Market Update...

Hello Shoppers,

Happy Holidays!! Let me remind you again that this will be our LAST MARKET DAY OF 2011!! What a great year it has been. We appreciate each and every one of you and the support that you give to our community market every single week.

THIS WEEK: As you know, our canned goods make great Christmas and holiday gifts. We also have City Greens Produce mugs available for just 2 dollars each. With this being our last week until January 5th, you may also decide you want to stock up on bacon and eggs- we've got plenty of both! ALSO IN: two new types of naturally grown pecans.

Come in and learn about our deals that we have for you- specials on our sauce and cheese!

Happy Holidays to you all- we hope to see you in today between 11-5!

City Greens Update...

Hello Shoppers!

Come by today between 11-5. We have five different varities of greens to choose from, as well as some RED TOMATOES!! Cheese, pasta, nuts, bread, canned goods (all of the regular staple items)...

ALSO IN: Chickens (3.00/lb., all between 3.5-5 lbs.) and bacon!!!

Come hang out in City Greens on this beautiful Thursday :)

City Greens Update...

Hello City Greens Shoppers!

As you likely have heard by now (or assumed), we will NOT be open this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

The winter market has been very successful far, with two really great Thursday's. We realize it is not convenient for everyone to only be open on Thursday, but we hope that you'll still be able to find a chance to come visit us when you can.

From all of us at City Greens and Midtown Catholic Charities, happy Thanksgiving! We'll see you Thursday, December 1st!

City Greens Update...

Unfortunately due to a frost last night, our farmer's had a challenging time picking early this morning. They will be here at 12:30.

We are so sorry for the inconvenience.

When they do get here, we will have a large and diverse selection of fresh greens for you to choose from, as well as turnips, squash, potatoes, apples, and about 20 pounds of tomatoes.

ALSO we are having a special on our soups- 2 soups for $5!! Try the Red Velvet, the Golden Onion, Bean and Mushroom, Bean and Brat, Beef and Barley, and more.

NEW THIS WEEK: Chai Tea! $4.90 for 2 OZ's of some tasty chai tea.

So sorry again for the lateness of the produce. We appreciate your patience!

Hours Update...

City Greens Shoppers!

We have reached the point in the season when it's time to change our hours. We will now be open every THURSDAY from 11-5 for the remainder of the fall and the entire winter. Once spring comes around, we will be open Thursday's and Friday's once again!

As you have likely heard from us or seen in an email, our market will remain well stocked all winter long. Your meats and eggs will be here for you, as well as: breads, cheese, nuts (mixed and pecans), pastas, jams/jellies, peanut butter (regular+chocolate), canned goods (green beans, pickles, beets, etc.), and any fresh produce we are able to bring in to the market.

THIS WEEK:

Look for a great selection of greens, including rainbow chard, spinach, arugula, and mustard greens.
Our squash will remain well stocked, and grab some turnips and radishes while you're in as well. Red, white, and sweet potatoes, and fresh apples! Still time to make that delicious pie or apple sauce : )

Our meat freezer is full, with all of our staples- including a large amount of bacon! (First-come, first-serve).

And if you don't feel like cooking, don't forget about our home made line of soups. Jeffrey has supplied us with a truly diverse and quality slection, including: vegan black bean soup, curried carrot and pea soup, beef and barley, a mushroom and bean soup, an onion soup, and red velvet (tomoato) soup- and this week Jeffrey will be bringing us a brat and cheddar soup! They are frozen, so just take it home, defrost, zap it (or warm in a crock- pot)- what a great meal idea to enjoy some warm soup on a chilly fall day!

Need some cooking inspiration? How about a potato salad with bacon, olives, and radishes?

Ingredients

• 5 potatoes
• 1 pound bacon
• 2 stalks celery
• 4 small green onions
• 12 stuffed green olives
• 5 radishes
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 10 minutes.
2. Slice the bacon into small pieces and cook over medium high heat in a large, deep skillet until evenly brown. Do not overcook.
3. Chop the celery, green onions, stuffed olives and radishes into small pieces and put into a large bowl. Add the potatoes and bacon and mix together. Add the mayonnaise and lemon juice to taste, stir, and place in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill before serving. You may want to add a few sliced hard boiled eggs on top. ENJOY!!!

FOOD FOR ALL!! Hope to see you on Thursday.

Market Update!

Hello City Greens shoppers and supporters!

Come by and visit this week, we've got a nice selection of produce to choose from. We've got your squash (4 kinds), eggplant, green beans (really good snap bean variety), zucchini, green tomatoes (fry 'em up, very tasty!), GREENS (mustard, swiss chard, arugala), apples, radishes, turnips- and MORE!!

And of course all of our staple dry goods and pork products... as well as chickens this week! And try some of our cheese and pasta.

ALSO:

Tomorrow, Friday, come to our market as you normally do- but follow the signs to shop outside at our MOBILE MARKET!! It will be set up in our parking lot, and if you come as you normally do- you won't miss it. We'll be having a lot of fun, celebrating the beauty of fall- the nice crisp air- while helping everybody have access to tasty, affordable food! Plus if you haven't actually shopped at the mobile this season, than you can see what it is all about :)

Also enjoy the cooking samples and Halloween Health fair going on at Midtown!

Hope to see today or tomorrow everybody!

City Greens Shoppers!!

Hello All!

What a great last couple weeks we've had folks... with the additions of pecans, rice, pasta, and cheese to the mix, our market is preparing for a strong fall finish- as well as setting us up for consistent goods for all during our winter months. (FYI- no more cheese this week, but next week Tuesday-Friday we'll have it!)

As a reminder, we're open tomorrow (Friday) from 11-5, and we still have a great selection for everyone to choose from. LOTS of farm fresh eggs, apples, radishes (including diakon radishes), peppers (green, hot peppers, bananas), watermelon (possibly the last of the season...???), varities of greens (mustard, chard, kale), turnips, eggplant, potatoes (red and yukon gold+ kennebec), squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti, yello), zucchini, and more!

Our meat freezer is stuffed full of tasty, chemical free/ free range meat (BACON!, ground pork, pork chops, bratwurst, pork sausage, Italian sausage, chicken, ham steaks, etc...)

And we've got some wonderful fall/winter soups- like our vegan pumpkin spice (which we've been sampling today... very tasty), mushroom soup, red velvet (tomato soup), onion soup...

Of course our staple dry goods: jelly + jam, honey (flavored + raw), canned pickes (spicy + sweet), canned green beans (spicy + regular), canned beets... and MORE!!!

Hope to see you all soon... Thanks for all of your support :)

-City Greens Team

It must be fall when....

City Greens has APPLES!! And PUMPKINS!!!

We have a beautiful selection of SQUASH as well, including yellow, acorn, buttercup, butternut, and blue hubbard squash.

MORE NEW ITEMS:

Pecans! Make a pie, or just put together a healthy bag of pecans to snack on... these nuts will provide you with energy and many health benefits.

How about some Missouri grown long grain brown rice as well? Come check out our recipe which combines both pecans and rice.

ALSO IN THIS WEEK:

Pumpkins (decorative or pie), eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, green peppers, potatoes (red and white), sweet onions, apple butter, mustard greens, radishes.... and MORE!!

WE HAVE OVER 100 EGGS THIS WEEK- should be plenty for all to share :)

Join us for Lunch!

Hello All!

We have a pasta and salad lunch that we'd love to share with all of you... come in and enjoy as you shop for your produce!

New this week:

The transition into the fall crop season continues, as we see MUSTARD GREENS, RADISHES, and GREEN ONIONS join our mix this week...



Also enjoy our huge variety of squash and grab some of the biggest zucchini we've ever had at City Greens!

Thanks all

-City Greens

Rain, rain, go away... plus other updates!

Sorry folks, but rain and produce don't mix well... so no Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile today :(

NEWS THIS WEEK:

We were able to get ahold of some GROUND BEEF!! Of course it is free range, grass fed, chemical free... grass fed THROUGH THE FINISH.

It comes to us through the Master's Ranch. Here is what they have to say about their beef:

"There are a lot of different definitions for grass-fed and grass-finished out there.  Our definition is absolutely NO grain, distillers grain, grain by-products, or grazing standing grain.  We are forage-based only from conception to consumer.  This will include forbes, grasses, legumes and grazing most of the year round.  If the snow is deeper than a foot, we may feed hay harvested from our own ranch.  The beef meat we well to you is from animals raised without hormonal implants, antibiotics, or synthetic anti-parasitic products.  The meat is processed at Special D Meats in Macon, MO, a small butcher shop with a USDA inspector on staff.  Our meat is never mixed with other people’s meat."

We have 60 lbs. available, and it will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis. It is packaged in 1 lb. packs, and will be sold for $3.80/ lb.

Also new this week:

Edamame! Boil 'em, steam 'em, put a touch of salt on them... whatever you choose, enjoy!

ALSO:

You may have heard, but recently we were approved for a grant that will allow us to match EBT purchases (up to $20). So if you spend $15 in EBT, then you get to shop for $15 worth of produce FOR FREE! As you all know, our mission of providing fresh, local, produce for our community is our #1 goal- at an affordable rate. This grant helps those in our neighborhood stetch their valuable food money as far as they can.

As always, for supporting City Greens Produce. Hope to see you this week!

Have you visited our Mobile Market yet??

We'd love to see you at 39th and Russell tomorrow - we will have eggs available, as well as Companion bread and of course fresh fruits and veggies. Need a quick lunch? How about one of our summer soups, like our cantaloupe, coconut/ginger/carrot, or the red velvet (a cold tomato soup)?

MARKET UPDATE!!

Welcome to September!

NEW THIS WEEK: Mixed Nuts! From Grandma's Nuts... if you haven't heard of this fantastic local business, please come in and try one of Grandma's 2oz mixed nuts bags ($1.50)... Full of healthy benefits, not to mention the energy boost and overall HEALTHY feeling after snacking on these!!

We also have Bee Pollen available this week, and all of your other favorites!! Fresh tomatoes, watermelon (including some baby water melon this week for $3.00). Come in out of the heat and enjoy some fresh City Greens produce!!

MOBILE MARKET

Happy Wednesday! Come see our Mobile Market... The Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile will be at 39th and Russell with all of our great products from 9-11...

CHICKENS!!

Our beloved Amish friends have provided our shoppers with another round of cage free, free range chickens this week. They are between 4-6 pounds, and are sold for $2.80 per pound. The returns we have had in the past have been very positive, so come on in and hang out with us for awhile and grab a chicken. Labor Day weekend plans? How about cooking up a chicken to feed all of your friends and family!

As always, our sincere thanks to all for being part of our market. Please don't hesitate to call with any questions or concerns!

How bout them melons!!!

Hi everyone, its been a while since we've posted, but we have some new things going on in the market this week. Most notable of these is that we have melons in including watermelon. Thats right, everyone's favorite summer fruit is fresh ripe, ready to eat, and sold here at City Greens Produce for a minuscule $0.40 a pound!!! 

In addition to tasting delicious watermelons have some great health benefits. I found these seven nutrition facts. 

• They are ideal for health, as they do not contain any fat or cholesterol but are high in fiber content and water. The fiber content in watermelon scrubs out toxins from your system leaving your skin healthy and glowing. It serves as a natural enhancer of the digestion system of the human body. ·   
•  Watermelons are rich in a phyto nutrient called Lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable. Lycopene – the red pigment that is also present in tomatoes. Lycopene in the diet neutralizes free radicals in the system and reduces incidence of certain types of cancer especially prostate cancer, breast, lung and cancer of the uterus. Lycopene is also linked with reduced risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack).  
•  Oranges are not only the fruit that is rich in Vitamin C but also watermelons that have abundance of vitamin C. Vitamin C boosts your immune system and fights against sickness and diseases.  Vitamin C in watermelons is also known to alleviate medical conditions like cataract. So go cool, eat watermelons and boost your immune system right away.  Stay away from sickness and disease the cool watermelon way. It doesn’t matter whether you cut, slice or juice watermelons but when nutrition matters, watermelons are number one ! 
• Watermelon is robust in vitamin A, which fights off infections. Watermelon has a healing effect on inflammatory conditions of asthma, arthritis, colon cancer, diabetes and arteriosclerosis. There is good news for diabetics; you can enjoy watermelons to the core! 
• Watermelon contains citrulline, an amino acid compound, which helps flush out the kidneys and serves as an excellent detox agent.
• Watermelon is a rich source of potassium*, a mineral indispensable for water balance in every cell. Low potassium levels can lead to muscle cramps. The potassium in watermelons help control blood pressure, diminish the risk of developing kidney stones, osteoporosis and also regulates heart beat.
• The beta-carotene present in watermelon helps keeps your vision sharp, especially at night. Researchers believe that beta-carotene and vitamin C are capable of preventing heart disease, cancer, and other chronic conditions.

Though it is great fresh, watermelon also is great in soups, salads, and salsas...Here is a recipe for a great summer soup with water melon as the main ingredient 

Watermelon Gazpacho 

Ingredients

• 2 cups 1/4-inch-diced watermelon (Can be found at City Greens)
• 2 cups orange juice
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch dice (Can be found at City Greens)
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice (Can be found at City Greens)
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced (Can be found at City Greens)
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (Can be found at City Greens optional)
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, basil or cilantro (Can be found at City Greens)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Process 1/2 cup of watermelon, along with the orange juice and oil, in a blender or food processor until pureed. Transfer to a medium bowl, along with remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve. (Can be made several hours before serving.)

Hope to see everyone at the market this week 

Thanks!

City Greens Shoppers!

What a great week we had at the market this week... Thank you all SO much for your continued support. City Greens is only able to exist because of YOU and we sincerely appreciate that.

We will be closing the market at 3:30 on THURSDAY, August 4th.

The following week we will be back on our normal 11-5 schedule. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding!

Please call us if you have anything you'd like to talk to us about.

Millions of Peaches Peaches for Me

You guessed it...the wait is over and peaches have finally arrived and unlike the lyrics of the song attest the peaches at City Greens do not come in a can and were not put there by a man in a factory downtown...instead our freshly picked peaches come from our friends at Dry Dock Farms in Silex, Missouri.

Not only do our peaches taste great, but they are also great for you!!! Nutrition information for one large peach is below.

Peaches are also a good source of Niacin and Potassium

So What do I do with Them?

Peaches are great to eat on their own, but they also are delicious added to simple foods and make a great desert. For those of you who are more adventurous here are two simple and affordable recipes for you to try, one with a video for those of you, like myself who are visual learners.

.

Fresh Peach Salsa

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped, peeled fresh peaches (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• 3 Tablespoon lime juice
• 2 to 3 Tablespoon finely chopped, seeded fresh jalapeno pepper (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

In a medium mixing bowl stir together peaches, onion, lime juice, peppers, garlic, cilantro, and sugar. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours.
Makes 2 cups.

Balsamic Peach Pork Loin Chops Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 (about 8 ounces each) boneless pork top loin chops, 1-1/2 inches thick (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup minced sweet onion (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• 1 fresh peach, peeled and chopped (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage (Can be purchased at City Greens)
• Peach slices and chopped parsley for garnish (Can be purchased at City Greens)

Preparation:

Place each pork loin chop between sheets of plastic wrap and pound down to a 1-inch thickness. Season with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground chipotle.

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and swirl to coat the pan. Sear pork loin chops until golden brown on each side, turning only once. Remove to a platter and keep warm.

Reduce heat, add 1 tablespoon of the butter, and saute the minced onions for 2 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and peaches, cooking another 2 minutes. Carefully pour balsamic vinegar into the pan. Deglaze by stirring and scraping up the browned bits, cooking about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and minced sage, stirring to combine. Simmer until reduced by half and thickened.

Return pork loin chops to the pan, along with any juices that have accumulated on the platter. Coat both sides with sauce and simmer for 2 minutes to re-warm.

Serve pork loin chops with the balsamic peach sauce, garnished with fresh peach slices and a sprinkling of chopped parsley.

Yield: 4 servings

Notes: Ground chipotle pepper is available in the spice aisle of most major grocery stores.

We will have lots of other goodies including corn, tomatoes, cantaloupes, peppers, zucchini and squash and the usual dry goods. We are experiencing a shortage of eggs so these are at a premium and we are looking at other suppliers to help us fill our customers need for eggs.

It's HOT... Come in and enjoy some FRESH produce!!!

Hello All!

Have you tried our COLD summer soups? A very refreshing treat made by our friend over at St. John's Soups. We'll have our Carrot/Ginger/Coconut and Green Gazpacho soups ready for everybody to sample! You can also choose between a Cucumber/Avacado or Cucumber/Zucchini... All straight from the fridge in order to cool you down a bit :)

As for produce this week, we've got a great selection for you to choose from including: Sweet Corn, Tomatoes (red and yellow), Beets, Turnips, Zucchini, Potatoes (red and white), Peppers (banana and bell), onions, cucumbers, and MORE!!

NEW THIS WEEK: Cherry Tomatoes and Okra... and BLACKBERRIES!! ($5.00 qt)

And of course, check out our MEAT products (As always, grass fed and free range!)

Come in and hang out for a bit!

Friday Update

The Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile continues at Casa de Salud (Tues) and at the corner of 39th and Russel (Weds).  We've been blessed with clear, yet hot, weather and have met a variety of new shoppers excited to come back and see what Missouri's earth is producing each week. 

St. John's Soups has created two new soups for the market: Coconut-Ginger-Carrot, and Vegan Zukes and Cukes.  Come by to sample them.  We have also restocked our red and green gazpacho. 

We have FREE collards, kale, and mustard greens while they last, graciously given to us by a community garden.

There's cabbage, yellow peppers, tomatoes, sweet onions, red onions, potatoes, green beans, turnips, pickling cucombers, seedless/burpless cucombers, pork, Companion Bread, eggs, and all the other common dry goods we love.

Have a great weekend and please visit next week as there will be sweet corn coming in! 

Cheers!

June 29th update: (tongue twister) Bake big batches of brown blueberry bread.

Hello Local Food Eaters (aka Locavores) -

Quick shout out to stlonline.com and Feast Magazine (online) for spreading the word on the Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile.

To those looking for more beef: we are in the process of finding another free-range, grass fed beef supplier that can sell around $2.99/lb regularly.  Thank you for your patience!

Great seeing folks these last couple weeks out at our Tuesday, Casa de Salud location and our Wednesday, 39th and Russel location.  We've been blessed with pristine 9 to 11am weather and thank the heavens.  Casa de Salud have been wonderful hosts and the Shaw neighbors have come to us with open arms.  Sincere open arms back at you.    

Also, we have taken note to hold not just prized produce aside for the Friday shoppers.  We hope everyone can have a fair chance to get this food into their homes and bellies.

What's in this week:  cucumbers, green onions, green garlic, Roma tomatoes, red potatoes, zucchini, banana peppers and bell peppers (small amount), yellow squash, Japanese turnips, cabbages, sweet onions, green beans, beets, slicing tomatoes, blueberries ($3.00/qt.), locust honey, and a resupply of pint-sized honey.   

As always, please call us or visit with any questions. 
Cheers -

Mobile Market Debut at Casa De Salud

Mobile Market Debut at Casa De Salud 

We had a fantastic debut of our mobile market and many thanks are extended to the folks at Casa De Salud  for letting us use their parking lot for a few hours.  As you can see, the market is hard to miss. 

Like the market here at Midtown, all products sold at the Supa' Fresh Mobile Market are local, natural and/or organic and best of all priced at wholesale cost and sold without tax. As it is our attempt to extend City Green Produce's mission of providing quality and affordable choices to those who may have barriers to accessing healthy food, we strive to carry the same products on the mobile market as we do at the market here at Midtown. This includes our quality Amish products, eggs, pork, and produce. 

The Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile will be at Casa De Salud (3200 Chouteau Ave 63101) every Tuesday Morning from 9am-11am. We will be at other locations around the community on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning and afternoon. Please check this blog and our twitter account @citygreenstl for updates on our location. Like the market, you must be a member to shop, however guest shoppers are allowed on an as needed basis. Memberships to the Midtown market are 100% transferable to the Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile and we encourage current members to shop at the mobile market, as well as tell their friends. 


Thank you all for helping us launch this and make our mobile market a model for other organizations around the country to adopt as an innovative way to get quality, affordable food into the hands of those who may have barriers to accessing this. 


-CG staff 

Oh, boy, I'm hungry

The Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile is set to launch next week y'all.  We'll be at Casa de Salud Tuesday morning for sure and call or visit the market to find out where else we'll be as we get everything outfitted and filled with the market foods.

We have quite the harvest this week, bringing back red potatoes, green beans, green zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, and broccoli.  We'll also have more buckwheat honey, a new BLUEBERRY HONEY, a refill of our jalapeno jelly, sweet dills, Japanese turnips, radishes, turnips, strawberries, shell peas, green onions, Swiss chard, Russian red kale, leaf lettuce and wheat berries. 

Be happy this season knowing that Mother Nature is producing.

Peace,
City Greens

Week #4: Cooking at home to stay out of the heat

Shoppers,

What will be pulling our Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile, you might ask?  This hoss of a van will pull that 20-foot trailer, so green it's dying for attention.  What's needed now are decals and logos to show who has supported our growth and mission along this process!  We hope the Veggie Mobile will launch in a couple weeks.

WE HAVE STRAWBERRYS AGAIN.  Blackberries to come soon along with potatoes and other seasonal produce. 

We also have beautiful beets, cabbage, leaf lettuce, collards, swiss chard, green onions, radishes, white turnips, and mustard greens...come get some.

Hope to see you at the market: we miss you.

At the market this week

Strawberrys!  Come early, come quick as we have 40 quarts of these little gems at $4.00. 

We also will have the following produce this week:

Broccoli, Collard Greens, Kale, Mustard Greens, Swiss Chard, Green Onions, German Giant Radishes, Shunkyo Radishes (pinkish, light flavor), Romaine Lettuce, plus a full stock of our pork products and BEEF.  Yes, we are now carrying ground, grass-fed, free-range beef. 

What On Earth is a Wheat Berry?

A picture of wheat berries

You may have wondered while shopping in the market, what on earth is this bag of things called wheat berries? Thinking you'll be adventurous you pick up a bag at less than $1.00 a pound to try and find that you are at a loss for cooking ideas and really have no idea what these things are. I too was in the same boat and after some internet sluthing I came to the conclusion that wheat berries are an awesome grain to add to salads, soups, and bread and pack a wonderful and nutritious punch despite their low price

 

 

 

 

 

So what are they and why are they good for me?

 




From http://yankeegalscafe.com/2010/10/20/wheat-berries/

  Wheat berries or wheat kernels are the seed of the wheat plant and they consist of three parts...the germ, bran, and endosperm. There are more than 40 of these nutritious marvels on each stalk of wheat. These "seeds" are what are ground to make "whole wheat" flour (be advised whole wheat flour is much more nutrtious than wheat flour which has the bran or the germ removed. Unlike white flour which consists only of the starchy endosperm, wheat berries and whole wheat flour contain all three parts of the seed. The addition of the bran and germ to the endosperm adds a boost of vitamins and minerals these nutritional powerhouse foods. According to Leslie Beck's RD blog wheat berries are an excellent source of manganese, selenium, phosphorus and magnesium, as well as fiber and protein. These berries also contain  lignans, a phytochemical thought to guard against breast and prostate cancer.

 

 

 

Nutrition information per 1/2 cup serving  

 

Calories	111 kcal
Protein	3.5 g
Carbohydrate	24.9 g
Fibre	4.3 g
Fat	0.5 g
Sodium	3 mg
Cholesterol	0 mg

 

What do I do with them?

 

So you may be wondering, now that I know what a wheat berry is and why I should eat them...how exactly should I prepare them? Thanks to our friends at Opperation Food Search...we can solve your worries with the following recipie. Like before, most of the ingredients can be purchased at City Greens Produce with the other ingredients easy to find.

Wheatberries with Portabella Mushrooms 

Ingredients

1 large portabello mushroom

2cups wheatberries

7 cups water or broth

2T olive oil

1/4 cup onions

1 T Salt

Directions

1. Soak wheatberries in water for at least an hour
2. Coat saucepan with olive oil
3. Add onions and mushrooms
4. Saute until soft
5. Add wheat berries and water
6. Add salt
7. Boil for at least 50 minutes or until soft and tender

What to Do with your Greens

So as we keep talking...we have greens here at City Greens...lots of them. If you are like me, you may be stuck with a bunch of greens and have no idea what to do with them...Well...thanks to our friends at Operation Food Search, the process of making tasty (and healthy) greens is no sweat. Even better is you can get most of the ingredients here at the market for cheap. So lets stop talking and start eating

Stewed Greens w/bacon 

photo from http://trilliestaste.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-05-23T12%3A52%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=1

Ingredients

3 Slices bacon (Patchwork Farms)

1 tablespoon olive or canola oil 

2 cloves garlic minced 

1 pound collard, turnip, or mustard greens, stems removed and cut into 2-inch pieces

3 cups of water or chicken broth 

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

salt and pepper to taste 

optional: dash of apple cider vinegar

Instructions 

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook bacon till crisp, remove and crumble and then return to pot 

2. If needed add 1 teaspoon of oil to pot. Add onion to pot and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add greens and cook until just starting to wilt 

3. Add liquid and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper 

4. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until desired consistency has been reached, about 15 to 45 minutes. 

makes 6 servings 

Fresh Updates for 5/27

Market Updates 5/27/11

Lots of new stuff is happening at City Greens this week. The City Greens team wants to thank everyone who came out to help make our opening week a success. 62 people visited. We want to extend a personal thank you to Rose at Companion Bakery, The folks at Dry Dock Farm, Ryan at Gateway Greening, and Patrillie and Mareyla at Operation Food Search for their delicious food and wonderful insight.  You really helped make this week a success!!!

As we venture into our second week, the greens are still plentiful and the pork is a following. Spare ribs are still on sale for $1.99 a pound, perfect for your holiday BBQs this weekend.

Fresh in the market this week 

1. Radishes

2. Mustard Greens

3. Red Kale

4. Leaf Lettuce 

5. Buttercrunch Lettuce

6. Romaine Lettuce 

7. Collard Greens 

8. Broccoli

9. Companion Bread 

10. Green Onions 

11. Farm Fresh Eggs 

12. Swiss Chard 

13. Staple Dry Goods 

Mobile Market Update

Mobile market gets a fresh coat of paint

As we updated you last week...things are up and rolling with the plans for the Supa Fresh Mobile Market. Here are the latest updates. As you can see we have completely painted the outside and inside of the mobile market trailer. We are still finalizing the arrangement and type of shelving. If anyone has any ideas please let us know!!!! 

We need your Suggestions!!!!!

City Greens is here for you and we are always open to your suggestions. If you want to see a product at the market please email us and let us know what you want to see

 

A Supa' Fresh Update

The staff here at Midtown headed down to Saint Charles yesterday to check on the progress on the Supa' Fresh Veggie Van. As you can see below, things are coming together so we can get the market out and the road. We will be heading back down to Saint Charles on Monday to check on the progress again and we will update you again via this blog. For now, here is the latest progress

Here is the back of the veggie mobile. The trailer will be painted green to symbolize the freshness of our produce.

Grand ReOpening Week Celebration Begins Thursday May 19th...

Are you Ready? City Greens begins it 3rd season on this Thursday, May 19th from 11-5pm at the Midtown Catholic Charities building located at 1202 S. Boyle. Grand opening celebration festivities include cooking demos, food discounts, lots of samples and special gardening activities from our friends at Gateway Greening. We will have all of our staples from our winter market, plus some other goodies.

Fresh in the market this week...
Swiss Chard
Kohlarabi
Spinach
Red Mustard Greens
Green Mustard Greens
Radishes
Green Onions
Buttercrunch lettuce
Leaf lettuce
Strawberries
I also wanted to let everyone know that we are deep in the middle of our membership drive. We rely on word of mouth to get our name out there and to build our membership base. Remember when you become a City Greens member you not only are guarenteeing that you recieve the highest quality natural produce at wholesale prices, but also that you are helping get the highest quality produce into the hands of those who may not have access to this food otherwise. City Greens not only helps local farmers, but also helps builds our community.
Remember, City Greens has a twitter. You can follow us on there @CityGreenSTL

Keep us posted on what you want to see at City Greens and hope to see you on Thursday or Friday. I'm getting really excited for this.

Last Week of Winter Market

The buzz is in the air over the opening of our third season next week. 

The Grand Re-Opening will be Thursday and Friday from 11-5, which are our hours also for the entire season (plus Tuesday and Wednesday Veggie Mobile hours, TBD).  We can't wait to fire up our blenders and sauce pans (and salad bowls?) with the produce now coming out of our beautiful Missouri soil.

We have spinach, mustard greends, kale, collards, radishes, and a some preservative-free bacon now out for you to buy!  Plus we'll sample some almond butter!

 

Produce is Back! Check out our new Vegan Black Bean soup

Last night, Dan attended the St. Louis Farm Forum at St. Louis University.  Did you know that farmer's markets have tripled in the last 15 years?  In 1986, there were two CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) -- now, there are over 4,000.  How many at-cost community markets do you know about?  We haven't found any others but hope that the growth of CSAs and farmer's markets parallels our model in the coming years. 

Shoppers, this is your week!  We have produce again, before the season even opens.  Come get some mustard greens, radishes, green onions, and head lettuce.  We're also carrying vegan black bean soup from St. John's Soups.

Farm and Food Bill Event at SLU

Farm (& Food) Bill Event Comes to St. Louis

The food on our plates, where it came from, and how its production affects the environment are all shaped by the Farm Bill.  As Congress prepares to take up the 2012 Farm Bill, St. Louis area residents are invited to join the conversation about our nation’s food system at a public panel discussion.

May 4, 2011 / Wednesday -- 6:30PM

Saint Louis University
Doisy Hall, Multipurpose Room (Rm. 3040)
3437 Caroline Mall

The forum is free and open to the public. Visit this website for more details about the topic and presenters:

http://www.moenviron.org/2011/04/st-louis-food-bill-forum/

(You'll also see how to RSVP.)

Plenty of large farm fresh, free-range eggs this week.  A variety of pork products and the usual staples--coffee, tea, bread, jams, jellies, peanut butter, etc.  The first stage of outfitting the Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile is almost complete.  Paint, interior lighting, shelving and a fresh interior skin are being installed.  The next step is exterior decorating with the name, sponsors names, decorative detailing and finishing of shelving and space for hanging baskets.  The trailer itself is pictured in Midtown's newsletter at its website--www.midtowncc.org.

Enjoy our Easter Best

Hi City Greens Members,
We just wanted to let you know that we have some of our best items in and on sale for the holiday weekend. Dan has ordered a surplus of eggs for your eggciting events this weekend including the ever famous easter egg hunt :-D Also, patchwork farms spare ribs are on sale for $1.99/pound. This item sold out last week, so come and get them before someone else does. See you at the market :-D
Anna

Green Eggs and Deli Ham

The ground is warming and the seeds are being planted.  Our farmers are busy organizing to bring you the local food we all want so much in our bellies. 

In the theme of looking ahead, we're searching for a small acoustic 1-2 person act to play at the opening of the season, May 19th.  Also, Craftsman is diligently working on the Supa' Fresh Veggie Mobile (official name), customizing it for all our or mobile market needs.  Let us know if you have any creative ideas or suggestions as YOU are part of the City Greens community and have a say in its direction.    

Come today to try Companion's new Cocao seasonal bread.  We also have new ham products that will blow your grill away.   

Pork Is here

Hi City Greeners,
Good news Patchwork Farms Pork is here in the market. Come today to pick up some great products from a local farmer who is committed to using natural farming techniques. You can check out more about this great new supplier at their website http://www.patchworkfamilyfarms.org/

Check out the new mobile market!

Wait to see the before and after pictures...

Check it out, folks!  We picked up the mobile market this week and isn't it huge?  This baby is in the hands of Craftsman now being outfitted for our uses.  The top brass there are dedicated to making this an even more durable, user-friendly, mobile market.  If you're wondering, it's 20 feet long and has 6 large side panels that open up to protect you from the elements during shopping and also to give a great amount of airflow on those hot summer days - staff and volunteers will at least appreciate this.  Please let us know what you think and stay tuned for more updates.  This week we'll sample some Companion Bread biscuits with both a sugar-free and regular jam. 

Oh, and we got the okay on selling meat products from the city (five minutes ago).  Next week we should have a bunch of delicious, low-cost pork products!!

Sample chocolate peanut butter and buy small farm-made applesauce

This week we’re celebrating Spring with a sampling of Mound City’s chocolate peanut butter!  Come on by to try this product and tell us what you think.  Also, come try Dry Dock Farm’s Chunky Apple Sauce – a new product we hope to always have for you and your children’s enjoyment.  It's sugar and cinnamon free so it can suit any diet.  Please bring your empty Hilty's jars and egg cartons back so we can continue supporting our small, naturally run Missouri farms.  See you Thursday.

Welcome! City Greens to buy amazing food trailer

This is a purchasing week for City Greens!  Tomorrow we plan on buying a chest freezer for our soon-to-be-carried meat products and Friday we plan on driving out to get a wonderful 20ft food trailer which will be converted into our mobile market for the 2011 season.  Sounds productive, eh? 

Stay tuned for pictures of the trailer -- at least a before and after photo.  Picture a wooden red racer turning into a green machine.  

There's a lot of buzz in the air about the upcoming season and we hope you're on board to steer us as a community of shoppers, neighbors, and farmers.

We will be ordering a fresh shipment of our Amish products along with some more corn meal based Artisan English Muffins from Companion Bakery.