THIS WEEK

Thoughts about our Weather

Many of us have been looking at the thermometer and at the noticeably absent snow drifts and are wondering 'What is up with this Winter???'

At The Organic Box we know that our climate is changing due to human activity. However, single-year anomalies like this winter are not proof positive that our weather is changing. We are more interested in and more aware of the longer-term changes we are seeing to weather patterns and average temperatures and the direct impact this is having on our food producing regions.

Generally, over a period time, we are seeing more intensive swings in extreme weather events, storms with more energy and destructive consequences and the gradual lengthing of spring and fall seasons. It sometimes seems like we are adding a week of spring and a week of fall to the calendar each year! Over a ten year period, that doesn't leave many weeks left for winter. In the organic agricultural sector we are looking for ways to adapt traditional farming methodologies to the changing climate patterns. In the long term, what we grow and how we grow it here in Western Canada may change, but we do firmly believe that we will always be able to grow food in our region.

The lack of snow this winter is actually the result of a drought. The cold weather masks the lack of moisture but things are extremely dry. I was talking to some friends at BC Agriculture about snow pack levels in the mountains and the news is not great for irrigation water this year in our fruit producing regions. Luckily, last year's record snow levels left high water levels and residual snow pack in many of the alpine lakes and aquifers and this will mitigate the low moisture levels from this winter. However, another mild, dry winter in 2013 will be devastating for BC and Alberta agriculture.

As individuals, we can look for ways we can make a difference on a micro-level. In Alberta, the vast majority of our electricity is supplied by coal-fired plants, which inject significant levels of greenhouse gas into the upper atmosphere. By switching off your lights or changing to low-wattage compact-fluorescent bulbs we can make a material reduction in the amount of electricity used in our homes and businesses and therefore reduce the power required from these plants.

Our food family is committed to being sustainable and this means we pay the full price for food - including programs to reduce and offset our emissions resulting from the production, shipment and delivery of your box. Read about our climate mitigation strategies on our website: We Are Sustainable. A portion of the sustainability fund charged for each delivery goes towards this program. We are working on the 2011 numbers now.

Miranda and I are spending a week at Just-A-Mere Organic Farm in Creston. We will be helping our team there get ready for spring. With the mild winter the trees are beginning to show signs of life six weeks earlier than usual so we have lots of pruning to do in a hurry! As well, we are doing some soil improvement work this year and need to get that underway. In our absence Steven, Brody and Abbie are steering the ship in Edmonton.

Have a great week!

Danny.

Featured Producers

Beets 01

Beet Cake

Beets are the Best!

Our local producers are starting to organize their seed plan for the next growing season, and while they're doing that we're emptying out their winter stock! As you'd expect in northern Alberta that's a lot of potatoes, carrots, and beets. These are wonderful storing vegetables and are staples in our Albertan diets. Eric at Peas on Earth has purple and yellow beets, and James at Sundog Organics has lots of beautiful red beets. The beetroot plant is incredibly nutritious. They're packed with vitamins A (increases eye heath and stimulates the immune system) and C (immuno-stimulant), folate (healthy red blood cell production), iron, potassium and calcium (bone health). Despite these health benefits beets can be a difficult vegetable to get out of the fridge, especially when trying to feed the kids. However, we are trying our best to come up with some creative new recipes that are healthy and kid friendly. Here again is our Beet Chocolate Cake recipe that kids (and adults) will love:

Beet Chocolate Cake

1 large beet*
unsweetened apple sauce
2 tbsp. water
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar*
1 cup whole wheat flour*
1/2 cup unbleached white flour*
1/2 cup cocoa or raw chocolate sauce*
1 cup cane sugar*
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt*
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Peel and dice one large beet. Place the pieces in a saucepan with water to cover and boil until soft.

Allow the beets to cool, and then drain them, reserving the red water for another purpose. Put the drained beets into the food processor with 1/4 cup (clear) water, and process until pureed.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil or spray your cooking pan(s).
Put the pureed beets into a 2-cup measure. Add enough apple sauce to reach the 2-cup line. Add the 2 tablespoons water, vanilla extract, and apple cider to the beets and mix well.

Mix the dry ingredients together; then add the beet mixture and stir until well-combined. Bake for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of pan you use: more for small, deep pans and less for a 9X13 pan. Test by inserting a toothpick into the center; it’s done when the toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

* Organic ingredients availble through The Organic Box

Please let us know what you think of this recipe, and share with us any other amazing beet recipes that are family favourites on our Twitter page (@organicbox) and Facebook (theorganicbox).

Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches

If you're anything like me, you absolutely love our fair trade and organic bananas! There are times though that you just can't eat them fast enough and they start to over-ripen. However there are lots of these you can do with over-ripe bananas. Such as making banana bread, cakes, smoothies, and one of my dad's traditional favourites... peanut butter and banana sandwiches. MaraNatha Peanut Butter is made from only the purest ingredients, with no trans fats, hydrogenated oils or preservatives. This is also some of the creamiest and flavourful peanut butter that I've ever had, and with the added kick of some banana it makes over the top sandwiches.

Saturday Market pick-up & Holiday Hours

We will be open for pick-up from 9am to 1 pm on Saturdays. You can also purchase surplus items on Saturdays. If you are on weekly delivery routes and would like to switch to a Saturday pick-up box please let us know. For Saturday pick up members, we take 'Choose Your Box' orders until 9am Wednesday morning and the produce arrives on Thursday and Friday.

The Organic Box: Week of February 21 - February 25, 2012

The Organic Box	The Organic Singles Box	Item	Producing Farm
Bag		Yellow Potato - Local	Peas on Earth
2 lbs		Yellow Onions - Local	Noble Spuds
1 lb	1 lb	Red Beets - Local (T)	Sundog Organic Farm
Head		Green Cabbage - Local	Peas on Earth
	Bag	Nantes Carrots - Local	Peas on Earth
	1	Garlic - White Music - BC Local	Gud Johnson
50 g		Microgreens - Local	Sunrise Gardens
1/2 lb	1/2 lb	Crimini Brown Mushrooms - Local	Mona Foods
	1 lb	Mixed Yams/Sweets	Oh So Naturals, CA
Head	Head	Red Leaf Lettuce	Sue and Joe Heger, CA
2 per		Tomato - Roma	Signature Farms, Mexico
Bunch	Bunch	Broccoli	Deardorff
1	1	Bell Pepper - Rainbow	Si Senor, Mexico
1		Avocado - Hass	Fair Trade - Planeta Verde
2	2	Apple - Gala - BC Local	Harkers Fruit Ranch
2	2	Apple - Pink Lady - BC Local	Harkers Fruit Ranch
5	3	Oranges - Tangelo	Rucker Farms
2	2	Oranges - Cara Cara Navel	Homegrown Organics
1		Grapefruit - Ruby Red	Fair Trade - Planeta Verde
Bunch	Bunch	Bananas - Fair Trade	BOS Salitral
Substitutions		Substitute items in the suggested box for an included or additional price.	Local: Raspberries (Frozen), Carrots - Nantes, Parsnips, Purple or Yellow Beets, Rainbow Carrots, Squash - Buttercup, Potato - Blue/Purple (T), Purple Carrots (T), Red Banana Potatoes (T), Shallots, Live Wheatgrass or Petgrass. BC Local: Garlic - White Music, Portabella Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, Apples - Spartan, Apples - Fuji, Pears - BOSC, Pears - D'Anjou. Imported: Cilantro, Lettuce - Romaine, Cucumber Long English, Cauliflower, Green Leaf Lettuce, Mixed Yams/Sweets, Lemons, Sunchoke - White, Strawberries, Oranges - Navel, Blueberries - 6oz, Mango - Edward Honeyblush.
Extra		Small Fruit Box Add on for $20	Get more fruit - including both seasonal favourites and standards.
Extra		Family Fruit Box Add on for $40	Double the fruit of the Small Fruit Box. For the serious fruit lovers!
Extra		New OfficeBox Add on for $50	Take a box of healthy, Organic fruit to the office. It's apple season! Put the potato chips away!
Extra		Bakery, Eggs and Milk Various Prices	6 or 12 Farm Eggs, the whole lineup of bread from Prairie Mill Bread Co., and local organic milk from Vital Green Farms in Picture Butte, AB. Dairy products from Avalon and Goats Dairy from Fairwinds.
Extra		Dry Goods Various Prices	Organic Fair Trade Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate. Grains and Flours: Brown Basmati, Jasmine, and Long Grain Brown Rice, Organic Whole Wheat Flour, Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, 7 grain cereal, Organic Oatmeal, Organic Cream of Wheat, Pot Barley, Split Peas, Green Lentils, Soy Beans, Qiunoa, Organic Pancake Mix, Organic pastas, Grocery Items: Organic Enriched Soy Milk (Vanilla, Chocolate, Cappuccino, Original), Pure Organic Lemon and Lime Juice, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, Organic Herbs and Spices, Anitas Organic Breakfast Boost (Chia and Hemp, Ancient Grain, Nut and Seed), PRANA Snacks (Maple Almonds, Cashews, and Trail Mix), Mighty Trio Culinary Oils (Hemp, Canola, Flax), Vegan Gummy Snacks, dried fuits (banana chips, cranberries, turkish apricots), Organic Flame Raisins, crystalized ginger, cashews, almonds, almond nut better, coconut butter, Peanut Butter, ketchup, BBQ Sauce, veggie snacks, Unrefined Salts, and Raw Organic Coconut Water.