Our Harvest Home markets are bursting with fresh produce from our farms. Red, ripe tomatoes, crunchy radishes, regular peas and sugar snap peas, yellow, red, and green peppers, yellow squash, and springtime’s favorite, asparagus! It’s hard to decide what to purchase.
The price of food is rising! At Harvest Home, we looked for ways you can save a few dollars, stay healthy, and NOT give up on the taste you like.
Fresh doesn’t just mean uncooked; you can find that kind of "fresh" in many places. At Harvest Home Farmers’ Markets, fresh means your produce comes straight from nearby farms to you.
Bunnies love carrots! Carrots make a delicious dessert that can satisfy any sweet tooth and are packed with Vitamin C.
Grilling isn't just for meat. Grilling also makes veggies mouthwateringly delicious! Grab zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, corn on the cob, peppers, onions, mushrooms and even leafy greens at a Harvest Home Farmers™ Market. Drop them on a grill for extra taste and you'll avoid preparing side dishes to go with that BBQ-ed meat. An easy and flavorful way to cut down your labor.
SALSA THROUGH SUMMER
September 05, 2020
Dancing or eating, salsa is the breath of summer! Life is livelier, food is tastier and zesty salsa can spice up your meals, improve your health and make it even easier for you to Salsa!
Salsa is not just for dipping. Put it in salads, add it to sandwiches, mix it with rice, beans and veggies or use it to perk up meats. Liven up your food and your body at the same time by using salsa to add more fruits and veggies to your meals. Fruits and vegetables have many antioxidants that keep your body running smoothly. Antioxidants act as the body's cleaning crew.
HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: Our bodies are constantly working to generate energy. As the body uses food to generate energy, it produces free radicals. Like emissions from your car engine, free radicals is the resulting waste product. Needless to say, you want to get rid of them. If you don't, your body won't work well and you won't feel your best. You can even increase your risk of serious illness. Antioxidants in fruits and veggies clean out those free radicals and help improve the way you feel while giving your meals extra zest!
Start with a basic recipe: 4 large tomatoes, 1 onion, and ½ cup cilantro. 3 garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon lime juice, ½ jalapeño and a tomatillo. Mix in a blender or chop up finely. Add other veggies like zucchini, fresh corn, or fruits like melon. The more you vary your fruits and vegetables, the more colorful and flavorful your meals will be. And, the more free radicals you clean out.
Grab a variety of fruits and veggies at a Harvest Home market and use different salsa mixtures to add healthy flavor to your meals.
RECIPE
Tomatillo Salsa Verde: Spicy, Mexican recipe from the Aztecs!
INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed and washed
6 jalapeños (fewer for less spicy heat)
4 garlic cloves
1 medium-large onion
2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION:
Chop the onion in half, crush the garlic, and leave the jalapeños and tomatillos whole. Roast on a baking sheet in a 400-degrees F oven for about 15 minutes, turning all over halfway through roasting time.
Peel the garlic, deseed and rough chop the jalapeño and roughly chop the onion.
In a food processor, add all roasted ingredients, plus cilantro and salt. Pulse until all ingredients are chopped. Or chop ingredients until they are the right consistency.
Jicama Salsa: Adds zesty crunch in a salad by itself or add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 2 tablespoons vinegar to make a salad dressing.
PREPARATION:
1 small jicama, chopped and diced (about a cup)
8 radishes diceD
¾ cup of peeled and diced cucumber
2 tablespoons diced red onion
¾ teaspoon ground arbol chili
2 teaspoons fresh basil
2/3 teaspoon salt
Melon Salsa:
Refreshing with chips, on fish or chicken or tossed into a salad.
PREPARATION:
1 ½ cups chopped red onion
1 cup each chopped cantaloupe and chopped watermelon
1 tomato and 1 jalapeno pepper seeded and chopped
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
TIPS
USE AS A DIP: Use raw veggies and fruit like peeled broccoli stems, celery, carrots, cucumber, zucchini slices or apples.
Add extra fruit or veggie to any salsa recipe. The more variety of ingredients, the more help you give your body. Mix things up for flavor and health; add avocado, mangoes or peaches.
Antioxidants have different names carotenoids, lycopene and flavonoids because different antioxidants do different cleaning jobs. Just eat a variety of fruits and veggies to eliminate as many free radicals as possible.
ANTIOXIDANTS: POWER IN FRUITS AND VEGGIES
Tomatoes have lycopene for bone health and fight heart disease.
Melons have the extra water you need in the summer, plus antioxidant vitamin C. Great for your skin.
Cucumbers have antioxidants that help your immune system and are good for skin and eyes
Blueberries are the super fruit of antioxidants. They cleanout and protect all your systems.
Avocados aren't just delicious they are powerful. They contain 20 vitamins, minerals, antioxidants that protect your eyes and healthy omega-3 fatty acids for your blood pressure.
Peppers give you more carotenoids and vitamin C and are great for your skin.
Carrots have carotenoids that protect your eyes and skin. Great for dipping into salsa.
Dark green leafy vegetables have vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps the immune system fight off disease. Wrap up some salsa in a big leaf.
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A KID'S GUIDE TO
SUMMER EATING
August 17,2020
Snacking is a great way to eat in the summer. A snack is a small fun to eat refreshing and full of flavor meal. With a little creativity, you can prepare a cool healthy snack for kids. Fresh juicy fruits and veggies from our Harvest Home markets can make tasty small meals that satisfy hunger and keep everyone cool, refreshed and healthy.
SLURP: Serve Slices of juicy peaches, plums, apricots and melon as shapes on a plate. Use cookie cutters to cut melons into hearts and stars!
LICK: Refreshing Popsicle loaded with fruit flavor:
Smooth Treats: Mix together in a blender or mash together 2 cups of fruit and banana with 2 cups of plain or vanilla yogurt. Pour into Popsicle molds, paper cups or an ice cube tray. Add sticks for easy eating. Freeze for 5 hours.
Chunky Treats: Put 2 slices of peach, some blueberries and a slice of kiwi in Popsicle containers. Mash up about ½ watermelon and fill the container to the top. Freeze for 5 hours.
Quick tricks: Adding avocado makes Popsicle creamier, plus adds healthy fat for energy, along with lots of vitamins, like C, E K, and B.
CRUNCH: Fill celery sticks with peanut butter or dip carrot sticks in peanut butter for quick protein or try Chocolate Hummus (See below).
SIP: Fruit Slushes are better than soda! Blend fruit and ice for a refreshing way to cool down. Try 2 cups fruit, cut into cubes with 1-2 cups of ice. Blend. Put ice cubes in a towel and beat with a hammer. Add water if too thick to sip through a straw. More ice makes it easier to eat with a spoon. Try different fruit combos!
Kids' Ideas for Summer Eating 2020
RECIPE: Drink Your Breakfast
Peach "Cobbler" Smoothie
PREPARATION:
Blend together 1½ cups of almond milk with ½ cup of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Add ¾ cup of peaches and 3 ice cubes. Blend again
Good for breakfast or put in paper cups or ice cube trays and freeze for a snack.
Green Goddess Smoothie/Popsicle:
PREPARATION::
Blend ½ cup sliced pineapple, mango or banana, ½ cup berries and 1/3 cup raw kale or spinach with ¼ cup of milk or yogurt.
Flavor with ¼ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp pure vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of honey or maple syrup.
Put in paper cups or Popsicle molds and freeze for 5 hours. (You won't taste the kale, promise!)
Chocolate Hummus: Very healthy with nutritious chickpeas, peanut butter, and antioxidant-rich cocoa powder. Kids will love it and it's a great way to eat more fruit.
INGREDIENTS:
2 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or black beans
4 tablespoon cocoa powder, unsweetened
2 tablespoon peanut butter, all-natural
¼ cup maple syrup, pure
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
PREPARATION:
Mash all the ingredients together or add them into the cup of a large food processor. Puree until smooth. Serve with apple slices or any fruit.
TIPS: For "Cool" Kids
Making Popsicle’s
Molds can be helpful and inexpensive. You can get them on line or in stores that sell housewares or you can use ice cube trays or paper cups. Just insert the Popsicle sticks when your mixture is half frozen, after about 2.5 hours of freezing.
Make your own flavorful lemonade or any fruit drink:
Start with a simple syrup: Mix 1 cup honey to 5 cups water. Bring to a slight boil so honey dissolves. Cool. Add 1 cup lemon juice or a mixture of lemon and lime juice. Pour over ice! Add mint if you like, or slices of fresh ginger. Try basil or rosemary.
Add fresh fruit and make ice Popsicle.
Cold Refreshing snacks: Freeze blueberries, cherries or peas, bite size pieces of watermelon or cantaloupe.
Deviled eggs are a kid-friendly lunch with lots of protein.
Boil eggs in a pot of water for about 10 minutes. Run them under cold water until they're cool to the touch.
Peel and cut them in half, then scoop out the yoke and place in a mixing bowl.
To the yoke, add a dash of mayonnaise and mustard. Top with dill, cilantro or any herb you like, and then place back in the white for a filling and energy-boosting finger food.
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STAY COOL WITH A SPLASH OF FLAVOR
August 10, 2020
Hot! Humid! Make sure you are drinking enough fluids to keep yourself cool. In the summer, we need a lot of extra fluid to stay hydrated. Drinking the right amount of fluids will make you feel less like a dropping flower. How much fluid? Depends on your age and what you are doing. Everyone's has a different activity level. We are supposed to drink about 10½ cups of liquid a day....men need more and women need a bit less. AHH, you may be thinking: "That's a lot of liquid to drink!!" At Harvest Home Markets, we have delicious, easy ways to help you get the liquids you need.
Start with what you eat: Snacking on summer fruits and vegetables, like watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, plums, cucumbers, celery and tomatoes is a delicious way to stay refreshed and add extra nutrition on those hot days.
Drink the right liquids. Some liquids are healthier than others and can help you stay cool.. Sugary drinks like soda and flavored juices are loaded with sugar and your body generates heat to process them . More heat is not what you need on hot summer days! The best thing to drink is lots of plain water. You may be thinking "BORING!"
Take the "boring" out of water. Keep it cool in the fridge. Add refreshing flavor with herbs, pieces of fruit or even veggies. See tips below.
Refresh with a new iced tea flavor. Our favorite hot weather drink is African red tea, Rooibos Tea, poured over ice. Try it and you'll understand how people in Africa, beat the heat! See more recipes below.
TIPS: Take the Boring Out of Water
Icy cold tap water with a hint of flavor can keep you cool and refreshed....and save you a lot of $$$. Plain or flavored, keep a large pitcher of water in the fridge so it's cool when you need it.
FLAVOR YOUR WATER:
Add fruit, herbs or spices to a pitcher of water cooled in the fridge overnight. Just keep adding water to the pitcher as you drink it. It will last about a week. Try some of these combos...
A bit of mint adds a refreshing taste to almost any beverage.
½ a lemon and ½ a lime cut into slices
4 or 5 long cucumber stick about ¾ inch thick
About ¼ to a ½ of pineapple cut in chunks
Chunks of watermelon or cantaloupe; honeydew with a bit of basil
More combos at https://deliciouslyorganic.net/flavored-water-recipes/
RECIPE: A New Refreshing Taste for Tea and Ice
Minty Green Ginger Root Tea:
PREPARATION:
Put 2-3 green tea bags in a teapot with 2 inches of grated ginger and a few sprigs of mint.
Fill the pot with boiling water.
Let sit for 5 minutes. Pour over ice.
Peach Mint Tea
INGREDIENTS:
8 tea bags
4 ripe peaches, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 small bunch of mint
PREPARATION:
Bring 8 cups of water to a boil and add 8 tea bags. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Remove the tea bags and chill.
For a strong peach-mint flavor, add peaches and mint to water immediately. For milder flavor, add fruit before drinking. Remove the fruit after one day in the fridge.
Ginger Root Tea: A great stress reducer and good for digestion.
Plain: Take a 2 inch piece of ginger root and crush it. Toss it in boiling water and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour over ice. Add a few sprigs of mint.
Green Teas: Mild in taste, easy to make, well for adding flavors plus improve blood flow.
"Cold Brew": Put a teabag of green tea in 6 ounces of water. Cover and chill in frig overnight or 6-8 hours. In a hurry? Make it with hot water like any tea.
Add lemon or lime slices
Mix in a bit of chopped apple or apple juice
Sweeten with pineapple slices
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TOO HOT TO COOK?
August 2,2020
Not all of us have AC's in our kitchens. Feeding our families on those very hot day days, just thinking about turning on the stove makes you feel faint. Here are some things we have learned we thought would help. Think differently about summer meals. Think about summer meals the same way you think about summer clothes. Plan more colorful meals with a Lighter taste that fits the season. Think of your your fridge and freezer as a "food closet." Stock it with a variety of colorful choices.
What to eat:.
Listen to your body. Your body needs energy, not extra heat in the summer. Juicy fruit and veggies give you the nutrition you need without the extra heat.
Make fruit and veggie combinations the center of your plate: Prepare satisfying, delicious, lighter meals with the nutrition you need to feel better in the heat. Add cooked meat or tuna to add more flavor.
"Accessorize" your food with fresh mild and spicy salsas and fresh herbs.
Stock your fridge and freezer like your closet:
Shop local and fresh for the week. Buy veggies with a dish in mind. Shopping at local farmers markets like Harvest Home gives you the best quality of ripened on the farm and picked the day before produce. You can use SNAP, WIC and Senior Farmers market coupons and Health Bucks to pay.
Build your food wardrobe
Store your veggies properly in the fridge or on the counter
On cool days or early in the AM, cook meat, pasta or rice and store meal size portions in the fridge.
Accessorize- Make extra salsa, sofrito or pesto and freeze in ice cube trays. Now they are ready to use whenever you need them.
Think differently. With a "food closet", it's easy to be creative and prepared for any hot occasion. Stay cool and enjoy.
RECIPE: Taste of August Taco Salad
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups of chopped lettuce or other greens
1 can of beans or chickpeas ( or 1 ½ cups of leftover beans)
3 tomatoes
½ cup of corn, cooked or raw kernels
2 or 3 scallions or ¼ red onion
1 ½ cups of tortilla chips, roughly broken
¼ cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
For the Dressing: Add just before you serve
½ cup of sour cream or yogurt
Juice of 2 limes (About 4 Tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste
PREPARATION:
Mix all the ingredients except the dressing in a large bowl.
Mix sour cream or yogurt with lime juice, salt and pepper in a separate bowl and adjust to your taste.
Add dressing just before you serve and toss.
BE CREATIVE: Use the basic recipe above and add what you like.
Add avocado, grated carrots or sugar snap peas, slices of cucumber, seeded and chopped bell peppers.
Go spicy with a small amount of jalapenos.
Add more crunch with walnuts.
Add cooked chicken or any left-over meat.
TIPS: Stocking Your
"Food Closet"
VEGGIES: Shop for the week
Wash greens, wrap lightly in a paper towel and keep in open plastic bags.
Peas, beans, carrots, peppers and corn go in the fridge.
Peaches, melon, tomatoes on the counter out of the sun. Store in the fridge after you cut them.
COOK AHEAD
Use brown rice instead of white rice. It adds a nutty flavor and is packed with manganese to help your body use up fat, stabilize blood pressure and help reduce the risk of diabetes.
Use short curly pasta for salads. Cook and rinse in cold water and store in plastic food storage bags.
Use meat or tuna as an "additive" to make recipe more flavorful and robust.
STAY COOL
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