Tasty and Healthy February 16, 2012

(pssst! It's Joann's and Rolo's beautiful Swiss Chard!)

Hello, everyone! It's great seeing you here again. Did you know we have readers from all around the world, including folks in Russia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the South Pacific? 

Because of this, we have added a "Google Translator". It is in the top-right column. If you know anyone who does not speak English, please pass the word along that our website can be read in their native language. We hope this feature will be helpful for our friends throughout the world. Want to see how it works? Click on a language in the little pull down menu. The whole website changes. Then click back on English, so you may read the rest. :-)


Can you believe this weather? Such marvelously warm, mild days, and then the sudden swish of deadly freezes. Maybe last week's freeze will be the final one of Florida's winter. We hope the past week was healthy and enjoyable for you, and look forward to seeing you at any of our locations.

PARTY TIME! It's the perfect time of year to have a crock-pot-for-the-freezer party! Invite friends to bring inexpensive cuts of meat and their crock pots to your home. Set up a few card tables for the pots, and let everyone get their meats and seasonings going. (NOTE: good choice to use a few different outlets with surge protectors).


While the pots are steaming, head on over to Beasley Farm to pick up the freshest-ever greens - all pesticide-free! Savoy Cabbage, Swiss Chard, Collards, Kale, Turnips. We find that the entire Chard and Turnip plants can be used in soups. At that time, pick up some carrots, tomatoes, potatoes, bell peppers, poblano peppers, onions and pesticide-free, fresh frozen Beasley field peas. Then back to the house for a cleaning, chopping, veggie prepping assembly line. (It's also fun having a little wine on hand and even a chick-flick to enjoy during breaks). When the meat is cooked, help de-bone. Share the meats, or use your own. It's all good when placed in freezer containers, marked, and safely stored away for those days cooking is not feasible.  


It's been great having Joann's brother with us this past week. Bob comes down from deep snow country each winter to help with the winter harvests and visit family. We are now harvesting a newcomer to our farm fields - Savoy Cabbage. 


Beautiful, and providing a sweeter flavor than traditional green cabbage, a few of these spectacularly-gorgeous leaves under your main entrée will be eye-candy to those enjoying your meal. Cooked in just about any way, or eaten raw in slaws or on sandwiches, Savoy Cabbage is a wonderful addition to any meal. One head can provide a number of meals -- stuffed, Sautéed, combined with other greens or vegetables, boiled, roasted, grilled, steamed. With Beasley Farm's pesticide-free Savoy Cabbage, it's a great time to experiment!


We're still busy harvesting, planting, and more harvesting our pesticide-free cruciferous vegetables! Did you know the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services regularly makes "surprise" visits to our farm to test our soil and plants? We always pass with flying colors and tests reveal no trace pesticides. For more information about our farming techniques, and the testing we undergo, please click here.


Some cabbage facts:

This week we continue featuring our CRUCIFEROUS vegetables! Not sure what they are? It's surprising how diverse this group is. We made a quick list with an easy-to-read, brief explanation of why CRUCIFEROUS veggies are vital to our well being. They are also very easy to integrate into our menus. To read all about Cruciferous Veggies and see our farm photos, just click here.


Beasley Farm grows lots of varieties of Cruciferous vegetables. They are grown Fall and Spring, and do well in the Winter if Mother Nature does not send hard freezes.


Currently being harvested on the farm: pesticide-free savoy cabbage, turnips, kale, collards, and swiss chard (all in the cruciferous family)


Please phone if you would like us to bring greens to the satellite locations. It's our way of ensuring the freshest, best quality produce available.

Big favor please! We are in desperate need of bags again! Thanks for always answering our plea to recycle your plastic bags with us! Thank you!

Also available this week, fresh Florida Cantaloupe. We waited at the Strawberry Fields while they were being picked to bring you the freshest ever strawberries, too!

Where we will be this week:

New New New Sunday Location!

It will be great seeing you all at our satellite locations as well as at the Produce Barn. We have a new Location for Sundays to accommodate folks who are unable to make it to the other locations. We tried several locations in the Brooksville area for Sunday first, but there was not suitable traffic. Hence, we will be at the Towne Square Market Place near Chili's Bar and Grill on Hwy 19, from 8AM - 3PM. For more details, please click here.

Monday - we will be at the Cloverleaf location. If you would like any of the pesticide-free greens, please phone to reserve them, so that we know to bring them with us.

Friday - Rolo will be at the Spring Hill location. If you would like any of the pesticide-free greens, please phone to reserve them, so that we know to bring them with him.

Saturday - Rolo and Joann will be at the Hernando County Farmers Market on Hwy 19 with nearly 80 other vendors! Come browse, shop, and visit with your neighbors - it's an all 'round enjoyable time. You'll also be supporting local businesses by visiting their booths. If you would like any of the pesticide-free greens, please phone to reserve them, so that we know to bring them with us.

Saturday and everyday - Gran'ma Angie, Nana Phyllis, Joann and Rolo will be at the Produce Barn until 6PM. Fresh Cut Pesticide-free Greens will be eagerly awaiting you in their little wading pool.


Sunday - Rolo will be at the Towne Square Market Place in Spring Hill near Chili's on Hwy 19 from 8AM-3PM.  If you would like any of the pesticide-free greens, please phone to reserve them, so that we know to bring them with him.

For our Calendar of Locations, and special times and dates for February and March, please click here, or click on the Calendar Tab at the top of this page.

It's the perfect time to be making soups and stews which contain Greens. Collards, Kale, Swiss Chard, Cabbage -- chop them at the very last minute. Allow their magical phytochemicals to activate by letting set for a few moments, place them in your pot for 3-5 minutes, and serve. Freeze your leftovers. We freeze ours in single serving containers, as well as double-portion containers. Perfect for quick lunches or dinners. Freezing soups and stews stretches your Food Dollar, maximizes your time spent in the kitchen, and frees you up for other things. AND they are healthy. It's important not to overcook vegetables, or they lose important nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Some of our favorite "freezeables" are shown below.

Today's Recipes are Freezer-Friendly

Hearty Chicken Soup

Chicken Enchilladas

Roasted Broccoli Soup (low fat)

Creamy Broccoli Soup

Collard Green Soup

(try substituting any of your favorite greens here)

Cabbage Soup

Mac 'n Greens with Tomatoes

Quotes for this week:

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

- Mother Teresa -

Blessed are those who can give without

remembering, and take without forgetting.

~ Elizabeth Bibesco

As always, thank you for your encouragement and support. Without you, we wouldn't be able to do what we love most - FARM!


Looking forward to seeing you soon,