Juices!

Since the weather in Southern California doesn't seem to be cooling down anytime soon, we thought it would be a good idea for you to use your fresh organic produce to make healthy and refreshing juices.
Here are four ideas for you to try. The quantities of each fruit and vegetable will depend on your taste, so just play with them to find something you like!

Let us know what you think, and enjoy your weekend :)

How to Store Your Fresh Produce

So now that you know where to find deliciously fresh produce, do you know how to properly store them? Most of people don't, but here's a brief list of the most common veggies and fruits and where you should store them:

For a more detailed list that includes tips on how to preserve different types of produce, check out this page from the Berkeley Farmers' Market!

Enjoy your week and stay healthy :)

Roasted Vegetable Soup

Here is a recipe where you can put those seasonal super ingredients to use on a cold night:

Total Time: 30 min.
-Prep 20 min
-Cook 10 min
3-4 servings
Level: Easy

Soup:
3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, preferably homemade.
1 quart roasted winter vegetables (recipe to follow)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a large saucepan, heat 3 cups of chicken stock.  Coarsely puree the Roasted Winter Vegetables and the chicken stock in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade (or use handheld blender).  Pour the soup back into the pot and season, to taste.  Thin with more chicken stock and reheat.  The soup should be thick but not like a vegetable puree, so add more chicken stock and/or water until its the consistency you like.

Roasted Winter Vegetables: 
1 pound carrots, peeled
1 pound parsnips, peeled
1 large sweet potato, peeled
1 small butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat over to 425 degrees F

Cut the carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, and butternut squash in 1 to 1 1/4-inch cubes.  All the vegetables will shrink while baking, so don't cut them too small.
Place all the cut vegetables in a single layer on 2 sheet pans.  Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss well. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until all the vegetables are tender, turning once with a metal spatula.

Fall is Here!

Eating seasonally and locally is a great way to stretch your food budget in an environmentally friendly way.  Here are some of the seasonal organic produce we now have available:

• Squash- Squash is high in vitamins A and C, which aid your body's metabolic functioning and help ward off chronic illnesses.
• Sweet Potato- Contain 377% of your daily recommended intake of vitamin A per cup! Sweet potatos are also high in potassium and fiber.
• Apples- High in vitamin C and dietary fiber.
• Pumpkin- Boasting high levels of a variety of vitamins and minerals including: iron, magnesium, niacin, potassium, vitamin A and C!
• Mushrooms- High in vitamin C, iron, potassium and zinc.
• Pears- Tired of apples? Try their sister fruit, high in fiber and vitamin C.
• Figs- High in dietary fiber.
• Beets- High in fiber, iron, potassium, and vitamin C. 
• Cauliflower- Vitamin B6, potassium, and vitamin C.
• Cabbage- High in vitamins C and B6, potassium, magnesium, thiamin, and dietary fiber.
• Carrots- One cup provides 428% of one's daily recommended amount of vitamin A!
• Winter Citrus Fruit- Mandarin oranges, tangerines, blood oranges and clementines- ALL very high in vitamin C- which helps with immunity to fight the flu!
• Potatoes- In most basic form, potatoes provide an abundance of vitamins C and B6 as well as potassium, the skin on a large potato also provides 32% of your daily fiber intake.
• Broccoli- High in vitamins A, B6, and C, also very high in potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber.

Request these seasonal super ingredients in your box today!

The Organic Craze

Organic isn’t just a label for fruits and vegetables.  Now-a-days we are seeing organic products everywhere.  There is organic clothing, sheets, bedding, mattresses, skincare product, and even organic furniture.  So how can so many products be classified under the same definition.  

Organic simply means that the product was produce without the use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizer, sewage sludge, radiation, or growth hormones.  Organic clothing is manufactured in compliance with the USDA organic agricultural standards.  Some of the various materials organic clothing may be composed of are cotton, jute, silk, ramie, or wool.

It is important to know that there has yet to be any definitive research that shows that organic is more nutritious or beneficial to our overall health.  Some people feel that organic clothing is a good alternative for people who are allergic to the chemicals found in clothes. What influences a person’s decision to buy organic is based on their preference and environmental philosophy.



Who You Callin' Pumpkin?

Now that it is offcially fall, it's time break out all the seasonal recipes.  October always makes me think of pumpkins.  Instead of carving a jack-o-lantern or making a creative floral arrangment try using the pumpkin as a source of nutrition. Pumpkins are a healthy choice, low in calories and an excellent source of vitamin A. As a seasonal treat try this receipe for pumpkin bread.

2/3 cup shortening
2 2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3 1/3 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2/3 cup coarsely chopped nuts
2/3 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans (9x5x3) inches. 

Mix shortening and sugar in large bowl. Add eggs, pumpkin and water. Blend in flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and cloves. Stir in nuts and raisins. Pour into pans. Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes; cool slightly. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans. Cool completely before slicing. To store, wrap and refrigerate no longer than 10 days.

*Don't like pumpkin, try zucchini.
Substitute 3 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 medium) for the pumpkin. Blend in 2 teaspoons vanilla with the cloves. Decrease baking time to 60 to 70 minutes.