We compiled helpful tips to extend the life of your organic produce – check it out here:
Carrots: Cut off the tops, store in the refrigerator in a closed container with plenty of moisture.
Celery: Place in a shallow cup or bowl of water on the counter or in the refrigerator.
Summer squash and zucchini: Leave on the counter; wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.
Eggplant: Leave on the counter; don’t wash until ready to use.
Beets: Cut off the tops, then store in an open container covered with a damp cloth.
Onions, garlic, shallots: They should be kept out of the refrigerator but in a cool, dark place.
Vine-ripened tomatoes
Tomatoes: They are happier on the counter. For larger tomatoes, store them in a single layer, upside down on a plate to keep them from rotting too quickly. Eggplant and summer squash are happiest on the counter, too.
Peppers: Keep free of moisture until ready to use; store on the counter or in the crisper for longer storage.
TheVillageGreenShop sells organic brown mountain rice. It is rounder in shape, lighter in colour and flavourful and fluffier if cooked perfectly. In order to achieve the same quality we would like to share some tips from our favourite healthy cooking site Eating Well for some advise.
How to Cook Brown Rice & Wild Rice: Rice to Liquid Ratio, Time and Directions
Grain
(1 Cup)
Liquid
(water/broth)
Directions
Yield
Brown Rice
2 1/2 cups
Bring rice and liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 40-50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3 cups
109 calories; 23 g carbohydrate; 2 g protein; 2 g fiber.
Wild Rice
At least 4 cups
Cook rice in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water until tender 45-55 minutes. Drain.
2-2 1/2 cups
82 calories; 17 g carbohydrate; 3 g protein; 1 g fiber.
Completing the process is the resting period for at least 5 minutes with the lid on. Food-science expert Harold McGee says this “resting period” allows the grains of rice to cool and become firm, so that the rice doesn’t break when scooped from the pot. Once rested, fluff rice with fork, and you should have a light and aromatic final product!
A week of glorious sunshine has done a lot of good to our veg especially the root ones, fruits and other non-leafy veg. No wonder our tomatoes are red, juicy and flawless these days which looks gorgeous on salad and taste rather sweet which is perfect accompaniment to kesong puti and sweet basil salad. Avocado is back again at the farm stand! Everyone is asking for this fruit including papaya the past week. There are great reasons why we should eat plenty of avocados. It is a super antioxidant food that is loaded of Vitamin E and anti-aging properties that helps skin produce collagen (smoothens face and prevents wrinkles). The healthy fat in avocados protects your heart and fights off high cholesterol.
How do we eat them?
Aside from the famous creamy dessert most Filipinos love to eat we would like to share our version – fruit salad – we toss all seasonal fruits together such as mango, banana and buko shreds and carabao’s milk. Sweeten with honey and sprinkle with cashew nuts. Mangos add zing and tangy layer to the creamy texture! So good!
We also make our own ice cream by blending avocados together with carabao’s milk and coco sugar and toss in roughly chopped mint and cashew nuts. Refrigerate for about 4 hours or longer.
We also mash avocados for guacamole! Also avocados are great accompaniment to mix lettuce greens and shrimp salad with extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of herb salt. We also layer avocados in sandwiches. And who has not heard of avocado pesto pasta? Quite easy, tasty, and very healthy too! Combine basil, nuts, avocados, lemon juice, garlic, and oil in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Pour on freshly cooked linguine. ¡Que rico!
We are delighted about our spinach these days. The harvest so far is the small delicate variety which is excellent for omelette, quiche, frittata, garlic sautéed dish or simply for juicing.
Focus veg/salad green this week: Mizuna and Oyster mushroom. These are new additions to our expanding list of produce.
Mizuna has a savoury flavour. Their long stem reminds me of arugula. How do we eat mizuna? We toss them on to salad greens, or add the leaves as topping to stir-fry veg, pizza, pasta dishes, and soups or blend into pesto or as a surprise layer to sandwiches. I also chopped the leaves roughly and sprinkle on to garlic or bacon marble potato dish.
Mushrooms have delicate flavour. We add them to pasta, beef stroganoff, stir fry veg, omelette, noodles, and other Asian dishes.
Hot products at TheVillageGreenShop: Each week we fill our subscriber’s weekly basket of the following popular items: Probiotic, carabao’s milk, pakbet mix, assortment of green & leafy veg, red and white onions, avocados, papayas, salad greens and tomatoes and calamansi, brown eggs, brown rice, saba and wild honey. For meat – Beef tenderloin, Beef kenchi, ground beef lean, pork steak, skinless pork chop, Canadian bacon, longganisa, garlic sausage and hibiscus vinaigrette.
Out of season most desirable product: Kale. Is a powerhouse of vitamins A, C and E including manganese, iron, calcium and potassium and prevents cancer.
Something to look forward to: CSA or simply Community Supported Agriculture that TheVillageGreenShop is developing. This is a great scheme to offer Metro Manila residents direct access to local and seasonal farm fresh produce grown by regional farmers within the 20 mile radius. Basically you buy a share of veg and our network of farmers will deliver your share to our food drop in your neighbourhood. Shares can include 7-10 types of veg for a family of 4 -5 or you can buy half a share for smaller families or if you love eating out. More on this….
Questions, comments, suggestions: We love to hear your thoughts contact us – 0927 675 5199/villagegreenshop@btinternet.com
One of the things that we are proud of is that our food is grown on living soil that not only provides soul-satisfying flavour but most of all offer natural therapeutic and healing remedies. Red onions for example are often valued highly for its flavour . Our weekly harvest offerings include red and white onions which our subscribers love so much. Our own research showed that red onions are packed with quercetin that keeps free radicals at bay.
Quercetin is a bioflavonoid that is particularly well suited for scavenging free radicals. Aside from its antioxidant properties, quercetin has been found to possess cancer-fighting, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. It has shown promising potential for preventing and controlling the formation of intestinal polyps, suppressing the rhinoviruses that are the underlying cause of common cold, treating psoriasis, and inhibiting the replication of viruses including the herpes simplex virus that can cause cold sores. It has also been shown to reduce the risk of stomach cancer: according to one study, half an onion a day could reduce the risk of stomach cancer by 50%.
Organic red onions are available weekly at TheVillageGreenShop.
You can enquire at0927 675 5199/villagegreenshop@btinternet.com
Our clients love cucumbers! It’s one of the most in demand veg each week in our food basket. We love it too on our salad, fruit shake or as a dip to our grilled pork, lamb or chicken.
As a dip it is best to make it into a meze (pronounced meh-ZEH) or as an appetizer.
Over the years of living in Europe and loving Mediterranean food, we learnt how to make Tzatziki which is a tangy dip to not only kebabs or grilled pork or chicken but to pita bread as well.
If you are a beginner, we found this straightforward 2 step recipe from the BBC. So easy to make –
Tzatziki
Ingredients
350g/12oz Greek yoghurt
1 cucumber
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic grated finely
dash of extra virgin olive oil
paprika for spinkling
Preparation method
The best result is achieved by peeling and de-seeding the cucumber before grating. Hang the grated cucumber in muslin cloth or a tea towel in order to squeeze out all the excess liquid.
Combine the yoghurt, cucumber, lemon juice and garlic. Add a dash of olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.
Carrots: Cut off the tops, store in the refrigerator in a closed container with plenty of moisture.
Summer squash and zucchini: Leave on the counter; wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.
Beets: Cut off the tops, then store in an open container covered with a damp cloth.
The VillageGreenShop, your sustainable food enterprise 