Specials for September 30

We just returned from The Beasley Produce Barn and are delighted with our loot! Rolo and Joann dutifully trudged in those very early morning hours to the Farmers Market in Plant City to see what goodies they could discover. Unfortunately, they found some shortages, so had to look a little longer and harder. They still found lots of yummy things to bring to market!

Some of the highlights are:

Florida Cantaloup (not from Colorado)
Florida Avocado


Three types of eggplant! purple, light purple, and white!
Zucchini
Peppers! Red and Green Bells, Poblano, Jalapeno, yum!
Yellow, Red, White onions and Scallions
Squashes
Romaine and salad fixings like:
Salad cukes! (my favorite) - some folks call them pickling cucumbers
Regular cucumbers
FRESH radishes with tops! (more yummy)
Potatoes - Bakers and Sweets - and a few Reds!
Fresh Cabbage
Celery

other fruit:
Plums, Bananas, Lemons, Limes, and more Johnny Gold Apples!

News on the home front:
All Traditional Southern Field Peas are picked, and fresh frozen.
Plantings have been done for our Autumn and Winter crops, including the Autumn Green Bean U-Pick.
Pesticide-free Okra still harvesting.
Pesticide-free Zucchini is slowly trickling in (yummmmmmmy)

Friday - Spring Hill location
Saturday - Hernando County Farmers Market
Always - The Produce Barn

Tasty & Healthy - September 28, 2011

Greetings from Beasley Farm!


We hope you have been enjoying our blog. My dad recently asked what a blog was, and how did the name come about. Here is the short-and-sweet answer to his questions.


We always "shorten" titles and names of things, into acronyms or nicknames, right? It's the same thing for the on-line crowd. Blog is a shortened "nickname" for WEB LOG. It's a log (or journal) which is on-line (on the web). Shortened from WEB LOG to WEBLOG and finally to today's name "Blog".


There are tabs at the top of our blog, just under our name. One is "How To Use This Blog". In it are directions for how to use the three different SEARCH features, and other functions.


Several recipes have been loaded this week. Recipes will be added randomly during the week. To be notified about each blog update, just click on one of the e-mail notification options on the right of the blog, or click on "Follow" if you already use Goggle's Follow options. 


Recipe Posts may be viewed by scrolling down, and even clicking on "older posts" to view more. Another way of finding items of interest is to scroll down the blog page, looking in the right column, until LABELS (which are like a "table of contents") becomes visible. The Labels are alphabetical. When they are clicked, recipes will pop up automatically. Some items are "cross-referenced." Our sincerest hope is that you will find our Blog enjoyably beneficial.


On to the normal stuff now. 

Greetings from Beasley Farm

The Hernando County Farmers Market has been welcomed by Sears on the corner of Mariner Blvd and Hwy 50! This is a marvelous place for our open air market, and for visiting local shops in the Coastal Way Shopping Plaza. The time is Saturdays between 10AM and 3PM. That's where we will be on Saturdays from now on. We wish to thank our loyal Downtown Brooksville customers for their years of support. Please come visit us, all other wonderful vendors at the Farmers Market, and the shops of Coastal Way Plaza. The Farmers Market will be located in front of Sears. We are grateful to Sears for welcoming us. Sears has long been a community supporter, as well as providing benefits to those who serve in the armed forces. As always, our Produce Barn is open daily until 6PM.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support.

We hope to continue bringing you quality fresh produce from the closest markets possible.

Details Below

 Harvest Time fruits are coming in from neighboring southern states.

If you enjoy prepping your own fruits for jams, pies and other desserts,

now is the time to phone the farm and special order cases of these items.

Thank you for recycling your plastic bags with us.

We are in big need of the bags at this time.

This helps us keep our prices low.

Now Harvesting in Our Fields

Hearty Pesticide-free Okra

Our peas have sold quickly. At this time, we have some pesticide-free Zippers, Pink-eyes and Conk Peas! You are receiving produce fresh frozen from the fields.

SHELLED and sorted Peas are $8.00, Quart bag, which is approximately 2 pounds.
Please phone ahead if ordering for pick up at one of our Satellite locations.

We make every attempt to honor our commitments to you.

Please don't hesitate to phone our cell 352-232-3381 to confirm we are at one of our satellite locations. We appreciate how valuable your time is.

For more recipe ideas and nutritional information, or to receive weekly e-mail notifications,

please visit our Yahoo Group.

From the Farmer's Market

An assortment of produce from locations as nearby as we can get.

We bring in an assortment of fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers from the Plant City Farmer's Market. A mini-e-mail is sent on Thursdays announcing what we find each week. Just sign up at our Yahoo Group for this notification.

Friday, September 30 from 6A-6P

Rolo will be at our Spring Hill location every Friday.

Join Rolo at our Spring Hill location.

13045 Spring Hill Dr, Spring Hill, FL 34609

(at the Chevron Station - corner of Spring Hill Drive & Linden Drive)

We love serving our Spring Hill customers.

Phone ahead Saturday through Thursday for special orders.

We will be happy to bring whatever you want!

 What's more than a Farmer's Market?

The Hernando County Farmers Market -

More like an open air consortium of your favorite places and things!

Saturday, October 1 from 10A - 3P

Northeast corner of Mariner Blvd and Hwy 50 in front of Sears at 13085 Cortez Boulevard.

See Joann and Rolo at this location with the 50+ other vendors who will be there,

please click here for more information.

Bring your family (and even your pet) to enjoy this open air market!

Please phone ahead for special orders.

Have you been enjoying those delicious apples coming in from our eastern states? 

It might be good to special order a case or two, for canning, and enjoy them all year.

Peaches contain Vitamin A, Vitamin C, fiber, Phosphorus, Potassium and other minerals.

They are delicious in lunches, diced into jello and baked in pies,

cobblers, cakes and turnovers.

******************

Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

~ Kahlil Gilbran

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Thank you for supporting us (Your Local Farmer!)

Many fresh staples and seasonal items are in the Produce Barn for your produce needs.

In addition to our own crops, we are doing everything possible to offer the freshest,

most-locally grown produce available at reasonable prices.

Buying "local" helps support the community and bring about a more "green" life style!

Please phone ahead for some of our specialties if visiting our other locations.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,

Joann, Rolo, and Gran'ma Angie

Beasley Farm

10137 Preston Rd

just off Mondon Hill Road between Hwy 41 and Hwy 50.

Produce Barn is open daily until 6PM

Phone 352-799-6752

When we're busy in the field, our cell keeps us available. 352-232-3381

On December 1, 2010, we welcomed a surprise visit from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Periodically, the FLDACS tests farms to detect trace pesticides, hazardous pesticides, and other harmful residues. We are pleased to share our official results with you. After testing our farm for 175 different pesticides, the Chemical Residue Analysis Report confirmed the following: "in compliance with Florida Statute chapter 500,  no pesticides detected." It was an interesting experience and we are grateful that FLDACS protects the Florida consumer by periodically verifying the products grown in Florida. We're happy to share the information with you, too!

Thank you for making our Yahoo Group e-newsletter such a success!

To receive our e-newsletter,

simply "JOIN" our Yahoo Group at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Beasley_Farm_Notice/

Please contact Beasley_Farm@tampabay.rr.com for questions about the Yahoo Group.

All recipes and photos are maintained on the website for your use.

Thank You.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Spread

A fast and easy spread or dip for the pumpkin lover in us, this recipe is great on bagels, toast, with crackers and chips, and some fruits and veggies.


The recipe was found on the Better Homes and Gardens Recipes & Cooking page:

ingredients

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened 

• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 

• 1/4 cup sugar 

• 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

directions

Beat all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Makes 1-1/2 cups (24, 1-tablespoon servings).

nutrition facts

Calories43 Total Fat (g)3 Saturated Fat (g)2, Cholesterol (mg)10, Sodium (mg)28, Carbohydrate (g)3, Protein (g)1, Vitamin A (DV%)15, Calcium (DV%)1, Iron (DV%)1, Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Traditional Zipper Pea Recipe

Easy method of preparing nutritious Zipper Peas:

Fry two slices of bacon (or use ham, or if vegan, use seaweed or kelp).

Place peas in pot with bacon drippings ( or other oils or sugars such as molasses ) .

Season as desired, however, omit salting peas until the last minute. Putting salt in boiling water actually causes the peas to become “tough”. It is recommended to salt peas after they have been prepared.

Simmer until peas are the consistency your family enjoys.

Crumble bacon on the top of peas for texture and flavor. 

Zipper peas have a sweeter taste than Black-eyes and are delicious! Have you tried them before? 

Jack's Cucumber Dill Sauce

1 -2 cucumbers, peeled & seeded (approx 1 cup or more)

1/2 c. plain Greek style yogurt

1/4 c. mayonnaise

several sprigs chopped parsley

several sprigs dill with the woody stem removed (as shown)

salt to taste

1/8 tsp white pepper (or to taste)

Optional: freshly squeezed lemon

Place ingredients in food processor or blender, mix well, and chill.

Delicious used as salad dressing, on spinach omelets, with sandwiches, and as a dip with chips and veggies.

(Photo shown with fish, collards, tomato, broccoli)

Chile Relleno Casserole (peppers)

Jack’s Chile Relleno Casserole (yum!) 
Adapted from Cook-Eat-Share

Egg Mixture Ingredients:

12 fresh roasted Anaheim peppers (or Pablanos or your favorite chili peppers if Anaheims are not available).

6 eggs, separated

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

6 tablespoons flour

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 cups shredded Jack Cheese

1.5 cups shredded sharp cheddar

Sauce Ingredients:

1 can of tomatoes

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

fresh oregano 1/4 cup

salt, pepper

fresh cilantro 1/4 cup

fresh parsley (small bunch)

fresh basil (small bunch)

fresh thyme (a few sprigs)

1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

How to roast peppers: see our post "Roasting Peppers" for “how-to” here. Or view the "labels" in the right column.

How to make Jack’s easy sauce:

Place all ingredients in blender and mix until desired consistency. Pour into sauce pan on stove and cook at low heat until sauce is ready.

Casserole:

Devein peppers and strip of all seeds (unless you like it REALLY hot!), and set aside on paper towels to cool and dry. 

Lightly grease bottom of baking dish with favorite oil. Layer peppers on bottom of casserole dish to create a solid bottom. Sprinkle a layer of cheese mix. Then add another layer of  peppers, and more cheese.

In large bowl, beat egg whites until they softly peak and set aside. In another bowl, mix  the milk, flour, and egg yolks. Salt and pepper as desired. Slowly blend the milk mixture with the egg whites, being careful to not over beat. 

Pour egg mixture over the layers of peppers and cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Leaving the oven on, remove casserole from oven. 

Spoon the sauce evenly over the top and bake for another 30 minutes. 

Remove from oven. If desired, sprinkle with shredded sharp cheddar. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

As a lunch or supper dish, try serving with Mexican Rice, Salsa, and beans.

As a breakfast entree, serve with delicious fruits like strawberries or cantaloup.


This was served with a Chorizo-Rice mixture.

Roasting Peppers

Roasting Red Bell Peppers (or any other peppers)

Roasted red bell peppers enhance everything! Side dishes, eggs, salads, sandwiches, pasta dishes, antipasto platters. The list goes on and on! Make them fresh each time, or keep a ready store of them canned or frozen. 

To roast, start by washing the peppers and removing the stickers. Char them on high heat on a gas range stove by placing them directly onto the grates, use the Barbeque, or roast them in the oven. We marinade ours adhead of time in a plastic baggy. Use tongs to turn the pepper to blacken on all sides (or char to your taste). If roasting in the oven, preheat to 450F. Arrange the peppers on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven, turning every 15 minutes until done (about 30 minutes). 

However the peppers have been blackened, once they are done place in a covered bowl or brown paper bag. The steam from the peppers makes the skin easier to peel off.

 
Once the peppers have cooled, carefully peel off the blackened skin and discard. This can be done with fingers or a sharp knife. Pull or cut off the top of the pepper and squeeze gently to remove the seeds. 

Rinsing the peppers will diminish the smoky flavor. When the skins and seeds have been removed, cover the peppers in oil, adding garlic slices or herbs if desired, and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Or Coarsely chop  peppers into chunks, or slice the peppers depending on how you would like the finished meal to look, and set aside.

Sept 22 - Specials!

Now available on Facebook!

Did you see the dueling Beasley Booths at the new Hernando County Farmers Market?

We've never been busier. If you didn't catch us last week-end, try visiting us

Saturday, September 24, 10A-3P, NW corner of Mariner Boulevard and Hwy 50 behind Walgreens. If the trip is too far, please visit Grandma Angie and Nana Phyllis at the Farm's Produce Barn. We are very sorry to leave our long-held location in Downtown Brooksville, but we simply cannot pass up this incredible opportunity. 

Rolo continues with his location in Spring Hill on Fridays 

(13045 Spring Hill Dr, Spring Hill, FL 34609)

Thanks so much for your ongoing support.

We hope to continue bringing you quality fresh produce from the closest markets possible.

Still picking pesticide-free Okra!

For recipes visit the Yahoo Group

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Beasley_Farm_Notice/

and click on FILES > RECIPES.

Recipes will slowly be moved to the blog and easily found in the right column by name.

Thank you for making reservations for the pesticide-free, shelled and sorted, fresh-frozen Big Zippers, Pink-eyes & Conk Peas! The remaining yummy Pink-eyes are being harvested this week, so if you prefer unshelled, please phone the farm THIS WEEK ONLY. All remaining peas will be harvested by Joann tomorrow. 

SHELLED  Peas are $8.00, Quart bag, which is approximately 2 pounds

If purchasing at a satellite location, please phone the farm to special order so we may keep the peas on ice. Thank you in advance for your special orders.

This week from the Plant City Farmers Market:

delicious salad fixings:

romaine lettuce, red & green bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, scallions,

nutritious, anti-oxidant-filled tomatoes

bananas, Johnny Gold apples, pears, and plums

avocado, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash

fresh garlic

Beasley Farm

10137 Preston Rd

just off Mondon Hill Road between Hwy 41 and Hwy 50.

Produce Barn is open daily until 6PM

Phone 352-799-6752

When we're busy in the field, our cell keeps us available. 352-232-3381

Fast and Easy Peanut Butter Pie

A fast and easy recipe for the whole family.

To make it even healthier, try using all natural peanut butter for extra flavor!

Just click on the picture for it to become bigger!

Tasty & Healthy September 18, 2011

The September 18 issue may be viewed here.

Pea update: All the peas have been picked. There were only Pink-eyes left in the fields. If you phone Joann immediately, they may be available unshelled. Otherwise, they will be shelled in the next 24 hours. Joann's cell number is 352-232-0294. Thank you!

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

(photos from Jack's kitchen)

To qualify as a great apple pie, the mixture of apples should create a combined sweet-tart flavor balance. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream or with a wedge of cheddar cheese.

Quote is from the book "Mad Hungry," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Artisan Books).

To view a video with tips for creating delicious apple pies and crusts click here:

Old-Fashioned Apple Pie - Martha Stewart Recipes

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/apple-pie-mad-hungry

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart’s “Old-Fashioned Apple Pie”.

 

2 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

2 pie crusts

12 apples sliced, peeled, cored (we prefer mixing tart with sweet apples)

3/4 cup sugar, pllus additional for pie top

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1.5 tsp cinnamon (we used 1 tbsp + 1tsp cinnamon)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

pinch ground cloves

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Heat oven to 375F. Create two 1/8-inch thick, 11-inch pie crusts. Press one crust into pie plate. Place the other on waxed paper and cover with plastic wrap. Chill all pastry until firm, about 30 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining crust. Cut several steam vents across the top crust. Seal by crimping edges as desired. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional cinnamon sugar (or just plain sugar).

Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

Pie Crust also from MarthaStewart.com:

2 single 10 inch pie crusts:

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into mall pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water.

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or stick; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tbsp at a time. 
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.