Tag Archives: fennel

February 22 + February 23 Share

February 22nd, 2013
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To help you identify some of the items in this weekend’s co-op style produce shares…

2.22.13 + 2.23.13 share

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Over 70% Local Produce This Weekend

May 17th, 2012
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Our team is once again traveling around Texas today, picking up all kinds of local produce for the co-op style produce shares this weekend.  The share will be over 70% local!

Local radishes ready to be sorted

Here are some of the LOCAL produce items planned* to be in this weekend’s co-op style produce shares…there are several more items, but this is just a sampling!

*When working with fresh produce, availability can sometimes change last-minute.  We do our best to let you know what’s coming ahead of time, but sometimes things do change, especially when working with local farmers.  Thanks for your understanding!

Yes, that’s 10 local items – so excited!

Here are some photos…

Local cucumbers being loaded onto the truck

Local cukes

Local cabbage being loaded onto the truck

Local zukes from Cleburne, TX

Local fennel from Wharton County, TX

Local celery with lots of greens!

Thank you for being a part of Urban Acres and supporting Texas farmers and local, organic produce!  We ♥ you.

Our Most “Local” Share This Year So Far…See Photos!

May 10th, 2012
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Our team is traveling around Texas today, picking up all kinds of local produce for the co-op style produce shares this weekend.  This will be our most “local” share this year so far!

Here are some of the produce items planned* to be in this weekend’s co-op style produce shares…there are several more items, but this is just a sampling!

  • Pink Radishes from Cleburne, TX
  • Kale from Cleburne, TX
  • Zucchini & Yellow Squash from Cleburne, TX
  • Beets (3 different varieties) from Austin, TX
  • Carrots from Wharton County, TX
  • Cabbage from Wharton County, TX
  • Cucumbers from Wharton County, TX
  • Fennel from Wharton County, TX
  • Green Onions from Wharton County, TX
  • Rainbow Chard from Blooming Grove, TX

*When working with fresh produce, availability can sometimes change last-minute.  We do our best to let you know what’s coming ahead of time, but sometimes things do change, especially when working with local farmers.  Thanks for your understanding!

THIS JUST IN – Here are some photos of our team picking up the produce today…

Beets from Austin, TX

Local beets being washed at Johnson’s Backyard Garden in Austin

Local cucumbers being loaded onto the truck

Local cukes

Local cabbage being loaded onto the truck

Local carrots

Local green onions bundled & ready to go

Also, check out these photos sent to us by Jacky and Cindy Morrison of Morrison Organic Farm in Cleburne, TX – your food growing! Maybe one of the plants you see will end up on your dinner table…

Jacky Morrison harvesting kale

Radishes in the fields

Pink radishes from Cleburne, TX

Thank you for being a part of Urban Acres and supporting Texas farmers and local, organic produce!  We ♥ you.

Spring Produce In Full Swing!

April 5th, 2012
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Here are some of the produce items planned* to be in this weekend’s co-op style produce shares…there are many more items, but this is just a sampling!

*When working with fresh produce, availability can sometimes change last-minute.  We do our best to let you know what’s coming ahead of time, but sometimes things do change, especially when working with local farmers.  Thanks for your understanding!

Spinach & Lettuce. * LOCAL

We’ll continue to have the amazingly fresh spinach from Morrison Organic Farm as well as a new crop of various lettuces.

Recipe ideas…

* * *

Fennel

Fennel.

We always get questions about what this item is when we include it in the produce shares!  Fennel is one of our favorite veggies, but a more uncommon one.  You can eat the white bulb raw – it’s super crunchy and tastes like licorice.  Just cut off the thick green stems and peel off a layer of the white bulb and take a bite!  Italians like to eat it this way as an appetizer before a meal to get the digestion flowing.

Recipe Ideas…

* * *

Cilantro.

Cilantro is featured in dishes cooked everywhere from Spain to Mexico, the Middle East to South America. The fresh leaves are often sprinkled on top of dishes, and the root is used in Thailand to give that distinctly powerful flavor to local dishes. You may already know that cilantro is one of the main ingredients in the salsa at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

Cilantro, also known as coriander, has a distinct aroma due to its concentrated essential oils. It’s also a powerful natural cleansing agent. Cilantro has been effectively used to help remove heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body.

Recipe Ideas…

Carrot and Cilantro Soup | CountryLiving.com

* * *

Dill.

Dill is a unique plant in that both its leaves and seeds are used as a seasoning. Dill’s green leaves are wispy and fernlike and have a soft, sweet taste.

Recipe ideas…

* * *

Blood Oranges.

Storage tips: To keep these ruby gems fresh longer, choose refrigeration over the fruit bowl―they’ll only last only a couple of days at room temperature, but up to two weeks in the fridge.

How to eat them: Blood oranges are best eaten fresh―out of hand, or in salads, salsas, or marmalades. If you’re following a recipe you may be asked to section the fruit. To do so, peel the orange, cut between the white membranes to expose the flesh, and remove the sections (for more juice, squeeze the leftover membranes).

Recipe ideas…

Felicitous Fennel Facts and Recipes

February 12th, 2011
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Fennel

We’d like to introduce you to one of the latest addition to the bins lately – our good friend Fennel, a close relative to parsley, dill, and coriander. Fennel typically has a white (or light green) bulb with stalks topped with feathery green leaves. The bulb, stalk, leaves and even seeds are all edible. Sweet in flavor and crunchy in texture, it it also a good source of Vitamin C and high in Fiber.

Store fresh fennel in your fridge crisper drawer and add it to the first few days of your menu plan to get the most flavor.

 

 

 

For some fast, healthy recipes, try the following:

  • Chop the fennel bulb and sautee it with some onions for a great side dish
  • Or grill it with lemon oil thanks to Summer Tomato’s website
  • Add some sliced fennel (it can be the stalks or the bulb) to traditional sandwich toppings like lettuce and tomatoes
  • Juice it with some apples for a tasty treat
  • And while we’re hanging out with the apples, why not a Fennel Apple Soup from Elana’s Pantry

For some more in-depth and just as healthy recipes, might we suggest:

  • For a delicious pairing, cook fennel with its bestest friend, Salmon (especially Fred’s Alaskan Salmon sold at the Oak Cliff store) Here’s a 15-minute Braised Fennel Salmon Dish from the World’s Healthiest Food blog that you can try.
  • Roast the fennel with some of your other fresh produce – purple top turnips, potatoes, carrots, or whatever else you have that you’d like to roast – with this great recipe for Roasted Winter Vegetables from Kitchen Stewardship.
  • or try the Salad below:

Spinach and Fennel Salad

  • 1 lb baby spinach
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1/2 red onion
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Cut off the leaves and stalks of the fennel and slice the bulb into thin slices. You can slice up the stalks as well AND/OR leave the fennel leaves for a garnish at the end.
  2. Thinly slice the red onion as well.
  3. Mix the onion, olive oil and vinegar letting it marinade for 10 minutes.
  4. Mix the marinade with the spinach, fennel and then salt and pepper to taste.

The salad can be served immediately or let it marinade even more for the flavors to join together more.