It’s Memorial Day week and we hope you have spent some of your holiday time thinking about those who have sacrificed in the service of our country.  Memorial Day has a long history; according to the website of the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, it was first observed in 1868 and was initially called Decoration Day.  Some localities claim to have been observing the holiday even earlier, in 1866, in honor and remembrance of those who died in the Civil War.  In any case,  it is a day to ensure that we never forget those who have fallen in service.

 

This week’s bag will contain  kabocha pumpkin and chinese parsely from PGC Farmers, slicing tomatoes from Green Growers, lettuce from Leilehua High School Ag students, lemons from Hoalike Farm, and watercress from Sumida Farm in Pearl City.

Sumida Farm is a long time farm in south  central Oahu,  started in 1928  by David and Barbara Sumida’s grandparents.  David and his sister Barbara are the current operators, 3rd generation, to work the farm in the heart of what is now heavily urbanized Pearl City.  If you’ve driven down Kam Hwy in Pearl City you’ve seen the farm, it’s just before Anna Miller’s and just below Monterey Bay Canners Restaurant.  It’s an oasis of green!

Avocado and Watercress Salad

PoPo’s Tofu Watercress Salad   a local favorite!

Kabocha Bliss Salad

Oven Roasted Kabocha with Garlic and Parsely   Here are a couple of tips with this one:  I never peel my kabocha before roasting it.  I cut it into wedges, following the curve of the pumpkin, and scoop out the seeds.  You can more easily peel or cut the skin off after roasting, or eat it if you want too!  Also with this one, I would add a few squirts of lime or lemon juice when you toss it, the acidity pairs well with the squash and garlic.  Use your chinese parsely (cilantro) instead of Italian parsley.  And just like another reviewer mentioned, I roast my veggies at a higher temp too, like 425.

Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup   This looks amazing…reminds me of butternut squash bisque, but even easier!

Tomato Eggplant Tian   I made this Sunday night and I’m amazed…it’s that good!  I halved the amounts because I had only 2 eggplant, but it still came out amazing.  I ate  it with baked ono–delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

This week’s bag is full of amazing locally grown veggies.  Lettuce this week is coming from the Leilehua High School Ag Program, sweet potatoes (purple!) and cucumbers from the Pacific Gateway Farmers in Kunia, organically grown carrots from Kahumana Farm, beautiful slicing tomatoes from Green Growers, and green onions from a new farm partner, Nalolicious  Farm in Waimanalo.

Here are our suggestions for using this week’s items:

Purple Potato Salad with Gorgonzola and Bacon   So technically this recipe is referencing regular potatoes, but I think using the sweet potatoes would be really good!

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos

Mustard Glazed Carrots  You could easily sub in sweet potatoes and even add the green onions to this one.

Cucumber Watercress Salad   This recipe is a simple one to make with all local veggies, and you could also add your tomatoes to it.  Look for Sumida Farms watercress at local stores…and hopefully we’ll get some in the bags soon!

Lettuce Leaf Tacos

Hi Oahu Fresh family!  We’re moving towards summer so fast-I hope you’re planning fun things to do as soon as Memorial Day weekend arrives!

For this week’s bag, we’re bringing you a lot of freshness…baby bok choy & Hauula tomatoes from Green Growers, swiss chard from Ho Farms, long beans from Pacific Gateway Farmers, lemons from Hoalike Farm, organic carrots from Kahumana Farm, and finally either sweet potatoes or squash grown by  the Ag students at Leilehua High School!    What a great bag!  Here’s a few ideas on how to use your local produce this week:

Bok Choy, Carrots, and Green Beans Stir Fry    A few tips on this one:  your carrots will take the longest to cook so you may want to add them a little earlier than the other items.  Cut all produce into similar sizes.  I would add garlic and ginger too, and of course you can add tofu, some kind of meat, or even shrimp if you want.

Carrot and Sweet Potato Mash   This one is paleo and vegan, if you are into that!  Also be aware that this recipe uses 2# of sweet potatoes and carrots, but we’ve only got about 1/2# of each, so you will need to reduce everything accordingly (for example 3 cups stock  would be 3/4c).

Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

Swiss Chard with Lemon and Olive Oil

 

Aloha Oahu Fresh members!  It’s May, and summer is on the horizon…we got a taste this weekend with warm weather, no rain, and unfortunately almost no wind!  It gives you the opportunity to take advantage of some great food and beverage specials though since there are a lot of places celebrating Cinco De Mayo this week.  Check out Cactus Bistro in Kailua for their amazing New Americas menu featuring loads of local produce!  You may not know, but Cactus Chef John Memering buys  a lot of local produce that we source and deliver.  So please go check them out!

 

This week we’ve got a wonderful bag for you–all local as always, and really varied this week!   We’ve got long squash and tomatoes from Ho Farms, kale, long beans, and chinese parsely from Pacific Gateway Farmers, chico fruit from Waianae farmer Joleen Jackson, & mixed organic keiki greens from Kahumana Farm.  Here are some suggestions for this bounty-

Pork with Long Green Squash Soup   Long squash is also referred to as Opo!

Opo Squash and Ginger Chicken Soup

~add your long beans into either of the above soups~

Quinoa with Black Beans and Cilantro

Garlic Cilantro Lime Rice

Marinated Kale and Green Beans salad   Use your long beans here by cutting them into the size you want.

Grilled Vegetable Tacos with Cilantro Pesto   grill any combination of veggies, including this week’s tomatoes, squash, and beans, and add to a warm tortilla with some cilantro pesto!  chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, or tofu would also be great!

 

Hi Oahu Fresh family!  We’re excited for warming temperatures and sunny days…those really help our farmers out.  While rain is also needed, some crops like tomatoes are very difficult to grow with inconsistent sunshine.  Keep your fingers crossed that more  sunny weather will result in slicing tomatoes in the near future!

In the meantime we have a bag full of yumminess this week.  We’re bringing you collard greens from Ho Farms, hydroponic organic lettuce from Mari’s Garden, mushrooms from Small Kine Farm, string beans from Pacific Gateway Farmers, green onions from Green Growers, and chico fruit from Jolene Jackson, Waianae farmer.

Have you had chico before?  It’s an amazing fruit, also known as sapodilla, with texture like a pear and a brown sugar flavor.  It makes a wonderful dessert fruit!

How to Saute Mushrooms   Make the most of your locally grown ‘shrooms by cooking them perfectly…they can be added to eggs, steak, pasta, greens…any number of items!

Green Bean Salad with Basil and Capers   This is a unique approach to green beans, and if you don’t have basil right now I am sure you can leave it out.

How to  Keep your Green Onions Fresh, Use them, or Freeze them for Later!

Braised Collard Greens

What do you have  your collard greens with?  Let us hear from you!