Arganica Farm Club

Note from Caesar

Hello Arganicans!

First, and most importantly, I want to wish a very happy Mother’s Day today to all the Arganica moms out there. I hope that your days are filled with a lot of fun, family and local food. I am surprising my mother tomorrow in Delaware with a huge box of Arganica delights, including her favorite sweet-salty Blue Ridge Kettle Korn.

This week, I’m proud to introduce the first of what I hope will be many guest recipes written by Arganica customers. Laura, a Baltimore Arganican who regularly blogs at Look What Mom Made, wrote a recipe for us featuring Mona Lisa Pasta and produce from her local crate. If you’re interested in having us feature your local food recipes in the Arganica blog, send me a note at Caesar.L@arganica.com.

For new products this week, we now have organic juices from Uncle Matt’s Organic. These family size containers are full of fresh organic juice, and come in Orange, Grapefruit, and Lemonade varieties. Uncle Matt is one of the premier certified organic citrus providers in the country, working with over 20 small family farms from Central Florida. I met the actual Uncle Matt just last week in Washington, DC at a conference to support the rights of local certified organic farmers on Capitol Hill. He is a terrific person so dedicated to the local and organic food movement. We are excited to work with his wonderful company.

Finally, we’re spotlighting Arganica producer CakeLove Bakery. Even with the explosion of new bakeries throughout Washington, DC over the past couple of years, CakeLove and their fearless leader Warren Brown continue to be a local favorite. Arganica customers love their containers of cookie dough in mouthwatering flavors like Bacon & Chocolate Chip. It is critical that you keep a tub in your fridge at all times for those late night fresh baked cookie cravings.

Happy local eating!

Caesar Layton
Arganica President
Caesar.L@arganica.com

New this Week

To see all our new products in the market, click here.

Uncle Matt's Organic Juices, 59oz
Lemonade - A refreshing blend of sweet and sour! Made with USA grown fruit and sweetened with evaporated cane juice.
Grapefruit Juice - Extremely mellow juice made from USA grown white and ruby red grapefruits. Excellent pick me up!
Pulp Free Orange Juice - Made from Uncle Matt's family recipe, this juice contains USA grown Valencia and Hamlin oranges. There are no added flavor packets, just fresh squeezed juice from organic oranges.

Local Duck Eggs, half-dozen
We're  excited to be reintroducing local duck eggs sold in half dozen cartons from Whistling Hollow Farm in Afton, VA. These large duck eggs taste just like chicken eggs, however the yolks contain a little more fat and the whites contain extra protein. Duck eggs tend to be richer than chicken eggs so cooking times and techniques may vary. Duck eggs are excellent for baking. Cakes made with duck eggs are lighter, higher and richer!

Louisiana Crawfish Tail Meat, Sold frozen, $22.49 / pound
Tail meat from mudbugs freezes beautifully. Give crawfish etouffee a try, the quintessential Louisiana dish. Or for a special breakfast treat try a crawfish frittata. Amazing!

This Week's Sales

To see all sales, click here.

Mimi's Baby Grains, Regular Price: $4.25 / Sale $3.79
If you've been looking for a minimally processed, organic, whole grain cereal for your baby, we've got you covered! Mimi’s baby cereals are freshly milled to order and are never dehydrated, resulting in food that retains most of its original nutrient content. These cereals contain no GMO grains, no fillers and no preservatives. Available in 4 different varieties: Whole Oats, Brown Rice, Barley and a Multi-Grain Mix of all three.

Anderson's Seafood Specials:
Tilapia Filet (Fresh) - Regular Price $11.65/lb / Sale $9.99/lb
Silky Red Snapper Filet (Fresh) - Regular Price $26.65/lb / Sale $22.99/lb
Peppered Bluefish (Smoked) - Regular Price $19.29/lb / Sale $16.99/lb

Guest Recipe

This week we’re introducing the first of what we hope will be many recipes submitted by Arganica customers.

I'm Laura, a Baltimore area mom who loves to cook (and eat). I'm a sucker for a cheese plate, chocolate chip cookies and any wine made in the Willamette Valley. I blog over at Look What Mom Made, and in my spare time I'm excited to share a few of my favorite recipes with my fellow Arganicans. I hope to focus on cooking with the contents of the local produce box, which really means cooking with what's in season - who's not a fan of that?

This week I got my Arganica bounty and was immediately drawn to the broccoli and cauliflower - two pretty pedestrian veggies. I'd also ordered a pound of Mona Lisa Roasted Garlic Linguini and knew I wanted to make a quick and easy pasta dish. I decided to roast the veggies and use lemon, garlic and olive oil to balance out the pungent roasted goodness of the broccoli and cauliflower.

Lemony Linguini with Roasted Vegetables, Pine Nuts and Parmesan

Serves 4

• 2 heads of broccoli
• 1 head of cauliflower
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thinly
• Olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
• Juice of two lemons
• 1/4 cup dry toasted pine nuts
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 lb fresh pasta, such as Mona Lisa Garlic Linguini

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, cut broccoli and cauliflower so that only 1-2 inches of stalk remains attached to floret. Florets should be no more than one inch wide when cut. Spread cut broccoli and cauliflower on a large sheet pan in a single layer. Scatter garlic atop broccoli and cauliflower and drizzle contents of pan with 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes until florets are tender and some have browned.

2. When vegetables are fully roasted, remove from oven and place in a large mixing bowl. Toss vegetables with the juice of 1/2 a lemon and all the lemon zest. Let stand.

3. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions (90 seconds for fresh pasta). Before draining pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta and return to pot, add the juice of the remaining lemon and a half, 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Toss pasta to coat (if pasta seems dry, add additional reserved water or olive oil). Add broccoli and cauliflower back to pasta pot and gently toss with pine nuts and parmesan. Adjust taste as needed with salt, pepper and additional parmesan. Enjoy!

Spotlight on CakeLove Bakery

“Plain and simple, passion is a commitment without condition. It requires intensity for caring about something without regard to difficulty. It’s a lot like love.” —Warren Brown

We love Warren Brown and his CakeLove empire as much for his sweet treats as for the inspirational story behind them. Warren left a promising career in law in 2000 to pursue an irrepressible passion for baking. His bold move has resulted in seven successful retail stores in the D.C. metropolitan area as well as two cookbooks, a gig on the Food Network, charity work and public speaking engagements across the country. Read more about Warren’s journey by clicking here.

CakeLove has earned a nearly rabid fan following in the past decade, including Martha Stewart and Miss Oprah Winfrey herself. The bakery’s success is built on a solid commitment to freshness and all-natural ingredients (absolutely no lard, artificial sweeteners, vegetable shortening or oils) baked every day from scratch.

CakeLove has bakery locations in DC, Maryland and Virginia. To view their locations and plan your visit, go to the CakeLove website: http://www.cakelove.com/.

In the Arganica Market:
Artisanal Oatmeal Cookie Dough
Bacon & Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Peanut Butter Cookie Dough
White Chocolate & Black Olive Cookie Dough

New Book, “Change Comes to Dinner”

Many of us now know that problems plague America's food system, but how often do we hear about the solutions? Katherine Gustafson set out to uncover hopeful alternatives that can make our way of eating more sustainable, satisfying, and fair. Change Comes to Dinner takes us into farms, markets, organizations, and businesses across America that are pushing us toward a better food future.

For more information and to order your copy today, click here.

The American Horticultural Society Presents “Growing in the Garden”

Tuesdays, May 15, 22, 29; 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
What Grows in a Garden? Who Comes to a Garden? What Grows in a Meadow? Children 3-5 years old will discover the answers to these questions as they enjoy meaningful learning at beautiful River Farm in Alexandria, VA. Each one-hour session will be fun-filled and active, with plenty of opportunity for hands-on experiences as they explore different areas of the garden. It will also feature games, stories, and a take-home, garden-oriented craft or experiment. Parents are welcome to accompany their child if they wish. Sign up for any or all of the sessions, which are $8 per child, per session (a $2 discount is offered for AHS members). To register, please call (703) 768-5700 ext. 133 or email junderwood@ahs.org.

For more information, click here.

Webinar - Exploring Solar Options

Arganica partner Clean Currents is hosting a free webinar on Tuesday, May 15 at 12pm. Learn about new ways to transition to solar power in your home with Clean Currents, the Mid-Atlantic's leading green energy supplier, and the region's only energy company that is a certified B-Corp. For more information and to register for the webinar, click here.