Hi Oahu Fresh members!   This week’s bag has us pretty excited–Chiogga beets from Nalo Farms, long squash, kale, and japanese cucumbers from Ho Farms, mixed citrus of tangelos and kaffir limes, and Hauula tomatoes from Green Growers.  How to use this wonderful diverse produce?

Roasted Chiogga Beets with Feta

Raw Chiogga beet salad with honey lime dressing   Wonderful way to see the color in the beets and use your lime!

Scotch Broth   A great soup for a cold rainy night, just like what we’ve been having!

Long Squash Curry   This is an involved recipe but looks great and authentic.

If you are not familiar with Chiogga beets here’s a run down:

Chiogga beets originated in the  Italian coastal town of Chioggia, near Venice. They have been grown since the early 19th-century.  Sweeter than many other beets, Chiogga Beets have lots of fiber, potassium, iron, and folic acid, a B vitamin. Betacyanin, the pigment that gives beets their color, is a powerful antioxidant.  Once cooked their beautiful red stripes fade though so enjoy their beauty first then their great taste!

Also, we will soon be offering a NEW specialty item!  Oahu Fresh  is delighted to soon offer HI Tea-Shop’s Vetiver tea blends. Whether you spell it Vetiver, Vetyver, or Vetivert, it’s no secret that we love this essence! And now Hawaii’s Vetiver Lady has prepared teas that highlight its tasty, aromatic character and Ayurvedic benefits.   Mary’s blended fruits, florals and her Hawaii Sunshine Vetiver with tea and tisanes, and packaged them in apothecary tins to preserve their freshness.   Hot or cold, HI Tea-shop varieties are delicious!   Oh, and did we mention that, in addition to their great taste, HI Tea-Shop’s non-caffeinated Vetiver blends help people relax and sleep? Trust us, it works!!

Stay tuned for this one of a kind opportunity!

 

Aloha and Happy New Year Oahu Fresh members!   We’re excited to start this new year with you.   We’re hoping to see more of you in the coming months and also to hear from you!   Please feel free to email us or post on our Facebook page to let us know what you like (and what you don’t!) about our service.   Cheers to a more productive and positive new year!

So what’s in this week’s bag?   We’ve got papaya, green beans, cherry tomatoes, green onions, nalo greens, and eggplant coming this week.   All kinds of great ideas come to mind to use this produce–a stir fry would be a fast and easy way to start, using your beans, eggplant, and green onions.   Add a few splashes of oyster sauce or make a curry sauce and   have it over rice or even noodles!

Garlic Lover’s Vegetable Stir Fry

Papaya Smoothie   You can change this one up by adding banana or other fruits (mango, strawberry, citrus) and also a bit of ginger will give it a kick!

Tofu and Vegetable Tacos with   Eggplant Ancho Spread   Use  this week’s  veggies to substitute for the ones listed here if you like.

Avocado and Papaya Salad with Lime Dressing

 

happy local eating in the new year!

Mele Kalikimaka Oahu Fresh members!   We are enjoying this holiday season and sincerely hope you are as well.

In this week’s bag we’re bringing you Nalo greens, tomatoes from Ho Farms, collards or kale, pineapple and green peppers from Pit Farms, avocados and a mandarin orange from Hoalike Farm.   Sounds like a nice variety of produce this week!

How can you use this produce and spice up your post holiday meals?   Here are our suggestions:

Mixed Greens Salad with Grilled Pineapple

Moroccan Cooked Green Pepper and Tomato Salad  (taktouka)–try this out for your New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day gathering.   Use pita bread or pita chips or even other veggies to dip into it.

Cider Braised Collards with Ham   For those of you who baked a ham this is a recipe to make use of your leftovers!   **

**If you receive kale or swiss chard instead of collards you can still make this dish, but those greens may not need to be cooked quite as long.

Avocado Sandwich   I love avocados and feel fortunate to live somewhere where  one variety or another  seems to be in season all the time!   And I love to put avo slices on sandwiches…this recipe   is mouthwatering, but it will also give you ideas on how to customize to your own tastes.

Bon Apetit!

It’s an exciting bag this week!   We’ve got kale & sweet potatoes from Pit Farm, tomatoes from Ho Farms, spicy mixed greens and “ice cream” bananas from Kolea Farm, tangerines and tangelos from Kama`aina Land and Plant Rentals, and the freshest possible lettuce from 808 Farm Fresh.

What can you make with these great healthy local ingredients?

Turkey Meatball and Kale Soup   Make this on Friday night and it’ll be all ready to just heat up on Saturday after your long day of the last bit of holiday shopping!  And it’s very healthy, giving you a much needed boost of clean eating and energy!

Sauteed Kale with Balsamic   an easy saute for your kale that you can pair with fish, meat, or eggs

Mixed Greens Salad with Spicy Pecans and Tangy Fruit with Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette   Depending on what you already have in your pantry or fridge you may not want to follow this recipe to a “T”, but don’t be afraid to play around with it.  The spicy mixed greens in the bag this week will give your salad plenty of flavor even if you don’t have all the extras on hand!

Ice Cream Bananas…these are a variety of banana said to have a hint of vanilla flavor and a texture similar to ice cream.  They are a bit green but will ripen in a few days, and maybe faster if exposed to other ripe bananas.  We hope you enjoy them!

Chorizo and Sweet Potato Hash   I love chorizo…I love sweet potatoes…if you do too, try this out!

Another simple dinner or breakfast idea–just fry an egg and have it over your spicy mixed greens.  It’s a great way to have protein with fresh greens, and it’s a wonderful breakfast, especially if you add some fried sweet potato slices.

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

Mele Kalikimaka Oahu Fresh members!  I really like this week’s bag…full of cool weather goodness.  We’ve got good size butternut squash, baby kale, crisp hydroponic lettuce, cherry tomatoes, sweet Ewa onions, chinese parsley, and tangerines.  What a great bag!

So here are a few ideas to use this produce and get your local grindz on!

3 New Ways to Cook Kale:  Raw, Baked, & Coconut Grilled

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash   Saffron is a delicate (and expensive!) spice, and you can certainly improvise if you prefer not to add it to your spice collection.  Turmeric will also give you yellow color but is slightly stronger flavor than saffron so use less of it.

Chinese Chicken Salad    A great way to use your chinese parsley.

Beer Braised Chicken and Onions   Use a good dark beer for this dish and  your Ewa onions.  It will taste great when the wind is picking up and it’s cool outside!

Cilantro Pesto   Cilantro can be difficult to keep –I find the best way is to cut the stems a little and put the bunch in just a little water in a juice glass and keep it on the counter.  It doesn’t last too long, so if you need to use it up quickly, try making pesto with it.  It will be great on fish, bread, and of course tacos and burritos!