Produce Stand Closed this Friday!

Just a reminder: The Produce Stand will be going on hiatus this week.

We will be sure to let you know when we will resume business for Spring Quarter!

Best,
The Produce Stand Team

Produce Stand THIS FRIDAY 11 am - 3 pm!

Join us this Friday from 11 am to 3 pm for the Stanford Produce Stand! Come get your weekly supply of delicious, fresh, organic, and locally grown items. We are located in the front courtyard of Tresidder Memorial Union.

From the Stanford Community Farm and gardens: Cabbage, lettuce, parsley, beets, turnips, collards, Red Russian and Dino kale, & peas

From ALBA Organics: Strawberries, tangerines, cauliflower

Spotlight on: Strawberries!

"Do you have strawberries?" Without fail, this question pops up at the produce stand every week. For the past quarter, the answer has been an apologetic "no." But this week, finally, the answer is YES! Strawberries are back at the stand, and to celebrate their arrival, here's an unconventional but delicious way to prepare them.

Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar

Strawberries and balsamic vinegar is a combination that may seem odd or off-putting at first, but give it a try and you might be surprised. The balsamic vinegar softens the fruit and brings out its flavor (a process called maceration), resulting in a sweet, tart, addicting dessert.

Ingredients:
1 quart strawberries, hulled and cut in half
1/4 cup sugar (may substitute brown sugar for extra deliciousness)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
optional: 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper for an extra kick
optional: fresh mint or basil leaves, for garnish Toss strawberries in a bowl with sugar and balsamic vinegar.

Let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature, and ta-da, you're done! If desired, add a twist of pepper or some chopped mint/basil leaves to garnish.

Try this Whipped Mascarpone Topping to serve with the berries:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whipped mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk together all ingredients until thick soft peaks form. Can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 hours.

If you don't have any mascarpone on hand, these berries go just as well with vanilla ice cream, or a slice of pound or angel food cake.

So whether you plan on going home and whipping out the balsamic vinegar or simply snacking on berries on your way to class or the office, stop by the Produce Stand to get your strawberry fix.

See you at the Produce Stand!

photo credit: Epicurious.com (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/photo/Balsamic-Strawberries-with-Whipped-Mascarpone-Cheese-105321)

Produce Stand THIS FRIDAY 11 am - 3 pm!

Join us this Friday from 11 am to 3 pm for the Stanford Produce Stand! Come get your weekly supply of delicious, fresh, organic, and locally grown items. We are located in the front courtyard of Tresidder Memorial Union.

From the Stanford Community Farm and gardens: Cabbage, lettuce, parsley, beets, turnips, collards, Red Russian and Dino kale, & peas

From ALBA Organics: Red beets, kiwis, tangerines, & de ciccio broccoli

Spotlight on: Beets (again!)

For some reason, when I think of Jerry, I think of hummus. Jerry, in this case, is not the name of a person. It's the name of the 60-person house in which I live (affectionately named after the Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia). Here at Jerry, we love our hummus. We eat our way through massive quantities of it every week (and have the piles of empty containers to prove it). It's the go-to snack for late night kitchen trips, and no house social event is complete until someone brings up the pita chips to go along with this ridiculously addicting chickpea dip.

I have, without a doubt, eaten more hummus in the past six months than I have in my entire life. Which is why, when I stumbled upon an utterly mesmerizing picture of beet hummus (above), I had no choice but to disregard the fact that I've already featured an article on beets and share this with you anyway.

First of all: Beet hummus. How did I not think of this combination before?! [Disclaimer!] Now, unlike the other recipes I've shared, I have yet to actually try this one out. This picture immediately caught my attention when I was browsing through food blogs, though. I couldn't stop staring at this strange-looking, brightly colored concoction. With the necessary ingredients (tahini sesame seed paste, lemon juice & zest, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and, of course, BEETS), the recipe couldn't be simpler. Just throw everything into a blender, pulse, and eat.

For the full recipe, visit this link at Simply Recipes. The one thing I noticed about this particular recipe was that it doesn't actually contain any chickpeas. I then found this recipe, which is essentially the same thing, but with one can of chickpeas blended in as well. I won't have a chance to make this this weekend, but I hope some of you do (and let us know how it is!!!) Luckily for you, we've got awesome bunched red beets at the Produce Stand this week, all ready to be blended into delicious, bright, hummus goodness.

See you at the Produce Stand!