LOCAL HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!
Heirloom tomatoes from Atlas Farm are ready to go! These tomatoes are outstanding!
Order here!

MAINE WILD BLUEBERRIES!
Organic Maine wild blueberries are still available! We're offering 5lbs boxes of these fantastic low-bush blueberries. We'll fill your orders as supply permits!
Order here!

BANANAS
You can order organic bananas by the pound on our add-on order form! It's a great way to mix things up if you get an all-veggie box!
Order here!

VERMONT MAPLE SYRUP
Organic Maple Syrup from Dwight Miller and Son Orchards in Dummerston, VT is back in stock! Great for baking and pancakes as well as mixing in yogurt!
Order here!

STRAWBERRIES
One pound containers of strawberries from California are now available. Kids love them as will your inner child!
Order here!

The lack of precipitation in western Massachusetts is a mixed blessing. On one hand, it's dry out there, inhibiting yields on crops that need regular steady rains to really flourish. On the other hand, as Gideon Porth of Atlas Farm said to us, it's a lot easier to get water into the field than it is to get water out of the field. It's easier for growers to irrigate crops than it is to deal with flooded fields and generally soggy conditions. If you'll remember last year, huge swaths of the northeast nightshade crops got slammed with late blight enabled by all that rain. Atlas Farm had to mow down row after row of tomatoes to prevent the spread of blight. Dry weather now means that blight is seriously inhibited, and this week, we will be getting blight-free field grown tomatoes and add-on heirloom tomatoes from Atlas's fields in Deerfield, MA.

The drier weather in the region also means more reliable availability of the five pound boxes of the wild Maine blueberry add-ons. This is welcome news to not only us down here, but also those folks in Maine who rely on the income the blueberries generate; it is a short season and any disruption including rain and an early frost can be devestating. Our connection up in Maine, Ben Perrin of Burke Hills gave us the green light a few days ago and we should have a good supply this week. However, the weather up in Cherryfield, ME indicates that it might be raining. We are reconfirming with Ben. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

In lettuce news, Atlas Farms and Lakeside Organics, both purveyors of fine lettuces, are between crops right now. We're sourcing Romaine this week from Happy Valley Organic Cooperative, a co-op of organic farms also in western Mass.

Another effect of the heat we've been having is a glut of cucumbers from local producers. We're helping Atlas move their huge crop of pickling cukes, and many of you will be finding these in your box this week. Pickling cucumbers aren't just for pickles (although, check out this recipe for pickles), they're great to snack on or to cut up and use in salads. Use them as you would slicing cukes!

We hope you enjoyed the edamame last week! We certainly did. We're continuing to get a steady supply of these beans from Rick and Laura at Pedersen Farms in Seneca Castle, NY. We've got another recipe for you and your edamame this week.

Two words: local apples! Read Miller at Dwight Miller and Sons Orchards in East Dummerston, VT (between Brattleboro and Putney, off Route 5) will be sending us our first local apples this season, Paula Reds. Paula Reds are a variety of McIntosh apples, and as early season apples, they're a little tart, and soften up well when cooked: great for applesauce! The Miller family has been farming in Vermont for eight generations, longer than Vermont has been a state. We've worked with them every year in recent memory, and we're quite happy to work with them again this year. We'll be getting apples from the Millers from now til they run out in January. This early in the season we'll supplement the local apples with varieties from other places but as things spin up, we'll get as many Miller apples in as many different types as we can.

And the final fruit note: we've got one pound clamshell containers of grapes this week, a change from our two pound bags. The one pound clamshells were a big hit last year and we're happy to be able to offer them to you again.

It does, in fact, feel like it's getting cooler, but 80 degrees in the sun is still summer. Read below for some suggestions about ensuring your deliveries are kept fresh if you're not able to receive them immediately.

As a reminder, if there is ever anything missing from your order or if there is a quality issue, please let us know. Your feedback will help to make sure that you are receiving the best possible service we can provide.

Enjoy your produce and have a wonderful week! Give us a call or drop us an email any time with suggestions or questions about the service, or just to chat.

Thank you!
The Boston Organics Crew

Dogma Box Update: A box consisting of items sourced as close to Boston as possible.
The first Dogma Box in a while with apples in it! We have Dwight Miller Orchards Paula Red apples for you this week from East Dummerston, VT. The fine folks at Lakeside Organics continue to supply the grape tomatoes, the corn and the bunch carrots, and Enterprise Farms the dandelion greens. Atlas Farms has mixed summer squash, kale and bell peppers for you, and Happy Valley Organic Co-op is providing the romaine lettuce. Goshen Hill Garlic Farm in Carlisle MA returns with hardneck garlic, and Pedersen Farms of Seneca Castle NY will be providing the pints of edamame.

Upcoming Events:
Boston GreenFest, August 19-21
We are going to have a table at Boston GreenFest this weekend in Boston City Hall Plaza! Come by and see us. There will be all kinds of family friendly events, from concerts to interactive presentations and workshops. Of course, we're excited about the the One Gallon Challenge, a race from Greenfield MA to City Hall Plaza for cars that can go 110 miles on one gallon of gasoline. For more information visit their website, and we'll see you there!

No-Lists! You can create a new no-list right up until 12PM on the day before your delivery, so feel free to change it whenever you would like to! On occasion we may receive a mix of lettuces (red/green leaf/romaine) and/or a mix of summer squashes (patty pan, yellow squash, zucchini). If you strongly dislike a particular type of summer squash or lettuce, we recommend adding zucchini and/or all types of lettuce to your no-list.

WARM WEATHER! The summer might seem like it’s almost over but we’ve still got at least a few weeks left of temperatures in the 80s, and we want your produce deliveries to stay fresh! Let us know if you need to move your drop-off location indoors or to a shaded area until the autumn. If you would like to leave a cooler out for us, your delivery driver will transfer as many items as possible from your new box into your cooler to help keep things fresh. If you would like to leave a cooler out, please leave a note on it that says "Boston Organics Delivery" and leave some icepacks in there too!

Recipe Search! You can now search for past recipes on our blog. Simply type in the main ingredient into the search bar, and all past newsletters that have relevant recipes will be returned. We plan to improve on this, but it is a start. We are always looking for recipes and cooking tips to share. Please email them to us at service@bostonorganics.com, or feel free to post them on our Facebook Page. (For those that submit a recipe/tip, you may find a surprise in your delivery!).

For more produce storage tips, please visit the storage tips section of our website.

RECIPES

Phyllo Pie With Spicy Kale

3/4 c butter
1 lb phyllo dough
1 1/2 lb kale
3 medium onions, chopped
8 oz sausage meat (omit for a vegetarian pie)
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp ground allspice
salt and pepper
2 eggs

1. Wash kale, discard thick stems, and chop into thin strips.
2. If necessary, remove sausage from casings and crumble it. Heat the butter in a large saute pan. Add the sausage and cook, stirring, until it is crumbly and brown, 3-5 min.
3. Transfer the sausage to a bowl using a slotted spoon to keep the grease in the pan.
4. Saute the onions in the grease until they are soft. Add the kale (you may have to add it in batches) then cover and cook gently until the kale is wilted, 3-5 min. Remove the cover and heat, stirring, until the moisture has evaporated, about 5 min.
5. Add the sausage to the kale with the allspice. Season to taste with salt and plenty of black pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool completely.
6. Lightly beat the eggs and stir them into the filling.
7. Heat the oven to 350. Melt the butter and brush a tart pan with butter.
8. Lay a folded damp dish towel on the work surface. Unroll the phyllo dough sheets onto the towel.
9. Using the tart pan as a guide, cut the pastry sheets to leave a 3 inch border around the pan where possible. Keep the trimmings for garnish. Cover the sheets with a second damp towel. Do not let the phyllo dough dry out or it will be hard to work with.
10. Put a phyllo sheet on top of a third damp towel and brush with butter. Transfer the buttered sheet to the tart pan, pressing it into the side. Repeat for each phyllo sheet until you have used half the sheets, arranging each layer perpendicular to the one before.
11. Spoon in the filling and spread evenly over the bottom.
12. Cover the pie with the rest of the phyllo dough, sheet by sheet, buttering each one and laying them on perpendicular to each other as you did for the bottom layers.
13. Pinch the sides together and cover with rough rosettes using the trimmings of the phyllo dough. Sprinkle with remaining butter and bake 45-50 min. If the pie browns too quickly, cover with foil. Let the pie cool slightly before cutting. Serve hot or at room temperature.

(Sent in and recommended by our customer Sarah, from Anne Willan's "Look and Cook Main Dish Vegetables")

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Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

9/6/10 Note: A customer reported a mistake in the water amount in this recipe! Sorry. We fixed it!

1/4 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 lb pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
1 small bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included)
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1/2 tsp whole white peppercorns
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 c water
1/4 c sugar
3/4 tbsp coarse kosher salt
1/2 tsp dill seeds

This recipe can be modified as necessary for the amount of cukes you have. Divide sliced onion between two 1-quart wide-mouth glass jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill. Using mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag and mallet, crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, 1 1/2 cup water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours. Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids. This can be made 1 week ahead. Keep refrigerated.

(Based on a recipe from Bon Appetit, June 2008)

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Crispy Edamame

1/2 lb fresh edamame
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Boil water in a medium pot. Depending on your preference, you can salt the water, about 1/2 tablespoon for salt lovers or 1 teaspoon for less salt. Add edamame a small handful at a time, being careful not to splash boiling water. Boil for 5-6 minutes, testing the beans occasionally. Edamame should be firm with a little give. Mushy beans are overcooked beans! When cooked, drain the edamame and salt to taste. Spread the edamame out on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle grated cheese over the beans and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake in the oven until the cheese is golden, about 15 minutes.

9/6/10 Note: We got a few questions from customers about edamame, and you shouldn't eat the shells (or at least, we don't). You can squeeze the beans out of the shells in your mouth, eat the beans and discard the shells!

BOSTON ORGANICS GUARANTEE
We pride ourselves on delivering high quality produce to you in every box and filling your order correctly. We only want to send you produce that you can use, and by the nature of the service, every now and then we may miss an item or a bad item might slip by us. If you are missing an item or you receive produce that you are dissatisfied with, please let us know. We will add produce of equal value into your next delivery to compensate you or issue a refund.

Produce items and item sources are subject to change without notice due to the nature of the produce market. Click here to view our policies.

Have suggestions or a great recipe to share? Please let us know!
service@bostonorganics.com · 617.242.1700 · bostonorganics.com