Heads Up! CSA for November 20th

If you are going out of town or don’t need your CSA box next week please remember to put it on hold now. Simply click HERE to access your account. Otherwise we are definitely planning for our Thanksgiving CSA box!!

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Your Hachiya persimmons this week are from Vincent Farms. PLEASE NOTE: THESE MUST BE COMPLETELY RIPE AND SOFT TO CONSUME. DO NOT CONSUME BEFORE RIPE OR THEY WILL BE BITTER. The persimmons are some of the best I’ve ever had and really great to bake with, spread on toast or freeze the pulp and eat it like sorbet. To ripen a Hachiya persimmon, simply let it sit on your counter top until it’s so soft, it’s like a water balloon about to burst. You can hasten the process by putting persimmons in a well-sealed container; adding an apple, which give off a lot of ethyline gas, which will speed things up.
Vincent farms has 30+ year old trees which result in some amazing avocados, and the lamb hass has a rich creamy flavor, a step up from the regular hass. These old trees are believed to produce superior fruit and quality.

November 20th CSA contains:
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
BOK CHOI
CARROTS
RED LEAF LETTUCE
BUNCHED ARUGULA
GREEN CURLY KALE
HACHIYA PERSIMMONS from Vincent Farms
LAMB HASS AVOCADOS from Vincent Farms
ZUCCHINI
RED BELL PEPPERS
BIG BOX ADD: BLUE LAKE GREEN BEANS, POMEGRANATES, CARROTS, RED TOMATOES, MORE AVOCADOS

If you are feeling over loaded with peppers, make sure to stash some in your freezer. They are hot and heavy for a few months and then disappear! Freezing them is a great way to add color into your meals when January comes around and everything has turned green.
I have become a big fan of bok choi. For a simple, healthy snack try steaming it and covering it with nutritional yeast. Check out what Dani, our local nutritionist, has to say about this yummy vegetable.

Did you know bok choy is actually a variety of cabbage? It’s also known as “Chinese Cabbage” and is related to broccoli and cauliflower. These vegetables are all part of the cruciferous family, full of cancer fighting compounds and sulfur! The American Cancer Society is recommending we include these vegetables on a daily basis to reduce our cancer risk. So what’ the big deal? Cruciferous vegetables contain the highest amounts of phytochemicals compared to any other vegetable family. These phytochemicals suppress tumor growth, detoxify certain cancerous substances, reduce carcinogenic activity and increase liver function. They also increase the productions and actions of potent antioxidants. Bok choy should clearly be a part of any healthy diet!

By Dani Rhoades, NC, www.wholesomepractices.com Sources: Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray

Persimmon Pudding Cake Recipe

(We are already anticipating Thanksgiving and think this would be a really great addition to the menu. Hachiya persimmons can bake up into a delicious, moist cake that is almost a pudding. This recipe takes only a half cup of added sugar and uses the sweetness of the persimmon pulp.)
Ingredients: Serves 8
2 cups of Hachiya persimmon pulp
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted
3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon all spice
1 cup chopped nuts – pecans or walnuts
Whipping cream (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, mix the persimmon pulp, eggs, butter, milk and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a third at a time, fully incorporating after each addition. Add the chopped nuts. Bake in a square glass pan, buttered, at 400°F until done (about 50 minutes).
Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
(Recipe from Simply Recipes)

Zucchini Pasta with Ricotta

(Ricotta makes this pasta rich and delicious. Use any extra in place of cream cheese on toast or as a substitute for cottage cheese anytime.)
Ingredients: Serves 4
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
2 pounds zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound whole wheat linguine
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup ricotta
Directions:
Step 1: Preheat oven to 450. Brush two rimmed baking sheets with oil. Arrange zucchini in a single layer on sheets and brush tops with oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast zucchini until tender and lightly golden in parts, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Step 2: Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook linguine according to package instructions. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add oil, lemon zest, and zucchini and toss to combine. Serve pasta topped with ricotta.
(Recipe from Martha Stewart)


Crunchy Bok Choy Slaw


(A versatile side dish to go with grilled meats or poultry. Easy to add in other veggies that maybe lingering in your fridge. Crispy, crunchy and thoroughly delicious.)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 teaspoons agave or honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups very thinly sliced bok choy, (about a 1-pound head, trimmed)
2 medium carrots, shredded
1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced (don’t be constrained by the scallion as any onion will do!)
Directions:
Whisk vinegar, oil, sugar, mustard and salt in a large bowl until the sugar dissolves. Add bok choy, carrots, pepper and onion; toss to coat with the dressing.

November 20th Juice Feast contains:
CUCUMBERS
GREEN CURLY KALE
FENNEL
SPINACH
ROMAINE LETTUCE
RED BELL PEPPERS
BAGGED CARROTS
GRANNY SMITH APPLES from FAIRHILL FARMS
PARSLEY
CELERY

Sleep is such an important part of our lives. We heal and regenerate during this time and good sleep is priceless. Check out what Dani, our local nutritionist has to say about how juicing can benefit our sleep patterns:

Juicing is effective for aiding in numerous health issues. We’ve covered digestive health, immunity, and detox but even sleep can be a nutritional issue. When looking specifically at one issue we have to cover all the areas that make a person, this is “holistic health”. If someone is not sleeping well, we asses the diet to find nutritional deficiencies, areas where the person is not getting what the body needs. Juicing is one of the most effective ways to get nutrients into the body. Juice is full of antioxidants which are important for neurotransmitter production in the brain. All the hormones in your brain will function better when their pathways run smoothly, antioxidants are one of the best ways to increase the rate at which messages are sent and received. So yes, juicing can even aid in restoring sleep patterns!

By Dani Rhoades, NC, www.wholesomepractices.com

Antioxidant Eye Opener
Red Bell Pepper, Carrot, Apple, Fennel, Parsley, Ginger, Cayenne

Green Sleep Machine
Spinach, Romaine, Parsley, Cucumber, Celery, Fennel, Apple, Lemon, Ginger

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