Also known as asparagus bean or snake bean, these favorites are often found in chinese dishes. They thrive in warm, tropical environments and can grow up to inches a day! They grow, vine-like, and can end up as long as three feet in length. The shorter they are, the more sweet and tender they’ll be – often enjoyed raw. The longer growth are ore typically used in stews, stir-frys and curries. They are highly nutritious, offering vitamin A and C, potassium, iron and protein. While they taste similar to your standard green bean, they’re actually more closely related to the black-eyed pea.

Preparation

Everything you want to know about long beans:

• Long beans will keep in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days, best in a closed plastic bag.
•  To prepare them, trim away the stem end and slice into desired lengths on the diagonal or straight across. Long beans are best trimmed before stir frying.
• Long beans can be stir-fried, stewed, braised, sautéed, shallow fried, and deep fried. With cooking, the long bean’s bean flavor intensifies.
• Stir fry until just tender crunchy.
• Steam or for 3-7 minutes until just tender.
• Braise for 20 minutes with other vegetables and meats, best in a garlicky or oniony braising liquid.
• Long beans can be served raw in salads or added to soups or stir-fried dishes.
• Long beans are low in calories, about 45 calories per cup, and rich in vitamin A and also contain vitamin C and potassium.

Farms that grow Long Beans 

• Ho Farms

What else is in the bag?

Punalu’u Ahupua’a Farms members check here for this week’s bag items.

Apple Bananas
Southern Turf

Kale
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Long Beans
Ho Farms

Beefsteak Tomato
Green Grower’s

Watermelon Radish
Ho Farms

Try out these recipes!

Long Beans with Mushrooms and Black Bean Sauce

Radish Cilantro Slaw

Toasted Orzo with Kale, Feta, and Radishes

Yard-long Beans with Kabocha and Coconut Milk

Beets are the beetroot, or the taproot portion of the beet plant. Usually beets are deep purple, golden, or red, though many varieties exist. The pigments that give beets their rich colors are called betalains. Other than as a food, beets are uses as a food coloring, dye, and for medicinal purposes.

The earliest sign of their cultivation spans over 4,000 years ago in the Mediterranean area.  While they have the highest sugar content of all vegetables, they also come with an incredible amount of health benefits and medicinal uses. It’s packed with vitamins, minerals and compounds such as carotenoids, betaine, glycine, lutein/zeaxanthin, dietary fiber, iron, vitamin C, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, and beneficial flavonoids called anthocyanins. It’s good for the stomach and digestive system, and skin, helps prevent cancer and heart disease, macular degeneration and anemia, and can reduce cholesterol… the list goes on.

How to eat Beets:

Beets are often eaten boiled, roasted, pickled or raw. They can be added to salads, eaten as side dish or made into soups, among many other recipes. The green, leafy portion of the beet is also edible.

Farms that grow Beets:

Kahumana Organic Farms

Kualoa Ranch

What else is in the bag?

Punalu’u Ahupua’a Farms members check here for this week’s bag items.

Beets
Ho Farms

Collard Greens
Ho Farms

Green Onion
Green Grower’s

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Oranges
Lokoea Farms

Mixed Salad Greens
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Try out these recipes!

Collard Greens and Caramelized Onions

Eggplant, Tomato and Green Onion Curry

Sautéed Beets With Pasta, Sage and Brown Butter

Simple Stir-Fry with Tofu and Greens

Rambutans are native to the Malay-Indonesian region of Southeast Asia. The fruit is closely related to the lychee, longan, and mamoncillo. The name rambutan is derived from the Malay-Indonesian language word for ‘hair’ (rambut) due to its numerous hairy protuberances or spines. The fruit has a red, leathery skin with the fleshy spines. The flesh is translucent to white with a single seed. The peeled fruits can be enjoyed raw with a sweet flavor similar to grapes. The seed is also edible and the whole fruit can also be cooked.

How to eat Rambutan:

Rambutan can be eaten raw or cooked. The fruit can be cut open or the rind can be bitten into. Once the rind is cut, the fruit can be pried open and the inner flesh squeezed or popped out.

Farms that Grow Rambutan:

Aloun Farms

What else is in the bag?

Punalu’u Ahupua’a Farms members check here for this week’s bag items.

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Mushrooms
Small Kine Farms

Mixed Salad Greens
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Rambutan
Aloun Farms

Red Radish
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Zucchini
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Baked Zucchini Fries

Chicken with Rambutan and Macadamia Salad

Quinoa with Chard and Mushrooms

Radish Cilantro Slaw