Tag: klesick farms

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Thoughts With Ashley

“So I’m thinking about ordering a pre-cooked turkey.” A friend texted me two days before Thanksgiving. It’s this time of year when the texts from friends and family are less about “how are you doing?” and more closely resemble a conversation with the Butterball helpline. I love it. I consider it an absolute pleasure to be able to speak for hours about all butter crusts, to par-bake or not to par-bake and brining – wet, dry, is it really needed (yes, salt and pepper the day before)? My ease and joy in the kitchen is a gift and one that I absolutely am delighted to share.

“Should I order a pre-cooked turkey? Should I be scared about cooking a turkey?” My friend continued. Even through my iPhone screen I could feel the tension. He was kicking himself for not thinking about all of this sooner and feeling overwhelmed by the weight of the turkey cooking task. “First of all roasting a turkey is not hard.” I started “but don’t let the turkey cooking overshadow the point of the holiday. If a pre-cooked turkey will help you focus on the actual thanks-giving and the company of friends and family then that’s the way to go.”

I love spending hours in the kitchen slowly simmering homemade stock for the purpose of creating a luscious and deeply flavored gravy. Pie crusts and bread doughs relax in the fridge days before the main event. Weeks before I’m scouring blogs, magazines and cookbooks trying to craft the perfect menu although I don’t usually iron out all of the details until the day before. But I realize that not everyone is like me.

And while the table will be mightily set with a half a dozen dishes including caramelized squash with feta and onion, a crisp Brussels sprouts salad with smoky bacon and tart cranberries and a pumpkin pie with a thick sugar cap, the sink will also be piled high with dishes, there will be socks scattered around the house that the dog has chewed and I’ll be lucky if the kids have brushed their hair. But I’m happy and giving thanks for a bustling kitchen and a house filled with people I love.

This time of year is so busy, the endless tasks can so easily choke out the joy and quite frankly the purpose of all the celebrating in the first place. I hope for all of us that the moment we start to feel overwhelmed we’ll order a pre-cooked turkey, or whatever that may look like for all of us. I’ll forgive myself for the lack of Christmas garnish around the house or unmade beds if it means that I’m digging deeper into the peace, hope, and joy that this season seeks to bring us.

Ashley Rodriguez

Food Blogger, notwithoutsalt.com

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How to Eat Your BOX (Week of 11/13/16)

Parsnips:

Parsnips are like carrots with attitude. They have an almost peppery sweet flavor to them that comes out nicely when cooked. They don’t eat well raw….at all, they’re much too dense, but they cook just as well or better than a carrot in my opinion. Parsnips are a great alternative to the more traditional baked or sautéed root vegetables!

Try them diced into bite size chunks or julienned, drizzled with olive oil and tossed in a bowl with a little salt and cayenne. Bake in a parchment-lined baking dish on the bottom rack in your oven at 450° for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until edges are browned and crispy. If you received Kohlrabi in your box, you can add those in the mix as well. I recommend cutting kohlrabi into slightly larger pieces for this dish because they cook faster than parsnips.

Red Bell Peppers:

These bright red veggies pair well with most savory dishes and can be added to soup, stir fry, salad, shish kabobs, or simply eaten raw. They are also commonly used for stuffing because of their perfect cup shape. It’s best to eat your peppers right away, while still fresh. I don’t like to let them sit around in my fridge very long because they can lose their crunchy appeal and become rubbery.

Try adding red bell peppers to your chicken salad. I love making chicken salad and using it for sandwiches…or eating by itself…or serving at parties (it makes a great dip with crackers or pita bread!)

What makes the chicken salad option so great is that you don’t need an exact recipe. You can put whatever you want in there! Just cut up your veggies (e.g. pepper, onion, radish, cilantro and apple) into small pieces and add to diced or shredded chicken. Mix in a couple tablespoons of mayonnaise, Dijon or regular mustard, vinegar, and spices, etc.) Traditionally, mayonnaise is used, but you can substitute with sour cream or Greek yogurt.

Kohlrabi:

Mike here in our office is Kohlrabi’s biggest fan so if you need some convincing to try this alienistic vegetable, give him a call! Kohlrabi is typically eaten raw—peeled, sliced, salted, and added to a salad or used for serving with a dip. You can also steam, boil, bake, grill, or roast it. Just peel away the thick outside skin first. Try adding kohlrabi to soup or stew or grate them up and toss with grated carrots or apples to make a slaw! You can also boil and mash them with potatoes or other root vegetables. Stir-fry them with other vegetables, or julienne them and fry them like potatoes. Look for Indian recipes using kohlrabi as they are often used in Indian cuisine. The leaves are also perfectly edible, and can be cooked up like kale.

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Thanksgiving Holiday Delivery Schedule 2016

Thanksgiving Holiday Delivery Schedule

Our office will be closed November 24-27 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Because of this closure, our deliveries for that week are scheduled as follows:

For delivery Monday:

Tuesday customers, Wednesday customers (except customers in Anacortes and Mukilteo) and customers in Shoreline

For delivery Tuesday:

Wednesday customers in Anacortes and Mukilteo, Thursday customers

For delivery Wednesday:

Friday and Saturday customers

 

Travelling out of town for Thanksgiving? 

Please remember to let us know if you will need to skip your delivery that week.

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Thank You!

Thanks to your help, we donated 85 gift baskets to, or on behalf of those battling cancer. 

For each gift basket that was purchased, we added $5 to our Healing through Nutrition fund to help send good food to those battling cancer. That ads up to $425! Nice work, good food community!

Prayer update: Last Wednesday, we prayed for 200 people who were impacted by cancer. These names were shared with us by many of you. This was a humbling and moving thing for us to get to be a part of. Thanks to all who shared and participated in prayer for these individuals last week.

Each week we gather as a team to pray for customers that we know of who are struggling with a serious illness, whether it be cancer, heart disease, diabetes or other. If you or someone you know is struggling in this way, you are welcome to submit a name for prayer. .Click here to do so. 

Want to help someone in need? Partner with Klesick Farms and send them good food! 

Check out how you can easily donate through your Klesick Farms account, including sending a Thanksgiving Holiday Box to your local food bank, or, simply add $10 for the Healing Through Nutrition fund with your next purchase, and 100% of that donation will go toward sending good food to someone battling cancer.

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Planning for Your Holiday Meal

Planning for Your Holiday Meal

Every Thanksgiving holiday season we offer a special Holiday Box ($40) full of traditional organic Thanksgiving meal items for your celebration. Not only can you schedule a Holiday Box to be delivered the week of Thanksgiving, but it is also available the week before and the week after (available Nov. 13-Dec. 3). You can have this box delivered along with your regular order or in place of your regular order (please specify your preference when placing your order). The box menu is as follows:

Holiday Box Menu

Granny Smith Apples, 5 each.

Green Beans, 1 lb.

Cranberries, 7.5 oz.

Garnet Yams, 2 lbs.

Navel Oranges, 4 each.

Carrots, 2 lbs.

Breadcubes for Stuffing, 1 lb.

Yellow Potatoes, 3 lbs.

Celery, 1 bunch

Yellow Onions, 1 lb.

Delicata Squash, 2 ea.

Remembering Neighbors in Need.

If your celebration includes helping the less fortunate who live in our community, we would like to partner with you by giving you the opportunity to purchase a discounted Holiday Donation Box for only $32, to be given to local food banks the week before Thanksgiving. Last year 122 Holiday Donation Boxes were distributed and this year we’d love to have a greater impact. The volunteers at the food banks have expressed again and again how wonderful and satisfying it is to be able to supply people with fresh produce. You can order a Holiday Donation Box here.

 

Tristan Klesick, Farmer/Health Advocate.

 

Read this week’s How to Eat Your Box! here.

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Thanksgiving

What! It’s time to be thinking about Holidays? Do you ever think how we eat our way through the calendar? November – Thanksgiving; December – Christmas; January – New Year’s Day and the Super bowl (Go Hawks!).

If we are not intentional about what we eat, the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) will be. The GMA has a plan for the holidays: more sugar, more GMO’s and more processed packaged foods. It is almost as if celebrating is akin to more CALORIES and not good ones, either. But how does the “intentional” part work itself out? Well, has Thanksgiving moved for the last 152 years? NO! it is always on the 4th Thursday of November. But every year millions of Americans are going to buy the same sugary, GMO laden foods and wonder why on Friday after Thanksgiving the bathroom scale has moved the wrong direction and that they don’t feel all that great either! It’s probably because sugar is fleeting and the aftermath is lasting.

One blogger encouraged their readers to wear pants with elastic to dinner so they won’t be as uncomfortable when they over eat! Okay, we are all probably going to indulge a little with our family and friends. Maybe this year we should plan for the indulgences by eating more intentionally NOW! Start moving the scale in the right direction now, so that when Grandma offers/expects you to have another piece of pie, you will have created some margin for Thanksgiving. I can hear it now, “No thank you. The pecan, pumpkin and apple pies tasted great. Three pieces is plenty, really.” 🙂

Be intentional now or be intentional later. We are all going to have to be intentional at some point. Here at Klesick Farms we like to say, “Eat Better, Feel Better.” It even works in November.

How to Eat Your Box

We are adding a new section to our Newsletter this week. We are calling it “How to Eat Your Box”. Original, eh? Anna, my millennial menu planner, felt like people just aren’t cooking and she wanted to provide some helpful tips. Eating well is not mystical or complicated. With just a few techniques you can be “Zen” master in the kitchen. In fact, most fruits and vegetables are easy to use and are at their healthiest when minimally cooked or prepared. Check it out here on the blog.

Thanksgiving Donation Program

We are making our Holiday Donation Box for Thanksgiving available for ordering this week. Last year, our Box of Good Food Family donated 156 boxes of high quality, super nutritious food to area food banks. Please consider donating one or more boxes to a family in need. You place the order, we pack it, deliver it and a food bank volunteer gets it to a family in need. Super simple, super effective!

Farmer/Health Advocate, Tristan

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Hope

Hope is a necessary ingredient in the battle against cancer. We must believe that healing is possible and hope is an underlying cornerstone for healing to happen. Without hope, hopelessness is left and we can’t have that; we must have hope.

Since we started sharing about cancer this month, the ground swell of support and compassion has been huge.

Last week, I met Leah, a cancer survivor and single mom of two at the Snohomish County Healthy Aging Conference. Whenever I attend a conference or event, I always bring a box of good food to use as a raffle item. And you know what? Leah’s name was drawn.

At the same time, a young couple from our church just received the heart-breaking news that their under 1 y/o daughter Vivian has leukemia. Ugh! I can’t even imagine the thoughts, fears, and despair that is wracking that family.

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to an end, I would like to continue our cancer conversation and shift it to one day next week. On Wednesday, 11/2, we want to celebrate, grieve, hope and pray with all the people that you and we know who are battling cancer, won the battle over cancer, as well as for those who lost a loved one to cancer.

To do this, we need your help. We need you to send in the names of individuals and families that are fighting cancer. You can share as much of your/their story with us as you feel comfortable. Because sometimes it is helpful to just write down how you are feeling and get your thoughts out.

We are also just as happy to have you share a first name, because on 11/2, when our Klesick Farms team gathers to pray, we know that God already knows the details and we just want to agree with you for healing from cancer and hope to be rekindled in yours and their hearts.

Each of you are also welcome to join us on 11/2 and pray for the individuals and families who are fighting cancer. We will send Facebook and email reminders about the 11/2 details, but for now please click here to submit a name for prayer anonymously, or, email [email protected] the names of anyone you know fighting cancer or DM us on FB so we can gather a list of people to prayer for healing and hope.

Farmer/Health Advocate,

Tristan

 

Recipe: Garlic Butter Mushroom and Spinach Spaghetti

Ingredients:

Olive oil 8 oz package mushrooms, sliced 4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced 2 tablespoons butter 1 bunch spinach, washed, ends cut off Lemon juice, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste 1 package spaghetti Feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Directions:

1. Boil a large pot of water and cook pasta until tender. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water.

2. While pasta is cooking, heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat then add the oil. Fry the mushrooms until deeply golden and cooked through. Add the garlic and butter and fry for another 30 seconds-1 minute, until the garlic is a light golden color. Turn off the heat then add the spinach, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add the cooked spaghetti and a splash of the cooking water. Stir the pasta into the sauce and add more water if necessary.

4. Serve with feta cheese.

Recipe adapted from simply-delicious-food.com

 

Know Your Produce: Gold Beets

You may be most familiar with the red beet, but beets come in a variety of colors. One variety is orange, known as the gold beet. A descendant of a sea vegetable, golden beets are a nutrient-rich food high in fiber and potassium. The beet greens are more nutritious than the beets, containing twice the potassium and high in beta carotene and folic acid.

The difference between the red and the orange beet is the pigment compound. Red beets are rich in betalain pigment while orange beets are rich in b-xanthin pigment. Though their pigment color differs, their nutritional benefits are the same.

Steaming and roasting bring out the best flavor that the beet can offer. The skin must be peeled, which is easiest after it has cooked, as it simply slips away from its flesh. Beets pair well with cheese, bacon, apples, fennel, citrus, potatoes, shallots, vinegar, walnuts, smoked and cured fish. Beets will keep, refrigerated, for up to a week or longer if their tops are removed.

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Cancer, Continued

I have been using my blog as a platform to talk about cancer the last few months joining our voice to the national campaign making October Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All those pink ribbons are a rallying point for all cancers.

Breast Cancer has the dubious distinction of being the #1 incidence of Cancer for women. For 2016 the projection is for 247,000 new cases or 29% of the 844,000 new cases of all cancer. #2 incidence for women getting Cancer in 2016 is claimed by Lung and Bronchus Cancer, 106,000 or 13% of all new cases of cancer for women.

However, when we look at the number of moms, sisters, and daughters who will die from cancer this year, ironically, breast cancer is #2 on the list of deaths related to cancer for 2016. Lung and bronchus cancer will claim more lives. In 2016 72,000 (26%) women will die from lung and bronchus cancer and 40,450 (14%) will pass from this life to the next from breast cancer. The total projected deaths for women with cancer in 2016 is 281,400.

For Men the #1 diagnosis for cancer in 2016 is prostrate cancer at 181,000 (21%) followed by lung and bronchus cancer at the rate of 118,000 (14%). And similar to the death rates for women, lung and bronchus cancer will claim more lives in 2016 86,000 (27%) and prostrate cancer at 26,000 (8%) of the 314,000 deaths for 2016. You can find more information about cancer statistics estimates for 2016 here www.cancer.org

Bottom line: these are not statistics! They are moms, dads, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends and co-workers–people who are loved and who love. Some of them have lost their battle. Others are just beginning their battle.

If you know anyone fighting this disease, please refer them to us. We would consider it an honor to stand with them in 1) prayer, and 2) by discounting their boxes of good. We believe that these two things are essential to healing–prayer and a diet that’s rich in nutrition primarily from fruits and vegetables.

You can also purchase one of our $30 fruit baskets as a gift either for someone who is fighting cancer, or for any reason (a thank you for a teacher, a birthday gift, anniversary, or just because.) For each fruit basket we deliver, Klesick Farms will donate $5 towards our Healing through Nutrition program. We use these funds to discount the boxes of good for people fighting cancer.

Also, for the rest of October we will be donating $5 for every new customer and returning customer that signs up. Tell your friends and help me discount a box of good for a local family battling cancer.

Thank you,

Tristan, Farmer/Health Advocate

 

 

 

Featured Recipe: Roasted Delicata Squash & Onions

Ingredients:

2 delicata squash 1 medium red onion, sliced 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary 1 tablespoon maple syrup 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 °F.

Cut squash in half lengthwise, then crosswise; scoop out the seeds. Cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. Toss with onion, 1 tablespoon oil and salt in a large bowl. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet.

Roast, stirring once or twice, until tender and beginning to brown, about 30 minutes.

Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, rosemary, syrup and mustard in a small bowl. Toss the vegetables with the dressing.

Recipe from eatingwell.com

 

Know Your Produce: Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous family of vegetables, often overshadowed by its green cousin broccoli. This is one vegetable that deserves a regular rotation in your diet, however, as it contains an impressive array of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other phytochemicals. For instance, it contains sulforaphane, a sulfur compound that has been shown to help kill cancer stem cells, thereby slowing tumor growth. Some researchers believe eliminating cancer stem cells may be key to controlling cancer.

Cauliflower can be eaten raw or cooked. Raw, it is best eaten accompanied by a dip or cut up and added to salads. When cooked, it can be eaten as a side dish, alone or topped with a sauce, such as gratin, hollandaise, or Mornay.

When storing, cauliflower should be left unwashed. Store in the refrigerator, with stem side down, in an open plastic bag or use a perforated plastic bag. This will avoid excess moisture, which causes the cauliflower to deteriorate faster.

 

 

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Cancer

It would be great if no one ever had to hear those words again. Not from a doctor, a spouse, a mom, a dad, a friend, or a FB post.

I remember making a delivery to a customer’s home. I knew she was fighting cancer and would spend a few minutes visiting with her each delivery. Then one day, she wasn’t home at the time of delivery. Do you ever have that foreboding sense in your spirit? I did, she was gone, moved from this life to the next. It still brings me to tears just writing this.

Another time, a longtime customer had stopped deliveries, and I followed up with a call to check in. There was no answer, so I followed up with an email. I got a reply, “Marty died”. I did have a chance to connect with her husband, but what can you say to someone who has lost their wife, the mother of their children and his best friend.

I hate cancer, I hate what it does to people, I hate what it does to families, the carnage it leaves behind can be ruthless, it certainly is no respecter of persons.

If you are battling cancer, please call us, let us pray with you, let us put a Healing Through Nutrition discount on your deliveries. Please let us partner with you and partner with you in your healing by discounting your boxes of good food.

You are one of the reasons we call our boxes “a box of good”. We don’t care why or how you got cancer, we just want to help you battle this disease with high quality organic fruits and vegetables, help you make one less trip to the grocery store, and have one less thing to think about.

What if I don’t have cancer? Be thankful, but you can help others who do? For the next 3 weeks we are offering fruit Gift Baskets with Pink Ribbons for $30 delivered to you or directly to the person you want to bless.

1. Buy one for a friend or family member who’s battling cancer.

2. Or, just buy one or more as gifts. These will make great gifts for anyone, birthday, anniversary, or just because!

And not only will Klesick Farms deliver your fruit baskets, I will donate $5 for each basket sold toward our Healing through Nutrition program and apply a discount to folks fighting cancer. Order today and we will do the rest.

 

Farmer/Health Advocate

Tristan

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Save the Date

Hey Klesick Farm Community!

We are hosting a brand new event. We are calling it: Inspire: A Community Be Healthy Event. This will be a health fair focusing on good food, wellness, fitness, naturopathic, homeopathic, chiropractic, etc. There will be cooking demonstrations, educational classes, and vendors. This is going to be a lot of fun and super informational.

There are two ways to participate:

1. Plan to come, learn and share: Saturday January 14th (2017) from 11am – 4pm at the Lynnwood Convention Center. Bring the whole family and bring the neighbors, too.

2. You can also participate as a vendor. If you have a health business, follow the links below and sign up. We only have 30 vendors spaces available. Follow the link below.

Vendor information:

Klesick Farms is pleased to invite you to participate in. This unique one-day event is to be held at the Lynnwood Convention Center on January 14, 2017 from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm – and is open to the entire community. For additional information and to register, click here.

Who Should Participate?

* Suppliers of products and services for individuals, families and professionals to support journey to wellness.

* Publishers and distributors or books, video and curricula for wellness and fitness.

* Outdoor and indoor play and fitness equipment companies.

* Resources for families and teachers for children’s wellness and fitness.

* Health coaching services for individuals, families and professionals.

* Farm to table, organic non-gmo food providers.

This is going to be a great community event, so plan to come and join us!

Farmer/health advocate,

Tristan

 

 

Recipe: Baby Bok Choy with Cashews

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp olive oil 1 bunch chopped green onions, including green ends 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1 pound baby bok choy, rinsed, larger leaves separated from base, base trimmed but still present, holding the smaller leaves together 1/2 teaspoon dark sesame oil Salt 1/2 cup chopped, roasted, salted cashews

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add onions, then garlic, then bok choy. Sprinkle with sesame oil and salt. Cover, and let the baby bok choy cook down for approximately 3 minutes. (Like spinach, when cooked, the bok choy will wilt a bit.)

Remove cover. Lower heat to low. Stir and let cook for a minute or two longer, until the bok choy is just cooked.

Gently mix in cashews.

Recipe adapted from simplyrecipes.com

 

Know Your Produce: Parsnips

Parsnips are related to carrot and celery and have a slightly celery-like fragrance and a sweet and peppery taste. They have a high sugar content and in the 16th century, Germans realized the high sugar content of the parsnip and used it to make wine, jams, and flour.

If the parsnip root gets cold, either before or after the harvest, its flavor will be much sweeter. Parsnips are a good source of folate and Vitamin C, and one bite, no matter how they are prepared, will convince you of their fiber content.

You can steam and mash parsnips like potatoes, but their best flavor is emphasized by roasting or sautéing. If you have very large parsnips, trim out the woody, bitter core before or after cooking.

Parsnips are generally a good substitute for either carrots or potatoes in most recipes, although they have a slightly stronger flavor. Herbs are especially nice with parsnips including basil, dill, parsley, thyme, and tarragon.