Thursday, September 27, 2012

Tasty and Healthy - September 27, 2012

Greetings! We hope this week's post finds you and your family doing well.

Have you noticed a slight change in the mornings? Our dew points were lower, making for cooler mornings without the heavy humidity. A brief respite, our normal summer patterns have since returned. Still, it was nice opening the doors for a few hours to enjoy fresh air, and recognizing that Fall is just around the corner!

Currently planted on the farm, but not yet ready for harvest:

Zucchini
Eight-ball Zucchini (our speciality)
Yellow Zucchini
Yellow Squash
Green Beans
Pole Beans
Yellow Beans
Red and White Swiss Chard (another specialty)
Kale
Broccoli
5,000 collard plants! (biggest seller)

It will be 60-90 days before these are ready for harvest.

Pesticide-free Okra is currently being harvested on the farm. Try it in casseroles, soups, fried, baked, roasted and grilled (Recipes on the right).

Featured Vegetable - Carrots!

Carrots, like many root vegetables, are very sweet, and may easily be incorporated in side dishes, snacks, baked goodies, stews, soups, puddings, pies, juice drinks, enjoyed raw and may be used in just about anything else you can think of.

They seem to be most effective when slightly steamed. Because most recipes call for cooked, baked or boiled carrots, we have provided nutrient information based on carrots already having been processed accordingly. Just click here to see our web page with this information.

High in fiber, Carrots are actually tap roots which contain minerals, anti-oxidants, Vitamins A, C, B and K. Carrots contain beta carotenes in abundant amounts! Carotenes are cancer-fighting nutrients which are converted into Vitamin A by the liver. Carrot flavonoids help protect us from lung, skin and mouth cancers. Scientists at University of Newcastle have discovered that a substance called "falcarinol" in carrots may help fight cancers by destroying pre-cancerous cells located in tumors. Fresh Carrots are good sources of the anti-oxidant Vitamin C, and contain many of the B-complex vitamins like folic acid, thiamin, pantothenic acid, and B6 to help with the body's metabolism. As with all roots, depending on soil content, Carrots are high in assorted minerals.

If interested in SHELLED black-eye peas please phone the farm to place an order. Peas are in our standard two pound bag. $8 per bag.

As always, 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.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services visits to our farm regularly to test our soil and plants. For more information about our farming techniques, and the testing we undergo, please click here.

A big thanks from Gran'ma Angie for recycling your shopping bags with us. Please keep them coming!

From the Farmers Market:

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Cucumbers
Pickling Cukes
Poblano Peppers
Green and Red Bell Peppers
Red and Green Jalapenos (be sure to remove the seeds!)

Carrots (recipes below)

Sweet Potatoes

Baking Potatoes

Red Skin Potatoes
White Skin Potatoes

Yellow Squash
Zucchini Squash
Butternut Squash

Yellow Onions
Scallion Onions
Purple Onions
Red Radish
Beets

Celery
Cabbage
Romaine

Head Lettuce
FLORIDA Avocados
Lemons

Limes (recipe below)
Bananas
Tangerines
Navel Oranges
Johnny Golds Apples
Golden Delicious Apples

Where we will be this week:

Friday - Rolo will be at our Spring Hill Drive location next to the Chevron location. Be sure to phone the farm for any special orders!

Saturday - Joann and Rolo will be at the Hernando County Farmers Market on Hwy 19 with 40 other vendors! Come and 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. Be sure to phone the farm for any special orders!

Saturday and everyday - Gran'ma Angie, Nana Phyllis, Joann and Rolo will be at the Produce Barn until 6PM.

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