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)