We are so excited for this fall season, and it is already looking delicious! You will usually receive the what’s in the share email on Monday, and it is a guideline for what we think will be in the share. Sometimes it will change last minute due to availability or weather. We know that can be disappointing sometimes to see something yum on the list, and then not get it, but its how Mother Nature goes. I will make every effort to post any changes on our FACEBOOK social media group instead of inundating you with emails, so its good to be a member.
I also want to introduce Sarah Kelly, who will be assisting me with admin and customer service. She is new, so we are getting her up to speed to take over. You will hopefully get to see her in DC. She is a photographer and videographer, who specializes in weddings. You can visit her website and view her work.
Mark will be assisted in DC by Johnathan, and Sandra at Eastern Market and Gina and Katie at Patriot’s Plaza. They will guide you on how to do the pick up. Make sure if its your first time to check in with them, and follow the list they have posted on where and what to grab. Bring bags!
Remember if you have last minute changes please let me know ASAP and text Mark at 804-397-7337 if you are running late to pickup. If something is not right in your share, let us know right away so we can fix it.
Happy Cooking!
Suzi and Sarah
HERE’S WHAT’S IN THE SHARE
PRODUCE
- Watermelon- Utilize THREE share ingredients by preparing this refreshing Watermelon, Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad recipe!
- Pie Pumpkins- Brush up on your prepping skills by reading this article on How To Roast A Pumpkin & Make Your Own Puree, then put it to good use by enjoying this fun Pumpkin Spice Smoothie recipe!
- Collards
- Mushrooms
- Smooth Kale- Cozy up by the fire with a bowl of this warm Kale & Apple Soup!
- Sweet Potatoes- Try this seasonal spin on a traditional Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash!
- Beets
- Yellow Wax Beans- Sautéed Green & Yellow Wax Beans with Garlic makes the perfect side for any fall meal!
- Poblano Peppers- Vegan Stuffed Poblano Peppers are always such a crowd please!
- Arugula- This delicious green has a slightly peppery taste (which can be diluted by cooking), making it perfect for salads, pizza, and pesto, but be sure to introduce sparingly at first when preparing for children.
- Garlic
- Crimson Crisp Apples- These apples are small to medium in size and are bright mid-range red over yellow in color. They are extremely crisp, rich in flavor, and carry a sweet, sharp, and spicy flavor!
- Anaheim Peppers- Spice up your traditional grilled cheese with this Garlicky Anaheim Pepper Grilled Cheese recipe! Fast, easy, and so so yummy!
CHEESE – Peachy Family Farm – goat cheese medley – Some of you may know Mr. Peachy as he and his family have vended at Eastern Market for years. They are an Amish family from Pennsylvania and specialize in goat products. His cheeses are delicious and we are happy to have become friends with them.
DAIRY UPDATE- Good News! Old Church Creamery milk is expected to come in the next 2 weeks, and yogurt is coming soon too!
MEAT
- Polyface Chuck Roast- Get out your pressure cookers, crock pots, and roasting pans! These kitchen tools were made for ingredients like this! Try this yummy Mocha- Rubbed Pot Roast recipe.
- Morning Glory Chicken Wings- Don’t throw your grill in storage before you try this amazing Grilled Buffalo Chicken Wings recipe!
HOLIDAY MEAT ORDERS – its almost turkey time! We will be getting turkeys from Polyface Farms again this year. Other meats are available, like roasts, fresh hams (country hams are hard to get), lamb leg/shoulders etc. Let me know
SOCIAL MEDIA/FACEBOOK GROUP – Mark said that many of you are interested in helping us more with social media. If you want to help with that, please email me. I would love to have someone in DC who can help me post pictures on FB, Instagram, Pinterest and do fun videos at pickup. We also have our own private Facebook group where we can communicate, post pictures, recipes and more. Please join if you haven’t. We are debating on making this group public, so others can see it and sign up, but I’d like feedback on how you feel about that.
REFERRAL REWARDS PROGRAM – If you love us, refer us to your friends, neighbors, coworkers. Everyone you refer who joins, earns you a 1x $25 credit you can use towards free food!
FALL SHARE FLYER DISTRIBUTION – Mark has a job handing out flyers – please see him if you or someone you know is interested. We also appreciate any flyers you can hand out at work, gym, yoga, coffee shop etc. I have an electronic version as well that can be posted via email, social media etc. Please be mindful of flyer placement, ask permission as we don’t want to litter or upset anyone with them.
DONATION SHARE/DISCOUNT – if you want to donate a share to a needy family this season, we will take 10% off the total, and match it with another 10% for you. please email me if you wish to donate a share! You can do this for the season, or donate a share as you go along.
FARMER SPOTLIGHT/MORNING GLORY FARM – HOW TO COOK THE CHICKEN! AND WHY PASTURED CHICKEN IS DIFFERENT
The Porter family – Sandy and Tracy and kids from Morning Glory raise pastured and soy-free chicken, pork, eggs. Tracy is an Iraq War veteran and has a Masters in food safety, and he works doing this for Cooperative Extension — he is my go-to for any kind of technical food safety question. Sandy and her daughter Annabelle have taken over the poultry operation. Here is a note on Freedom Rangers from Tracy, and how to get the best out of it: “Morning Glory raises Freedom Rangers, a traditional breed from France. They are known for their excellent flavor, are prized by chefs, and the breeder we got our breeding stock from was recently featured on CNN along with the notable chefs and restaurants they work with. They take longer to mature, and are larger than the Cornish Cross, which is what you’ll see from commercial poultry (Purdue or Tyson) as well as Polyface (also raised in pasture). Pastured raised chickens will have a different flavor and texture, as they actually use their muscles instead of sitting because their legs can’t support their body weight, like commercial chicken (Cornish Cross is bred to have extra breast meat. sm). Commercial chicken is also injected with up to 14% saline to increase size and tenderize it.
Morning Glory chicken is processed on site at the farm per VDAC (Virginia Dept of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs) guidelines at between 12-13 weeks, then vacuum sealed with a commercial vacuum sealer with allows zero air inside to grow bacteria. Store chicken is packaged with a combination of gases to include oxygen, carbon dioxide and nitrogen to extend shelf life. They are frozen the same day they are butchered. (Tracy says he is happy to speak with you if you want to more about processing or about the birds themselves.)
In addition to NOT being injected with saline, please know historic breed chicken have more exercise over a longer time before it is butchered, which greatly increases flavor but also increases cooking time for those muscles – your legs and thighs in particular will have a chewier texture, which you may associate with older birds – don’t mistake chewy for tough and stringy. Breast will also have more texture. Pastured chicken may not seem like it has much meat on it, but that is because it is not swelled up with saline.
Tips on cooking — they will take less time to cook than thicker, water- filled commercial chicken. Don’t trust your normal time/temp you have used with store chicken or you may over cook it. Do not microwave! ”
Keep in mind most modern recipes and cookbooks are geared towards commercially raised chicken, so you may wish to check and adjust your dish as you go along. We find broiling is a great method. Mark made the legs and thighs the other night, and they were super, but they definitely have texture much different than Purdue! We ask you to keep this information in mind as you prepare and eat your birds. Let me know if you have more questions or concerns about the chicken, or any of our products.