Field Goods | Fresh Foods From Small Farms

Produce

Beans: Snap, String or Green

About: The most common bean in this group is the green bean. There are over 100 varieties of these beans: they come in various shades of green, yellow and red and a variety of sizes from very thin to wide. They are great steamed, boiled, stir-fried baked or raw.

Nutritional Information: Cooked beans are considered a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese. Read More

Storage: Do not wash until ready to use. Place in plastic bag and store in the refrigerator.

Tips: Trim and cut beans just before using. Vegetables cut or chopped ahead of time lose nutrients more quickly than whole vegetables. Before freezing, green beans must be blanched to destroy enzymes that cause flavor and color changes during storage. Package in moisture proof bags or containers for freezing.

QuickFix: Cook beans in an uncovered, 6-quart pot of boiling water. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes until tender, then drain in a colander. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

Recipes: Garlicky Green Beans, Orange Scented Green Beans with Toasted Almonds, Lemon Dill Green Bean, New Potatoes with Green Beans

Beets

About: Beets are in the same family as chard and spinach. There are several varieties of cultivated root beets, all of beautiful colors. "Ruby Queen”, a deep red beet, is popular mid-season. “Burpee’s Golden” beets have an orange-gold skin and sweet yellow flesh and are best harvested young. Chiogia beets are red and white candy-stripped and taste sweeter than most beets. “Red Ace”-the most common variety of beet-has bright red roots and red-veined green leaves.The leaves of all these varieties are good to eat! “Bull’s Blood” beets are know for having the sweetest leaves.

Nutritional Information: A cup of raw beets has just 58 calories. The root and greens are an excellent source of folate, potassium, manganese, magnesium, Iron and vitamin C.

Storage: Unwashed beets can be stored in the refrigerator for two to four weeks and sometimes even longer. Remove leaves and most of the stem to prevent moisture from being pulled from the root. Greens can be kept separately in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for approximately four days. Unwashed beet roots can be stored up to 4-5 months by covering them with sand or sawdust and storing in a moist, cool spot (35 to 40 degrees F).

Tips: Raw beets do not freeze well, though cooked beets can be frozen. Cooked beets can also be dried: cool, peel, and cut the beet into strips. In addition, beets can be canned and pickled.

QuickFix: Shred beets and toss with a bit of vinegar for a delightful salad. Peel beets before preparing.

Recipes: How to Cook Beets, Brown Sugar-Glazed Beets, Warm Beet & Spinach Salad, Quick Pickled Beets,Sauteed Beet Greens, Beet Green Risotto,

Blackberries

About: The blackberry, along with its relatives the raspberry, marionberry, loganberry and young berry, is not technically a berry. Instead, it is an aggregate fruit, composed of many small drupelets (the juice filled parts that resemble water droplets). You might be thinking: if blackberries are not berries, what the heck is a berry? The answer: tomatoes, grapes, and other sorts that look like one big drupelet.

Nutritional Information: According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry blackberries rank highly among fruits for antioxidant strength. They are a very good source of dietary fiber (1 cup has 31% DV), Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and Manganese. Read more...

Storage: Blackberries mold quickly when left at room temperature, but they last 3-5 days in the refrigerator. Do not wash until ready to use. If they are on the verge of going bad, freeze them. Just wash, remove as much water as possible, and then put them in a plastic bag and squeeze the air out.

Tips: Unripe berries will not ripen once picked.

Quick Fix: Sprinkle a bit of sugar and lemon juice to the berries to balance out the slightly bitter flavor of the fruit.

Recipes: Lavender Poached Peaches and Blackberries, Peach Blackberry Compote with Basil Syrup

Blueberries

About: Blueberries rank the second most popular berry next to strawberries in the US. They not only taste delicious, but have one of the most high concentrations of antioxodants among all fruits. Antioxidants are important for our health because they counter the free radicals that can harm our DNA and cellular structures.

Nutrition: Blueberries are a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese. Read More: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1851/2#ixzz2byOjYgtC

Tips: You can freeze blueberries--pour onto a cookie sheet in single layer and stick them in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a bag.

QuickFix: Rinse and snack.

Recipes: Blueberry Pancakes, DIY Yogurt Mix-In, Corn and Blueberry Salad

Bok Choy

About: Bok Choy, also known as Chinese cabbage, is a member of the brassica family. Bok Choy is the chinensis variety of Chinese cabbage and has smooth, dark green leaf blades. It does not form a head as does the Pekinensis variety (also known as Napa Cabbage). Bok choy is an amenable vegetable- it can be roasted, boiled, steamed, stir-fried, microwaved, deep fried or eaten raw! You can also freeze bok choy.

Nutritional Information: 1 cup shredded bok choy contains 63% DV Vitamin A, 52% DV Vitamin C, and 7% DV Calcium. It is considered to be a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium and Manganese. (Source: Nutritiondata.com) Read More...

Storage: Place unwashed bok choy in loosely closed plastic bag and refrigerate. Bok Choy is more perishable than cabbage.

Tips: The entire head can be eaten! Cut stalks along the diagonal and cut across the leaves.

QuickFix: Use Bok Choy as a substitute for cabbage. Shredded baby Bok Choy is a nice addition to salads.

Recipes: Wilted Bok Choy with Soy Sauce and Cashews, Crunchy Bok Choy Salad, Roasted Baby Bok Choy, Grilled Bok Choy