The Sweet Potato (Ipomoea batatas) is one of the oldest vegetables known to mankind. Sweet potatoes originated in Central and South America, but archaeologists have found proof through prehistoric remnants that the sweet potato was grown in Polynesia before western exploration, according to radiocarbon dating. Current thinking is that it was brought to central Polynesia around 700 AD, possibly by Polynesians who had traveled to South America and back, and spread across Polynesia to Hawaii and New Zealand from there.  

The sweet potato is not a potato, and it is not a yam! They’re far higher in nutrients than many people realize too, though shouldn’t be eaten as the only vegetable. Consider the sweet potato high in fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Manganese, among many others. It can help boost brain function, stabilize blood sugar, enhance immune system, and it promotes vision health.

Preparation

The simplest way you can prepare a sweet potato is by first heating the oven to 400° F. Pierce each sweet potato several times with the tines of a fork. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake until tender, about 45 minutes. Make a slit in the top of each sweet potato. 

Farms that grow sweet potato

Aloun Farms

Recipes

Baked Sweet Potato Fries 

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Longan, the juicy white edible fruit of the tropical longan tree, is also sometimes referred to as “dragon eye” and is comparable to a grape. Like the lychee, it’s part of the soapberry family, though it’s flavor has a drier sweetness and is typically a little less messy with it’s juiciness than the lychee. It’s earliest known existence dates back to the Han Dynasty in China, around 200 B.C.

Longan is a rich source of Vitamin C, Vitamin A and anti-oxidants. It also provides the minerals iron, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium.

Apart from being eaten fresh and raw, longan fruit is also often used in Asian soups, snacks, desserts, and sweet-and-sour foods, either fresh or dried, and sometimes preserved and canned in syrup. In Chinese food therapy and herbal medicine, it is believed to have an effect on relaxation. When fresh, the flesh of the fruit is juicy and white, but when dried the flesh appears dark brown to almost black.

Preparation

Peel the skin and eat the white flesh around the seed. The seed and the shell are not consumed. When the shell is dried, it’s easy to squeeze the fruit out in a manner similar to cracking a sunflower seed. Longans keep well, offering perhaps better-than-fresh quality after a few weeks of storage.

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Swiss chard, also known simply as chard, is a beet that is grown for its deep green leaves instead of its root. Swiss chard is highly nutritious and is a good source of several vitamins. It also contains more minerals than most other greens and is very high in fiber.

Preparation

Before you cook the chard, you’ll need to wash it. The first thing you should do is wash it well, by rinsing it in a sink full of cold water. You can even drain the water and repeat, unless the chard is free of dirt. If you got the chard at a farmers’ market, it will be extra fresh and more likely to have dirt on it, so wash thoroughly. Don’t wash the chard until right before you’re going to cook it, or it will wilt.

Decide whether to separate the chard or leave it whole. Small leaves of Swiss chard can be left whole or added to salad, and larger leaves with thin ribs can also be left whole for cooking. But if you’re cooking Swiss chard with thick ribs, then you should separate the ribs from the leaves by tearing the leaves away from the ribs, because the ribs will need to cook for a few more minutes since they are tougher than the leaves.

Farms that grow swiss chard

Ho Farms

Recipes

Swiss Chard with Lentils


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The fruit has distinctive ridges running down its sides (usually five but can sometimes vary); in cross-section, it resembles a star, hence its name. The entire fruit is edible and is usually eaten out of hand. They may also be used in cooking and can be made into relishes, preserves, and juice drinks.

Preparation

Simply wash the fruit, cut crosswise to get the star shape, and eat.  Starfruit can be eaten out-of-hand because the fruit is entirely edible. The fruit is also commonly used in salads, cakes, jams, jellies, cocktails or to garnish food dishes.  Starfruit is ripe when they are firm and have a yellow skin.

Farms that grow Starfruit

• Local Harvest

Recipes

• Star Fruit Chips

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This week’s bag has a great delicious fruit in it:  lilikoi!  We are happy to have some of Local Harvest’s wonderful lilikoi for you this week. 

Lilikoi, also known as passionfruit, is a tropical fruit found in many backyards in Hawaii.  There are many ways to incorporate lilikoi into your desserts, smoothies, cakes, or just by itself!  If you are not familiar with lilikoi, please take a look at this link for some background and ideas on how to eat it!  Passion Fruit are anywhere from 1  – 3″ wide and they have a smooth yet tough rind. They can range in color from dark purple, pale yellow or even pumpkin colored.  When they’re cut open, the fruit is filled with juicy pulp as well as many edible black seeds.  The taste of the fruit ranges from sweet and sour tart. Passion fruit is highly versatile and can be used in so many ways. A lot of people enjoy the fruit raw, mix it into drinks, make jams, salads, and ice cream– there are so many options! 

Farms that grow Lilikoi:

Local Harvest

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