This week’s bag features okra! Okra is well known as an ingredient in Creole gumbo and also for being slimy but there is more to this fruit than that! Okra does have a memorable mucilaginous juice that can accurately be described as slimy when the pods are cooked.  However, there are other ways to prepare okra which minimizes this texture. For example, pods can be kept whole and stir-fried, sliced thin and cooked over high heat, or pickled. Acidic ingredients such as lemon juice, tomatoes or vinegar can also help. When cooked okra tastes similar to eggplant but it is also delicious raw. Okra has a short shelf life so eat it fast! What else is in the bag?

 

Mixed Lettuce – Mari’s Garden

Bush Beans – Pacific Gateway Center

Kale – Ho Farms

Butternut Squash – Ho Farms

Okra – Ho Farms

Lemon/Limes – Kahumana Farms

 

Try these recipes!

Okra and Greenbeans

Grilled Okra and Tomato Skewers

Butternut Squash Salad

This week’s bag features pineapple! Hawaii is the only state in the U.S. that commercially grows pineapple and today plantations in Hawaii produce almost one third of the world’s crop. The pineapple is not one fruit but is actually a composite of many flowers whose individual fruitlets fuse together around a central core. The fruitlets can be identified by their ‘eyes’ which are the rough spiny scales on the outside of the rind. Fresh pineapples is low in calories, very high in vitamin C and can be enjoyed in many ways! What else is in the bag?

Mixed Lettuce – Mari’s Garden

Grape Tomatoes –Pacific Gateway Center

Sweet Onion – Twin Bridge Farms

Portobello Mushroom – Small Kine Farms

Watermelon Radish – Kahumana Farms

Pineapple – Maui Gold Pineapple Company

Try these recipes!

Mushroom, Tomato and Onion Saute

Roasted Watermelon Radishes

Hawaiian Sweet Corn with Spam and Pineapple

This week’s bag features chico fruit for the first time, also known as sapodilla! This is a sweet “desert” fruit comparable to kiwi or pear. IMPORTANT STORAGE NOTE: DO NOT REFRIGERATE. This will stop the ripening process. Store them in a paper bag or box. Once they are soft and the inside brown (no more sap), they are ready to eat. When soft, peel off the outer skin and remove the seeds. Enjoy as is, or add to smoothies or ice cream. Let us know what you think! What else is in this week’s bag?

Mixed Lettuce – Mari’s Garden

Chico – Kahumana

Swiss Chard – Ho Farms

Cherry Tomatoes – Ho Farms

Corn – Local Harvest

String Beans– Pacific Gateway Center

Try out these tasty recipes!

Chico/Sapodilla Smoothie

Corn with Spam and Pineapple

Swiss Chard with Lentils and Feta Cheese

This week’s bag features bok choy! This member of the cabbage family is highly nutritious containing omega-3s and antioxidant minerals.  If you want to receive the fantastic health benefits provided by the cabbage family, include them as part of your diet 2-3 times per week, and make the serving size at least 1-1/2 cups. Easy to do with an Oahu Fresh membership! What else is in this week’s bag?

Mixed Lettuce – Mari’s Garden

Beefsteak Tomatoes – Green Growers

Butternut Squash – Ho Farms

Non-GMO Papaya – Ho Farms

Bok Choy – Green Growers

Kale– Pacific Gateway Center

Try out these tasty recipes!

Simple Stir Fry with Bok Choy

Butternut Squash Salad

Oahu Fresh Medley Soup

This week’s bag features round eggplant! Eggplants are members of the nightshade family that include the potato and tomato, which makes them technically a fruit but they are generally thought of and prepared as a vegetable.  The flesh generally has a fairly bland flavor but because of its sponge like texture, it takes on the flavor of other foods, spices and seasonings it is cooked with. Eggplant is excellent when stuffed with a variety of ingredients or cooked using one of several methods, such as sautéing, frying, broiling, baking, grilling, or slowly cooking in meat, rice, or cheese dishes and stews. When prepared on their own they are sometimes breaded or battered before cooking. What else is in this week’s bag?

Mixed Lettuce- Mari’s Garden

Green Beans– Local Harvest

Long Squash– Ho Farms

Round Eggplant– Ho Farms

Apple Bananas– Pacific Gateway Center

Try these recipes!

Eggplant Rounds with Hummus and Tomatoes

Banana Muffins

Eggplant, Tomato, and Green Onion Curry