2015 Farm Share Week 18

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Wed. Sept. 23 and Sat. Sept. 26

• Lettuce
• Napa Cabbage
• Delicata Squash (skins are tender and good to eat after roasting in oven!)
• Apples (from our neighbors trees!)
• Sweet Peppers
• Jalapeno Peppers

Recipe Ideas

Lots of Delicata Squash ideas - http://allrecipes.com/recipes/16676/fruits-and-vegetables/vegetables/squash/winter-squash/delicata-squash/

8 things to do with napa cabbage - http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/809695/8-things-to-do-with-napa-cabbage

If you want to use the cabbage, apples, peppers AND jalapenos in one recipe!! - http://food52.com/recipes/8746-jalapeno-apple-slaw-with-honey-lime-vinaigrette

2015 Farm Share Week 17

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Wed. Sept. 16 and Sat. Sept. 19

• Spinach
• Kale
• Sweet Potatoes
• Acorn Squash
• Sweet Peppers
• Poblano Pepper (mild heat)

Recipe Idea

Sweet Potato Poblano Soup - http://nourishedkitchen.com/sweet-potato-poblano-pepper-soup/

Vegetable Spotlight

Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas), belongs to the family Convolvulaceae (which includes the Morning Glory).  Its origin is likely between the Yucatan of Mexico and the mouth of the Orinoco River in Venezuela.  Unknown in the ancient Mediterranean world, and there is no known mention of it in the Bible.  All its known species are found in the New World; no wild sweet potato has been found elsewhere.  It seems to be exclusively an American plant, which originated in the tropics or sub tropics, where it is perennial.

Christopher Columbus reported that he was served three or four kinds at a feast given in his honor by the king of the island Saint Thomas.  He recorded the fact that bread was made from them, which he called aje bread, aje or axi was the local name given for sweet potato.  Also recorded by individuals in Columbus’ fleet in 1494 was it’s presence on Hispaniola and Yucatan.  Plants were carried back to Spain an soon planted there.  They were generally cultivated in Portugal and Italy by 1566.  

By the early 1600’s, thanks to traders, sweet potatoes made their way to Asia, where they made great use of them, even today.  They never never really took off in France, possibly because the vegetable is not quite in tune with their cuisine, which reserves sugary tastes for desert.

The countries where sweet potatoes are a staple of human consumption, are: Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda.

About 20,000 tons of sweet potatoes are produced annually in New Zealand, where sweet potato is known by its Māori name, kūmara. It was a staple food for Māori before European contact.

The sweet potato is not in the same family as Yams, and not closely related to the common potato either (nightshade family).

2015 Farm Share Week 16

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Wed. Sept. 9 and Sat. Sept. 12

• Pumpkin (Good for pies!)
• Lettuce
• Nasturtium (Literally "nose-tweaker, or twister", has a mustard like spice, great added to salads).  Native to South and Central America, brought to Spain in the 16th century and refered to as Indian Cress.  Has more Lutien than any other edible plant.
• Sweet Peppers

2015 Farm Share Week 15

Hello Everyone,

This week you will find in your shares:

Wed. Sept. 2 and Sat. Sept. 5

• Potatoes
• Garlic
• Onions
• Sweet Peppers
• Parsley

Vegetable Spotlight- Parsley

"To take parsley away from the cook, would make it almost impossible for him to exercise his art." - Louis Augustin Guillaume Bosc d'Antic

The ancient Romans knew of parsley, and Pliny said that sauces and salads should never be without it.  Charlemange ordered it to be planted in his domains in 800 AD.  Most historians agree that there is no written record of parsley in America before 1806.

Our parsley is so mind blowingly fresh and healthy, this is not for garnishing.  *Parsley contains two types of unusual components that provide unique health benefits. The first type is volatile oil components including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and alpha-thujene. The second type is flavonoids—including apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin.


Parsley's volatile oils—particularly myristicin—have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Myristicin has also been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps attach the molecule glutathione to oxidized molecules that would otherwise do damage in the body. The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, and in particular, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens (like the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke).

The flavonoids in parsley—especially luteolin—have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. In addition, extracts from parsley have been used in animal studies to help increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood.

In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene) *(source: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100)

We hope you enjoy this often underrated vegetable!