Tasty and Healthy - March 8, 2012

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

Hello, everyone! It's been a wonderfully-busy week for us, and we hope it has been great for you, too! 


In addition to our 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 9 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.

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 will soon be here. You know what that 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.


This week we are harvesting Yummy Red Rhubarb Swiss Chard. It is somewhat milder and less textured than the "white" (or green) Swiss Chard. Great in salads and sandwiches, or cooked, the red chard is a terrific way of adding color, flavor and nutrients to your meals. We're also harvesting some collards and turnips.

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: We waited at the Strawberry Fields while they were being picked to bring you the freshest ever strawberries!


We also picked up:


Gorgeous Florida tomatoes
Eggplant
Cucumbers
Red and Green Bell Peppers
Jalapenos (be sure to remove the seeds!)
Sweet Cubanella Peppers
Poblano Peppers
Radishes
Carrots
Sweet Potatoes
Baking Potatoes
Red Skin Potatoes
Red and White onions
Sweet Florida onions with their tops
Celery
Romaine (sweet and super fresh!)
Butternut Squash
Yellow Squash
Zucchini
Lemons
Strawberries
Awesome fresh herbs in the 4" pot
  (these look fantastic!)
Cabbage - green and red (and our own Sweet Savoy)

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:

Turkey and Swiss Chard Soup

Brazilian Style Collard Greens

Collard Green and White Bean Soup

Are you a sports party organizer? 

How about these recipes for your March Madness events?

Pizza Combo

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Flat Bread, Herbs and Tomatoes

Quotes for this week:

The truly happy people are those who have a source

of happiness too deep to be seriously 

disturbed by ordinary troubles.

~ Marion K Rich

“When you arise in the morning think of what 

a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” 

~ Marcus Aurelius

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,