Sunday, June 24, 2012

CSA 6.25.12

HEY everyone!!!!! Hope you are having a wonderful week!
This is the last week of the pre paid CSA, but I am so excited for July! (you can drop your checks off at the coffee shop when you pick up your order tomorrow and feel free to let other people know that we are starting a new cycle! The more the merrier!) With Jesus and Tanya taking a well deserved break for July...our new farmer for this month will be Stella with Horny Toad Farm! She is a mom of 4 kids, hard working farmer and she has wonderful, pesticide free produce!!!! A lot of the AZ summer produce is the same since certain things grow in certain months here, but sometimes they plant different types of the same items. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us! She is happy to have the opportunity to deliver the CSA orders to us and I hope you will all be able to re-join for July and help me in supporting her wonderful farm. She just recently was able to get a lot more land as well and she has been doing a lot at her farm. She has had fun farm events going on that I will let you know about if any come up soon! Check out her new website at www.hornytoadfarm.com
With that said...here is the info for THIS week! (don't forget to let me know today if you wanted buffalo from the last emails I sent out! YUM!)
Our bag this week...drum roll please....

1.Tomatoes
2.Watermelon
3.Cantalope
4.Carrots
5.Green Beans
6.Fresh Basil
7.Roasted Chilis
8.Potatoes
9.Onions
10.Surprise item (it will be either....corn, eggplant or cucumbers)

Yes...you read it right...we don't get any squash this week!

On another note, one of our wonderful CSA'ers, Erin, makes great natural lip balms and lotions. If you want some of these great products...please let me know. We will probly have a few of her items there for purchase if you would like to support her work too! Here is the info on that!
Hand and Body Lotion ingredients – water, apricot kernel oil, emulsifying wax, essential oils (lavender or sweet orange)4oz. pump bottle - $5.00, 8oz. pump bottle - $9.00
Lip Balm ingredients – organic olive oil, coconut oil, beeswax, organic cocoa butter, lemon essential oil, vitamin E$2.50 per tubeWe won't have very many eggs this week. Maybe 10 dozen. I am trying to round up more, so bear with me :) I am hoping to call the other contacts I have and get more. We have been going through like 25 to 30 dozen each week!

Again...THANK YOU so much for being part of this CSA. I hope it has been a good experiance for you and that I can continue to be able to get you the produce and other products that you like to have. I am working on getting more honey since that is a great item to have, but it is hard to coordinate it for some reason right now. Most of the honey people are on the east side of town.
Anyway...I really do appreciate you all supporting the local businesses and coming to get your fresh produce this week. I hope to hear from you all in July as well and if there are any issues on dates in July...let me know. There are people who would like to split the month since some will be out of town on some weeks. If you are able to get the bags later in the month...let me know and we can have you for the last 3 or 4 weeks if need be. Let me know!
Talk to you soon and have a great rest of your day!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

CSA 6.18.12

Hello there CSA-ers…(Pick ups are at the “Coffee, Tea and Me” shop in the Park West mall off the 101 and Northern-just west of the 101 on Northern Ave. The shop is next to the Sees Candy shop on the main spine road of the mall next to the water fountains, fire pits and seating area.You can pick up any time between NOON and 8pm.The produce will not be ready for pick up until noon. (they drop off around 1130 and we get them all brought in and in the walk in cooler. We can’t get you your box until after we have gotten everything unloaded and ready) :) 9744 W Northern AvePeoria, 85345THANK YOU (still) so much for joining me to support our wonderful farmers! We hope that you are all finding the produce to be a wonderful addition to your grocery list each week and that you are pleased with the fresh items and the clean way it is farmed.

We will have fresh eggs again for pick up ($3.50/doz). You can reserve eggs by letting me know and we will set aside for you. Otherwise, it is first come, first serve.
This week we will have a special item for purchase too! Home made, all natural Laundry detergent. It will come in 20 load for $3 or 40 load jars for $5. If you like it and save your jars for a refill...you get a $1 off. Let me know if that is something that you would like. :) Here is what you can expect in your box tomorrow! ****Jesus has also offered to sell MORE bags of the roasted chilis for $3/bag if you want more of those. Just let me know ASAP so that I can tell him how much to roast in the morning.**** 1-Watermelon2-Summer Baby Squash mix3-Large Grey squash4-Cantalope5-Tomatoes 6- Sweet potatoes7-ROASTED Green Chilis!! :)8-fresh Basil!9- SURPRISE ITEM (most likely Cucumbers!! mix of armanian and pickling)10- SURPRISE ITEM (MAY be corn...eggplant...green beans...we'll see) :)Again, If you have anything that you are growing in your backyard garden…feel free to bring some to share.

I will have information for you next week on the 5 week July CSA. It will still be $25/wk (so $125 for the 5 weeks), so I would LOVE to see you all join if you can. It is still the same day and time for pick up, but it will be a different local farmer for this month only. I will give you her info next week :). You will be getting great stuff. You can send in your checks between now and the Saturday before (June 30th).

Watermelon and Cantalope - http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/watermelon-and-cantaloupe-salad-with-mint-and-basil-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html
Sweet Potatoes - http://www.grouprecipes.com/82254/ruths-chris-sweet-potato-casserole.html
Tomato and Basil - http://picky-palate.com/2008/04/29/grilled-balsamic-chicken-bruschetta-2/
Eggplant or large squash - http://www.mazamag.com/2012/05/the-grilled-eggplant-recipe-that-got-1000-repins/

Sunday, June 10, 2012

CSA 6.11.12

Hello CSA-ers…
(Pick ups are at the “Coffee, Tea and Me” shop in the Park West mall off the 101 and Northern-just west of the 101 on Northern Ave. The shop is next to the Sees Candy shop on the main spine road of the mall next to the water fountains, fire pits and seating area.You can pick up any time between NOON and 8pm.The produce will not be ready for pick up until noon. (they drop off around 1130 and we get them all brought in and in the walk in cooler. We can’t get you your box until after we have gotten everything unloaded and ready) :)
 9744 W Northern Ave
Peoria, 85345
 

THANK YOU so much for joining me to support our wonderful farmers Jesus and his wife Tanya.
We hope that you are all finding the produce to be a wonderful addition to your grocery list each week and that you are pleased with the fresh items and the clean way it is farmed.
I will strive to keep it going as long as you all would like to have it. Some of you have asked about continuing the CSA pick up even when the markets start back up in the fall and I would LOVE to set that up and see it happen. That is a very helpful thing for the farmer! KNOWING they will make a certain sale each week/cycle is a cushion that helps them through the weather changes and sale differences at any of their markets. I would be keeping it on Mondays at the same location and time. The benefits to this is still the convenient weekday pick up with large time opening for pick ups and also the fact that the produce is discounted since it is pre paid. You can pick your own things at the markets, but if you can’t make it to markets on the weekends…this is a great option. Let me know if this is something you would like to do. IT will also be VERY easy for me to get a lot of other products on any given week! I would need a minimum of 25 pple in the CSA on each cycle (and I don’t think that would be any issue), but I wanna put the idea out there for response even though it is not for a few months. If you do not want pre arranged bags when fall comes around, you may want to think about signing up for "Tonopah Rob's" CSA and pick up at the markets. He does his CSAs very different and they are closing down for summer, but you can get in on some great deals for the fall season. He is scheduled to be at my weekend markets and has a wonderful program. With him, you pay a certain amount up front and it is like a "tab". You go to the markets and pick up what you want and it comes off your pre paid amount. You can skip weeks, so to any of the markets to pick up, etc. here is his website (make sure to tell him that "Momma's Organic Market" sent you!) http://www.tonopahrob.com/
We will have fresh eggs again for pick up ($3.50/doz). You can reserve eggs by letting me know and we will set aside for you. Otherwise, it is first come, first serve.

I do not have honey or other items this week, but am always trying to get ahold of them. I will let you know next week if I am able to offer anything extra. 

Here is what you can expect in your box tomorrow!
****Jesus has also offered to sell MORE bags of the roasted chilis for $3/bag if you want more of those. Just let me know ASAP so that I can tell him how much to roast in the morning.**** 1-Potatoes (a red and yukon mix)
2-Summer Squash mix
3-Butternut OR Acorn squash
4-Carrots
5-Tomatoes
6- Green Beans
7-ROASTED Green Chilis!! :)
8-Watermelon
9- SURPRISE ITEM
10- SURPRISE ITEM
(surprise item MAY be corn...eggplant...green onions...not sure yet. The anticipation!) :)
Again, If you have anything that you are growing in your backyard garden…feel free to bring some to share. I LOVED the fresh herbs that were brought! I used a lot of basil this week :) 
 
Check out what Crystal made this week with her CSA items! (look at the great pic) YUM!!!CSA Dinner:
Green Chili Braised Pork Loin
Grilled Squash, Corn and Sweet Potatoes
Grilled Nopalitos Salad w Cotija
-kids loved the cactus....raw and grilled. FUN!
 
Recipe suggestions/ideas:
 
Southern Green Beans with red potatoes and onion- http://allrecipes.com/recipe/southern-green-beans/
 
 
Don’t forget that when you pick up your produce…all CSA’ers get 10% off their order at “Coffee, Tea and Me”. Grab an ice cold peach tea, an iced coffee or a smoothie (a cupcake :). She does a lot for this CSA and we are proud to support her small business as well!!!

Also...feel free to "follow" my farmer’s market blog: www.mommasorganicmarketaz.blogspot.com , as I will be posting the emails every week about the CSA boxes.
If you haven't “liked” our Market page on facebook...please do :) www.facebook.com/mommasorganicmarket  We just got over 1000 likes and want to continue to grow!
We appreciate your support and the desire to buy local and fresh. Without people like you...farmers and local businesses wouldn't make it. It is because of community support that we can push this green movement of awesome foods and local businesses! Thank you again for your support and I look forward to helping you all get the products you need and the great produce you can expect each week!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

June 4th CSA pick up!

Hello fellow CSA-ers…
As usual…pick ups are at the “Coffee, Tea and Me” shop in the Park West mall off the 101 and Northern (just west of the 101 on Northern Ave)
9744 W Northern Ave
Peoria, 85345
The shop is next to the Sees Candy shop on the main spine road of the mall next to the water fountains, fire pits and seating area.
You can pick up any time between NOON and 8pm. The produce will not be ready for pick up until noon. (they drop off around 1130 and we get them all brought in and in the walk in cooler. We can’t get you your box until after we have gotten everything unloaded and ready)

THANK YOU, again, for joining me to support our wonderful farmers Jesus and his wife Tanya. They have been working for Crooked Sky Farms for about 10 years now and are currently harvesting and planting on their own farm this year. They are working at both farms! He plants, harvests and sells the wonderful pesticide free produce from both Crooked Sky Farm and his new farm “Fresh and Local TJ farms”.

We are in the last 4 week stretch of this pre paid cycle and we will be doing another 5 week cycle for all of the Mondays in July after this.
Jesus and Tanya will be taking a (well deserved) vacation in July, so we will be partnering with another great local farm just for the month of July to take over for the time Jesus and Tanya are gone.
We hope that you are all finding the produce to be a wonderful addition to your grocery list each week and that you are pleased with the fresh items and the clean way it is farmed.

I do strive to keep it going as long as you all would like. Some of you have asked about continuing the CSA pick up even when the markets start back up in the fall and I would LOVE to set that up and see it happen. That is a very helpful thing for the farmer! KNOWING he will make a certain sale each week/cycle is a cushion that helps them through the weather changes and sale differences at any of their markets. I would be keeping it on Mondays at the same location and time. The benefits to this is still the convenient weekday pick up with large time opening for pick ups and also the fact that the produce is discounted since it is pre paid. You can pick your own things at the markets, but if you can’t make it to markets on the weekends…this is a great option. Let me know if this is something you would like to do. IT will also be VERY easy for me to get a lot of other products on any given week! I would need a minimum of 25 pple in the CSA on each cycle (and I don’t think that would be any issue), but I wanna put the idea out there for response even though it is not for a few months.

**We would LOVE to start a "Recipe Exchange" at the pick up. Print up a few of your fav recipes with the items in the box for the week and leave a few copies for give and take. (Thank our lovely coffee shop gal "Lora" for this wonderful idea!)

ALSO...we will have fresh eggs again for pick up ($3.50/doz). You can reserve eggs by letting me know and we will set aside for you. Otherwise, it is first come, first serve.

HONEY!!!! I visited one of my other farmers in Tonopah this weekend and grabbed some RAW mixed desert honey. It is truly and positively raw with NO heat to spin it what-so-ever. The bees pollinate a lot of different desert flowers, so it is probly the BEST honey for allergies. IF you take a tbsp a day (not heated up past 105 degrees in teas or oatmeal) it is said to significantly help allergies to AZ plants. This is $9 for the jar and I only have 4. So it will be at the coffee shop for purchase. If you want me to set it aside for you. Let me know. (first come, first serve) J I will try to get more honey at least one more time in June. I will probly have fruit butter at that same time. I will keep you posted.

Here is what you can expect in your box tomorrow! If you didn’t get a chance to play around with the Nopalitosc(cactus)…now is a great chance! And please share your recipes! Lora (our awesome coffee shop gal, put hers in a CSA veggies stew and said it was wonderful. Just an idea for something to use it for.
****Jesus has also offered to sell MORE bags of the roasted chilis for $3/bag if you want more of those. Just let me know ASAP so that I can tell him how much to roast in the morning.****

1-Sweet potatoes
2-Summer Squash mix
3- Bell Peppers
4-Carrots
5-GREEN tomatoes (who's up for some fried green tomatoes??!!) :)
6-Nopaletos (Cactus)
7-ROASTED Green Chilis!! :)
8-Melon (either cantalope or watermelon...not sure on morning harvest yet)
9- SURPRISE ITEM
10- SURPRISE ITEM
(surprise item MAY be corn...eggplant...green beans...not sure yet. It's all about the anticipation!) :)

If you have anything that you are growing in your backyard garden…feel free to bring some to share. I have some rosemary that I can share, but I will put it in a basket and let pple take what they would like J Right now, some people may have mint, basil, jalapenos, onions, anna apples, figs, apricots, peaches…I should have grapes soon :)

Recipe suggestions:
Do any of you have left over summer squash that you are not sure what to do with aside from the regular grilled slices?? I had some fun in the kitchen yesterday with some pinterest recipes I found (see pictures) :). Here are the recipe links J These work with the yellow squash, Mexican grey squash, zucchini and the 8 ball squash we have gotten. I like to use my spiralizer to make raw “noodles” and pour sauce on top for a cold, raw vegan pasta when I want a light meal. You can top it with a homemade tomato sauce or a fresh pesto.
Feel free to print up a few of your fav recipes so that we can do a recipe exchange!!! :)

Carrot Zucchini Walnut Bread! – (add shredded carrots and diced walnuts to this recipe) http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2011/08/the-best-zucchini-bread.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+melskitchencafe%2FNvNP+%28Mel%27s+Kitchen+Cafe%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
Zucchini Cakes/fritters - http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/02/zucchini-cakes-recipe.html
Zucchini Fries - http://www.funandfoodcafe.com/2011/01/fried-zucchini.html
Stuffed Zucchini Boatshttp://www.kayotic.nl/blog/stuffed-zucchini
(I also did one with fresh chopped basil, tomatoes and feta with the chopped zucchini from the inside…THAT was really good!)
8 ball Zucchini Pizza - http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2010/08/recipe-for-grilled-zucchini-pizza.html 
(I didn’t find this in time to try, but I totally will! We can use the tomatoes and garlic to make our own pizza sauce too! :))
Zucchini Brownies!! - http://fastpaleo.com/zucchini-brownies/  (I haven’t tried this yet, but will be doing this too!)

Don’t forget that when you pick up your produce…all CSA’ers get 10% off their order at “Coffee, Tea and Me”. Grab an ice cold peach tea, an iced coffee or a smoothie (a cupcake J). She does a lot for the CSA and we are proud to support her small business as well!!!

Also...feel free to "follow" my farmer’s market blog: http://www.mommasorganicmarketaz.blogspot.com/  , as I will be posting the emails every week about the CSA boxes.
If you haven't “liked” our Market page on facebook...please do :) www.facebook.com/mommasorganicmarket

We appreciate your support and the desire to buy local and fresh!!! Without people like you...farmers and local businesses wouldn't make it. It is because of community support that we can push this green movement of awesome foods and support our local businesses! Thank you again for your support and I look forward to helping you all get the products you need and the great produce you can expect each week!