Taste the Rainbow

          You may have done a double take last week when you peeked into your CSA box and saw vegetables that resembled a carrot, minus one pretty standard feature – the ORANGE color that most of us associate with this sweet and crisp veggie!
          However, these carrots are not some futuristic ploy to convince us to eat all of our vegetable servings each day.  Rather, they are a thing of the past.  Multi-colored or “rainbow” carrots have been around for thousands of years, originally used in Asia predominately for medicinal purposes.  Several hundred years ago Dutch growers planted orange carrots in the spirit of patriotism to represent the Dutch national color and the Royal Family House color (http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-for-your-home-garden/gourmet-color/a-rainbow-of-carrots.html).  And so began our recognition of today’s ordinary, orange carrot.
          All rainbow carrots have a similar nutrition profile; it’s the pigment in the plants that gives them their unique color and health properties.  ORANGE carrots contain beta-carotene which promotes healthy eyes and is important for the immune system.  RED carrots contain lycopene which we learned about a few weeks ago when toe-mah-toes were highlighted.  This pigment acts as an antioxidant and helps to prevent against heart disease and some cancers.  YELLOW carrots contain xanthophylls which form one of the major subdivisions of the carotenoid group.  These pigments also aid in the development of healthy eyes and prevent against macular degeneration.  PURPLE carrots get their characteristic color from the pigment class anthocyanins, which are powerful antioxidants.  Lastly, WHITE carrots lack pigment but contain other health-promoting substances called phytochemicals (USDA, 2004). 

          These multi-colored carrots can be eaten cooked or raw, and each color may carry a slightly different flavor.  Store raw carrots in the crisper section of the refrigerator to keep them fresh and crisp (CDC, Vegetable of the Month).  Give your palate some excitement by trying each of the different colors raw and cooked.   Shred them over a salad or pasta dish for a fun pop of color or cut them into strips and dip them in your favorite low fat dressing.   For a delicious and healthy side dish roast the carrots in the oven with your favorite spices (see recipe below).  If you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth try incorporating the carrots into a carrot cake or muffin recipe for a splashy confetti appearance!   That counts as a serving of vegetables, right?

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Written by Alison Galzki, RD, a graduate student in the Saint Louis University Department of Nutrition and Dietetics

Week 5 - First round of potatoes.

Hydropo---whaaaaat?

You may have noticed a different kind of lettuce in your share this week.  To start it came in a plastic container and it had its roots still attached.  This type of lettuce is known as a hydroponic variety, in this case specifically a hydroponic green leaf lettuce.

The term hydroponics originates from the ancient Greek "hydros," meaning water, and "ponos," meaning work. It can sometimes be mistakenly referred to as aquaculture, or aquiculture, but these terms are really more appropriately used for other branches of science that have nothing to do with gardening (Turner, 2012). 

Check out the video below to learn a little about hydroponics and to see how Disney is making use of this gardening method.  

Week 4: The last of the asparagus...

Introducing the Fresh Gatherings' Harvest Market

The market will be open every Friday afternoon in the Fresh Gatherings' Cafe.  Hope to see you there!

Here is a little preview of what we have available this week.  

Ready. Set. Market.

Each Friday, Michelle and I begin the day around 8 - with the Fresh Gatherings' Harvest Market hopefully starting at 11 and the Fresh Gatherings' Harvest pick up that afternoon... it makes for a busy morning.  While we have yet to make the 11 o'clock start time for the market, Michelle and I are working on the logistics and hopefully (fingers crossed) we will become more efficient in the next few weeks we can start the market early.  We appreciate your patience as we works towards meeting that goal - we'll get there! 

Why haven't we been able to meet that 11 o'clock start time?  Crate assembly.  While it isn't difficult, it is quite time consuming... Everything must be checked for quality and weighed out to ensure that everyone is getting the appropriate amount.  This is an excellent time for us to enjoy some great music with Pandora.  Does anyone have a favorite station they'd like to share? Anything vegetable-esque?  We're always out to make the vegetables happy.

Here is a little peak behind the scenes as we prepared your crates last week... 

Chinese broccoli. Is it broccolini?

Yes, and well, no.

Chinese broccoli, also known as kai-lan, is in the same species group as broccoli (Brassica oleracea) but is in a different group.  Broccolini, also a member of the same group, is a hybrid between broccoli and kai-lan, produced and trademarked by the Mann Packing Company, Inc.

Although Chinese broccoli tastes very similar to broccoli and can be prepared in pretty much the same way, Broccolini is usually a bit sweeter and the stalks more tender, which means it will cook more quickly. Nutritionally-speaking, they are comparable; both being a great source of vitamins A, C, and K. As for all those other compounds that make broccoli so good for you, such as sulphoranes, indoles and isothiocyanates, these are found in all cruciferous vegetables--including collard greens, cauliflower, mustard greens, kohlrabi and of course, Chinese broccoli, broccoli and broccolini!

Week 3: Here comes the yellow squash!