News about BusFarm/Farm to Family + The FarmBus Mobile Markets
We proudly serve RVA and Washington, DC – We Are Veteran-Owned
Call us: 804-397-7337 DC or 804-767-8570 RVA
DC Markets: Tuesday @ Eastern Market; Wednesday @ Patriot’s Plaza; Thursday Capitol Hill 8th St@Capitol St, NE
RVA Market Open:  Closed for Season, or by Apt.
Always honoring Veterans and Active Military – 10% discount
We take SNAP/EBT

…Growing Forward!
For more info, or to volunteer: 804-397-7337
I hope you are hungry this week, because we have lots of great stuff. We will  be at our Thursday PropUp Market at East Capital St, NE and 8th t, NE this Thursday, from 11-7 to help you with your weekend local food needs.

Mark will have in addition to lots of great veggies, plenty of grass-fed meats including: Polyface ground beef, chicken and ground pork, sausages and more.

Duck and chicken eggs — duck eggs are richer in flavor and perfect for baking – check out specific nutrient info below. They may also be tolerated by folks with chicken egg allergies.

Gorgeous grass-fed dairy including low pasteurized Jersey milk, cultured butter, greek and regular yogurt, kefir, chocolate milk and blackberry drinking smoothies. We’ll also have lots of cow and goat cheeses, including different kinds of flavored chèvre. Try a cheese plate as an appetizer, or as an after dinner affair.

Mark has tons of  wonderful pantry items : local honey, Virginia Peanuts in all flavors (ncluding Chesapeake, Chocolate Sea Salt, Garlic, BBQ, Cajun, Peanut Squares, Salt and Vinegar, Red Skin, Sea Salt, Unsalted and more), Sorghum Molasses. our popular house-made jams, maple syrup, Wade’s Mill grits, polenta and other mixes, and other assorted goodies.

He has breads, pumpkin, banana and gluten free breads, chocolate chip and oatmeal cookies, and gluten free cookies too.

I’ve consolidated several emails over the last week into one, sorry for the length and unweildiness of it. Below is the list of veggies this week, info on duck eggs, info on kalettes the new vegetable we are obsessed with, and info on our chicken soup packs and larger cuts of meat available. thanks for your patience.

This week we harvested out at Omar’s farm. It was tons of fun, but also very hard work. My take away: make sure to dress in layers, bring a sit/kneel upon, and gloves. I am grateful for all those squatting postures I do in yoga – they are supportive of harvesting kalettes!  Here are more pictures from our day, which also included dairy pickup at Old Church Creamery, and a visit with the baby cows! I also loved the mini horses/ponies at Omar’s Farm.

Produce
Beets
Roasted beet & walnut dip
Beetnik martini
Sweet potato, beet, & black bean tacos
^top with cilantro
Brussels sprouts
Warm brussels sprout, bacon, and spinach salad
Mini brussels sprout & spinach dip bread bowls
Broccoli
Spinach & broccoli soup with garlic & cilantro
Broccoli (or brussels sprouts) marrow with pecan garlic butter
Baked potatoes stuffed with broccoli
Apples
Crispy apple & kohlrabi salad

Bibb lettuce

Sweet potatoes
Sweet potato pancakes
Roasted sweet potato, parsnip, & apple soup
Onions

Kalettes – Kalettes are our favorite veg right now. They are a brand new vegetable that are a fresh fusion of sweet and nutty. Not only do they have great flavor but Kalettes are also incredibly versatile and can be cooked in a variety of ways; in fact, Kalettes may well be one of the most versatile vegetables out there! Kalettes can be sautéed, roasted, grilled or eaten raw.
Kalettes are the product of 15 years of hard work and dedication (using traditional breeding techniques) from the British vegetable seed house Tozer Seeds.  Kalettes are a non-GMO vegetable developed through traditional hybridization and not genetic modification.  Known as Flower Sprouts in the U.K., this delicious vegetable has now made its way across the pond and is called Kalettes in North America.
The inspiration behind Kalettes came from a desire to create a kale type vegetable which was versatile, easy to prepare and looked great. Crossing kale with brussels sprouts was a natural fit since they are both from the Brassica Oleracea species which also includes cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli.
The result is a brand-new vegetable which looks a little like a tiny cabbage with green frilly leaves and streaks of purple. Kalettes get their great taste by combining the best flavors from brussels sprouts and kale, resulting in a fresh fusion of sweet and nutty.
-http://www.kalettes.com/about-kalettes.aspx
My favorite way to enjoy a new vegetable is to toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast. Here’s a recipe for roasted kalettes with beets, except of course use the beets in your share instead of using packaged beets as the recipe suggests

Cilantro
Kohlrabi
5 ways to prepare kohlrabi
Roasted kohlrabi

Meat
Milton’s pork tenderloin
A cooking lesson on how to make roasted pork tenderloin
Roasted pork tenderloin with apples
Green Fence lamb chops
Herb roasted lamb chops
Vietnamese lamb chops
Morning Glory chicken wings
Crispy baked chicken wings
Buffalo wings with blue cheese dip

Here’s info on duck eggs – with any kind of egg, it is always best to crack them into a saucer first to make sure of their integrity.
What Are The Benefits To Eating Duck Eggs?
Duck eggs stay fresher longer, due to their thicker shell.
Duck eggs are richer, with more albumen, which makes cakes and other pastries fluffier.
Duck eggs have more Omega-3 fatty acids.
People who cannot eat chicken eggs, due to allergies, can often eat duck eggs.
Not trying to knock chicken eggs (chickens rule!), just showing how awesome duck eggs are. Here’s a table comparing the two:
Nutrient    Chicken egg (1 egg)    Duck egg (1 egg)
Iron (mg)    0.9 (5%)    2.70 (15%)
Phosphorus (mg)    95.5 (10%)    154 (15%)
Zinc (mg)    0.6 (4%)    1 (7%)
Selenium (mcg)    15.8 (23%)    25.5 (36%)
Vitamin A (IU)    244 (5%)    472 (9%)
Vitamin E (mg)    0.5 (2%)    0.9 (5%)
Thiamin/Vitamin B1 (mg)    0.02 (2%)    0.1 (7%)
Riboflavin/Vitamin B2 (mg)    0.2 (14%)    0.3 (17%)
Vitamin B6 (mg)    0.1 (4%)    0.2 (9%)
Folate/Vitamin B9 (mcg)    23.5 (6%)    56 (14%)
Vitamin B12 (mcg)    0.6 (11%)    3.8 (63%)
Pantothenic Acid/Vitamin B5 (mg)    0.7 (7%)    1.3 (13%)
Choline (mg)*    126    184
Total Omega-3s (mg)*    37    71.4
Total protein (grams)    6.28    8.97
*There is currently no %DV for choline or Omega-3 fats.
Duck eggs win hands-down, probably because proportionally they have much more yolk (where all the nutritional goodness is) and much less white (which is just empty protein). More micronutrients, more protein, and more Omega-3s.
A few of these nutrients are particularly notable because there aren’t many sources of them aside from eggs:
Choline is incredibly important for liver health: there’s some evidence that fatty liver disease is very closely connected with choline deficiency. Egg yolks are a staple dietary source of choline (if you don’t eat organ meats, they’re probably by far the biggest source of choline in your diet), and duck eggs simply have more.
Folate, or Vitamin B9, is especially important for mental health, pregnant women and nursing mothers. Eggs are a key source on Paleo because many other sources – like beans and lentils – are out. One duck egg has over twice as much folate as one chicken egg.
Duck eggs also have other benefits as well. The whites of duck eggs may have different proteins than the whites of chicken eggs, and some people can tolerate duck eggs even if they can’t tolerate chicken eggs. So if you’re struggling to find good breakfast options, check with a doctor to see whether duck eggs might be a better alternative for you than chicken.
It’s also worth noting that duck eggs are still a specialty food sold primarily by people who really care about food quality. This means that the ducks that produce duck eggs are rarely fed soy or wheat: if you’re sensitive to even the slightest trace of these things in the eggs, duck eggs are probably a safer choice.
You can cook duck eggs exactly like chickens eggs– they are delicious fried, poached, scrambled.
Here are some recipes to get you started:
Duck egg cake with Rosemary
7 ramen recipes
^I love to soft boil a duck egg (or two!), slice in half, and add to my homemade ramen.
Salmon scrambled eggs

We have chicken soup packs and large cuts of both pork and lamb available for a la carte purchase. If you are interested, shoot us an email at Farmshares@thefarmbus.com Mark should have some on the truck also, if you decide to spur of the moment try them out.

Our large cuts of meat include the following from Green Fence Farm:
Pork bone-in boston butts $9.28/lb
Weights: 5.69 3.94 5.26 4.77 4.99 5.37
Bone-in leg of lamb $14.53/lb
Weights: 5.94 5.2 4.39 5.58
Boneless lamb shoulder $14.53/lb
Weights: 2.72 3.49 2.5 3.98 3.96 3.02
Pork bone-in picnic roast $9.28/lb
Weight: 5.36

Pastured Turkey, 5.75/lb, 16-19lb range.

The soup packs contain chicken necks, backs, & feet. They’re 3.50/lb and are around 4-4.5 lbs. They are Freedom Rangers, and are from Morning Glory Farm

We don’t like to make bone broth without the feet. I make a batch, freeze it for later and have some every day. This is a great to help rebuild gut integrity, boost immunity, fights inflammation and creaky joints. Bone broth is extremely easy to make in the slow cooker. I also add a little bit to the dogs’ food every day.

Here is some great information courtesy TheElliotHomestead.com:
WHY YOU SHOULD BE EATING CHICKEN FEET
Because your body needs lots of vitamins, trace minerals, collagen, and calcium. That’s why.
Most of us are familiar with the health benefits of homemade bone broth. Truly, as a real food enthusiast, I cannot stress the importance of drinking bone broth enough. It should be everyone’s ‘bread and butter’. A staple. A companion that lives long by your side. “In most every culture throughout history has used bone broth for its nutritional significance, versatility and overall deliciousness. Chinese medicine practitioners use bone broth to strengthen the kidney, support digestive systems and build blood. The term“Jewish penicillin” is used for chicken soup, known to inhibit cell inflammation and mitigate cold symptoms. And the English sip beef tea, or beef broth, used since the Victorian era.”
Bone broth has been known for centuries to aid in joint health, immunity, gut health, and more. Nutrients are pulled from the bones and cartilage, slowly swirling into a liquid gold – rich in vitamins, minerals, and feel good-ness.
Yes, feel good-ness is a technical medical term. I looked it up…
Bone marrow carries oxygen to our to our cells. Collagen builds the cells in our brains and bones. It rebuilds damaged cells in our intestines.
It is, truly, natural’s super-supplement.
Adding chicken feet to that pot ‘o stock ups the anty. Chicken foot stock is like stock on steroids. Chicken feet are comprised of entirely bones, tendons, and cartilage. Gross, right?
Wrong.
I mean, sure, yes – gross. But what our bodies can pull from those feet nutritionally is pure magic. Track minerals and calcium dance like sugar plums in our bowls. If you want to heal yourself from the outside in, start with chicken foot bone broth.
And another good source of information from The Nourished Kitchen.

Happy cooking!

FARM TO FAMILY JOBS

Farmer’s Market Associate/Customer Service Associate for our well-established pop-up markets + CSA on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.

Schedule is currently Tuesday 2-7pm; Wed 9-7pm, Thursday 10-7pm (25-30 hrs/wk). $13/hr to start based on experience – advancement opportunities exist to grow with our company.

Job duties include but not limited to:
.  Market management including customer service and sales, staffing, forecasting, reports
·      Educating and interacting with community members at CSA pick-ups, farmers markets, and more.
·      Marketing experience including social media and events
·      Must be able to do heavy lifting
·      Setup, breakdown of farmer’s markets
·      Assist with CSA delivery

Skillset and Experience:
·      Experience with retail, CSA model as well as farmers markets a+ including inventory management, ordering, interaction with farmers and vendors.
. Excel, Microsoft word, Square, Powerpoint, graphic design a plus.
·      Excellent customer service skills required
·      High level of motivation, passion about local food and a willingness to learn required
·      Ability to work effectively and cooperatively with staff = Required
·      Must be able to do heavy lifting – Required
·      Clean driver’s license/ability to drive a box truck a +

This is a year-round position for someone who is enthusiastic about growing the CSA and Farmer’s Market experience with us.

For more info about us: www.thefarmbus.com
Please forward resume to mark@thefarmbus.com or call 804-397-7337

Washington, DC— Farm to Table/Local Foods Market Manager

Farm to Family, based in Richmond, VA, has a JOB opening for a manager for a new local foods/farm to table market opening on Capitol Hill, Washington DC. $13/hr to start based on experience – advancement opportunities exist to grow with our company.
Job duties include but not limited to:
.  Market management including customer service and sales, staffing, forecasting, reports, orders, budgets, interaction with farmers and vendors, merchandising.
·      Educating and interacting with community members
·      Marketing experience including social media and events
·      Must be able to do heavy lifting

Skillset and Experience:
·      Experience with natural foods retail, CSA model as well as farmers markets a+ including inventory management, ordering, interaction with farmers and vendors.
. Excel, Microsoft word, Square and other POS systems, Powerpoint, graphic design a plus.
·      Excellent customer service skills required
·      High level of motivation, passion about local food and a willingness to learn required
·      Ability to work effectively and cooperatively with staff = Required
·      Must be able to do heavy lifting – Required
·      Clean driver’s license/ability to drive a box truck a +
For more info about us: www.thefarmbus.com
Please forward resume to mark@thefarmbus.com or call 804-397-7337