This week
What's Fresh for Delivery December 1st and December 4th
New This Week:
- Arganicans Care
- Arganica Holiday Gift Sets
- B.T. (Better Together) Brownies
- Starr Hill's Anniversary Ale
- Handmade Hard Cider from Foggy Ridge
Arganicans Care
Arganica is happy to announce a special Arganicans Care holiday campaign to give Arganicans a chance to give food and monetary donations to special local food banks and charities dedicated to improving the communities in which they live.
Who will it Help?
Throughout the month of December 2011, Arganica is campaigning for donations for people in high need of healthy, organically produced food. We have partnered with local food banks in each of our base cities:
- Virginia Peninsula Food Bank (Virginia Beach)
- Feed More Food Bank (Richmond)
- Blue Ridge Area Food Bank (Charlottesville)
- Bread for the City (Washington DC)
- Maryland Food Bank (Baltimore)
- Philabundance (Philadelphia)
Each of these organizations does incredible things to serve our communities, and all are worthy of our support. They are also in great need this (and every) holiday season for healthy foods and vegetables that many of their clients do not have easy access to. We want you to get to know each of these organizations better, and we will feature one each week for the rest of the month highlighting their amazing feats that are many times taken for granted.
Why do this?
We KNOW Arganicans care about supporting the local economy from beginning to end. IN FACT, when we polled the Arganica membership on our Facebook page last week, 72% of members told us that “Supporting the Local Food Movement” was their favorite part of being an Arganica Member! With this spirit in mind we starting thinking of more ways to expand ways to get our members involved directly. By donating local produce or money through Arganica this month, you are supporting BOTH the local community AND local food producers.
How does this work?
Over the next six weeks, weekly order forms will have a section on top called “Arganicans Care”. All you have to do is select who you would like to donate to and what you would like to donate.
Members can choose to donate a produce box filled with $25 worth of healthy fruits and veggies OR they can donate $25 cash to the organization of their choice. 100% of all donations will go to charity and Arganica will cover all costs of sourcing and packaging the food and delivering the crates and money to the food banks.
Donations will be collected from Nov. 27th to Jan. 2nd and deliveries will be made the week of Jan. 9th.
Let's make this happen!
The food banks are anxiously awaiting the healthy foods, so please be sure to help the Arganicans Care campaign and help support the local food movement.
Arganicans Care about Virginia Peninsula Food Bank
The Virginia Peninsula Food Bank (VPFB) is located in Hampton, Virginia and provides fresh and healthy food to over 36,000 individuals each year. They actively seek and collect donations to fill their pantry, and work hard to turn 100% of that food into the hands of those in need. This organization literally saves lives each and every week, with an active support for those in emergency need.
VPFB also has active relationships with local food producers, vendors, and farms, making sure nothing goes to waste. Just a few weeks ago, VPFB put together a team of volunteers to pick the remaining pumpkins from a local farm and turn those pumpkins into food, instead of going to waste on the vine. Incredible commitment to their cause!
Finally, VPFB is quite proud that 97% of its operating budget goes directly to people in need.
Virginia Peninsula Food Bank
2401 Aluminum Avenue
Hampton, VA 23661
Arganica Holiday Gift Sets
Make holiday gift giving a little simpler this year by ordering an Arganica holiday gift set. We've carefully assembled 2 different gift set options this year: a Chef's Choice selection and a Brunch Feast offering.
The Chef's Choice Gift Set was designed for the adventurous chefs in your life. It consists of a bottle of Red Wine Merlot Vinegar, Basil infused Olive Oil, Grade A Dark Amber Maple Syrup and a bar of Fair Trade Extra Dark (80% Cacao) Chocolate.
The Brunch Feast Gift Set includes a collection of yummy, easy to assemble breakfast or brunch treats to be enjoyed during lazy mornings with family and friends.This feast set includes a box of Cherry & Chocolate Chip Scone Mix, Maple Almond Granola, Fig & Honey Conserve, Strawberry Dark Chocolate Sauce, Blend 90 Whole Bean Coffee, Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix and an assorted bag of the best Biscotti on the planet.
Take a peek at the order form to see our special holiday pricing for these gift sets.
B.T. Brownies, Haverford, PA
Better Together: “Baking the World Better”
Chocolate and peanut butter, social responsibility and sugar, fair trade, organic ingredients and perfected artisan recipes…B.T. (Better Together) Brownies founder and head baker Todd Kelly and wife Kestra have built their Philadelphia-based business on the beautifully simple principle that some things in life are just “better together”.
Like Jack Johnson sang, when you strike that perfect harmony, the world (and your kitchen) becomes a much sweeter place. When making plans to open B.T., the Kellys knew that they would not only sleep better at night, but their baked goods would taste more delicious, if they committed themselves to using only the highest quality organic ingredients (local when available), and baked every batch from scratch.
Cocoa is a 13-billion dollar a year business in the U.S. (my grandmother personally contributes to a large percentage of annual sales). By supporting fairtrade cocoa bean exchange, B.T. is helping to ensure that small-scale farmers in South America and Africa are being fairly paid for their harvests in direct trade, rather than coerced into sales to middlemen who may misrepresent international prices. B.T. brownies are made with Divine Chocolate, produced by a farmer-owned, Fair Trade cooperative in Ghana.
This week on our order form, we would like to introduce you to three of B.T.’s rich, decadent treats, available in individually wrapped 3.5 oz bars:
B.T. Chocolate Brownie: B.T.’s flagship offering, made with 70% fair trade dark chocolate, this intensely fudgy brownie isn’t for wimps.
ingredients & nutritional info: organic eggs, organic all purpose flour, organic evaporated cane juice, bittersweet chocolate (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, soya lecithin & vanilla), butter, salt & vanilla
The Peanut Butter Brownie: A premium chocolate brownie split in half with a thick, creamy ribbon of organic peanut butter. Like a chocolate peanut butter cup, but better (because it’s a brownie).
ingredients & nutritional info: organic eggs, organic all purpose flour, organic evaporated cane juice, bittersweet chocolate (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, soya lecithin & vanilla), butter, salt, peanut butter, vanilla, confection sugar, & semi-sweet chocolate
The Cookie Brownie: A layer of chocolate chip cookie dough baked on top of a brownie, what’s not to love?
ingredients & nutritional info: organic eggs, organic all purpose flour, organic bittersweet chocolate (cocoa mass, cocoa butter, soya lecithin & vanilla), organic evaporate cane juice, butter, light brown sugar, chocolate chips & vanilla
Take one for a test run in Suzy’s new recipe for B.T. Brownie and Eggnog Ice Cream Trifle, or Philly’s classic Steinschlag—a warm brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. Diets can wait for the first of January.
Suzy's Kitchen Notes
B.T. Brownie and Eggnog Ice Cream Trifle
Makes 4 individual servings
Special equipment and glassware required:
- 1 1/2-quart ice cream maker
- 4 martini or margarita glasses
1 to 1+1/2 quarts Homestead Eggnog (depending on the size of your glasses), chilled
2 3.5oz Chocolate BT Brownie squares, cut into roughly half-inch cubes
2 1/2-pints fresh raspberries
Chocolate shavings from a bar of Equal Exchange Ecuador Origin Dark Chocolate (use a good vegetable peeler to create shavings)
Fresh mint leaves (optional)
-
Place your ice cream maker bowl in the coolest section of your freezer at least 24 hours before you plan on making ice cream.
-
Pour eggnog into ice cream maker bowl. Turn on the ice cream maker and process until the ice cream begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, approximately 15-20 minutes (depending on your particular ice cream maker). The consistency of the ice cream at this point will be a little soft. Transfer ice cream to an airtight container and place in freezer to harden, at least 2-3 hours.
-
When the ice cream is ready. Assemble the trifles. Place 3-5 raspberries in the bottom of each glass. Place a layer of brownies on top, then a layer of ice cream. Repeat layering. Garnish the top with extra raspberries, chocolate shavings and mint leaves (if preferred).
Happy local eatings from the entire Arganica Team!
