Tasty and Healthy - May 3, 2012

It's May already! We hope you are enjoying each day to the fullest, and finding special joys in each hour. Lots of recipes have been uploaded the past month, including two much requested Zucchini Bread recipes - one with regular ingredients, and one with whole wheat flour and other sweeteners. Be sure to look at the right column under the word LABELS to find the recipe you'd most enjoy trying this week. Or we have 4 suggestions shown below. 

New crops are being harvested every week, and our Big Spring U-Pick Green Beans is in full swing! Please hurry as these will not last on the vine long!

Joann and Rolo take pleasure in working the fields together, as the time passes more enjoyably.  When Rolo is manning one of the satellite locations, Joann is busy in the fields. Their work is never done, and many a day ends long, LONG after the sun goes down.

A very warm Spring has ended our winter harvests BUT we have a small amount of Rhubarb Swiss Chard. We're currently harvesting pesticide-free eight-ball zucchini and yellow summer squash. The Yellow Butta Zucchini and Scallop Squash will soon be ready, too. We're also open for the Big Spring Green Bean U-Pick. 

The eight-ball squash is one of our coveted specialties, and we hope you enjoy it while it is in season. (recipes below)

Please phone if you are interested in canning beets. These are our pesticide-free, small-to-medium size beets without the green tops - available for a short time.

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 to test our soil and plants. For more information about our farming techniques, and the testing we undergo, please click here.

Gran'ma Angie thanks you for the bags! She hopes you will keep on bringing 'em. Thanks for "recycling" your plastic bags with us! It helps us keep prices down.

From the Farmers Market:

Florida tomatoes

Eggplant

Cucumbers

***Yellow*** Bell Peppers

Green Bell Peppers

Green Jalapenos (be sure to remove the seeds!)

Sweet Cubanella Peppers

Radishes

Carrots

Sweet Potatoes

Baking Potatoes

Florida Red Skin Potatoes

***bicolor corn***

Yellow onions

Celery

Romaine

Lemons

Limes

Valencia Oranges

Bananas

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Wonderful Fresh Herbs in 4" pots

From the Farm:

Beasley's Pesticide Free Beets (no tops-perfect for canning)

Beasley's Pesticide Free Swiss Chard

Beasley's Pesticide Free Eight Ball Zucchini (recipes below)

Beasley's Pesticide Free Zucchini (recipes below)
Beasley's Pesticide Free Yellow Zucchini 

Beasley's Pesticide Free Yellow Squash (recipe below)

Beasley's Pesticide Free U-Pick Green Beans
Beasley's Pesticide Free U-Pick Pole Beans

Pesticide-Free Green Beans and Pole Beans are ready for U-PICK!

After 10AM our Pesticide-free Fields are open for U-Pick! Perfect for canning or freezing, and delicious fresh! Check out our green bean recipes here. 

For all the information, please click here.

Where we will be this week:

Please note below that we will NOT be at our Sunday Hwy 19 location this week. 
There is also a change on Mondays, and the special location for Thursday evening.

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 40 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 - PLEASE NOTE: This week Rolo will NOT be at the Towne Square Market Place in Spring Hill near Chili's on Hwy 19 from 8AM-3PM.  

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

NOTE: new hours for Monday's location - until Noon only.

NOTE: special location May 3 - Thursday night only.

The Weeki Wachee High School Environmental Awareness Dinner. (Click here for details and map, or phone Kara Pirolo at 352-797-7029 x 239). The Resources Class is hosting a pasta and salad dinner, with educational information available about our local resources and their impact on the environment.

This week's recipe suggestions:

(there are more squash recipes found in the right column under the word "labels")

Cool and Lite

Swiss Chard, Walnut, Feta Salad

Jill Yelverton's

Zucchini Custard

Meal in a Dish

Layered Zucchini, Tomato and Hamburger

Pizza with Swiss Chard and Tomato

Quotes for this week:

Kindness is one of the most
 powerful tools available to you.
 Kindness can positively transform
your world in a way that nothing else can.
 When your heart is filled with kindness,
 your thoughts and actions are driven by a positive,
 creative force.

~ Unknown

Happiness will never come to those 

who fail to appreciate what they already have.

~ Unknown

- Author 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,

U-Pick Green Beans and Pole Beans - Now!

May 1, 2012

Hurry! The beans don't last long on the vine!

Pesticide-Free Pole Beans AND Green Beans are ready for U-PICK!

Our Pesticide-free Green Bean and Pole Bean Fields are will  open for U-Pick! Perfect for canning or freezing, and delicious fresh! Check out our green bean recipes here.

Our suggestion is to wear old shoes because the fields are wet in the mornings.

We also suggest:

While bushel baskets are available during picking, we suggest bringing a clothes basket lined with a towel or sheet, or perhaps even a sheet with a string to tie the top for transporting home... whatever containers you may have at home in order to transport them conveniently.


Our prices have remained the same for years.

$12 for the half bushel.

$18 for the whole bushel.

These beans are pesticide free!

Swiss Chard, Walnut and Feta Salad

This light, enjoyable salad is made with basic ingredients.

Fresh, well-washed Swiss Chard (veined or deveined), raw walnut halves, crumbled feta cheese make this salad interesting and pleasant.

Toss with your favorite oil-and-vinegar combination or even Italian dressing.

Easy Roasted Potato Slices

Whether it's finger food or served with fork and spoon, potatoes are usually a big hit for snacks and meals. 


Because they are good sources of trace minerals and vitamins, potatoes can be a healthy addition to the diet, unless one is trying to lose weight.

One simple recipe is perfect for finger food or served simply with breakfast or dinner. 


Thinly slice potatoes (even sweet potatoes are good for this).

Place on baking sheet (lining with parchment paper makes cooking a breeze, and easy on clean-up).

Season with freshly ground salt and pepper, and your favorite herbs or seasonings.


Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes (more or less, depending on your personal taste). 

Enjoy!

Moist Zucchini Bread

Adapted from allrecipes.com


Over the years we have tried several recipes before finding one with perfect flavoring and moistness. Of course, it is tweaked with a few changes (shown in italics).

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 1/4 cups white sugar

3 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated zucchini

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
a pinch of ground cloves

Directions

1. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, cloves and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans. NOTE: be sure to squeeze the grated zucchini in a towel in order to press some of the excess water from the zucchini.
4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool. NOTE: We found 70 minutes was needed, determined by the amount of moisture in the zucchini, and how hot your oven gets.

Serve cooled or warm with any meals, as a snack or a simple dessert.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread

If you enjoy the nutty goodness of Whole Wheat and the rich flavor of honey and brown sugar,  this Zucchini Bread recipe is for you. Because the ingredients are dark in color, the baked bread will also appear darker than Zucchini Bread baked with white flour and white sugar.

Ingredients

    * 6 eggs, beaten

    * 1 cup honey

    * 1 cup packed brown sugar

    * 1/2 cup canola oil (we substituted olive oil)

    * 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    * 2 cups whole wheat flour

    * 4 cups all-purpose flour

    * 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

    * 2 teaspoons baking powder

    * 2 teaspoons baking soda

    * 2 teaspoons salt

    * 4 cups grated zucchini, and rubbed dry

    * 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

   1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8x4 inch loaf pans and set aside. Shred Zucchini, and towel dry to remove excess water.

   2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, brown sugar, oil and vanilla. Combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir into the wet ingredients until moistened. Gently stir in the zucchini and walnuts until evenly distributed. Divide batter evenly between the prepared pans.

   3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown comes out clean. Cool in the pan until cool enough to touch, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap or store in a plastic bag when cool to keep moist.