Outer Aisle Foods
In This Issue
Vegetable Highlights
Recipes
Plant Sale
Quick Links

STORE NOW OPEN YEAR ROUND!
ANNOUNCING
SUMMER HOURS: THURSDAY - 11 to  6 pm
SATURDAYS - 10 am - 4pm



Outer Aisle FOODS & GOODS
1192 Highway 4
Douglas Flat, CA
outeraislefoods.com
Christine & Eric Taylor
209.728.9112
 2010/2011 CSA SIGN-UPS

NEXT DELIVERY: May 5 & May 19

Want to receive baskets of vegetables and fruits fall, winter and spring?

Benefits of Becoming a Member:
  • Enjoy local and seasonal fruits and veggies all year round
  • Fresh, high quality, home-grown flavor
  • Bi-weekly fall, winter and spring deliveries to convenient drop off locations near you
  • Your choice of the size bag for your needs: mini, basic and full sizes. Add on fruit, roots, and greens
  • Access our on-line web store for many more essential items
  • Cancel when you are out of town
  • Supplement your own garden, you grow greens: we have roots and fruits!
  • Lower your carbon footprint. Save gas, we deliver to you
  • Support local growers, producers and makers.
News From Outer Aisle
Early May Newsletter, 2011 

Vegetable Highlights at Outer Aisle!

 

Fava beans make the headline this week. Native to SW Asia and North Africa, it is the longest cultivated legume (bean) crop dating 5,000 years ago. A little research into the nutritional benefits of fava's reveals that they are high in L-dopa (dopamine) an neurotransmiting amino acid in the brain that is responsible for memory, energy and sex drive. High in fiber, folate, protein, A, B & K vitamins and minerals, particularly phosphorus for good bone and teeth health.  These remarkable beans are worth getting to know. Ever wondered about the famous one-liner that you often hear this time of year when anyone mentions fava beans!   

 

Our family takes full advantage of the short window that fava's are in our diet. We love to eat them in a variety of ways (check out the recipe section), trying out new recipes. Now that the evenings are warmer, we are excited to try out roasting them whole on the grill. 

 

English Peas, Strawberries, green garlic, asparagus, snap peas continue to grace our table.

 

New this week from the farm is tender mouth watering spinach and gorgeous heads of lettuce, french breakfast radishes and swiss chard. 

 

 

Recipes: Fava Beans

STORE, PREPARE & COOK:

To store Fava Bean pods, place them in a plastic bag in the crisper section of the refrigerator right away. The pods will keep for five to seven days in the refrigerator.

 

Store cooked and peeled Fava Beans in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to five days at most.

 

There are three steps to preparing a Fava Bean:

  • Removing the beans from the pod.
  • Blanching the beans to soften for easy removal of the outer shell.
  • Peeling off the outer shell before eating or cooking to end with a bright-green, soft-scrumptious bean!

 

Cook beans in a large saucepan in plenty of boiling water until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size of the bean. Drain well and rinse with cold water to cool. Peel outer shell of bean before eating.   

 

RECIPE HINTS:

  • Try grilling Fava Beans for a unique and healthy twist to your BBQ menu.
  • Lightly fry fresh beans in a little olive oil and a light touch of savory thyme or sage.
  • Create a delicious Fava Bean, Asparagus and Arugula salad with shaved parmesan.
  • Try a sauté of fresh Fava Beans, onions, and Fennel. Fava Beans also go great with their springtime partner, the Artichoke.
  • A favorite, traditional Italian appetizer is peeled, cooked Fava Beans sprinkled with olive oil and salt, along with salami, prosciutto and slices of pecorino cheese.

PLANT SALE:   

May is planting time!

We have plenty of seedlings of all types (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers and squash) as well as seeds. 


Compost is available through Brice Station between Murphys and Avery. You must call ahead: Stuart Mast 768-7262.  

      

If you enjoy sowing your own seeds, now is the time to start all your summer crops. We have a wonderful array of vegetable varieties to choose from: lemon cucumbers, dill, Cherokee purple tomatoes to lettuce, basil and beans. 

 

The store will be stocked with gardening supplies as well, covers, hoops, irrigation tape and deer fencing. Eric will be available on Thursdays to answer your questions.

 
Outer Aisle FOODS & GOODS "Essentials for the 21st Century". Our mission is to facilitate a speedy transition to a sustainable economy by offering the essential tools, ingredients and knowledge to prepare us for the 21st century. 

Behind the scenes of Outer Aisle is Taylor Mountain Gardens. Located just around the corner on Main Street in Douglas Flat, our nearly two acre "beyond organic" farm produces a large variety of seasonal vegetables including these seasonal highlights: summer heirloom tomatoes, fall cauliflower, winter carrots and spring potatoes to name just a few! 

OuterAisle FOODS operates a year round CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program. We distribute the highest quality, local, seasonal and regional produce and products to members all over Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties. We only purchase product from farms and producers who are committed to ecologically sustainable practices and go beyond the National "Organic" standards.