changes too much from one week to the next! But, we know that when you’re deciding from where to purchase your food, you may want a little more information, right? To give you an idea of what you can expect from Seasonal Roots, here’s what the local options were for our customers last week!

First, folks get to choose a small, medium, or large basket.

For Members, the basket prices are:

Small Basket (4 produce choices) – $19

Medium Basket (8 produce choices) – $34

Large Basket (12 produce choices) – $40

For Guests, the basket prices are:

Small Basket (4 produce choices) – $24

Medium Basket (8 produce choices) – $36

Large Basket (12 produce choices) – $42

Then, customers fill their basket based on what’s available locally that week.

The basket choices for this week included: asparagus, radishes, several varieties of greens cluster tomatoes, spinach, bok choy, sweet potatoes, blueberries, mint, chives, broccoli, cilantro, spring onions, kale, and a few pastry items! You can mix and match based on your family’s preferences and needs for the week.

Then, top your basket off with some extras.

The list of extras have costs that vary each week, with extra items as inexpensive as $2.50, and with some of our pricier items being our pasture raised meats. Some of the customer favorites from this week? Blueberry muffins, cherry tomatoes, rustic bread, kimchi, garlic hummus, milk, pasture raised eggs, locally roasted coffee, kombucha, cinnamon buns, mushrooms, honey, chioggia beets, colby cheese, granola and mozzarella! That’s not all though, we had over 60 extra items for Members to choose from this week!

Once you place your order over the weekend, we send orders to your local farmers and artisans first thing Monday morning. Then, we pack baskets on Tuesdays for delivery on Wednesday to Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg and Charlottesville. Then, we pack baskets again on Wednesday for delivery on Thursday to greater Richmond, Hampton Roads and Virginia Beach!

With nearly 500 varieties of produce, meat, dairy, baked goods and artisan products over the course of our season – we’re sure you’ll find something (or many things) to tickle your taste buds.

We can’t wait for you to see next week’s menu on Friday.

Your Local Food Enthusiasts,

Seasonal Roots

Strawberry Season – A Taste Of Early Summer

July 25, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

It’s Strawberry Season, one of my favorite times of the year. Some of my fondest summertime memories involve freshly picked strawberries and my Grandmother. Every summer, Grandma and I would go pick strawberries together at a local berry farm. Afterwards, she would take the berries home and make all sorts of delicious strawberry-inspired goodies for our family to enjoy. Strawberry Jam. Strawberry Pie. Strawberry Shortcake. Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream. No wonder I grew up loving strawberry season so much!

I was so excited to find these beautiful berries waiting for our family in last week’s basket, sweet and bursting with the first taste of summer. After some careful consideration, we decided to enjoy our first batch of the season in its simplest form: washed and straight out of the carton. They were delicious and left me excited for this week’s share.

Whether you plan to eat the whole carton out of hand, or you have a stack of your favorite recipes ready and waiting to be put to use, storing your berries properly will help ensure that they hold up long enough for you and your family to enjoy them. There is nothing more disappointing than finding a basket of moldy berries soon after bringing them home!

3 Rules for Storing Strawberries

Wash as you go.

Wash strawberries only before eating them. This is important for two reasons. Strawberries are like sponges, so once wet, they soak up every bit of moisture, making them more likely to get mushy and spoil faster. Also, wet berries are more apt to get moldy.

Leave the stems on as long as possible.

Keeping the stems on until you’re about to eat the strawberries will prolong their shelf life.

Don’t let one berry spoil the whole bunch.

If you notice any moldy berries in the container, remove them immediately. Mold spreads easily, so it’s best to remove any spoiled berries before they ruin the rest of the bunch.

As for where to store strawberries, it all depends on when you plan to use them.

3 Places to Store Strawberries

Right away? Store on the countertop.

If you plan to use strawberries the day you bring them home, there’s no need to put them in the refrigerator. You can leave them at room temperature on the kitchen counter.

Tomorrow? In the refrigerator.

If you don’t plan to eat your strawberries the day you bring them home, the best place for them is in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. It helps to maintain humidity and keep the berries from losing moisture and becoming dry.

Remove the berries from their original container, and store them whole and unwashed in a partially-closed container lined with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture, preferably in a single layer so they don’t get crushed. They should last up to five to seven days.

This winter? In the freezer.

If you don’t have plans to use strawberries within a few days of bringing them home, your best bet is to freeze them. Remove the stems, halve or slice them if you like, then freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid. Store in an airtight container or a freezer bag.

And just in case you find yourself searching for the perfect strawberry recipe, here are a few of my favorites to check out and get you started. Enjoy!

Strawberry Limeade

Avocado Strawberry Spinach Salad

Rhubarb and Strawberry Breakfast Crisp

Strawberry Salsa

Balsamic Roasted Strawberries with Toasted PineNuts and Cashew Cream

Strawberry and Coconut Ice Lollies

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.

Garlic Scapes: A Happy Side-Effect

July 22, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

Anyone else get as excited as I do on delivery day? Thursdays are starting to feel a lot like Christmas morning, whether I customize my basket or not. I just can’t wait to dive into my Seasonal Roots box and see all of the fresh goodies that are waiting for me.

Last week’s basket was full of kale, several different lettuce varieties, mushrooms, tomatoes, asparagus, cilantro, artisan bread, kombucha, and GARLIC SCAPES. While I was excited about all of the beautiful produce that had been harvested that week, the garlic scapes are what really grabbed my attention. I had never seen a garlic scape before, much less experimented with them in the kitchen. Our family had fun passing them around the dinner table that night, seeing who could come the closest to guessing what this “new” food actually was. Everyone happily took a bite off of a raw stalk for “investigative purposes” and the majority vote was that it was some type of onion (and that it didn’t taste good with a glass of milk!).

With Google on our side, we learned that garlic scapes are basically a happy side-effect of growing garlic. The “scapes” are the stalks that grow from the bulbs of hardneck garlic plants. If left unharvested, they will eventually bloom flowers once the garlic plant fully matures. If harvested before they flower, these edible green stalks are a palative cross between a scallion and……. yep, a clove of garlic.

As you may have already guessed, the scape doesn’t just mimic its bulbous counterpart’s flavor. It also shares many of the same nutritional benefits as garlic. Garlic scapes are a great source of manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and selenium. They have also been linked to numerous health benefits including lowering cholesterol and blood pressure, boosting the immune system, and preventing heart disease and various types of cancer.

Some of the most popular suggestions that I came across for how to use garlic scapes included chopping them up and using them in place of scallions in a salad or as a garnish for soup, lightly sautéing them with greens, adding them into a stir fry, or making a garlic scape pesto.

After some consideration, I decided to add our scapes into one of my daughter’s favorite things: hummus. In less than 10 minutes, we had a new dish to try out and minimal mess to clean up. Served alongside some fresh veggies and homemade pita chips, we had a picnic-style dinner with lots of leftover Garlic Scapes Hummus to enjoy throughout the week.

I’m still looking forward to trying out other garlic scapes recipes in the near future, but this was an easy way to introduce a new food into a familiar family favorite. If you give it a try, let me know what you think.

Garlic Scapes Hummus

Ingredients:

– 3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

– 1/3 cup garlic scapes, chopped

– ½ – ¾ cup tahini

– ¾ cup fresh lemon juice

– ¼ cup olive oil

– ¼ cup water

– 1 ½ teaspoons cumin

– 1 teaspoon salt

– Ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

Place chopped garlic scapes into a food processor and pulse several times.
Add chickpeas, tahini, and lemon juice to the scapes and process. The mixture will be very thick.
Add water and process again.
Slowly add in olive oil while still blending.
Once desired consistency is reached, add cumin, salt, and pepper, and blend.
Serve drizzled with olive oil and cumin, alongside fresh veggies, crackers, or pita chips. 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.

Farmstead Ferments

July 22, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

We’re so excited to continually expand our market to include some of the best locally crafted artisan products we’ve tasted. In the case of Farmstead Ferments (FF), based in Charlottesville, it was love at first taste.

Fermenting foods is one of the oldest methods of food preservation and is still quite pervasive in other cultures (with pickles and sauerkraut being two of the commonly fermented foods here in the U.S.) Fermented foods are foods that have been transformed by yeasts, bacteria, and fungi. Dawn at FF admits that this might sound a little gross, but says the key to a successful fermentation is to create the proper environmental conditions that encourage good bacteria to grow and proliferate but where bad bacteria can’t survive. While bacteria has gotten a bit of a bad reputation, good bacteria (and the vast majority of bacteria) is crucial for overall health, especially when it comes to digestion.

Farmstead Ferment’s products begin with fresh local crops, most of which they grow themselves. Anything they don’t grow they source from neighboring local farms – talk about supporting local through and through right? Then, they shred the vegetables, massage them, and let them sit in their own brine and salt until they’re properly fermented. That means the end product is full of good bacteria, aka probiotics, and incredibly safe and healthy. So far, we have featured Farmstead Ferment’s Winter Roots Kraut, Thai Chili Lemongrass Kraut, Kimchi, and water kefir soda, but they make all sorts of seasonal ferments that you can look forward to on upcoming menus!If you’re not a fan of traditional store bought sauerkraut, prepare to be converted! Farmstead Ferments takes traditional fermenting techniques, local food, and seasonal flavors to create authentic krauts that are incredibly versatile in the kitchen. While most folks think that they need to plan a bratwurst night when they order kraut, Dawn insists that it’s much more versatile than that! She eats her products on everything from salads, to eggs, to meat in the slow cooker. “Just put it on the plate” she insists! Dawn feels so rewarded when she hears about how much folks love her products, and she can’t wait for Seasonal Roots customers to have access to her products. Let us know what you think!

MTO Kombucha

July 22, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

Kombucha, pronounced (kawm-boo-chah), has gained popularity recently, but people have been reaping the benefits of the fermented tea for nearly 2,000 years! MTO Kombucha (MTOK) was founded by Ralph Crafts, who home-brewed kombucha because of the health benefits. He was so impressed by the improvement in the health of his wife, friends, and neighbors, that he expanded his efforts to create a business. MTOK’s mission is to help people stay healthy and/or become healthier. The company is based in Vint Hill, Virginia and hand brews their products using the highest quality ingredients available and traditional fermenting techniques to ensure that all of their consumers receive a high-quality, delicious and healthy beverage.

The secret? MTOK begins each brew with organic black tea, non-GMO cane sugar, and a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast (SCOBY.) After allowing each batch of kombucha to ferment for 2-4 weeks, the end result is a living, raw, vegan, gluten-free, and naturally carbonated tea. Even though sugar and caffeine are essential for beginning the brewing process, the end product is naturally low in both because the microorganisms in the SCOBY gobble up the sugar and caffeine during the fermentation process. Plus, the final product has probiotics and healthy acids galore which help to balance the digestive system. So, why should you give it a try? According to the Journal of Medicinal Food, “it is shown that kombucha can efficiently act in health preservation and recovery due to four main properties: detoxification, anti-oxidation, energizing potencies, and promotion of boosting immunity.” Translation? Kombucha can make you feel better, look better, and give you more energy. All hail locally fermented health elixirs!

Meet Sarah Young, Our New Blogger

July 21, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

“Local food is about getting the freshest and best-tasting food. It’s also about connecting to and strengthening your community.” – Anna Lappe

Hello! My name is Sarah Young and I am excited to have recently joined the Seasonal Roots team as a market manager and a contributor to the blog. Just a few short weeks ago, I had the privilege of meeting several members of the Seasonal Roots Executive team and visiting the “hub”, a farm in Hanover, VA where much of the behind-the-scenes work takes place. I knew almost immediately that the Seasonal Roots community was something special, and that I wanted to be a part of it.

Over the past 18 years, I have nurtured my passion for food, nutrition, and healthy living through educational pursuits, professional roles, and raising my own family. If someone had told me 12 years ago that raising my own family would be the single most challenging, eye-opening, and rewarding experience in my pursuit of “Health Promotion”, I don’t think that I would have believed them. Little did I know, my experiences as a mother and the primary decision maker when it comes to our family’s health and nutrition would have a major influence on my views and approach as a community health educator. It isn’t always easy convincing three young children to eat their fruits and veggies on a regular basis, friends. It takes dedication, patience, and a lot of creativity!

I am excited for the opportunity to share some of my knowledge, experience, and passions with our Seasonal Roots community. I welcome any questions or suggestions that you may have and look forward to connecting with each of you through our shared support and commitment to fresh local food.

Fruitfully Yours,

Sarah

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.

Westmoreland Produce

July 21, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

Westmoreland Produce was established in 1989 by Arnulfo and Rosa Medina. The pair began their operation by leasing just 4 acres of land. By starting the farm without access to heavy machinery, all of the farm work was originally completed through a combination of small hand tools and determined elbow grease. As the years and growing seasons passed, the Medinas began to learn more and more about farming, and acquired some much needed farm equipment along the way. Now, the Medinas own three farm locations. Two of the plots of land are in Warsaw, Virginia, and one is located in Hague, Virginia – amounting to 120 acres in total.

Westmoreland Produce remains family owned and operated, and is now worked by the Medinas’ four adult children, and two grandchildren. The farm utilizes drip irrigation to properly water their crops without wasting water. Plus, they rotate their crops to protect the fertility of the land, and the quality of the resulting harvests. The farm is committed to the produce they grow, and the family still handles all of the harvesting themselves. At Westmoreland Produce, they insist on letting food ripen on the vine, stalk or bush and only harvest when the crops are ready to be sent to market (or, put in your baskets!) The Medinas grow a multitude of crops including arugula, root vegetables, cabbage, tomatoes, corn, melons, peppers, squash and eggplant! The past couple of weeks, we’ve been receiving the farm’s delicious field lettuce (pictured.) We’re so excited to have Westmoreland Produce on board. When we find a small, local, family owned farm that is already committed to the farming practices we encourage, we know we’ve met a perfect match!

Sneak Peek at the Market

July 21, 2016/in Blog Archive /by Admin

Welcome to Seasonal Roots! You did it, you signed up for the most local, delicious, healthy, and convenient subscription delivery service around. First off, well done! You’re going to love your Online Farmers Market – delivered. Now, you can start ordering your farmers market favorites, and we’ll deliver it dirt to doorstep, for free!

If you’ve joined Friday-Sunday, the next steps are right at your fingertips. Your marketplace is open every Friday from 2:00 p.m. to midnight on Sunday. Hop on, customize your basket, and save your changes. You’ll receive an email confirmation with a recap of what you can look forward to on delivery day, and we take care of the rest!

If you’ve gotten a jump on your week, and signed up for our services Monday – Thursday, we’re so excited for you to experience the marketplace this weekend. We know, we know – you want to get a taste of it now! Each week’s baskets feature seasonal local fare, so our market opens each weekend with a new menu. BUT, here’s a peek at what you can look forward to on Friday afternoon!

When you log in over the weekend, you’ll be presented with a basket size based on your account preferences. We’ve created a standard basket that we think you’ll love, but if not, you’re welcome to swap out as many items as you’d like for a tasty alternative. OR, you can start from scratch and customize your basket based on our weekly produce options. Then, you can shop from our list of extras which include meat, dairy, baked goods, and additional produce.

Once you’ve filled your basket, you’ll place an order, and will receive an order receipt via email that will look something like this:

Then, you sit back and wait! You can edit your order as many times as you’d like, just make sure you have any tweaks saved by midnight on Sunday. Then, you’ll receive your customized order on Wednesday (if you live in Northern VA, Fredericksburg or C’Ville) or Thursday (if you live in Greater Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Virginia Beach.)

We’ll shoot you a reminder on Friday that your market is open. Until then, you can check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for delivery day photos, recipe ideas, and updates from your local farmers.

We can’t wait for you to start experiencing each season’s best!

Your Local Food Enthusiasts,

Seasonal Roots

Archive for year: 2016