Tuesday is the day the Spokane truck comes in…what time? Well, anytime from 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Wednesday morning! Weather, the time the truck is fully loaded and leaves Spokane, and the number of stops through Washington, Idaho, and Wyoming needed to deliver the goods dictate the arrival here in Worland. (We are the last stop…the end of the line!) We appreciate Spokane so much, and the fact that they will make the trek to Wyoming where the weather is a winter challenge and the number of customers is sparse compared to the miles traveled. We love the fact that they carry USDA Certified Organics, and we can still order some of the less pesticide laden conventional fruits. We couldn’t do what we do in the winter without Spokane!
Hope you all in Group B have finished your cucumber and green beans. We had our green beans Sunday–they were so delicious cooked in the cast iron with a little salt and some toasty slivered almonds. Cucumber should always be one of your first choices–they don’t store long and they have already traveled from Mexico to a distributor, to Spokane, to here. (Peel them to remove any wax–I use a carrot peeler.)
Swiss Chard and Salad Mix should have top priority too–greens are light and do not have a long shelf life! We had boiled and drained Swiss Chard served with vinegar, and a huge salad with grated red beet, sliced green pepper, and a vinaigrette option. (Red beets are a big surprise grated raw into a salad–great way to add the nutrient with a mild flavor that even folks who think they don’t like beets have to agree are surprisingly good!) The Sunday meal was rounded out with Mesquite Smoked Turkey and Dilled Havarti/Cheddar cheese Sandwiches, with a good healthy thick layer of Butterhead lettuce leaves. I made half the sandwiches with Basil Pesto (Basil, Olive Oil, Parmesan Cheese spread) and half traditionally. Good meal was had by all!
The veggie info I want to share today is about Asparagus, Carrots, Lemons, and Romaine lettuce–all of which will be in the Group A Boxes for this week!
Asparagus is an all-time favorite and simple to cook and add to meals. We only order organic on this item, and it is hard to consider the cost as it grows ABUNDANTLY here in the Big Horn Basin from May through mid-June. The pricing of conventional asparagus is just as high as the organic this time of year. The asparagus in the box will most likely be from Mexico, the Washington asparagus doesn’t hit the market for another 3-4 weeks.
We love carrots of all kinds! We stock Rainbow Carrots, Orange Carrots, Mini-Rainbow Carrots, and this week for the first time 1# bags of Mini-Carrots–all organic as they are a root and store whatever is applied to the foliage or carried in the water. The thing with carrots, whether organic or conventional, is they are CHEAP! Why not buy organic for the same price as conventional?
This week’s lettuce is Organic Girl Romaine Hearts–12 oz package. I’ve never ordered these before but love the Organic Girl brand! A nice change from the baby salad mixes which are smaller leafed and more tender, to the crunchiness of a good crisp Romaine! Caesar Salad with dressing, grated Parmesan, and croutons??
I’ve also ordered a case of organic lemons! Conventional lemons are usually cheaper and the skins protect the interior of the fruit, but by buying a case I was able to get a better price for the organic. Many of our members and walk-in’s like to throw their lemons into the Vitamix, skin and all, so I have leaned more towards the organic for that reason. (A nice hot lemon drink earlier in the day is a great starter, waking up the gut, and helping to move and clean the villi that absorb nutrients.) This week’s box should have 2 lemons! You can always add a few more by purchasing off the Extra’s table.
Excited for THURSDAY–See you there! The Farmer’s Wife