Auntie Em's Kitchen, Catering and Local Organic Produce Delivery

Friday, December 6, 2013

Produce List for the Week of December 2nd

Leeks

Kale

Swiss Chard

Napa Cabbage

Spinach

Romaine Lettuce

Butternut Squash

Fennel

Carrots

Zucchini

Red Bell Peppers

Broccoli di Cicco

*List may vary depending on quantity and ripeness of produce.

The farm that we buy our winter citrus from doesn’t have any this year because they didn’t get pollinated by bees. The farm hasn’t been able to determine why this occurred. It also happened to them about seven years ago. So, sadly, we won’t have any citrus in the baskets this year.

Auntie Em's Produce Delivery Add-Ons

Email Michelle@auntieemskitchen.com at least 3 days before your next delivery and it will be delivered with your produce!

1 Dozen, Free Range Eggs $6.50

1 Sourdough Boule $3.00

1 Quart Organic Chicken Stew w/ 2 Homemade Biscuits $13.95 (serves 2 generous portions)

Donna's Mom's Meatloaf $8.95 (serves 2)

“Broccoli di Cicco is an heirloom, old-fashioned kind of broccoli. It's sweet like ‘regular' broccoli, it's what they developed the giant broccoli heads from. All the stems and leaves and everything can and should be eaten. Chop the whole lot and cook as you would a bag of ‘convenient broccoli florets.’”

Garlic Marinated Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 pound + broccoli di cicco , roughly cut up into pieces

Marinade:

3tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. finely minced garlic

2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil

1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. vinegar

pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mix the marinade ingredients together. Steam or quickly boil broccoli only until they are tender-crisp, 2-3 minutes. Drain immediately and chill broccoli in ice water to set color and stop the cooking process. Toss the well-drained broccoli with the marinade and let flavors blend for at least 1/2 hour. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Adapted from More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden, Shepherd and Raboff

http://mariquita.com/recipes/broccolidicicco.html

image source: bountifulgardens.org

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Why I Started Auntie Em's Organic Local Produce Delivery Service

You might have already figured out that these produce baskets are my passion. I opened the restaurant 10 years ago, and have been doing the catering for 14 years now. I hit a point a couple of years ago where the restaurant and the catering pretty much ran themselves. I have the best staff in the world (all friends). I found myself in a place where I didn’t have that much to do anymore. For months and months I tried to come up with something to do. Another restaurant-no way! If I were 20 again, I might have the energy to do it all over. But as you probably know, it is really hard to start a restaurant. I didn’t want to have to do it all over again.

While visiting New York a few years ago, I came up with the idea for the produce baskets. Everything in New York City is delivered! Dry cleaning, groceries, sheets, furniture, plants-everything. I would sit in cafes sipping coffee and watch chefs from all of the local restaurants wheel carts of food to office buildings. This really got me thinking. I would bring the beautiful produce from the local farms to my customers who cant get to the farmers markets. This, I knew was not reinventing the wheel, but I wanted to personalize my service. Give recipes, let customers know what farms their food is coming from, pick all of the produce myself, and really inspire people to start cooking again and get them excited about food. Most importantly, the service would give back to the community. It would support local, small sustainable farms; it would keep the money local, giving it to small local farms rather than a big corporation. Which also means that there are less people in our area having their food shipped in from who knows where. Less demand for food that has no taste, that is sprayed with pesticides, that is grown by giant corporations that only have regard for making money and don’t have a passion for what they are actually doing. Less demand for it means they sell less, produce less and ship less!

I also wanted the service to offer “cute” boxes, and not crummy grocery sacks; something that could be re-used over and over. This, to be honest, was the hardest part. I searched and searched high and low for an appropriate box. I finally designed and had made the boxes that you get today.

I wanted a grass roots company. Not a giant company that needed backers with lots of money to start it. That is how I started my restaurant. When we got more customers I would get more boxes made, and so on. I am happy to report we have a new space to pack the boxes. We grew out of the space that we used in the back of the restaurant. We have tripled the amount of customers that we started with. Yes, my team has grown from one (me) to Tommy and Scott (your delivery people), Michelle (handles new customers and billing) as well as Fabian and Virginia (who helps pack the boxes). The farms and farmers that I buy from are ecstatic. I am helping bring their hard work to more people.

Most of all my customers are happy. I get so many emails about what you are cooking, how much your kids love it, how this produce has totally changed they way you and your families eat and how you are introduced to produce you have never had before.

I set out to do everything I wanted and much more. I have a little community of healthy eating foodies, more friends that I am employing, happy farmers, and my little contribution to a healthier society.

Friday, December 6, 2013

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