When I have an opportunity to use my talents and resources, I jump on it! At Klesick Farms we are in the good food business – we grow, source and deliver good food to our local neighbors in Island, Skagit, Snohomish and King Counties. And each of these counties have hunger issues and together we are a part of the solution.
Our part of the solution has been to deliver local food to the food banks through our Neighbor Helping Neighbor (NHN) program. Year-to- date, through your partnership, Klesick Farms has sent over 384 of our $28 boxes of good food to local food banks.
I am now adding a new partner to our NHN giving program – The Everett Recovery Café. While technically not a food bank, they are also serving a group of our local neighbors. The Everett Recovery Café “is a community of healing, purpose, and hope. This safe haven from the streets provides an ongoing base of support for men and women who have suffered trauma, homelessness, addiction and/or mental health challenges. As these men and women contribute to the café community and develop relationships with peers and staff, they establish stability in housing, mental and physical health, relationships, education and employment.”
If you would like to help us extend a helping hand to the Everett Recovery Café or to the 8 other food banks (Everett, Oak Harbor, Anacortes, Edmonds, Lake Stevens, Marysville, Monroe, Arlington) you can schedule regular donation and we will do the rest. Your regular $28 partnership accomplishes a lot:
- Our less fortunate neighbors, who avail themselves of the food bank system, receive high quality fruits and vegetables, instead of the culled, lesser quality produce.
- The farmers we work with get to grow and sell more from their farms to help feed local families. This is a big deal. Our NHN food bank boxes have an average of 10 different items in them. For an example, year-to-date, with your purchases, we have sent over 10 extra cases of apples, 16 extra cases of lettuce, etc. Those are real numbers to a farmer and real food to local family!
- Klesick Farms matches every 4th box that is donated by you.
- We send a year end tax statement for you to deduct your donation.
- But most important, your gift of one of our NHN boxes is a gift of compassion and care to local folks who are our neighbors in need.
Our NHN program is one reason why we use the tag line a box of good!
Farmer Tristan
Learn more about the Everett Recovery Café here.
Know Your Produce: Baby Bok Choy
Bok Choy, a member of the cabbage family, has been cultivated by the Chinese for over 5,000 years. Besides China, it is also grown in California and Canada.
Bok choy is high in nutrition, containing several minerals, including potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, and vitamins A, C, K, and a wide spectrum of B-complex vitamins.
Do not wash bok choy until you are ready to use it. Unwashed, it will keep in the refrigerator for up to six days.
Besides being used in stir fries, bok choy can also be added to soups for a delicate flavor, pickled for a refreshing appetizer, grilled or sautéed as a delicious accompaniment.
Recipe: Cornbread Panzanella Salad
Ingredients:
8 oz. cornbread, cut into cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup cubed fontina cheese (can substitute gouda)
1/2 cup cubed cucumber
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
- Toss gently to combine.
- Place in a serving bowl and serve.
Recipe from foodnetwork.com courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis
