Welcome to Week 4!
This will be an especially lively week at the pickups, as approximately 100 ACC Government employees are getting a week of produce as part of their annual ACC Wellness Fall Health Improvement Challenge! What a fantastic perk-- and we are so glad to be involved. If you see a new face at your pickup, feel free to say hello and strike up a conversation about the rainbow of bell peppers or the burgundy okra.
You better believe that all the farmers are welcoming this shift in the weather. They are all very busy getting more fall crops in the ground. Personally, I can't wait til the greens start coming on strong! We do have a few greens trickling in this week... like arugula! In case you're not familiar with it-- it's a tender green similar to spinach but with an herby, peppery taste. Great in salads and sauteed. Arugula is also one of the greens in our Spicy Salad Greens, along with mustard, kale and tatsoi. Fall is roots season, too, and many farms have done their first sweet potato harvest of the year so there are plenty to go around.
Take a look at a few new "extras" that will be available for purchase as we head into fall. Fry Farm is offering a few beautiful and tasty heirloom pumpkin varieties. These will store for quite a while so you could use them in your decorative porch display and later cook them up into something delicious...
Moranga Pumpkin-- a Brazilian heirloom best known as one of the main ingredients in the traditional dish, ‘Camarão na Moranga’ which means ‘shrimps in a squash.’ Adore Foods has a great recipe for it here.
Long Pie Pumpkin-- thought to be of Native American origin, some say this The Absolute Best Pie Pumpkin for cooking, with virtually stringless, smooth orange flesh.
You also might want to try some Kabocha Squash from Diamond Hill Farm... Also known as Japanese Pumpkin, it is perfect for roasting, stuffing, pureeing, and more. It might just become your go-to fall ingredient!
I am very excited to announce another new "extra"...
Original Hummus from the Daily Groceries Deli!
In my humble opinion, this is the best hummus you can buy-- it's made from whole, organic ingredients in small batches by our friends at Daily Groceries Co-op. Do you know about this little gem of a grocery store on Prince Ave? Daily Groceries Co-op proudly serves its community as a place to get local and fresh foods (like Collective Harvest produce!), as well as staple groceries, specialty offerings, and an excellent grab & go menu. Daily is locally-owned, democratically run and has been in Athens since 1992.
We are just starting out with hummus, but hopefully you'll see plenty more of the Daily Deli's yummy treats available to order soon.
Last but not certainly NOT least, this week those of you with an Independent Baking Co. Bread Share will get...
Multigrain Loaf!
A moist, hearty bread that everyone loves. Made with stone-ground whole grain wheat, spelt and rye flours, thickened with a porridge of oats, millet, house-milled rye grits, three colors of quinoa, plus flax and sunflower seeds. Whew!
Without further ado... Let's eat!
~Lisa
