July 31 2014

P r o d u c e & S o u r c e s

Newsletter

B i g , B a s i c , F r u i t & V e g g i e B a s k e t s

Sweet or sour, cherries are bursting with nutrition. Find out on page 2 how these petite stone fruits can help improve your health.

Don’t forget to pick up your basket early as produce doesn’t last long in the heat!

T H I S W E E K ’ S O R D E R

Apricots Blueberries

Cherries Grapes

Korean Melons Lemons

Nectarines Plums

Chard Cucumbers

Dandelion Greens Eggplant

Kale Lettuce

Peppers Radicchio

Rainbow Carrots Red Onions

String Beans Summer Squash

Tomatoes

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Featured

WA NJ !!NJ !!!

Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ

July 31, 2014

Farmer John Kruger Circle Brook Farm, Andover, NJ !Hi Folks, Tomato season has begun! Yippee! Probably only a couple of fruits for this week but quantities will increase week by week. Melons have also begun to ripen. There are a lot of Korean melons an oblong yellow type which looks like an overgrown cucumber. These are very sweet and have a crisp flesh, not as soft as other melons. We also have some yellow fleshed watermelons. We also have our multicolored carrots again this week. We have a lot of these, and they tend to be a bit on the wild side (hey baby…), meaning they get woody if left in the ground too long. In general they are tougher that the orange carrots and are best cooked. We still have some radicchio left but not a lot. I know from market that dandelion greens have their fans, although for most they are just too bitter, but if you enjoy them let Marnie know and we can send them as extra from time to time.

The weather has been copacetic. Such mild temperatures for July are a real blessing. We received .4 inches of rain Sunday night which was much appreciated for the seeds I have been planting and the fall brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, etc) which we have been transplanting.

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Photo from blog.farmmade.com

Photo by Marnie Vyff

Cherry Nutrition Benefits Get a better night’s sleep.

Balance your blood pressure.

Ease muscle soreness.

Combat cancer.

Whittle your waistline.

Get a grip on gout.

Read more about each benefit at eatingwell.com

Marnie Vyff Barbara Taylor

Stephanie Perrotti

Co-op Manager Marketing Director Editor

S p o t l i g h t s

‘Luxe to No Frills: Green Travel on Any Budget Adapted from thegreendivas.com

It’s possible to keep the green in your wallet (or piggy bank) when you travel green. What is true: You can find green on your travels at any price point.

Earlier this year, TripAdvisor (which claims to be the world’s biggest travel website) issued a list of what it calls the 10 best green hotels in the U.S….Top-ranked was Bardessono, a very posh, LEED Platinum-certified hotel in the Napa Valley, California…. But on that same list was also a Holiday Inn Express in Florida and properties at every level in between.

Heck, one of the greenest ways to stay is good ol’ camping out.

You can also dine green on virtually any budget.

No matter what floats your boat, drop anchor at the local farmer’s market. Find an organic farmer or baker or jam maker whose stuff looks yummy. Cheapest way is to stock up right there and picnic to your heart’s content, or whip up healthy meals at your lodging if you have kitchen facilities. If not, ask these farmers and organic vendors for tips. Which restaurants buy from them and other organic producers? Which are their personal favs? What else shouldn’t you miss during your visit?

Organized tours to local eco-friendly attractions are becoming more common in some areas….But, again, you can save money by touring on your own—and it’s easy with directions from your smartphone or car GPS and an itinerary from the local tourism bureau or your hotel.

Read the full article at thegreendivas.com

Fruit Apricots Keep unripe fruit at room temperature to ripen or in paper bag to speed up the process. Once ripened, refrigerate in plastic bag for 4-5 days. Apricots are a high ethylene producer and should be kept away from other fresh produce to slow down ripening/spoilage.

Blueberries Discard any damaged or moldy berries. Refrigerate unwashed in original container if planning to eat in a few days. For slightly longer storage, place on paper towel in sealed container. Remove any damaged berries.

Cherries Refrigerate as soon as possible as cherries can lose more quality in one hour at room temperature than a day in the refrigerator. Refrigerate unwashed in plastic bag. Use in 4-7 days.

Grapes Refrigerate unwashed in perforated plastic bag. Use within a week.

Korean Melons Store whole melon at room temperature for up to 5 days. Refrigerate cut melon in plastic bag and eat in 3 days.

Lemons Seal in zipper-lock bag and refrigerate up to a month.

Nectarines & Plums Keep unripe fruit at room temperature to ripen or in paper bag to speed up the process. Do NOT refrigerate until fully ripe: this will result in mealy, flavorless fruit. Once ripened, keep in refrigerator for 3-5 days. This fruit is a high ethylene producer and should be kept away from other fresh produce to slow down ripening/spoilage.

S t o r i n g & P r e s e r v i n g

Can You Trust That Organic Label On Imported Food?

Investigators at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have discovered cases of organic fraud abroad as well as in the U.S. In 2013, 19 farmers or food companies were fined a total of $87,000 for misusing the organic label. Maybe you've wondered, while looking at the price tag on some organic produce, whether that label is telling the truth.

Peter Laufer, a writer and professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, doesn't just wonder. He's an outright skeptic, especially because the organic label seems to him like a license to raise prices. And also because those products are arriving through supply chains that stretch to far corners of the world.

The U.S. imports organic soybeans from China, spices from India, and dried fruits from Turkey. "It just screams to my perhaps prejudiced, cynical, journalist's mind: Is there anything wrong with this?" Laufer says. "This needs some checking."

Two products recently caught Laufer's attention when they showed up in his kitchen: a can of organic black beans from Bolivia and a bag of organic walnuts, which turned out to be rancid, labeled "Product of Kazakhstan."

Laufer's mental fraud alarm went off. "I've done a lot of work in the former Soviet bloc, and when you look at the 'corrupt-o-meter,' it doesn't get much worse than Kazakhstan," he says. Bolivia, he says, isn't much better.

So Laufer tried to find out exactly where those products came from. As he recounts in his new book, Organic: A Journalist's Quest to Discover the Truth Behind Food Labeling, he interrogated store managers, distributors and the company that certified the beans as organic.

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R e c i p e s

Green Goddess Quinoa Salad with Dandelion Greens greenbasket.me !2 c quinoa3 c rich homemade chicken broth1 tsp. saltsmall handful of dandelion greens, finely sliced large handful of parsley, chopped2 cucumbers, diced 1 small yellow sweet pepper, diced 1 avocado, diced1/2 recipe Anchovy Herb Vinaigrette !Put the quinoa in a pan with a tight-fitting lid. Cover with cold water and swish with your hands, then drain and repeat, 3-4 times until the water runs fairly clear. Drain off most of the water. Add the chicken broth and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Then without opening the lid, turn the heat off and leave for another 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.

When the quinoa has cooled to room temperature, measure two cups of cooked quinoa into a mixing bowl. Add the dandelion greens through avocado and toss. Then start with 3 tablespoons of dressing, toss gently, and add more if it looks dry. The quinoa will soak up a lot of flavor, so use the dressing liberally. Then cover and chill the salad for at least a few hours to let the flavors “get happy”, and then taste for salt before serving. !!!!!!!!!!!!

Chilli Noodle and Nut Stir-Fry Vegetarian Cooking: A Common Sense Guide by Staff of Murdoch Books !Steph’s Note: This recipe is a favorite in our house. Below is my husband’s slightly adapted recipe. !1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon sesame oil 1 large onion, cut into thin wedges 4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced 2-3 small red chilies, finely chopped 1 red pepper, cut into strips 1 green pepper, cut into strips 2 large carrots, cut into batons 3.5 ounces green beans, trimmed 2 celery stalks, cut into batons 2 teaspoons honey 1 lb. 2 oz. egg noodles, separated 2/3 cup dry roasted peanuts 2/3 cup honey roasted cashew nuts 4 scallions, chopped Sweet chili sauce, to serve !Heat a large pot until very hot. Add the vegetable and sesame oils and swirl to coat the side. Stir-fry the onion, garlic, and the chili over high heat for one minute, or until the onion just starts to soften.

Add the red and green peppers, carrots and beans and stir fry for one minute

Add the celery, honey and 1/4 cup water, toss well then cover and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

Add the noodles and nuts. Toss together well, then cover and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes, or until the noodles are heated through. Continue adding water and stirring so that the noodles do not stick to the bottom. Mix the scallions through and serve drizzled with sweet chili sauce

Vegetables Chard, Dandelion Greens & Kale Refrigerate unwashed greens in plastic bag squeezing out as much air as possible. Use within 5 days.

Cucumbers Eat as soon as possible. Refrigerate unwashed in plastic bag. Use within a week.

Eggplant Eggplants are sensitive to both heat and cold and should ideally be stored at 50ºF. Otherwise, refrigerate uncut and unwashed in plastic bag in crisper. Be careful not to damage skin as it will cause spoilage and decay. Use in 5-7 days.

Lettuce Refrigerate unwashed in loosely closed plastic bag or crisper. Do not wash until ready to serve. Best eaten within 2-3 days. Use within a week.

Peppers Refrigerate unwashed in plastic bag in crisper. Green peppers usually stay fresh longer than red, orange or yellow. Peppers will last about a week.

Radicchio Refrigerate unwashed in sealed plastic bag. Use within 4 days.

Rainbow Carrots Remove tops (you can use greens to replace parsley, basil, and other herbs), wrap in damp paper towel and place in plastic bag in refrigerator. Use as soon as possible.

Refrigerate carrots in plastic bag in coldest part of refrigerator. Use within two weeks.

Red Onions Store in mesh bag or other well-ventilated container in a cool, dry location between 45-55°F. Do not store near potatoes. Whole onions will last about two months. Refrigerate cut onions in tightly sealed container and use within 2-3 days.

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Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna with Swiss Chard Loveandoliveoil.com !2 medium eggplants (about 2 1/4 pounds total), trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices Coarse kosher salt Extra-virgin olive oil 1 1-pound bunch Swiss chard, center ribs removed 2 large eggs 1 15-ounce container whole-milk ricotta cheese 1 1/4 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 15- to 16-ounce can tomato sauce 1 8-ounce ball fresh water-packed mozzarella, drained, thinly sliced !Cover bottom and sides of each of 2 large colanders with 1 layer of eggplant slices; sprinkle generously with coarse salt. Continue layering eggplant slices in each colander, sprinkling each layer with coarse salt, until all eggplant slices are used. Place each colander over large bowl; let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Rinse eggplant slices to remove excess salt; dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Position oven rack 5 to 6 inches from heat source and preheat broiler. Line 3 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. Arrange eggplant slices in single layer on prepared baking sheets. Brush both sides of eggplant slices with olive oil. Broil 1 sheet at a time until eggplant slices are tender and beginning to brown, watching closely and removing eggplant slices as needed if cooking too quickly, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove baking sheet from oven and cool eggplant while preparing filling.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add chard to pot and boil just until tender, about 2 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Squeeze chard very dry, then chop coarsely. Squeeze chard dry again between paper towels. Whisk eggs and pinch of coarse salt in

medium bowl. Stir in chopped chard, ricotta cheese, 1 cup Parmesan, mint, and black pepper.

Lightly oil 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Spread half of tomato sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Divide chard-ricotta filling among eggplant slices, placing about 1 heaping tablespoon filling in center of each. Starting at 1 short end of each, loosely roll up eggplant slices, enclosing filling. Arrange rolls, seam side down, atop sauce in baking dish. Alternatively, you can layer the eggplant lasagna style, with a first a layer of sauce, then half of eggplant, followed by the ricotta filling, and other half of eggplant. Spoon remaining tomato sauce over. Place mozzarella slices in single layer over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and chill.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake eggplant Parmesan rolls, covered with foil, until heated through, about 30 minutes if freshly made or 40 minutes if refrigerated. Uncover and bake until brown in spots and sauce is bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Eggplant, Yellow Squash and Tomato Casino foodnetwork.com !2 small eggplants 2 pieces yellow squash, small to medium size 4 Roma tomatoes Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Garlic powder 2 tablespoons real bacon bits 1 tablespoon red bell pepper, small diced 1 tablespoon green bell peppers, small diced 1 tablespoon red onion, small diced 3/4 cup grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil !Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (continued on next page)

String Beans Refrigerate unwashed in plastic bag. Use within a week.

Summer Squash Refrigerate unwashed in tightly wrapped plastic bag. Use in 4-5 days.

Tomatoes Do NOT refrigerate. Keep unripe tomatoes at room temperature away from direct sunlight to ripen or in paper bag to speed up the process. Once ripened, use within a week. Refrigerate only extra ripe tomatoes that will spoil before using, although this will affect flavor. Refrigerate in plastic bag and bring back to room temperature before using. Tomatoes are a high ethylene producer and should be kept away from other fresh produce to slow down ripening/spoilage.

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Sources StillTasty The Kitchn Real Simple Fruits & Veggies–More Matters® The World's Healthiest Foods eHow wikiHow SparkPeople Food Network

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Cut off ends and slice in half lengthwise both the eggplants and yellow squash. Lay cut side up and close together on a small greased sheet pan. Then cut the tops and a very small piece of the bottom off the Roma tomatoes and stand them up with the squash.

Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, garlic powder, bacon bits, peppers, and onions.

Next, carefully pile high the Parmesan over every piece, drizzle with olive oil, and bake for about 12 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown. Serve immediately.

Cherry and Plum Bruschetta epicurious.com !2 red plums or nectarines, halved, pitted, thinly sliced 1 cup cherries, pitted, halved 2 tablespoons sugar, divided 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for drizzling Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) 1/4 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup whole-milk ricotta 1/2 baguette, sliced 1/2" thick, toasted !Combine plums, cherries, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean (reserve pod for another use) or add vanilla extract; toss to combine. Let macerate just until fruit begins to release juices, 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk ricotta and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl until smooth.

Drizzle toast with oil, spread with ricotta mixture, and top with fruit. Drizzle with more oil, if desired, and juices from bowl. Sprinkle with salt. !!!!!!

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He had a hard time getting answers, which made him even more suspicious. "It seems to me if everything is clean as a whistle, then you'd be proud to say where the food came from."

Laufer says that's the first reason to distrust organic food. The second is a conflict of interest that's built into the system, at least in the U.S.

The companies that inspect organic farmers and processors, and certify their products as organic "are paid by those that they certify," he says. "And there is competition among the 'certifiers.' So you can imagine, if the inspection is a little harsh, the company or the farm could say, 'Hey, there are other places I can do business with that wouldn't put me through this kind of rigor.' "

Laufer is convinced that organic fraud is common — but his book doesn't actually uncover much evidence of it.

The beans checked out. Laufer flew to Bolivia, had a nice conversation with the farmer who probably grew them, and came away convinced that those beans were organic.

The walnuts from Kazakhstan, on the other hand, remain a mystery. After that first rancid batch, Laufer never spied any more Kazakh walnuts in the store. The U.S. Department of Agriculture investigated and found no evidence of organic walnut production in Kazakhstan.

A Trader Joe's customer service representative told Laufer that the company buys walnuts from Kazakhstan when it runs out of organic walnuts from California. But a spokesman for the company tells NPR that Trader Joe's never got organic walnuts from Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan, yes. But not Kazakhstan.

In their response to Laufer, organic industry executives say that the word "organic" is far more trustworthy than most labels you see on groceries. Unlike "natural," for instance, it really means something.

Organic farmers have rules to follow, and third-party certifiers inspect their operations to make sure they're following the rules. Those certifiers also test a certain percentage of the product each year for illicit use of pesticides. Although certifiers are paid by the companies that they certify, their work is audited by the USDA.

"We have a covenant with our consumers that we have certification that

can trace any product from the store shelf back to the field where it was grown," says George Kalogridis, an organic certification officer with Ecocert ICO, an organic certifier that's based in France and operates globally.

According to Kalogridis, many people are suspicious of organic imports because they don't realize how widely the ideas of organic farming have spread — and that those ideas didn't originate in the U.S. in the first place.

Kalogridis has firsthand experience with global organic production. About 30 years ago, he set up an organic produce business in Florida. When sales really took off, in the 1990s, he needed to find more suppliers. "We were, quite literally, running out of product," he says.

So he embarked on a search for more organic farmers, and found some in Mexico and Argentina. Organic missionaries, many of them from Europe — the birthplace of organic farming — had already been traveling the world, spreading the gospel of pesticide-free agriculture. Organic certifiers also were expanding internationally. Together, they provided the foundation for a global boom in international organic trade.

Kalogridis ended up supplying a hungry American market with organic imports of all kinds. "I went from handling half a dozen ingredients to almost 300 ingredients," he says. "People would say, 'Thank you for finding this; can you go find that?' "

USDA investigators have found cases of organic fraud, but they've discovered it here in the U.S., as well as abroad. There's little evidence that fraud is widespread, but USDA, which oversees the organic program, is now putting more resources into preventing it. The budget for the USDA's organic program was boosted by 40 percent this year, and a big chunk of that increase will be devoted to "compliance and enforcement."

In recent years, the USDA has been getting about 200 complaints each year about organic products that somebody suspects really aren't organic. Last year, 19 farmers or food companies were fined a total of $87,000 for misusing the organic label.

npr.org

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