Thursday, December 13, 2012

Tasty and Healthy - December 13, 201

Greetings! We hope the preparations for upcoming celebrations are enjoyable and relaxing. The recipe at left is courtesy of customer Maria Goodsell. Yum! The link is shown below in today's featured recipes. Thanks very much, Maria!

To see which Winter Crops are currently being harvested, please see the highlighted areas below.

'Christmas, my child, is love in action.

Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas.'

-Dale Evans

Thanks for voting us "Silver" during Best of Hernando awards again this year!

Now that the holiday season is upon us, it's nice to enjoy easily "rustled up" meals. Prepare sauces, chilis, stews, and soups in large quantities. Freeze some for future meals, or refrigerate leftovers to use 3 or 4 nights into the future. Use all the fresh vegetables in your produce drawer, and even the opened bags of frozen veggies which were not completely used at a previous meal.

Another time saver:

Place seasonings and meat in the crock pot for slow cooking all day. Prepare vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchini, eggplant, or regular potatoes into bite sizes or shaped like french fries. Place in sealed baggie. For dinner, turn the oven to 400F, line cookie sheet with parchment paper, and roast the veggies for 30 minutes (give or take). In this way, you have time to kick of your shoes, set the table, get the meat out of the crock pot, and the veggies will be ready just in time. This insures that the vegetables are not overcooked, and that they retain their nutrients and flavor.

Holiday gift giving

Our friends and family enjoy receiving home made zucchini and banana breads, yeast rolls, herbal and sourdough breads, cookies and even refrigerated "sides" for meals during the week like potato salad, mac 'n greens, and chicken enchiladas. Gifts of breads and sides are particularly appreciated during the holiday season, and are perfect for the family members who already "have everything".

We also try to share "hand-made" gifts as much as possible. These are made throughout the year with specific people in mind.

Our Greens are in!

Because Mustards and Collards belong to the Cruciferous Family, they are extremely healthy and versatile, full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Please click here for information about Greens.

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

Red and White Swiss Chard (another specialty)
Kale
Broccoli
Spinach
Baby Bok Choy
Beets

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!

Being Harvested on the Farm:

Pesticide-Free Turnips

Pesticide-Free Mustard Greens

Pesticide-Free Collard Greens

Pesticide-Free Baby Bok Choy
Pesticide-Free Kale

Phone for fresh-frozen Black Eye Peas

Because Greens are extremely perishable, we ask our customers to special order them if picking up at a satellite location. At the farm, we keep them in children's swimming pools of water.
From the Farmers Market:

Florida Tomatoes

Florida Grape Tomatoes

Florida Green Tomatoes

Eggplant

Cucumbers

Pickling Cukes

Green and Red Bell Peppers - BEAUTIFUL straight from the fields!

Cubanella Sweet Peppers
Poblano Peppers

Jalapenos (be sure to remove the seeds!)

Carrots

Sweet Potatoes

Baking Potatoes

Red Skin Potatoes

White Skin Potatoes

Yellow Onions

Scallion Onions

Purple Onions

Red Radish

Beets

Celery

Cabbage

Romaine

Head Lettuce

Lemons

Limes (recipe below)

Bananas

Red Navel Oranges (Extra Large!)

Tangerines

Fuji Apples

Florida Avocados
Fresh Oregano - Beautiful!

Where we will be this week:

Human kids and fur kids both get "Photo with Santa" Saturday December 15 at the Hernando County Farmers Market. Live Entertainment, too!

Everyday - until 6PM Gran'ma Angie, Nana Phyllis, Joann and Rolo will man the Produce Barn. Note: The Farm will be closed on Christmas Day to celebrate with our family.

Monday - 9AM - 2PM We are now serving our north Brooksville customers in the Cloverleaf Farm Mobile Home Park - just off Hwy 41, across from the Hernando County School Compound and south of Croom Road in North Brooksville. Turn into Cloverleaf Farm's main entrance, on the right side by the golf driving range.

Friday - 7:30AM - 5PM 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 - 10AM-3PM Joann and Rolo will be at the Hernando County Farmers Market on Hwy 19 with 40 other vendors! Enjoy live entertainment, wonderful food, 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!

Sunday - 9AM-2PM Rolo will be at The Tarpon Springs Sunday Morning Farmers Market in downtown Tarpon Springs (Corner of Alt 19 and Tarpon Ave). A great Pinellas County addition to our satellite locations. Be sure to phone the farm for any special orders!