Last week Anthony Mirisciotta of Deep Root Organic Co-op made the trek down from Vermont to meet with us. Anthony is our point of contact for ordering produce from Deep Root, and we were happy to finally meet him in person after working with him for the past few years.
Deep Root Organic Co-Op is one of our main suppliers during the winter, providing access to quality crops from a number of small, family owned organic farms in Vermont. Founded in 1986, and they’re one of the oldest co-ops of organic vegetable growers in the United States. The co-op exists to promote local, sustainable, and organic agriculture through its small, family owned farms. Member farms grow all manner of fruits and vegetables, but they’re best known for their coop namesake, root vegetables! We work with Deep Root mostly in the colder months, sourcing root crops such as potatoes, radishes, beets, rutabagas, and parsnips.
Anthony told us that they currently have 26 farm members, including farmers across Vermont and the eastern townships of Quebec. Being organized as a co-op enables members to focus on their individual farms, while negotiating with buyers and marketing their products as a group. Collectively, their produce is sold to retail establishments, restaurants, and other institutions.
With the demand for fresh, healthy produce on the rise, it’s no surprise that the co-op had their biggest year ever in 2012! We look forward to a continued partnership with Deep Root, which means more of that quality local, organic produce that our customers depend on. Thanks to Anthony and the crew for their hard work!
The Dogma Box includes produce sourced as close to Boston as possible. Similar to a CSA, this box is filled with the best organic produce from local and regional farms.
This week’s Dogma Box contains:
- Empire Apples – Dwight Miller Orchards (E. Dummerston, VT)
- Sunchokes – Deep Root Organic Coop (Johnson, VT)
- Cucumbers – Deep Root Organic Coop (Johnson, VT)
- Parsnips – Deep Root Organic Coop (Johnson, VT)
- Beets – Winter Moon Farm (Hadley, MA)
- Celeriac– Red Fire Farm (Granby, MA)
- Onions – Porter Farms (Elba, NY)
- Potatoes – Nature’s Circle Farm (Houlton, ME)
- Rutabagas – Nature’s Circle Farm (Houlton, ME)
Step into spring and enjoy these local offerings.
It’s that time of year when we meet with our growers to review the past year’s harvest and start planning for the upcoming season. Unfortunately we don’t get to leave the office for farm visits as often as we’d like, but it’s always a pleasure to meet with our friendly growers whenever we get the chance. Last Friday we had a nice visit with Michael Docter of Winter Moon Farm, and we look forward to his beautiful harvest in the coming winter and for many more to come.
Many of the boxes will be seeing some bright colors this week with broccoli, chard, sweet potatoes, and a mix of gold or red beets. We’re also bringing in some early spring flavor with Roma tomatoes and yellow squash. Citrus season is still brightening up the boxes with Minneola tangelos, Murcott mandarins, and luscious blood oranges. Check out the newsletter!
We had a fantastic employee appreciation breakfast yesterday! This company-wide breakfast featured dishes made by Boston Organics employees, including plenty of our organic fruits and veggies. We enjoyed freshly squeezed organic OJ, whole wheat pancakes with VT maple syrup, cheese grits, apple bread, hash browns, and veggie frittatas galore!
Our Customer Service superstar Amy M. put tons of her veggies to use in 3 different frittatas for our breakfast yesterday. A frittata is like a crustless quiche, and it’s one of the easiest ways to enjoy a variety of vegetables that you have in your fridge. Amy made:
- Broccoli, Onion, and Tomato Frittata with Cheddar
- Kale, Onion, and Sweet Potato Frittata with Monterey Jack
- Mushroom and Onion Frittata with Swiss Cheese
These frittatas used the same basic recipe, which Amy has graciously shared with us! Feel free to adapt this recipe based on whatever you have on hand.
Basic Vegetable Frittata
Ingredients:
- Veggies of your choice, cut into small, bite-sized pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 eggs (Amy used Pete & Gerry’s organic eggs)
- 4 oz cheese of your choice, grated (Sharp cheddar, Swiss, and Monterey Jack work well)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. On the stove top over medium heat, add olive oil (1 tbsp) to a saute pan.
3. Sauté diced onions & garlic until translucent (5-10 min).
4. Add small, bite-sized veggies of your choice, seasoning with a little salt each time a new veggie is added in. Cook for approximately 5-10 min, or until veggies are soft. Once veggies are cooked, reduce heat to low.
5. Beat eggs in mixing bowl and season with some salt and pepper.
6. Add eggs to saute pan & stir continuously to incorporate all veggies until eggs begin to set. At this point they will look almost like runny scrambled eggs. Remove from heat.
7. Pour half of egg/veggie mixture into pie pan or casserole dish (greased with butter or olive oil).
8. Add some grated cheese (Neighborly Farms cheddar is de-lish!).
9. Pour the rest of egg/veggie mixture on top. Top with some more cheese.
10. Put pie pan/casserole dish into the preheated oven & cook for approximately 12-20 minutes until top and edges begin to turn slightly golden. Baking time may vary.
Hakuna Frittata!
The Dogma Box includes produce sourced as close to Boston as possible. Similar to a CSA, this box is filled with the best organic produce from local and regional farms.
This week’s Dogma Box contains:
- Beets- Winter Moon Farm (Hadley, Ma)
- Carrots – Winter Moon Farm (Hadley, MA)
- Celeriac – Red Fire Farm (Granby, MA)
- Sunchokes – Deep Root Organic Coop (Johnson, VT)
- Empire Apples – Dwight Miller Orchards (E. Dummerston, VT)
- Cucumbers – Deep Root Organic Coop (Johnson, VT)
- Potatoes – Nature’s Circle Farm (Houlton, ME)
- Turnips – Deep Root Organic Coop (Johnson, VT)
Stay warm and enjoy these local offerings.
Last week we launched our 2013 Customer Survey so we can learn more about your Boston Organics experience and figure out ways to improve our service. We have already received a lot of insightful information and we look forward to reviewing everything! This week’s vegetable boxes will be getting a taste of spring with some Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, and bok choy! Check out this week’s newsletter!
This week we have delicious organic pea shoots from Jonathan’s Sprouts of Rochester, Massachusetts. Pea shoots have an irresistibly fresh flavor and we love when they’re available!
Pea shoots are the edible leaves of the traditional garden pea plant. The traditional pea plant takes the whole summer to grow in order to produce pea pods, but pea shoots are harvested within 2 to 4 weeks, creating super tender and flavorful roughage. These tender leaves can be used as a substitute for traditional salad greens or as a complement to leafy salads, soups and more!
Check out these 4 ways to use pea shoots!
1. Pea shoots can add a fresh perspective to the starchy texture of potatoes. Try adding them to mashed potatoes to make delicious Pea Shoot Fritters.
2. Salads are probably the most popular uses for pea shoots. Their tender leaves make a great substitute for leafy greens and they add a burst of sweet pea flavor to salads. Check out this flavorful recipe for Pea Shoot Salad with Chorizo, Almonds, Lentils, and Couscous.
3. Pea shoots are versatile and bring a lot to the table when raw or cooked. They can turn into a simple, flavorful side dish in minutes! Try this 2-minute Asian style recipe for Pea Shoots with Garlic!
4. Soup is the perfect remedy for a brisk day. This recipe for Tofu Soup with Pea Shoots is light and nutritious, getting much-needed fiber and texture from pea shoots.
Click here to learn more about pea shoots and other nutritious sprouts!
The Dogma Box includes produce sourced as close to Boston as possible. Similar to a CSA, this box is filled with the best organic produce from local and regional farms.
This week’s Dogma Box contains:
Stay warm and enjoy these local offerings.
Sunday is St. Patty’s Day, and we’ve got plenty of green veggies to get you in the spirit. Kale and lettuce are coming in from Florida, and we have local pea shoots from Jonathan’s Organic of Rochester, MA. We’re also getting tasty local veggies including Chioggia beets, sweet potatoes, celeriac, rutabaga, golden carrots, and Russet potatoes. Check out the newsletter!
The Dogma Box includes produce sourced as close to Boston as possible. Similar to a CSA, this box is filled with the best organic produce from local and regional farms.
This week’s Dogma Box contains:
Stay warm and enjoy these local winter offerings.