What's Coming on Saturday 02/28/09 UPDATE

Here is the update on Saturday - there are a couple of changes....

We expect PA IPM golden delicious apples and organic NY yellow onions, Florida green cabbage, red or green leaf lettuce and suntan peppers, California broccoli, carrots, celery hearts, collard greens, fingerling potatoes (just roast whole,) and Valencia oranges, WA Bosc pears, Mexican sugar snap peas from the excellent Del Cabo farmers' cooperative, US and Mexican small farmers working together, Peruvian bananas and Honduran ginger (look for a small piece in your box) and a bottle of salad dressing to help a supplier. We paid less than half price for this, so enjoy!

Kiwi is a make-up for strawberries.

Fruit shares: A mango, a pineapple, Braeburn apples, grapefruit and clementines.

What's Coming on Saturday 02/28/09

We expect PA IPM gold delicious apples, NY organic yellow onions, Florida romaine lettuce, yellow squash OR CA bok choi and tomatoes, California broccoli, carrots, celery hearts, Valencia oranges, sugar snap peas, Russian banana fingerling potatoes (delicious baked whole with olive oil and garlic on them,) WA Bosc pears and Peruvian bananas and a piece of ginger from Honduras (store in the freezer in a baggie if you won't use it soon,) and a bottle of organic salad dressing (as a favor to a supplier and we got a great deal--either chipotle ranch or romano cesar; hope you enjoy it! Dressings need to be kept refrigerated once you get them home. We heard from one family that used the ranch as a marinade.)

Fruit shares: I am planning to get grapefruit, Braeburn apples, clementines, a Kent mango and a pineapple

What's Coming on Wednesday 02/25/09

We expect PA IPM gold delicious apples, NY organic yellow onions, Florida romaine lettuce, yellow squash OR CA bok choi and tomatoes, California broccoli, carrots, celery hearts, Valencia oranges, sugar snap peas, Russian banana fingerling potatoes (delicious baked whole with olive oil and garlic on them,) WA Bosc pears and Peruvian bananas and a piece of ginger from Honduras (store in the freezer in a baggie if you won't use it soon,) and a bottle of organic salad dressing (as a favor to a supplier and we got a great deal--either chipotle ranch or romano cesar; hope you enjoy it!

Dressings need to be kept refrigerated once you get them home. We heard from one family that used the ranch as a marinade.

Fruit shares: I am planning to get grapefruit, Braeburn apples, clementines, a Kent mango and a pineapple

Produce Quality - when they look funny...

From Janit London at Purple Dragon:

We never intentionally buy or send out anything that is not good, but produce, being a natural product, sometimes can break down very quickly--within hours. So please understand that there is no need to get angry or upset--just let your coordinator know right away. So, yes, some of the strawberries surprised us and broke down very quickly. We thought we would be fine delivering them in the lovely cold weather, but alas! some did not make it, not through mishandling but because of inherent issues within the berries themselves. Others, and this is not surprising when there is less sun, were not as flavorful as people might have liked. Of course, they are not as delightful to eat raw but can be used in delicious recipes, such as, chop and boil in 1-2 cups of water for 5 minutes; add maple syrup to taste, and you have a lovely syrup for pancakes that will keep in the fridge for a week.

The other problem is that sometimes something can look funny or different but still be excellent; we are always learning and then passing along what we have learned to you. Some people thought their green grapes (if you got these) had issues but really, it was just the late-season "ambering," when the grapes get an amber color, which only makes them sweeter. Other members thought there was something wrong with their Valencia oranges, which were somewhat lumpy looking and had some spots on the skin. The oranges were actually fabulous!

So don't be fooled by appearances! Taste the food or call the office. Also, beware of guessing what might be wrong with something. We hear the most interesting conjectures of what might potentially be wrong but most of the time, these ideas are totally incorrect. We have had people thinking they saw mildew, aflatoxin, and things being old. Produce doesn't get mildew or aflatoxin (except on peanuts) and we always know how "old" things are before we buy them (such as all local apples, pears, potatoes, onions and squash are harvested in the fall.) So please don't stress and don't worry but call or e the office and we can reassure you about what you have received. We had a lot of people who regretted that they threw away their delicious oranges based on their funny appearance, so let's avoid that kind of error! Call! Email! Ask us.

And be sure to let your coordinator know if you think you have a quality issue so she can check in with the group and let us know.

SATURDAY POD SORT LIST

Remember - sign up for 2 times if you are whole share and 1 time if you are a half share. If you are not able to sort at all, the charge is $30 to have the food pre-sorted at the warehouse. All POD members are required to help sort food.THANKS!

SATURDAY LIST

DATE
NAME


28-Feb
Cirotti

14-Mar
Peggy Hodgkins

28-Mar
Harrison

11-Apr
Sondey

25-Apr
Hadow

9-May
Peterson

23-May
Dougherty

6-Jun
Dreitlein

20-Jun
Dougherty

July 4***
Peterson

18-Jul
Sondey

1-Aug
Reilly

15-Aug

5-Sep

19-Sep
Mathis

3-Oct

17-Oct

31-Oct

14-Nov

28-Nov

12-Dec

26-Dec

Wednesday POD Food Sorters

Remember - sign up for 2 times if you are whole share and 1 time if you are a half share. If you are not able to sort at all, the charge is $30 to have the food pre-sorted at the warehouse. All POD members are required to help sort food.
THANKS!

WEDNESDAY LIST
DATE
NAME

25-Feb
Prosser

11-Mar
Toner

25-Mar
D. Sajer

8-Apr

22-Apr

6-May

22-May

3-Jun

17-Jun
Brasowski

1-Jul

15-Jul
Prosser
29-Jul

12-Aug

2-Sep
Brasowski

16-Sep

30-Sep

14-Oct

28-Oct

11-Nov

Nov 24 ** Tues

9-Dec

23-Dec

Organic vs. Conventional Produce...

I received this information in a newsletter this morning - and thought I'd share it - great information for anyone who wants numbers to back up what we already know about getting organic food. One more thing - the newsletter is from LAPTOP lunches - I put the weblink to the newsletter at the bottom of this note, check it out - great ideas for packing lunches for your kids.
Paula

How bad is conventional produce?
You may be thinking that eating conventional produce is the most practical option. How bad can these pesticides possibly be? Well, here are some statistics from one of my favorite organizations, Sustainable Table (www.sustainabletable.org):
According to the EPA, over 1 billion tons of pesticides are used in the U.S. every year to eliminate pests. These chemicals are known to damage the environment and human health.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers estimates that in 2002, 69,000 children suffered from pesticide related poisoning or exposure to poisonous pesticides.
According to the EPA, agricultural practices are responsible for 70% of all pollution in U.S. rivers and streams.
Many operations consume water at an unsustainable rate, causing aquifer depletion and ground subsidence.
Conventional produce is shipped an average of 1,500 miles before reaching consumers.
That’s right. In addition to poisoning our bodies and the soil, that poor tomato you’re eating has guzzled up an enormous amount of fossil fuels. It was probably picked when it was green in Mexico or Chile, then flown in and put on a truck where it was driven hundreds of miles before getting to your grocery store. And who knows how long it was sitting there before you put it in your cart.
How good is organic produce?
Organic farmers are committed to growing food in a natural manner – free of pesticides – and harvesting it when the time is right. Organic farming practices protect our land and water from being poisoned, which means we all have safe water to drink and nutrient-rich soil that continues to yield healthy produce for us to eat. Organic farmers are less reliant on non-renewable fossil fuels because we sell our products to local stores, at our farm stands or farmers' markets, or through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. When you buy organic products, you're supporting your local economy. And when you eat organic products, your taste buds will dance because the flavor is undeniably delicious.
With all of these benefits, why isn’t everyone eating organic food? Many cite the high cost, but it's important to realize that at least 30% of our crops don’t make it to you. Nature does its thing, of course, and we let it. Organic farming is laborious. We plant crops seasonally and harvest them when it’s time. That means we watch over our crops every day, harvest every day, and deliver every day. Finally, the demand for organic produce isn’t big enough to push prices down – yet.

http://www.laptoplunches.com/newsletters/2009/FebruaryNewsletter_2009.html

Wednesday Weather Alert

It will be very cold tomorrow. I will be running a heater in the space where the veggies are stored. Be sure to look at notes - you may have items stored in a cooler that you will need to add to your order.

Members to bring ice chests with your names on them today and have the dividers pack the food into the ice chests.

What's Coming on Saturday 02/07/09

Here's what's coming on Saturday..

We expect NY ecologically grown Empire apples and organic shallots, PA yellow carrots and russet potatoes, Florida green beans, green cabbage, red OR green leaf lettuce, parsley (delicious in soups and salads,) red bell peppers and grape tomatoes, Oregon red anjou pears (gorgeous in fruit salad or for dessert with the PA smoked cheddar,) California strawberries and Peruvian bananas.

Fruit shares: I am planning to get blueberries, Braeburn apples, grapefruit and Anjou pears.

What

We expect NY ecologically grown Empire apples and organic shallots, PA yellow carrots and russet potatoes, Florida green beans, green cabbage, red OR green leaf lettuce, parsley (delicious in soups and salads,) red bell peppers and grape tomatoes, Oregon red anjou pears (gorgeous in fruit salad or for dessert with the PA smoked cheddar,) California strawberries and Peruvian bananas.

Fruit shares: I am planning to get blueberries, Braeburn apples, grapefruit and Anjou pears.

What

We expect NY ecologically grown Empire apples and organic shallots, PA yellow carrots and russet potatoes, Florida green beans, green cabbage, red OR green leaf lettuce, parsley (delicious in soups and salads,) red bell peppers and grape tomatoes, Oregon red anjou pears (gorgeous in fruit salad or for dessert with the PA smoked cheddar,) California strawberries and Peruvian bananas.

Fruit shares: I am planning to get blueberries, Braeburn apples, grapefruit and Anjou pears.

What's Coming On Wednesday 02/04/09

Here is what we are expecting in our Wednesday delivery. In addition - I have 2 Half shares available this week only - if you are thinking that your regular delivery will not be enough to last you 2 weeks, please consider taking an additional 1/2 shares this week. Let me know ASAP - since this will be first come, first serve.

I will also have eggs available at $4 per dozen, and raisins (my family believes they are the best raisins available anywhere) for $4 per pound.

We expect NY ecologically grown Empire apples and organic shallots, PA yellow carrots and russet potatoes, Florida green beans, green cabbage, red OR green leaf lettuce, parsley (delicious in soups and salads or tabouli, and supernutritious,) red bell peppers and grape tomatoes, Oregon red anjou pears (gorgeous in fruit salad or for dessert with the PA smoked cheddar,) California strawberries and Peruvian bananas.

Fruit shares: Blueberries, a pineapple, Gala apples and clementines.

Valentine's Family Dinner Special: Buy 2 bottles of Blue Earth Heirloom Tomato Sauce ($12 each; super thick!) from NJ organic heirloom tomatoes and get $5 off a pound of exquisite organically raised parmigiano reggiano from Italy, reg. $15/lb.

It may be below freezing Wednesday morning. Members--please leave an ice chest if you cannot pick up early.