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Greetings!
I hope you had a wonderful New Year celebration, and all of us at the farm would love to support you in a healthy, happy 2010. Our farmers have braved the arctic temperatures to provide us with the healthy meats, dairy, eggs, and produce we can trust and enjoy, and our bakers and artisans indulge us with goodies for our tummies and souls. They will be here Saturday from 10:00am to 2:00pm, rain or shine, along with the delivery of our fast growing organic produce co-op. Please come and visit us this weekend.
This week we would like to focus on the local movement along with the policies of our co-op, which provides out-of-season produce and items from small U.S. farms as well as organic family farms overseas. We have included in this newsletter information from our farmers and other providers defining "local", "organic", and "fair trade", and why we support these practices and products. I hope you find the articles interesting and informative.
Have a wonderful week,
Pilar Quintero
Owner - Rancho Alegre Farm
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FAQS: Organic, Local & Fair Trade
Why buy at our Farmer's Market? Unlike conventional grocery stores, our
farmers, co-op and artisans work hard to bring ORGANIC, LOCAL and FAIR
TRADE products to our community. We strive to assure fair wages to
domestic and overseas producers, keep toxic chemicals out of our soil
and water, reduce the distance that food travels from the farm to your
plate, and support our local economy.
What is "Organic"?
* Agricultural management practices which promote and enhance agro-ecosystem health, including diversity, biological cycles, and soil biological activity. read more
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Stokes Farm Newsletter
Hello Friends and Neighbors,
Good grief! How can it be so cold for so long? Yesterday I picked up my
little pet hen, Eliza, and she was shaking like a leaf. I warmed her up
and fed her lots of grain to raise her body temperature, but she was
just miserable. Then I opened my solar pods in the garden to find salad
greens turned to mush. This is the time of year...read more
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WHY BUY LOCAL
By Diann Dirks, The Garden Lady
In these unprecedented times, with uncertainties of economics and
politics, there is a ray of hope. You've heard about the "Green"
movement, of sustainability, of the growing movements of people looking
to become self-sufficient. Our ancestors just called this common sense
and never thought about it, it's just how one lives, with thrift, with
neighborliness, with kindness, sharing, and helping neighbors by
exchanging with them. And by living seasonally.
read more
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A message from our Co-op supplier:
As an organic wholesale distribution company, we are often asked about
how we make our buying choices. This question becomes more and more
pertinent as the Localvore movement gains ground.
Florida has a long growing season. Unfortunately, it does not have many
organic farms. We are seeing a slow expansion and the network of
farmers who are certified organic is close so we would be surprised to
find a farm that had enough yield to be distributed outside of its
closest neighbors that we did not know about. Our website has some farm
profiles and these can be seenhere, We like knowing
our farmers...read more
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LOCALVORE SPOTLIGHT - SUNCHOKE
A sunchoke is the root of a perennial sunflower that is eaten as a vegetable and has a crunchy, delicate, sweet, nutty flavor. The taste of the sunchoke is reminiscent of jicama, water chestnuts, or artichokes.
The sunchoke also is called Jerusalem artichoke but it not related to the artichoke. It looks more like a potato than an artichoke, but that's because
sunchokes are the roots of wild sunflowers. Surprisingly, sunchokes are
starch-free (and have been shown to lower blood sugar levels), and are a good source of iron and niacin. They can be eaten raw or cooked, but be sure to them scrub clean to
remove any soil. To prevent them from darkening after peeling, soak in
a mixture of 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 quart of water. The Garden Lady has a fresh harvest available this Saturday - here's a great recipe:
Sunchokes Au Gratin
2 pounds sunchokes, scrubbed or peeled
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, in pieces
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Steam or boil sunchokes until just tender.
Let cool and then cut into thin slices. Lay slices in a greased
casserole dish. Add salt and pepper. Cover with cheese and dot with
butter. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until brown. Makes 6-8 servings.
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Co-Op Spotlight - Alfalfa Sprouts
ALFALFA SPROUT & TANGELO SALAD WITH TANGY DRESSING
2 c. alfalfa sprouts
1 c. tangelo sections
1 sm. avocado (1/2 lb.), peeled & sliced
Tangy Dressing (see below)
In serving bowl combine sprouts, oranges and avocado. Just before serving, toss with the dressing. Serves 4.
TANGY
DRESSING: In small bowl or covered jar mix or shake until well blended
1/3 cup oil, 2 tablespoons each lemon juice and pickle relish, 1 large
clove garlic, minced and 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and salt.
I hope you enjoy the recipe! This week's box will also include avocados, tangelos, grape tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, yellow onions, green beans, pineapples, Anjou pears, bunny juice carrots, spinach, portobello mushrooms, sweet mini-peppers, Yukon gold potatoes, Roma tomatoes, kiwi fruit, bananas, white grapefruit, and crunchy or spicy sprout mixes.
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It's not too late to order milk! Please call (770) 339-3065 to place your order by Thursday at noon.
Gallon Half Gallon
Whole Milk $6.00 $4.00
2% Milk $6.00 $4.00
Skim Milk $6.00 $4.00
Buttermilk $7.00 $4.50
Chocolate Milk $7.00 $4.50
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Here is a list of our vendors in our farmer's market every Saturday rain or shine from 10am-2pm
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Stokes Family Farm
- Organically grown
vegetables
- Grass-fed Beef
- Pastured Berkshire Pork
- Eggs |
Click here for website
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The Garden Lady
- Fresh and dried herbs - Sweet lettuces and greens - Sunchokes/Jerusalem
artichokes - Wearable art
- Original knitted scarves
- Very warm/soft fleece
scarves
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didirks@comcast.net
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Goodness Gracious! Granola
All natural granola in the following flavors:
Classic Blend
Maple Ginger Fix
You Struck Gold
My Cherry Amour
CocoMocha Commotion
Going Nuts
Click here for website
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White Tail Farm
We are a family farm that produces beautiful Certified Naturally Grown produce as well as free range fresh eggs and goats.
whitetailfarm@windstream.net
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Beam Me Up Biscotti
Lemon Almond Cherrie, Chocolate Chip Biscotti
- Tuscan Spice Biscotti
- Orange Walnut with Black Pepper Biscotti
- Blueberry Scones
- Raspberry Scones
- Blackberry Scones
-also sampling chocolate "Millennium Mousse"
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Twitter and Facebook!
We hope you
will follow us to learn all about the goings on down on the farm, and
become a fan of our page.
Click here for Twitter info and click here for Facebook info. See you there!
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We now offer Johnston Family Farm's all-natural, fresh from the farm milk.
All Johnston Family Farm milk is produced directly on the farm, from
the cow to the bottle, so you get the freshest milk possible. The milk only travels 70 feet from the farthest cow in the barn to the bottle.
Visit them here
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