Tasty and Healthy - March 15, 2012

(click on any of our photos to enlarge them for better detail)

Hello, everyone! Only 2 more days 'til St. Patrick's Day. Do you have traditions and ways of celebrating The Green?

Joann and Rolo have been busy busy busy in the fields! In addition to marvelous Collard Greens and Savoy Cabbage, we've been busy harvesting "red" things.

Perfect for roasting, canning, freezing, juicing, or boiling, our beautiful pesticide-free red beets with tops are now being harvested! (shown left and below are Collard Greens, Savoy Cabbage, and Beets - perfect for St. Patrick's Day, which is in 2 days, and March Madness sides.

The Red Rhubarb Swiss Chard have proven very popular. Slightly milder than the "White" Chard, this will prove to be a short-term crop with the way the warm temperatures are going, so you may wish to try some soon. Because these big "bouquets" of chard are reasonably priced, and pesticide-free, we suggest freezing them for use in casseroles, soups, stews and side dishes for summer months.

To freeze greens, please check out the "pick your own" website by clicking here for a brief tutorial. Do you enjoy video "how-to's"? Then please click here for a great three and a half minute home movie. Here is one more person's take on freezing Chard. These tips are great for any of the greens we sell on the farm.


For more information about freezing vegetables, please see our page here. Joann also offers Bargain Boxes - these are flats of vegetables ready for someone to dice, chop, or slice and place in baggies for the freezer. For more information about these flats please phone the farm.

Did you know you brighten our days by visiting one of our locations every week? It's so good seeing familiar faces, sharing recipes, and hearing about your lives. Please feel free to phone the farm for special requests or special orders. We'll do everything we can to accommodate you. If you need something from the Farmers Market in Plant City, it is best to phone by Wednesday afternoon.

We also have some great soup recipes, and finger food ideas for March Madness (recipes below).

St. Patrick's Day means Corned Beef and Cabbage (recipe below).


Have you tried our beautiful Savoy Cabbage? It has a sweeter flavor than traditional green cabbage. Arrange a few of these spectacularly-gorgeous leaves under your main entrée, or cradling a finger-veggie tray. Whether cooked or 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 pesticide-free CRUCIFEROUS vegetables! To read all about Cruciferous Veggies and see our farm photos, just click here.



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.

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.

Gran'ma Angie is still in need of bags! Thanks for "recycling" your plastic bags with us! It helps us keep prices down.


From the Farmers Market:

Strawberries: Once again we waited at the Strawberry Fields while they were being picked to bring you the freshest ever strawberries!


South Florida has recovered from the two devastating freezes - looky what we found at the Farmers Market:


Gorgeous Florida tomatoes
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Red and Green Bell Peppers
Red and Green Jalapenos (be sure to remove the seeds!)
Red and Green Sweet Cubanella Peppers
Poblano Peppers
Radishes

Cauliflower
Broccoli

Carrots
Sweet Potatoes
Baking Potatoes
Red Skin Potatoes
Red and White onions
Florida Sweet onions with their tops
Celery
Romaine (sweet and super fresh!)
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Lemons
Strawberries
Florida Bi-Color Sweet Corn
Nice Honey Tangerines
Big, Beautiful Heads of Cabbage - green and purple
Wonderful Fresh Herbs in 4" pots -- Basil, Mint, Oregano, and Parsley


Beasley's Pesticide Free Savoy Cabbage
Beasley's Pesticide Free Beets
Beasley's Pesticide Free Swiss Chard
Beasley's Pesticide Free Collards

Where we will be this week:

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 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, 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.

Freezer Ideas:

Chicken Collard Soup

Turkey and Swiss Chard Soup

St. Patrick's Day is Saturday!

Corned Beef and Cabbage


Are you a sports party organizer? 

How about these recipes for your March Madness events?

A different kind of Pizza
(New York Crust with Swiss Chard)

Pizza Combo

Flat Bread, Herbs and Tomatoes

Quotes for this week:

“It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, 

but like morning light it scattered the night 

and made the day worth living.” 

~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

“No matter what you might be going through, 

the ending will be greater than it's beginning. 

As long as you still breathe, you have a purpose to fulfill

and usually the one who gets in the way  

of that fulfillment is your own self. 

So let go of your fears 

Get up, and get out of your own way.”

~ Unknown 

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,