Tag Archives: Sunizona Family Farms

FarmBox Fresh: 6/12/2013

14 Jun

I haven’t posted FarmBox picture recently, and since they started offering new items, I wanted to make sure to give an update!  They now are offering items like oats, lentils, peas, raisins, and other items from their sister company, One Degree Organic Foods.  Plus, they provided us with a copy of a new magazine, Edible Baja, which is all about food and drink in southern AZ.  It’s a really neat magazine!

FarmBox Fresh: 6/12/2013

 

So, this week you can see I got the following:

1 Bread – Sprouted Spelt (1.0 loaf)
1 Lettuce – Green Leaf (1.0 head)
1 Zucchini (1.0 each)
1 Squash – Yellow Straightneck (1.0 each)
1 Radish (1.0 bunch)
1 Carrots (1.0 bunch)
1 PantryItems: Rolled Oats Organic (1.0 bag)
1 PantryItems: Raisins Organic (1.0 bag)

Total: $23.50

The carrots and radishes have been great snacks, and I’ve been on a salad kick lately, so the green leaf lettuce is perfect for salads for lunch.  I think I will be making oatmeal raisin cookies with the oats and the raisins, that is, if I don’t eat all the raisins first!  Still love getting fresh food from them, and happy to hear that they are partnering with farms with the same quality values as them to be able to provide more for us who participate in the program.  Looking forward to them offering peaches again soon from a local grower, last year they were amazing!

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FarmBox Fresh: 3/27/2013

29 Mar

I know I haven’t done this in a while, even though I still get a Farm Box weekly.  But, this week, I was very excited about my box, so I just wanted to share!

Sunizona Family Farms FarmBox 3/27/2013

 

This week, I did a Custom box and picked:

– Spouted Spelt bread: our favorite sandwich bread, very light and very tasty
– Seedless hothouse cucumber: making refrigerator pickles
– Green beans: My 4-year-old and 6-year-old LOVE green beans and can’t get seem enough of them right now!
– Beets: Making pickled beets and using the water from boiling them to color Easter eggs, hoping it works!
– Radishes: Kids and husband love them!
– Green leaf lettuce: Great for salads for me for lunch

And last, but not least, the item I was most excited about…

PEAS!

Sunizona Family Farms peas

 

We love peas, but they are usually so expensive or hard to find at the store, and they never seem to make it into the Bountiful Baskets rotation.  So, I was very excited to see them available through Sunizona.  And, they are delicious!  We will probably eat these raw.

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Ah, produce!

14 Jan

After being out of town for 2 1/2 weeks for the holidays and not participating in Bountiful Baskets or Sunizona’s FarmBox, my house had no produce!  Well, I take that back, I think my husband had gotten some bananas just before the kids and I got back.  So, I was very excited to get my FarmBox last Wednesday and then Bountiful Baskets this past weekend.

The FarmBox program has a few new items, citrus from Arizona Organic Family Farms, a raisin walnut bread, and hoagie buns.  First, I tried the raisin walnut bread, it’s really great!  I’m going to try some oranges this week and I’m looking forward to it.  Here is how my box looked last week:

Sunizona FarmBox 1/9/2013I picked a cucumber, micro cilantro, red potatoes #2 (non-perfect potatoes), raisin walnut bread, special spelt bread, radishes, green beans, and pink lady apples.  All delicious!  We really, really love the bread.

It was a good haul at Bountiful Baskets this week.  I got the conventional basket and the new juicing pack.  I have a juicer, but honestly, I got the pack more for the extra produce offered in it, it’s all things we love to eat.

Here is the conventional basket:

Conventional basket 1/12/2013Red potatoes, cucumbers, rainbow carrots, avocados, grape tomatoes, sweet peppers, strawberries, oranges, lemons, red delicious apples, golden delicious apples, and Asian apple pears.  I’ve already used the lemons to marinate chicken and potatoes for mashed potatoes.  We’ve been snacking on the peppers, cucumbers, carrots, and apples.  I also made guacamole with the avocados.

Juicing Pack 1/12/2013This is the new juicing pack.  Great mix of fruits and vegetables, celery, kale, baby spinach, carrots, beets, cucumber, limes, ginger, fuji apples, and a lemon.  I may juice some of this, but more likely we’ll just eat it.

Finally, I didn’t contribute for these, but snapped a picture of the 12 lb jar of honey and the 1/2 gallon of coconut oil, just to show what they look like.

Bountiful Baskets honey and coconut oil

Note: The type and amount of food may vary from another basket because of geographic location and because of variances in how case ends are distributed once everything is distributed evenly. I also volunteered and got an extra item for volunteering.

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Happy Thanksgiving!!

22 Nov

Well, another Thanksgiving meal has come and gone for our household.  Not really gone, because we have plenty of leftovers, but the big task of cooking it all is done.  I had my 2 little helpers this morning while I cooked, and I love that I get to cook and share the joy of making food with them.  I wanted to get a picture of the whole spread, but didn’t get a chance, but here is a plate with all we had:

So, starting top at going clockwise, here is what we had:

Turkey: Fresh, organic 21.5 pound turkey from Grateful Harvest, ordered through the Sierra Vista Food Co-op.  It cost a bit more than what I normally spend, but I think it was worth it.  It tasted amazing!  Although, I did use my “cheat” this year again, using a Reynolds Oven Bag, to cook the turkey.  I added cut up onion, celery, and carrots to the bag, rubbed the turkey in olive oil and poultry seasoning.  Sometimes, I think simpler is better!  The broth the collected in the bottom I kept for gravy.  Now, the turkey carcass is split up between my 2 slow cookers with new onions, celery, and carrots, plus water, to make turkey stock.  I’m going to have a lot of turkey stock, which is good since I haven’t made chicken stock in a while.

Dinner rolls: Ordered in my Custom FarmBox from Sunizona Family Farms bakery.  We love their sprouted Khorasan bread, and these are made with the same sprouted Khorasan wheat.  Delicious!

Mashed potatoes:  Red potatoes from Sunizona Family Farms, 2 pounds.  Left the skins on, diced, and cooked until soft.  Mashed and mixed in a stick of butter, 1/2 cup milk, and 1 tablespoon fresh chives, also from Sunizona Family Farms.

Wild Rice & Sausage Dressing: Recipe here.  Used Lundberg’s wild rice blend, then celery and onion from Bountiful Basktets and fresh parsley from Sunizona Family Farms.

Bread & Celery Dressing: Recipe here.  This year, I used Special Spelt bread from the Sunizona Family Farms bakery, and celery and onion from Bountiful Baskets.

Green Bean Casserole: Recipe here.  I used fresh green beans from Sunizona Family Farms to make it.  I really like this, but I really want to find an alternative to using cream of mushroom soup in a can.  I’ll be experimenting over the year to see what I can come up with.

Cranberry Sauce:  I used cranberries and oranges from Bountiful Baskets to make this.  This was a lot easier than I thought!  Here is how to make it.

What you need:

12 oz bag of fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
1/2 – 1 cup sugar, depending on how sweet you want it (I used 1/2 cup)
Juice of 3 oranges, or 1 cup orange juice

How to make it:

Dissolve sugar in orange juice over medium heat.  Add cranberries, and cook until cranberry skins have cracked and a gel starts to form, about 15-20 minutes.  Pour into serving bowl and sauce will set more as it cools.  

 

Sweet Potato Pie (not pictured): Recipe here.  I used sweet potatoes from Sunizona Family Farms.

 

It really turned out to be a great meal that my family and I all really enjoyed!  I hope that everyone else had a great Thanksgiving day as well!

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Ham and Pineapple Pizza

19 Nov

We had quite a bit of ham leftover from the Tangy Honey Glazed Ham I had made, plus some pineapple that I had cut for the glaze.  Coincidentally, I also had a pizza crust from the Sunizona Family Farms bakery.  So, what to make???  Ham and pineapple pizza!  It turned out so great!  So great, that I almost forgot to snap a picture!

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Time to thaw those Thanksgiving turkeys!!

19 Nov

Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and if you are cooking a turkey, it’s probably time to start thawing it in the fridge, if that’s the method you choose.  There have been a couple of years where I almost forgot to start thawing it out, or started it too late, so at the end, I had to put it in cold water to thaw it the rest of the way.

The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service has a fact sheet on safely making your turkey for the holiday, including guidelines on thawing and roasting your turkey.

Let’s Talk Turkey – A Consumer Guide to Safely Roasting a Turkey

I ordered a fresh turkey this year, so I get to skip the thawing process!  In addition to turkey, we will also be having mashed potatoes, bread and celery dressing, wild rice and sausage dressing, green bean casserole, dinner rolls, and sweet potato pie.  The potatoes, green beans, dinner rolls, and sweet potatoes are all from Sunizona Family Farms, the celery and bread from Bountiful Baskets, and the turkey I ordered through the Sierra Vista Food Co-op.  I am so ready to cook and eat it all!

What will you be cooking and/or eating this week?

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Borscht

21 Oct

 

I had heard of borscht, but never actually had it.  Beets are regularly available in Sunizona Family Farms FarmBoxes, so when my husband requested that I make this, I knew where I could get beets.  I also had gotten a head of cabbage and a bunch of carrots from them, then I had onion and potatoes from Bountiful Baskets and ground beef from Zaycon Foods.  Who needs the grocery store anymore?!?

In my search for the recipe, I discovered that everyone makes this a little different.  Even I varied some from the recipes I mainly used.  I only had ground beef on hand, so I used it instead of stew meat.  I also didn’t have tomato paste, so I used ketchup instead of the tomato paste and cider vinegar.  This does take a little time and effort, but it’s worth it!  It does have a little beet taste, but not really.  It’s more of a stew taste with all the different veggies in it.  And, fair warning, this makes a LOT, so be prepared to eat it for a few days or cut the recipe down.

 

Borscht
Based on recipes here and here

What you need:

16 cups water
2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced in 1/4″ rounds, then cut in fourths
1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
1 pound ground beef
2 carrots, cut in matchstick pieces
1 pound beets, peeled and cut in matchstick pieces
1 small onion, finely diced
1/3 cup ketchup (or 1/3 cup tomato paste and 1 tsp apple cider vinegar)
6 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh dill or 1  1/2 teaspoons dried dill
Salt and pepper

How to make it:

In a large soup pot, add the water and potatoes, bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are softened, about 15-20 minutes.  Add cabbage and cook another 5-10 minutes.

While the potatoes and cabbage are cooking, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat in a large skillet.  Add carrots, beets, and onion, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 15-20 minutes.  Stir in the ketchup (or tomato paste and vinegar).

Add the vegetable mixture to the soup pot.  Add bouillon cubes, lemon juice, bay leaves, dill, salt, and pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes at high heat to dissolve the bouillon, then reduce heat to a simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender to eating.  Serve hot, with a dollop of sour cream, if desired.

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Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa

12 Oct

Chipotle has become one of my favorite places to eat at, but I am cheap and can’t eat out a whole lot.  I recently found a great way to make Cilantro Lime Rice, but I wanted to see if I could find a way to make my favorite meat, barbacoa, as well.  I still had the red chili peppers and chipotle peppers from a Bountiful Baskets fajita pack, and it turns out those were the right start to the barbacoa.  I heated up a can of black beans, then made pico de gallo with jalapenos, red onion, yellow cherry tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic salt.  It turned out so good, it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time!

For the barbacoa, I made the sauce the day before and stored in the refrigerator.  Then, I bought a chuck roast from a rancher at the Farmer’s Market (Sky Island Brand/47 Ranch).  Yes, a little more expensive, but it is grass-fed beef, and much fresher and higher quality than what I can get at the grocery store.  Here is how to make it!

Copycat Chipotle Barbacoa
Based on recipes here and here

What you need:

1 quart chicken broth, divided
3 whole dried red chiles, seeds and stems removed
8 dried chipotle peppers, seeds and stems removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 bay leaves
Juice of 1 lime
4-5 lb chuck roast (bone-in or boneless, bone-in will give a little more flavor)

How to make it:

Place the red chiles in a small sauce pan and heat over high heat, turning frequently, until chiles are toasted and fragrant.  Add the chipotle peppers and 2 cups of the chicken broth.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer for about 15 minutes, until chiles are tender.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat the olive oil.  Add minced garlic and diced onions, cooking them until they are very brown.  Add cumin, cloves, oregano, salt and pepper, stirring constantly.  Add in the remaining chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, and the soaked chiles and their liquid.  Simmer until reduced by about half.  Pour the contents into a blender.  Start blending on a low speed, working up to high until well blended.  Set aside.

Place the skillet back on heat and sear each side of the chuck roast. Place chuck roast in a slow cooker and pour sauce over roast.  Add lime juice and bay leaves.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat is very tender.

Once meat is cooked, remove the bay leaves.  Remove any bones, and use 2 forks to shred apart the meat.  Stir the shredded meat into the remaining sauce.  Serve warm as desired.  Ideas include in tacos or burritos, over rice or tortilla chips, with salsa, cheese, sour cream, and/or guacamole.

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FarmBox Fresh: 9/19/2012

21 Sep

I picked some new things this week!  Here is what I got:

I got okra (thank you Gayle for sharing!), garlic, red leaf lettuce, green beans, zucchini, lemon cucumber, ugly duckling potatoes (not the prettiest potatoes, but still edible), kid size pumpkin, red & yellow cocktail tomato mix, Special Spelt bread, and red cocktail tomatoes. The pumpkin I will bake and puree at some point for my favorite fall pumpkin recipes.  We’ve been munching on the tomatoes.  The spelt bread was one he hadn’t tried yet, and it was great.  Very light, fluffy, moist bread.  They do any amazing job with their bread!  Now, it’s time to work on what to get for next week!

 

Note: I order a custom box and choose what I want in my box from their Web Store.  There may be variances in availability on different pick up days.

 

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Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

16 Sep

It has been a LONG time since I have had rhubarb and I’ve certainly never baked with it.  However, when it came up on the Web Store at Sunizona Family Farms, I knew I needed to get it.  Just raw, this rhubarb was so good and tart.  But, I wanted to make my ever favorite crisp with it, and since I had gotten strawberries from Bountiful Baskets, I knew they would be a good match.  Now, I did put a bit of sugar in this, so if you want to keep more of the tart flavor of the rhubarb, just decrease the amount of sugar.  I had this warm over some vanilla frozen yogurt and was in heaven last night eating it.  I wish rhubarb was more available here in AZ to have this more often!

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

What you need:

4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 lb chopped strawberries
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4-1/2 cup sugar, depending on the tart/sweetness you desire
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup oats or quinoa flakes
1/2 cup packed brown sugar

How to make it:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a 8×8 baking dish, mix together rhubarb, strawberries, cornstarch, and sugar.  In a bowl, crumble together butter, oats, and brown sugar.  Spread oat mixture evenly over the top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned.  Let sit for 5 minutes; serve warm.

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