Order for Friday, January 22

First, a short synopsis of the market report from our supplier on crop damage... there is good news along with bad! Tomatoes took the biggest hit with a nearly total loss. Eggplant, Bell Pepper, Zucchini and Yellow Squash sustained extensive damage and there will be low or no supply. Cabbage, Corn and Bean (our Homestead bean grower is doing the best) crops were somewhat damaged, but will still be harvesting with lower yields. Almost all Tangerines and Tangelos were lost (but the fruit only, not the groves,) and Strawberries will be in lower availability for a little while, but with extra sweetness due to the cold. Yea!! The thicker skinned Orange and Grapefruit survived much better, but with some damage and reduced yields. Leafy Greens tend to have better cold tolerance, so harvesting is already resumed and while there may be gaps, they are available with good quality. Some sources report 1/3 to 1/2 of all winter Florida crops have been lost. But this is an early report, and conditions can always change quickly where agriculture is concerned, so we will have to wait and see what becomes available.

All this to say, that we will do our best to support our local organic farmers as they clean up and resume their harvesting where available! Prices may go up sharply on some items and our supplier is sourcing from the West and Mexico to fill the gaps. We will work hard in the coming weeks to make your money stretch as far as possible, but please bear with us if your shares seem a little light at times or you notice items from outside the country. Even so, we will continue to choose produce from local and Florida farmers whenever possible. There may also be more fluctuation from our preliminary list to our final list in the coming months while produce inventory recovers. Thank you for "co-op"ing with us!

If you haven't had rutabaga before, let me introduce you! Rutabaga is a wonderful root vegetable, light yellow in color with a mild, slightly sweet flavor. In the store it comes with a thick wax coating, but this will be "rooty" looking with a thin skin to be peeled. It can be diced up and cooked and mashed along with potatoes. It is a fabulous addition to soup. Or you can dice it, steam and toss together with other veggies.

REGULAR SHARE
Cucumbers
Broccoli
Ginger Root
Green Onions
Carrots
Spinach
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Lettuce, 2 heads
Mushrooms (Doral gets Avocados)
Rutabaga
Apples
Pineapple
Grapefruit
Bananas

FRUIT SHARE
Honeydew
Blueberries
Temple Oranges
Pears (Cutler Bay gets Star Fruit)

Preliminary Order for January 8th, 2010

Welcome back!

We hope that you have had a wonderful holiday season and look forward to seeing you in this new year. Please remember to bring your bags and let your host know how much you appreciate what she does to make this possible by asking how you can help. Cooperative effort keeps costs down and is what we are all about. Simple jobs include taking boxes, posting flyers and inviting friends, offering to help with clean up, volunteering to help with distribution/organization, etc. Just ask your host. Coral Gables is in need of an additional host in the weeks to come. Please contact me if interested. Hosts get their produce for free and help with coordinating the group. You would be working with a team of other hosts to share in the responsibilities. It is also optional to host a group in your home. Email me for more information at healthyhabitsproduce.gmail.com.

We will have local tomatoes (sorry, no onions yet!) available for an additional (minimal) cost of $2 for 2 pounds. We do not put these items directly into your bag because they are not organic; however, because of the excellent quality we want to make these available to you. They will be available for purchase in Redlands, Coral Gables and Cutler Bay.

Happy New Year!

Cyndi and Martha

Regular/Mixed Veggies

Avocado

Broccoli

Carrots

Celery

Cucumber

Curly Parsley (FL)

Green Kale (FL)

Yellow Onions

Zucchini

Grape Tomatoes (FL)

Two heads of lettuce

Bananas

Blackberries

Anjou pears

Pineapples

Credit for Redlands and Coral Gables: Portabella mushrooms

Fruit Share

Hamlin oranges (FL) Cutler Bay gets tangelos (FL)

Kent Mangoes

Gala apples (extra bags will be on sale in Cutler Bay for $4.50 each)

Bing Cherries

Special Orders: Please talk to your host if interested.

Check out our new items!!!

NEW!! Organic Coconut Oil - odorless ($14 for 1 liter, $8 for ½ liter)

NEW!! Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Cold Pressed 100% ($12 for 1 pt 0.9 oz)

Certified Organic Eggs (FL) from Free Roaming Hens ($3.50 a dozen)

Raw Local Honey ($20 a half gallon, $7 for pint jar; $2 refund for returned honey jars) Saw Palmetto & Orng Blssm

Smoked Fish dip – no preservatives – choice of salmon and mahi-mahi

($10 a pound) – (Available for sale at Redlands, Cutler Bay, Coral Gables) Limited Supply – Let your host know if you want this so we know how much to send your group.

Please note: This item is handmade so you will notice slight changes each time. We are getting the product that is commercially prepared for the health food stores. (None this week . . . please ask your host if interested)