This Week’s Box Featuring Kabocha Squash from Aloun Farms – Week of March 28

March 28, 2022 by Amy Buglione

Kabocha is a variety of winter squash, often referred to as a Japanese pumpkin. It’s sometimes described as a cross between sweet potato and pumpkin in flavor and texture. It’s sweet taste, velvety texture, massive offering of nutritional benefit and versatility, make it a prized staple vegetable in Japan. You can substitute it within recipes that call for acorn and butternut squash or pumpkin. Most forward nutritients are beta carotene, vitamin C, iron, and potassium with smaller amounts of B vitamins, folic acid and calcium.

How to select a Kabocha:

The two things to look for are weight and color. Skin should be a rich, deep green and it should feel heavier than expected. Ripeness is indicated by golden speckling and stripes on the exterior.

How to prepare Kabocha:

Carefully slice the entire squash in half, keeping in mind that it’s dense and might be difficult to cut. Like other squashes, you’ll want to scoop out the pulp and seeds, leaving the meat behind. From here you can slice it into wedges for roasting, simmering, pureing, or baking. You can also grate it to add texture to breads or other baked dishes and desserts. The skin is ok to leave on.

What else is in the bag?

Apple Bananas
Sugarland

Bok Choy
Aloun Farms

Kabocha
Aloun Farms

Longan
OK Farms

Orange
OK Farms

Sweet Onion
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Asparagus, Baby Bok Choy & Rice Noodles

Za’atar Roasted Pumpkin Salad

Meal Kit Recipes:

This Week’s Box Featuring Sweet Potatoes from Adaptations – Week of March 21

March 21, 2022 by Amy Buglione

The Okinawan sweet potato is not related to the potato but is actually in the morning glory family. Native to the Americas, it was brought to Japan sometime between 1492 and 1605. The hardy plant grew well in Japan and quickly became popular in a variety of Japanese dishes. When it eventually made its way to the Hawaiian Islands, brought by the Polynesians, the crop flourished in the rich volcanic soil.

Sweet potatoes of all varieties are high in vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. They are also a good source of copper, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron. Sweet potatoes are known to improve blood sugar regulation and some studies have discovered significant antibacterial and antifungal properties. The primary nutritional benefit, and the one for which Okinawan sweet potatoes are especially prized, is their high antioxidant levels. The antioxidant known as anthocyanin is the pigment which is responsible for the brilliant purple color of the flesh. It is the same pigment that gives blueberries, red grapes and red cabbage their color.

Blueberries are well known for their high antioxidant levels, however, the Okinawan sweet potato actually has 150 percent more antioxidants than blueberries. Antioxidants help to guard against cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Try this recipe for baked Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

What else is in the bag?

Avocados
Twin Bridge Farms

Bell Peppers
Sugarland

Head Cabbage
Aloun Farms

Kale
Ho Farms

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Okinawan Sweet Potato
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Baked Sweet Potato

Sweet Potato Fries

Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes

This Week’s Box Featuring Zucchini from Aloun Farms – Week of March 14

March 14, 2022 by Amy Buglione

Zucchini, like all members of the squash family, are native to the Americas. However, the varieties of squash typically called “zucchini” were developed much later in Italy following their introduction from the Americas. Zucchini have a reputation with home gardeners for having overwhelming production. However, they’re are many ways to eat the fruits both cooked and raw.

Preparation:

The skin is left in place on the fruit. Zucchini require little more than quick cooking. They can be prepared in a variety of techniques including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, etc. They can also be baked into a bread or cake. Zucchini can also be enjoyed raw, sliced or shredded in salads or lightly cooked.

Preparing-Fresh-Zucchini-11-Ways-to-Use-Summer-Squash

What else is in the bag?

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Mixed Salad Greens
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Mixed Tomatoes
Sugarland

Orange
OK Farms

Swiss Chard
Ho Farms

Zucchini
Aloun Farms

Meal Kit Recipes:

Try out these recipes!

Baked Zucchini Fries

This Week’s Box Featuring Kale from Ho Farms – Week of March 7th

March 7, 2022 by Amy Buglione

Kale is a vegetable with green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is a member of the Mustard, also known as the Cabbage, family. Kale can be curly, flat, or even have a bluish tint mixed in with the green. This week we have curly kale from Shawn’s Farm.

Depending on the variety, kale can sometimes be spicy or a bit sweet, and usually slightly bitter. In general, kale offers an earthy flavor with a nutty sweetness that is accentuated when cooked. Kale is rich in antioxidants and packed with vitamins A, C, E, K and B, as well as minerals like iron and calcium. Kale is a great source of fiber and contains a fair amount of protein.

Preparation

Kale is incredibly versatile in the kitchen and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Young kale leaves add an earthiness to raw salads, and mature kale is one of the few leafy greens that doesn’t shrink much when cooked. Try it sauteed, roasted, stewed, or even baked into kale chips. Or try it raw in juices and smoothies.

To prep mature kale – first remove the tough fibrous stems. Hold the stem and strip the leaves along the stem away from you. If preferred, you can cut the leaf into thin, confetti-like ribbons.
A quick massage with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt can break down the cellulose structure of kale. This gives a slightly sweeter, silkier kale to add to salads.
To store – wrap the leaves in a loose bundle, cover with a paper towel or a thin cotton towel (to absorb excess moisture) and store in a large, sealable bag in the crisper for up to a week.

Check out this video:

Farms that grow kale

Recipes

Crunchy Dino Kale and Coconut Bowl
Kale Caesar Salad
Chocolate Mint Smoothie with Kale
Kale and Eggplant Summer Pasta
Kale with Onion, Celery & Tomato
Stir Fry Greens– Same method, but you can just use Kale!

What else is in the bag?

Avocados
Twin Bridge Farms

Bell Peppers
Sugarland

Kale
Ho Farms

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Long Beans
Ho Farms

Mixed Salad Greens
Kahumana Organic Farm & Cafe

Try out these recipes!

Kale Caesar Salad

Toasted Orzo with Kale, Feta, and Radishes

This Week’s Box Featuring Swiss Chard from Ho Farms – Week of February 28

February 28, 2022 by Amy Buglione

Swiss chard, also known simply as chard, is a beet that is grown for its deep green leaves instead of its root. It’s known for its brightly colored stems of red, yellow, pink, and purple. 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.

The leafy greens are extremely high in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, and antioxidants. This nutrition combo makes for a good dose of healthy digestion, eyes, skin, heart, and immune function. Swiss chard was considered medicine for allergies, constipation, and general pain in ancient times.

Preparation

Before you cook chard, 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 chard until right before you’re going to use 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, because the ribs will need to cook for a few more minutes since they are tougher than the leaves.
Bitterness is caused by the organic compound oxalic acid, which is found in the stalk of Swiss chard and many other vegetables. It can be removed altogether or cooked out. When cooked, the vegetable loses the bitter flavor and makes for a more refined taste.

Farms that grow swiss chard

Ho Farms

Recipes

Swiss Chard with Lentils

What else is in the bag?