We have been out to all our farms this week picking up wonderful things like turnips, mustard greens, arugula, and much more!  We bundled up because its been freezing but hopefully everyone will enjoy all of the hard work.  In the coming month we hope to see more chard, beets, cabbage, and anything else we can get our hands on that is organic, local, and yummy.

New locations- Addison is a go for Jan 2, 2009 so all of you up north grab your friends and family to jump on board in getting local organic goods.  West Plano has been put on pause for the time being because our studio opening there has had a hick up.  Please stay tuned for more information on both of those places.

Dec 12 Pick Up – Here are some of the amazing things in this bin:  Beets, Avocados, Pink Lady Apples, Rio Star Texas Grapefruit, Turnips, Arugula, Mustard Greens, Celery, Baby Carrots, Romaine, and much much more.  The flavor and taste of local produce is like none other.  We hope you enjoy how easy it is to get the best when you’re a part of The Movement Co-op.

Bin Problem – We really need some help with people returning bins.  This helps everyone out.  So if you have any extra bins at your house for whatever reason please stop by and give us a visit.  We promise not to hurt you!

The rains have finally calmed down, and the sun has started to shine.  The farmers are happy and the fall harvest has started.  Over the next several months you’ll see more root veggies and different types of greens.  We work as a cooperative so please put comments on the blog and let us know what you’d like to see more of.  If we have enough people respond we’ll do our best to make it happen!

Holiday Pick-Ups
Because we will have 2 co-op pick-ups on major holiday weekends, we know a lot of people will be gone. So we are allowing co-op member the option  to SKIP these dates and these dates only: Saturday, Nov 28 & Saturday, Dec 26, 2009. In order to miss these pick-ups and not have to pay you MUST email us at organic@themovementdallas.com and let us know you will miss that week.  You will then be back on the list for the following share.

We’re Growing – New Locations
After much anticipation, we’re excited to announce 2 new locations for The Movement Studio and Organic Co-op: Addison and West Plano!  We have grown quickly, and folks up north are dying to get involved.  So we are now enrolling Co-op members for the two new locations.  If you’re interested in switching, or have friends or family in Addison or West Plano who might be interested, email us at organic@themovementdallas.com.  Stay tuned and we will let you know the locations of our new studios.  We’ll also need more volunteers to make those locations a success, so let us know if you’d like to volunteer!

Here’s a great way to use your Swiss Chard from the October 31st co-op share!

Swiss Chard with Raisins and Bacon
1/2 large onion, sliced lengthwise 1/4 inch thick (1 cup)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 pounds Swiss chard, center ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup water
2-3 strips chopped bacon (from the co-op)

Chop bacon and cook in pan until crispy.

In separate pan, cook onion with 1/4 teaspoon salt in 2 tablespoons oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until softened. Sprinkle with paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add chard in batches, stirring frequently, until wilted, then add raisins and water. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 7 minutes. Season with salt.

Add cooked bacon to the chard mixture and toss together to serve.

Rain, rain, and more rain.  It’s vital to a thriving farm, but too much of anything is not good.  The past couple of weeks have hit local farmers hard, and we will see a lack of local produce this week.  We are working on putting together enough okra, pears, arugula, and maybe thyme this week.  A quick note on pears – some of them are hard and have not fully ripened.  They will soften up, so be patient.  But if you can’t wait, they are marvelous sautéed slowly in a pan with butter – your next breakfast treat!

Everything is either under water or so muddy that the farmers can’t get to them.  There is a slight chance for radishes and broccoli this week but it might be the Oct 31st pick-up until we see those.  We got excited about tomatoes, but the cloudy days have really put a halt to getting anything from the plants.

We have had a lot of folks respond and say they don’t know what to do with certain items.  First, check this website often for new recipes.   If you still have a question, we encourage you to post it on our website or email us.  There is probably someone else out there with the same question, and we can help everyone out.

The Movement Organic Co-op Incentive of the Month – We encourage everyone to share how wonderful the Organic Co-op is with friends and family.  So for this Saturday, Oct 17th if you bring someone with you who has never been to the Co-op we will give you a free jar of local raw honey.  If that person signs up on Sat then we will give you a free  full pound of honey!  It’s our way of saying “Thank You!”  This Organic Co-op only works because of all of you.

As the weather starts to cool we will post a bunch of our favorite soup and stew recipes.  Since we just got butternut squash, Gala apples, and chives in our produce share this past weekend, this soup is perfect!

Creamy Butternut Squash & Apple Soup
1 Tbs raw butter (from the co-op)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow onion (from the co-op) – about 1 1/2 large onions
1 Tbs mild curry powder
2 1/2 lbs butternut squash (from the co-op) – about 1 large
2 Gala apples (from the co-op)
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup raw cream (from the co-op)
3-4 chives (from the co-op)

Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stock pot over low heat for 15-20 minutes, until onions are tender.  Meanwhile, peel the squash, remove seeds, and cut into chunks.  Core apples and cut into chunks (you can peel them or leave the skin on, your preference).  Add squash, apples, salt, pepper, and chicken broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30-40 minutes until squash and apples are very soft.  Purée soup with immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender.  Return soup to the pot and stir in the raw cream.  Garnish with chopped chives.

If you haven’t tried the sweet potatoes from Kemp, TX yet, you are in for a treat!  A wonderful family that lives down the road from Full Quiver Farm pulled every last pound they had for us.  We suprised a couple families with football-sized potatoes in their produce share!  Take a look at Josh Smith during Saturday morning’s sort.

Our favorite 3 ways to have sweet potatoes are: baked, fries, and hash.  Enjoy these 3 recipes and if you have any favorites please post them below.

Sweet Potato Hash
1 sweet potato (local co-op) – diced into cubes
1/2 yellow onion (co-op) – diced
2 Tbs coconut oil – Tropical Traditions
1/4 tsp each of sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, & oregano

On stovetop, heat a pan to medium heat, then add coconut oil.  Add onions and potatoes along with spices.  Slowly cook, tossing every once in awhile to keep from sticking.  The key to great hash is crispy potatoes, so make sure you have enough oil.  If the potatoes look dry, add more oil.  Serve with farm-fresh eggs cooked to order.

Baked Sweet Potato
1 sweet potato – wrapped in foil or placed on baking sheet
Cinnamon
Raw honey (local co-op)
Lots of butter
sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400.  Place potato on a baking sheet or wrap it in foil because as the sweet potato cooks, it can let out a lot of juices.  Bake for about 40-60 min depending on the size of the potato and your oven.  You want it fork tender.  When done, open that bad boy up and make it happy with butter, honey, and cinnamon.

Sweet Potato Fries
The key to great fries is enough oil coating the fries to crisp them up in the oven.  Only use coconut oil or lard (bacon grease) because olive oil will start to smoke at high heat.  Also try and cut the fries evenly.

2 sweet potatoes – cut in the shape of fries
2-4 Tbs coconut oil or bacon grease/lard
1/2 tsp each – sea salt, cracked pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano, & smoked paprika.

Preheat oven to 425.  Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper to keep the fries from sticking.  In a large bowl combine potatoes, oil, and spices.  *You may not need all of the spices.  As a rule of thumb you want to over season when baking fries.  Just make sure they’re coated very well.  Toss the fries a couple times during the bake.  Cook for 20-25 min.  Pay attention because baking times can vary.  What you want is a crispy fry but not a burnt one.

The pears from the Saturday, October 3rd produce share came from Athens, TX.  These softball-sized pears have been growing in a beautiful orchard for 100 years!  The Morrison Family says “Howdy!” to the co-op and hopes we all enjoy these delicious guys.  Below are some pictures so you can see where your fruit is coming from.  Check out the old time well that still works!  As the pears ripen they will soften a bit and get sweeter and juicy.  While they are still firm, a great recipe to try is our Pears in Butter Cream Sauce!

Kristine Orth, Steve Orth, Tommy Dyer

Our wonderful friends at Eden Creek Farm got up at 2am on Saturday, October 3rd with head lamps on to pick these wonderful items for us.  Here is a photo of Tommy at the pick-up location in Ennis, TX with Steve & Kristine Orth from Eden Creek.  I’m sure you know by now that you’ve never tasted so much flavor.  That’s because these goodies are not only grown organically, and it doesn’t get fresher eating it the day it was harvested!

Arugula – Try throwing this in a pan with sautéed onions and mushrooms. Heat a pan on medium low with olive oil and add sliced or chopped onions.  Sprinkle some sea salt and let it cook low and slow for about 20 minutes.  As it starts to soften and become a slightly brown color, add the sliced mushrooms and then arugula.  Use this as a filling for fajitas, topping on a bison burger, or on top of a hot bowl of polenta and raw cheese for a veggie bowl like none other.

Our other favorite way to use arugula is to eat it raw.  Make bite-sized lettuce wraps with them.  Wrap the arugula around eggs and chicken sausage in the morning or try grass-fed beef with raw pepper jack.  Delicious!

Basil - Try torn basil leaves with Full Quiver Farms Mozzarella cheese, juicy sliced tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil drizzled on top. It’s also great torn into salads or chopped into scramble eggs.

Chives – These have a delicate wonderful flavor and they like to dance with dairy.  So chop them up finely and put them on your fried eggs or mix into your sour cream before you bite into a grass-fed beef taco.  The weather is cooling down and a great way to finish of your bowl of tomato basil soup is with a handful of chopped chives.  An easy way to cut chives is to snip little pieces off with kitchen scissors.

Important Note – these items should be eaten within the first week to enjoy them at their best!

Enjoy!  If you have any other ideas of ways to eat these goodies, post a comment and let us know!

If you did not pick up a letter on 10/3/09 here it is.  This gives you all of the updates from our farms.

coopnews100309

Because we are now getting produce from local farmers our list of what is coming will be posted the week of the co-op.  There will also be a lot of last minute changes depending on the weather.  For example we are wanting to get tomatoes from a farmer in Royse City and it will all depend on the weather this week on if we will get them.    We just got the sweet potatoes in our studio.  Just pulled from the ground and the crates came with a family of crickets.  That’s when you know its organic!  We were going to have a variety of peppers but the weather was not friendly so we couldn’t get enough.  But here is what we have so far and we think you’ll love it!  If its local we will tell you where its coming from.

Covered field in Royse City for greens

Veggies
Arugula- Blooming Grove, TX
Sweet Potatoes – Kemp, TX
Okra – Couple farms:  Emory, TX & Royse City, TX
Carrots
Yellow Onions
Basil & Chives – Blooming Grove, TX
Butternut Squash

Fruit
Pears – Athens, TX
Tomatoes (several varieties) – Royse City, TX
Avocados
Gala Apples
Grapefruit
Bananas
Honeydew Melons

If you’d like to take a look at what is coming in the produce bin on Sept 19 take a look…

Basic Share $50
Broccoli  1 bunch
Cabbage, Green  1
Corn  4-5 ct
Eggplant, Globe 1
Lettuce, Green Leaf  2
Onions, Yellow  1.75-2 LB
Potatoes, Red  3 lb Bag
Squash, Zucchini  1.75-2 LB
Tomatoes (Regular)  2
Avocados, Hass  2
Banana, Green  3.5 – 4 LB
Berries, Raspberries 6 oz pkge
Grapefruit, Ruby Pink  1.75 – 2 LB
Peaches  1.75 – 2LB
Plums, Black & Red 2LB
Extra Fruit Share $30
Banana, Green  3.5-4 LB
Grapes, Seedless, Red 1 bag
Grapes, Seedless, Green 1 bag
Pears, Bartlett  6-7 ct
Plums, Black & Red  1.75 – 2 LB
Extra Veggie Share $16
Broccoli  1 bunch
Corn  4-5 ct
Eggplant, Globe 1
Lettuce, Green Leaf  2
Tomatoes (Regular) 2

You spoke, and we listened!  We’re making some big changes in order to make this the best Organic Co-op in Dallas!  Download the letter detailing the changes here…

Prices are changing all of the time and as we build new relationships with local farmers things change.  So if you want the most accurate prices please email us at organic@themovementdallas.com.  This new price list shows prices for Wild Salmon, Grass Fed Bison, Local Raw Honey, and Organic Produce…

CoopPriceList

Here is the list of what is coming in our next produce pick up.  If you’d like to order anything extra then remember they have to be ordered.  Partial Cases are due to us by this Saturday, Aug 29 at noon.  Extra veggie or fruit is by Tuesday, Sep 1 at noon.  Email us at organic@themovementdallas.com.  Remember because this is a Holiday Weekend you have the option to skip this produce.  We need an email by Tues Sep 1 letting us know you are doing that.  If you want to see the LIST read on…

Basic Share $50
Broccoli  1 bunch
Carrots 2 lb bag
Celery   1 bunch
Chard, Green 1 bunch
Corn 4-5 ct
Cucumbers  1.5 -2 LB
Lettuce, Green Leaf  2 ct
Radish, Red  1 bunch
Spinach 2 bunches
Tomatoes, Roma (Plum)  .75-1 LB
Banana 3.5 TO 4 LB
Melons, Cantaloupe    1
Oranges, Valencia 6 ct
Peaches, Colorado  1.5-2 LB
Plums, Black & Red 1 LB

Extra Fruit Share $30
Berries, Blueberries 6 oz
Grapes, Seedless, Red  1 bag (approx. 2 lbs)
Grapes, Seedless, Green, 1 bag (approx. 2 lbs)
Melons, Cantaloupe   1
Nectarines  1.5 – 2  LB

Extra Veggie Share $16
Broccoli  1
Chard, Green 1 bunch
Corn 4-5 ct
Parsley, Curly 2 bunches
Tomatoes, Roma (Plum)  1 LB

You may also order Partial Cases of the items above.  If you’d like to order and know the prices then please contact us at organic@themovementdallas.com.  You can also get these items below that are not coming in the above shares:

Kale
Romaine Lettuce
Russet Potatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Gala Apples
Hass Avocados
Strawberries

We get tons of questions from people in our Organic Co-op on how to take the best care of the fresh produce we’re receiving in our bin every two weeks.  Start using our Top 5: Produce Tips, and you’ll see how easy it is!

1. First Week vs. Second Week. As soon as you get your produce, decide which items you need to eat the first week, and which items you can save for the second week.  First week: eat perishable/fragile/ripe items first.  For example, berries.  Lettuce should be eaten in the first 3-4 days or preserved (see #2).  Second week: Save the more hardy/unripened fruits like oranges, grapefruit, etc.  Let bananas ripen, then peel, slice, and freeze them to use in shakes with coconut milk!
2. Clean & Preserve Lettuce. Because it’s organic and fragile, it’s the quickest thing that will go.   First, we highly recommend you get a salad spinner.  They’re about $20, but the value is so worth it!  The very first thing you need to do when you get home is separate the leaves, wash them, and spin them in your salad spinner.  The lettuce leaves need to be dry so they will stay fresh.  If any of the leaves are wilted, you’ll find that the cold water will perk them up.  Then wrap your lettuce in layers of paper towel and place them in an airtight container or ziploc bag.  Use them for salad or lettuce wraps!
3. Pick Up Produce Early. During the hot months, produce can wilt quickly as it sits in the parking lot waiting for you to pick it up!  We highly suggest you pick up your produce as close to the 9:30am pickup time as possible!
4. Plan Meals Ahead. On our website, we put up a list about 1 1/2 weeks in advance so you know what produce is coming in the next share.  Check this list, plan out meals, and know what meat and dairy you need to pick up on Saturday to accompany your fruits and veggies!    Be adventurous and creative!
5. Ask Us for Help! Not sure what to do with beets?   Not sure what those little flying saucers are in your produce bin?  Ask us!!!  We are more than happy to help you plan recipes and provide tips for produce with which you’re unfamiliar.  Please don’t let your produce go to waste simply because you don’t know what to do with it.  We want to make this as enjoyable as possible, and a great learning experience! Call us or email us with questions: organic@themovementdallas.com