This week
What's Fresh for Delivery December 15th, 18th and 22nd
Hello dear Arganicans.
Please remember that we have compressed the normal Sunday and Thursday delivery days the week prior to Christmas to a single delivery day: Thursday, December 22nd. This means that if you normally receive your orders on Sunday, you can still squeeze in 2 separate deliveries before X-mas. Just submit the Thursday December 22nd order form by Monday December 19th at midnight.
The ordering deadlines are as follows:
For delivery on Thursday Dec 15th
ORDER BY: Monday Dec 12th at midnight
For delivery on Sunday Dec 18th
ORDER BY: Wednesday Dec 14th at midnight
For delivery on Thursday Dec 22nd
ORDER BY: Monday Dec 19th at midnight
- Brittany Sea Salt and Seaweed
- Seven Stars Farm Yogurt: Plain, Vanilla, Maple
- Port City Tidings Ale - a rare and unique seasonal spiced ale brewed with honey
- Rappahannock Cellars' Cabernet Franc
- Locally Grown Broccoli, Onions and Heirloom Tomatoes
- Organic Pomegranates, Mandarin Oranges, Gold Beets, Green Onions, Eggplant, Blueberries, Kiwifruit, Parsnips
- Organic Dried Mushrooms and New Mexico Chile Peppers
- Pumpkin Butter made from local, organically grown Butternut Squash
- Duck eggs
- New, LOWER PRICES on many products, especially Local Eggs and Milk
Week 3 of Arganicans Care
Arganica is now in week three of the special Arganicans Care holiday campaign to gather Arganicans for 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 five 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 Dec. 3rd 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 the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank
“For the wellbeing of our clients, we strive to maintain at least 80 percent nutritious food items in our inventory.”
Access to healthy foods (not just food) is something that, as Arganicans, we must always remember is a special privilege.
As we enter week three of the successful Argancians Care campaign, it is refreshing to know that there are a number of progressive local food banks making a concerted effort to ensure healthy foods are offered to their clients. The Blue Ridge Area Food Bank is one such example. This organization strives for an amazing goal: that 80% of the food they provide is healthy. Unfortunately this is not the case in many food banks, which primarily provide low-cost packaged, canned, and processed foods heavily concentrated with artificial ingredients, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Blue Ridge Area Food Bank proves that promoting healthy food options for all, especially those in need, is critical and not impossible. Just remember, 3 pounds of fresh produce packs a much stronger nutritional punch than 20 pounds of processed sugary cereals, fruit juice cocktails, and canned soups!
Most of Blue Ridge Area Food Bank’s food comes from an amazing partnership with The Volunteer Farm of Woodstock, VA, which provides up to 60,000 lbs. of food each year, grown on a volunteer and educational basis. To learn more about the project check out their website at http://www.volunteerfarm.org.
Please share this special privilege by supporting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank this week and beyond!
P.S. Want some more fun? Take an enlightening and quick quiz of your hunger knowledge at: take this quiz.
Brittany Seaweed and Gourmet Sea Salt
When we tasted this exquisite line of gourmet sea salts and seaweed, we knew we had to make an exception to our "locally sourced" mantra. Does closely working with an importer based here in Virginia count? As many of you gourmands out there know, sea salt is superior to many salts in both taste and nutrition. Our sea salt is hand-harvested using traditional Celtic methods and wooden tools from the salt ponds of France.
- Grey Sea Salt is the most recent culinary darling amongst top chefs. It is a somewhat moist, unrefined salt with a light grey color that comes from naturally absorbed minerals found in the clay environment from which it's harvested. We are currently offering two different grinds of grey sea salt, coarse and fine. Use the freshly ground Coarse Gray Sea Salt in a grinder bottle for baking or seasoning while cooking. For finishing at the table, try the Coarse Gray Sea Salt in a shaker bottle, or, for a larger supply to be used in the kitchen, opt for the Coarse Gray Sea Salt in a 1-lb pouch.
- Fleur de Sel is often referred to by chefs as the "caviar of salts". Just as cream rises to the top, the best sea salt, Fleur de Sel is harvested from crystals that naturally form at the surface of salt ponds. Our Fleur de Sel comes from the town of Guérande, thought to be one of the most revered sources of Fleur de Sel in all of Brittany. This salt is best used as a finishing salt either at the kitchen counter just prior to serving or at the table.
- Sea Spaghetti is a favorite amongst raw cuisine enthusiasts. It is harvested from the natural seaweed fields of Brittany and can be used either on its own as a raw substitute for pasta or as an addition to pasta, shellfish or fish dishes. It is gently dried and can be reconstituted by soaking in water for about 15 minutes. Once soaked it becomes very soft and looks like pasta. It's a nutritional powerhouse, providing significant percentages of your daily dietary requirements for fiber, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and calcium.
- Parsley of the Sea is a unique blend of sea lettuce, dulse and nori. Try sprinkling it on salads, fish, seafood, vegetables and even grilled meats to add an extra layer of complex flavors. It goes especially well sprinkled on the Kale Salad featured on last week's blog.
Producer Profile: Graves Mountain Cannery
Syria, Virginia
Nestled at the end of a long dirt road that curls around the foot of Old Rag Mountain in Madison County, Virginia, Graves Mountain Lodge has been welcoming guests for over 135 years. Generations of families have come to Graves Mountain to hike the Blue Ridge Mountains, horseback ride, pick apples, peaches and pumpkins at harvest festivals, and to taste their famous artisan fruit preserves, jams, chutneys and fruit butters.
The Cannery at Graves Mountain uses family recipes, open-kettle, small-batch production methods, and all-natural sugars, spices, and fresh, seasonal fruit from their own orchards to keep visitors smiling. We’re happy to deliver some of the Graves family’s old fashioned hospitality to your table!
Quick Tip: For a healthful, vegan update on your favorite dessert recipes, substitute ¼ cup Graves Mountain Applesauce per egg called for in your recipe.
On Our Order Form:
- Spiced Apple Butter (9oz Jar)
- Handmade Applesauce (16oz Jar)
- Spiced Peach Chutney (9oz Jar)
- Hot Pepper Jelly with Graves Mountain Apples (9oz Jar)
- Damson Plum Preserves (9oz Jar)
- Strawberry Preserves (9oz Jar)
Suzy's Kitchen Notes
I've had a rough week. It started off with a trip to the emergency room due to a blinding migraine that left me sobbing on my kitchen floor. Twenty-four hours later I was feeling 100% better but then managed to catch a cold the following day. So, I've been feverishly (literally) working this week to bring new goodies to your table, while trying to return to the basics of taking care of myself. It's times like these when I pull out my collection of tried and true recipes looking for the ones that heal and pack the most nutrition without compromising flavor. This recipe is one of my favorites.
Tofu, Quinoa, Frizzled Onion, Orange and Spinach Salad
Serves 2 as a main, 6 as a side
3/4 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup water
½ small red onion, sliced very thinly in half circles (about 2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Extra-virgin olive oil (for pan-searing the tofu)
1 lb Extra Firm Plain Twin Oaks tofu, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 large orange
2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons maple syrup
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
5 ounces organic baby spinach
1 orange, peeled and sliced with white pith removed (use a very sharp serrated knife) – see this video
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped (toasting directions here)
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Combine the quinoa, water and salt in a small saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to just simmering, cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat without removing the lid. Let the quinoa sit an additional 10 minutes with the lid on. Spoon cooked quinoa onto a plate to cool.
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Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large (10-12” diameter) non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil just begins to shimmer, add the onions to the pan and allow to brown on one side, stir and continue to cook until crispy and golden brown throughout. Keep a close eye on the onions. There’s a fine line between achieving just the right amount of crispiness vs burnt bits. Set the onions aside on several layers of paper towels to drain.
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Add a thin layer of oil to the same pan you used to fry the onions. Heat until just shimmering then add half the tofu. Generously sprinkle salt and pepper over the tofu. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes, until the tofu is golden brown on the bottom. Stir to flip the tofu pieces and allow to cook an additional 2 minutes. Remove the tofu from the pan and place on a paper-towel lined plate. Cook the remaining tofu in the same manner as the first batch then transfer to the paper-towel lined plate to drain.
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Combine the orange juice, thyme, olive oil and maple syrup in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Finish preparing the salad by placing a large mound of spinach in the center of each plate. Sprinkle half the tofu, oranges and pecans on top. Place a small mound of fried onions in the center and a loose ring of quinoa around the spinach. Drizzle the dressing on top.
Happy Local Eatings from the while Arganica Team!
