Thanksgiving is a food-lover’s holiday.  Here at Boston Organics, we love to cook, eat, and share recipes with one another, and we wanted to share a few of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes with you.

Jeff Barry (Owner/Founder) - One of my favorite dishes is my older sister’s chocolate pecan pie. It’s a little over the top, but isn’t that what T-Day is all about? I don’t think there needs any further explanation why that is so awesome. Here’s the recipe.

My recent contribution to Thanksgiving has been sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Because the vegetables have been so flavorful, I’ve simply been roasting them and mashing them up (separately of course) and adding a little salt and pepper (if necessary, you can add a little brown sugar or maple syrup).  You’ll be amazed how susprised people will be when you tell them that there is nothing but salt and pepper added to them.  Whether it’s sweet potatoes from Picadilly Farms or butternut squash from the Deep Root coop, these vegetables will speak for themselves.

Adam S. (Operations Supervisor) - I’m a firm believer in the food philosophy that the best foods are “slop.” In keeping with that, and Thanksgiving, I LOVE to mix up buttery mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing and cranberry sauce, and then smother them in gravy.  Simple, schloppy, and a Turkey Day staple.

Amy L. (Marketing) - For me, it’s a tie between macaroni & cheese, pecan pie, and yeast rolls. Every year my family would go down to South Carolina to visit my grandma and enjoy Thanksgiving the real southern way, leaving no opportunity for butter or carbs behind. There’s no greater comfort than creamy mac & cheese, a buttery roll, and a big ol’ slice of pecan pie.

Amy M. (Customer Service) – My favorite Thanksgiving dish is my mom’s cheesy onions! Cooked onions smothered in a white creamy cheese sauce with bread crumbs on top. Baked in the oven til it’s bubbly & begins to brown – Delicious!

Andy R. (Delivery Driver) - Stuffing is the best.

David D. (Delivery Driver) - Pumpkin pie!

Emilio D. (Operations Manager) - Pasteles. They are  one of the most popular and cherished dishes in Puerto Rico through the holiday season (November, December and January). A Thanksgiving or Christmas lunch/dinner is said to be incomplete if pasteles are not featured in it.

They consist of a patty (similar to tamales) made out of grated green banana, green plantain or yuca root stuffed with any combination of meats, potatoes, garbanzo beans, olives and other items, season with traditional Puerto Rican/Caribbean spices.

The way in which they are made are almost an art. The dough is placed on a banana leaf that has been heated over an open flame to make it supple and take on a smoky aroma. Then it is stuffed with the meat mixture, wrapped around with parchment paper and tied with a kitchen string as it to form a packet. They can either be cooked in boiling water or frozen for later. One of the traditional dishes I miss the most from home.

Gardijan N.  (Delivery Driver) – Green bean casserole!

John G. (Delivery Driver) – Mashed potatoes!

Kevin S. (Delivery Driver) – Mashed potatoes!

Tom A. (Fleet Manager) - My Uncle Joe makes a killer stuffing every year. The oysters are the magical ingredient which make it rock. Here’s the recipe.

Do you have a favorite holiday recipe that you want to share? You can share it with us on Facebook, Twitter, or email recipes@bostonorganics.com!

Happy eating!

We’re having a customer Thanksgiving recipe contest!!! 

If you’ve got an original recipe that you want to enter, you could win a bag of delicious add-on items! Additionally, we will feature our top 3 favorites in our blog and Thanksgiving newsletter on Friday, November 18.

Here are the criteria:
1. Recipe should be original, adapted, or passed down through family
2. Should contain at least one fruit or veggie (seasonal preferred!)
3. Recipe format should include an ingredient list and instructions, and can include a short introduction if you’d like.
4. Pictures optional, but preferred!

Instructions:
Please send your recipe (and picture, if applicable) to marketing@bostonorganics.com.

Deadline:
Submit your recipe by the end of the day on Tuesday, November 15th.

Winners Receive:
A gift bag of delicious add-on items! Our top 3 favorites will be featured in our Thanksgiving newsletter, blog, and social media.

If you have any questions, please email marketing@bostonorganics.com.

Good luck, and have fun!

With Thanksgiving on the horizon, we’re working hard over here to plan out Thanksgiving week deliveries. We will not be delivering on Thursday, November 24 and Friday, November 25. Instead, we are condensing our delivery week into Monday, November 21 through Wednesday, November 23.

We just posted our 2011 Thanksgiving schedule, so be sure to take a look and see what day you’ll receive your delivery. If you don’t want a delivery that week, you can easily cancel that week’s delivery right on our website.

We’re going to begin offering delicious Thanksgiving add-on’s soon, so keep your eyes open for an announcement within the next few weeks!

To our wonderful customers,

In light of the recent cantaloupe listeria outbreaks across the country, we’d like to take a moment to let you all know where our cantaloupes are coming from.

The cantaloupes we’ve been distributing recently are certified organic out of California and are not a part of the recent recall. The cantaloupe included in the recall are conventional (not organic) from Jensen Farms in Colorado.

The cantaloupes we’ve been distributing were organically grown in California from the following sources –  Empresas Del Bosque, Inc. or Turlock Fruit Company.

Because the food distribution chain is complex, if you have purchased any pre-cut fruit salads or whole cantaloupes in recent weeks, please be sure to contact those stores to find out their source. Food outbreaks are very serious, and we appreciate and share your concern.

For more information about the cantaloupe recall, visit: http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions!

Sincerely,

Your friends at Boston Organics

We’ve got local organic baby greens from Atlas Farm! Sweet delicata squash, shallots, beets, celery root, and Daikon radishes are just a few of the delicious treats you can expect to find in your boxes this week. Get the scoop in this week’s newsletter!

Written by Lillie, a Boston Organics customer!
October 1, 2011 

I had the distinct pleasure of sharing my morning with Chef Bernard Kinsella as he led me, along with eight other students, on a culinary adventure which was as deliciously refreshing as it was creatively thrilling.  Most importantly, every step of the cooking process proved to be remarkably simple and fool-proof for reproducing at home.  No longer will beets or swiss chard wink mockingly at me from the produce bin as I cast about for ways to prepare them.  They, as well as the other ingredients from our box, have been transformed into accessible tools in my cooking repertoire.

We started with the contents of a typical large-sized two-thirds vegetable box: bananas, pears, plums, apples, grapefruit, oranges, an acorn squash, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli, carrots, chard, chives, sweet potatoes, gold beets, Napa cabbage, red leaf lettuce, russet potatoes, and yellow onions.

Two hours and countless laughs later, we were savoring a colorful feast of complex and well-balanced flavors which we had crafted ourselves.  The bananas served as a motivating snack as we tackled the other dishes.  We prepared spring rolls with the cabbage and carrots, as well as a garlic-soy sauce and a spicy peanut dipping sauce.  Next came a simple salad of red leaf lettuce, orange, grapefruit, pears, and a citrus balsamic vinaigrette.  This was followed by two spectacular and very simple soups – one with the russet potatoes, the other with the acorn squash.  (Pro tip: Roasting the squash whole makes it much easier to cut and prepare.)

We also made a bell pepper, carrot, and Swiss chard coleslaw, garnished with the alfalfa sprouts.  The sweet potatoes were cut into spears and roasted in olive oil, then served with gorgonzola.  The beets were roasted whole, then peeled and served with the remaining caramelized onions from the soups.  Finally, the incontestable stars of the meal were the plum tart and the apple strudel.

The truest compliment to this class and Chef Bernard lies in the thoughts that came to me only after I had left.  The meal we had prepared was completely vegetarian, it did not include pasta or rice as filler, and yet it was completely satisfying.  The produce stood, and shone, all on its own merits.  Fruits and vegetables will no longer be relegated to a supporting role, and through classes like this one with Chef Bernard, we can all learn to help them find their rightful place in our lives and on our plates: center stage.

The next cooking class with Chef Bernard and Boston Organics is Saturday, November 19, 2011 at the Boston Center for Adult Education.  For more information and registration details, click here.  

We had a great time at the Boston Local Food Festival, and now we’re celebrating with local butternut squash, kale, apples, carrots, and potatoes! We also have updates on local lettuce, warm fall recipes, and tips for cooking with rutabagas. Check out this week’s newsletter!

When: This Saturday, October 1, 10am – 1pm

Where: Boston Center for Adult Education, 122 Arlington Street, Boston, MA

What: Under the expert instruction of Chef Bernard Kinsella, and with produce provided exclusively  from Boston Organics, you’ll be immersed in a morning of hands-on culinary exploration into organic,  gourmet meals that will broaden your vegetable horizon and give you the knowledge and skill set to be a  confident, organic cook. Roll up your sleeves and let’s get cooking! More details here.

Value: $43- $50

How Do I Win?

It’s simple! Email amyl@bostonorganics.com and tell us in 2-3 sentences why you would be a great Boston Organics representative! If you’re chosen, all you have to do is show up, cook lots of yummy food, and take pictures of the dishes you make!

Deadline to enter: Midnight tonight! (September 29)

If you’re selected, we will contact you by 11am on Friday morning! Good luck!

It’s almost the end of the season for local tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, and summer squash as we transition into fall produce. Also, wild Maine blueberries are available for a limited time!  Get the news, tips, and recipes in this week’s newsletter! 

We regularly put on cooking classes at the Boston Center for Adult Education with Chef Bernard Kinsella and the BCAE. We have another cooking class coming up this Saturday 7/16/2011! There are still a few spots left and there’s yet time to register. Visit www.bcae.org for more information and to register.