Boston Organics Blog!

This week (July 26th-July 31st), we will be offering certified organic red and purple potatoes (2 lb bags) as well as English peas (1 lb) as add-ons..

The peas need to be shelled (pods can not be eaten).

These will be provided to us by Charlie’s Redhouse Farm located in Winchendon, MA. The farm is operated by the same people who own the Red House Restaurant and Charlie’s Kitchen in Cambridge.Their intent is to supply their restaurants with their very own local, certified organic produce. They are pretty low key about their farm to fork efforts but we think it is very cool and worth highlighting.

This is their first year at it and they have some extra produce. We are very happy to have connected with them and hope this is only the beginning.

As this was not planned, we only have access to a limited supply and were not able to get the items into any of the boxes (except for peas in the Dogma box).

Also, as is often the case with many smaller, local organic farms, it is more costly for them to grow and harvest their fruits and vegetables as almost all the labor is manual with little automation/mechanization. In addition, most of these farms do not utilize subsidized labor.  This requires them to charge a price that makes it difficult for us to get the items into your boxes; but in the least, it allows us to offer them to you as an add-on.

As some of you may have heard, Taza Chocolates located in Somerville suffered significant water damage from recent torrential rains to its newly renovated facilities. They have asked for support by purchasing their chocolates. For the next two weeks we will be selling their chocolates at special prices. All bars delivered through the end of July will be sold for $4.95 (regularly $6.50) and all Mexicano discs will be sold for $3.50 (regularly $4.50). Order here!

http://bostonorganics.com/newsletter/2010/news_29.html

We learned yesterday that green beans from Plainville Farms in Hadley, MA have been cancelled for the rest of this week.

The growing conditions proved to be too hot despite farmer Wally Czajkowski’s best estimates and planning. It’s  a bummer as the quality was excellent. We’ll try to get them in the boxes again as soon as we have a more reliable supply.

In the meantime, we’ve made a last minute substitution of North Carolina sweet potatoes that we are able to get from one our partner suppliers.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

During last week-end’s torrential rains in Somerville, Taza Chocolates got flooded out. What makes this especially painful is they just completed a costly renovation/upgrade of their facilities. They are on the mend, but need our support.

We plan to offer a special promotion next week.

In the meantime, you can visit their website to learn how you can help now…

http://www.tazachocolate.com/Blog/P/152

Two pound bags of red grapes from California are now available. Supplies should be good for the next few months. Order here!

http://bostonorganics.com/newsletter/2010/news_28.html

Our warehouse construction and expansion is more or less completed and we look forward to serving you again!

Great fruit and vegetables planned for this week’s boxes…

http://www.bostonorganics.com/fresh/thisweekbox.html

Thanks for your patience!

http://bostonorganics.com/newsletter/2010/news_26.html

This week’s broccoli rabe from Pedersen Farms is looking really nice.

Use exactly as you would Broccoli – steam, roast, braise, sautée, and let your taste buds appreciate the difference

Broccoli Rabe is a bitter, zesty-tasting broccoli-like vegetable. Like the Chinese broccoli and broccolini that it resembles, broccoli rabe has long, tender stems that are topped by broccoli-like florets and a profusion of delicious leaves. It is prized in Italy, where it is known as broccoletti di rape or broccoletto, and it is becoming increasingly well-known in the United States thanks to its reputation as a great source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium, calcium, and iron.

Storage: Wrap in a wet paper towel in a plastic bag in the crisper.